Blade Shadow Epic

“Oh?” Carlyle raised his rapier, a smile spreading across his lips. “...Trying to act tough doesn't look good.”

“The Shadow Blessing indeed gave me a surprise, but your magic power is already at rock bottom, isn't it?”

Leopold did not answer.

The dark elf's figure blurred, turning into a shadow and instantly vanishing from the spot. Leopold's pupils contracted sharply—he could see, he could see his trajectory.

“Left!” He instinctively dodged to the side as the shadow beneath him surged, condensing into a shield once more!

Clang!

Instantly, sparks flew in all directions.

Carlyle let out a chuckle, and his figure turned into a shadow once again. Almost at the exact moment he faded, the sound of tearing wind came from behind Leopold.

Clang!

The shadow shield blocked another strike, but cracks had already appeared across its surface.

Not far away, Blake struggled to stand up.

“Blake, don't move!” Leopold shouted.

“Then why don't you... hit him!” Blake panted heavily.

Clang! Clang!

Carlyle's rapier repeatedly struck the shadow shield. Leopold had no magic power left to repair the growing number of cracks. The shadow beneath him was shrinking bit by bit, clearly unable to hold out for much longer.

“Tch, the Shadow Blessing is truly wasted on you.” Standing in front of Leopold, Carlyle twirled his silver-white rapier in the air, creating a cold gleam. “A piece of trash who can't even cast a second short-chant spell, how are you worthy of the shadow's blessing?”

Clang!

The shadow shield shattered, and Carlyle burst into wild laughter. Leopold had lost his final trump card...

“The thirtieth strike. You lose, kid.”

Carlyle raised his rapier high, its tip pointing directly at Leopold's heart.

Leopold's vision blurred, making it hard to see the expression on Carlyle's face clearly, but...

“Who said I lost?” Gold dragon blood seeped from the corner of Leopold's mouth, and he smiled at Carlyle.

“Huh?”

At that moment, a sacred glow lit up from behind Carlyle, like the first ray of sunlight piercing the clouds at dawn—silent yet blazing.

Carlyle's movements suddenly froze.

He instinctively tried to turn into a shadow to dodge, but Leopold would not give him the chance. The shadows on his body surged wildly as he squeezed out the last ounce of his strength!

Carlyle was tightly entangled by Leopold's shadows, pinned firmly to the spot.

“Ventus Gladius, Acies Invisibilis!”

As Shirwin finished chanting her spell, a sword of green wind had already formed. Intricate green wind patterns flowed along its blade, carrying a screech that tore through the air.

Carlyle was tightly bound by Leopold's shadows; he was completely out of options...

Pfft—

The green blade pierced straight through his right chest, emerging from his back and spraying a mist of dark purple blood. The massive impact sent Carlyle flying backward, slamming into the rock wall at the end of the mine shaft.

He collapsed to his knees, his silver-white rapier slipping from his hand and clattering onto the ground a few paces away.

“Leo!” Isabella rushed toward Leopold.

Leopold finally saw Isabella's figure clearly. As she supported him, hot tears dripped onto his face.

“Don't cry, Isabella.”

“You clearly...” Isabella's voice choked. “You clearly can barely even stand.”

Leopold could smell the scent of pine and cream from her hair—exactly the same as in the cave sixteen years ago.

He raised his hand, gently brushing his fingertips across the corner of her eye. “Am I not still standing?”

Blake stumbled over from the side. He had already reverted to his human form, and the bone-deep wound on his left leg was still seeping blue blood.

“...Tch.” Blake glanced at the way Leopold was leaning on Isabella and looked away. “Don't show off like that next time. Why did you rush in to throw your life away against someone even I couldn't beat?”

“Didn't you rush in too?” Leopold chuckled.

Blake was left speechless.

“Teacher...” Ilovina pulled at the hem of Shirwin's robe.

Shirwin did not lower her guard. She still held her wand, its tip aimed at Carlyle's head, the seven magic gems rotating slowly, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

“...Cough.” Carlyle coughed up a mouthful of blood, dark purple froth splattering against the rock wall. He raised his face; his delicate features no longer held their previous composure or madness.

“...Who hired you?”

Carlyle tilted his head, seemingly giving the question some serious thought, then shrugged. “Client information is the highest secret of the Blade Shadow Epic. I cannot tell you.”

“Highest secret?” Shirwin's voice grew a few degrees colder. “Then take that secret to your grave.”

“Hey, hey,” Carlyle coughed twice, raising a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Grand Mage Shirwin, according to the rules of the assassination world, I should withdraw on my own after a failed mission. If you kill me now, it will only draw in higher-ranked assassins.”

“When that time comes, the one who shows up won't be the Seventh Seat.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Think whatever you want. I can only tell you that if I die, things will only become far more troublesome for you.”

After Carlyle finished speaking, the mine shaft fell silent for a moment.

Shirwin's wand remained pointed at his head. She could feel Carlyle's aura rapidly weakening. The blade of green wind had pierced his right chest—while it had missed his heart, his lung was definitely punctured.

Shirwin knew the terrifying rules of the Blade Shadow Epic all too well.

The mechanism of this assassination organization was brutal and obsessive: for every commission, only a single assassin would be assigned with full authority to execute the mission. Until the target died, the mission would not end.

Once the assigned assassin fell, a higher-ranked assassin would immediately take over the succession and assume the assassination. It would progress tier by tier, never ending.

If Carlyle died here, the next to come would be the Sixth Seat, the Fifth Seat, or even the First Seat.

And by then, she might not be able to escape unscathed.

Shirwin slowly lowered her wand.

“...You are right. Killing you will only bring more trouble.” Her voice remained cold. “But I cannot simply let you walk away either.”

She drew a scroll of yellowed parchment and a small vial of ink from her sleeve. Dipping her fingertip in the ink, she quickly wrote a few lines on the paper, then rolled the parchment back up and tossed it in front of Carlyle.

“Sign it. A three-year Non-Aggression Pact. During this period, neither you nor your information channels may accept any more assassination missions regarding the Yegati Empire's royal family.”

Carlyle looked down at the parchment scroll before him, a weak smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “...Grand Mage Shirwin, things signed by us assassins aren't necessarily useful.”

“I know. But the other end of the contract is linked to my tracking spell. If you violate it, I will know your location immediately.”

Carlyle fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the truth of her words. Ultimately, he coughed twice and pressed a thumbprint onto the bottom of the parchment with a fingertip stained with dark purple blood.

“There... you should be satisfied now, right?”

Shirwin did not speak, only pulling back her wand.

Supporting himself against the rock wall, Carlyle slowly stood up. The wound on his right chest was still seeping blood, but he was no longer swaying like before.

“Well then, everyone, farewell.” He bowed slightly to the group. “I hope the next time we meet, we won't be greeting each other like this.”

With that, he retreated into the shadows deep within the mine shaft. This time, he did not reappear.

The mine shaft remained quiet for a long time.

Ilovina was the first to slump to the ground, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Her wand slipped from her hand and rolled to her feet.

“...I'm still alive,” she murmured softly, then looked up at Shirwin with eyes still tinged with fear. “Teacher, you are amazing!”

Shirwin did not respond. She put away her wand and half-squat down to check Ilovina for any wounds.

After confirming she was completely unharmed, Shirwin stood up and turned to Leopold's group of three.

Holy Light magic and the Shadow Blessing... Shirwin's expression was incredibly complex.

After some hesitation, she bowed solemnly to the three dragons. “The Yegati Empire will remember this favor.”