Chapter 193
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Clash with the Sword Master
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Karim appeared behind me and swiftly thrust his dagger forward.
"You shouldn’t hope for luck this time..."
Paang!!!
His dagger struck true, but instead of piercing my body, it sliced through empty air.
"Huh?"
"You're slower on the uptake than your friend."
Kwaaang!!!
His eyes slowly widened as he took me in fully.
"Karim!!!"
Assassins' strikes are sharp and stealthy by nature.
But Karim's attack wasn't sharp enough—not with the vast gap in our realms—and it wasn't stealthy either, not when we were locked in open combat.
In other words...
All of his advantages had vanished.
On top of that, I'd reinforced my body beyond its normal limits using aura.
Even if Karim Selbun prided himself on stealth and speed...
Frankly speaking, his speed was far slower than Sullivan from our previous encounter—not to mention other Sword Masters on that level.
"You bastard..."
Whether it was frustration at his strengths falling flat, or shock that the guy he'd underestimated was far stronger than expected...
Karim's attacks grew fiercer and faster.
Is this the style continental assassins use?
It was efficient enough in its own way, but since their fundamentals were so different from what I was comparing them to, it was hard to analyze properly.
Kaang!!
"Ugh?!"
I parried his sure-kill strike and flicked his dagger away. Karim's eyes bulged wide.
Before he could retreat, I hooked his leg to cut off his escape, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the ground.
His speed was impressive, sure—but against someone whose physical enhancements had surpassed Sword Master level, an Expert assassin's pace wasn't all that fast.
Not to mention the gap in our grappling techniques.
"Kuhk?!"
"How many times have I killed you now?"
"You... fucking bastard..."
"Twice?"
Kwang!
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Even smashed into the ground, he tried to counter by swinging his arm. I just slammed him down again to crush his resistance.
"Damn it!! Attack him!!"
Gordon's belated shout rang out as the archers nocked arrows and swordsmen drew their blades.
I ignited my aura, unleashing a crushing pressure that dominated the air around us. But my gaze stayed fixed on Karim, thrashing in my grip.
Do I have any personal grudge against these guys?
Now that I thought about it, there wasn't some burning urge to kill this one specifically.
They were the enemy. So I killed them.
That was it.
Melissa respected the royal will, and the royals had said war was inevitable anyway—do as you please.
So there was no reason to let them live and leave loose ends.
"I wonder where that Sword Master wandered off to."
With those words, I wrapped my rapidly circulating aura channels in circling mana, accelerating the flow.
Like massive gears spinning at high speed with a deafening roar, it conjured a vast blue magic circle filling the sky above me.
"Wha... what?!"
The Coral forces who'd drawn weapons to attack froze, staring up at the glowing sky.
Each blue circle converged into multiple formations, spinning in different directions. At their centers, azure ice crystals began to emerge.
"R..."
Living beings instinctively sense threats.
"Run!!"
Gordon, sensing it first, screamed desperately.
Hail of Glacial Crystals
But shouting and fleeing wouldn't change the outcome—not when I wasn't playing around.
Pababababang!!!
Pupupupuk!!
A barrage of simple ice spears.
But if that's all it was, it wouldn't qualify as 7th Circle magic.
Each razor-sharp spear flash-froze the surrounding air on impact.
The knights impaled by them turned to ice statues, shattering into fragments under the next volley.
A frozen wasteland where not even a drop of blood flowed—everything encased in ice.
No thin frost in sight, yet the survivors instinctively sensed the danger and stayed away from the shattered remains.
"Ah... aaaah..."
Gordon was within that zone, of course.
But while everyone else froze and burst apart, he survived.
"Monstrous bastard..."
Coral's Sword Master, Bachen, had arrived unnoticed and dragged him out of the kill zone.
"S-Sir... Bachen..."
"I felt an unnatural mana surge and rushed over... Never thought you'd still be here."
"Shouldn't you have expected as much?"
He ground his teeth at my question.
"Fine. I've been looking forward to humbling that arrogant attitude of yours myself."
He drew his sword and ordered Gordon.
"Fall back."
"Sir Bachen!"
"He's strong. Link up with the Sacheon Clan and clean up over there first!"
"But Karim..."
Worried about Karim Selbun in my grasp?
Then I'd ease his mind.
I casually drew a dagger from Karim's belt and slit his throat.
"Guk... krrk?!"
