Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Dragon Slayer
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A heavy yet distant voice echoed in his ears.
Red smoke then enveloped his entire body, and with a rustling shhhrrrrk! an endless contract scroll unfurled in all directions.
A brilliant flash poured down from above.
Fwaaah!
In his previous life, he had no idea.
What Siegfried meant by those "charts".
He'd always said they would lead him to the divine realm, but he'd assumed it was just empty flattery for an Awakener.
Who could have known?
That Siegfried truly intended to make him the world's strongest Sword Master.
Berddin extended both hands, basking in the light of the contract.
Thanks to his contract with Siegfried, the aura that had lain dormant deep within him was awakening.
The energy was so overwhelming that anyone less than exceptional would struggle to hold onto their sanity.
'No way.'
This was far beyond the level of aura from his contract in his previous life. Intensely stronger, incomparable.
Red light spread in all directions, filling the room. The surging aura extended outward like writhing tentacles.
This was on the same level as the aura from his days as the Sword King.
'Perfect.'
Berddin bowed to Siegfried as politely as he could.
Siegfried, the contract now complete, stroked his head with a benevolent smile.
They exchanged bows of respect. Berddin offered reverence to the one called the strongest Guardian Spirit. Siegfried offered gratitude to the contractor who had freed him from his urn.
Of course, these sentiments didn't last. A few seconds at most.
Siegfried's expression suddenly twisted, and he swung a large hand at the back of Berddin's head.
Whoosh.
Berddin reflexively ducked, dodging Siegfried's hand. His body had read the movement and reacted on instinct.
'This damn master!'
"You damn descendant!"
Berddin twitched one eyebrow.
How could their reactions be exactly the same?
Nothing had changed from back then. They were already on the verge of brawling moments after reuniting.
Hoo—
Berddin took a steadying breath, calming his mind. Fighting now could ruin everything.
"Damn? That's too harsh, ancestor."
"Harsh? You rotten bastard. Do you have any idea how long you made me wait?!"
It had only been a day.
"When the Sword God himself chose you, you should've rushed to contract immediately."
"......"
"Even if punks like you showed up every year, I'd send 'em packing. And you—a kid not even dry behind the ears—dare keep me waiting?"
Part of him wanted to unleash a torrent of curses. But he couldn't repeat the mistakes of the past.
He stayed silent, letting Siegfried vent.
"And what was that about ascending to a new realm? Fully opening mana and aura? What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"......"
"If you hadn't wasted time like an idiot, you'd have learned at least one sword technique from me by now!"
Siegfried flew into a rage, hopping in midair and jabbing a finger at Berddin.
Well, he hadn't encountered a double awakener yet, so the reaction was understandable.
Berddin smiled brightly at him.
Then, he summoned the red aura from the contract in his right hand and the blue mana he'd opened himself in his left, showing them to Siegfried.
Roarrr.
Unlike in the past, he did so with maximum courtesy—a dignified stance and gentle expression.
"Will you calm down and watch, Sword God Siegfried? The new realm technique I mentioned earlier."
Rumble.
The two energies boiled like water in a kettle, roaring noisily. But as red and blue began to mix, they fell silent in an instant, a circular purple light spinning rapidly.
Bwooom.
Lightning (Aura-Mana Fusion)
Technique born from fusing aura and mana
"I'll show you 'Lightning' right now—the technique created by fusing aura and mana."
Shwaaaaa—
An unidentified energy began spreading through the castle. The guardian knights flew into a panic at the sudden detection of suspicious power.
There were no signs of external intruders, so where was this intense energy coming from?
Bess, captain of the guardian knights protecting the Strange Family's main estate, issued an emergency evacuation order.
"Get the young masters outside!"
He was evaluated as at least 7-star level.
Few in the Imperial Army were stronger. He was among the strongest on the continent.
Even this guardian knight captain rated the owner of the energy he sensed as superior to himself.
Whoever it was, he couldn't win.
In that case, he had to escort the young masters inside the castle to safety, even at the cost of his life.
With resolve in his eyes, Bess entered the castle grounds. He nodded, and the guardian knights scattered in all directions.
To protect the Strange family while searching for the enemy.
"......The training grounds."
He drew his sword over his shoulder, ready to swing the moment he encountered the foe.
Against someone stronger, defense was pointless. He needed to inflict a fatal wound somehow.
