Holy City Midtemple (4)
A heavy silence fell over the chamber.
Beyond the thick haze, the eyes of the council members wavered.
Everyone looked flustered at the thought of blood being spilled in this sacred temple.
Hiding my complicated thoughts, I maintained a calm expression and assessed the situation.
...Prove that I can kill him?
It was an absurd demand.
But it didn't take long to figure out his underlying intention.
Heukgol wanted was no mere spar.
In the first place, there was only one way to prove you could kill your opponent.
A life-or-death struggle.
Indeed.
A duel to the death, as they called it.
He was craving the primal swordplay that could only be witnessed at the precipice of life and death.
Having reached that conclusion, I threw a question back at him.
"Does this 'death' refer to the destruction of your physical body? Or does it mean the complete destruction of your immortality?"
Heukgol was a Death Knight who had overcome death.
Therefore, an ordinary death would not bring him eternal rest.
The same was true for Camilo von Taribas. Even though his physical body had been destroyed, he did not truly die until his Life Vessel was completely shattered.
That was why I had to be absolutely sure.
I needed to know exactly what kind of death Heukgol was talking about.
"Hahahat...!"
The moment my question ended, Heukgol burst into laughter, as if the answer should have been obvious.
"The latter, of course!"
"..."
Dammit.
This complicates things a bit.
"My friend, do you know when I feel the greatest thrill as a swordsman?"
A voice laced with laughter leaked from the black helmet. His playful tone felt chillingly eerie.
"It's when I come face-to-face with the terror of death."
Shring—!
Heukgol properly gripped the Zweihander he had been dragging along the ground.
A spine-chilling hum of the blade echoed through the chamber.
The blue holy fire, reflected on the blood-red blade, flickered erratically, scattering afterimages in all directions.
"You've met Camilo, so you must know, right? Immortals like us don't die, so life becomes hollow. That's why we naturally turn our eyes toward art, where we can find some meaning."
Step.
It was while Heukgol was muttering to himself.
Someone clad in a grey robe quietly approached my side.
It was one of the Midtemple inquisitors who had guided me here.
This is...
The inquisitor handed me something.
...The Feather Sword.
It was the weapon that had been confiscated at the Midtemple docks earlier.
The reason for returning the Feather Sword was simple.
It meant Midtemple was permitting a battle inside the temple.
Seeing this, Heukgol continued speaking, sounding even more excited.
"I don't even remember when I last felt death. The most recent time I died was when I challenged Camilo's Trial, but even then, I didn't really feel the fear of death. Maybe because I knew I'd resurrect anyway?"
I bit the inside of my lip.
Right.
Now that things had escalated to this point, a duel with the Black Bone Sword Master was unavoidable.
"Well, for that reason... I was so happy when I heard the news that you had killed two immortals."
As my opponent babbled on, I drew the Feather Sword from its sheath.
Chang—!
While Heukgol's Zweihander shrieked with a bizarre metallic ring, my sword produced a clear, resonant sound.
"Make me feel death again. It's been so long."
"..."
"You can't end it boringly. Got it?"
Rumble—
With those final words, Heukgol took a stance, looking ready to pounce at any second.
At the same time, my mind began to race.
Killing the Black Bone Sword Master isn't hard.
All I had to do was activate the Soul of the Sword Master.
His immortality would be completely extinguished by the Immortal Slayer trait I had acquired previously.
But...
...I couldn't just kill Heukgol.
The reason was the same as with Pokryong.
If he died now, the future scenario would become hopelessly tangled.
Even if his personality was bizarre, Heukgol was ultimately on humanity's side.
I had to keep him alive until the late game, no matter what.
Therefore, what I must do now is...
Make him feel the terror of death without actually killing him.
And by doing so, satisfy him enough to pass Midtemple's trial.
...How complicated.
A dry laugh escaped my lips at the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Was there a clever way to get through this predicament?
Just like when I faced Pokryong in the deep levels of Labyrinth Village?
Of course there is a solution.
It was a method I had already thought of before the sacred trial even began.
A few weeks ago.
A technique I conceived while watching Adelia train.
I doubted whether it would work in actual combat, but in this situation, there was no better option than "this."
Let's do this.
The Black Bone Sword Master was a powerful opponent.
He was counted among the strongest in this world, which said it all.
Therefore, half-baked bluffs wouldn't work on him.
He had the skill to see right through them.
So...
Instead of a half-baked bluff, I just need to pull off a perfect bluff.
...Having finished my thoughts, I scanned my surroundings and spoke.
"Adelia von Goldheart."
*Flinch.*
Instantly, I saw a shadow flinch beyond the haze.
Judging by the reaction, it was definitely Adelia.
Seeing several people crowding around her, it seemed they were keeping her mouth shut to prevent a scene.
"You have witnessed my sword several times, so you should know well."
