Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Overwhelming Gap (3)
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Theo pondered for a very brief moment.
The number of formulas he had obtained was eight in total.
Exactly the same as Wellington.
He had gained one more by capturing the Demon Sword Tooth Tiger at the very end.
So even as things stood, he could reclaim the top spot with bonus points.
But his actual interest lay not in the top position at all.
-Is there no way to 'complete' the Thunderflash Blink, which was short one formula?
If the second exam ended like this, he would never have a chance to complete the missing formula.
He would have to seek out a master who had mastered Thunderflash Blink for personal instruction, or rack up some outstanding achievement to earn it as a reward.
But no one could say how much time that would take,
and with the Awakening Ceremony behind him, it would become a glaring weakness as he threw himself into the fierce competition for the family leadership.
And above all else.
Theo needed overwhelming results.
Overwhelming results, even in this intake overflowing with geniuses.
'The next family head race is already locked down tight by those five candidates. To squeeze my way in somehow…… I have to excel in every single aspect.'
Thus, overwhelming scores and a 'completed' Blink technique would undoubtedly bring him tremendous renown.
But completion was the problem—it was no easy feat.
Even being just one short, the depth of the Blink technique was far too profound for an amateur like him to tamper with lightly.
Fortunately, though, Theo had a means to fill in the gap.
['Skill: Hatchling Synchro' replays the recollections viewed in the past.]
Theo focused his mind.
The recollections of Thunderflash Blink that he had glimpsed until now began surfacing one by one.
A swordsman engraving formulas in puzzle form to craft a one-use artifact.
A master gazing at a sky thick with storm clouds, awaiting thunder and lightning.
An ascetic monk in the woods repeating downward wooden-sword strikes tens of thousands of times.
A dragon knight enraptured while watching a dragon unleash a torrent of lightning bolts.
.
.
Fragmented recollections containing eight different insights intertwined,
and the aspirations of the people within them reached Theo.
For Theo, whose enlightenment was still lacking, there were limits to what he could truly 'grasp' from them.
Still, he could gradually glean clues to infer the missing links between formulas.
-And those were the recollections he had seen in various artifacts like 'Thunder Calling.'
'The components of lightning are light and heat. These two always expand uncontrollably, so they're impossible to control. Lightning is the same. If I apply the thunder property to this……!'
In that instant, as if possessed, Theo unslung the drake blades from his back and gripped them in his hand.
"Hm?"
The judge tilted his head, puzzled that Theo wasn't answering the question and was acting strangely instead.
Then he realized Theo's gaze wasn't on him, but somewhere else entirely.
Somewhere much higher, much steeper……
'Oh no!'
"Examiners, pull all examinees back and stand guard on all four sides! Do not disturb Theo Ragnar's contemplation under any circumstances!"
He didn't know what had stimulated Theo.
But he knew full well this was the most crucial moment for any swordsman.
At the judge's command, the examiners swiftly herded the examinees away,
and the judge stood beside Theo, enveloping the surroundings in a thick sword veil.
In that space of utter silence, where all external noise was blocked.
Theo busily worked to fill in the missing formula.
'If I can't fill it with the perfect formula, I'll fill the gap with something similar. If I can turn that deficiency…… into a springboard to sublimate it into something even more refined.'
Crackle, crackle-crackle!
Sparks of brilliant yellow began dancing along the mana wind swirling around Theo.
And then.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-
His heart pounded fiercely.
Neurotransmitters stimulating and exciting nerve cells are electrical signals.
This naturally led to thunder qi.
The more thunder property infused into his mana, the more his physical functions were enhanced in tandem.
-Enhancement of physical functions.
Here, Theo thought of the Dragon's Heart.
The Dragon's Heart originally reinforced the body by injecting mana into the bloodstream, didn't it?
If he could connect these two with similar traits?
'It won't just strengthen the body—it'll achieve thunder qi control manifesting externally all at once.'
The thunder property would fill the internal gaps with the Dragon's Heart,
and the Dragon's Heart's external shortcomings would be covered by the thunder property.
Inside and out.
Dragon's Heart and thunder property.
Merging the two could birth an entirely new [Thunder Dragon Blink].
'Eastern lore says dragons summon winds and rain while hurling down lightning.'
With that, Theo named his newly refined Blink technique.
-Thunder Dragon Blink.
This conceptual breakthrough soon manifested physically as well.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
His heartbeat grew so intense that even the judge and examiners could hear it.
The ground trembled faintly.
And at the same time,
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
As if pounding a drum savagely with drumsticks, throbbing pulses spread from beneath Theo's feet, sending out gentle ripples.
A symphony of ripples brimming with brilliant yellow thunder qi.
They soon became waves, surging like a tsunami in all directions.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
The thunder qi hovering in the air intensified, with large and small bolts leaping up and down ceaselessly.
"Huh……!"
The judge couldn't help but gasp in admiration at the sight.
Just the mana wind emanating from Theo now was already on a level incomparable to the other examinees.
Full marks.
He could award that score if Theo opened his eyes right then.
It wasn't about how many formulas one collected.
It was about how deeply one comprehended them.
But.
Theo apparently found that insufficient.
Right then, Theo opened his eyes.
Flash!
The intense thunder light flickering at the corners of his eyes made even the judge flinch.
And.
Whoosh-
An electromagnetic field generated at his center, causing something to float lightly from his bosom into the air.
Four deathbits.
Telekinesis combined with magnetism had further evolved his control.
'Impressive enough to handle thunder property to this degree, but when did he learn telekinesis? What on earth is he planning now?'
The judge realized he was brimming with anticipation for what Theo would show next.
Smirk!