'Keep them from chasing the young masters.'
With that mindset, Bess headed to the training grounds, suppressing his presence and moving as stealthily as a wild beast.
'Mana? No, aura?'
As he reached the training grounds, he sensed something burning hot like aura yet flowing cold like mana.
'Two enemies, then.'
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly. Who had sent assassins after the Strange Family?
'This means war.'
Once the culprit was revealed, war was inevitable, no matter how favorably it was resolved.
Even if it was the magic-renowned Glazer Family behind it.
Bess took a deep breath, then kicked the door open and charged into the training grounds.
Bam!
The moment he moved to swing his sword—
"Young Master Berddin?"
Berddin stood in the center, expression stern.
"Bess?"
"Y-Young Master. Is there anyone else...?"
Bess unleashed his aura, enveloping the training grounds.
He pinpointed the source of the unidentified energy—and unwittingly dropped to one knee.
Thud.
'Is this truly Young Master Berddin's aura? But then, what's that mana I sense alongside it?'
Bess couldn't comprehend the situation. A mere five-year-old wielding aura superior to his own, a 7-star knight?
Of course, the question resolved once he recalled the Strange bloodline.
But the mana puzzled him.
"What's going on, Bess?"
That question shattered and vanished at Berddin's words.
Whether mana was present or not didn't matter. It must have been an illusion from the overwhelming aura.
"...Nothing, sir. Sorry for the disturbance!"
"It's fine. You startled me, bursting in like that."
"My apologies!"
"Enough apologies. If there's nothing, please leave. I'm training."
"...Understood!"
Guardian knight captain Bess departed the training grounds.
What a relief. He'd separated the energies just before Bess entered, leaving only aura. Any later, and he'd have noticed.
'Bess is a veteran knight, after all.'
Confirming Bess's presence gone, Berddin minimized aura and mana, fusing them into something undetectable from outside.
Whoosh.
In time, this technique would be called "Lightning"—a new power born from burning two energies.
Of course, he'd call it Lightning in this life too. It was a technique only he could use anyway, so the name didn't matter.
'I coined "Lightning" myself.'
Better to stick with it.
Siegfried reached incredulously toward the purple energy.
His soul distorted on approach, restoring as he pulled back.
His expression screamed 'Incredible!'
"Besides you, is there anyone else who's opened both energies?"
Berddin shook his head without hesitation.
"No."
"So you're the only one who can use aura and mana together?"
"Yes. No one else knows the double awakening method."
"How'd you learn it?"
"From the archive keeper."
"Archive keeper?"
"Yes. The one managing our Strange Family's archives, full of secret manuals gathered from across the continent."
"Who's that?"
"A guy named Yohan. Not family, so you wouldn't know him. He said he was called Joseph back home."
"Joseph... Sounds familiar."
Berddin shrugged.
"Well, common name."
"Did he open both energies too?"
"No. He failed and died. So now, I'm the only one who knows this technique."
Siegfried asked no more about how Berddin learned it.
The word "death" made him go quiet, shortening the conversation.
Berddin knew this, so he'd mentioned Yohan deliberately. In his past life, Yohan had taught him the fusion method—truth. And Yohan died failing it—also truth. No lies.
'Good thing.'
Siegfried was the same as before.
'Still.'
His sharpness at times meant avoiding unnecessary talk.
"So only you, my contractor, can use that technique now?"
"Yes."
"...Nice. Does your father know about double awakening?"
"No. I haven't told anyone."
"Why?"
"It's not certain."
"Not certain?"
"Yes. Until I met you today, no double awakeners existed. How could I speak of unproven things?"
He continued firmly.
"And I won't tell Father—or anyone—about double awakening."
"Why?"
"This power is for me alone, not the family."
A smile tugged at Siegfried's lips.
Satisfied with the answer. Siegfried clenched his fists, gazing at the swirling Lightning over Berddin's hand.
Amazed by the unprecedented ability. His descendant and disciple born with genius talent, he kept exclaiming in admiration.
"Rookie, now that the contract's done, wanna try using me once?"
"Now?"
"Yeah. That guy from earlier? Decent practice dummy."
Siegfried glanced toward the window, at Bess heading for the gates.
"I wanna feel your 'Lightning' myself too."
Berddin pondered briefly.
Then extended his right arm.
"Come on in."