Divine Sword and Divinity (2)
In the past, my master had once said something like that to me.
"My disciple, why do you cling so stubbornly to bare-handed martial arts?"
"Because hand-to-hand combat suits me best."
"Heh heh heh, disciple. Do not lie to this Hyeon-nyeo."
"……."
"If you possess the same Heavenly Martial Physique as I, the boundaries of weapons mean nothing to you. Whether they suit you or not shouldn't matter at all."
Rustle—
With those words, my master slowly rose to her feet.
At the same time, her blue daoist robes shifted, revealing a slender wrist from within her sleeve before it vanished again.
I stared blankly at her, entranced by an aura that felt utterly inhuman, when suddenly her voice pierced my ear.
"Many view bare-handed martial arts as the most disadvantageous form of combat."
One step.
"The sword reigns supreme over all weapons, the spear is the king of weapons, and the bow is the finest instrument under heaven."
Two steps.
"Disciple."
Do you truly believe bare-handed arts are the pinnacle of martial prowess?
"...Yes, I believe only bare-handed combat can fully contain me."
"...I see."
Three steps.
She stopped at just the right distance, and suddenly a fierce wind howled around her.
Her blue robes billowed wildly, fully exposing her smooth legs.
Spreading her stance, my master slowly assumed her form.
"Then behold."
This is the pinnacle of bare-handed martial arts.
────!!!
"……."
I blinked.
My mind couldn't keep up with the unbelievable reality before me.
"This is the final lesson Hyeon-nyeo can show you."
Could I even call it 'seeing' this?
To me, it felt like the process had vanished, leaving only the result shoved in my face.
As I stood there frozen in a daze, my master lightly waved her hand and approached with quick steps.
She hopped lightly onto the seat beside me and sat down, picking up a nearby snack with a blissful smile.
"Mmm~♡ Snacks always taste sweeter after a workout!"
But despite her cute voice, the scenery before us was utterly terrifying.
The ground cratered as if a bomb had detonated at her center, clouds split along the trajectory of her fist.
Anyone gazing at those scars stretching to the horizon would lose their souls.
"……Holy."
And it wasn't just splitting clouds—even a chunk of the sky had been carved away, exposing the cosmos beyond. What could I even say...?
She's incredible, as expected.
My master is truly my master. It drove the point home.
And in that moment.
My master, munching happily on her snack, suddenly grinned and said,
"Hyeon-nyeo thinks even this falls a bit short, but……."
"……Pardon?"
"Still, if you can pull this off, she'll give you a passing grade."
Then come find Hyeon-nyeo.
She'll judge your level.
"Failed again."
I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at the result.
The endlessly swirling aura in my hand spun before gradually losing its center and tilting.
One day was the max sustain time, huh.
The concept of generating opposing forward and reverse flows within a single aura was solid, but maintaining it demanded insane control.
"If I can just succeed, it might work……."
In the past, that single punch my master demonstrated.
I still couldn't fathom how it tore the sky, but I'd watched every step of the preparation.
Aura extended through her entire body, maximizing efficiency to push her physique to its limits, then channeling every ounce of power into her fist—the whole sequence was flawlessly beautiful, without a single wasted motion.
Compared to her, the aura I handled looked downright sloppy.
And bare-handed arts aren't even her specialty.
No matter how 'extremes converge,' her 'relatively clumsy' hand-to-hand skills were still leagues beyond me. I couldn't even gauge the gap between us.
Whoosh— whirl whirl—
"Hmm."
I clenched my fist around the stopped aura, bursting it, then closed my eyes in thought.
Realizing my techniques' shortcomings against the Four Heavenly Kings had spurred my training, but grasping the key was proving tougher than expected.
At least the fight with Cass Palug revealed I was surprisingly clumsy against high-resistance foes, but the real issue was lacking a clear solution despite knowing it.
"If I could wield the technique Master showed……."
That sky-splitting move would surely work on Cass Palug.
It'd pierce high resistance with an unavoidable strike.
He'd probably vanish in an instant, not even registering his death.
Problem is, I can't use it.
I gripped my fist, gathering aura, and muttered lowly while gazing outside.
"Just a bit more refinement, and it might work……."
