Ch.178Sky

When unexpected situations arise, it’s impossible to stop one’s gaze from naturally shifting. Flora was no exception. The moment her comrade vanished in the storm of blades, her eyes momentarily lost track of the Master of Ten Thousand Swords.

And then it happened.

*Swoosh*

The Master of Ten Thousand Swords appeared silently right in front of Flora. Though she had been distracted for just a moment, his movement was imperceptible even to someone of advanced knight-level skill.

Sensing her friend’s danger, Se-erin moved urgently, but the Master’s sword was faster. His swift slash outpaced sound itself, drawing a line of crimson blood. It was a large cut across her torso. Just as Flora’s expression contorted in pain, her counterattack began.

Amid the scattering red blood, black petals bloomed profusely.

*Clang!*

It was a decisive strike that disregarded her wound. But it was blocked. Through the shattering black petals, Flora’s gaze wavered. *Crack!* A faint sound of fracturing came from where the sword tips met.

And then it happened.

Suddenly, the Master of Ten Thousand Swords slid backward, and Se-erin descended in his place. The heat rising from her entire body seemed to cover the sky, while the cold energy leaking from beneath her feet froze the ground.

*Whoosh!*

The opposing energies created a powerful repulsive force. Through the rising white steam, Se-erin took her stance. It was the basic stance of the Great White Snow Dragon Sword. Then, the ultimate swift sword technique unfolded from her hands.

Her legs remained absolutely still. Only her upper body and hands moved slightly with each flash of light.

*Clang-clang-clang!*

The exchange of attacks and defenses continued at a rate exceeding dozens per second. With each flash of light and crisp collision sound, dozens of iron swords plunged into the ground around Se-erin and the Master of Ten Thousand Swords.

*Crash!*

Se-erin’s expression suddenly contorted. The sword dragon that had swallowed her friend Theo was now rotating its body and flying toward her. The rapid manipulation of mana heated her entire body. Her meridians screamed in pain, but the rising energy of the ice dragon cooled that agony.

*Whoosh!*

The thousand swords that had been rapidly rotating around Se-erin flew in to form a barrier. Yet before the massive sword dragon, they were mere sheets of paper.

*Crash!*

Each time the sword dragon’s body writhed, Se-erin’s swords shattered. Just as the sword dragon was about to collide with Se-erin—

*Swoosh*

The sword-raising stance was canceled. Returning to a relaxed posture, Se-erin closed her eyes. Though she appeared to have given up on life at first glance, that was far from the truth.

Her small lips moved.

“Formless Flying Sword Technique”

“Thousand Sword Blooming”

The fragments of the thousand shattered swords had infiltrated between the segments of the sword dragon. Those fragments all sharpened their edges at once.

*Crack!*

The storm rising from within collapsed the sword dragon’s body. The massive dragon form that was about to swallow Se-erin crumbled right before her.

*Crumble!*

Amidst the swords scattering in all directions, Se-erin maintained her dignified posture. The sword fragments, having fulfilled their purpose, sparkled like starlight as they gathered around her.

*Whoosh*

“An interesting application.”

*Rumble*

Just as words of admiration flowed from the Master of Ten Thousand Swords’ mouth, the entire mountain shook. All of the Master’s swords that had been covering the mountain area were simultaneously drawn out. Ten thousand swords began to cover the sky.

The fierce wind ceased, and the blinding snowstorm disappeared. This was because ten thousand swords now covered the mountain.

In this world of swords he had created, the Master of Ten Thousand Swords slowly stepped forward.

*Step*

A clump of pure white snow shattered beneath his feet. A single sword was instantly drawn into his outstretched hand.

“You don’t look like you want to talk… though I have quite a lot I’d like to discuss with you…”

Se-erin’s gaze suddenly moved quickly. She looked toward Flora, who was coughing blood not far from here, and Theo, who was buried in the snow-white field. Strong power gathered in her small hand gripping the sword.

*Grip*

In an instant, both figures became blurry. The next moment, they appeared at a point between where they had been standing. As the massive collision occurred, a rain of swords began to pour down from the sky.

*Crash!*

*Clang!*

It was the moment when the Master’s Formless Flying Sword Technique collided with Se-erin’s starlight fragments. Se-erin wore a perplexed expression. This was no ordinary Formless Flying Sword Technique. Each falling sword contained a mysterious swordsmanship.

And there wasn’t just one—there were hundreds. No, the number was continuously increasing. Each sword that came crashing down contained a different sword technique. Though not powerful individually, they multiplied the aspects requiring attention.

