Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Ice Bridge
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"Thank you."
It was the first piece of information he’d heard about Bella after days of tracking, but he was relieved to confirm he’d been heading in the right direction.
Loan took a mana chunk from Aul’s full belly and dissolved it into his Convection, lending his strength to the town’s reconstruction.
The townspeople watched the fragments of buildings float up, and for a moment, they stopped their tears.
Loan waved off those who insisted on seeing him off, then drew a destination-less Narrow Path along the route Bella would have taken.
He burned his remaining mana without reservation.
In an instant, his figure blurred from the people’s sight.
‘Half a day. I can catch her.’
He extended the [Barrier of Perception] wider and longer. From now on, he needed to pinpoint her exact location.
He picked up speed, adjusting his direction bit by bit.
The faint traces of Bella he’d been sensing gradually became clearer.
However, perhaps because the mana consumption was much higher, he soon felt a wave of dizziness.
The small size of the chunks in Aul’s stomach also played a part.
He stopped again and summoned Aul once more.
Perhaps because he hadn't gone far, Aul appeared faster than before.
Fortunately, Aul didn't seem annoyed at being summoned again so soon.
When Loan briefly stroked its head feathers, Aul rubbed its face against his hand, pleased.
Having nothing else to give, Loan took out a mana chunk from its stomach and suggested Aul digest one as well.
"Krrruuugh!"
As his sensitivity sharpened, he also began to feel the presence of dark mana.
They were mostly behind him.
Closing the distance on Loan in a fan-shaped formation.
There seemed to be over twenty of them, but he couldn’t yet tell if their target was him, Bella, or if it was just a coincidence.
‘Maybe I should run a little faster.’
The Narrow Path grew more distinct, and Loan’s body surged forward once again.
The power of mana is typically used to enhance the body's physical capabilities.
Thus, the load the body can handle becomes its limit. Forcing past it will only damage the body. The goal is to perform at one's best within that boundary.
If this is the most basic way to use mana, then techniques are what are needed to overcome it.
Swordsmanship, martial arts, and the like are all created by weaving together such principles.
It is by no means easy.
Special enlightenment and extreme training are essential. When something of value is born from such perseverance, it is given a name.
The same goes for what are commonly called movement arts. Overcoming the limits of the physical body requires a great deal of trial and research.
Loan’s Narrow Path was created in the same way.
It was Loan’s unique method of overcoming the limits of speed by manifesting the single fastest path to a destination with his will and using the repulsive force of mana.
The only difference was that the creation process had been absurdly short.
Although it falls into the same category, its mechanism is fundamentally different from that of swordsmen who use their bodies.
Swordsmen and martial artists enhance their physical abilities by emitting mana from their bodies.
Various principles are woven within, and since each has its own logic, their forms are diverse.
Loan, on the other hand, utilizes the Convection already emitted and flowing around his body as a tool.
The Narrow Path acts like a soft foothold, absorbing the impact from the ground and repelling it to push Loan forward.
Therefore, for Loan, it is more advantageous to channel his magical power into the Convection rather than using it to enhance his physical abilities.
It is a movement art, but in essence, it is magic.
So, it was only natural that his speed would increase if he imbued more magical power into the Narrow Path he tread upon.
He burned a little more magical power.
Woooooong-
The extending Narrow Path, in other words, meant the ground was advancing along with Loan.
His pace and stride remained constant, yet the distance he covered decreased noticeably. The surrounding scenery blurred into afterimages.
He felt himself pull away from the pursuing darkness with a whoosh, only for them to attempt to close the distance again.
That made it certain.
‘So they were chasing me.’
However, the pursuers’ movement arts were mostly inferior to Loan’s.
Only one of them managed to keep pace, while the gap with the others widened.
He paid them no mind and went all out.
"Hmm..."
As he crested a low hill, breathing in the much stronger salty air, his vision was instantly flooded with blue.
The Tethys Sea, the body of water that encompassed Varchino, Ferrara, and Rodos.
The fact that the sea before him was the same one he had seen in Varchino made Loan feel sentimental for a moment.
On the other hand, he was also worried that tracking would be impossible out on that sea.
‘Is she trying to take a ship, after all?’
The direction clearly indicated by Bella’s traces. There was a port there.
He could feel its vibrancy even from a distance.
The sound of waves crashing against ships and the pier, the occasional clang of hooks and steel plates, signaled his entry into another world.
He poured a little more magical power into the Narrow Path and kicked off, sprinting. He had to stop Bella from boarding a ship alone.
Fortunately, no ships were departing immediately.
Seeing Bella’s magical power grow clearer, he knew he could catch up to her without difficulty.
As long as he could get past the bastards completely blocking the main road in time.
‘Nostra.’
He had killed countless of them on his way here. He thought he had cleaned them all up, leaving no loose ends.
It seemed those bastards had brains after all.
Not only the ones blocking his path, but the pursuers behind him were probably Nostra as well. In the moment he hesitated.
The one who had kept pace with Loan appeared behind him first.
He was clearly different from the ones he had encountered so far.
Dense mana, controlled breathing, sharp killing intent.
Loan, who had stopped, ignored the human wall and slowly turned around.
He had a sudden premonition that trying to recklessly break through could cost him his life.
The man was middle-aged with a serious face, and like all of them, he was well-dressed in a suit.
He spoke.
"It's been a long time. Finding and catching you..."
Swoooosh—!
Loan abruptly extended his Convection toward the man.
