The two weapons collided, and under Cabrent’s horrified gaze, his weapon shattered.
The Sky-Rending Axe was sliced into pieces by Shino’s Star Sword.
Cabrent managed to twist his body away in time, but his left shoulder was caught by the follow-through, and the entire limb was lopped off.
He didn’t even seem to care about the wound; he was fixated on the shards of the Sky-Rending Axe scattered across the floor.
There are many artifacts in this world, but the rarest among them are the “Forbidden Artifacts.” Cabrent’s Sky-Rending Axe was ranked seventh among the Ten Great Forbidden Artifacts.
“What kind of monster is that weapon of yours?!
There is no such blade among the Ten Forbidden Artifacts!” “My Sky-Rending Axe…
how could it be severed in a single strike?!” “I made this weapon myself,” Shino said calmly.
“Impossible!
No human can forge an artifact!” Cabrent roared in a frenzy.
“A frog in a well knows nothing of the ocean,” Shino retorted.
“Artifacts are ultimately man-made.
If others could craft them, why can’t I?” “Forging an artifact requires a staggering amount of mana!
A brat like you couldn’t possibly possess such power!” Cabrent screamed.
“This must be an artifact I’ve never seen before.
You’re lying—you couldn’t have made it!” “Is that so?” Shino raised his hand.
A swirl of mana gathered the shards of the shattered axe.
The mana enveloped the fragments, and within moments, the Sky-Rending Axe appeared in Shino’s hand, completely restored and pristine.
“How is this possible?!” Cabrent’s jaw dropped.
He stared at Shino in utter disbelief.
“I’ll use your own weapon to send you on your way.” Shino gripped the axe and began walking toward him step by step.
“Help!
Someone!
Whoever kills this man will be the next member of the Rounds!” Cabrent shrieked.
“Stop shouting.
They’re all dead,” Alpha said, appearing from the shadows.
Cabrent looked around.
The thousands of Children of Diabolos—his elite garrison—were all dead.
Not a single soul remained.
In a single minute, over a thousand soldiers had been wiped out.
“Who…
who are you people?!” “We are Shadow Garden.
An organization dedicated to stopping the Cult of Diabolos from resurrecting the Demon Diabolos,” Alpha declared.
“You…!” Cabrent began to back away in terror.
“You know too much!” A remote control suddenly appeared in Cabrent’s hand, and he pressed the button without hesitation.
*Beep—beep—beep—* “Self-destruct sequence initiated!” Alarms blared.
Cabrent threw a smoke bomb and dived into a secret escape passage.
The ground began to heave and tremble as if struck by a magnitude-ten earthquake.
Shino wanted to pursue him, but seeing the Seven Shadows struggling to keep their balance on the buckling floor, he hesitated.
The Tenth Seat’s base was deep underground; if it collapsed, he wasn’t certain the girls could escape in time.
Shino manifested seven “Mana Hands,” grabbing the girls and pulling them close to him.
“Stay close!
I’ll protect you!” Shino pressed his palms together, materializing his mana into a solid physical barrier that encased the group.
Alpha wanted to say they could manage on their own, but seeing how much Shino cared for their safety, she remained silent and accepted the protection.
The entire base groaned and collapsed.
Massive boulders rained down as the tremors lasted for ten agonizing minutes.
When the dust finally settled, the base was nothing but a tomb of rubble.
“Damnable pests…
they must all be dead by now!
And where are those three useless disciples of mine?
Why didn’t those bastards come to help me?!” Cabrent opened a hidden vault door where he kept his personal fortune and sensitive documents.
Upon entering, however, he found three corpses.
They were his top disciples, each of exceptional strength—normally, even he would struggle to take all three at once.
Nearby, Cid was busy gathering treasure into a bag.
“You!
Put my money down!” Cabrent yelled.
“Your money?” Cid looked up.
“But those three guys said it was *their* money.
They tried to kill me, so I killed them back.
Since they’re dead, doesn’t it belong to me now?” “You bastard!
Do you have any idea who I am?
I am the Tenth Seat of the Rounds, ‘Red Sands’ Cabrent!” “The Cult of Diabolos?
So there really is a bandit group with that name,” Cid mused.
“You dare call the Cult a group of bandits?!” Cabrent roared.
“Well, didn’t you steal this money?” “So what if I did?!” “Then you’re bandits.” “You…
wait, hahahaha!
I see now!” Cabrent laughed.
“You killed those three and now your mana is nearly exhausted.
You’re just talking to buy time so you can recover enough to run, right?
I won’t give you that chance!
Die!” Cabrent infused his fist with mana and launched a punch at Cid.
Cid raised a hand and caught the fist effortlessly.
“Tenth Seat of the Round Table?
Your punches feel like you haven’t eaten in a week.” “You…!” Violent mana waves erupted from Cabrent, but Cid ignored the pressure and delivered a stinging punch to Cabrent’s face.
Cid began to toy with him—he could have ended it in one move, but he wanted to “play” the role of the shadow hunter.
After several exchanges, Cabrent felt humiliated.
He was a member of the elite Twelve, the supreme authority of the Cult, and he was being played with like a child.
“If only I still had the Sky-Rending Axe…
I would tear you to shreds!” “You want it?
Here, catch,” Shino’s voice rang out from the shadows.
The Sky-Rending Axe flew through the air like a streak of lightning.
Cabrent barely dodged it; the blade missed his throat by a hair’s breadth.
He retrieved the axe from where it was embedded in the wall and swung it at Cid.
Cid dodged with blinding speed, closed the distance, and grabbed Cabrent’s arm, twisting it with brutal force.
“ARGH!
MY ARM!” Cabrent screamed in pain, dropping the axe.
Shino stepped out and picked it up.
“This is an artifact, right?” Shino asked.
“I heard it’s something special…
one of the Ten Forbidden Artifacts.
I broke it earlier, then fixed it,” Shino explained to Cid.
“Sounds like a good addition to the collection,” Cid replied, acting the part.
“The Eminence in Shadow needs such trophies.
Give it to me, and you can keep the rest of the treasure here.” “Deal.” At that moment, Alpha and the others caught up and saw Cid.
*Lord Shadow is truly elusive,* Alpha thought.
*He even cut off the escape route of the Tenth Seat!* Cid, of course, hadn’t planned any of this.
He had been hunting fodder, got lost, found some “mini-bosses,” and ended up here.
“I’ll leave the rest to you all.
I have more important matters to attend to.” Cid turned and vanished into the shadows, taking the Sky-Rending Axe with him.
— [Previous Quests Failed!
Bonus Chapter Unrewarded.] Let’s try again this week!
[Total Bonus Chapters Achieved: 0] [Ptreon.cm/Prince_of_LanLi for 50 adv chs.
20% discount right now.
Throw spirit stones to this humble one *dogeza*.]