Chapter 21
Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: How to Seize the Initiative (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Tch.”
Vincent smirked as he gazed at the spectators gathered in the training grounds.
No one here could possibly have imagined it.
That he, the strongest among the branch family heads, had been reduced to nothing more than a stepping stone to highlight Martin.
‘I’ve been completely played by the young master.’
Only now did he realize it.
Why Martin had chosen only actions that would win his favor.
The duel itself mattered, but stepping out in front of so many people held even greater significance.
‘The moment it’s revealed that he’s reached the 7th Circle at eighteen, all hell will break loose.’
It would shake not just the Altria Empire, but the entire Krasian Continent.
Martin would undoubtedly seize overwhelming fame, which in turn would expand his base of supporters.
In that sense, Vincent himself was merely a mouthpiece to hype him up.
But it didn’t feel bad.
‘Even I’m dying to know right now, after all.’
Honestly, he wanted to see it.
Just how strong Martin truly was.
Shing.
Martin, standing at the center of the training grounds, drew his longsword from his waist.
Immediately, a razor-sharp aura emanated from his entire body. It was so keen that he seemed to have transformed into a single blade.
‘This… I could get hurt if I let my guard down.’
Vincent felt chills ripple across his skin.
Just looking at him felt like it might slice him open.
So he adjusted his mindset.
He couldn’t afford to think he held the advantage.
To face this owner of violent talent, he needed to be as serious as possible.
Grip.
Vincent clutched the hilt of his greatsword with all his might and pointed it at Martin.
“The moment the young master’s illness flares up, I’ll stop the duel. So come at me without holding back.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Kooo!
No sooner had he replied than a blade-like aura poured from Martin’s entire body. In response, vast amounts of mana from the mana cores in his abdomen and head surged into his sword.
First, brilliant golden light enveloped the blade—but only for a moment.
The gold deepened, transforming into a perfect sword form.
“It’s an Aura Blade!”
“No way! Just two days ago, the young master’s swordsmanship was at the 3rd Circle!”
“It’s impossible by any logic… But look closely! That’s definitely an Aura Blade! What’s the point of denying it when the proof is right in front of us?”
No one could escape the confusion.
An Aura Blade was a feat achievable only upon reaching the 4th Circle in swordsmanship.
In other words, Martin’s level had risen a full step.
‘Add his unique ability up to the 1st Circle, and that makes 5th Circle… Even for a genius, how does he reach that level at eighteen?’
‘Even with the Dragon’s Curse, this doesn’t make sense.’
Everyone watching plunged into chaos.
Martin’s growth was simply absurd.
But Vincent’s next words delivered an even greater shock to the crowd.
“It’s not 5th Circle, you idiots.”
Vincent spoke with a pathetic look on his face.
Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
“The young master has reached the 7th Circle.”
One sentence.
With that, Vincent fell silent.
But that alone was enough to plunge everyone into stunned silence.
Meanwhile, in one corner, a few were quietly conversing.
“To reach the 7th Circle in just two days after whatever happened in the Tyrant’s Chamber… I can’t wrap my head around it.”
It was Elder Marius, who had recognized Martin’s power the moment he appeared in the training grounds.
He glanced at Elder Aren and spoke softly.
“I don’t know what happened, but I can guess what’s coming next. The empire’s public opinion will now focus on the young master.”
“That’s not all. Word will spread that he overcame all sorts of trials. The moment that story gets out, he’ll gain a solid base of supporters. Even the nobles who’ve kept their distance until now will start fawning over him.”
Elder Aren responded calmly to Elder Marius’s words.
But Elder Oriana’s reaction was different.
Losing her composure, she cried out in a sharp voice.
“No matter how great Adalbert swordsmanship is, it’s impossible to grow this fast! There must be some shady forbidden technique or…”
“Hoo. Be quiet, Elder Oriana. Speaking like that without evidence could get you punished for insubordination and added charges of insult. I understand the shock, but don’t let emotions take over.”
“Elder Marius is right. We need to stay calm and think about our next move.”
Though he said it, Elder Aren’s mind was just as tangled.
Martin delivered a shock every time he appeared.
Responding to his schemes wasn’t easy.
He kept hitting unexpected angles, making it hard to find their footing.
“…7th Circle?”
Kallain Gustin, watching from a corner, stared at Martin with trembling eyes.
He couldn’t believe it.
No, he didn’t want to.
But he couldn’t ignore the truth before his eyes.
The aura prickling his entire body made it all too clear.
Controlling Martin was now impossible.
His existing plans had completely crumbled.
Grind.
In the end, Kallain gnashed his teeth in rage.
* * *
“The stage the young master wanted is set. Satisfied?”
“I’m grateful you played along.”
“Aren’t you the one who got played?”
“You could’ve refused, but you didn’t. Isn’t that playing along?”
“Well, I wanted everyone to see the young master’s true power clearly. In that sense, I won’t yield the first strike. Can’t exactly go easy on a 7th Circle, right?”
“I want a proper fight too.”
Thump thump.
Even as he replied, his heart pounded fiercely.
Vincent von Igrit was a swordsman great enough for the emperor of the Altria Empire to bestow a title upon him personally.
Even if he regained all the power he’d had when called the Sword Saint, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
Wishing for a win right now was pure greed.
‘But the experience and techniques from back then remain.’
His power wasn’t fully restored, but not everything he’d built was gone.
Resolving to pour it all out, he stepped forward.
In sync, he swung down the sword cloaked in Aura Blade.
Slash!
The golden Aura Blade detached from the blade and vanished from everyone’s sight simultaneously.
One of the basics of Adalbert swordsmanship—Spatial Severance—unleashed with an Aura Blade.
