Chapter 41
Chapter 41
translator Penny
Fifth-Tier Swordsman Callius moved.
The sword qi streaked toward me.
The arc of his blade sliced through the air.
Every movement was meticulously calculated to kill me.
A chilling premonition blared like an alarm.
Clang!
I blocked all of Callius's sword strikes, but this also meant I hadn't yet landed a single blow of my own.
Clang!
After another exchange, Callius widened the distance between us and spoke.
"Third-Tier, is it?"
His low voice pierced through the air.
"Your judgment, speed, strength... everything surpasses any Third-Tier I've ever faced. But you're still just Third-Tier."
I couldn't help but wonder.
"How did you figure that out?"
Callius graciously answered my question.
"From the Fifth-Tier onward, one gains the ability to perceive an opponent's true potential. Think of it as the power to avoid pointless deaths."
Callius scanned my body again, his gaze piercing as if he could see right through me.
"Based on others, you'd be considered about Fourth-Tier level," Callius continued. "If that's your limit, you'll soon die by my hand."
Crimson sword ki coalesced on Callius's blade.
"If you don't want to die, devour it."
Callius's form blurred once more.
"A swordsman grows by devouring the lives of other swordsmen."
A crimson tempest surged around the sword in Callius's right hand, distorting the air with its rippling energy.
An overwhelming pressure, unlike anything I had ever experienced, crashed down upon me.
Crimson sword ki surged in from all directions.
I breathed deeply.
Block everything.
The trajectory of the attack shifted at a right angle.
My mind raced.
A gap.
I stepped toward the only place I could survive.
Then, with murderous intent, I slashed my sword.
I felt magic surging from the Mana Heart.
That magic flowed into my Aura Circuit.
Dragon Slayer Sword Art Form 2, Thrust: Hjalartagnir.
Form 1, Horizontal Slash: Tursahog.
Form 3, Vertical Slash: Drakavani.
I unleashed every sword art I could muster.
Form 6, Lamina Rabiei.
The blade of raging fury that cleaves dragons.
Sword strikes rained down from all directions—above, below, left, and right.
White-glowing sword energy wove into a dense, net-like barrier.
I felt the muscles in my arms bulging.
Callius was undeniably stronger than me.
Against the current me, his attacks were unavoidable.
I had to unleash only the most devastating techniques.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Callius completely blocked all my sword strikes.
Senior Light Sword's comment flashed through my mind:
Sword of Light: Ascending to higher tiers ultimately stems from the enlightenment gained during combat.
In the end, you have to risk your life.
Just like now.
Callius swung his crimson aura.
KWA-AAAANG!
The aura crashed down like a massive hammer.
I twisted my body to the right, executing an acrobatic maneuver.
Flowing Scale Air Breaking Art, Fourth Form.Shattered Moon Step.
Extending my white sword qi into a scythe-like crescent, I aimed for Callius's neck.
Callius's vertical counter-slash nullified my attack.
I'll keep at it until it works.
CHWAAAAAAK!
A searing pain erupted from my waist.
Next, my right shoulder.
After taking two direct hits, I landed a blow on his abdomen.
I glanced at Callius's face.
A faint but unmistakable smile curved his lips.
He was grinning.
This guy's not right in the head.
Clang!
Our swords clashed.
The crimson light coalescing on Callius's blade flared violently.
Goosebumps prickled my arms.
This is the second time I've been exposed to this damned sensation.
A sword qi explosion identical to the one Rainer, the Third-Tier Swordsman, had unleashed.
It engulfed my Aura Circuit in a surging torrent.
Vortex Flow.
Dragon Slayer Sword Art's sword qi explosion.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Callius's crimson flash and the white light erupting from my sword intertwined.
Our sword qi explosions detonated simultaneously.
From the trembling ground, chunks of rock shot skyward.
A thick cloud of dust obscured my vision.
The explosion sent me flying into the air.
Kwa-jijik!
I slammed Mundum Extinguite into the ground to regain my balance.
Pain surged from my abdomen and right thigh.
My body was half-shattered, yet my mind had become unnervingly clear—almost too clear.
The world felt like it was being observed from a third-person perspective rather than a first-person one.
Thump!
The ground trembled.
Callius, who had retreated, rapidly closed the distance between us.
I saw his eyes flash crimson.
In the brief instant it took him to blink, a storm of sword strikes engulfed the area where I stood.
A dense, horizontal curtain of red trails covered every inch of space.
Activating Defensive Aura across my entire body, I charged headlong into the crimson storm.
There was no need to cut through everything, nor did I have the strength.
A gap.
All I needed was to perfectly exploit a tiny gap.
Forging my sword aura into a needle-sharp line, I unleashed a straight thrust.
Shing!
My sword aura cleanly severed Callius's aura blade.
Red fragments flashed in my vision—splinters from Callius's crimson sword aura, mixed with droplets of my own blood.
Callius's formidable aura had exploited a gap in my armor and Defensive Aura, drawing blood.
I accelerated my mana circulation, layering my Defensive Aura with an additional layer of thickness.
The Aura Circuit surged with renewed force.