"Ka... Karim!!"
"Problem solved?"
"You son of a bitch!!!"
Gordon lunged in rage, but Bachen held him back.
"Fool!! You gonna fall for his bait right now?! Haven't you figured it out yet? You lot can't beat him!"
Gordon glared with bloodshot eyes, then ground his teeth and fled in panic.
I turned to the knights guarding the rift entrance behind me.
"Stay put. I'll wrap this up quick."
"Y-Young... Master, what in the..."
The knights seemed just as baffled by my presence.
But Bachen wasn't the type to give me time to explain.
In an instant, he coated his sword in an aura blade and charged. I snapped my fingers.
The space before me cracked, and a red sword dropped from the rift with a thud!!, embedding itself in the earth.
Electra
Cursed Sword Electra.
The sword I'd received during that fake engagement with Mielephon's Isna—still in my possession.
The sturdiest blade I'd ever seen, and its edge never dulled.
Though it brimmed with ominous energy.
I gripped the hilt of the half-buried cursed sword and slowly drew it. Bachen's face hardened as he sensed its full malice.
"A cursed sword... So that's the source of your strength?"
I'd shown it to him once before.
Seemed he was jumping to conclusions... Not that it mattered.
I spun the blade casually, feeling its heavy, chilling weight settle in my hand.
Nameless Sword
Posterior Heavenly Stance – One-Horned Flash Slash
It was called Posterior Heavenly Stance's One-Horned Flash Slash, but really, it was just a name slapped on. Ultimately, it was a technique that accelerated my physical abilities and perception in the split second when the enemy was countering—most off-guard.
In other words, though fleeting, it could double as an offensive move.
At the cost of some fatigue, sure.
In that instant, Bachen's eyes widened as he realized I'd closed the distance.
A bit late to react.
Kaaaang!!!!
A heavy metallic clash echoed, followed by something shattering. His body flew back.
"These days, Sword Masters sure have good gear."
Bachen gritted his teeth, feeling his hands tremble.
On the first clash, the artifact protecting his body had shattered.
What the hell is that sword?
An unnatural power for a boy not even in his twenties.
Just a genius?
No, too profound for that. Maybe not just Leon Cascadia—perhaps the sword's influence too.
That malice-infused blade was no ordinary weapon.
Even wrapped in aura blade, his sword's edge was chipped—unbelievably tough and sharp.
Greed as a swordsman stirred, but he kept his cool.
Clashing head-on might work, but seizing the sword to weaken him was smarter.
Kaang!! Kang!!
Whether he knew or not, Leon calmly swung at him relentlessly.
Each strike lethally precise.
He'd dodged death several times, chills running down his spine.
Bachen realized Leon was testing him.
"You dare!!"
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
Their swords met in a flash.
He gripped with both hands to hold, but Leon's single-handed strike felt like a mountain.
The cursed sword's power again.
The malice pouring from it grew thicker.
He recalled an archaeologist's words long ago.
Cursed swords often grant immense power to their wielders.
But they could drive people mad with their malice.
"What's your rank in Coral?"
Leon asked calmly. Bachen clenched his jaw. This is my chance.
He slowly gathered his aura, priming it to explode.
Then replied.
"Why do you care?"
"I hear Coral has quite a few Sword Masters. Good to know the caliber."
"Think I'll tell you?"
"Doesn't matter. Sword Masters are all about the same."
That arrogant dismissal, as if Sword Masters were beneath notice.
Borrowing a cursed sword's power and still this cocky?
He wouldn't rest until that impassive face twisted in agony.
So he let slip some truths.
"You think your little sister's safe while you're playing around here?"
Bachen spat blood from his mouth, his voice icy.
"What?"
Got him.
He accelerated his aura.
"Odd that not a single Sacheon Clan member is in sight now that we're here."
"True, their family's got higher caliber overall."
"By now, they've probably massacred your Bata camp. Your sister's head likely rolled already."
Of course, if he left, Melissa Cascadia would be in danger.
So he couldn't abandon his post lightly.
He'd try to finish Bachen quick and regroup.
No intention of going down easy, so Leon would get anxious.
That was the opening.
"The Sacheon Clan of the East Continent trains their entire family in martial arts—direct lineage, branches, even disciples."
That's why Eastern swordsmen outclass those from the central or western continents.
It's a brutal survival of the fittest among hordes of predators—pure law of the jungle.