A surprise attack could increase his chances of winning, but in this case, it was purely to save time. He had no leisure to exchange words.
But.
The man dodged the Convection with equal speed. He surely couldn't have seen it, meaning he must have done so purely by instinct.
That single movement made Loan realize once again that he wouldn't be able to reach Bella easily without getting past this man.
‘I should consider him on par with the head of House Pobel.’
Or perhaps at a similar level to the commander of Libertha who wielded Bifrons and unleashed his swift sword. Not that it mattered, since they were all the same.
No one interfered in the abruptly started fight. It meant the opponent's status was that high.
As if to prove it, the opponent swiftly widened the distance from Loan and acted at ease.
He spoke, needlessly brushing dust from his shoulder.
"Well, you're no better than a robber. Attacking so suddenly with such a strange move without a word."
A robber calling someone a robber.
It was meant as a joke, but Loan decided to entertain the pointless chatter for a moment as he summoned Aul.
Summoning it in the middle of a battle with someone of this caliber was still a burden.
"Aul?"
Seeing Aul suddenly appear, the opponent showed no particular reaction. Just a hint of curiosity.
It meant the man didn't have a named demon inside him.
With a casual gesture, Loan stuck his hand into Aul's beak. Naturally, the opponent's brow furrowed.
‘It’s still a shame the chunks are all so small.’
It was because all the heads he had fed it so far were of mediocre quality.
Having no choice, Loan pulled out a handful of chunks and replied.
"The Union needs no reason to execute a Grave."
"Shouldn't you at least confirm my name and question my crimes?"
"Your very existence is a crime."
"What did they teach you in the Union to be spouting such nonsense?"
"My entire attitude toward the darkness is in accordance with the natural order."
"Hah..."
An expression that said he couldn't be reasoned with.
He shook his head and readjusted his grip on his longsword.
The man didn't realize that by summoning Aul to replenish his magical power, Loan was acknowledging him as a formidable opponent.
"You young brat, you're just a Runner, acting like you're somebody important. When an adult speaks, you should at least pretend to listen. How dare you so insolently, talk back, with such utter nonsense..."
He had tried to act like a gentleman, but it seemed his pride was wounded, as his demeanor changed abruptly.
Jet-black darkness swirled within his body.
He had to act before taking a blow. Even though he hadn't finished dissolving the chunks into his Convection yet.
Chwaaaa-!
Loan hastily extended his Convection.
Another surprise attack.
The air split, and in that gap.
Faint sunlight was captured for an instant before flickering out. It was because he had dissolved the water attribute into his Convection.
Clang!
The longsword deflected the indistinct water blade. He felt the ensuing Convection waver from the vibration. Loan’s body trembled along with it.
It wasn't just fast.
The nature of his aura was somewhat blunt, but the power imbued in his sword was immense.
He wondered if he could handle it even if he used up all the dissolved mana chunks in his Convection at once.
The opponent's attack followed immediately.
‘I’m going to get hit.’
Though the opponent hadn't even closed in, he raised his Domain by instinct.
The tip of the sword thrust deep into the whirlwind of Convection. It seemed he had pulled his body back and only extended his arm. His senses were incredible.
Loan immediately twisted his body to dodge the sword and drew a tributary current from his Domain to wrap around the man's arm.
He intended to bind him from there.
[Sphere of the Void]
Tendrils of mana shot out, swirling and wrapping around the opponent's body like a spider's web, extending outward and inward.
It was the first time he had manifested it against an opponent who wasn't inside the space; it was a picture woven from the edges rather than an instant trap.
But the opponent didn't allow him that subtle moment.
Kwaaaaaang-!
He unleashed an explosion of magical power from the tip of his sword, scattering the restraints. The shockwave was transmitted directly to Loan.
Instead of resisting the repulsive force pushing him back, he used it to increase the distance between them.
Thanks to that, he ended up closer to the remaining Nostra members. Just then.
Clank-!
A sound from far away urgently caught Loan's attention.
Even though it was a moment he couldn't afford to be careless, he turned his head.
A large sailing ship, just about to leave the port.
He felt Bella's presence fading away, ever so slightly.
The distance was still vast, and behind him, a sword clearly aimed for his neck was descending diagonally.
Giiiiing-
His heart spun furiously.
The mana circulating through his entire body concentrated in his lower body as needed.
In a life-or-death moment.
Kwaang-!
Dodging the incoming sword strike, Loan leaped right over the human wall in front of him and unfurled his Narrow Path.
Watching the ship move away, he poured all his magical power into his feet.
He nearly lost his balance from the sudden dizziness and ruthless speed, but.
He ran without hesitation.
‘I’ll catch it!’
Just a few breaths.
With desperate will, he reached the end of the pier in what felt like no time.
He knew it was a distance he couldn't cross with a jump, but.
In an instant, he kicked off the edge stone and threw his body into the air.
Kwaang-!
Below his feet, the sea.
He extended the Narrow Path over it. Its end barely reached the stern of the sailing ship.
But it was clearly empty air.
The deep blue sea and Loan's eyes, shimmering even more brilliantly, met.
An image formed in his mind.
The same principle he used to weave different physical properties into his Convection when attacking an opponent—he now unleashed it beneath his feet.
A belated sea fog, responding to his will, rose up from the surface of the water with a whoosh and enveloped Loan's body from below.
"Th-that!"
The sea breeze cleared the fog, and vision became clear again.
A sound like a sigh of disbelief burst from the pursuing Nostra group.
Loan was running on a dazzling path of ice that stretched across the sea.