Simulations in my head kept failing by a hair.
The prerequisites for the technique felt met—maybe I lacked enlightenment?
"Maybe I need the golden ratio after all."
The infinite continuity of the golden proportion.
Only endless recursion could meet the minimal conditions.
It was gut instinct, but maximizing destructive power from minimal force seemed worth trying.
The golden rectangle was too tough, so I gave up midway.
Guess I'd have to carve it out.
If it succeeded, I could awaken to the pinnacle of bare-handed arts.
───
Having infiltrated Yeon Je-seong's lodging, Arthur unwittingly rose onto her tiptoes and crept forward.
Turning a corner—flinch.
A door opening—flinch.
Voices in conversation—flinch.
After flinching countless times down the hall, she reached an ornate door and steadied her breathing.
Wait, why am I even here...?
Regaining her senses thanks to the breath, Arthur deflated rapidly.
Where had the boldness to invade a man's quarters gone?
Fidgeting before the door, she finally squeezed her eyes shut, grabbed the handle, and...
"Eek!?"
A bomb dropped from the ceiling, startling her into a leap.
The falling bomb bounced off her mana-wrapped hand and flew far away, exploding with a boom down the hall.
"Not again?"
"Who's it this time?"
"My vote's on Sir Gareth."
"Nah, Sir Gareth was here an hour ago. I'm betting Sir Lancelot."
"Who knows? Could be someone unexpected. I'll go with rising star Sir Bedivere."
Knights swarmed at the noise.
Arthur's pupils quaked at their rowdy voices from down the hall, and on pure instinct, she sliced the ceiling clean and leaped up.
The queen's movements were lightning-quick, utterly efficient, exuding the polish of hundreds of repetitions.
She slapped the neatly severed ceiling panel back in place—it sealed perfectly.
Her transcendent swordsmanship left no trace, and the knights arrived a beat late.
"……."
Clamping her mouth shut to hold her breath, Arthur peered down tensely.
"Nothing again."
"No escape traces this time?"
"That level of skill—definitely Sir Gareth."
"Yeah, the other Round Table knights always leave a little mark."
With the ceiling sealed, she couldn't see below, but her Seven Powers-level mana control painted the scene vividly, like a picture.
"Aw, whatever. Let's head back."
"Yeah, we can't catch Sir Gareth if he's serious about escaping anyway."
"Tch, too bad. If our benefactor showed up, it'd be jackpot."
"Arthur? We'd faint just seeing his face."
"Yeah, let's be content we got pulled for his guard duty."
"But seriously, is he really that chiseled and handsome?"
"...What? You haven't seen him?"
"I've been on castle defense—how the hell would I?!"
"I guarantee you, whatever you're picturing, he's beyond it."
"......For real?"
"Any fairy in Rischel would drool uncontrollably."
"Yeah, not just looks—that physique especially……."
Gulp—
The knights' and Arthur's throats moved in unison at the voices below.
Recalling his bare torso from the battlefield, Arthur's face flushed hot.
"Wait, you've seen it?"
"No way. I only overheard the Round Table guys from afar. If I'd seen it myself, I'd have ditched my rank and dived right in."
"Ahh, just once—I'd give anything to behold that noble visage."
As the knights chattered away into the distance, Arthur landed silently moments later.
Glancing around cautiously and sighing in relief, she reached for the door again.
Gulp—
Hand on the knob, ready to bolt anytime, it turned smoothly without interference.
"...!"
Was the trap over?
The thought brought shy relief—until, mockingly a beat late, the hallway window shattered as a massive log barreled toward her.
Dodging the danger signal slamming her instincts by arching back, she spotted a long bomb rolling through the door crack.
"...!"
Time slowed to a crawl in the extreme crisis as Arthur moved.
Judging swiftly, she kicked the first detonating bomb away, then ducked her torso to evade the returning log.
Time elapsed: a mere 0.3 seconds.
"Phew…."
As the thick log grazed her hair, she sighed softly in relief, finally opening the door and stepping inside...
"Ah, King Arthur?!"
"...Great Saintess?"
...only to come face-to-face with the Great Saintess plastered suspiciously against the wall.