Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: One Branch Plum (5)
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Gulp.
Theo swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“The Demon Dragon’s sword…….”
What Theo had aimed for was clearly his father Kyle’s sword.
But the one who had led him to truly embark on the path of the sword was Julius.
He had been able to draft the initial form of [Dragon’s Claw] by following the trajectories Julius drew.
And now, that very person,
The Demon Dragon Julius, was offering to teach him.
So he tried to suppress the tension rising unbidden within him,
Thump thump thump!
But his damn heart refused to calm down.
It meant this was the moment he had longed for.
Hoo—
Theo took a long breath and slowly opened his mouth.
The thought that always came to mind whenever he recalled Julius’s sword.
“I believe the Demon Dragon’s sword is ‘violence.’”
Hm?
Julius’s face lit up with curiosity, as if it was an answer he hadn’t expected at all.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because that is the essence of ‘ma’ (魔).”
A curt reply.
A profound silence flowed for a very brief moment.
And then,
Pfft!
Julius let out a bitter laugh.
“…I can see why the Plum Palace Lord made that proposal regarding you. Your insight is truly exceptional.”
It was right then.
The world surrounding Theo and Julius changed.
Whoosh!
Glass space.
Julius’s signature had opened.
Theo stood atop a world of ruins where everything had burned black and crumbled to pieces.
At a glance, it resembled the Black Dragon’s world, thick with the scent of death.
‘No. It’s different.’
But that’s not how it appeared to Theo’s eyes.
The essence was different from the start.
The world the Black Dragon showed was ultimately one facet of natural law.
But not this place.
Ma (魔).
A world where everything had fallen into chaos.
A world that should not exist.
“You’re right. The essence of ‘ma’ is inherently that. Violence, destruction, ruin, apocalypse…… The darkness itself that plunges humanity into fear and anxiety.”
At that moment, Julius appeared, sword in hand.
Swish swish—
He lightly swung his sword through the empty air.
An utterly simple path.
“What did the Plum Palace Lord’s sword look like to you?”
“It was flashy and beautiful.”
“Correct. The Plum Palace Lord’s sword embodies the essence of ‘life (生).’ The process from seed germination to burgeoning growth into a splendid flower expresses life itself. It’s soft and swift. That’s why her sword forms are mainly composed of curves and circles.”
Julius’s explanation continued.
The sword’s speed gradually increased.
“But my sword is the opposite. It consists solely of straight lines and diagonals. No turning, no evasion or deflection. When it clashes, there is only one outcome. It shatters, or it breaks.”
Heavy internal energy infused the accelerating sword forms.
His skin began to sting faintly.
“That’s why my sword seeks even greater, more overwhelming power. It pours everything out in a single instant. There is no retreat whatsoever.”
Theo briefly recalled the White Dragon Knights’ motto.
Indomitable. Unyielding.
Unyielding, with no retreat.
That teaching was already ingrained in his swordsmanship.
“This is the Demon Dragon’s sword.”
Screeech! Screeech! Screeech!
Julius’s sword blurred into beams of light, beginning to split.
Spectral Division.
It looked as if the light had been shattered into dozens of fragments.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Rumble— Rumble— Roooar—
Each flash of light brought thunderous roars that shook the ground, followed by overwhelming destruction.
The earth was gouged deeply, revealing canyons; hills split apart, leaving only craters.
It was as if the calamity of the end times had descended upon the world.
Julius was now enveloped by a jet-black dragon, radiating immense killing intent.
“……!”
Even Theo flinched and stepped back in shock.
The affable Julius he had known was gone.
Only a ferocious god of violence and destruction stood there.
Rumble……!
The Demon Dragon’s jet-black killing intent had already blanketed the crimson sky.
Staying here like this might suffocate him to death,
Whoosh!
Suddenly, some of the lingering spirit demon poison in his body writhed, clearing his mind.
And a new scene came into view.
‘……That’s?’
The sword forms Julius unleashed began to become visible bit by bit, and they felt strangely familiar.
The momentum and destructive power were different, but it was the common secret art of the White Dragon Knights he had seen countless times during this mission.
