The Lumina Palace was devastated, guard corpses scattered everywhere; the once exquisite architecture was now nothing but piles of rubble. In the grand conference hall, King Rumi knelt beneath the enormous portrait slashed to pieces upon the wall. The old king trembled in agony, coughing up thick black blood. He thrust his sword into the ground, struggling not to collapse.

  Standing before him was the pirate Mulock, with a red parrot perched on his shoulder. Mulock bared his yellowish teeth in an arrogant grin, while the parrot screeched mockingly.

  “You should surrender while you still have the chance? Lucky for you, the client wants you alive. So I suppose I’ll just cut off all four of your limbs and tie you up to bring you back. Don’t worry! You won’t die for now.”

  Rumi remained calm. He had done everything he could, but the enemy was far too strong. If only Voga had been here, perhaps things would’ve been different. Mulock truly deserved his reputation as a notorious pirate lord; it wouldn’t be long before he reached the level of a Battle Emperor. Rumi felt despair. A full-scale war with Golden now seemed inevitable.

  Suddenly, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps broke the suffocating silence between the two men. Mulock frowned, surprised that someone could reach this area. He knew well that the force he had brought was equivalent to six Battle Kings, a squad so powerful it could annihilate an entire small kingdom without violating the “Alliance” treaty. As long as no Battle Emperor interfered, his team was unmatched.

  The figure of Renes gradually came into view. His face was cold, and the sharp black sword he dragged along the floor left a thin line where it touched. Mulock felt the dense killing intent radiating from the newcomer. He scratched his head, trying to remember who this man was. But he couldn’t recall, he had killed too many people; having a few fanatics was nothing unusual.

  “I feel like you’ve got some intense emotions toward me! Shame I don’t remember who you are,” said the parrot, clicking its beak.

  “Who I am?” Renes replied calmly.

  “All you need to know is that I’m the one who’ll take your life.”

  Mana surged along Renes’s arm as he lunged forward, slashing fiercely at Mulock. The sword aura tore apart everything it touched. The pirate panicked and dodged, but the strike was too fast, it grazed his shoulder, taking a chunk of flesh with it. Mulock was enraged; had he been a moment slower, the sword would’ve taken his head instead. He grew serious now. The newcomer was strong terrifyingly so. Even among Battle Kings, combat ability varied greatly, and the difference in power could be immense.

  Mulock tried to deduce Renes’s identity: flawless mana control, supreme combat technique, and a high-grade magic weapon. Damn it! He was from the Sky Tower. Mulock quickly raised his hands in surrender, and the parrot squawked in alarm.

  “Wait! I know who you are! You’re with the Alliance! I don’t know why you’re attacking me, but I swear I haven’t broken any of the Alliance’s laws. None of my men here have reached the Battle Emperor rank! Moreover ...” Mulock pulled a contract from his coat a document sealed with Aster’s Oath Magic and tossed it toward Renes, smiling politely.

  “I’m a mercenary under Aster. It’s all written in the contract. What I’m doing is merely following orders. This is an internal conflict. I’m participating on the opposing faction’s behalf.”

  Mulock was completely sincere. Unfortunately for him, Renes didn’t care. At that moment, only vengeance filled Renes’s mind. He swung his sword, slicing Mulock’s contract in two, and sneered:

  “A contract? I don’t care. The only thing I want is your life.”

  As the shredded paper drifted to the floor, Mulock understood there would be no negotiation. The pirate’s grin turned cold; he no longer felt fear. If that’s how his opponent wanted it so be it.

  This time, Mulock struck first. He swung his blade toward Renes, "Clang Clang", steel clashed, sparks bursting as shockwaves ripped through the hall. With superior technique, Renes quickly overwhelmed him. Each sword stroke was fluid, weaving through and leaving countless wounds across the pirate lord’s body. Moreover, Mulock’s inferior weapon couldn’t endure for long. His blade soon cracked and was finally severed by Renes’s strike.

  “Slash”

  Renes spun and severed Mulock’s arm clean off. Blood spurted like a fountain as the pirate screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees and clutching the wound with his remaining hand.

  “Still pretending? The fun ends here! Show your true form, Mulock!”

  Renes swung again, slicing off the other arm. This time, Mulock no longer feigned pain. Instead, his face revealed confusion and disbelief. Ignoring the blood gushing from his shoulders, he slowly rose to his feet.

  “How did you know?”

  "Know? I do not just know. I know your abilities very well."

  "You know my abilities? Ah! You are the husband of that woman. Ha ha ha." Mulock burst into mad laughter.

  "So that is how it is. No wonder you know my powers so clearly."

