Chapter 203
Chapter 203
After that day.
Logan had no desire to draw the Emperor's attention any further and chose not to step outside the Star Palace.
Hoping for the festival to end quickly, he focused solely on his training within the palace walls—until he realized, with a bitter laugh, that even that had reached its limit.
Or rather, not a limit, but...
"This is a good thing. Definitely a good thing. Ha..."
A deep sigh escaped Logan as he stood alone in the center of the Star Palace's training grounds.
Oooong.
The Force Core in his heart pulsed more violently than ever, and the golden radiance glowing in his palm seemed eager to surpass its threshold and ascend to a new realm. His body trembled with anticipation, sensing the moment of rebirth—the moment of transcendence.
Just as Luther Kyle had predicted.
Logan instinctively understood that fully comprehending Aura and integrating it into his body would make him a Transcendent.
Unlike ordinary Transcendents, who awakened unconsciously during training, Logan could now control the moment of his awakening.
Yet, despite knowing this, he had no choice but to suppress the urge.
'No. If I become a Transcendent within the imperial capital, I'll truly be trapped.'
Already, the Emperor's excessive interest was a problem. If word got out that he had ascended, the Emperor might even risk diplomatic repercussions to keep him here.
Recalling the Emperor's gleaming, unsettling gaze, Logan forcibly restrained the surging desire for evolution.
Oooong.
His Force Core vibrated in protest, but Logan carefully suppressed the energy.
'Not yet. At least not until I leave Acerian! Not now—absolutely not!'
Oooong.
As if throwing a tantrum, his four-star Force Core trembled, but Logan forcibly reined in his power. The Force, yearning for rebirth, reluctantly dispersed throughout his body.
And in that moment, Logan realized this wasn't just a frustrating setback—it was an opportunity.
'This... is actually a good thing.'
Even briefly experiencing the threshold of transcendence had allowed him to clearly recognize the state of his evolution and the power he would gain.
If he used this time to refine and prepare, he could achieve an even more perfect evolution when the moment truly came.
'This isn't a delay. It's preparation for a greater leap.'
The concept of "designed awakening" Luther Kyle had spoken of now took concrete form before him—not as a vague hope, but as a tangible reality.
'I'll use the remaining time to prepare, and once I leave the imperial capital...'
He would turn that dream into reality.
Logan's fists trembled.
Finishing his training in high spirits, he stepped out of the training grounds—only to be met by Victor, who had been waiting outside with a grim expression.
"What's wrong?"
"...A guest has arrived."
"A guest? I told you to ignore them."
"That's... not possible this time."
"What?"
Logan blinked in confusion, but after hearing Victor's explanation, he sighed deeply in resignation.
"Fine. Let's go."
Since the banquet, the pile of gifts in the corner of the Star Palace had only grown larger.
Some lower nobles visited twice daily just to catch a glimpse of Logan, and even counts and higher-ranking nobles—who had previously shown no interest—began knocking on the palace doors.
When Logan reluctantly met one such count, the man had said:
"Since you've caught His Majesty's eye, you'll undoubtedly become one of the empire's highest-ranking nobles someday. I've never seen him covet talent like this before. So, naturally, we'd like to establish connections in advance."
The sheer audacity of the statement left Logan speechless.
In short, everyone now took it for granted that he would naturalize into the empire.
That was why Logan had stopped showing his face outside the Star Palace altogether, focusing solely on training.
But this guest was someone he couldn't ignore.
Not only was this person impossible to persuade, but even the imperial soldiers guarding the palace couldn't stop him.
Creeeak.
The door opened, revealing an elderly knight with striking white hair and a long beard—a man who, despite being a Transcendent, carried the weight of time upon his shoulders.
The current "Strongest Swordsman on the Continent"—Tris Hornsby.
The very man who had recently been dismissed from his position as captain of the Imperial Knights due to the incident involving Jerome.
"First time meeting you properly. I'm Logan MacLaine."
"Tris Hornsby. Jerome's master."
The old knight's introduction was curt, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Reading those emotions, Logan cut straight to the point.
"Did you come for revenge?"
Pfft.
"Revenge? After His Majesty has already pardoned him, what place would such feelings have?"
The old knight's expression grew eerily calm.
"Then why have you come to see me?"
Logan would've preferred if it had been revenge—it would've been easier to handle. His face stiffened involuntarily, but the old knight waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't tense up so much. His Majesty's orders are absolute, and I have no intention of harming His Majesty's guest."
"Then...?"
"His Majesty is concerned about you. Since you've been holed up here without stepping out, he ordered me to show you another 'wider world.'"
"Excuse me?"
"Truthfully, I volunteered gladly—I was worried you might think the empire had no talent left after defeating just Jerome."
"What are you—?"
Before Logan could finish, Tris Hornsby's entire body erupted with a fiery aura.
Not metaphorically—literally visible flames of energy.
"Manifestation of Aura. Few in the empire can achieve this level. Consider it a valuable experience."
This was the first time Logan had seen aura materialize into visible form.
Staring wide-eyed at the spectacle, he barely had time to process it before—
"If you don't steady your mind, your soul might shatter."
