Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 12: For Survival and Freedom (1)

“Move aside? I thought a little wolf pup had finally come in, but it turns out to be a mad dog.”

Marcus adjusted his grip on his twin swords and aimed them at Karon. The aura flowing from the swords seemed to pierce Karon’s chest.

Strong.

That was Karon’s first thought as he fully received Marcus’s murderous intent.

His whole body tingled, and all his senses felt heightened and alert.

This was on a different level compared to Gletch. Of course, the fact that he wielded real swords made it feel even more intense.

Which one of us will move first?

Behind Karon, the gladiators were struggling to reach the second floor, and with Batiah and his subordinates nowhere in sight, it was easy to predict they would soon arrive.

Karon cautiously took a step forward.

At least he was grateful that he had observed the supervisor practicing one-on-one duels against gladiators over the past few days.

Every movement he made was now etched in Karon’s mind.

There will be only one chance.

If he let his guard down, there would be no chance of victory. He needed to end this before that happened.

Karon waited patiently for Marcus to make the first move.

“What are you doing! Don’t just kill him! Tear him apart!”

Altanic, standing behind them, shouted. He was too anxious to flee, unsure if other gladiators were approaching.

As the standoff dragged on, Marcus was the first to act. He felt a heavy responsibility to protect Altanic.

In an instant,

Marcus closed the distance and swung his twin swords at an angle. One aimed for Karon’s shoulder, the other for his waist.

Based on the anticipated trajectory, it was an attack that could not be blocked with a short sword.

Marcus assumed Karon would instinctively pull back, and at that moment, he planned to deliver a fatal blow.

It was a method he had chosen because it was the attack he was most familiar and confident with.

The problem was that Karon already knew how Marcus’s attack would unfold.

As the swords descended, Karon shifted his weight back. Just then, Marcus stepped forward, as if waiting for this moment.

At that moment,

Karon suddenly leaned forward, plunging his short sword into Marcus’s foot.

Simultaneously, the sword aimed at his shoulder sliced through the air uselessly, and the sword targeting his waist grazed Karon’s back.

Ugh!

Karon gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of his flesh being torn away, and seized the opportunity as Marcus stood momentarily stunned.

Give flesh to take bone.

Slash!

He drew his short sword and swiftly slashed from Marcus’s groin up to his chest in a straight line.

Perhaps due to a lack of strength, his body did not split in half, but it opened up on either side, blood gushing forth.

Thud!

Marcus collapsed.

He left no words behind. Just like that, he became a corpse in a single move.

Altanic, stunned, stood there with his mouth agape in shock, then began to back away slowly. As Karon wiped the blood from his face, Altanic turned and fled.

Karon lightly turned his short sword in one hand and tossed it.

The sword, flying in a gentle arc, embedded itself precisely in Altanic’s backside.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Altanic fell face-first to the ground, trembling as he clutched his rear.

“You! You bastard!”

He crawled on all fours, trying to escape. Karon, appearing like a ghost, grasped the short sword lodged in Altanic’s backside.

“Gah! You little slave, how dare you!”

“People…”

Karon, still holding the sword, approached him and whispered.

“You treated me worse than a wild beast, but now your own life is precious?”

“Of course! How could I be the same as a slave like you?! Hurry up and pull out the knife!”

Altanic glared at Karon with contempt, barking back.

Crack!

Karon twisted the short sword lodged in his back.

“Ughhh! Pull it out! Pull it out now!”

The sound of bones grinding filled the second floor of the main building with Altanic’s screams.

“I’ll grant your wish.”

Karon had no intention of dragging it out any longer. The wound on Altanic’s back was deeper than he had thought.

Immediately, he pulled out the short sword and aimed it at Altanic’s neck for another stab.

But instinctively, he abandoned the thrust and leaned back.

His back arched like a shrimp, exhibiting incredible flexibility.

Whoosh!

Something heavy brushed over him. One shoulder grazed by the great sword.

“You crazy bastard!”

The one swinging the great sword at Karon was Batiah, the captain of the elite soldiers who had just arrived from the annex.

At that moment, Karon, surprisingly, sprang back like a spring and attached himself to Batiah, who was swinging his great sword.

He then swung his short sword swiftly.

“Ugh?”

Batiah had not expected Karon to evade his great sword and even counterattack. In an instant, he suffered a blow.

As he quickly tilted his head back to dodge, the tip of the short sword grazed from his chin to his cheek.

Splatter!

Blood sprayed.

“Ugh! You little rat!”

Batiah swung the great sword again. But he only sliced through the air.

Batiah, gritting his teeth in pain, realized that Karon was already fleeing in the distance. But Karon’s hand felt empty.

He couldn’t see the short sword.

Batiah glanced at Altanic, who was slumped beside him. A short sword was now deeply embedded in his neck.

“AAAH! I’ll kill you!!”

Thinking he had been toyed with, Batiah could not contain his rage and shouted. His cry drew the attention of the Tripolas soldiers.

“Captain!”

“Captain! Are you okay?!”

“Chase that bastard! We must capture him alive!”

Batiah shouted desperately, clutching his jaw with one hand.