  Mulock, or rather the parrot flying along the ceiling, laughed loudly. With a heavy thud, the captain’s body collapsed to the floor like a puppet that had lost its strings. The parrot flew down to the ground. Its body began to twist, bones stretching as flesh and blood gradually grew. From a small parrot, it transformed into a gaunt man with sharp features and an uncanny, bewitching beauty. His deep, sunken eyes, as if he had not slept for many days, stared fixedly at Renes. Seeing Renes remain still, he nodded slowly and began to put on the clothes of the puppet lying on the floor.

  "It seems the Alliance has studied me quite thoroughly about my abilities."

  "Your abilities? This shapeshifting power is something you stole from my wife."

  Mulock fell silent. He picked up the captain’s hat from the puppet and placed it on his head. When everything was finally set in order, Mulock clasped his hands behind his back and replied with a cold smile.

  "She was a genius Druid. I had to pay a heavy price to take her power. You know, I can no longer taste the burning strength of alcohol." Mulock sneered. His face twisted into something frightening. The number of abilities he could trade for was limited. To use one portion was to lose one portion.

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  "We know everything about you, Mulock. If I am not mistaken, you can steal five different kinds of abilities. Am I right?"

  Mulock was startled. He tried to remain composed to conceal the truth, but Renes was a master of perception. Even the slightest flicker was enough for him to notice. Renes knew he was right. He felt both joy and sorrow. Joy because he now knew how to kill Mulock. Sorrow because at present he likely did not possess the power to do so.

  Mulock revealed his impatience. He no longer wished to waste words. The pirate raised his hand and summoned an illusory black shadow, none other than Shadow. Mulock coughed lightly. His voice shifted into a terrifying, low and distorted tone.

  “Come forth, my creation! Lord of Darkness, Volder.”

  From within the vortex emerged Volder, his skin deathly pale, his body cloaked in a sorcerer’s robe that concealed all but his gleaming bald head. In his hand, he held a staff shaped like a serpent.

  “That’s… Shadow. You dare possess the body of The Writter! You’re insane!”

  Mulock burst into laughter, still speaking in that mocking feminine tone.

  “The Writter? What a pathetic name! There is no one in this world I wouldn’t kill! I spent a great deal of effort to obtain this power. Let me enlighten you, Volder’s strength rivals that of a Sorcerer King.”

  As if to prove his words, Volder struck his staff against the ground. A massive surge of Will erupted, obliterating what remained of Lumina Palace.

  BOOM! The shockwave was so powerful that even Exitus and Chef the Demonized took notice.

  Renes stood firm amidst the devastation, unmoving, enduring wave after wave of the crushing Will. His hand tightened around his sword; dark mana engulfed the blade. At last, Renes became serious, unleashing his Ultimate Skill, he swung, sending a devastating wave of sword energy straight toward Volder.

  “Ultimate Skill: Shadow Slash.”

  The sharp blade energy tore through the “Will” barrier that shielded the Shadow, slashing straight into its body and sending it flying. The “Blind” effect was triggered, Volder staggered to his feet, but the Shadow could see nothing. It crawled across the ground, desperately searching for its staff.

  Taking the chance, Renes lunged in, slashing furiously at Mulock in close combat. The pirate showed no fear. His body twisted, transforming into a giant black wolf. The beast lunged forward, its bloody jaws wide open, ready to tear Renes apart. Renes tilted his head, narrowly dodging the bite, spun, and kicked hard into the wolf’s abdomen then swung his sword at its head. But Mulock morphed into a serpent; the slash cut through air.

  The snake coiled around Renes’s leg, snapping bone with a sickening crack. The swordsman screamed in pain, but before he could react, the serpent transformed again. This time into a hawk, soaring high above, and then into a colossal whale that plummeted downward, crushing Renes beneath its massive weight.

  “BOOM!”

  Renes gathered his mana to defend, but the impact was too strong. His ribs shattered, fragments grinding against each other. At that moment, Volder had recovered from his blindness. Enraged, he unleashed an explosive spell that struck Renes from behind, sending blood spraying from the Battle King’s mouth.

  Mulock and Volder fought in perfect harmony. Wounds covered Renes’s body; his strength waned, mana running dry as he struggled to maintain his defense. The battle dragged on, and Renes was completely overpowered.

  Mulock slammed his fist into Renes, knocking him to the ground. The once-proud face of the swordsman was crushed under the pirate’s heel.

  “Is that all you’ve got? You thought you could kill me? You should be grateful, back then, that woman still had a sliver of her mind left. That’s the only reason you managed to destroy my fragment!”

  Mulock’s kick landed hard on Renes’s head, his voice dripping with mockery. The words struck Renes like thunder. What did he just say?Elisa… still had part of her consciousness? Then that means, he, Renes, had killed his own wife and child with his own hands.

