Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Chapter 20 - Clairheim Morr #2
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The Emperor's Sword, Clairheim Morr.
One of the eight divine weapons of Sword Emperor Clausewitz, the founding emperor of the Holy Empire and hailed as humanity's greatest sword saint.
The great sword that cleaves stars.
According to the official chronicle 'Records of the Founding' compiled by the imperial family, this sword was not of mortal make but from the heavens, bestowed upon the Sword Emperor by his master, the 'Sword Angel.'
Before the founding of the Holy Empire, the Sword Emperor had subjugated countless enemies of humanity with Clairheim Morr. Those who witnessed his feats called the sword—his blade—by nicknames such as 'the Great Sword,' 'Sword of Light,' and 'Star Cleaver.'
After the Sword Emperor's death, unlike the other eight divine weapons, it was kept directly by the imperial family alongside the 'Heavenly Armor.' However, it was lost in the War of Succession that broke out in the year 7 of the Holy Empire Calendar.
The War of Succession, where First Princess Katrin clashed with Second Prince Matthias.
The defeated Second Prince Matthias fled south with the Emperor's Sword to prove his legitimacy. But in the process, they encountered a storm, the ship sank, and both Matthias and the Emperor's Sword plunged into the ocean depths.
Empress Katrin, who ascended as the Holy Empire's second emperor, ordered a search of the southern seas to recover the Emperor's Sword. But finding a single blade in the vast ocean was impossible, and thus the Emperor's Sword Clairheim Morr, which had dominated an era, vanished into the annals of history.
...
..
.
[Excerpt from Count Lupus's 'On the Sword Emperor's Eight Divine Weapons.']
Luther listened to Integra's explanation in her gentle, calligraphic voice and made a slightly dazed expression.
"Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
Hadn't they read those lines together several times already?
To Luther's question-that-wasn't-a-question, Integra smiled brightly and replied.
[Just to lighten the mood.]
[This is one of the clichés, you know?]
He'd noticed it before—Integra really loved her clichés.
Had she already forgotten getting ambushed by the Kraken because of that damn cliché?
'Well... it's probably not really because of the cliché.'
Moreover, in hindsight, it was thanks to the Kraken that they had obtained a lead on the Emperor's Sword.
Maybe the Kraken's appearance itself was the start of an epic plot to find the Emperor's Sword?
[Master, I sense you're having some strange thoughts.]
"It's because of you. All because of you."
Either way, what mattered was the Emperor's Sword.
Luther adjusted his sitting position slightly and asked Integra.
"You're sure it's the Emperor's Sword?"
[We can't say for certain yet.]
[But the faint structural signal currently being emitted is definitely in the Galactic Federation format.]
[We can't pinpoint the exact era due to insufficient data, but it's definitely a Federation signal.]
Luther nodded slowly at Integra's response.
Come to think of it, it hadn't been confirmed that the Emperor's legacies were Galactic Federation tech.
Arma Valentine was a renowned archaeologist, but she was ultimately a resident of the fantasy world—Dragon Hunter Origin—not the Federation.
The assumption that the nanosuit and Heavenly Armor were made with the same technology might stem from her misconception.
'Of course, the odds of that are low.'
How many things on this planet could even emit a Federation signal?
And even if it wasn't the Emperor's Sword, if it was Federation tech, it would likely be extremely useful to Luther right now.
"How far is the signal?"
[Not too far.]
[But it's blocked by a wall, so we couldn't scout directly with the drone.]
"Then let's go check it out ourselves."
If the Emperor's Sword really was Federation tech, how on earth had it ended up on this planet?
And who exactly was the 'Sword Angel' who bestowed the Emperor's Sword on Sword Emperor Clausewitz?
Was she from the Federation too?
Like Luther himself, a Star Savior character?
'Come to think of it, could she still be alive?'
Sword Emperor Clausewitz had lived a century ago.
Star Savior characters lived for centuries at least, thanks to anti-aging surgeries and such. If the Sword Angel was really Federation, she might still be alive.
'Though even if she is, no guarantee she's on this planet.'
Star Savior and Dragon Hunter Origin.
Circumstantially, two worlds connected in the same universe in reality.
Why had games chronicling both worlds' histories existed in 'Lee Yun-ho's world'?
Lee Yun-ho himself had somehow become Luther Lightseeker and entered the Dragon Hunter Origin world.
[Master, starting navigation.]
Integra's voice snapped him out of his reverie.
Luther stood up and followed the arrow that appeared before his eyes.