His subordinates sprinted in the opposite direction of the training grounds, heading toward the main entrance.

With Altanic already dead, they had no interest in the gladiators; they only needed to catch Karon.

Meanwhile,

Karon arrived at the exit on the second floor, barely able to keep himself upright as he stumbled outside against the wall.

From the opposite side of the training ground, it looked like the first floor, and the entrance was filled with the horses of the Tripolas soldiers.

“Haah… Haah…”

Even breathing felt like a struggle.

Blood continued to flow from his back and shoulders, and having moved so vigorously in such a short time, his body could no longer keep up with his will.

At that moment, Karon caught sight of the black horse that Batiah had been riding. He mustered all his strength and climbed onto the horse.

He skillfully took the reins and began to gallop east toward the desert.

Having followed mercenaries since he was a child, horses were familiar animals to him.

This was indeed a fine steed.

The horse’s speed was the fastest Karon had ever experienced.

Because of that, the Tripolas unit struggled to catch up, and the distance began to widen, albeit slightly.

His lighter physique than that of an adult also contributed.

However, he could not afford to be complacent. If he wasted even a few seconds or minutes, they would quickly close in, swinging their spears and swords.

Once he left the city and passed through the wide plains, the terrain gradually began to resemble a desert. But Karon did not stop.

Even from a considerable distance, he could feel the ominous presence of the Tripolas soldiers, which prickled at his senses.

It was futile to try changing direction, as there were those skilled in tracking. Thus, there was only one option left.

He needed to enter the desert.

Huff, huff.

As he entered the heart of the desert, Karon’s breathing became increasingly labored.

His pupils dilated, and his body weakened, nearly collapsing over the horse. The murderous heat of the sun intensified his fatigue.

He had ridden for nearly three hours. Naturally, he was exhausted.

The problem was that the horse was just as exhausted.

The sinking sand drained its energy, and the hot, dry air made breathing difficult.

Thud!

Eventually, the horse collapsed.

Panting heavily, the horse’s breathing gradually slowed. It was either unconscious or dead.

“Ugh…”

Karon, thrown onto the sand, exerted every ounce of strength to rise and began to walk step by step.

He felt no signs of the Tripolas unit nearby but did not dare relax.

As long as he maintained his mental grip, he would continue to push forward.

Ultimately, he rolled down the desolate sand dune.

***

Flash!

Karon opened his eyes. He realized he was lying face down.

What he felt beneath him was a bed made of twisted dry grass, and he saw a thick gray fabric draped over a wooden post as thick as his forearm.

Dried meat and grass were hanging here and there.

A pungent odor assaulted his nostrils, and the swirling smoke suggested something was burning.

I was definitely in the middle of the desert…

Instinctively, he spread his senses to assess his condition. Fortunately, he could feel the nerves in his fingertips and toes.

Simultaneously, he checked the energy around him but found no aura of malice.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he attempted to get up.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped his lips involuntarily. As he moved, excruciating pain shot through his back and shoulders—the wounds inflicted by Marcus and Batiah.

He had no choice but to lie back down to gauge the extent of his injuries.

Flap!

At that moment, he noticed a brightness around him.

A sudden warm breeze dispersed the smoke, and someone entered the hut.

Turning his head to look, he saw an old man wrapped in gray fabric from head to toe.

The old man had wrinkled skin and a long white beard.

Behind him, a small boy peeked his head in to look at Karon.

“It seems you’ve finally awakened.”

The old man’s voice was gravelly, laced with phlegm.

As Karon scanned the old man with wary eyes, he pulled out a chair and sat at a safe distance.

It was a gesture to show he meant no harm and to match Karon’s eye level.

The boy also sat next to the old man, watching Karon curiously.

“Don’t worry. If I intended to harm you, I wouldn’t have pulled you out of the sand in the first place.”

That was a reasonable statement.

In that case, he had saved Karon’s life.

As Karon relaxed his murderous intent somewhat, the old man let out a light sigh and continued speaking.

“I found a dead horse and was dragging it back when my grandson spotted you. Only one of your hands was sticking out of the sand, so we thought you were dead, but you were still alive. You have a remarkably tenacious vitality.”

The old man’s words filled in some gaps in Karon’s broken memory. Naturally, he then became curious about how long he had been there.

As if reading his mind, the old man continued.

“You’ve been lying here for three days. Honestly, if you hadn’t been breathing, I would have thought you were a corpse.”

Three days. The fact that the Tripolas hadn’t found him for three days meant they had lost his trail.

As Karon felt a sense of relief, the old man scanned his back and continued.

“I placed some crushed herbs on your back and shoulders, so you’ll have to stay lying down for a while. But your recovery speed is remarkable. It’s already healing.”

Only then did Karon realize what the cool sensation on his back was. With that curiosity resolved, he now felt a rising physiological need.

He was thirsty.

“Young man, go fetch some water.”

Once again, the old man seemed to read Karon’s thoughts perfectly.

“Yes, grandfather.”

The boy, seemingly delighted, dashed outside. He appeared genuinely happy that Karon had woken up.

In the dull life of the desert, even the slightest change brought great joy.

But now that a living corpse lay in their home, it was only natural for curiosity to arise.

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