Published at 3rd of November 2026 6:32 am

Chapter 2163: By the Sword

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A drop of blood trickled from the stump of Aramen’s left wrist, but his remaining hand held the sword firmly.

"I’ll go easy on you, rat." Adam smirked. "I won’t be using spells. So, come. Show me what you got."

Without a word, Aramen charged forward.

Their swords collided, producing a deafening clang that reverberated throughout the forest.

Adam’s weapon was a blade one moment, its edge aimed at Aramen’s throat. The next, it transformed into a whip, bending around the old man’s guard and lashing toward his ribs.

Aramen twisted aside. The black whip grazed his armor before snapping back.

Adam pulled his arm and the Viper hardened into a blade once more.

Clang!

Aramen barely managed to parry the descending strike. He retreated half a step and thrust toward Adam’s chest.

Adam twisted his torso, allowing the blade to pass along his side, but Aramen had anticipated the movement. He turned his wrist and drew his sword across Adam’s abdomen.

Splat!

Blood sprayed in large quantities. Adam did not even bat an eye as a deep and horrific gash opened across his stomach.

Aramen immediately followed up with a slash toward his neck.

Clang!

Adam intercepted the strike at the last moment.

Their blades locked, sparks flying.

Then Adam laughed.

The wound across his abdomen was already closing, the blood already returned inside his body.

Before Aramen could react, Adam twisted his wrist. The Viper hissed and softened into a whip. It slipped around the old man’s sword and yanked it sideways, disrupting the balance.

Adam danced like the waves of the river.

A thin line appeared across Aramen’s shoulder. Then another cut opened along his thigh. And another across his ribs.

Three precise strikes in the span of a heartbeat.

None was particularly deep. None was meant to be.

Adam wasn’t trying to overpower Aramen with brute strength. He couldn’t. The old man was stronger than him. So he was sinisterly dismantling him one movement at a time.

The cut to the thigh affected mobility. The wound to the shoulder weakened the sword arm. The strike across the ribs forced an adjustment in posture and breathing.

Every wound served a purpose.

And whenever Aramen altered his stance to compensate for one injury, Adam exploited the resulting opening.

Aramen’s face fell with every exchange.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their weapons collided repeatedly, filling the forest with the sharp ring of steel.

Adam’s blade swept toward Aramen’s neck again.

Aramen parried. Then the Viper turned into a whip. He ducked. The weapon snapped back into a blade and thrust toward his chest. He twisted aside, but the tip still pierced his shoulder.

He grunted and retaliated with a horizontal slash.

This time, Adam was slow to react.

Aramen’s sword cut through his chest.

But instead of going rigid or stumbling or just reacting in a weak manner, Adam simply laughed that strange laugh.

Aramen immediately pressed forward when he realized the youth was on the back foot.

The old man viciously thrust his sword through Adam’s heart. That one movement showcased a lifetime of experience and finesse.

Oh, what a beautiful strike that was.

Splat!

The blade emerged from Adam’s back.

For a brief moment, Adam’s crazed grin faltered. Though he had shifted his body weight at the last possible second, being stabbed through the sternum was not a good feeling.

But then his healing ability activated.

The wound began to close, repairing the damage. Torn flesh knitted together, and Adam gradually steadied himself. He had spent some mana to rapidly heal himself, but the look of horror on Aramen’s face made up for it.

"Monster..." Aramen whispered as he subconsciously drew back.

Adam wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before raising the Viper and getting into a fighting stance.

The old man charged again. His sword descended in a brutal overhead strike.

CLANG!

The impact drove Adam to one knee.

Aramen twisted his blade and thrust forward. Adam rolled sideways, but the sword still pierced his shoulder and pinned him to the ground. The old man yanked it free and slashed across Adam’s thigh.

Even more blood sprayed, dyeing the foliage crimson.

Adam’s injuries were already beginning to heal, however. He laughed in delight and pounced back on his opponent.

Aramen’s body was slowly accumulating damage. Methodically and inevitably.

The two men continued to clash. For every injury Aramen received, he dealt triple the amount to Adam. But it did not matter. The youth’s healing ability was absolutely ridiculous.

Adam attacked his shoulder, then the ribs, then the thigh. Each strike forced Aramen to change his stance, and every adjustment left another opening.

Despite already losing an arm, Aramen defended himself with astonishing precision. But even his years of experience could not erase accumulating damage. And the Flowing River was too deceptive to counter.

Adam’s tenebrous eyes gleamed as he noticed an opening.

Aramen’s injured leg trembled.

Adam changed his grip, and the Viper softened. Aramen adjusted his guard, preparing for the whip to lash toward his upper body, as suggested by every fiber of Adam’s movement.

But the weapon didn’t strike high.

A feint.

Instead, Adam swept it low.

The black whip coiled around Aramen’s injured leg.

Aramen’s expression changed. He recalled what had happened to his left hand at the beginning of the battle. Terror gripped his heart.

But it was too late.

Adam’s arm snapped into a blur, and the Viper sharpened into a blade.

Aramen’s leg was severed.

He miserably crashed into the ground, his sword finally slipping from his grasp.

For several seconds, the old man stared at the stump where his leg had been. Then he looked up at Adam, who stood before him as the last of his injuries healed.

The fight should have been over. Adam could have killed him in that moment. But he had not attacked.

Aramen’s lips slowly curled into a sneer.

He retrieved his sword, planted it against the ground, and forced himself upright, balancing on his remaining leg.

Adam watched him silently. Even in his ruined condition, the old man remained dangerous. He could not help but respect Aramen’s fortitude. His skills. His courage.

Aramen adjusted his grip on the sword for what would be the final clash of his life.

With all his remaining strength, he charged toward Adam, putting everything on the line.

Everything happened in the span of a single second.

First, Aramen thrust toward Adam’s heart. But Adam turned aside.

Second, Aramen reversed his grip and slashed toward Adam’s neck. The Viper deflected the strike.

Third, Aramen pivoted on his remaining leg and swept his sword horizontally. Adam parried the blade.

Fourth, Aramen immediately reversed direction, thrusting toward Adam’s exposed side. Adam twisted his wrist, allowing the weapon to pass between the coils of the Viper.

Fifth, Aramen abandoned his thrust and drove his shoulder into Adam, attempting to disrupt his balance before bringing his sword down in a final overhead strike. Adam stepped aside.

His sword crashed against the ground.

Sixth, Aramen looked up. Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, the old man smiled in respect and acknowledgment.

Then the Viper moved.

SHIIIIINNGGG!!!

Adam’s blade moved in a beautiful, seamless sequence. The strikes came so quickly that they appeared to merge into a single movement.

Aramen’s sword arm was severed. Then his remaining leg was severed. Before the old man collapsed to the ground, his head was severed.

In one beautiful salvo, the two had exchanged six moves in the span of a single second!

Silence returned to the forest.

Adam stood motionlessly, the Viper slithering back onto his flesh.

Despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel admiration for his opponent. It’s why he had killed him himself instead of handing him to Genevieve and reducing his existence to that of a miserable wretch.

Aramen had fought until the very end.

Adam looked down at the fallen swordsman, and tipped his head in respect.

The old man’s life had been devoted to the sword. Even at the very end, he had demonstrated the sheer depth of his skill and experience.

Aramen lived by the sword and died by the sword.

Adam would remember him.

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