For a fleeting moment, a mischievous smile played on Theo's lips.
Flash-
The four deathbits, aimed in different directions, shot through the air.
Three of them targeted the trio who had just demonstrated their Blink techniques.
Erika, Ray, Wellington.
"This bastard?"
"Hup!"
"Huh……!"
The three responded in their own ways.
Erika, sensing Theo was testing her, twitched one eyebrow and slashed her sword downward fiercely.
A cleaving strike infused with fire property.
Boom!
The clash of dagger and sword produced not a metallic clang, but an explosion.
The thunder qi on the deathbit repelled the flames, surging upward dramatically.
Crackle-crackle-crackle-
In that instant, the brilliant yellow thunder qi seemed to coalesce—then suddenly took on a new form.
A dragon.
A beast of illusion forged from packed thunder qi raked its claws down toward Erika's crown.
A dragon's claw.
"……!"
Erika's eyes flashed with shock, caught off-guard by this novel thunder qi attack—
Boom-rumble!
A shockwave erupted, kicking up a massive dust cloud that swallowed her whole.
"Thunder Dragon!"
The judge blurted out in awe without thinking.
New attack forms using properties demanded tremendous control.
It was the Expansion stage.
This alone put it far above what Wellington had shown.
Ray and Wellington fared no differently from Erika.
Ray's blizzard was shredded to ribbons by the Thunder Dragon's claw, and Wellington's water streams only provided a path for the Thunder Dragon to climb.
The three who had earned the second exam's highest scores were pushed back all at once.
An absurd level of skill disparity.
This was what Theo aimed to demonstrate with this one move.
-Who ruled this place.
Examinees and examiners alike fell into stunned silence.
'Wait, then the remaining one?'
Then the judge recalled that Theo had floated a total of four daggers,
and
Boom-rumble-
With an enormous whoosh, he spotted the final dagger hurtling right before his eyes.
"You dare test me? Questioning if this old man truly qualifies to judge you lot! Very well!"
It could be seen as disregarding the judge's authority.
Instead, the judge burst into booming laughter.
Just as Wellington's skill had stirred his spirits, he had been itching to cross blades with this young junior.
Challenges from eager juniors always thrilled him.
Flick-
Clanggg!
The judge snapped his hand blade upward roughly.
Overwhelmed by the sheer mana disparity, the deathbit lost power before even forming a Thunder Dragon and bounced into the air,
Flash-
Seizing the momentary visual obstruction from the steam, Theo appeared, swinging his drake blades.
The judge, who had already sensed his presence, countered effortlessly.
[Waterflow Blink – Hydraulic Cleave]
Boom!
As hand blade met drake blade, thunder qi scattered in all directions,
Theo yanked it back with an electromagnetic field and drew an arc with his sword.
"Thunder property has the greatest power among the six properties, but it consumes mana excessively."
Brilliant yellow thunder qi condensed along the blade shot skyward like a pillar of light.
Rumble-
Followed by a three-strike combo.
Three flashes layered in the air, pressing the judge back.
The dragon's three claws.
No—Thunder Dragon's three claws now?
Bang! Bang! Booom!
The judge calmly met Theo's ferocious assault.
The first strike he deflected sideways with his hand blade.
A stinging pain throbbed in his fingers, bringing a glint to the judge's eyes.
'Not bad.'
Just before the second strike landed.
The judge smiled in satisfaction and reached skyward.
The deathbit still spinning overhead was sucked into his grasp,
"Th-the judge has taken a sword in hand……?"
"The Ascending Dragon has, h-has, has gripped a sword!"
As the examiners cried out in greater shock than the examinees,
the judge brought the deathbit down.
Boomph!
Theo's onslaught was blocked for the first time.
Urk!
Blood trickled from his mouth, but he forced it down.
Using [Brute Strength], he refused to yield ground and instead charged fiercely.
To unleash the final third claw.
Screeeee-
"Replying in full to a junior's earnest full-power effort is the proper conduct for a senior swordsman."
The judge smiled leisurely as he traced a form with the dagger in hand.
The moment Theo saw it, he instinctively knew.
Just like the Plum Palace Lord.
The judge…… one of the Nine Dragons, the Ascending Dragon, was about to reveal one facet of the mental image he had built over a lifetime.
'Like all the other Nine Dragons, I too have a painting born of chasing the family head's sword. I call it [Waterfall Ink Wash].'
In the greatly slowed time.
Theo beheld a world blurred like an ink wash painting.
A landscape thick with trees and mountains.
At its center, a colossal waterfall plunged down, blowing open a void in Theo's heart.
Roooosh!
'The family head, the Plum Palace Lord, the White Dragon Knight Captain—they all tried to show you this. I'm curious what you'll take from me.'
With that faint chuckle,
the waterfall cascaded directly onto the head of the Thunder Dragon enveloping Theo.
And the world returned to normal.
As Theo lingered in the thick aftertaste the judge had bestowed,
the judge clasped his hands behind his back once more and shouted to the crowd.
"Theo Ragnar, pass! In addition to full marks out of 1,000, for complete mastery of the Blink technique, I award 500 bonus points!"
"……!"
"……!"
"……!"
As examiners and examinees alike gaped in shock,
the scoreboard made its final adjustment.
[Final Rankings]
1st. Theo Ragnar (3,021 points)
2nd. Wellington Narsio (1,689 points)
3rd. Erika Lange (1,326 points)
4th. Ray Ragnar (1,102 points)
.
3,000 points!
An unbelievable score etched into the records.
And,
'Young man, care to become my disciple?'
A brief proposal to go with it.
How the Illegitimate Son of the Returning Sword Family Lives