*Slide.*
I raised the Feather Sword horizontally, taking a stance.
Then, I stared directly into Heukgol's eyes glowing inside his black helmet.
"My sword does not aim for the opponent's arms or legs."
"..."
"It only takes their life."
Heukgol's breathing grew heavy.
He seemed thoroughly excited by my claim that I only took lives.
But what should I do about that?
I'm sorry, but I have no intention of actually fighting you.
Well, even so...
[Authority Skill: Ritardando Jin has been activated.]
...I'll show you at least one thing you want.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock!*
The now-familiar sound of a ticking clock echoed in my ears.
Everything in the world slowed down.
Heukgol's movements, and even the breathing of the council members echoing beyond the haze.
In that endlessly imprisoned time, I continued my solitary thoughts.
Those who have reached a high realm can fight near-realistic battles inside their minds.
It was something that happened at the inn in Durdamel.
At the time, I headed to the inn's backyard with Adelia to test my unlocked talent in the Sword.
Adelia swung her sword wildly in the empty air.
And watching her do that, I thought:
—...Image training?
Adelia's first opponent was Peter Pan.
Conducting a virtual battle with an enemy through mere imagination.
Yes.
This was a privilege reserved solely for high-level experts.
And...
...I planned to use this in reverse.
*Tiiiiiiiiiiing—*
I could see it clearly.
In the slowed-down time, the number '1' very slowly changed to '0'.
Interlocking with my mind, the 0.01 seconds during which the Soul of the Sword Master was active flowed with immense weight.
*Rumble—!*
The now-familiar sense of omnipotence began to wrap around my entire being.
But I did not swing my sword.
I didn't move my body, nor did I lift my feet firmly planted on the ground.
"..."
Just quietly.
I simply stared at the opponent before me.
—Who was the last opponent?
I traced back the memories of that day.
The final opponent Adelia had faced in the inn's backyard.
An unknown enemy that had frozen even me, whose mental strength stat was Max.
The possessor of an overwhelming presence that crushed the very space around them.
—Sir Gaon.
Recalling the killing intent he had unleashed.
—My last opponent... was you, Sir Gaon.
During that endlessly stretched instant, I harbored an intense will to annihilate the enemy before me.
I can kill you.
It was no bluff.
For the brief moment this skill was active, no one in the world could stop me.
Overwhelming.
The talent that even the gods could not help but admire.
That talent for swordsmanship... was whispering to me.
That if I swung my sword like this, that Death Knight would meet eternal death.
That right now, I possessed such transcendent power.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock—!*
A brief moment of only 0.01 seconds.
In the time that felt like an endless eternity to me, who had activated the authority skill Ritardando Jin.
My killing intent to slay Heukgol stacked continuously.
I... can kill you...
The idea of overpowering an opponent with mere will might sound absurd.
But in the world of those who hold swords, a strict hierarchy exists.
A wall that ordinary people could never reach even if they dedicated their entire lives. To distinguish that overwhelming difference, people gave it names.
The one with the most outstanding talent among tens of millions of ordinary men is called a genius.
The most outstanding among tens of millions of geniuses is called a Sword Master.
And I am...
You are the one with the most outstanding talent among tens of millions, no... hundreds of millions of Sword Masters.
...So, for the moment I held a sword, all the principles of the world would bow before me.
*—Tiiiiiiiing.*
*Freeze.*
The Black Bone Sword Master, who had been radiating fighting spirit as if ready to charge at any moment, suddenly froze in place.
In the very next instant, the massive Zweihander fell powerlessly to the ground.
Even the ferocious light leaking from his black helmet grew dim.
*Clatter, clatter, clatter—!*
The blood-red sword rolled across the floor, making a loud racket.
The council members, who had been watching with bated breath, all began to murmur in commotion.
"Hmm?"
"What is this? Why did he suddenly drop his sword instead of fighting...?"
"No matter how self-willed he is, does it mean he cannot start a fight in the sacred temple?"
*Whisper, whisper.*
The chamber grew noisy once again.
But even as everyone else was thrown into confusion, a few stood as rigid as stone.
Adelia, Sikan Bauer, the Midtemple inquisitors and paladins, and a few high-ranking council members.
Only they had captured the dense killing intent that had dominated the space for a split second.
In the very next moment, Gaon muttered in a nonchalant voice.
"It was a truly foolish trial."
"..."
"..."
*Silence.*
The commotion in the temple subsided in an instant.
Gaon began to walk leisurely toward a certain direction.
"It would have been better to make me suffer for seven years, like the trial you went through."
Light footsteps echoed through the temple. Gaon slowly approached Heukgol, who remained frozen without a single movement.
"I almost..."
Gaon placed a hand on Heukgol's shoulder.
Then, he continued in a low voice.
"...almost reverted the number of Sword Masters back to twelve, just a day after the thirteenth was born."