The old knight's calm voice accompanied the crushing pressure of those flames enveloping him.
Grrrk!
In an instant, everything around him vanished—replaced by an inferno.
It felt as though he had unknowingly leaped into a sea of fire.
An overwhelming pressure immobilized him, while searing pain scorched every inch of his body.
The agony was so vivid it felt surreal.
'Grrk! Wh-what is this?!'
Was this really possible with just aura?
A knight—not even a mage—had trapped him, on the verge of transcendence, without even lifting a finger?
In all his lives, past and present, he had never heard of such a thing.
'This is impossible!'
The sheer shock ignited a stubborn defiance that helped him endure the burning torment.
Oooong.
The Force Core in his heart surged, circulating energy through his body to resist the invasive pressure.
Yet the crushing weight and scorching pain remained.
"Ugh..."
Despite Force flowing through every fiber of his being, his body refused to obey. The pressure was unbearable.
The only reason Logan didn't lose consciousness was that, despite the pain, his physical condition remained unchanged.
'This isn't a physical attack. Then how?'
It wasn't some low-level illusion magic—at his level, he wouldn't fall for such tricks.
Which meant—
'A technique that directly strikes the mind... the soul? From a knight?'
He had never imagined such a thing was possible, but once he grasped its nature, the solution came to him.
'Wave-Cutting Slash.'
A golden line split through his mind.
The power that allowed him to withstand aura, shatter barriers, and even render divine energy useless against wounds inflicted with full intent.
This secret art, capable of severing all supernatural abilities, had matured to the point where he could apply its concept alone.
Guided by his will, golden Force sliced through the unseen force binding his soul.
Whoosh!
The crimson space was cleaved apart in an instant.
'Got it!'
The blazing red void returned to normal, revealing the old knight's stunned face.
"Ha...?!"
How dare you—?!
Logan smirked, about to relish the moment—until the old knight narrowed his eyes and raised his right index finger.
A simple gesture, pointing at nothing.
But the moment that finger slashed downward through the air—
CRACK!
A sound like the world splitting echoed as space itself was severed in two.
And Logan's body, caught in that line—
'NO!!'
A scream trapped in his throat, his consciousness shattered along with the broken world.
'Am I dying like this?'
An unthinkable death.
As the agonizing realization gnawed at his soul—
No.
I can't end like this.
Never!!
Rage and defiance surged from the depths of his being, dragging his soul back from the abyss.
Then—
"Grrk!"
Sensation returned abruptly, his vision swaying violently.
As if the shattered world was reforming itself.
The dizziness was so overwhelming he collapsed, vomiting uncontrollably.
"Ugh!"
"My lord!"
"Master!"
"How dare he?!"
A strange sense of dissonance.
The intact surroundings made no sense—why were the furnishings and buildings unharmed? Why had his knights only rushed in after he fell?
Logan raised a hand to stop his men, forcing his eyes open to glare at the old knight standing before him.
The culprit behind this ordeal.
"Wh-what... was that?"
The aftereffects left him barely able to speak.
Tears and snot streamed down his face as he lifted his head, only to hear an eerily calm voice.
"Soul Blade. A sword strike that severs the soul. A secret art mastered only by those nearing the pinnacle of Aura."
"Soul...?"
"Indeed. This is the 'wider world' the empire's strongest has shown you. You may boast of it for the rest of your life."
Bullshit.
Attacking out of nowhere and reducing him to this state—!
The only words that came to mind were curses, but his body was in no state to voice them.
The current Strongest Swordsman on the Continent turned away indifferently.
"If you wish to learn, come to the empire."
With that single, unbearably arrogant line, he left.
Lost in thought, Tris walked until a shadow fell across his path.
"Did your task go well?"
Looking up, he saw the face of his disciple—a head taller than himself, now missing an eye.
Jerome.
Though he had lost not just an eye but half the power of his once near-divine trait, his voice remained calm despite the tragedy mere days prior.
'Truly, his vessel is vast.'
A disciple who chose to grow stronger through adversity rather than be crushed by it.
And yet—
"...He withstood even Manifestation of Aura. A man who isn't even an Aura User."
"I thought as much. Only someone of that caliber would be worth facing."
Jerome smiled, as if satisfied by the strength of the man who had taken his eye.
His resilience was admirable, but compared to the impression Logan had left, it still felt lacking.
'He endured the Soul Blade. That man...'
Tris hadn't even planned to use it.
But seeing Logan overcome Manifestation of Aura so easily had wounded his pride, driving him to escalate.
A technique that should've left its victim half-dead—yet Logan had endured it unscathed.
"No wonder His Majesty is so fixated on him. A true genius."
One who surpasses you.
'If he truly comes to the empire, I might witness the birth of something extraordinary before my time ends.'
Swallowing words he could never say to his disciple, Tris Hornsby merely sighed.
A man who could withstand the Soul Blade with his sanity intact wouldn't be swayed so easily.
And so, he continued to ponder—
'Your Majesty, if you cannot capture him... you must kill him.'
Should he deliver these words to his emperor and ensure Logan's death?
Or, as a senior knight, should he wait in silence, anticipating the glorious history that genius might forge?