“[Sword Strike Barrage]……!”
As Theo muttered to himself, the Demon Dragon’s frenzy halted.
Whoosh—
A cloud of dust swept over where Theo stood,
Julius sheathed his sword and smiled.
“Since you’ve seen the essence of ma, it seems you’ve witnessed this as well? It’s called [Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts].”
“Wasn’t it Sword Strike Barrage?”
“That’s correct too.”
A puzzling statement.
But Theo’s eyes changed as he grasped the meaning.
“Sword Strike Barrage was the foundation of the Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts.”
Julius shook his head.
“No. It’s the opposite. The Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts is the foundation of Sword Strike Barrage.”
“……!”
Julius chuckled, finding Theo’s reaction endearing.
“The form of Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts without demonic power mixed in is like this.”
Swish swish swish—
Julius swung his sword several more times.
Sword forms filled only with straight lines and diagonals.
It appeared as simple basic swordsmanship.
“The Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts is a kind of framework. Its shape changes depending on what you fill it with. The White Dragon Knights fill it with their own swordsmanship, turning it into Sword Strike Barrage.”
“…….”
Theo swallowed dryly.
Julius spoke as if it were nothing, but in reality, it was far from that.
‘He casually handed over the secret art he spent his lifetime creating to the unit?’
In typical martial families, such a thing was unimaginable.
“You find it surprising that I gave away my sword without any compensation?”
“Yes……. There’s just no precedent…….”
“Absence of precedent doesn’t mean it’s forbidden.”
Julius’s mischievous smile widened.
“This isn’t just me, actually. The entire White Dragon Knights does it this way.”
“……!”
“If it’s not a secret that must be guarded for the sake of the family or sect, the knights share their secret arts and insights without hesitation. They even discuss the walls they’ve hit together and devise new solutions. Or they seek different paths through unexpected external stimuli.”
“…….”
“Secret arts shouldn’t merely be hidden. They must be shared, debated, refuted. Analyzed, flaws found, solutions sought, and refined. And in that process, they come to understand each other more deeply.”
“Ah……!”
“The Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts was born to create that foundation. Each knight infuses it with their own insights. And they share them. That’s why the Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts keeps evolving, and Sword Strike Barrage remains ever-victorious. This is the reason the White Dragon Knights are invincible.”
Theo felt as if a heavy blow had struck the back of his head.
-Sharing secret arts.
It was a complete shift in thinking he had never considered.
Conventionally, a secret art was like the swordsman’s very life. Not even shared easily with parent and child…… That was common sense.
‘But by sharing those life’s works with each other, they forge such unbreakable camaraderie.’
In a sense, the entire White Dragon Knights were Julius’s children and disciples.
Theo let out a hollow laugh.
“…Aren’t you worried about betrayal?”
“Why? Because it might leak out and create a countermeasure to defeat us?”
“Yes. That could happen.”
“No traitors have emerged yet, but…… Well, if it does, so be it. By then, both Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts and Sword Strike Barrage will have evolved beyond recognition. A countermeasure might even help it change further, so I’d welcome it. And.”
Julius flashed a playful smile.
“Knowing a hidden technique doesn’t instantly make you an SSS-rank chef, does it?”
Unshakable confidence that they wouldn’t lose even if everything was revealed.
No, it was arrogance.
No matter how affable Julius was, he was still a swordsman representing House Ragnar.
“That’s also why I turned down the Plum Palace Lord’s proposal in the past.”
The Plum Palace Lord’s proposal?
What did that mean?
“The Plum Palace Lord said it: why not make you our shared successor?”
“……!”
Successor. It meant disciple.
In other words, the Plum Palace Lord had proposed to Julius that they take Theo as their joint disciple.
“You were already in my care, practically my disciple and family. What need was there? It would only disrupt unit discipline. So I told her that if she wanted to take you as a proper disciple, she should do so separately.”
“Then the reason One Branch Plum came to me is…….”
“She said you’d already received Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom? It’s just blending what I originally intended to pass on at the gateway to [24 Plum Sword Forms]. Of course, with both our heads together, the depth is on another level. That’s your fortune.”