The floor was slick with moss, littered with debris everywhere, but thanks to the Serpent's previous passages, the path itself was wide open like a highway.
[That way. The path is blocked by ship wreckage.]
Turning his head, sure enough, a massive galleon's remains completely sealed off one wall.
Luther gripped his Chain Axe tighter and asked.
"It's beyond the wall, right? Is there enough space?"
[Based on reverse calculations from the signal, even after breaking through the wreckage, you'd need to travel dozens of meters. No need to worry.]
"Got it."
No reason to hesitate if he didn't have to worry about collateral damage from smashing the ship.
Luther activated the Chain Axe and smashed through the corroded old galleon wreckage, clearing a path.
"Whoa."
Beyond the shattered debris.
A massive cavern stretched before him, its ceiling towering over twenty meters high.
But Luther wasn't impressed by the cavern's size.
It was the enormous skeleton filling the cavern floor.
From the half-submerged bottom in seawater, a massive sea dragon's bones coiled like a serpent.
[It's huge.]
[Considering the submerged parts, the body length must be around 50 meters.]
[Do the Trigons that attacked us grow this big?]
"Probably. Bigger ones show up later."
The boss in the eastern section was over 70 meters long, after all.
Even the Kraken grew to 150 meters overall as an adult, tentacles included.
[Dizzying size.]
[How does a creature grow that massive?]
"Who knows, there must be some reason."
Luther gave a vague answer, crossed the debris, and followed the arrow.
[The signal is emanating from the skull.]
[No life signs in the cavern except for small bugs and you, Master. You're safe.]
"Right."
Having seen the giant Serpent skeleton, Luther had been tense without realizing it. He relaxed his shoulders a bit and kept walking.
The Serpent was longer overall, but due to the shape difference, the head seemed smaller than that of the great beast Balakia.
[It's a sword.]
Inside the Serpent's mouth.
A human skeleton lay sprawled, clutching a massive sword.
"Prince Matthias, huh."
The clothes were too tattered to look like anything but rags, but up close, jeweled ornaments adorned the neck and arms.
Luther approached and examined the sword.
[Master, is this a sword you've seen in Star Savior?]
"Nope, first time. But... it looks like something that'd appear in Star Savior."
The 'Emperor's Sword' looked quite different from swords of this era, starting with its appearance.
It was a sword, sure, but the overall design was distinct.
Wrapped in a pitch-black scabbard, it was excessively large—the blade width alone seemed at least 15 cm.
Games often featured such ridiculously huge blades, but in reality, it was impossible.
The weight alone would make swinging it infeasible.
'Unless it's enchanted, of course...'
Even accounting for that, the Emperor's Sword felt alien compared to other weapons in Dragon Hunter Origin.
Perhaps because the blade was so broad, there was no proper edge ridge, and the junction between blade and hilt had a unique design.
Smooth and mechanical, like classic sci-fi?
[If this is truly the Emperor's Sword, it proves all the Emperor's legacies are Galactic Federation tech.]
"Yeah, and the heavens being the Federation fits too."
Integra nodded at Luther's words, closed her eyes tightly once, then opened them and spoke in an energetically feigned tone.
[Understood. Let's proceed with the verification right away.]
[Grab the sword's hilt.]
"Right, after clearing the skeleton first."
[Exactly. It's the remains of one who guarded a Federation legacy for ages—we should honor it properly.]
[Please handle it with care.]
"Sure."
Luther smiled faintly at Integra's unusually respectful words, bowed his head, and even observed a moment of silence.
"Rest in peace."
Finishing his solemn silence, Luther reached for the skeleton.
But the moment his hand touched the arm—
-Crash.
Like toppling dominoes, the bones collapsed from the arm through the whole body, some crumbling to dust.
[Master?]
"Uh..."
Luther stared blankly at the skeleton for a moment, then withdrew his hand awkwardly and struck another pose for silence.
"Rest in peace."
[Master, you're not just brushing it off, are you?]
"What choice do I have!"
What was he supposed to do when it crumbled at a touch?
Integra chuckled at Luther's protest and nodded.
[Understood, Master.]
[It wasn't intentional.]
[The departed will forgive you.]
[We'll press X to pay respects.]
Wasn't Integra the one desecrating the dead?
Anyway, after the moment of silence, Luther collected the fallen jewelry from the bones and finally lifted the sword.
As expected from its abnormally wide blade, it was heavy. The moment he gripped near the hilt—
[Electrical signal confirmed.]
