<h4>Chapter 49</h4>


    <i>BEEP! BEEP!</i>


    Loud, piercing rms echoed through the banquet hall. In an instant, the illusion magic Revelio had used with the artifact was dispelled. Several Imperial Guards, who had been waiting outside, burst into the hall.


    "Prioritize the safety of the young nobles!" one of themanders shouted.


    "Move quickly!" another called out.


    <i>sh!</i>


    It wasn''t just the guards. The moment the rm was triggered, bright lights had erupted from all corners of the room. It was a kind of emergency teleportation spell. Mages wearing robes emzoned with the emblem of the Imperial Magic Tower appeared through the glowing portals, reinforcing the soldiers in an instant.


    However, their efforts were in vain. A wall of Dark Mana blocked their way, which prevented them from rescuing the young nobles. The mana that had flowed out from the woman''s—no, the subus''—body hadpletely sealed off the room.


    The head Caron had severed earlier began to regenerate at an unnatural speed. Starting from her neck, it grew a new body in a grotesque disy.


    "Hmm... My regeneration isn''t perfect, is it?" the subus remarked with a smirk as she inspected her fingers that were ipletely healed. She continued, "That sword of yours... It devoured my Dark Mana. What kind of sword is that? And since when did the Leston family have such a sword?"


    Caron adjusted his grip on Guillotine, his lips curling into a grin, and said, "That''s too bad. If I were just a little stronger, you''d be dead by now."


    The subus chuckled and replied, "Oh, I''m tempted to devour you right here."


    "Go ahead and try," Caron taunted.


    "Shall I, then?" the subus responded. Her fingers extended, transforming into long, ck ws that shimmered with Dark Mana.


    Without hesitation, she shed her ws toward Caron''s neck, but he quickly propelled himself backward by projecting Azure Mana from the soles of his feet.


    <i>Slide.</i>


    He barely escaped. The tip of her w grazed his throat, which sent a sharp sting of pain through his skin. Dark Mana attempted to invade his body, but the Azure Mana within him fought it off swiftly.


    <i>"Owner... She''s beyond your current strength,"</i> Guillotine''s stern voice echoed in his mind.


    Caron spat on the floor, unfazed by the warning. His spit was tinged with blood.


    <i>"The Azure Mana subdued the Dark Mana quickly, but the impact wasn''t fully neutralized. Compared to hers, your sea of power is too shallow,"</i> Guillotine continued.


    <i>I know,</i> Caron thought.


    There was no way he couldn''t know. The creature standing before him was a subus, a terrifying monster far beyond his current abilities.


    The demons had once toyed with his life as if it was some game. Caron knew that most subi were low-tier demons, but the woman before him wasn''t. She was clearly a higher-tier demon. There was no other exnation for the immense quantity Dark Mana that radiated from her.


    Just facing her made fear stir deep within his chest. But Caron suppressed that fear with hostility. She was his enemy.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    The Azure Mana that coursed through Caron began to resonate fiercely.


    The subus watched him with a sly smile creeping across her face. She murmured, "Such deep hatred, it''s intoxicating. How does a mere boy like you harbor so much hatred? Ah, I see... The blood of the Leston family truly is different, isn''t it?"


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The dark wall she had conjured shook violently, and a thunderous sound echoed as those outside the hall struggled to break through. There were already cracks on the wall, which was a sign that the imperial forces were making headway.


    When the subus noticed that, she spread her arms wide with a smile and introduced herself. "My name is Schunia. Caron Leston, I want you to remember my name. The king forbade me from acting recklessly, but... How could I resist?"


    With a wave of her hand, ck flowers began to bloom in midair. In moments, they covered the ceiling of the banquet hall.


    "I wasn''t intending on killing you today. That''s not my job. But I will make sure you never forget me," Schunia said.


    The thousands of flowers bloomed fully, releasing a sweet, alluring fragrance that filled the room. But just as the scent began to overwhelm the space, a sudden gust of wind swept through, dispersing the fragrance in an instant.


    "Caron! Don''t mind this, and just focus on what you''re doing!" Revelio called out from somewhere behind him.


    Schunia''s smile faltered and she warned, "My flowers aren''t just for show."