Thump thump thump……!
Theo’s heart pounded fiercely.
Julius denied it, but handing over One Branch Plum was tantamount to making Theo their joint successor with the Plum Palace Lord!
Julius gripped his sword again.
“Starting today, I’ll teach you Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts for an hour each session. But be careful. Tampering with the essence of ‘ma’ will be an arduous endeavor.”
Theo nodded heavily and drew Drake’s blade.
This too was a stroke of fortune.
No matter what, he wanted to claim Julius’s sword.
“‘Ma’ is so ferocious that it sometimes devours its own master.”
With those words,
Whoosh……!
Jet-black aura began radiating from Julius.
Thump thump thump thump thump!
Theo triggered mana resonance and gripped Drake’s blade tightly.
Enduring this would be no easy feat.
* * *
One hour later.
Theo stumbled out of Julius’s office, utterly drained.
“Are you okay?”
At Evelyn’s question, Theo weakly shook his head.
“It’s killing me…….”
“The Captain’s guidance can be brutal. Though he enjoys those moments a lot, so you’d better be more careful from now on.”
Indeed, Julius had seemed utterly delighted whenever Theo suffered.
If the first session was like this, the future ones would be even tougher?
Theo let out an involuntary hollow laugh.
‘Still…… I’ve mastered the basics of Demon Dragon Slaughter Arts. The parts I didn’t understand are starting to unravel bit by bit.’
Even exhausted, his mood was elated.
Above all,
Julius’s words during the swordsmanship lesson kept echoing in his ears.
-Is there a reason you go this far?
-A reason for doing this…… Well, I haven’t thought that deeply about it. I’m just following exactly what the Family Head taught me.
When asked what sparked him sharing his secret art, Julius’s response.
‘Father coming up there was the last thing I expected.’
-Everything I have stems from the Family Head. So I’m merely returning it to its origin.
Julius’s warm voice brimmed with absolute trust and loyalty toward Kyle.
-It’s too enviable.
Theo thought.
In the distant future, as he ascended to the throne, could he meet someone like Julius?
And receive such trust and loyalty?
‘To meet such a person, I need to work harder.’
Fortunately, he’d already met one worthy.
Wasn’t his own ‘first sword’ right beside him?
“More importantly, Theo, as you requested, the prisoners are all locked in the underground dungeon without any interrogation. But is it really okay to leave them like this?”
Evelyn changed the subject.
She meant the Central Intelligence agents captured at Blanc Fortress.
The White Dragon Knights still hadn’t ascertained their exact identities.
Their statuses as Sidra and the agents had been thoroughly concealed from the start.
So they needed separate interrogation, but
Theo had opposed it.
“For now, just watch them. You’ll see something interesting soon enough.”
“As expected. You know who the culprit is, don’t you?”
Theo smiled without answering.
Evelyn sighed deeply, as if the ground might cave in, and pressed her temple with her index finger.
“What on earth are you thinking……. Fine, I’ll watch as instructed. But I can’t wait forever. The knights won’t understand.”
“No need to worry. They won’t hold out more than three days before taking the bait.”
Theo’s eyes darkened deeply.
‘With the Anti-Dragon’s personality, he won’t just leave a weakness like that alone.’
Theo judged that Ed would move to clean up somehow.
That’s when it would truly ignite.
The political strife between Theo and Ed.
‘So before the real political strife begins, I need to solidly bring the Plum Palace Lord to my side.’
-After my swordsmanship lessons end, head straight to the Plum Palace. The Plum Palace Lord must be getting anxious by now.
The scenery of [Sky Flower Rain] the Plum Palace Lord had shown last time was still unforgettable.
So he turned to head toward the Plum Palace,
Ding!
Suddenly, messages filled his vision.
[Tutorial Quest #18 has not yet been completed. Please proceed promptly.]
[If the quest is not completed, it will be deemed a failure, and penalties will apply.]
[Failure: ■■]
[The player’s authority has increased, re-displaying blinded information.]
[Failure: Death]
“……!”
How the Bastard Son of the Regressor Sword Family Lives