Alder Duchy 5
Four swords floated up behind Licht, their tips aimed forward. The mana compressed to its utmost limits blazed brilliantly along their blades.
He had tied the swords to his horse's saddle in advance for this very moment. Items pulled from his subspace pouch ahead of time. He had hoped they wouldn't be needed, but unfortunately, Ranin's prediction had come true.
No.
This might be for the best.
"......"
A suffocating silence spread. It was an eerie sight. The swords hovered in midair as if possessed of their own will. Magic? That blindingly pure white mana was something none of them had ever seen before—not even in their lives. Everyone present felt the same, except for Jack, who had glimpsed Licht's sword once before.
This young master... He had an ace up his sleeve. I knew something was off when he so readily agreed to head to the marquisate.
While the man thought this, Licht silently gazed beyond the underbrush. Faint traces of red bloodstains. One spell had killed seven men instantly. No incantation, no prelude to the magic's manifestation. A mere glance, and the wind rose—blood spraying in the same instant.
The survivors were those with sharp instincts or sheer luck, positioned just outside the range. Three knights and two rangers remained. Plus the three right in front of him—eight in total.
"Bow your heads!"
The priest shouted. The cross in his hand glowed. The four swords hurtled toward them, blocked by a translucent yellow barrier of energy.
Kagagak!
At the collision, mana and holy power scattered wildly, but the pure white flames pierced through the shield. An attack even a high priest's defense couldn't stop. As he recoiled in horror, two figures stepped forward.
Jjeoeong!
The man and the youth ahead of the priest parried the swords. There was no swordsmanship or technique in the straight-line assaults—just overwhelming weight. The youth was inwardly startled by it, but the man signaled the remaining knight and ranger with a glance.
Too much? Licht wondered.
Manipulating swords with mana, wielding them like his own limbs. Trying it in reality proved far harder than imagined. Naturally so. In his previous life, plenty of fools had strutted around with dual swords claiming mastery, only to die in one strike. If they couldn't even handle one blade to its limit, there was no way they could wield two proficiently.
Still too greedy for now.
Two swords. Double the strikes—in theory. Reality differed. Their paths tangled. The dominant hand was set. Swinging a sword with the off-hand didn't help; it only ruined the original strike. Even mastering both hands freely changed nothing. One hand's attack ended, the other filled the gap. No margin for error. A single broken rhythm made it worse than nothing.
That was why his past self never used two swords. Nor now. The mana-lifted blades held no unified technique or swordsmanship. Infusing his will into each one remained too distant a goal.
Still.
It wasn't impossible. That sufficed. His instincts told him so.
Kuuk.
Licht channeled mana into the ground beneath his feet. As always, he crouched, and fierce winds whipped up around him.
4th Circle unique magic. Tempest.
Kwaaang!
His form shot forward. Dirt exploded with every step. Terrifying speed. The priest couldn't track it. The man and youth could. The pure white flash charging at them. And the faint golden sword gleam beneath it.
Kaaang!
The man raised his sword to block. A vividly clear blue aura coated his blade. Yet he was pushed back.
Kkigigik.
The face that had kept its composure even as swords floated in the air twisted in shock.
"Sir Werner!"
The youth dove in from Licht's flank like a pincer attack. The priest, stepping back, raised the cross around his neck and bestowed a blessing. Accelerated physique. Licht shoved the Ascension Sword forward, dodging the strike probing his blind spot. The knight and ranger were already charging toward Millein on orders to kill him.
"Don't do anything stupid—just hold the line!"
"Jamel! Protect the young master!"
Jack and Del bellowed. He had already drawn his sword, intercepting the first two knights. Not even among Sword Experts was he ordinary; no mere knight could beat him. Not even two. He lightly deflected their blades, then glanced sideways.
Aura?
Jack had hefted his greatsword against another knight, faint but unmistakable blue energy rising along his blade—definitely aura. Ranin's arrows filled any gaps from the flanks. Their coordination meshed perfectly, as if rehearsed.
I knew they weren't ordinary.
Veteran mercenaries, sure—but Sword Users? He hadn't expected that. Nor the guide. One Sword Expert knight, one high mage. Sword User swordsman and skilled guide. The occasional arrows were no issue; Jamel's shields blocked them all.
Time was on their side. The enemy was the one desperate. It showed plainly on their faces.
Just hold.
Only then did Del grasp Jack's words.
What the hell is he...?
Not ordinary at a glance. Similar age to his master Millein, yet with unmatched poise. Facing two Sword Experts without yielding an inch. Pushing them back, even.
Werner—that bastard...
One was peak Sword Expert, able to wield an aura blade—superhuman realm. Del knew Werner as the sharpest sword among the eldest young master's arsenal.
Impossible.
Yet it unfolded before his eyes.
Kagagagang!
A pure white flash sliced through the darkness. Two blue trails intertwined within. Their pincer attack, honed through countless bouts, divided perfectly without tangling. The man mainly blocked Licht's swords, the youth striking openings. But it didn't land. Neither skill nor brute force favored the man. Every so often, four scattered swords would lift from the ground and charge on their own. Dodgeable normally, but amid the melee, tracking them was taxing.
What the hell is this guy? Eyes in the back of his head?
Was he even a swordsman? Blessed by a high priest—effectively three-on-one. One peak Sword Expert. No chance of losing. They couldn't lose. Yet they were being pushed. That fact, that impatience, gnawed at the youth's mind.
"You crazy monster bastard!"
"No!"
The man shouted. The youth lunged. The pincer balance shattered. Licht, mid-assault on the man, shifted his gaze. The golden blade, emitting pure white light in the dark, turned.
Fooled. The youth realized too late.
