Sword Master Who Leapt Through Time - Chapter 22



Only Krnovel

#22 Don’t Die

A firm voice and expression

I had a gut feeling.

This infinitely huge being will not listen to me no matter how much I plead.

okay,

It comes out like this. Is this it?

i get it.

Then I should do it my way.

“Master, then I have another favor to ask of you.”

Thinking back,

This seemed more correct.

I asked the Archduke, who was looking at me silently.

“Please teach me a trick.”

I need to get stronger.

I can’t stand the way I am now.

The corners of the Archduke’s mouth slightly curved, and he answered in a majestic voice.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start like this.”

Since there was an open field on all sides, it was good to practice anywhere.

We stood still for a moment and looked at each other, as the two wizards watched.

“Is this the realm of the Physical Sword? You can freely manipulate that enormous amount of mana, and your swordsmanship is also at the Physical Sword level. You are strong.”

The Grand Duke could tell my level just by glancing at me and slowly drew his sword.

“But there is still a long way to go. Right now, it seems like it would be best for you to look at the destination you should pursue. Look carefully. This is the realm of filling the sword, the spirit of steel.”

Woooooooooo-

The Archduke’s sword cried.

uh……?

My whole body was shaking.

What is that… … ?

Is that Kang-gi?

“What do you think?”

“Whatever you say… … .”

I gritted my teeth and barely managed to face the Archduke’s sword.

I could see why Iodine had mistaken me for a swordmaster when we first met.

Because Kang-gi looked exactly like Sword Auror.

A sword dyed in gold while crying loudly.

But the reality was completely different.

When faced with that, there was only one thing I could say.

“I… … am I still alive?”

It was death in the shape of a sword.

The moment I took it in, I felt like a deep part of my soul had already been cut out.

That was the black border.

All I can see beyond that sword is the darkness of death, the coldness of the afterlife.

When faced with that sword, nothing will retain its original form.

Any wisdom, any passion, will be divided and separated and will return to a handful of dust.

“Death. Yes. This looks like death to you. It seems like you’ve had a pretty rough life.”

He smiled slightly and moved the tip of his sword slightly to the side.

That alone made me jump back like a scaredy cat.

“But no matter how scared you are, there are things you can only understand by trying. Go for it with all your might.”

I gritted my teeth.

How dare you show me a sword like that and rush at me.

It sounded like a bad joke, but… …

“I’m going… … !”

It was a process that had to be gone through in order to move forward.

Wooooowowow-!

A dark blue aura blade that extends outwards along the Banroa.

A storm rages in the wake of that powerful wave of force.

The sharp sword energy that has reached the level of a swordsman mixes with the aura blade and cuts all around.

The green grass that filled the field was cut into pieces and swirled around.

A green blizzard sweeps across the area.

“Ugh… … .”

“That kind of power… … .”

The two wizards who were watching groaned.

“Good. The origin is unknown, but it is truly a destructive swordsmanship. Even the highest level of experts would have difficulty handling that power.”

Grand Duke Lightena expressed his admiration leisurely.

okay.

Let’s bump into each other.

A seething aura.

Even though I couldn’t cut off the wolf monster’s claws… … Still!

Auror has never disappointed me,

Let’s believe it again.

“Let’s go!”

[Tempest]

Kwaaaaang!

The wind barrier is torn to pieces left and right, and a path is created between them.

A super-fast dash.

And my dark blue aura blade caused a storm that seemed to tear the whole world apart,

Damn it!

The moment it made contact with the Grand Duke’s strong energy, it was torn apart and fluttered like a piece of paper.

My Auror Blade, which had been rushing at me like an angry wolf, scattered like a swarm of frightened butterflies.

What I see before my eyes is just… … a golden energy that resembles death.

“ah…….”

The fragmented aura scattered and then disintegrated into mana and scattered.

I saw the Duke’s sword resting lightly on the Banroa.

It wasn’t even a great sword.

But I know.

If the Grand Duke had made up his mind, he could have split Banroa in two with that mediocre sword.

The match was decided by a single sword.

A vast gap with no end in sight.

I swallowed and asked him.

“… … Are all Sword Masters like this?”

“Any sword master can do this much.”

A fresh shock struck the back of my head.

In my time, 10,000 years later,

I was confident that I was a sword master… … .

‘The level is too different.’

I was sorely mistaken.

‘… … The upper limit of swordsmanship in this era is much higher.’

The modern auror swordsmanship was the one that could make you stronger faster.

By strengthening his body with the massive output of the aura and adding the power of the sword, he could crush most enemies.

However, the higher the level, the more sophisticated the ancient swordsmanship became.

‘Roughly… … I wonder if the reversal will start from the expert level?’

Up to the Expert lower and intermediate levels, it is easy for those who have mastered the Auror swordsmanship to overwhelm, but from the higher levels onwards, they are almost always defeated… … and when they reach the Master level, the difference in rank becomes this vast.

In fact, it was the same even if you just looked at monsters that resembled werewolves.