The vanished strike reappeared right at Vincent’s position.
But it didn’t land on its target.
Boom!
Vincent brought down his greatsword as if he’d been waiting.
The greatsword wrapped in silver Aura Blade easily shattered the golden one.
“Spatial ability users can sense spatial vibrations, young master. Even without that, anyone can somewhat detect it from the mana fluctuations. That’s why Spatial Severance remains a basic technique.”
Humm.
Before he could finish lecturing, Vincent’s body slipped into a spatial rift. He had used Spatial Movement.
At that instant, Martin braced his left hand on the training grounds’ floor and executed a tumbling roll.
Boom!
The greatsword crashed where Martin had stood.
The ground cracked, sending stone dust and debris flying everywhere.
The moment he regained his posture, Martin flicked his left hand.
Countless fragments rained toward Vincent.
In response, Vincent spun his body and swung his greatsword.
Bang!
A roar louder than a mana cannon boomed.
The silver Aura Blade pulverized everything in its path and flew at Martin.
But Vincent’s attack only demolished the innocent training grounds floor.
This time, Martin had evaded with Spatial Movement.
‘Spatial Movement leaves traces too. Even if manifested through spatial control.’
No unique ability was ever perfect, no matter how powerful.
Vincent knew this well from long experience.
He swiftly activated spatial repulsion, then spread mana in all directions.
Humm.
A spatial tremor rippled from the 11 o’clock direction.
Vincent gripped his greatsword with both hands and thrust it forward with full force.
Kwarung!
The silver Aura Blade took a crescent form and charged ahead.
But Martin didn’t appear where Vincent was watching. Instead, a boulder materialized—and was instantly shattered by the Aura Blade.
Not stopping there, the Aura Blade hurtled toward the watching knights.
“Dodge!”
“Fall back!”
The startled knights scattered to the sides, and the Aura Blade struck where they’d stood.
Boom!
A small crater formed in the ground.
But Vincent’s attention was already elsewhere.
Martin stood at the exact opposite position from where Vincent had first looked.
Shweek!
Vincent spun like a top, swinging his greatsword at the same time.
The silver Aura Blade targeted Martin’s upper body precisely, but it missed again.
Martin had used Spatial Movement once more.
Vincent stood still in place and raised his left arm—infused with aura.
Boom!
Martin, who had slipped behind him in the blink of an eye.
But his sword was blocked by Vincent’s left arm, without him even turning around.
‘As expected, insane physical prowess.’
Superhuman strength and durability were hallmarks of the Igrit family.
Still, blocking an Aura Blade-infused sword strike with one arm—even augmented by aura—was downright abnormal.
Bang! Kwarung!
Sword and left arm clashed fiercely.
After about five exchanges, Vincent twisted his body again and brought his greatsword down from above with tremendous force.
‘Can’t clash head-on.’
Martin’s eyes flashed.
It looked like a simple overhead strike, but his Dragon’s Curse-enhanced vision revealed the truth.
Immense power dwelled within it.
Enough to snap even an Aura Blade-clad sword.
So he would parry.
Because a simple strike could shatter anything.
Kwaaaang!
Longsword and greatsword collided.
Not head-on, however.
Martin cleverly twisted his longsword, deflecting the strike’s trajectory.
Throb!
‘Truly terrifying strength. Even deflected, it’s this much.’
But it had meaning.
It created a huge opening in his opponent.
Martin moved to thrust his sword immediately—but held back.
Instead, he vanished with Spatial Movement.
Boom!
The moment he disappeared, a fist-shaped aura slammed down.
Exactly one step away from where Martin had been.
Its power was so immense it carved a massive crater into the training grounds.
“Impressive. Sharp insight, young master. Didn’t think you’d notice that.”
“Hmm. Trying to kill me, Sir Vincent? A mere graze would erase me without a trace.”
“If it hit, sure. But you dodged it just fine, didn’t you?”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
Martin gave a wry smile.
The power in Vincent’s greatsword could fell a 7th Circle expert in one blow.
While wielding that much force, he’d thrust his left fist to release aura from behind.
That cunning maneuver made it hard to react properly.
Martin had to admire the shrewdness.
“Hoo.”
Martin steadied his breathing.
Then he glanced around briefly.
The elders and branch successors all wore shocked expressions. Even Adel Vitinfeld, who usually maintained an indifferent demeanor.
He’d already achieved his goal to a degree.
But ending it here felt like a waste.
Then Vincent’s voice reached him.
“None of that weak talk, young master. You haven’t shown your full power from the start, have you?”
“You haven’t either, Sir Vincent.”
“Our situations are different. Anyway, since we’ve started this duel, let’s enjoy it more. Go all out.”
“Of course.”
Smirk.
Martin’s smile shifted.
If it had been wry before, now it brimmed with mischief.
“But you’d better brace yourself, Sir Vincent. My full power is pretty scary.”
“If the young master says so, I’ll definitely stay on guard.”
Vincent nodded with a serious expression.
Humm.
Martin drew even more mana from the mana cores in his head and abdomen.
At his will, the golden Aura Blade shone with even greater brilliance.
“Hmm. Just increasing the mana output won’t…”
Vincent, about to comment, unwittingly closed his mouth.
He could see it clearly.
The moment Martin gripped the sword with both hands, the golden Aura Blade melted into space, becoming one with it.
The brilliant golden light then formed a perfect cube, enveloping the entire training grounds.
No one present was ignorant of what technique this was.
“Spatial Sword!?”
The shock hit Vincent harder than when he’d realized Martin was at the 7th Circle, or confirmed his extraordinary swordsmanship.