Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Unsafe Awakening
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Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!!!
With a chilling screech like hard metal being forcibly scraped, Leon slid down behind the monster.
In contrast, the Void Gluttony—which had dispersed into fluffy black mist, half-fading away—twisted its body contentedly this way and that, flashing a sinister grin.
It was as if to say, You can't kill me with that.
"The blade's all chipped now."
It wasn't quite on the level of Black Night Sword No. 1, but it was a well-forged blade.
Thanks to manifesting sword energy, he hadn't expected the sword to break. Yet no matter how perfectly he coated it with sword energy, when the opponent was that tough, the blade was bound to take damage.
And it wasn't like he had a sword with special self-repair functions.
Sriing...
Leon picked up Black Night Sword No. 2, the one he'd thrown earlier.
"Then I'll have to cross the wall one more time."
He turned his head to survey the surroundings.
Collapsed houses, fallen people.
There were plenty still alive, but a fair number were dead too.
Even Melissa, who had been conscious, now lay motionless, having lost consciousness.
From the look of her, her injuries were severe—she needed treatment fast.
Thank goodness this area wasn't densely populated.
Repulsive Force Field.
The Void Gluttony's signature ability: converting what it devours into energy to generate an immense repulsive force field.
Of course, those with Master-level or higher resistance could nullify the flow entirely, but for anyone below that, it was hellish.
Truth be told, there was no way to know why this monster was here.
What mattered was that the sky had turned red with talk of a red moon, and a crimson moon like an eyeball hung there.
"Librarian."
[Confirmed.]
"That red moon thing—do these bastards just pop out of nowhere like this?"
With no cause or effect, the moment a red moon appears in the sky, a disaster-level monster spawns right in the middle of a populated territory?
That wouldn't be a minor issue.
[The red moon follows an inscrutable pattern without regularity. However, based on the current situation, it is presumed that the core of a monster derived from the red moon had already entered this territory.]
"So that thing came from the core? No need to ask who the culprit is."
Tibel Cascadia.
Even in death, still causing trouble.
Taking a short breath, I felt the urgent need to deal with this bastard quickly.
For now, it was alone, but the Void Gluttony I knew could produce masses of clone bodies just like itself.
It hadn't devoured much yet, so it was manageable, but back in the Sword Hall, when the goblins that emerged with it got fully eaten, the hellscape it created was not something I wanted to relive.
"I've pierced Expert, but regular sword energy can't kill it. Hmm... Breaking through to Sword Master right now feels a bit reckless..."
If he messed up, permanent damage to the body? No way in hell.
[Void Gluttony specimens are generally vulnerable to sword rays and above. They also have some weakness to magic. Retrieving memories from the Third Hall is recommended.]
"Can that be done in a short time?"
[It would require buying a substantial amount of time. Retreat first, then...]
"That's enough. Let's open the wall one more time."
[Consecutive realm breakthroughs place immense strain on the body and soul.]
"Safer than retrieving memories."
I drew the explosively overflowing energy flows entirely into my body.
The smoothly unfurled sword energy vanished along with it.
"Hoo..."
After a short inhale, he opened his eyes.
Sensing something ominous, the creature charged at him desperately.
Its massive maw split wide open in an instant, as if to swallow him whole.
And the moment it tried to close its mouth—
Having regulated his breathing, explosive aura erupted from Leon's entire body once more.
He'd used a massive amount blowing away the mansion, but this would suffice.
[Overdrive]
[Awakening]
[Awakening to Sword Master is in progress.]
[Failed.]
[Entering Unsafe Awakening state.]
What's the difference between sword energy and sword ray?
Just size?
If so, there'd be no reason to call Sword Masters strategic weapons.
Expert is the realm of will.
Sword Master is the realm of intent.
The state where one imbues their intent into the sword.
Beyond mere physical force, it's the level where will severs even the bonds of mana.
As an Aura User, he'd mimicked something like sword energy, but for an Expert using sword energy to mimic a sword ray is far more difficult and powerful.
The Void Gluttony lunged to devour Leon, its mouth splitting into four gashes as it engulfed him.
Its intent to swallow him whole was palpable.
[If devoured by the Void Gluttony, you will not die peacefully. Reference advised.]
'I know, I've been eaten before.'
Through awakening, the forcibly unlocked intent seeped into the sword energy.
It looked similar to the sword energy mimicry from his Aura User days, but the internal structure was entirely different.
This was the origin of mimicking pseudo-sword energy as an Aura User.
"Know what this is? Honestly, I don't either."
What would pure swordsmen who trained solely in the blade call this?
Whatever happened to Leon didn't matter, but truthfully, what he was doing right now directly denied the common sense swordsmen held about the sword.
There had been plenty of situations where survival demanded drawing power beyond one's realm.
Kwa-jak!!!!
Finally, the creature's wide-open maw clamped shut.