    Shrrrrrk!


    At that moment, petals detached from the flowers and began to rain down toward Caron like a deadly storm.


    "Caroooooon!" Leo''s voice echoed from behind.


    Caron, however, simply looked up at the falling petals with a grin.


    <i>Whoosh.</i>


    The resonating Azure Mana surged outward from him, expanding rapidly. A sea of mana flowed, vast and powerful.


    <i>Oceanwolf Sword Art Form 5: High Tide, </i>Caron thought.


    The sea began to rise. It quickly dominated the space, swallowing the falling petals effortlessly. Just like that, another sea added itself to Caron''s heart, which made a total of five. The surge of mana forced open his internal channels, straining them to their limits.


    <i>"You insane owner. How do you n to deal with the aftermath?"</i> Guillotine''s voice echoed in his mind.


    <i>That''s something I''ll think aboutter,</i> Caron replied inwardly.


    This wasn''t a natural release of power. He knew the bacsh would be severe. Still, it didn''t matter. He could dly endure the pain if it meant driving his sword into that demon. He would embrace the suffering with a smile.


    He raced through the sea that had arisen within the hall.


    <i>sh.</i>


    A few petals broke through the sea and grazed his skin, leaving cuts. Still, they couldn''t halt his dash. A blue sh burst forth from his small body, fully charged with the power of Azure Mana.


    As Schunia watched him approach, she licked her lips in delight and murmured, "Exquisite."


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    Schunia''s long, ck ws shed with Caron''s de. Caron felt her ws brush past him, leaving gashes on his body. Blood soaked his shirt, and also trickled down from the corners of his mouth.


    Guillotine absorbed its owner''s blood, its dark blue de gleaming with a crimson tint as it fed on the energy.


    <i>sh.</i>


    One of Schunia''s ws embedded itself deep into Caron''s shoulder. But instead of retreating, Caron''s grin widened. He tensed the muscles in his shoulder, locking her hand in ce. The subus tried to pull free, but found her ws trapped.


    She used her other hand to dart toward his throat, but Caron twisted his body. In an instant, both of Schunia''s ws were impaled in his shoulders. Although screams of horror echoed through the room, Caron just smiled.


    "My turn," he said coldly.


    Schunia chuckled and said, "You''re such fun, I—"


    She couldn''t finish her sentence.


    <i>THUD!</i>


    Caron''s fist mmed into her abdomen with explosive force. He rxed his shoulders, which released her trapped ws.


    Schunia''s body was flung into the air, suspended momentarily, and Caron didn''t miss the opportunity.


    <i>sh!</i>


    He unleashed an unwavering strike without the slightest error, and the blood-stained Guillotine cleaved the subus cleanly in two. From her bisected body, ck petals blossomed anew.


    "Hahaha! That sword! Now I get it! Guillotine! It''s Guillotine, isn''t it? Finally, its true master has appeared!" Schunia eximed.


    Through Caron''s hand that gripped Guillotine, mana surged into his body.


    "<i>Predatory Sword. That''s another name for me, owner. I can consume Dark Mana and turn it into your strength. If I absorb the blood of demons, I can grant you even more power. But... unfortunately, this one isn''t its true form," </i>Guillotine informed Caron.


    <i>I already knew that,</i> Caron answered inwardly.


    He had considered the possibility of a coborator within the Imperial Pce long ago. However, even with a coborator, the pce was no ce for a demon to rampage in its true form. This thing was merely a small fragment, a doppelg?nger. That''s how it had managed to slip through the pce''s defenses.


    Although the doppelg?nger alone had proven challenging to handle, someday, he would track them all down and ughter them without mercy, to avenge his subordinates who had died in vain.


    "Just you wait," Caron muttered.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The wall formed from Dark Mana copsed, and atst, the pce''s forces began flooding into the banquet hall.


    "If I wanted to kill you, I could''ve done it long ago. I want you to grow stronger. You could be so strong that, even if I gave it my all, I still wouldn''t be able to kill you, right?" Schunia provoked Caron.


    The subus had clearly lost the ability to regenerate.


    "The strong ones are the ones that taste the best when I devour them," she continued.


    Her split form could only look at Caron.


    "I''ll be waiting for you beyond the North Sea. The king is waiting for you. We will wee you anytime," said the voice that slipped from her bisected lips.


    Caron slowly approached her head. Then he lifted his foot high and said, "Don''t rush me."


    <i>Crack!</i>


    His foot mercilessly stomped on the subus'' head as he said, "I''lle for you, so no need to hurry."


    He smiled as he watched the subus dissolve into petals. Atst, he had found it. The reason he needed to grow stronger.


    <i>I will be stronger,</i> Caron thought to himself.


    ***


    Leo stood frozen, staring nkly at the chaos around him.


    "Prepare for more attacks! Brace for more assaults!" one of themanders shouted.


    "Bring a priest here immediately!" someone called out.


    "The mages from the Imperial Magic Tower need to set up a barrier—!" anothermander instructed.


    "Raise the security for His Majesty and the Crown Prince! Summon all forces!" amander ordered.


    The grand chandelier had already crashed to the ground, and wounded people groaned in pain throughout the hall. The knights who had just entered moved quickly, looking after the injured. However, there was one spot in the banquet hall that even they didn''t dare approach. It was the center of the hall.


    "Ah," Caron murmured.


    Leo''s gaze locked onto a single figure in the center of the banquet hall. There stood a boy, covered in wounds. Blood dripped from petals embedded in his skin, pooling on the floor where he stood.


    "...Caron!" Leo yelled as he rushed toward his cousin, but instinctively stopped short after only a few steps.


    The murderous intent emanating from Caron was so overwhelming that feared Guillotine would cut him down if he got any closer. It was an unrelenting wave of hostility. Leo wondered how his younger cousin, a mere thirteen-year-old, could emanate such intense hostility. It was terrifying, because he had never seen Caron like this before.


    And yet, despite the fear, Leo bit his lip and forced himself to take another step. He was scared, but that wasn''t a reason enough to leave his cousin in this state. He had let Caron fight alone. His cousin, who was practically his younger brother, had been left to reach this breaking point on his own. Guilt surged through Leo, but he couldn''t afford to be paralyzed by it.


    Caron looked so fragile it was as if he''d crumble with the slightest touch. Step by step, Leo cautiously moved closer.


    "Caron," he called out. Although his voice trembled, he spoke his cousin''s name with all the strength he could muster.


    There was no response. Caron simply stared at the ck petals scattered on the floor.


    "Caron!" Leo shouted his cousin''s name louder this time. Finally, Caron turned to look at him, and the murderous intent that had weighed him down vanished in an instant.


    Caron frowned slightly and muttered, "I''m not deaf. You don''t have to shout."


    "You''re hurt, you idiot!" Leo said.


    "I''m fine. They''re just scratches. A bit of medicine will do the trick," Caron replied.


    Up close, Caron looked even worse. His shirt, if it could still be called that, was shredded beyond recognition and soaked with blood. When Leo saw Caron like that, his throat tightened with emotion.


    Leo reproached himself over what he''d been doing while Caron had been fighting so fiercely. He hadn''t even been able to take a single step. The fear brought on by the Dark Mana and the murderous intent Caron radiated had paralyzed him, which stopped him from protecting his cousin''s back.


    The guilt turned into self-loathing, but Leo fought to suppress it as he protested, "How can you call those mere scratches? You need to get treated right now!"


    "I''m telling you, I''m fine," Caron said.


    "Get treated!" Leo shot back.


    "...You don''t have to get mad... Sorry, I''ll get treated, okay?" Caron replied with his usual yful tone, and Leo couldn''t help but give him a strained smile in response.


    "...Why are you... apologizing... You damn bastard?!" Leo eximed.


    "Why are you crying again?" Caron asked as he noticed the tears that were falling from Leo''s eyes.


    He let out a small chuckle as he watched his cousin''s face contort with emotion, continuing, "Looking at you cry like that, I can''t help but think you''re better off without makeup. Maybe leaning into a pitiful look might work for you. At least it''ll evoke some sympathy—"


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Before Caron could finish his joke, his body copsed, crumpling to the ground.


    "Caron!" Leo screamed as he lunged toward his cousin.