Chapter 75: The Shield of the Dead (1)

A one-sided battle.

That was likely the thought shared by everyone who had witnessed the duel between Ethan and James Heart.

Despite the gap in rank between them, Ethan had utterly crushed his opponent without suffering any real injury.

Even the slight pain he had endured had come from the recoil of firing the explosive stake from his Legion arm.

Among the spectators, the Third Hunting Squad was naturally present.

And despite being the ones who had spent the most time with Ethan…

the astonishment on their faces was no different from anyone else who had been shocked by his performance today.

“Moon… Ethan was always the best knight among us, wasn’t he?” Raiden asked, his eyes trembling from what he had just witnessed.

Moon took a moment before nodding.

“Yes.”

They all still remembered it clearly.

Before losing his memories, Ethan Heart had been a remarkable knight.

When it came to the sword, he had been even better than Moon.

And although he did not possess Alicia’s extraordinary talent with the blade, he had defeated her every time they sparred.

“He was a complete fighter,” Raiden continued, slowly clenching his fist.

“And his Aura Armor was the strongest and most refined among all of us.”

“I truly regretted seeing him lose his level along with his memories.”

“But now… after seeing the way he fights today…”

“I’m starting to believe he’s become a monster far more terrifying than he ever was before.”

His fighting style was abnormal.

It revolved around exploiting every card available to him.

“That weapon of his is extremely powerful,” Chai said thoughtfully.

“When he uses it, he becomes almost identical to the Ember Hunter.”

“He can launch it with incredible precision and fight with it from whatever distance he wants…”

“But—”

Chai voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.

“Isn’t that sword supposed to have a limited range he can control it within?”

“What was it exactly?”

He recalled their battle with the Ember Hunter.

That man had been able to manipulate his sword freely—but only within a limited radius of roughly ten meters.

“A few days ago… I heard that Ethan submitted a request to the central command.”

Everyone turned toward Moon.

She revealed something they didn’t know.

“His request came in the form of a suggestion.”

“Since the duel was considered minor and the names involved weren’t particularly important… he asked that the battlefield be a small training arena rather than a large one.”

“And the request was approved.”

Moon had assumed he wanted to minimize the number of spectators.

But now it became clear why he had done it.

He had ensured that his opponent would never be able to escape his range.

A smaller arena meant Ethan would never have to worry about losing sight of his target.

And even if James somehow managed to leave the sword’s range…

Ethan could instantly close the distance using the grappling hook from his Legion arm.

“He planned everything in advance…” Raiden finally realized.

They had been the only ones worried about the duel.

Ethan, on the other hand…

had been confident in his victory from the very beginning.

A powerful weapon carrying Ashes of War.

A mechanical arm capable of propelling him through the battlefield like a spider.

An explosive device strong enough to damage Aura Armor.

And finally—

that ominous aura he unleashed at the end of the battle.

“Today…”

Raiden said quietly,

“we may have witnessed the birth of a terrifying talent—one that rarely appears within the Heart clan.”

None of the members of the Third Squad could take their eyes off Ethan.

He was powerful.

But powerful in a way that was entirely his own.

Raiden forced a laugh.

“He really does look like a completely different person now…”

The others looked at him with conflicted expressions.

He had indeed changed.

But—

“It’s fine if he’s changed,” Alicia said with a gentle smile filled with relief.

“I’m just happy he’s still alive.”

The thought of the person who had saved her life dying so quickly would have left a deep scar in her heart.

“I wish he would leave hunting behind…”

“But after seeing what he can do today…”

“I think he was born to be a hunter.”

The last part of Alicia’s words was something all of them silently agreed with.

Ethan didn’t seem like someone who would spend the rest of his life living quietly in Ashvarn.

He looked like a blood-hungry hunter, someone who belonged nowhere except the battlefield.

The duel had ended brutally.

Ethan had been forced to kill his opponent after James refused to surrender.

His companions didn’t dwell on it much.

To them, it was simply an inevitable outcome.

But some of the elders present held a very different opinion.

“The winner… is Ethan Heart!”

The elder who had announced the start of the duel stepped onto the battlefield and declared Ethan’s victory before the crowd.

The spectators applauded.

“Accordingly,” the elder continued as he turned toward Ethan,

“you will retain your status as a hunter.”

“You will return to your squad and continue hunting and participating in expeditions… as you always have.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Ethan, still stained with blood, bowed slightly.

“I promise everyone that I will continue fighting as a hunter until my final day.”

A faint, bloody smile rested on his face.

The elder gave a small nod.

But a subtle frown appeared in his eyes.

Many of the stronger observers shared the same reaction.

They had seen something the others hadn’t.

’Ethan Heart…’

’At the final moment of the duel… he knew his opponent intended to surrender.’

’But he didn’t give him the chance.’

’He killed him immediately… without mercy.’

The elder narrowed his eyes as he recalled those final seconds.

Everyone had seen Ethan tremble after killing James Heart.

They had assumed he was shaken.

Shaken by the act of staining his hands with blood.

But that wasn’t the truth.

He had covered his face with his hand.

Preventing anyone from seeing.

But the elder had seen it clearly.

’He… was laughing.’

The Saint-ranked mage felt a chill run down his spine.

Standing before him…

was a young monster.

’Cold-blooded killing… and that sinister aura he revealed at the end of the duel…’

The elder slowly turned his gaze toward the section where men like Asterion and Kevin Heart were seated.

’Kevin… Asterion was right.’

’There is no place suited for that monster except the Land of the Curse… where he can kill monsters.’

That was far better than letting him kill humans.

The Saint-ranked mage was still sorting through his thoughts about the duel when his train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

Instead of leaving the arena, Ethan began walking toward him.

“What is it, Ethan Heart?” the elder asked.

“Do you have something you wish to say?”

Ethan shook his head.

“Not at all. I’m merely here to claim my reward for winning, sir.”

The words caught the elder completely off guard.

“Reward? What reward?”

Ethan answered with a wide smile.

“This reward.”

He extended his hand toward the place where James Heart’s body had exploded.

His human arm ignited with a brilliant blue rune, channeling a strange and unfamiliar force.

From the scattered remains of James Heart’s corpse…

a soul began to form.

Seeing that, the elder’s eyes widened—along with those of several spectators.

“That…!”

“Is that James Heart’s soul?!”

“Correct,” Ethan replied calmly.

He activated his Blessing, transforming the soul of his fallen opponent into a weapon.

Within only a few seconds, the transformation was complete.

The soul solidified…

taking the shape of a weapon.

A weapon that immediately made Ethan frown.

“What the hell is this?”

“James Heart… even in death you’re still hiding behind a fuckin armor?! ”

He sighed as he lifted the weapon high.

It was a round silver shield.

Perfectly circular.

Large enough to cover nearly half of Ethan’s body.

Thick.

Heavy.

And radiating the feeling that it would never break.

Frowning, Ethan opened the system interface.

—

[Legendary Weapons Master]

Endurance Shield :

A shield of exceptional durability that is extremely difficult to break.

Ash of War: None

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep