Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Killing Star's Brush with Real Combat
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The Heavenly Killing Star was about to face quasi-real combat.
Setting aside all talk of safety and worries, what was the most efficient training method among all existing cultivation techniques?
Lione could answer with confidence.
“Real combat.”
Of course, in Enoch’s current situation.
Enoch was in the midst of learning various techniques and internalizing them into his body.
To firmly engrave those techniques into his flesh and draw out the Heavenly Killing Star’s unique flashes of inspiration to their maximum, nothing was more important than real combat.
[You were gonna tell me to come along anyway.]
“Of course!”
Perhaps because her worries weren’t minor, Lione snapped back sharply.
“If you’re gonna throw him into raw combat, why bother starting now? Once Enoch becomes an adult and heads out into the world, it’ll all be real combat from then on.”
[Sigh, fine, fine. You worry way too much.]
Undine understood what Lione was getting at.
She wanted to ensure Enoch’s safety while creating the closest thing possible to a real combat environment.
[Seriously, what are you, his mom?]
“He’s the child I bore from my own breast.”
[…You’re not being serious, right?]
Undine stared at Lione in disbelief, but her eyes were dead serious.
Good grief.
Undine smacked her forehead.
[Whatever, do what you want. Did you sort that out properly?]
“Oh… that?”
Lione deflated in an instant.
“Well… probably?”
[What? Probably? That’s not something you can just ‘probably’ about!]
“Ah, no… I’m not exactly an expert on that stuff… Anyway, Enoch said he got it…”
[Wow, seriously. You’re gonna get in big trouble like this.]
- Breaking News: Sword Empress’s Disciple Enoch Declares ‘Elves Are the Greatest. Humans Are Mere Inferior Beings.’ Shocking Statement!
Racial discrimination without a shred of hesitation, sparking controversy!?
Undine could already picture the headlines in the continent’s newspapers.
Of course, even if such an article came out, it wouldn’t really be a problem, but still, wouldn’t it be embarrassing…!
She might not even be able to show her face afterward.
“…Enoch wouldn’t go that far. He’s a good kid; he wouldn’t say that to just anyone.”
[Hah. Hah. Hah! Whatever! Handle it yourself!]
Undine flitted away.
Left alone, Lione let out a soft sigh.
“Enoch… I can trust you, right?”
*
Undine chased after Enoch, who had already set out.
Tracking a guy who leaked killing intent like a trail was no challenge.
[Always worrying.]
The simple reason Undine, not Lione, was tailing Enoch was straightforward.
She’d basically stay hidden and guard him, but if something happened, she’d have no choice but to step in.
But if Lione popped out instead of Undine?
‘He’d play the damsel in distress.’
Probably not, but what if Enoch pretended to be weak to cling to Lione?
Well… that was half a joke.
Truth be told, it was more about psychological comfort.
The sense of security from being protected by Lione.
She couldn’t read that cocky brat’s mind, but one thing was clear: he relied on Lione immensely.
She’d heard Heavenly Killing Stars weren’t usually like that by nature.
Whether Enoch was the exception or the common knowledge about Heavenly Killing Stars was wrong, that was the situation.
On the other hand, with Undine?
He didn’t outright hate her, but growling at each other was their daily routine.
They’d grown somewhat close in their own way, but it wasn’t the kind of reliance or comfort he felt with Lione.
If he had to be protected by Undine, it’d bruise his pride plenty.
Then he’d probably push even harder to avoid needing her help!
[Heh heh—should I lure a big one over?]
Grinning darkly, Undine spotted Enoch walking far ahead just in time.
He seemed to sense something and glanced around…
But who was Undine?
The supreme water spirit!
‘Damn…! That scared me!’
What the hell kind of senses did that kid have!?
Undine hurriedly concealed herself.
No way should a brat who hadn’t even reached master level have senses like that.
With her nonexistent heart pounding, Undine took deep breaths: in, out, in, out.
‘A spirit’s gotta have her pride…!’
Undine did her utmost to erase her presence.
*
“……?”
For some reason, Enoch’s nape itched, so he scanned the surroundings.
But he sensed nothing.
Maybe Lione?
He hoped so.
Cherishing that small wish, Enoch trudged deeper into the forest.
“Hmm…”
The reason Enoch had suddenly ventured deep into the forest wasn’t anything special.
That morning, Lione had tossed him an assignment out of the blue.
