Chapter 12
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Overflowing Aura
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Since I wasn't controlling it, I couldn't see its full effect, nor could I even control its range.
It was simply an overflow of abundant aura leaking out.
Normally, such a crude method wouldn't threaten anyone.
The power would be weak, and the duration extremely short.
But my greatest advantage was my inexhaustible aura.
With such a vast quantity and the ability to control it all, it was a tactic that wasn't hard at all.
Blocking that sword aura-coated blade just moments ago had been part of this approach.
"Ugh... Urgh!"
"Don't come any closer!!"
Affected by the massive aura I was emitting, they tried to resist me despite their intimidation.
In response, I slowly advanced one step, then another, spinning my sword leisurely before lightly flicking off the blood.
"D-Damn it! What the hell are you, you monster?!"
As I approached leisurely, exposing every possible opening, the terrified knight unleashed his sword aura and swung his weapon at me with speed.
True to Sword Expert level, the trajectory was precise, the draw swift.
His blade had already reached right up to my throat, but my own sword hadn't truly moved yet.
Though the sword aura from before had been blocked by my aura, this time it would surely land, or so he must have thought— a victorious smile flashed across the knight's face for an instant.
"Leon!"
Melissa's scream-laced cry was just icing on the cake.
It must have looked to her like I was committing suicide.
But to me, this kind of situation was more than familiar—it was routine.
Nameless Sword
One-Horned Flash Slash
The swordsmanship I'd honed in the Sword Hall was crafted solely for my own use, so its framework differed fundamentally from common techniques.
Moreover, the final technique I wielded, Nameless Sword, had a rather unique property.
Because of that, I usually suppressed my speed like charging it up, then unleashed it in an explosive burst.
It was a passive counterattack style, but also highly practical for frequent use.
I didn't need to go on the offensive to begin with.
As if time itself had slowed, right before the knight's sword touched my throat.
In the blink of an eye.
I stepped out behind the Sword Expert knight who'd attacked me, as if teleporting, and shook off my blade.
Red blood scattered across the floor like bullets.
Splat!
Fresh red blood, absent just moments ago, now sprayed from the tip of my sword onto the ground.
It resembled the motion I'd shown earlier when I first drew Melissa's sword and bisected one Sword Expert knight.
In simple terms, it was extreme momentary acceleration.
"Gahk... Krgh..."
The knight, convinced of his victory as he swung at me, wore a face that couldn't comprehend why he was collapsing.
He'd clearly thrust his sword, yet when he came to, it had sliced only empty air—while I, who hadn't even attacked, had severed his throat.
With his carotid artery sliced, blood gushed out in spurts, and the knight finally crumpled.
Only one entry-level Sword Expert knight remained.
He'd already been crushed once by the chaotic aura I emitted, and seeing his two comrades fall without a fight shattered his will entirely.
"Ugh... Uwaaaah!!!"
In a panic, he screamed and charged at Melissa.
Judging that swordless Melissa could be subdued quickly, even at the same entry-level Expert rank.
His intent was probably to take a hostage and escape.
It was a reasonably sound judgment.
Melissa was indeed caught off-guard by his sudden move.
But there was no way I'd let that happen.
I blocked her path even faster than him, grabbing his arm barehanded to halt his sword.
"Wh-What kind of strength!!"
"I've got a bit of power."
Fundamentally, martial artists need strength to subdue foes.
The Sword Hall and Fist Hall both offered exceptional synergy for close-quarters combat.
Crack!!!
With the sound of breaking bone, agony twisted his face.
At the same time, my sword gently touched his shoulder.
"Sp-Spare..."
Squish!!!
I cleaved the last Sword Expert knight diagonally in half, as if drawing a slash line.
"Having so much aura is surprisingly effective."
A mere Aura User, yet pouring out aura like sword ki and radiating it around my body was enough to block their sword aura.
A merit unique to me, an anomalous phenomenon.
The vast quantity of aura I could never normally accumulate.
And the control over it, forged through trials and tribulations reaching the pinnacle.
Plus the synergy from circulating sword and fist aura cultivation methods simultaneously.
Right now, I was casually ignoring the world's standard measures of strength.
An Aura User unilaterally slaughtering Sword Experts was clearly abnormal.
Unless a Sword Master showed up, there was no stopping me—like a runaway train.
And the kingdom's sole remaining Sword Master wasn't likely to appear.
Even if he did, I had ways to handle it.
My heavy hand was also influenced by the stress of sleeplessness.
Then, Melissa, who'd been overwhelmed by my reckless aura outburst, looked at me with bewildered eyes and spoke.
"Hey."
"What?"