Kaang!
Orkin's holy sword easily swept aside the youth's blue-energized blade. The follow-up strike headed straight for his throat. Vision spun for an instant.
Puhwak!
A fountain of blood erupted from below his neck. The severed stump lacked its head. In his final fleeting moment of consciousness, the youth saw it: indifferent black eyes staring back.
"Sir Nikolai!"
The observing priest clutched his cross and cried out. Simultaneously, the light vanished. The pure white glow racing through the dark extinguished, plunging everything into blackness again.
Seogeok!
"Kuaak!"
A yellow sword flash gleamed. The priest's legs below the knee were sliced clean off.
Aak, aaaak.
Painful groans echoed from behind.
"......"
The man gripped his trembling sword, staring ahead. Don't be fooled. The battle ahead had long faded from his mind. The youth's headless corpse rolled on the ground; the priest clutched his severed legs. No help coming. The man spread aura through his body. Senses sharpened. Incoming strike.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaaang!
Light flared and faded. Each flash brought dozens of strikes. The dark forest concealed Licht's presence; the man's desperate counters cleaved only empty air.
What?
Where the hell did this guy come from...!
A strike at his nape.
Jjeoeong!
For the first time, the man's face twisted ferociously. He couldn't see ahead. Like fighting blindfolded. No presence. Only the white sword strikes revealed it. After parrying the last, his sword again slashed futile air. He glared into the darkness. Presence vanished again. Assimilating his body with ambient mana hid it. Visibility? The shrouded forest limited sight severely. Only his senses to rely on. Yet the enemy tracked him perfectly, as if in broad daylight. Beyond night combat expertise. Perceiving surroundings without sight. Possible? At that age, with what experience?
Kaaang!
"Kweuk!"
Another strike parried. Kkiiik. The Ascension Sword rode his blade upward. He frantically shoved it away. The faintly glowing holy sword blurred for an instant in the dark.
Licht swung as his body urged. Feint amid real strikes. The straight path bizarrely curved.
Sahwan Sword.
Puhwak!
The twisted trajectory pierced the gap. A long gash scarred the man's chest. He staggered back. Blood streamed profusely. Many wounds. His body was already drenched red.
Damn it...
Losing fight from the start? Unwinnable. The young master had reasons for his actions. Realizing this, the man bit his lip. Then raised his sword again.
Hwaruruk!
Blue flames surged along the blade. Aura incomparably fiercer than before. Aimed at one spot: the faint torchlight where fierce battle raged.
Young master.
Even if he died, kill Millein. That was the mission. One chance sufficed.
Aura Blade. Technique reserved for peak Sword Experts.
"...Arrogant."
The man gripped his hilt fiercely. He expected interference midway. Even prepared to sacrifice an arm. But Licht didn't attack. For the first time, he fully revealed his presence, blocking the path. Ascension Sword lowered, blood-soaked. As if daring him. The man sneered.
"Fine. Let's see you block this."
The sword raised overhead plummeted.
Kwaaaa—!
A vividly clear blue sword beam shot forth.
"Wait!"
"Dodge!"
Jack and Del shouted belatedly. The beam charging indiscriminately at friend and foe alike churned the earth with devastating force. The half-dead knights and rangers stared vacantly at it.
Aura Blade. A peak Sword Expert's final move.
"Ah..."
All dead. No blocking pure destruction. Millein, at the rear, unwittingly gaped. As he closed his eyes—
Kwaaaaaa—!
Light exploded. A pure white radiance banished the forest's darkness entirely. Pristine mana flowing along the golden blade arced forth as a crescent. It clashed with the blue beam.
Kwaaaaang!
A deafening roar battered their ears; fierce winds tousled hair. Eyes opened. Only as the light faded could they see. Licht stood in his original stance. Blood dripped steadily from the Ascension Sword in his right hand.
"Kuhuk!"
The man opposite vomited blood. Shredded flesh everywhere, pure white mana burrowing in. No falling blood—it evaporated midair, consumed by the white flames. His eyes lost focus, and he collapsed.
Licht casually shook the Ascension Sword.
Hududuk.
Blood from the blade splattered the ground.
"Impossible..."
Millein stared at Licht's back in horror. The others were no different—souls adrift, as if witnessing the unbelievable. Only Jack scratched his head nonchalantly, smacking his lips.
What's left.
Licht lightly stomped. Puhwak! Spikes erupted from the earth impaling the remaining barely alive knights and rangers. Without a backward glance at their corpses, he approached the priest.
"Heok... heok..."
Ragged breaths. Licht flipped him with his foot. The man, legs gone below the knee, was ashen-faced.
Kwak!
He slammed the Ascension Sword beside the priest's face. Crouching, Licht met his eyes. The stump was stanched—not with cloth, but mana sealing the flow. Never intended to spare him. Just needed a moment.
Two Sword Experts. One high priest.
Considerable force. Resolve to kill Millein decisively.
No need for me to dodge.
He had known they blocked the path from the start. No hiding from Licht's senses. And when they appeared, displeasure stirred.
I'm in a hurry.
Through Palenia Holy Kingdom, Girga Kingdom, Nair Desert, to the Orkin Empire in the northern continent. No short journey. Three months even without mishaps. No time to be stalled here.
I am.
Discarded bastard of the family, vagabond, mercenary, wanderer. And sword demon.
"One question."
Licht fixed on the man's trembling eyes. Confusion, terror, shock, disbelief. A peak Sword Expert dead. Only he, a high priest, alive. Eyes told all. Licht ignored it.
"Are there any Palenian Executors in Alder Duchy right now?"
Block the way? Kill them all. The Ascension Sword's blade glinted coldly in the moonlight.