Chapter 1023 - 1022: After The Duel

For several breaths, the audience watched Joren’s body without making a sound.

Then someone spoke.

"He actually killed him."

"The Heart Reaper?"

"Who else is lying there?"

The answer came sharply, but the speaker sounded no less stunned.

They had seen Joren lose his arms. They had watched him struggle on his knees, unable to move while Blackmoon stood over him.

The defeat had been obvious.

The death hadn’t.

Some had expected Joren to reveal another cursed spirit, technique, or an artifact powerful enough to turn the fight. A Blessed of the Abyss surely had something left.

Others had waited for him to surrender.

Very few had believed they would watch a sword enter his heart.

"Why didn’t he give up?"

"I thought he was about to."

"Maybe he couldn’t accept losing?"

A few spectators looked toward the council, but the elders remained seated.

Joren wasn’t the greatest talent The Abyss possessed. Even so, he had earned a place among the Blessed. Many of those watching had spent years hoping to receive the same honour.

They admired those Daemons. They studied their battles and tried to catch the attention of the people who had chosen them.

Now one of them lay dead beneath an unknown newcomer’s feet.

"Blackmoon," someone murmured.

This time, nobody asked who that was.

Virella slowly released the edge of her seat.

"He actually won."

"Of course little kitty won," Sonya replied.

Despite her words, she looked annoyed.

Virella turned toward her.

"What?"

"I couldn’t see half the things he was fighting."

Sonya glanced at the deep gouges across the floor.

She had caught vague outlines of Bone Eater and Grave Bell when they pressed their limbs against the ground. Their contact with the ground gave her something to follow.

The spirits that floated had been another matter.

She had watched Simon dodge empty air, then seen blood appear on his shoulder and cheek without properly seeing what had cut him.

That irritated her far more than she wanted to admit.

"I’ll ask him what they looked like," she said.

Knowing their appearance wouldn’t be enough, though. She needed to train her perception and find a way to detect things like that herself. An enemy wasn’t going to land simply because she couldn’t sense it otherwise.

Beside her, Akaza sat forward with a thoughtful expression.

His eyes followed Simon’s hands, then moved toward the trail of destroyed ground left by the battle. He seemed to be going over something he had seen.

Ammor finally unfolded his arms.

Around them, the noise continued rising.

Farther along the stands, Merath stared at the corpse with a blank expression.

Joren was dead.

She had wanted to kill Blackmoon herself. After seeing how much he had changed, however, she had been willing to settle for watching someone else do it.

Joren had been strong enough to give her hope.

Now his arms lay apart from his body, and Simon looked scarcely troubled by the fight.

Merath’s left hand tightened around her empty sleeve.

She knew what would probably follow. The elders hadn’t gathered here simply to watch a member of House Voss die. They had been interested in Blackmoon before the duel, and he had just given them more reasons to want him.

What would her complaints be worth once they decided to keep him?

She gritted her teeth and turned toward the nearest stairway.

The Abyss no longer felt like somewhere she could remain safely out of his reach.

At the side of the arena, Enigma watched her leave, then looked back at the fighting ground.

"He actually killed Joren."

He had hoped Blackmoon would stop after proving his strength. Not because Joren deserved mercy, but because a dead member of House Voss would leave problems the duel’s rules couldn’t simply erase.

The council had promised not to punish the winner.

That didn’t mean everyone connected to the loser would accept it quietly.

Jorra had already died because of Simon. Now Joren had followed.

Enigma’s gaze moved toward a shaded entrance beneath the opposite terrace.

His expression grew solemn.

Within the elders’ gallery, Ancestral Elder Black Mountain shifted in his seat.

"So he killed him after all."

"He made certain of it," Ancestral Elder White Death said. "Did you see his jaw? The boy wouldn’t even let him surrender."

Grand Elder Red Calamity showed his fangs.

"Good. Joren wanted his blood and corpse. He should have expected Blackmoon to kill him."

"He was trying to speak," Ancestral Elder Black Tide said.

"And Blackmoon knew what he would say," Grand Elder Red Calamity replied. "He wasn’t going to leave that enemy alive to come after him again."

Ancestral Elder Black Tide looked toward Grand Elder Dread Crown, who offered no response.

Grand Elder Golden Tyrant examined the ruined arena.

"A few wind attacks, an Earth defence, and two of his four seeds. He hasn’t shown us nearly everything he can do."

"Joren couldn’t force him to," Ancestral Elder Wild Hunt said.

"A pity," Grand Elder Golden Tyrant replied.

"We did learn how he uses Greed and Pride," Ancestral Elder Bone Prophet said. "That alone made the duel worth watching."

Grand Elder Golden Tyrant inclined her head.

She was more interested in how Simon used the Seed of Greed to take control of a powerful cursed spirit so easily.

Grand Elder Night Widow rested her cheek against her hand.

"A Prime Greater Demon did all of that. Imagine what he’ll be like when he becomes a Demon Lord or a Demon King."

Below them, Simon looked down at the Chaos Blade.

[Satisfied with this one?]

Lilith hadn’t asked him to kill Joren. She hadn’t needed to.

He remembered their unfinished agreement well enough. Demons and Daemons descended from the Soul Daemon could help her recover, provided he killed them with the Chaos Blade.

Elder Xyron, the Soul Mirror Demon, had been useful to her. Much of that power had then been spent helping Simon escape Shadowgrave.

Jorra hadn’t given her the same benefit.

Simon had needed his heart for the bloodline evolution ritual. He had arranged for him to die without driving the Chaos Blade into it, leaving Lilith dissatisfied with the result.

There had been no such reason to spare Joren’s heart.

The elder brother had offered himself as an enemy, then accepted a public duel. Simon had decided he might as well get everything he could from him.

Lilith was one reason he had chosen to kill him, and she was the main reason he had used exposed the Chaos Blade.

[Not bad,] she replied. [A Heart Daemon at his level helps.]

Simon turned the sword slightly, watching its crimson edge.

[I thought you would not use the Chaos Blade to kill him. You were worrying about me becoming stronger not long ago.]

[I was.]

[And now?]

[I’m trying to trust you more. You’ve kept me alive often enough. Having you recover should be more useful than keeping you weak.]

Lilith was quiet for a moment.

[Don’t sound so pleased with yourself. I’m nowhere near recovered.]

His lips curved.

[I didn’t think one Joren would be enough.]

[Good. At least I won’t have to explain that again.]

The conversation ended there.

Simon allowed the Chaos Blade to return to his heart, then stretched out a hand.

Joren’s corpse lifted from the floor.

Several spectators rose when it floated toward Simon. He drew the severed arms after it, the black ring on one hand catching the light as it turned.

The body and both arms disappeared into his spatial ring.

He would devour them later, when he was alone. Joren had been a powerful Heart Daemon. Simon wanted to find out what he could gain from him without an entire colosseum watching.

For now, the elders were waiting.

He raised his head toward their gallery. He could see their faces clearly, though the formation kept their conversation from reaching him.

The barrier surrounding the fighting ground began fading. Light withdrew toward the engravings along the wall until the space between Simon and the stands was clear.

He was about to turn toward the exit when a man’s voice came from behind him.

It was quiet and cold, and the moment Simon heard it, the hair at the back of his neck rose immediately.

"Pretty bold of you to try and keep my nephew’s corpse in your spatial ring."