I don’t understand it at all, but their claws were tough enough to withstand my Auror Blades, and their reactions were fast enough to dodge my sword strikes.

That alone makes me just a strong, tough idiot.

On the other hand, what about Iodine?

Even though she was only an expert, she had a way to snap off the monster’s neck.

In terms of swordsmanship, that is, the skill of handling a sword, ancient swordsmanship far surpassed modern Aura swordsmanship.

so,

There is still one thing I must do.

Check.

Reaching that level.

I should be able to cut off the heads of the monsters myself without having to borrow Iodin’s sword, so that I can stop that outrageous assault.

“… … How can I become stronger?”

Archduke Lightena looked into my eyes with a piercing gaze and answered.

“The Sword Master’s Chunggeom (充劍) is forging your own sword with your soul. The Chunggeom is completed when the sword you hold in your hand is dyed with the sword that started in your small universe.”

“Do I have to push my communication with the Sword Spirit to the limit?”

The Archduke shook his head.

“No. Rather than communication, it is convergence and transcendence. Each path up the mountain is different, but everyone meets at the top. That is where we meet and transcend.”

It was a vague statement.

But the Archduke did not provide any further details.

“For now, just remember. What it felt like to see the power I showed you. And that you must sharpen your soul into a single sword. That will be enough.”

It was still difficult to understand, though,

I took those words to heart.

* * *

The time that followed passed in the same way as before.

Arriving at the castle, meeting Iodine, Iodine freaking out because of his hair and running away, and then Iodine’s first class that evening began.

The only thing that changed was the change due to my heightened level.

“A physical examination! That’s really fortunate. It would have been better if it had been a physical examination! But this much is enough!”

Iodine is delighted, as if his worries have been relieved.

I stared at her.

Even though I tried not to, it kept coming to mind.

The sight of her brilliant golden hair being trampled underfoot and soaked in blood.

The moment when he blocked my path and tried to save me, even though he didn’t have an aura shield like me…

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I have a question.”

“Do it.”

“When you reach the realm of swordsmanship… … does the sword sometimes move on its own, outside of its master’s will?”

“Oh, was that what you were worried about? That I wouldn’t be able to control the sword?”

no.

That wasn’t the worry.

I just wanted to know.

When the wolf monster committed a suicide attack, was it Iodin’s own will that tried to protect me, or was it the sword moving on its own?

“In fact, such a distinction is meaningless.”

“Is it meaningless?”

“Yes. They say that the sword moves on its own, but to reach that level, the sword must know itself too well. Perhaps, what the sword does on its own is my true nature.”

ah…….

So in the end, Iodine embraced me on my own terms.

At that critical moment, he worried about my safety before his own life.

That too on an unconscious level.

I am,

I couldn’t protect that person.

“Junior Lansen? Why are you like that?”

“… … It’s nothing.”

Something was welling up inside me.

* * *

I was also worried about reality.

If time passes in reality as much as the time that is rewinded… … Kushan City would be a mess by now.

For now, I had no choice but to trust and leave it to my younger siblings and Rivera, but I still had to get back as soon as possible.

‘At that time, 8 letters were erased from the Book of Destiny. If I fail this time, 8 more letters will be erased, so there are only 2 or 3 chances in total? Did I already use one of them?’

A mission that must be completed within 1 time at the least, or 2 times at the most.

But I had no intention of using up all that opportunity.

I didn’t want to lose, and I was worried about Kushan City right away.

‘I have to succeed this time and go back as soon as possible.’

However, despite the ten days of intense training, the state of swordsmanship was still far away. I continued to feel frustrated, as if I knew something but couldn’t.

That night, after practicing for a while, I went out for a walk in the garden to clear my head.

After walking for a short while, Iodine appeared sitting on a rock in the garden.

She was looking at the stars today too.

“Are you looking at the 13th week?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

I know. I know very well. Because you explained it to me.

“Somehow. I thought you would do that. If you look at the 13 Lords, you can tell where you are. When you look at them, you want to protect this place. Is that what you think?”

When I told him a story he already knew, Iodine looked a bit embarrassed and avoided eye contact.

“Yes. I want to protect it. Everything I have, I received from here. Food, a place to rest, people who are like family, dreams, this sword… … It all started here. So I have to protect it. I have to repay the kindness I received from my master.”

By the grace of the Master… … .

Iodine was like that when he died.

‘You must… … survive… … . Now you are… … the Master’s only… … disciple… … .’

He wasn’t afraid of his own death, but rather of his Master’s progress being cut off.

I somehow sighed.

Why on earth would a guy like that throw my life away so easily?

“Iodine.”

“huh?”

“Then don’t die.”

“huh?”

“Protecting is good, but that’s only possible if you don’t die. If something happens, think about how to survive first, you idiot.”

“What?! You’re an idiot to your senior?! Even if I say so, isn’t this just too much?!”

Iodine gets up in a fit of rage.

I just sighed.

This is a two-day complaint.

Iodine.

I’ll listen to that nagging obediently.

Don’t die this time. Please.