Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Surpassing the Sword Master Wall
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Up until now, there had certainly been times when I hadn't felt the need and thus delayed advancing my realm.
But I couldn't keep capping out at the pinnacle—the Mind Master stage above Sword Master—forever.
The fact that Coral was gearing up for war was a nagging concern.
And the unnatural silence from the Pinas Islands side felt ominous.
Becoming a full-fledged 8th-circle mage and instantly surging to 9th circle would be ideal, but getting too fixated on one path wasn't healthy.
"So what do you suggest we do!"
"What else? If I want to smash it, I need to get stronger."
"Wha...?"
"I'll break through that wall. But it'll take longer if I'm interrupted, so Lady Romila, Family Head, please hold those things off."
As if on cue, hordes of twisted beasts began surging from the far end of the massive cave.
They couldn't harm me directly, but the red moon wanted to stop me from interfering. Meaning it had these creatures as a means to disrupt me.
"This is utterly incomprehensible. Break through the wall? Your aura blade suggests you're already a Sword Master."
"That's right. And now I'm planning to punch through the wall above that."
"Absurd. Do you really think that's possible? In this situation, spouting such nonsense..."
"Well, sure, it'll be tougher than anything I've done so far. I know it'll take a while."
"Regardless of success or failure, most people spend their entire lives training and never even reach Sword Master, yet you plan to do it in a short time?"
"About 30 minutes?"
"You... are you insane?"
He stared at me with a look of utter disbelief.
Why? I've got plenty of aura. Plenty of enlightenment. All that's left is to awaken the body, and that's nearly ready too.
30 minutes isn't long at all.
He looked at me like I was a madman.
The domain of the World Tree, where elves gathered to live. In Mother's Forest, there were elite families led by high elf bloodlines.
The Trigard family, led by Osellon, was one such house, and the Romila family, headed by Lady Romila, was another.
Of course, each family specialized in different areas, and the Romila family had been responsible for defending all directions of the forest.
"Damn it..."
He gripped his sword and summoned a spirit into his hand.
Yes, the honorable family tasked with the forest's overall defense.
But now, the Romila family could only handle a fraction of those duties.
Not until long ago, when they trusted a human and were betrayed, suffering massive losses.
The Romila family had interacted frequently with the outside world and thus favored humans.
But that trust's price was this.
A key family member kidnapped, ultimately turning up as a cold corpse. From then on, the Romila family stopped trusting humans.
Even now.
With the World Tree in peril, Osellon's "solution" was human help?
Trusting humans, who betrayed as easily as breathing?
Absurd.
That's why he opposed Osellon.
Even if that human truly had such power.
He just couldn't believe it.
You shouldn't trust a race that abandons honor.
His logic twisted unusually as he desperately tried to stop him, but in the end, the human silently saved the World Tree.
Right. Saving the World Tree comes first.
Personal feelings had to be set aside now.
So he cooperated with him.
But the current situation didn't allow for that.
They needed to bolster defenses against the unidentified massive threat bearing down on the World Tree moment by moment.
The wisest move now would be to ignore this guy since the devil tree was dead and hurry back to the city.
The monsters' advance was threatening, but he could escape without issue.
Yet his sword didn't stop.
Slash!!
-Kieeeek!!!
"Urgh?! You filthy beasts!!"
Even as wounds multiplied across his body, he didn't stop.
He couldn't just leave that insane boy sitting there, circulating his aura as if trusting him completely.
Why?
Everything the kid said was empty bluster.
A Sword Master at that age? Unbelievable. His undead minions were suspicious too.
And not just that—the raw power he displayed made you question if he was even human. Now what? Needing to, so he'll surpass the wall? Has he lived two lives? Why do martial artists call breakthroughs "walls" anyway?
Because they're insurmountable frustrations.
Yet he talks like kicking open a gate.
Too ridiculous.
Still, he kept swinging his sword and unleashing spirit power.
Even as beasts lunged, tearing into his shoulder and thigh, leaving mortal wounds, he pressed on.
How much time passed?
Objectively little, but subjectively, exhaustion like hours of battle washed over him.
Amid dizziness from severe blood loss, he hadn't lost his will to fight.
But even that had reached its limit.
-Graaaargh!!
A wolf's claws raked his abdomen in an instant, his form crumbling.
He slashed it down, but he couldn't hold any longer.
His limit. Even as family head responsible for defenses, a high elf—he couldn't endure against such numbers for so long.
