Chapter 370: The Blind Butcher

Frosthold City, Kingdom of Dawn.

The night was a howling, freezing nightmare. A blizzard had rolled in, reducing visibility to near zero. The snow crunched violently underfoot, and the icy wind shrieked like a dying beast.

In a dark, snow-buried alleyway across the street from the Ironfist Manor—the heavily fortified residence of the Third General—Caelum and Soren stood perfectly still. Their breathing was shallow and silent, their bodies completely cloaked in shadows.

Whoosh...

High above the manor, hidden within the swirling snow, Kael hovered in the air. The Shadow Veil technique he had purchased from the System wrapped around him like a second skin, erasing his presence, his scent, and his mana signature entirely. He looked like a phantom in the storm.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

Kael’s hands weaved through a series of rapid, complex hand seals. Dark runic symbols, pulsing with a sinister violet light, materialized around his fingertips. He infused each rune with his dense soul power, applying the Soul Veil to mask their energy.

Swish... Swish...

He flicked his wrists, sending the dozens of runes plummeting into the frozen ground around the perimeter of the Ironfist Manor. They melted into the ice, perfectly camouflaged.

BZZZT!

A massive, invisible formation activated. A spherical barrier, encompassing the entire manor, snapped into place.

Down at the gates, two barbarian guards—both towering figures at nearly ten feet tall, their muscles bulging under thick, fur-lined armor—suddenly frowned. One of them grunted, looking around. Sniff. He sensed a faint, unnatural disturbance in the ambient mana.

Thwip! Thwip!

Two arrows, woven entirely from compressed wind mana, shot out from the alleyway. They moved so fast they didn’t even whistle. Squelch! The arrows pierced directly through the guards’ skulls, shattering their brains. The massive bodies dropped like stones. Thud.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Caelum and Soren blurred forward, vaulting over the gate and entering the manor grounds. Kael descended from the sky, landing silently in the courtyard.

The manor was a sprawling, brutalist structure of ice and bone. Inside, it was a hive of activity. Servants and guards moved through the torch-lit corridors. The barbarians of the Kingdom of Dawn were mostly human, but their towering heights—some reaching almost twice the size of a normal man—and their thick, pale skin made them look like a different species altogether.

"Clear it," Kael whispered.

Swish! Slash!

Caelum moved like the wind, her twin daggers slicing through the throats of two patrolling guards before they could even draw their weapons. Squelch! Soren became a literal shadow, melting into the floorboards and reappearing behind a servant, his blade piercing straight through the man’s heart. Thud.

Kael walked through the main hall. A hulking guard, alerted by the faint noises, charged at him with a massive spiked club. BAM! BAM!

Kael didn’t even draw his swords. He raised his left hand, catching the club mid-swing. Crack! The wood shattered under his grip. He stepped forward, his palm slamming into the guard’s chest. Shatter-Point Fist.Boom! The guard’s ribcage caved in, sending him flying across the room and crashing through a wooden table.

They carved a bloody path to the main chamber.

CREEEAK.

The heavy oak doors swung open.

The room was a massive training hall. In the center, sitting on a stone bench, was the Third General. He was a colossal man, even by the standards of his people. His muscles were like coiled steel cables, and his skin was covered in thick, white scars.

In his hands, he held a massive, double-handed blade, running a whetstone along its edge. Scrape... scrape...

He didn’t look up.

"Who are you?" the General rumbled, his voice as deep as a rockslide. "You are not from the Kingdom of Dawn."

Kael stepped out of the shadows, his silver-flecked eyes gleaming. BZZT. He activated his Spirit Eyes.

Peak Tier 5 Body Cultivation. Spirit Soul Rank 8 Mana. Kael’s gaze sharpened. And... his eyes.

The Third General finally looked up. His eyes were milky white, completely devoid of pupils. He was blind.

Caelum and Soren stepped out from the flanks, flanking the General.

The blind General chuckled. Heh. "Two Peak Spirit Souls... and a mere Spirit Soul Rank 4? You must be incredibly arrogant or incredibly foolish to attack my manor."

Kael didn’t answer. THUMP. He activated Heart of the Carnage Deity.

FWOOSH!

A terrifying, blood-red aura exploded from Kael. His Slaughter Intent and Wrath Intent surged, dragging directly into his bloodstream. His eyes turned a deep crimson, and his physical power multiplied.

The General’s blind eyes widened slightly. He felt the shift in the air.

"Interesting," the General muttered.

WHOOSH!

Without warning, the General swung his massive blade in a wide, brutal arc. A terrifying wave of physical aura, sharp enough to cleave through steel, erupted from the blade and roared toward the three of them.

Crackle! Caelum reacted instantly, spinning her daggers and conjuring a massive vortex of wind mana. The wind collided with the aura slash, shredding it into nothingness.

FWOOSH! Soren coated his blade in dense shadow mana, slashing forward to dissipate the residual energy.

Kael stood his ground, planting his feet. Heaven’s Mandate Body Art.BZZT! A layer of reactive aura armor formed over his skin, auto-hardening at the point of impact. The aura slash hit him, CLANG!, and shattered against his defense.

"Not bad," the General grunted.

STOMP!

He exploded forward, the stone floor shattering beneath his boots. He ignored Caelum and Soren entirely, rushing straight for Kael. The sheer speed of the massive man was terrifying.

Crackle! Kael activated Lightning Body. His form dissolved into a flash of blue lightning, barely dodging the General’s massive blade as it cleaved through the spot he had just been standing. BOOM! The blade carved a deep trench into the wall behind him.

"Tch," the General clicked his tongue.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Caelum fired a rapid volley of wind arrows from across the room. The arrows, sharp enough to pierce through enchanted ice, struck the General’s back.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew. The arrows shattered against his skin. The General had activated a defensive body technique, his aura flaring outward to coat his flesh like a second layer of armor. He didn’t even have a scratch.

He spun around, his blind eyes locking onto Caelum. "Annoying fly."

STOMP! He rushed toward her, his blade raised for a decapitating strike.

Whoosh!

Soren appeared directly behind the General, using a shadow movement technique. His blade, coated in deadly shadow mana, thrust toward the back of the General’s neck.

But the General’s senses were monstrous. Despite his blindness, he spun on his heel, bringing his massive blade up to block.

CLANG-BOOOOOM!

The shockwave from the collision of Soren’s shadow blade and the General’s massive sword was apocalyptic. The wooden floorboards were ripped to shreds. The stone walls cracked and crumbled. The entire room was destroyed in an instant.

CRASH!

The roof caved in. Debris rained down.

Kael landed on a floating piece of rubble, his crimson eyes watching the dust cloud.