Se-erin’s gaze fixed once more on the Master of Ten Thousand Swords. For now, she had to ignore the distractions. She trusted the starlight of Thousand Sword Blooming wrapped around her body. This martial art, nearly perfect in performing both attack and defense simultaneously, would never collapse.

The Master of Ten Thousand Swords handled numerous swords like his own limbs. The reverse was also true. Sharp wind pressure imbued his seemingly casual punches and kicks. They hammered at the starlight fragments, and the Sun Force barrier shook greatly.

*Splat!*

Se-erin’s gaze dropped slightly. Blood had splattered on her cheek. It meant her defense had been momentarily breached. As the mana within her body fluctuated violently, the Sun Force barrier she was maintaining grew thicker.

She trusted her defense. Se-erin extended her hand that wasn’t holding a sword. What dwelled in her small hand was a storm that seemed incongruous with her size.

“Wind Strike”

*Boom!*

The moment Se-erin’s hand struck the Master of Ten Thousand Swords’ abdomen, his figure received a great impact and was pushed backward.

‘Don’t stop.’

Se-erin didn’t stop. Withdrawing her left hand that had been extended forward, she released the sword in her right hand. Simultaneously, she rotated quickly, and her right hand stretched out again.

It was another Wind Strike technique. As a martial art with a one-hit-kill nature, a single use placed extreme strain on the body. As blood flowed from the Master’s mouth, veins bulged on Se-erin’s forehead.

Her meridians throughout her body screamed. Hot energy increased the pressure within her body. But Se-erin didn’t stop. Her right hand that had executed Wind Strike was withdrawn, and her body rotated once more.

Once again.

Wind Strike.

*Boom!*

This time, even the Master of Ten Thousand Swords couldn’t withstand it. His figure was greatly pushed back, and some of the swords circling around lost their power and plunged into the ground.

“Haah…!”

Hot energy poured from Se-erin’s widely opened mouth. *Screech!* Yet Se-erin didn’t stop. The mana amplification organ within her body rotated rapidly, amplifying her mana.

“Inner World Manifestation”

“World for the Empress”

Thousand Sword Blooming, consecutive Wind Strikes, Inner World Manifestation. The backlash from consecutively performing techniques that required long breathing came. The manifested world was imperfect. The boundary between reality and the inner world was blurry, not completely disconnected, and the range was very limited.

But that was enough.

The moment Se-erin stretched out her right hand and drew a sword stuck in the ground, numerous wolf forms emerged from the ground and rushed toward the Master of Ten Thousand Swords.

*Bark! Bark!*

It was like driving prey into a trap. The wolves running frantically in all directions momentarily caught the Master’s attention. That was enough. Se-erin’s left hand quickly ran along the blade of the extended iron sword.

It wasn’t a sword she had summoned. Nor was it one she had been using. Something unfamiliar, yet instantly familiar. This was because she received the memories contained in the sword.

The sword’s owner had been a mercenary who wandered battlefields. The Master of Ten Thousand Swords had retrieved the sword that had been stuck like a tombstone using his Formless Flying Sword Technique. It contained some of the Master’s memories mixed in.

*Hum!*

She needed to prolong the fight. She needed to take everything the Master had, the memories contained in the swords.

The next moment, Se-erin and the Master of Ten Thousand Swords collided. A violent storm erupted, shaking the mountain range. An ordinary iron sword couldn’t withstand a single clash. Cut and shattered swords were discarded, and replacements were provided on the spot.

The Master by his own will, and Se-erin by forcibly taking swords while avoiding the attacks of the Formless Flying Sword Technique directed at her.

*Boom! Crack!*

When the number of shattered swords exceeded about a hundred, the Master of Ten Thousand Swords’ eyebrows twitched greatly. This was because the trajectory of the flying swords heading toward Se-erin was suddenly distorted.

It wasn’t that they had hit something. It was as if the caster of the Formless Flying Sword Technique had exerted his will to twist the trajectory. But he was the caster. He had controlled the swords to fly straight.

‘Something…’

Something was wrong. Was it because of the strange space that had suddenly unfolded? The Master’s breathing deepened, and he momentarily pushed Se-erin back forcefully. Simultaneously, he released the sword he was holding.

His black robe fluttered in the wind. At the same time, nearly ten thousand swords moved simultaneously. The density was different from before. It was like an entire mountain moving at once.

Such a wave of swords surged toward Se-erin.

Se-erin did not avoid the wave of swords surging toward her. With a calm expression, she stretched out her hand.

*Rumble!*

The atmosphere vibrated. Ten thousand swords momentarily halted their advance.