Beside the core of my Aura Circuit, I felt a new line forming, expanding.
It was rising.
A pillar was materializing beside the Aura Circuit at my body's core.
[You have attained the Fourth-Tier Realm.]
I saw Callius's eyes widen.
He seemed to have noticed almost immediately that I had surpassed the Third-Tier and reached the Fourth-Tier.
My opponent was at the Fifth-Tier.
Even having ascended to the Fourth-Tier didn't guarantee victory.
His murderous intent remained undiminished.
A voice rang out from directly ahead.
"Come."
The faint upturn of his lips deepened into a full-fledged smile.
Callius charged forward.
Crimson lightning-infused sword strikes converged from all directions.
Slash!
The sickening sound of flesh tearing pierced my ears.
Even Phaethon's Jet-Black Magic Armor had its weak points.
My Defensive Aura also had its vulnerabilities.
Callius's sword path mercilessly revealed them.
Learning accumulated.
Alongside the threat of death.
Drip-drip-drip-
Blood splattered onto the ground.
**Status Effect - Bleeding (Critical): Doombringer activated.**[Skill 'Doombringer' has leveled up. Lv.4][Your body temporarily transcends its limits.]
My body screamed in agony.
To stop meant death.
My mind was consumed by a single technique.
The Dragon Slayer Sword Art Manual contained several passages added by Senior Light Sword:
- There are certain techniques that should only be attempted once you reach a certain realm.- Though these were determined based on my own realm, I don't believe your talent falls short of mine.
The Fifth-Tier Swordsman charged like a wild beast.
Callius swung his sword, creating a massive moon.
The moon, born behind him, slowly advanced toward me.
An overwhelming pressure engulfed my entire being.
The crimson moon harbored countless blades within it.
Swish!
A deep gash tore through my left shoulder.
My arm hung limp.
Not yet.
I needed to tear his throat out when I was within striking distance.
Strength drained from my right thigh.
Blood spurted from my left abdomen.
Screee!
The wind roared in my ears.
A sword aimed at my neck.
I met Callius's horizontal slash head-on, adjusting my grip.
Fourth-Tier Swordsmanship.
Dragon Slayer Sword Art Form 8.
Draco Scalpere.
A swordsmanship that unfolds like carving dragon scales.
A single block wouldn't stop the horizontal slash.
Two lightning-fast streaks of light lashed downward.
A double strike to crush the horizontal slash.
I kept my sword moving.
Twenty strikes.
Thirty strikes.
The count became meaningless, surpassing double digits.
This was swordsmanship that truly deserved the name "butchery."
Shallow and deep cuts rained down relentlessly.
I dismantled the Crimson Moon.
Callius's body, etched with countless crimson lines, came into view.
The armor lay shattered.
The end.
He took one final step.
He brought his sword down vertically.
His final strike.
FWOOAAAHHH!
The shallow and deep wounds erupted simultaneously, emitting a blinding white light.
Blood gushed from every part of Callius's body.
Drip... drip...
A crimson pool formed on the ground.
"Cough."
Callius staggered, a faint smile still lingering on his face.
The surroundings grew chaotic.
Strangely, his body refused to move.
He lacked even the strength to lift his head.
He sensed three figures charging at him from multiple directions.
"Kill him now!"
"Kill him!"
"Lord Callius!"
It seemed those who had hesitated to intervene during the battle were finally making their move.
WHOOOOSH!
Three simultaneous streaks of light hurtled toward him.
Callius, the Fifth-Tier Swordsman who seemed barely sane, collapsed to the ground without uttering another word.
Level Up!
Three streaks of light, each intent on killing me, were closing in.
[Lv. 27 → Lv. 29]
My left arm, which had been dangling precariously close to falling off, was restored.
Every wound that had been gushing blood across my body instantly healed.
It was the effect of leveling up.
After that, I moved purely on instinct.
Channeling mana.
Crack!
Clenching my teeth.
I swung my sword horizontally, its blade wreathed in white sword qi.
Clang! Crash!
The sound of the knights' swords shattering echoed through the air.
Blood sprayed out in a circular arc, staining the air.
Red lines scarred the trees.
The bodies of the three knights—one charging from the left, one from the right, and one from the center—slowly sank to the ground.
I scanned the surroundings.
Rengel and Carmin had performed exactly as I'd expected.
Together, they had silenced three opponents.
And they'd finished off the incapacitated ones too.
The 'Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon' applauds.The 'Blood Fiend' furrows his brow.The Thousand-Eyed Judge bites his nails.The Wrath-Bearing Warrior reconfirms the difficulty level and floor.
I immediately closed the annoying notification window again.
Rengel slowly approached me.
"...Just who are you, exactly?"
"What?"
"You killed a Fifth-Tier Swordsman."
If I hadn't killed him, I would have been the one to die, so I killed him.
"I got lucky. Let's go. Get in the carriage quickly, Carmin."
"Yes!"
I saw Carmin nodding frantically.
Literally, just luck.
Seven parts luck, three parts skill. Exactly that much.
Killing Callius.
Leveling up right before dying against those three who came after him.
I needed to become stronger.