Chapter 260
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: Sparring (6)
Jamie blinked at Hawks' sudden words.
Congratulating him out of nowhere on becoming a Sword Master.
'Me, a Sword Master?'
The already confusing situation grew even more bewildering.
Jamie himself was still seeing multiple overlapping spaces, his head spinning.
Could this phenomenon be his divine power?
If so, it was quite vicious.
What kind of uncontrollable divine power existed in the world?
And while he'd somehow wounded Hawks' fist, he still didn't understand the principle behind it.
"Let's seal your mana for now."
Then Isis' voice came from behind.
He felt her hand on his back, and his core acupoints began closing like corks being plugged.
The mana supply from his mana core cut off like a lie.
The dizzying multitude of spaces and the versions of himself moving within them vanished just as suddenly.
"Hoo."
Jamie let out a weary sigh and crouched down.
He slightly lifted his head to survey his surroundings.
The overlapping spaces were gone, but his normal vision felt strangely awkward.
And somehow, he had the hallucinatory sensation that other versions of himself were taking different actions here and there.
"Do you know what happened?"
At Isis' question, Jamie turned only his head to look at her.
She had watched the entire duel with Hawks from start to finish.
As a Grand Master on another level entirely, she must have noticed something beyond what he'd felt.
Jamie explained the bizarre phenomenon he'd experienced.
"The same space... appeared overlapped multiple times. I was in each one, facing Hawks with completely different actions. All the attacks failed until, at the very last moment, unlike the failures, one succeeded. When I came to, I had become the one from that scene... It's ridiculous even saying it."
"So it was possibilities after all?"
"Possibilities?"
"It seems like something even more advanced, but to my eyes, you looked like multiple people."
"I didn't sense anything like that."
Hawks tilted his head as he spoke.
He knew Jamie had used his divine power since they'd clashed directly, but he hadn't seen his body splitting or anything.
"Hann said the same. It seems you can't feel it when directly engaging."
"So it's a splitting-type divine power?"
"If it were, Hawks would have sensed it. Possibilities. To me, it looked like you were selecting and moving on the best path to defeat Hawks. The multiples were probably 'afterimages'."
"I get the idea."
Hawks nodded seriously.
"Your final attack. It was definitely too fast for me to react. Not like quicksword either. Hard to explain, but it just appeared in front suddenly. That's how it felt."
As Hawks said, Jamie had unconsciously performed an action he hadn't perceived in that final moment.
"That might be..."
Jamie and Hawks looked at Isis.
She spoke.
"Versions of you from multiverses or parallel worlds."
Late at night.
Jamie sat alone on the rooftop, meditating.
He was reflecting on the morning's events.
"Multiverses or parallel worlds."
He had once researched it.
During his obsession with space-time magic, as progress advanced, he'd hypothesized similar yet different worlds might exist.
He couldn't prove it.
It was a difficult field, and poor cost-performance.
Even proving existence wouldn't make integrating it into magic easy.
Resources weren't the issue; humanity faced the 12 Gods then, needing practical magic.
So he'd shelved multidimensional theory.
He hadn't thought about it since.
But Siegfried, a space-time specialist, might have researched it somewhat.
Of course, it was just a thought; he had no intention of asking.
'Even knowing wouldn't help control it. It might not even be related to multiverses or parallels.'
Isis' possibilities theory was probably right.
He'd been too flustered earlier to grasp it, but replaying, the overlapped spaces showed similar yet divergent outcomes.
Like manifesting mental calculations.
And the best choice among them overlaid onto reality.
'Did obsessing over calculations awaken this divine power?'
The thought made him scoff.
Acquiring a divine power from one day's focus? Absurd.
Rumor had it powers upon mastery related to one's identity.
So no power was meaningless.
"In a way, it fits."
Jamie wasn't a space-time mage like Siegfried, but he wielded comparable spatial forces.
Gremia created new spaces, Beyond Avalon linked to the reverse world, White Sea dominated space, Single Strike Sword cleaved it—family secret.
Thus laden with spatial powers, realizing calculations' importance might have meshed them into this power.
"Activate."
Jamie widened his eyes, and the world overlapped multiply.
Some places had gentle breezes, others pouring rain, skies clear or not.
All Jamie Weltons there sat cross-legged, gazing at landscapes.
One slowly drew his longsword, aligning it parallel to his body.
Mana coated the blade, flashing purple as a purple aura blade surged.
"I see."
Before he knew it, Jamie had become the one from that space, aura born of black mana.
He smiled at the surging purple aura blade.
"The name of this power..."
Deciding, Jamie stood and declared.
Future Walker
(The Walker of Futures)
As dawn broke, he sought Isis.
"Come spar with me?"
She asked incredulously.
Jamie nodded.
"The touring spars end facing the top fighter, right?"
"Swords only?"
"Of course."
"Brave... or foolish?"
"No chatter. Come on. Full power this time."
