Sovereign of Chaos

Chapter 11: I'll Take Responsibility, Beautiful Lily

With a swift flash of the blade, the sharp sword sliced into the Ironwood tree, accompanied by a muffled "clang." Ethan had been practicing this move for days, drawing and sheathing the blade in a seamless dance.

Thanks to the complementary Swift Shadow Heart Method, Ethan's sword-drawing speed improved rapidly, and he increasingly appreciated the importance of speed in wielding his weapon. The fine steel longsword's blade had already begun to curl at the edges, but he hadn't asked the eastern family for a replacement. The reasons were twofold: firstly, he felt ashamed about the snail's pace of his tree cutting and the state of the blade after only a few days, and secondly, it was unnecessary since he was practicing the Blade Technique for speed, not for killing, which was unrelated to the sharpness of the blade.

Ethan, born into humble beginnings, was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses and possessed a maturity and determination beyond his years.

The longsword slid back into its scabbard. Ethan suddenly turned his head, smiling at the graceful figure approaching along the mountain path.

"Sunshine, you're finally here. I'm starving."

"Sunshine" was the nickname Ethan had given Lily. While Ethan wasn't usually a joker, Lily was one of the few people he would tease with a nickname.

"Hmph, I'm not here to bring you food. I just happened to pass by." Lily pouted, deliberately avoiding his gaze as she strode toward the mountaintop.

"Hey, I'm working so hard chopping trees, and you won't even feed me? Where's the justice in that?" Ethan grew desperate, quickly abandoning his blade to chase after her.

"It's your fault for giving me a nickname!" Lily's face briefly revealed a sly smile as she accelerated.

Her slender frame moved like a gust of wind through the mountain terrain, weaving among towering trees and crisscrossing paths. Ethan couldn't catch up to her.

"Damn, are you a rabbit in disguise? So swift and agile!"

"You're the rabbit!"

"What else could you be?" As he chased her, Ethan grinned mischievously. "I heard there's an animal in these mountains that runs incredibly fast, especially downhill. It tucks its head in and rolls like a wheel."

"What animal?"

"A wild boar! Haha!"

"Get lost!" Lily gritted her teeth, enraged. "Don't expect any roast chicken tonight!"

"Roast chicken? I haven't even seen a feather." Ethan rolled his eyes, growing more anxious as they neared the summit. "Stop running! There are wolves, snakes, and big cats in these mountains. Aren't you scared?"

"Big cats?" Lily hesitated, recalling her grandfather's warning, and her pace slowed.

"Heh, gotcha now!" The moment Lily was distracted, Ethan pounced from behind, sweeping her into a tight embrace.

The uneven mountain path left them unprepared for the collision, and they tumbled together like a wheel, Ethan savoring the warmth and faint fragrance of her body. His right hand seemed to press against a cloud of softness, sending a shiver through his soul.

"So soft..." Ethan thought to himself.

With a crash of scattered stones, they finally stopped rolling at the base of a pine tree. At that moment, a shrill, hysterical scream rang out—

"Ethan! I'm going to kill you!" Lily's eyes widened in fury at the sight of the dirty handprints on her chest. She mustered all her strength and delivered a fierce kick to Ethan's waist.

"Ugh!"

Poor Ethan didn't even have a chance to explain before suffering another blow. Ignoring the pain, he quickly stood up, unsure of what to say.

Should he apologize? It would seem too contrived, considering how careful they had to be when sneaking peeks with Spike and the others. If discovered, they would become targets. In this traditional society, where even holding hands between strangers required a wooden stick as a mediator, Ethan couldn't imagine the consequences if Charles found out about his daughter's "chest attack"...

After hesitating for a while, Ethan scratched his head and blurted out, "I'll take responsibility..."

Lily's face flushed crimson, and she couldn't help but laugh at Ethan's dumbfounded expression. "Get lost, you idiot! Who needs you to take responsibility? I can get married without your help!"

"Idiot!" Lily cursed, stomping her foot before turning and sprinting back down the mountain as if she had wings.

In the desolate hills of Mistwood County, a lean young man with a menacing scar on his temple sat cross-legged amidst the fallen leaves.

His shoulder-length hair and the narrow scar added a fierce air to his demeanor.

"Two months already... Where on earth could that White Pupil have gone?" The youth's dark eyes slowly opened, filled with thoughts. "Could it have gone to the neighboring Stone Town? No matter, this White Pupil has nearly a thousand years of cultivation and is now severely injured; it can't have gone far. If I can kill it and obtain its core, refining it into a Bone Sacrifice pill, my power will surely advance to the next level..."

Time passed unnoticed in the mountains, and soon, another year had gone by, bringing the depths of winter.

 In the year 1004 of the Chaos Calendar, Ethan had grown to thirteen and a half years old. Compared to a year ago, he had grown taller, now standing seven feet high. In the Continent of Chaos, fifteen was considered adulthood, and Ethan already carried an air of maturity.

Throughout the year, Ethan spent his time cutting trees on the Charles family's mountain, only occasionally working at the Blue Cloud Forge in town. The trees he needed to cut had been upgraded from No. 6 Iron Knife Trees to No. 2 Black Pine Trees.

In addition to his inner strength advancing to the sixth level of the Strong Blood Realm, Ethan's most significant improvement was in his Blade Technique. He had reached the level of six cuts in one breath, an achievement that would be hard to believe if word got out, but Ethan had accomplished it.

Six cuts in one breath made Ethan a master of the quick blade in Mistwood County.

Closing his eyes and gathering his focus, the seated Ethan suddenly sprang into action.

His blade flashed like a stunning rainbow, and a black pine tree as thick as a bowl snapped at its base with a crisp sound.

Resheathing and drawing his blade again, the sword light flickered, leaving behind afterimages in the air. After several crackling sounds, the long blade returned to its scabbard.

Looking up, five evenly-cut round logs, each about an inch thick, lay at the base of the black pine tree. All of them had been cut in a single stroke – clean and forceful.

This was the power of the Swift Shadow Blade Technique when mastered! Among all Blade Techniques, only speed could not be broken. After a year of practice, Ethan had finally understood this principle.

Aside from catching opponents off guard and leaving them no time to react, speed also amplified the force of an attack. The effects of a slow strike compared to a swift one were vastly different; under the influence of speed, one could unleash double or even multiple times the force of an equal amount of power.

"Dinner time!" A crisp voice called out from afar.