"You're really Leon? No way—the Leon I know is a weakling who can barely hold a sword. Who the hell are you?"
She seemed convinced I wasn't Leon, but some other entity disguised as Leon Cascadia.
Seeing her worry mixed with wariness, I pondered briefly.
How to explain this?
"When the heck did you become a Sword Master?"
She was mistaking me for a Sword Master too.
I hadn't produced sword aura or blade ki, but with my overflowing aura making their sword ki unable to penetrate my body, it was understandable to chalk it up to Sword Master prowess.
The status window still stubbornly listed me as an Aura User.
"What are you talking about? Sword Master? I'm not even an Expert yet."
"Don't talk nonsense! How could an Aura User block sword aura barehanded?! This isn't a joke..."
Flustered, she rambled incoherently and began building her momentum.
"You're not Leon. What did you do to my big brother?"
Her resolve felt like she'd stake her life on attacking if I didn't answer.
I sighed. Telling the truth would mean bringing up the Dream Labyrinth, but that wasn't a story for others.
"What did you do to my brother!!"
She charged and grappled with me.
"Give me back my brother, you bastard!!"
"Huh?"
"He's the last family I have left!! Who the hell are you to steal Leon?! Give him back now!!"
Seeing her desperate frenzy, I started to get angry but ended up chuckling wryly.
In her eyes, I might look less like a human and more like a monster.
Could anyone see the current me—far beyond normal—as just a healthy human?
With memories vaster than any human could hold.
Harboring an amount of aura no human could contain.
I was probably a bit insane, by my own judgment.
Of course, even if I was somewhat mad, that was all there was to it.
"Bishiri Cascadia got away."
Mentioning him made her freeze.
"We haven't caught that bastard yet. You okay just standing around here?"
She eyed me suspiciously.
"..."
"I can't explain everything, but just know I'm a bit of a unique constitution. I get it's hard to prove, but I am Leon—your big brother, the one you know. If it's still iffy, chalk it up to a head injury awakening my talent."
Having control over unaccumulable aura wasn't wrong to call a unique constitution.
Though it was something I'd built postnatally, to others, it'd seem astonishingly freakish.
"But... where the hell did that trash go?"
Bishiri Cascadia had ordered his men to subdue us, then left the drawing room.
With his goal being the family head's seal on Melissa's finger, there was no reason to leave.
Yet he'd vanished...
"No way... did that bastard bail?"
"Doubt it."
He'd always had an uncanny knack for sensing danger. But why bolt like this?
Greedy, sure, but not some irrational fool.
Collecting her thoughts, she stood abruptly.
"Hey! We have to catch that guy no matter what!! Give me a sword!"
"Whoa, don't get blood on your hands."
"This is an order from the Count Regent! Hand it over now!"
She yelled, and I shrugged with an expression sure to irk her.
Grinding her teeth, she then gawked at the state of the sword in my hand.
"Oh my god... How brutally did you use that sword?!"
She cried out in a belated wail.
Since I hadn't awakened to Sword Expert realm, I couldn't generate sword aura.
Realm was akin to eyes to see ahead.
No matter how I controlled it, my low realm meant the massive aura inevitably overflowed, damaging even the sword.
"Still, the quality's good. Normally it'd be shattered by now."
"You call that... Wait, this is what happens to Aura Users, isn't it? You really are an Aura User?"
It mirrored the common mistake Aura Users made, so she finally pieced it together.
Instead of answering, I spread my aura like a radar pulse.
I couldn't sense finely.
Even decent Aura Users or normals would struggle to detect it.
But tracking Bishiri Cascadia—a mid-level Expert who didn't even bother hiding his presence—was easy.
"Looks like that guy's got some plan. Got a spare sword? Something sturdy if possible."
"Forget it. I'll handle the finish..."
"You're weak as hell."
Her blunt assessment made her glare daggers at me.
She ground her teeth, words bubbling but unsaid.
She was entry-level Expert, and inexperienced at that.
Bishiri Cascadia was a seasoned mid-level Expert.
Their fight's outcome was obvious even on basic realm comparison.
"Guess I have to give you one? A sturdy one?"
"Can you catch him?"
"Win."
At my reply, she looked at me conflictedly before handing over a sword from the wall decoration.
Too fine to be mere ornament.
"Saved this for later—don't you dare break it."
"Wait just a bit. I'll bring him back soon. Prep in the meantime. The civil war's already started. One side's getting crushed to end this."
"Sigh. I expected it, but they moved too fast. Don't push yourself—pull back if it's risky. I'll join once I've rallied the rest."
Unable to grasp the situation, she pinched her brow and groaned.
"Leon... no, Big Brother."
Calling me in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
"Don't get hurt. That's an order."