Chapter 66

The chamber erupted with the ear-splitting shriek of steel on steel as the prince’s blade was stopped in mid-air. The apparition, a perfect replica of his own form, had manifested a blade of its own to deflect the killing blow. Kaiyan raised a single, sharp eyebrow. A crooked, triumphant smirk bloomed across the impostor’s face at the sliver of surprise in the prince’s eyes.

“Are you astonished? You should be. This vessel is a perfect mirror of its opponent. It copies not only your appearance, but your strength and your abilities, too. The stronger you are, the more powerful I become. The faster you strike, the more rapid my response. Well? Tell me, Your Highness—do you still find me quite so tedious?”

The moment the apparition finished its diatribe, it lunged with lethal intent. Kaiyan countered in a blur of movement, yet for the first time in his life, he barely managed to parry the incoming strike. Before he could regain his footing, the creature unleashed a relentless, crushing barrage.

Kaiyan deflected each successive blow with gritted teeth. It was a sight that defied reality; the prince, usually an unstoppable force, was being forced into a purely defensive stance. The apparition pressed him with a savage strength and technical mastery that mirrored his own perfectly.

Deep, jagged wounds rapidly blossomed across Kaiyan’s flesh. Simultaneously, the apparition suffered injuries of almost identical severity. It was akin to watching two apex predators that were never meant to cross paths finally meet, tearing into one another with primal, unadulterated hatred. Merely witnessing this spectacle sent a paralyzing, icy chill through Isaac’s chest.

For the first time, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Kaiyan’s stoic, indifferent features. Then, that surprise curdled into something far more dangerous. It was excitement.

“You are pleased.”

The apparition spoke with chilling clarity.

“You rejoice because you have finally unearthed an opponent upon whom you may unleash every scrap of your blood-soaked madness. You delight in the copper stench of slaughter, and you crave the symphony of pain and screams. What are you, if not a monster?”

Its voice thundered, vibrating through the stone foundations of the room.

“Cursed from your first breath, you were never meant to sully this world with your presence. You will rot in a life of absolute solitude, with no kin, no allies, and no followers, until you eventually die broken and exhausted. Look around you, Prince. There is nothing left at your side but a mountain of corpses!”

The apparition emitted a jagged, grating laugh, its mouth stretching grotesquely, nearly reaching its ears as it spat each curse like venom. It had completely shed its human mask, merging with the witch, and its demonic nature had long devoured the last remnants of its humanity.

With every violent clash of their blades, fresh, shallow or deep wounds marked both the prince and the monstrosity. They remained terrifyingly matched in capability. As time passed and Kaiyan’s sword slowed by the slightest fraction, the apparition’s blade dulled by the exact same margin. The desperate battle raged on, with neither side able to claim victory or suffer defeat, until the prince’s body was a tapestry of lacerations.

『You cannot defeat this shell. This body cannot defeat you either, but the night remains long. Long enough for you to exhaust every last drop of vitality, collapse into ruin, and die in the dust.』

The apparition’s blackened eyes gleamed, its lips peeling back to reveal a row of needle-like teeth in a triumphant sneer. At that pivotal moment—

“Then you should fight me.”

Isaac surged forward from behind the apparition, bringing his blade down in a clean, decisive arc. Even caught off guard, the apparition twisted with impossible grace to block the strike. But as their steel collided with a sharp, high-pitched ringing crash, the blade in the creature’s hand trembled almost imperceptibly. Its defense had been perfectly calibrated to match Isaac’s strength, yet compared to its earlier movements, it had become sluggish and impossibly heavy. The apparition recognized this shift immediately.

Its face twisted into a snarl, and as it stood directly opposite Isaac, its features began to warp like wet clay, shifting halfway into Isaac’s own likeness.

『You—』

Isaac did not give it the time to finish, unleashing a second, faster strike. The apparition blocked in visible confusion and lashed out with a counterattack, which Isaac parried in turn. Neither held an advantage in strength.

“You would be much better off facing me. If you can only fight on equal terms with someone of my standing… ” Isaac spoke in a flat, monotone voice. His gaze was fixed past the apparition’s shoulder, watching as Kaiyan closed in from behind. “You will never withstand Lord Kaiyan. ”

At that exact instant, the prince’s blade descended upon the apparition’s head. The steel split it vertically, from crown to groin. A sound like shattering glass reverberated throughout the chamber.

The air exploded into a violent vacuum, and the entire room groaned under the pressure. The windows rattled in their frames as the pervasive blackness vanished, revealing the cold light of the full moon once more. The barrier had finally shattered.

