Chapter 31: Hell Break Loose

[Upgrade Complete.]

[Shadow Armament (Dagger) → Shadow Armament (Sword)]

[Shadow Armament (Sword) - Allows the host to create and wield a sword formed from shadows.]

Dark shadows began flowing from Caelan’s fingers and wrapping themselves around the weapon. The dagger slowly changed shape as the blade stretched farther and farther outward.

The handle became longer as well, adjusting itself to fit properly in his hand.

Within seconds, the dagger was gone. In its place was a sword made entirely from darkness.

Caelan stared at the weapon in surprise. It was considerably longer than the dagger, but strangely, it didn’t feel much heavier.

When he tightened his grip around the handle, it almost felt as if the weapon had been made specifically for him.

It worked... Caelan slowly raised the sword.

He would’ve liked to spend a little more time admiring his new weapon, but the 8 people surrounding them weren’t exactly going to give him that opportunity.

Even Eveline and the driver were staring at him in surprise, but Caelan ignored their expressions for now. He stepped forward and positioned himself between them and the nearest attacker.

He still had no idea how he was going to defeat eight people. He didn’t even know how good he was with a sword. But compared to a few seconds ago, he felt slightly less fucked.

Alright... Caelan tightened his grip around the weapon.

His eyes moved toward the people surrounding them.

Let’s see what this thing can do.

For several seconds, nobody on either side moved. Caelan kept his sword raised while his eyes moved, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Then one of the men suddenly rushed forward.

"Shit!" Caelan barely had enough time to react before a sword came swinging toward him. He instinctively raised his own weapon, and the two blades collided with a loud clang.

*CLANG!

The force behind the attack immediately pushed Caelan backward. His feet dragged against the dirt as he desperately held onto his sword with both hands.

He didn’t even have time to recover before the man pulled his sword back and swung again. Caelan immediately stepped away, feeling the blade pass dangerously close to his chest.

"Caelan!" Eveline screamed from behind him.

"I’m fine!"

At least, he was fine for now.

The attacker didn’t give him any time to breathe. Another swing came toward Caelan’s side, forcing him to raise his sword again. Their blades collided for the second time, but this time Caelan was slightly more prepared for the impact.

Still, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Everything he knew about sword fighting came from movies, games, and watching other people do it. None of those things prepared him for having an actual sword being swung toward his face.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Caelan pushed the man’s sword away and immediately swung his own. The attacker easily stepped backward, avoiding it without much difficulty.

That alone told Caelan that this person knew how to fight and he didn’t.

Before Caelan could think about that terrifying difference any further, movement appeared from his left.

Another attacker was coming.

"Caelan, to your left!" Eveline shouted.

Caelan immediately turned and saw a second man rushing toward him with a dagger. He barely managed to move aside before the blade passed where his stomach had been only a second earlier.

"What the fuck?!"

He swung his sword wildly in response.

The second attacker jumped backward, but Caelan’s sword managed to slice through part of his black clothing.

The man looked down at the cut before looking back at Caelan. Then both attackers moved at the same time.

"Oh, come on!"

Caelan stepped backward as the sword came toward him first. He blocked it, but the moment their blades collided, the second attacker moved toward his exposed side.

Caelan saw the dagger coming. However, with his current position, there was no time to block it. The only saving grace was to move his own body, so he twisted his body as quickly as he could.

*SLASH!

"Argh!"

Caelan immediately stumbled to the side, expecting to feel pain somewhere on his body. But strangely, he felt nothing. Instead, the groan came from someone else.

Caelan quickly looked back, and his eyes widened in horror.

The dagger that had been aimed at his side was now buried deep in the first attacker’s chest.

The guy stood completely still, his eyes wide as he stared down at the weapon sticking out of his body. Even the second attacker seemed surprised by what had happened. Caelan’s sudden movement had caused him to miss completely and drive his dagger straight into his own ally.

For a second, none of them moved.

The second attacker quickly pulled his dagger out.

Blood immediately poured from the wound, staining the man’s black clothes before dripping onto the dirt below. The swordsman’s grip around his weapon loosened as his body began to shake.

Caelan stared at the scene in horror.

He di... He couldn’t even finish the thought.

The man’s knees gave out before he collapsed onto the ground.

Caelan had seen death before. He had literally died once himself. But watching an actual person get killed in front of him was completely different.

His stomach twisted.

Was he dead?

[Kill the people who will go your way (1/8)]

Caelan’s eyes widened when the notification appeared.

He’s dead...

The second attacker seemed to realize the same thing. He stared at his fallen companion for barely a second before his eyes immediately moved toward Caelan.

The man tightened his grip around his blood-covered dagger and rushed toward him again. There was no hesitation this time.

"Fuck!" His body moved before his mind could catch up.

Caelan stepped forward and thrust his sword with both hands. The attacker had been moving toward him too quickly to stop. The man didn’t realized it, and Caelan’s shadow blade plunged straight into his chest.

The man’s entire body suddenly went stiff.

Caelan’s eyes widened. His hands were still wrapped tightly around the handle of his sword, while half of the blade was almost completely buried into the man’s chest.

"Ah..." A weak sound escaped from the man’s mouth.

Caelan couldn’t move as blood slowly began running down the man’s clothes.

The man’s dagger slipped from his fingers and fell onto the dirt. His legs slowly gave out underneath him, forcing Caelan to pull his sword free as the body collapsed in front of him.

Caelan stumbled backward.

His breathing became uneven as he stared at the man lying on the ground.

"I just killed someone."

[Kill the people who will go your way (2/8)]

Caelan stared at the notification.

But before he could even begin processing the fact that he had just killed someone, footsteps rushed toward him from behind.

And just like that, all hell broke loose.