Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Chapter 27: The Last Survivor (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Red blood spurted out. Raymond brought his hand to his wounded right shoulder. A recovery magic circle had formed on his right hand, and no sooner had it touched the wound than Regeneration began.
'Damn it, did he mix in a curse?'
He had expended a massive amount of mana to cast an advanced recovery spell, but the slow regeneration speed clearly indicated that Dayrian had used a curse to hinder the effects of healing magic. Time and mana were needed.
He had plenty of mana left, so all that remained was time. Raymond hurriedly retreated. Seeing this, Dayrian curled up the corner of his mouth.
"You charged in so boldly, yet you're the first to pull back?"
With those cold words, Dayrian closed the distance in an instant. It wasn't just footwork.
'Blink?'
Dayrian, who had narrowed the gap in a flash, swung his sword. Though it wasn't an Aura Blade, the Mana Sword he wielded was sharply honed by the 'will' of a grand magic swordsman.
"Kuh!"
Raymond staggered backward. Dayrian didn't hide his disappointed expression at the sight.
"I had high hopes for a junior I hadn't seen in ages, but this is all you've got?"
He raised his left hand.
"You're lacking understanding of a magic swordsman's combat style."
Mana gathered in Dayrian's left hand.
"Allow me to show you now. This is how a magic swordsman fights."
The gathered mana erupted.
A magic circle drawn in midair spat out chains of blue mana. In an instant, both legs and his left arm were bound, leaving him unable to move.
"If you let your guard down, your life is forfeit!"
"Damn it!"
With a curse, he unleashed his mana into a frenzy. It was the most side-effect-heavy secret technique among a magic swordsman's arts, but it reliably boosted combat power in equal measure. Mana surged fiercely along his mana circuits, and with a strange resonance, blue energy exploded from his entire body.
The rampaging mana melted away even the hostile mana chains binding his legs and left arm. Regaining freedom of movement, Raymond charged at Dayrian instead, swinging the Soul Sword.
"Offsetting hostile magic by rampaging your mana? You have the talent!"
He had thought it a surprise attack, but Dayrian not only parried the strike with ease but summoned wind blades aimed at Raymond's throat.
"Kuh!"
He twisted his neck desperately, but couldn't fully evade it. The wind blade sliced part of his neck. Red blood spurted, and due to the heavy bleeding, Raymond's vision blurred for a moment.
Fortunately, contrary to his initial declaration, Dayrian didn't press the assault immediately but instead stepped back a few paces.
"Junior. A magic swordsman is a blessed being who can harmoniously wield swordsmanship and magic."
Sword arts and magic couldn't coexist due to differing mana circuit usage. But magic swordsmen were different. Those who inherited ancient training methods or received the blessings of sword and magic became unparalleled tactical weapons, unleashing powerful spells amid masterful swordplay.
"A knight is like a sharp blade but lacks the firepower against numbers. Conversely, a mage has firepower but is vulnerable up close."
Yet a magic swordsman possessed immense firepower while excelling in close combat.
"A true magic swordsman must wield sword and magic simultaneously in battle. But you, junior—you're only half complete. Your sword and magic are operating separately. They're not in harmony."
It was inevitable. Though he had learned swordsmanship from Gestain and magic from the Azure Tower Lord, he had no master of magic swordsmanship. Talent alone had its limits through self-study.
"I don't know who your master is, but it seems they didn't properly teach you a magic swordsman's way of fighting."
Dayrian spat coldly. He was merely a 'will'—confined to the training chamber—so he knew nothing of the outside world. Naturally, he was unaware that the lineage of magic swordsmen had been severed with the end of the ancient era after the Great War, only now beginning to revive.
"I have no master."
"What? That can't be."
Dayrian shook his head at Raymond's reply.
"Don't try to fool me, junior. You're unfamiliar with magic swordsmen's combat methods, yet your level is far from low. Even the disciples I personally raised couldn't reach senior magic swordsman rank at your age."
No master meant self-taught. But Dayrian couldn't easily believe it. Senior magic swordsman wasn't a realm achievable through talent and self-study alone.
"Founder, the world has changed much. The Great War's end heralded the close of the ancient era, severing the magic swordsmen's lineage. I am currently the continent's sole magic swordsman—and perhaps its last."
"It seems you're not lying, junior."
Dayrian's eyes gleamed coldly. The will of the founding magic swordsman wasn't one to be swayed by flimsy lies. He had no choice but to speak the truth.
"Even the training methods passed down from antiquity have been lost."
"What? Then how did you receive the 'blessing of sword and magic'? You must fulfill the conditions of Mana Sword and senior mage realm..."
Dayrian trailed off. Mana Sword and magic couldn't coexist, as their mana circuit formations differed fundamentally. Choosing one shaped the circuits accordingly, barring the other.
"I used a workaround."
"Is that workaround the Soul Sword?"
"Yes."
True to the will of the founding magic swordsman, he was quick on the uptake. At the sharp question, Raymond slowly nodded, and Dayrian let out an incredulous laugh.
The Soul Sword Raymond wielded was unmistakably a Mana Sword. A workaround, but it met the conditions for the 'blessing of sword and magic.'
"May I ask your age, junior?"
"Nineteen."
"Hah, and you've already reached senior mage realm? Truly astonishing."
He didn't mention it had been less than a year since he began learning magic. Given Dayrian's reaction, he clearly wouldn't believe it easily.
Even geniuses needed over five years to reach senior mage. Though he had mastered the Azure Tower's growth-accelerating secrets, compressing that to a fifth—even the founding magic swordsman's will wouldn't accept it readily.
