Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Flower (1)

Kazan spoke, his expression grave. From his stiffened face alone, I could tell the situation wasn’t good.

“Leon, be careful. Beryl the One-Eyed. He’s lost one eye, but he’s still a formidable opponent. By your standards, he’d be at the level of a high-ranked warrior.”

Leon replied, his face hardening as well.

High-ranked warriors were a rare breed even in Elphrel — only a handful could ever reach that realm.

If that one-eyed man had achieved such mastery, then Leon was in a truly dangerous situation.

And yet, the man was fighting with one eye missing. Had he been whole, he would’ve been even stronger.

“Kazan, I heard you’ve become the commander of the Black Dragon. Congratulations.”

Beryl’s voice cut through the tension.

“I once dreamed of leading a mercenary corps like you. Though that dream’s impossible now.”

“You joined Flower, didn’t you?”

It wasn’t a difficult guess. The way Beryl appeared, it was as if he had been tracking Leon.

Recently, there was only one organization Leon had made enemies with — the Empire’s largest criminal syndicate, Flower.

“Kazan, I’m in a very troublesome position right now. I’ll be blunt — hand that boy over to me. Do that, and I promise the Black Dragon won’t suffer any more losses.”

Beryl’s eyes locked onto Leon. A sticky, murderous intent radiated from his gaze — like a predator eyeing its prey. The sight alone stirred instinctive disgust.

Kazan silently stared back. Did Beryl truly think he would comply?

A faint, natural smile tugged at Beryl’s lips.

Beryl’s expression twisted. Flower was an organization even the Empire had failed to completely erase — he must not have expected refusal.

“Kazan, I’m not joking. I’m only speaking with you because of our past. Otherwise, this would already be a fight to the death.”

“I know. But I’ve one thing to ask you first.”

A ringing hum burst from Kazan’s sword. It was a piercing, almost ghostly sound that cut through the air.

“Did you think you were the only one talking? I’ll be brief as well. The Black Dragon never abandons its comrades. We don’t bow to threats from the likes of you.”

A trace of regret crossed Beryl’s face. Then he made a hand signal and spoke coldly.

At his command, figures leapt out from all sides of the thicket — men clad entirely in black.

Their eyes were unfocused, their faces lifeless — it was a sight that stirred something unspeakable.

“Leon, you’ll have to handle the rest. Beryl is strong. Even I’ll need fifty exchanges to bring him down.” The source of thɪs content is noⅴelfire.net

“I spent much stamina fighting the Basilisk. Are you certain you can manage?”

“Because I fought the Basilisk, it will take fifty exchanges. Were I in perfect condition, he wouldn’t last a single second.”

Leon nodded. Those were the words of a true warrior. Even what might have sounded like arrogance gave him comfort.

“Don’t overdo it. I’ve already sent a signal to Retina. Hold out a little longer — reinforcements will come.”

With that, Leon charged toward the enemies surrounding them from every direction.

Kazan, on the other hand, rushed straight at Beryl, who stood proudly waiting.

Leon’s blade sliced through the enemy before him. The enlightenment he had gained through the Trance of No-Self refined his swordsmanship to an even higher precision.

Especially now that he could wield all the techniques of the Twelve Celestial Sword Styles, the possibilities for his attacks were endless.

Compared to when he could only use two techniques, his movements were now far more unpredictable. Actions he couldn’t even attempt before flowed from him as naturally as breathing. His body burned with energy.

Leon forced himself to calm down.

Kazan’s order had been to hold the line — not to enjoy the fight. If he let excitement take over and rushed in recklessly, his stamina would run dry in an instant.

He had to save his full strength for when Retina arrived.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed beside him.

Startled, Leon turned his head — and saw Kazan. The ground beneath the man’s feet was cracking like a spiderweb.

The aura surging from his entire body was immense. That sound just now must have come from the burst of his aura alone.

Leon trembled in awe.

The sheer pressure was enough to sting his skin. Just how far must one go to wield such power in their very flesh?

He had thought he’d glimpsed Kazan’s full strength during their previous sparring — but he had been wrong. Kazan had never once gone all-out.

So this is the power of the Black Dragon’s commander…

It was a completely different feeling from when he’d witnessed Retina’s magic. Her magic had been beautiful — indescribably so, almost dreamlike.

But Kazan — he was awe-inspiring. How much effort, how many battles must he have endured to reach that level?

It was a spirit forged through countless experiences — the aura unique to Kazan alone.

As one who walked the same martial path, Leon couldn’t help but feel reverence.

Soon, the battle between Kazan and Beryl began.

The moment their swords clashed, a massive shockwave swept across the area. Even the slightest lapse in stance would have sent someone flying.

Leon ducked low to shield himself from the impact.

Everyone else, except for him, was swept away by the force.

The ground cracked and flipped, and every time their weapons collided, thunder-like roars shook the air.

Leon rose to his feet. The true duel between masters had begun.

He had to fight off enemies while enduring the waves of their auras. Now he understood why Kazan had told him to endure.

The destructive pressure kept tearing across the battlefield. Each time, Leon narrowly evaded and cut down another foe.

