Chapter 217: Hands on Shadow Slayer
Kael bent down beside the broken body. Roderick was barely alive — chest caved in, jaw shattered, blood bubbling from his lips with every ragged breath. His eyes were glassy, unfocused, but still conscious enough to feel everything.
Kael patted his cheek lightly. "You just had to work for the wrong master."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to something almost gentle. "Now, Roderick. I just what a teeny tiny favour. I want to know what you know about that scheming bastard Felix, and I might consider making your death less painful."
Roderick’s mouth opened. His tongue moved. A sound began to form in his throat —
His head exploded.
SPLOTCH.
Blood and bone fragments spattered across Kael’s face and chest. He sat back on his heels, blinking slowly as warm liquid dripped down his cheek. A chunk of skull rested on his knee.
He sighed.
Kael wiped his face with the back of his hand and examined Roderick’s headless corpse. His gaze fell to the body’s left hand — palm up, fingers slightly curled. There, etched into the skin like a brand, was a small but unmistakable symbol.
A slave rune.
"Of course," Kael muttered, standing up. "A slave rune. I should expect nothing less from that sly bastard."
Felix had sealed his own servants with slave runes. If they were captured, they couldn’t talk. If they were interrogated, they couldn’t betray him. And if they failed — well. The rune would handle that too.
Kael brushed the gore from his shirt with casual disinterest.
"Well, no matter."
The city was in mild chaos by the time Kael walked back in. Merchants had shuttered their stalls. Mercenaries loitered with hands on their weapons, watching the ruined tavern with wary eyes. A small crowd had gathered near the destruction, murmuring among themselves.
He found Vyra waiting in a side alley. She was dressed in plain traveling clothes — nothing that marked her as a Vorn commander. To the casual observer, she looked like a seasoned mercenary.
"My Lord," she greeted. "You’ve caused quite the ruckus here."
Kael didn’t slow his stride. "How many?"
"Seven peak Mana Heart and one Spirit Soul warrior, My Lord. All eliminated before they could reach the city perimeter."
Kael nodded. Before leaving the Vorn estate, he had contacted Vyra through his communication token and given her specific instructions. Board a different ship. Arrive separately. Stay hidden in the shadows. One mission — eliminate any spy or assassin sent by his siblings.
Felix had sent three servants. But there were other siblings with other interests. Victor. Marcus. Even Thalia, perhaps, though she was harder to read. Vyra had been busy.
"Any from Victor?" Kael asked.
"Two. One Mana Heart Rank 7, one Rank 8. Both carried seals from the Fitzgerald family."
Kael filed that away. Victor was making moves. Not surprising.
They walked through the streets in silence for a while before Vyra spoke again. "My Lord, are you leaving for the Gra-Khazul territory now, or do I need to rent a place first?"
Kael raised a hand. "Yeah, but just a shower to clean up and be on my way."
Vyra secured a room at a modest inn near the city’s edge. Kael stripped off his blood-soaked clothes and stepped under the scalding water, letting it run over his skin until the pink rivulets turned clear.
Twenty minutes later, he walked out drying his hair with a towel, already dressed in fresh black clothes from his storage ring.
"Now Vyra, where are my blades?"
Vyra produced a long wooden box from beside the door and held it out. "Lady Cassandra said the blade materials were quite expensive and she would like a refund."
Kael waved his hand with a smile. "I’m sure she was joking."
He took the box and set it on the bed. The lid lifted with a soft click.
Inside, resting on black velvet, were two blades.
They were beautiful in a way that felt dangerous. The metal was dark — almost black — with a faint crimson sheen that shifted as the light hit it. The edges looked impossibly thin, as if they could cut reality itself. The hilts were wrapped in dark leather, with small pommels shaped like droplets of blood.
Kael’s eyes flashed purple as Spirit Eyes of the Dark Emperor activated.
[SPIRIT EYES — ITEM ANALYSIS]
Shadow Slayer (Special Grade — Dual Blades)
Forged from Blood-Iron Alloy and quenched in the essence of slain combatants. The blades possess a symbiotic relationship with their wielder — absorbing blood from wounded enemies to temporarily enhance sharpness, durability, and mana conductivity. If sufficient blood is fed over time, the weapons can evolve into Artifact Grade.
Special Ability: Blood Harvest — Each wound inflicted absorbs 0.5% of the target’s total mana reserves and converts it to temporary blade enhancement. Stacks up to 50 times.
Special Ability: Crimson Thirst — When the blades have absorbed sufficient blood, the next strike carries a disruptive pulse that interferes with the target’s mana circulation for three seconds. Effective against opponents up to one full realm above the wielder.
Cooldown: One hour per blade.
Kael whistled softly. Crimson Thirst. Dorin had outdone himself. A mana disruption effect on top of Blood Harvest. If he could stack Blood Harvest to even twenty hits and then land a Crimson Thirst strike, even late Mana heart realm opponents would stutter for three critical seconds.
More than enough time to kill them.
Kael pricked his thumb with a fingernail and let a single drop of blood fall onto each blade. The dark metal drank it instantly — the crimson sheen pulsed once, then settled. A faint warmth spread up his arms as the symbiotic connection formed.
He lifted both blades, testing their weight. Perfectly balanced. Slightly heavier than the Void Edge blades, but the extra mass felt right — like holding an extension of his own bones.
Kael set them down and smiled. "Dorin really did a good job on these blades."
He sat on the bed and closed his eyes, accessing the System shop. He scrolled past techniques and pills, past weapons and armor, until he found what he was looking for under the Special Items section.
[MASK OF A THOUSAND FACES — TIER 1 EQUIPMENT]
Can transform the user’s appearance into any humanoid form the user has seen or can visualize. Covers face, build, voice, and mana signature. Does not change actual physical capabilities.
Duration: 120 hours per use. Cooldown: 6 hours.
Price: 40,000 SC
Kael stared at the item for a long moment.
Purchase confirmed.
A plain white mask materialized in his palm — smooth, featureless, almost weightless. When he pressed it to his face, it dissolved into his skin like water absorbing into cloth.
His reflection in the window changed as he imagined a face. The silver-gray eyes became dull brown. The sharp jawline softened. The black hair lightened to an unremarkable shade of dirty blonde. Even his mana signature shifted, becoming muted and ordinary.
He removed the mask and his true face returned.
"This better be worth it," Kael murmured.
[REMAINING SYSTEM CREDIT: 8,500 SC]
Across the room, Vyra watched him with a carefully blank expression.
She said nothing. A good soldier knew when to ask questions and when to keep them locked away.
Kael stored the mask, sheathed the Shadow Slayer blades into his system storage, and stood.
"Stay here," he told Vyra. "Keep cleaning up. I’ll maintain communication through the token."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kael walked out of the inn and headed toward the Gra-Khazul territory, his black coat trailing behind him in the wind.