- Head deep into the forest and rack up some combat experience.
It was a perilously dangerous task, but Enoch nodded obediently.
‘…She’s not mad, is she?’
Enoch knew Lione wouldn’t approve of racial supremacist talk.
He’d just insisted a bit strongly because it felt right no matter how he thought about it.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if she’d assigned this out of anger…
‘Nah.’
He dismissed the thought immediately.
There was no way Lione would do that.
A superior and gentle elf like her would only give him this task for his own good.
“Grrawr!?”
Enoch quickened his pace, shooting a glare at the bear that startled and fled upon eye contact.
He couldn’t gain more combat experience in the shallow woods anymore.
Thanks to the Heavenly Killing Star’s killing intent and three years of tyranny (the main reason), the creatures treated him like their ruler.
Crackle—!
Soon, Enoch’s figure shot forward like lightning.
Pure speed was his most confident domain.
As the scenery blurred past, the forest gradually darkened.
‘Almost.’
He was reaching the starting point of the deep woods.
Instead of slowing down cautiously, Enoch accelerated.
Rumble—!
With a thunderclap, a streak of violet lightning stretched long.
Undine trailed behind, flitting along.
*
Lione’s forest grew darker the deeper one went.
The trees twisted and grew so densely they formed a dome.
This mutation came from the thick mana, which meant the beasts living there were special—and that bizarre events happened often.
Enoch hadn’t been in the deep woods long before he encountered one such oddity.
‘A monster.’
Creatures distinctly different from beasts.
Outside the forest, they were inconvenient neighbors that bred naturally, but these were different.
These were naturally spawned monsters.
With so many varieties, many didn’t even have species names.
Just looking at that one made it clear.
It was like a swamp mixed with shadows clumsily shaped like a bear.
Except it had five arms, two heads, and three legs.
‘Oh, one’s not a leg.’
Enoch grimaced at the grotesque, dangling body part.
Crackle—!
Irritated, Enoch charged without slowing.
Having barreled in so noisily, the swamp bear had long noticed him.
- RIIKEEAAaaa…!!
With a bizarre cry, its arm swung.
Boom—!
Trees caught in the sweep shattered.
The swamp-like arm splattered messily but writhed and regenerated in moments.
“Fuu…”
Lowering his center of gravity to dodge, Enoch drew up his power.
Crackle—! Violet currents sparked across his body.
The first basic technique he’d learned: Lightning Response Claw.
Enoch hadn’t learned any beyond that.
He’d created his own martial art just from mastering the basics.
Heavenly Killing Purple Thunder Claw.
Claws of purple lightning that slay the heavens.
The blue fly had mocked the grandiose name, but who cared.
It was a martial art that would grow with him.
Crunch—!
One of the swamp bear’s arms tore away under Enoch’s upward strike.
- RUuee…!
The swamp bear roared and swung its remaining four arms at once.
Enoch’s eyes took it all in.
Dodge?
He discarded the momentary thought.
He’d smash through head-on.
Heavenly Killing Purple Thunder Claw, its first form.
First Form: Brutal Slaughter.
In an instant, Enoch’s hands whipped out at speeds too fast to see.
Once, twice, three times—dozens in a blink.
Tzzzzzzt─────────!!!
It was as if a barrier of lightning had formed in front of him.
But its purpose was never defense.
- ……!!?!?
The swamp bear gaped as its remaining four arms were shredded.
Now only the torso remained.
Enoch’s eyes gleamed coldly.
Crackle—! The current on his claws shone brightly,
Thwack—!
Enoch’s body flew.
“Huh…?”
He smashed through three or four trees with his back and crashed into the ground, mouth agape in a daze.
The pain wasn’t as bad as expected.
However…
“Ha, haha…!”
It pissed him off immensely.
He’d have been annoyed just from taking the hit…
“Ahahaha…!”
Enoch laughed maniacally at the weapon that had struck him.
Naturally, not out of joy.
His laughter cut off abruptly, and his face twisted savagely.
“You… dwarf bastard…!”
The swamp bear’s third “leg.”
Shaking its hips, it had smacked him with that dangling part, and Enoch lost his rationality.
The completely unexpected attack made it all the more infuriating.
Whoosh—!
Pitch-black killing intent erupted from his entire body.
The lightning he wielded turned dark purple, and currents wildly sparked from his blackened eyes.
The madness of the Heavenly Killing Star, accumulated over three years, exploded.