『You—』

The apparition mumbled, struggling to maintain its shape. It retained a vague, human-like outline, but it was rapidly reverting into a churning mass of dark smoke. Its eyes, nose, and mouth grew blurred and indistinct. Its hollow eye sockets stared directly at Isaac.

『You were there when my arm was severed. You are the one they call the prince’s shadow. But why? How did my magic fail to ensnare you while you were trapped within the barrier? Why did the blood in your veins not turn to poison and stop your heart?』

“You are more wicked and cruel than any witch could hope to be. You should never have been allowed to wander this world.”

Isaac spoke with a quiet, icy resolve. He swung his sword, slicing through the mass. The body split in two, scattering into mist, only to writhe and draw itself back together like viscous ink.

“You have already caused the deaths of far too many. I will hunt you down before you can inflict any further harm.”

Isaac glared at it. The apparition’s face gradually twisted upward into something truly demonic—a hideous, wide smile.

『You? You intend to find me?』

Maniacal, distorted laughter burst from it, shaking the air for several long, agonizing moments. Then its neck shot forward like a whip, thrusting its face directly into Isaac’s space. Its eye sockets curved into narrow, crescent moons of malice.

『Can you truly track me? No one is capable of tracing my path. Even tonight, I only manifested because this host is asleep. Normally, her consciousness suppresses mine. And she intends to remain buried in the shadows until after the Great New Moon.』

The apparition snickered. It mocked Isaac, who watched in stony silence, then whispered with a thin, sharp edge.

『Besides, you are about to die anyway.』

Its form collapsed entirely. The smoke composing its body billowed out, wrapping around Isaac in an instant. It poured through his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, invading every orifice of his body.

『Ha ha ha ha! Bodyguard, I have claimed your vessel. Let us perform one final act of loyalty for the prince you have served so faithfully. He delights in blood and flesh, so today, you shall offer him yours.』

The apparition laughed from deep within Isaac’s chest, the sound vibrating painfully against his skull. Isaac slowly turned toward the prince. Kaiyan was watching him, a faint, perplexed crease between his brows. His face remained expressionless, but that singular furrow stood out, stark and jarring because it was so uncharacteristic of the man.

“Do not point your sword at me,” Kaiyan spoke, his voice low and commanding. He would undoubtedly cut down anyone, regardless of their history, if they dared raise a weapon against him. Had that man ever offered a warning in advance before?

Isaac watched him in silence, then lowered his gaze. He surveyed the scene. Bodies filled the vast reception room. Corpses lay sprawled across the marble floor and draped over the velvet sofas like discarded dolls. Isaac took in every single one of them. Then he looked back to the prince and spoke with a long, weary sigh.

“I will not point my sword at you. I never have, and I never will.”

Kaiyan raised an eyebrow at the fading, hollow whisper. Then—

“What a truly admirable bodyguard. One so deeply loyal must surely be granted the honor of dying by his prince’s hand. Would you not agree, Your Highness?” A voice dripping with liquid malice emerged from Isaac’s own mouth. Simultaneously, Isaac’s hand tightened around his sword hilt and raised the blade as he turned to face the prince.

Kaiyan regarded him with eyes like frozen lakes.

Isaac glanced back. His features had settled into a grave, corpselike stillness, making the unbidden giggle bubbling in his throat sound grotesquely out of place.

『Go on, bodyguard. You stood by and watched as my arm was severed—now, I shall watch your head roll across the floor.』

The voice rang out in a fever of rapture. Somewhere far beyond, an entity that could neither be injured nor killed watched this carnage and erupted into mocking laughter. After orchestrating such devastation, the creature knew that if it escaped now, no one could track it through the shadows it left behind.

“Go! I said go!” Confusion finally rippled through the voice urging Isaac onward. It sounded baffled, as if the physical vessel it occupied refused to obey its commands. Then, the tone curdled, turning vicious.

『I will find you. Even if I cannot locate you myself, I will seize a clue that reveals exactly where you are.』

『You… you… are… 』

The voice distorted grotesquely. It shifted from high to low, booming to shrill, blending together until it seemed to originate from every corner of the room—and from within Isaac’s own body. Then, without warning, it cut to silence.

At last—

『You are not human.』

The voice had turned terrifying, raw, and savage. It grew deeper, echoing as if from the very pits of hell.

『You are not human. Something inhuman has been living among us. You are… you are not even human, so why do you stand beside one? You witch-child!』

The declaration thundered like an echo in a bottomless cavern.

***