It had swallowed Leon whole.
But just before it closed, Leon's sword moved in an instant.
It was the counter-based sword technique he wielded so familiarly: [One-Horned Flash Slash].
However, even the same [One-Horned Flash Slash] differed vastly in speed, power, and inherent truth from when he'd used it as an Aura User or even up to awakening as an Expert.
Tch... Tchk-tchk-tch-jeok!!!!
Dark red sword scars erupted across the massive body that had engulfed Leon.
The creature thrashed, sensing something wrong, but its flesh had already escaped its control.
Soon after, its body tore apart under the sword ray, scattering into pieces.
And Leon, who had been devoured, emerged indifferently, shaking off the black liquid-like residue from his sword.
Intent. Sword ray. The realm of interfering with laws by imbuing one's intent.
A pattern like a dense black lotus bloomed around Leon.
Unlike the light, swift sword, its aftermath was intensely devastating.
Centered on Leon, the massive lotus sword scar spanned dozens of meters, and the buildings it struck were sliced clean as if cut by a sharp knife through tofu.
The surroundings of the lotus traces bore countless deep lacerations as well.
Even concentrating the momentum maximally on the Void Gluttony, the fallout affected everything around.
Yet the Void Gluttony wasn't fully dead—an eyeball-like fragment writhed on the ground.
As if trying to flee, but Leon strode over and coldly raised his sword tip.
"Tough bastard."
Puk!
At the same time, footsteps approached, and the Black Night Sword No. 2 in his hand crumbled to pieces.
Black Night Sword No. 2 deceased.
The backlash from [Awakening] was naturally fiercer than the reckless aura release before.
[That was an extremely close call.]
"This is pretty lenient."
Afterward, he scooped up the fallen Melissa into his arms and spoke.
"You're a step late, Sword Saint. At this most inconvenient timing."
A being retracting an immense presence into its body.
Having crossed the wall and opened awakening, there was no way I wouldn't notice the Sword Saint's presence.
"Hah... No injuries, I hope."
What was the intent behind that question?
Didn't the Sword Saint know from the start?
"Seems you knew this monster would appear."
At my words, Bagmut Mielephon's eyes widened slightly beside the Sword Saint.
Still, he didn't press because Melissa's condition was more critical than even the Sword Saint.
"We both have much to discuss. But given the situation, shall we reschedule?"
They weren't dull enough to miss the razor-sharp menace in my gaze.
"Sir."
"It's a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Indeed. Leon, as you say. We both have stories to tell."
"Then."
After that, I fired a signal flare from the knight's arms before carrying Melissa on my back and returning to the mansion.
Her injuries are severe.
She's still breathing, but if I'd been later, she wouldn't have survived.
"Pisses me off."
It was the seed Tibel Cascadia had sown, but this incident wasn't just his doing.
The Void Gluttony had appeared with clear malice.
The red moon wasn't part of my plans.
Realizing I'd nearly lost Melissa made my blood run cold for the first time in ages.
"Why do you keep getting done in like this?"
When she wakes, I'll teach her swordsmanship suited to her.
I couldn't teach her my techniques, but I'd created and discarded plenty of sword arts and training methods over the years.
Family traditions or whatever, but if she died, that was all over.
The civil war with Tibel Cascadia, followed by the monster Void Gluttony and the red moon.
Honestly, this battle had turned the entire count's territory upside down.
It could have collapsed the whole domain if mishandled.
The biggest factor was those Tibel had bought off.
After Father's death, Uncle Tibel bribed all the territory's talents to seize the countship, forcing me to purge them all.
From low guards up to merchants and family retainers.
Those who crossed the line would be executed, but the rest could be exiled.
"Librarian."
[Confirmed.]
"That red moon—is it the same sky I saw in the Dream Labyrinth?"
[Similar, but different.]
"How so?"
[The red moon in the Dream Labyrinth is not a real phenomenon.]
In other words, the red moon in the Dream Labyrinth was just an illusion.
But the one I just saw was real.
"I thought it looked like an eye when it appeared."
[Detailed information is locked. You must pioneer it yourself.]
"Yeah, wasn't expecting much. One more question then."
[Confirmed.]
"Red moon erosion—locations and timings of spawns."
The most crucial issue.
The Void Gluttony was a calamity in its own right.
But if my guess was correct, it wouldn't end there. If this happened across the continent, chaos would ensue.
[Even a red moon cannot erode indiscriminately. It should remain quiet for the time being.]
"Only I can see that red moon, right?"
[Correct.]
"Does that mean anything?"
The Void Gluttony was dangerous, sure, but Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon could have cleaved it in one stroke.
But if it were that simple, there'd be no need for warnings to prepare for or beware the red moon.
It's not like people couldn't see the monsters that appeared when the sky turned red.
[When the red moon begins erosion, entities hostile to living beings will emerge.]