It wasn’t easy. Among the enemies were some skilled ones who resisted the waves and lunged at him.

All Leon could do was endure. His body swayed from the shockwaves, the positions of his enemies constantly shifting — yet he never lost focus.

He maintained his vigilance until, before long, the battle between Kazan and Beryl reached a hundred exchanges.

Beryl staggered back, a pained groan escaping him. Clearly, Kazan had dealt him a heavy blow.

Beryl shouted to his subordinates. Unable to win on his own, he resorted to using them instead. Truly a mercenary’s way.

It was no different from sending them to their deaths — yet, still, his men obeyed.

Those charging at me still had eyes as lifeless as a corpse’s. Their gaze made me think of the dead — hollow, vacant, soulless. Every time those empty eyes met mine, a strange unease rippled through my heart.

My sword once again sliced through an enemy’s neck. As the head fell to the ground, I saw it — a flicker of vitality returning to the dead man’s eyes, a twisted grin forming on his face as though death itself was sweet relief.

I suddenly recalled what Retina had once said — that some members of Flower used brainwashing to control people.

‘Don’t tell me… these people too?’

It was a reasonable suspicion. Their limp movements, their emotionless faces as if their souls had been hollowed out — those cloudy pupils made me certain.

‘Those damned bastards.’

To use people through mind control — even the most ruthless cults of the martial world, like the Heavenly Demon Sect, wouldn’t stoop this low.

My gaze chilled over.

Until now, I had thought of Flower merely as a den of villains. But I changed my mind. They weren’t just villains — they were monsters that had to be destroyed. The world’s true enemies, despised by all.

Then I finally understood why Flower was known as the Empire’s greatest criminal organization.

It was at that moment—

“Pathetic worms, you’ve followed us this far.”

A terrifying blast shattered my eardrums. At the same instant, the bodies of the men behind me exploded.

Their guts and limbs flew into the sky, raining down blood that soaked the earth.

And through that storm of gore, Retina strode forward with calm poise — her gait dignified, regal, almost like a noblewoman’s. A solemn aura surrounded her.

“Do these fools even know who they’re dealing with?”

A surge of mana rippled from Retina’s entire body. As she condensed mana in her hand, she spoke coldly,

“If you’re done with the mission, let’s move. We’ve got far too much to do.”

Kazan’s voice brightened at the sight of her, clearly relieved by the arrival of a dependable ally.

A faint smile spread across my own lips as well.

With Kazan and Retina — both warriors of quasi-knight level — here, victory was certain. Even Ryan, standing silently behind Retina, was formidable in his own right.

There was no way our enemies could withstand this.

Beryl’s face twisted in despair. He had barely managed to hold against Kazan alone; now that Retina had joined, defeat was inevitable.

I took a step forward.

“Something’s wrong. Look at his face — he’s terrified.”

I turned to Beryl. Just as Kazan said, his complexion had gone pale, his body trembling in fear — pitiful to look at.

“So he doesn’t care about killing others but fears dying himself, huh? Typical.”

The type of man I despised most.

But Kazan shook his head again.

“No… it’s different. He’s not afraid of us. It’s not death he fears.”

I looked again — and Kazan was right. Beryl was clearly terrified, but not of us.

It was as though he were seeing something else — something we couldn’t.

I heightened my senses. There might be a factor I hadn’t noticed — and in this world, where sorcery was as common as martial arts, anything could happen.

“Ah, no… I can finish it. Please, forgive me.”

I heard Beryl muttering. My senses were sharp enough that I couldn’t miss it, even amid the tension.

Kazan, too, had heard it — his brow furrowed in confusion.

“S-spare me. I can do more. Please, just—”

It happened in an instant.

A hand burst out of Beryl’s stomach, tearing through his skin and gripping a handful of his organs.

His mouth gaped open wide, unable to form words from the sheer agony.

I twitched, revulsion crawling up my spine. The sight alone was nauseating.

No — could a human hand even emerge from another’s belly?

But Beryl’s horror didn’t end there.

Another hand burst out from his abdomen.

Beryl screamed in torment, the sound so raw it made my knees tremble.

He rolled across the ground, writhing in agony as his flesh was torn apart. It was a pain that should’ve rendered him unconscious instantly.

The hands protruding from his belly slowly ripped open his abdomen — as if savoring his screams, taking pleasure in them.

The flesh tore slowly, cruelly, until Beryl collapsed.

Foam spilled from his mouth as his body convulsed violently against the dirt.

Then, his screams stopped.

A clear, melodic voice came from inside Beryl’s stomach.

At last, his abdomen was completely torn open. The sound of flesh being ripped was sickening — but even more horrifying was the woman who emerged from within.

She was beautiful — strikingly so, in a way that didn’t belong in such a gruesome scene. Lips as red as ripe cherries, flawless pale skin, and long white hair that strangely matched the nun’s habit she wore.

She was a woman so mesmerizing she could captivate anyone who looked at her. If not for the fact she’d just crawled out of a man’s abdomen, even I might have found her charming.

Which made me all the more wary.

A woman who emerged from a corpse and enjoyed the screams of the dying — she was without a doubt insane.

And with a sweet smile, she said,

“You… you possess a Blessing.”