"It's been ages since I met a junior, so the chit-chat dragged on."
Dayrian raised his sword again. A sharp sword cry rang out as the Mana Sword radiated menace.
"This training session feels like it'll be fun. If it's truly the last, I should leave no regrets."
Raymond nodded at Dayrian's words. Raising the Soul Sword, he slowly advanced toward the founding magic swordsman before him. Dayrian spoke calmly, watching him.
"If the lineage is severed, then you must be the last magic swordsman."
"Without a doubt."
"Thus, I intend to pass on my unique secret art to you."
The founding magic swordsman's unique secret—there was only one. Even the true protagonist of the novel, Richard, never inherited it; it existed only in the lore...
'Chains of Eternity.'
The founding magic swordsman's secret art, capable of binding all things—the ultimate technique said to have sealed the fallen deity Astar in ancient times.
Unpassed to anyone, hence named 'unique,' it lived only in legends.
"You're saying you'll pass the Chains of Eternity to me?"
"You know of it? You must have studied history diligently."
"Let's say so."
"But I won't teach it freely."
The expected response. There would be conditions. Given the founding magic swordsman's personality and the novel's setup, they were likely to defeat him in a duel.
"If you make me shed even a single drop of blood in our duel, I'll pass on the Chains of Eternity."
Dayrian said calmly. Though merely the 'will' left by the founding magic swordsman, he possessed superior power to Raymond. Confidence in himself was inevitable.
Seeing Dayrian's smug smile, Raymond grinned.
"You can't take those words back."
His eyes sharpened as he kicked off the ground. The brief conversation had allowed uninterrupted recovery magic, healing most wounds, so his charge toward Dayrian was light and swift.
A basic spell completed with short incantation. But their number was far from few. Dozens of fireballs flew erratically, disrupting Dayrian's vision.
"Using magic to feint? Not a bad tactic."
As Dayrian infused mana into his sword, it rang out. His swung slash cleaved through every fireball.
"Have you finally grasped a magic swordsman's battle? Good—go wild, junior!"
"Don't regret it."
"No regrets! I'll welcome it gladly!"
Raymond smirked at Dayrian's words. He wasn't ignorant of magic swordsman combat. Just unaccustomed.
He extended his left hand, mana gathering. The Soul Sword in his right resonated with his heart, howling. If birthing a true magic swordsman was what Dayrian's will desired, he'd gladly oblige.
As his eyes gleamed coldly, support magic orbs materialized in the air to aid close-quarters magic sword combat. The orbs summoned by a senior magic swordsman held power incomparable to basic Fireballs.
"Ho, so you know how to use Supporters."
That was their formal name. Instead of replying, Raymond grinned at Dayrian. Simultaneously, he unleashed a merciless barrage of Supporters of various elements toward him.
"Not bad."
Even amid dozens of incoming Supporters, Dayrian remained composed. Calmly drawing up mana, he spoke.
"But I can say with certainty that I'm more proficient in their use."
Dozens of Supporters generated in an instant fired off, intercepting Raymond's. Mana shards scattered upon collision.
Amid the flash and visual chaos, Dayrian's body shot toward Raymond like a bullet.
The distance closed instantly. The swung sword let out a shrill cry, and the lethal magics unleashed by the two magic swordsmen pierced the darkness.
"Gah!"
A short scream burst out. Raymond's red uniform tore long, blood spurting.
'Deep wound!'
There was no mercy in Dayrian's sword, only clear killing intent. Every strike and spell targeted vital points threatening life.
This was why opening the training chamber was taboo among ancient magic swordsmen, with its abysmal survival rate.
'This isn't training—it's real combat.'
Grinding his teeth, Raymond didn't retreat but pressed into Dayrian, manifesting binding magic. Blue mana chains targeted him, but he evaded easily.
"Behold proper mana release."
As the chains neared, mana exploded from Dayrian's body. The blue aura melted the mana chains instantly.
"Damn it!"
Raymond took half a step back, resetting his guard. Simultaneously, he drew a magic circle with his left hand.
But before completion, Dayrian closed in.
"Quick to reset your guard! As a knight, you pass—but..."
Dayrian's eyes gleamed menacingly. In that instant, his sword aimed at Raymond's abdomen.
"Your magic circle completion is slow! That won't make you a true magic swordsman!"
"Kuh!"
The sharp blade pierced Raymond's abdomen. Accompanied by unnaturally excruciating pain, it seemed laced with a pain curse. No time or space to recover the swung sword. But...
'Magic is different.'
Amid the agony, his left hand continued drawing the magic circle with mana. Dayrian wouldn't miss the motion. He retracted his sword while launching a combo at Raymond's throat.
"I won't let you complete your magic!"
"Too late."
The magic circle finished. Bind, a mid-tier binding spell.
"High-speed incantation?"
A casting method usable only by talented mages or magic swordsmen.
Evidently unprepared for Raymond to wield it, the instantly completed Bind ensnared Dayrian.
"Don't think it's over, junior."
A mid-tier binding was breakable in one breath. Sure enough, as Dayrian drew mana, the chains melted away.
"No. It is over."
Before Bind fully released. White energy gathered in Raymond's left hand, forming a spear shape.
The Spear of Sacrifice.
"Junior, you don't intend to stab me with that, do you?"
"Apologies, but the Chains of Eternity are too tempting."
The Chains of Eternity—unique-grade secret art on par with the Spear of Sacrifice. And it lay right before him.