[Attempting direct contact.]
Wires surged from Luther's wrist and connected to the sword's hilt end.
[Terminal compatible.]
[Clairheim Morr is definitely a Galactic Federation weapon.]
[Initiating connection now!]
Integra's voice rose in excitement.
Luther's heart began to pound too.
The Emperor's Sword, Clairheim Morr.
The sword from the heavens bestowed by the Sword Angel.
The heavens were indeed the Federation.
Then who was the Sword Angel?
How had she come to the Dragon Hunter Origin world?
[Access code: Clairheim Morr]
[OS format confirmed.]
[Generation undetermined.]
[Similarities to 7th-gen military nanomachines detected.]
[Cannot access database.]
[Cannot access database.]
[Biometric scan: No match.]
[Unregistered user.]
[Initiating hack.]
[Removing safety locks.]
Integra's voice sped up.
At the same time, a blue line traced over Clairheim Morr's blade.
Even what he'd thought was the scabbard was part of the sword itself.
[Biometric lock released.]
[Registering new user.]
[Cannot register new user.]
[9th-gen nanomachine support AI Integra.]
[Attempting to assimilate Clairheim Morr.]
Luther closed his eyes.
He felt the nanosuit's nanoparticles flow through the wires and palm into Clairheim Morr.
A hazy image rose in his mind.
A young woman with black hair and green eyes.
She wore a pure white suit.
And before her stood an exceedingly handsome blond boy.
Luther instinctively knew who they were.
The woman was the Sword Angel.
The boy was Sword Emperor Clausewitz.
[Full unlock failed.]
[Unlock rate: 11%]
[Receiving data.]
[Video data discovered.]
[Boy's Log #1]
In a field of profusely blooming pure white flowers, the Sword Angel swung the sword.
Even to an amateur's eye, it was an exquisitely intricate swordsmanship.
The boy was nowhere to be seen.
No—Luther soon realized.
This footage was from Clairheim Morr's perspective, held in the boy's arms.
The Sword Angel stopped swinging.
She approached the boy and stroked his head.
She naturally took Clairheim Morr from his arms.
"Karl, listen well."
It was a clear voice.
And it felt familiar.
Where had he heard a similar voice before?
"From today, this sword is yours. So I'll tell you how to awaken its power. When there's something you must cleave, recite this incantation."
Clairheim Morr captured the boy.
The Sword Angel whispered to Sword Emperor Clausewitz.
[Disconnecting.]
[Final data unlock rate: 13%]
[Temporary user registration complete.]
A flash pierced his crown.
In the thrill, Luther opened his eyes and naturally gripped the Emperor's Sword—the star-cleaving Clairheim Morr—with both hands.
[Master, Arma Valentine was right.]
[The Emperor's legacies are definitely Federation military weapons!]
Integra shouted excitedly.
So thrilled she was practically hopping in place, she continued explaining with a beaming smile.
[Full unlock failed, but we analyzed the tech level.]
[The Emperor's legacies use customized machines based on 7th-gen nanomachines.]
[Since they're custom, full unlock will take time... but operation should be fine.]
[No, we can operate it.]
[After full unlock, upgrades will be possible too!]
It wasn't just the Emperor's Sword.
The Sword Emperor Clausewitz's eight divine weapons.
The driving force that allowed a mere human to drive out evil dragons and monsters and found the Holy Empire.
But right then—
The air in the cavern grew heavy.
Dense malice surged from afar.
[Trigon life sign.]
[It's approaching.]
[It's definitely after the Emperor's Sword you activated, Master!]
Luther exhaled deeply.
The HUD showed the distance to it shrinking.
90 meters.
70 meters.
50 meters.
This was inside its lair.
But not in the water.
And now, Luther had a new armament at his side.
[It's locked onto your position, Master.]
[It'll emerge through the forward waterway!]
The cavern's floor, half-filled with seawater.
Luther turned toward it, gripping Clairheim Morr.
Picturing the Sword Angel in his mind, he whispered the activation code she'd taught Clausewitz.
"Access code, Star Cleave."
The quiet whisper elicited a response from Clairheim Morr.
Golden lines traced over the pitch-black blade face, and from the blunt blade—mistaken for a scabbard—pure white edges surged forth.
Followed by the blade's vibration.
A super-vibration blade that rends all with its oscillating edge.
[Oh my god.]
As an ecstatic smile spread across Integra's face, Luther looked up.
Dead ahead.
A Trigon covered in pure white scales burst through the water's surface.