Jamie drew his longsword, revealing the purple aura.
Seeing it, Isis narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"Aura awakened too? But getting cocky over that much is trouble~"
"Not cocky. No one else came to mind sturdy enough to properly test my 'Future Walker'."
"Ho. Named it already? Future Walker... Yes, suits perfectly. But."
Isis raised her left hand, wagging a finger.
"This body can't spar with you yet."
"What? Dodging?"
"No, no~ Not dodging. Someone even better suited."
"Better suited?"
Isis told him to wait and left, soon returning with...
"Princess, you messing with me?"
Frontier's vice-captain, another Lan clansman, Clark.
He glared at Isis, extremely displeased.
Isis beamed back.
"Test it yourself this time. Stop complaining."
"Why should I bother?"
"You'll change your mind seeing it."
Under Isis' smiling yet intimidating gaze, Clark clicked his tongue and eyed Jamie.
He said.
"No mercy if you die."
"These guys... Think I'm a pushover 'cause we've only used swords."
"Hmph. Follow."
Clark vanished without acknowledgment.
His speed made Jamie miss the motion momentarily.
Sighing, Jamie sensed and pursued, but Isis warned.
"Clark's stronger than me. Yes, stronger."
"Not bad."
"Huh?"
"If watching, hurry up."
Jamie teleported after Clark.
Left alone, Isis stood stunned, then giggled.
"Fun as ever. So fun, Jamie Welton."
She yelled toward their fading presences and dashed after.
"Wait up!"
Clark stopped where Jamie had fought Hawks.
Unexpected choice for a sparring ground.
He turned to Jamie and Isis.
"No idea why I'm sparring at dawn, but..."
He glared at Jamie with dissatisfaction.
"Maybe it's good. Princess, watch. I'll prove the man you expect is nothing special."
"Keep babbling, I'll rip that tongue out."
"Both, stop. Settle it with bodies."
Isis mediated, standing between.
She explained rules.
"No rules. Don't kill. Forfeit if it gets dangerous. I'll intervene if it looks serious. And this spar is..."
Stepping back, she alternated glances.
"All-out. Ready... Fight!"
Signal dropped, Clark kicked off.
His form vanished like a lie.
"Over."
Voice from right below.
Already at Jamie's feet, he wrapped aura around his clenched fist.
Isis declared all-out; no holding back.
He'd end it in one blow, teaching Jamie Welton was no big deal.
"Yesterday's me would've taken it."
Clang!!
Clark's eyes widened.
Fist met blade, not abdomen.
Jamie smiled, feeling the trembling blade.
"I, existing in multiple dimensions, converge to one."
The purple aura blade surged.
Clark deflected the neck-aimed sword with a rotating right forearm.
Simultaneously, he thrust his open left palm.
Jamie widened eyes at the fearsome palm.
The purple aura blade reborn in dazzling light.
It was 'holy light'.
All Jamie Weltons across spaces emitted light.
"Let there be light."
⟨ Holy Light ⟩
Flash-!!
Holy light spread vastly.
Clark escaped the light, mana cloaking his body.
But even that couldn't escape 'Future Walker'.
"How...?"
He caught the stabbing sword from above between palms.
Jamie spread pure white wings on his back, igniting light again.
Clark's eyes widened at the crushing holy light.
"I admit it. There's reason to your choice, Princess. But!"
Sinister energy leaked from Clark's body.
That instant, alarms rang across all 'Future Walker' spaces.
All Jamie Weltons tore apart.
No choices before that overwhelming power.
'Stronger than Isis?'
Indeed, tyrannical force worthy of the claim.
Clark declared.
"Behold. This is my divine power."
Crimson energy destroying all extended like lightning, erasing holy light.
"Kneel before this power."
Clark thrust his 'Frolic of Ruin'-cloaked fist.
Jamie didn't dodge.
Stood still, eyes fixed on the fist.
Isis screamed, rushing over.
Countless blue shields floated around her.
Too late.
Clark's fist would shatter Jamie's head.
"No!!"
Isis cried; 'Frolic of Ruin's crimson wave erupted, upheaving heaven and earth.
That moment.
"Indeed. Terrifying power."
"But..."
Within crimson wave, holy light blazed brighter.
Like hope blooming in despair.
"That's why possibility arises."
'Frolic of Ruin's crimson wave sucked into the sword.
Crack-
Cracks spiderwebbed the blade.
Ironrail's fine longsword couldn't fully contain the destructive force.
But it was fine.
"Returning it."
Holy light-fused crimson wave reversed toward Clark.
Blade shattered.
Yet the converged dual forces raced unrelentingly.
Clark muttered at the incoming power—once his, now not.
"Impressive. Was it this much? Perhaps..."
Words unfinished.
The fused energies devoured him, advancing kilometers, laying the area waste.
Isis and Frontier executives watching from afar were speechless for a while.
