Chapter 538: Bloody Requiem (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 538: Bloody Requiem (13)
Overwhelming talent can sometimes lead to immense dilemmas.
The utterly dynamic art of the sword and the static art of magic.
Incredible mana control and a lifetime of accumulated experience in swordsmanship.
I often felt as if I were forcing two gears that didn't mesh to turn together, using two assets that most people would be lucky to have even one of.
So far, it had worked well, even creating a strange synergy that led to a string of victories, but…
Well.
“…How long will this last?”
I found myself thinking that more and more often.
It was because I had realized something.
The tougher the opponent, the more my forced union of sword and magic would separate.
For instance, when using the sword, my mind would be solely on the sword; when using magic, solely on magic. It was nothing more than alternating between two different abilities.
Of course, that alone was more than enough.
Seo-yeon was a prime example.
She was the type to use magic at long range and her sword at close range, securing a definite advantage and claiming victory regardless of the distance.
The ideal image of a magic swordsman known to the public was just that, so one might ask what the problem was.
But the thought kept nagging at me.
“This is good, but… hmm.”
It felt like I could be just a little bit better, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what that "better" was.
That’s when it started.
My search for a way to wield both sword and magic simultaneously, regardless of distance, to gain a massive advantage.
The first thing I tried was assigning a role to each hand.
For example, holding a sword in my left hand and casting magic with my right.
It was decent enough.
When I unleashed magic with my right hand while swinging my sword, my opponents would either be startled by the unexpected attack and stumble, or the attack would land cleanly.
But then I thought.
“…How is this any different from dual-wielding swords?”
Dual-wielding, the so-called symbol of certain defeat.
If you broke it down, it actually had far more advantages than disadvantages.
It allowed for a style where offense and defense were one, it was easy to catch an opponent off guard, and the movements were dazzling.
Despite these many strengths, a single flaw overshadowed them all.
The duality of consciousness.
With a sword in each hand, one's consciousness also splits in two, making it difficult to focus.
This was a fatal weakness.
It might not matter in a fight between amateurs.
But in a battle between masters, a momentary lapse could cost you your life.
In that respect, my first attempt was a failure.
Why would I bother developing a technique that shared the same flaw as the doomed art of dual-wielding?
My contemplation continued.
“Haa… this is really difficult.”
Ninety-nine attempts.
Ninety-nine disappointments.
Using failure as a stepping stone, I moved forward, one step at a time, until I finally arrived at an answer.
“…Couldn't I just draw the magic circle with my sword?”
The one and only way to unite sword and magic.
*
At first glance, it would seem impossible.
Drawing a magic circle with a sword? Was that even plausible?
It was a valid point.
Swordsmanship involves constantly changing the method and location of a cut depending on the situation, whereas a magic circle has a predetermined formula.
What if you arbitrarily inserted a different formula instead of the prescribed one?
You wouldn't create magic; you'd create a bomb.
A bomb that didn't distinguish between friend or foe, and one that would inflict the most damage on me.
At first, I thought it was impossible and was about to give up.
But I couldn't think of any other way to perfectly merge sword and magic.
So I dug deeper.
What more did I need to make the impossible possible?
Fortunately, I already possessed all the elements required to reach the answer.
[Activating the Domain of the Ruler.]
A clearly defined territory.
A certain area spreading out from me became my canvas.
To be precise, it was the fundamental framework of a magic circle.
Into this massive frame, I would insert the formulas I desired to manifest magic.
So, what would I use to fill in those formulas?
Rumble—!
I targeted the weakness of the surging red tide.
A single line drawn from top to bottom transformed into a single formula constituting the magic circle.
The same went for everything else.
Every movement I made, whether to block an opponent's attack or to strike them, was tailored to fit the formula.
But it wasn't enough.
It might be feasible for magic with only a few strokes in its circle.
But it was impossible to draw dozens, even hundreds, of predetermined strokes one by one with a sword.
For instance, if a slash from left to right offered the most effective attack, I couldn't just change the direction of my attack for the sake of carving a formula.
To compensate for this, I added a new movement as an element of the formula.
My footwork.
The tip of my foot, dodging an incoming attack, advancing to strike, twisting away.
I employed this, along with the tip of my sword, as the brush to fill in the magic circle.
“You’re as nimble as a rat…!”
Advancing, retreating.
Slashing, swinging.
I selectively chose only the necessary elements for the formula and filled them in.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Splat!
“Kuhk…!”
Each time I miscalculated the formula, my mana would backflow or become tangled.
And these failures accumulated as internal injuries, stacking up inside my body.
It was to be expected.
It was an incomplete art, still just a plausible theory, and I was attempting it in a real, life-or-death battle where a single misstep could be fatal. It would be stranger if I didn't get hurt.
Still, I had to do it.
Because if I didn't, I would die.
If I was going to die one way or another, shouldn't I at least give it a try?
Pssss…!
A white puff of breath escaped my lips every time I exhaled.