  The swordsman’s mind broke. He roared, consumed by rage and madness. His crimson eyes burned with killing intent so fierce even Mulock felt a flicker of fear.

  Renes’s gaze sent a chill down Mulock’s spine. A strange unease crept into his chest, a bad premonition. He sensed something terrible was about to awaken, and he needed to end this before it did. Mulock’s arm twisted, reshaping into the gleaming scythe-like claws of a mantis. Cold light flashed across the blades as he raised them high, ready to strike, to cleave Renes’s head from his shoulders.

  From a distance, Exitus sat with his chin resting on his hand, watching with clear satisfaction. With the palace already in ruins, he didn’t need to move any closer to witness the battle. What a spectacle, the fight was mesmerizing. Both sides were top-tier Battle Kings, their mastery of mana and combat abilities executed with flawless precision. Renes was being beaten like a child, yet Exitus seemed entirely indifferent to the fate of his own teacher.

  “My Lord, aren’t you going to intervene?” asked Valen, the Lich beside him, his tone puzzled. “If you command me, I can ensure the swordsman’s survival.”

  Exitus chuckled.

  “What? No. Can’t you see? Renes hasn’t used his Ability yet. They call him the Phantom Sword Renes for a reason. Look at the sky! The night is falling. The real battle… is just about to begin.”

  “Clang!” Mulock’s mantis claw struck Renes’s neck, ringing out with the sharp sound of metal on metal.

  “Oh? You still have mana to defend?” Mulock sneered.

  At that moment the last light of the sun finally died, yielding to a silent night. Renes smiled, a cold smile like the chill of midnight fog. Dense black mana poured from him like an endless spring.

  “What the ... !” Mulock flinched.

  A torrent of force hurled the pirate backward. Renes rose slowly; the wounds on his body knit swiftly under the black mana. Strange runes glowed faintly along the dark sword in his hand.

  “Ability: Spectral Form.”

  Renes’s body began to transform into a peculiar spectral state, black smoke seething from him.

  Mulock watched the enemy’s grotesque shape with growing wariness. His instincts had rarely lied. He hurled his blade at Renes but oddly, the sword passed through Renes’s body as if he were nothing but a column of air.

  “Phasing?” Mulock frowned, then a greedy grin crept over his face. This Ability seemed powerful indeed. He licked his lips ravenously. Perhaps he no longer needed that rotting meat-body; he had found a far better vessel. Silently, Renes moved, like a ghost appearing behind Mulock, and drove a lethal strike straight into the pirate’s heart. Mulock panicked; it was so fast he didn’t perceive any air disturbance. He twisted to avoid it; the blade glanced off and embedded in his left shoulder.

  “A!”

  Renes did not stop. He rained continuous cuts across Mulock’s form, each slash unnatural: they passed through the points where Mulock concentrated his mana as if cutting through air, then reified to deal damage at different points along the arc.

  “This is monstrous! Damn you! Volder, hurry!” Mulock howled in rage.

  BOOM. A powerful wave of “Will” force knocked Renes away, apparently this state of his could still be affected by “Will” damage. But the reprieve was short: black mana surged again and healed Renes. Tireless as a phantom, he struck anew.

  BOOM.

  BOOM.

  …

  BOOM.

  Mulock grew restless. He commanded Volder to attack Renes again and again, but it was useless. In this state, Renes had lost all reason yet seemed utterly immortal. The fight couldn’t drag on any longer; Volder was weakening with every exchange, and Mulock himself had no intention of revealing more of his power.

  Suddenly Mulock’s brow twitched as he realized a strong magical distortion erupted from the south.

  “A teleportation spell,” Mulock exclaimed in surprise.

  “Chef must’ve consumed that rotting meat ! Damn it! I can’t stay. I must withdraw!”

  Mulock could not bear to look at Rumi lying faintly in the distance, nor at Renes who still stood before him. He burned with anger: he had lost his entire team and yet the target remained undefeated. Regret pricked him for his greed, had he crushed Rumi’s skull from the start he would have earned a thousand gold at least.

  With a sigh, Mulock resolved to retreat. He commanded Volder to hurl his staff into the sky; the staff transformed into a colossal serpent that swallowed Mulock whole. The pirate hurriedly recalled “Shadow” Volder and its staff vanished, taking Mulock with them, sealed inside the serpent’s belly.

  Far off in the waters of Hesmir Bay, aboard the eerie black ship, Volder was summoned once more from the vortex. The staff reverted to its serpentine form and spat Mulock out, drenched in saliva. He stared toward the Lumina Palace now reduced to ruins.

  “One day we will meet again."

  "Shadow - Volder"