Ch.39The Emperor’s Sword

Whoosh-!

The aura emanating from the middle-aged man was extraordinary. It covered all directions, dominating the space. The massive presence constricted my entire body like a sharp blade.

Seo-rin carefully drew her sword. Despite having four Blue Wing knights including herself pointing swords at him, Baron’s expression remained unchanged.

How many moves could they withstand? Even with numerical advantage, victory couldn’t be guaranteed. Everyone seemed to share the same thought, their dismay evident on their faces.

“This is insane…”

Indeed it was. Seo-rin agreed with Andur’s words. Reincarnators grow exponentially stronger in proportion to their lived time. Since they only need to replicate the mastery they achieved in another world, the time they’ve lived could be considered a measure of their strength.

He had revealed that he’d lived as Baron for a long time. Though the exact duration was unknown, he exuded an overwhelming presence that dominated four Blue Wing knights even without a sword in hand.

That meant he possessed strength at least equivalent to a vice-commander.

“You’re distracted in front of your enemy. If you want to teach your child, you should fix that attitude first.”

It happened in an instant. The moment Seo-rin registered Baron’s voice, his body was already right in front of her. Her body reacted immediately. She stepped forward into a stance, explosively channeling mana throughout her body.

Just as the faint, wavering form of a white dragon began to form at the tip of her sword, her body was thrown backward.

Thud-!

Her vision blurred momentarily. A strange force flowed into her body. The clear energy of the sky spread throughout her meridians, forcibly blocking the flow of mana.

“Cough…!”

Seo-rin coughed up red blood as soon as she landed on the ground. Every time she forcibly used mana, she had to endure tremendous pain.

She struggled to her feet and glared at her opponent. This was someone who had lived for a considerable time while avoiding the Empire’s attention. His naturally flowing inner power was tremendous. It was hard to even imagine how much of nature’s power he had absorbed to reach such a level.

“You stay there quietly. I’ll check on your condition after I deal with these ones.”

He spoke leisurely to her while fending off the combined attack of Theo, Flora, and Andur. Seo-rin clutched her chest and breathed heavily.

At that moment, presences approached from all directions. They were soldiers of the Silverhill family and servants working at the mansion. Perfect timing. Seo-rin shouted.

“I am Seo-rin of the Empire’s Blue Wing Knights! I have come to subjugate the reincarnator Baron Silverhill! I formally request your assistance…?”

Seo-rin, who had been shouting while showing her knight’s insignia, looked around with a dumbfounded expression. Everyone had hostile expressions—not toward the reincarnator, but toward all the Blue Wings, including herself.

She couldn’t understand their attitude. Why were they pointing weapons? Why were they sending hostile glares? Those looks should have been directed at the reincarnator, not the Blue Wings.

Everything she had seen, heard, and learned suggested that hostility toward reincarnators was natural. But apparently not for these people.

“You all… already knew?”

There was no other explanation for this situation. Seo-rin took a step back while breathing heavily.

Even in this situation, the incantation of the White Dragon Heart Method continued endlessly. The faint mana that started from her heart rotated rapidly, stimulating the inner power that was blocking her way.

She needed time to use mana again. She pointed her sword at the soldiers.

“You there! Don’t touch that girl! She’s the one who will bear the family heir!”

At Baron’s command, the soldiers lowered their weapons. The hostile gazes disappeared too. That was at least fortunate. Seo-rin took a breath and quickly scanned her surroundings.

Clang-! Clang-!

Theo’s expression continued to contort. Despite using the Empire’s Dawn Light for combined attacks, they couldn’t land any effective blows on their opponent.

Moreover, the opponent was bare-handed while they were using swords. He was showing off. Despite being a swordsman himself.

If he could display this level of skill with bare hands, what would happen if he wielded a sword? The boy felt his insides burning.

Perhaps today he would have to give up one of his destinies. The boy looked up at the faint thread of fate visible only to him.

Sparks flew each time the sword collided with the man’s arms. A strange power thinly coating the middle-aged man’s hands deflected the mana-infused blades.

He had heard from his seniors. Some reincarnators use mysterious energy to wrap themselves in what’s called protective inner force. They said it was a technique with defense far superior to full plate armor.

Just as Theo reached out to pull the thread of fate—

Baron spoke.

“Hmm… It seems you’re all there is. Since no more appear even if I wait…”

Tang-!

A strong energy from Baron’s hands created a powerful repulsive force that pushed the three people back. Taking a light step to create distance, Baron said:

“The sword.”

In response to his quietly spoken words seeking a sword, it was Lowen who stepped forward. He looked around nervously, then his eyes settled on the small girl.

Baron urged:

“Lowen. Bring me the sword now.”

“Father…”

It was then. Seo-rin, who had been breathing heavily, approached Lowen. She even put down the sword in her hand.

Seeing this, Baron smiled. Thinking that the match for his son had finally changed her mind.

The moment Seo-rin gently leaned into Lowen’s arms, the old sword he was holding was passed to her hand.

In this moment, through the sword, Seo-rin saw the sky. She felt the sword that roamed freely across the vast expanse of heaven.

The memory engraved in the sword across dimensions was transmitted to Seo-rin. The blurry memory gradually became clear. An incantation filled with imperial arrogance replaced the White Dragon Heart Method.

‘There’s no time. I have to use the raw memory as it is.’

There was no time to convert the inner power technique into mana. It was already overwhelming to fully digest the memory being engraved in her mind.

‘I can’t hide anymore. I have to do whatever it takes.’

She needed to use everything she had. Her beautiful appearance, her innate blessing.

In one step, her breathing was perfected. In two steps, the sword was drawn. In three steps, the inner power that had infiltrated her body melted away.

It was inner power of the same type. Using it felt natural. Seo-rin let the energy melting into her meridians flow naturally outside her body.

Whoosh-

The wind came. A cold wind blowing around Seo-rin stirred the surrounding air. Another sky unfolded beneath the heavens.

“That is…?”

Baron’s face was filled with shock. He couldn’t fail to recognize a martial art of the same lineage. His shock turned to question, question to elation, and elation to faint expectation.

Seo-rin pointed her sword at him.

The emperor is arrogant. He does not allow others to stand except himself. Where the tyrant of the sky looks down, there are only those who bow their heads.

That is why it’s called the Emperor’s Sword Form.

The energies of two emperors resonated. The divided sky merged into one, distorting space. Seo-rin confidently stepped forward.

“Could you be…!”

Whoosh-!

She didn’t wait for him to finish. Her widely swung sword pressed down on space, scattering a fierce aura. Despite being wielded by a small girl, it contained an undeniable force.

In that moment, Baron saw himself in the girl before him. Though she should be a stranger, she used a familiar martial art. The martial art he had brought from another dimension was being displayed in the hands of this small girl.

Even her posture was familiar. The way she held the sword, her breathing habits—all were identical to his own. Even if one learned the same martial art, there should be subtle differences.

‘Is she imitating me?’

No. This was no mere imitation. One might imitate the outward form, but to fully unleash the profound principles of a martial art, one needed to know the incantation.

His body stiffened. The emperor’s aura closing in from all directions made his arms and legs heavy. The Emperor’s Sword Form without a sword is incomplete. Baron had to harden his expression and draw up his inner power.

At that moment, Seo-rin gave a signal to the three others and turned around. She could dominate the space by recreating the Emperor’s Sword Form for only a brief moment. Once the inner power in her body ran out, the incantation would lose its power and the sky enveloping the surroundings would disappear.

This moment, with the tyrannical aura pressing down on everything, was the only chance to escape. As Seo-rin’s form quickly left the scene, Theo, Flora, and Andur followed right behind.

Baron reacted a beat late. Surprised by the unexpected situation, his response was delayed. He shouted:

“C-catch them! We must catch them right now!”

His body spun as he leapt off the ground, and a nearby sword naturally flew up. Baron’s form cleared the wall just as he caught the sword, and soldiers poured out of the Silverhill mansion.

The four Blue Wings immediately crossed the city after leaving the mansion. There was no time to pack their belongings from the inn. They jumped between buildings and ran across thin clotheslines through the air.

Right behind them, the tyrannical aura ground everything in its path to dust.

Crash-!