A consequence of parts of my body repeatedly freezing and thawing as a penalty for carving the formulas incorrectly.
But it wasn't all a loss.
My insides might be a mess, but I had gained something in return.
“Yes. Like this…”
I was starting to get the hang of it.
How to fill this vast canvas.
I drew lines in the domain only I could see, imbuing them with pure white mana.
Influenced by it, the temperature slowly began to drop.
Just as the completion of a technique once deemed impossible was finally within reach…
“Hmm… what would be a good name for it?”
You might scold me for worrying about a name in such a tense situation, but that would be a mistake.
A technique, after all, is only truly completed once it has been given a name.
“‘Kim Do-jin Style Magic Swordsmanship’? No… that’s a bit too lame.”
I needed a name that was shorter, more concise, yet held a clear meaning.
The culmination of the name Kim Do-jin.
The art of a true magic swordsman who had achieved a genuine union, not one who used sword and magic separately.
“True Magic Swordsmanship (眞魔劍術).”
It seemed there could be no better name for now.
Once I had given it a grand name, I finally began to see it.
The path I had to walk.
I had only just laid the foundation.
I would have to create new sword forms to effectively fill in the formulas.
I would also need to trim the unnecessary formulas tacked onto existing magic circles.
Ultimately, the goal was to be able to use it even without the Domain of the Ruler.
Thump!
My heart pounded.
Is this what a veteran gamer feels like when they find new content in a game they’ve already mastered and have nothing left to do?
In contrast to my heart, which blazed with a rough, radiating heat…
I cast winter upon the world.
The first technique of True Magic Swordsmanship, revealed to the world for the first time.
“Frigid Cold (酷寒).”
The lines, meticulously stacked, finally interlocked and functioned as a single magic circle.
Soon, snowflakes began to fall, one by one.
And frost began to bloom.
The plummeting temperature swallowed everything.
The opponent's fierce attack that had been right in front of me.
Crack—!
The wings of the vampires gliding through the sky to confront the raid team.
Snap!
Shatter!
“M-My wings…!?”
“N-No!”
“Kuaaaargh!”
Crash! Thud!
The red rain that had been pouring relentlessly from the sky.
Ting!
Ting-ting-ting!
The thick, red thorns that had been shooting up from the ground.
Crack!
The frigid cold is but a single gust of wind.
Through it, the magic is completed.
「Permafrost (永久凍土).」
A frigid land that freezes and preserves all that exists.
The weak are mercilessly frozen solid.
And it grabs the ankles of those stronger than me, forcibly dragging them down.
Down to my level, or even below.
The opponent, turning white from the settled snowflakes and blooming frost, asked.
“When on earth did you cast a spell of such enormous scale…?”
“It just happens when you swing a sword.”
I quipped.
In fact, that quip was one of the advantages of True Magic Swordsmanship.
The union of sword and magic.
The additional opportunities born from it.
Adding an attack to an attack, solidifying defense after an attack, adding defense to defense, and following defense with an attack.
An art of perfect offense and defense, allowing one to freely transition between the two in any state.
The man shook his head in denial.
“I cannot accept it. Something like that can’t possibly be…!”
It was as if he believed that a human, a being he had half given up on, should not possess such a skill.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
I approached the frozen opponent, leveling my sword at him.
Then, I grinned.
“My talent is heavier than the blood of a True Ancestor.”
“……!”
I wasn't lying.
“In fact, it’s not just me. It’s the nature of human beings.”
Humans are weak.
Compared to the animals that run across the vast forests and plains, there are so many creatures stronger than us.
But that’s also why we survived.
The survival instinct to do whatever it takes to live makes us try everything.
We make weapons from stones, and to make stronger weapons, we grind and melt all sorts of things.
We learn how to wield those weapons efficiently.
And when we can't do it alone, we form groups of two or three to hunt animals many times our size.
In other words, weakness is both a human’s flaw and its strength.
Of course, that only applies to those who are fully aware of their own weakness and are prepared to move forward.
In that respect, he was wrong.
“You didn’t choose evolution.”
You just ran away.
“So die, you hack.”
I thrust my sword.
The target was his heart.
“Kuk…! Not yet!”
His frost-covered body slowly began to turn into mist and disperse.
But it was too slow.
Permafrost wasn't some flimsy magic that mist could simply ignore.
Following the tail of the slowly dissipating mist, I turned the direction of my sword.
Pshuk—!
A distinct sensation at the tip of my sword as it shot out like a ray of light.
“Keoheok…!”
Simultaneously, his form reappeared.
His heart pierced by my sword.
Drip.
Blood gushed from his mouth and heart.
The Duke’s fading gaze turned toward the still-unwavering True Ancestor.
“My… My king… please… achieve v-victory…”
A plea, delivered in broken fragments.
But that was the end.
“Keohuk…!”
He couldn't even utter his last words before he collapsed and scattered.
Becoming black dust.
Without a trace.