As beasts swarmed the falling man, the moment he began to release his sword...
Crack!
A bizarre sound echoed, and the world seemed to freeze.
"Thanks for trusting me. I cut the time in half... but I'm a bit late."
The aura emanating from him felt ominous.
In one hand, a red sword radiating demonic energy trailed crimson afterimages like threads.
The energy cloaking the blade resembled an aura blade, but denser, far more potent.
He really broke through the wall? A human that young?
Since when were "walls" something you just... try to hop over?
Half? 15 minutes? What kind of lunatic...
Is reaching new realms a joke?
In the halted world, Leon quietly placed a hand over his eyelids, as if closing a corpse's eyes.
"I keep my promises. I'll save the World Tree, so rest easy."
Even the refined elf couldn't hold back the profanity.
"I'm not dead yet! Cough! You damn human... urgh!"
"Oh, my bad. Guess I need to heal you. The city's still holding, so let's treat you first. Luckily, I know someone skilled in healing."
Watching Leon grin cheekily, he unwittingly let out a hollow laugh.
Somehow, the bleeding from his body had already stopped.
This wasn't some intricate trap battle.
The enemy's trap was just that advanced. So reflection on the unforeseen variable was needed.
Any further delay, and Romila's family head would die for sure.
Sword Master level power, but his specialty was the bow.
Solo melee chaos like this wasn't his field.
Plus, these enemies, corrupted by the red moon's power, weren't pushovers.
Above all, his body was riddled with unidentified contamination.
Stopping the bleeding was doable, but deeper healing required Luna's power.
The prison that had confined me and blocked spatial transfer was shattered.
Meaning no barriers to spatial transfer remained.
"Cough!"
"Hold on a sec."
"Wha... what are you planning?"
"Calling someone to heal you."
As he rose, Romila's family head spat another mouthful of blood and gripped his wrist tightly.
"Even the fastest movement inevitably wastes time. Mother's Forest... the city... the World Tree is in danger. I entrust it... to you."
The World Tree over his own life?
The city's situation was dire, true—enough to warrant immediate action.
But I ignored his plea. I cast spatial transfer, snatched Luna—who'd been lounging in Cascadia territory's garden, peeling fruit and playing with cats—without a word, and hoisted her over my shoulder.
"Leon? Kidnapping me in the dead of night?"
"Got a patient. Need your power."
My serious tone stripped away her playfulness.
"Guess I'm useful after all."
Returning to Romila's family head, his eyes widened.
Shock at my spatial jaunt, and at Luna's presence.
Triana too—high elves had sharp instincts.
"No corpse scent."
Luna waved lightly, already knowing without my explanation.
Light seeped into the fallen family head's body.
But healing didn't complete instantly.
"Leon, that thing I mentioned before?"
"Yeah."
"Healing'll take time."
If she said so, it really would.
"How long?"
"10 minutes."
"I'll leave it to you then."
10 minutes. Short on paper, but with her healing, absolutely not.
I left the family head with her and headed straight out of the cave.
The enemy had moved to fully seize the World Tree while caging me.
Destroying the devil tree's core only severed one link to it.
Its power was already advancing on the World Tree.
Boom!!!
No spatial transfer. The area near the elves' city with the World Tree was warped—coordinates twisted, filled with eerie flows.
Thud!! Thud!!
Massive explosions echoed from afar.
In view: hordes of twisted beasts and slime blobs formed from mucus.
Undead and elves fought valiantly, but the numbers were overwhelming.
At least there was one silver lining.
Whooosh!! Tssst... Boom!!
Baril, floating in the sky, relentlessly raining down breaths.
No sign of the giant slime golem—probably handled.
Purple mist shrouded the area, vision blurring.
Not moved yet? No, the World Tree was already being eroded.
It looked fine externally, but this was akin to the enemy's massive spell.
One continuously sustained.
The enemy was somewhere here.
Elven barriers had crumbled in spots, mist seeping into the city.
The World Tree lacked even the power to protect the city.
If this continued, disaster would strike regardless of my boasts.
No rushing.
Heart of the Machine God
I placed my hand on the ground at a suitable distance.
The info I needed wasn't complex.
Beyond existing data. Something bizarre I couldn't parse or analyze.
Among them...
"Found it."
The spot where it clustered most intensely.
The demonic sword Electra thrummed in my grip, spewing demonic energy.
As if urging me to swing it already.