Ch.80Formless Flying Sword Technique

“Such a final boss aura… and judging by the sword on his back, he’s definitely the Master of Ten Thousand Blades…”

Despite the Master of Ten Thousand Blades’ appearance, Hayato spoke casually. His expression remained unchanged. He merely scratched the back of his head as if one more troublesome matter had arisen.

“Let me ask just to be sure. Are you the Master of Ten Thousand Blades? If you are, say something cool. Like a final boss in this chapter.”

At Hayato’s question, all sounds in the world ceased. Everyone present waited for the Master of Ten Thousand Blades to speak. Then, the silenced sounds returned.

The wind blew. A piercingly cold breeze swept through the swords embedded in the ground.

The pitch-black night sky. The Master of Ten Thousand Blades, commanding thousands of swords that sparkled like stars, surveyed the surroundings. The devastated earth split apart, blood splattered across it, and the carelessly scattered heads of his subordinates.

His gaze lingered longest on the snow-white girl.

Suddenly.

His lips parted.

“Have you ever witnessed the sky’s wrath?”

“What are you talking about…?”

Woong-!

The Master of Ten Thousand Blades remained motionless. He still stood dignified, merely gazing down at the ground. However, the thousands of swords he commanded were different. As if responding to his subtly spreading emotions, all the blades trembled violently.

Ziiing-!

“Behold. This technique is called Heavenly Flower.”

With those words, thousands of gleaming meteors fell from the pitch-black night sky. Transcending space, they all plunged into the ground simultaneously.

Kwaaang-!

The violent impact shook the earth, overturning the ground, and the resulting shockwave raised a cloud of dusty soil.

Then, movement was detected beyond the dust cloud. A small figure was quickly escaping. What emerged was Hayato, completely unscathed.

“Not bad…”

After the Master of Ten Thousand Blades murmured quietly, his army of swords embedded in the ground flew toward his enemy. It was an attack from all angles, leaving no blind spots. Just as the thousands of swords shot like beams of light were about to touch Hayato’s body.

The katana revealed itself to the world.

Chwaaang-!

It deflected all the attacks coming from every direction at once. For an instant, it created an illusion as if his upper body had split into five parts. Hayato’s expression became visible. His face was contorted with anger, as if things weren’t going as he’d planned. The Master of Ten Thousand Blades showered him with another barrage.

Hayato’s figure was driven into the ground along with thousands of swords. The movement of the sword army resembled a dragon from mythology. Whenever this dragon made of gleaming steel opened its mouth, Hayato was inevitably pushed back.

Even using drawing techniques that exceeded the speed of sound didn’t significantly change the outcome. As if dispersing the impact, the swords that formed the dragon’s body scattered, waiting for the slash to end. Immediately afterward, they gathered again at the Master’s gesture to devour the enemy.

The Master of Ten Thousand Blades thoroughly prevented his opponent’s approach. As if waiting for his strength to drain, he used nearly ten thousand swords to pressure and push back his opponent. Meanwhile, Hayato seemed determined to get closer somehow.

Even the slashes that appeared to transcend distance had a limited range. At a distance where the opponent was barely visible, nothing could be done.

It was a fierce battle that transformed the terrain. The ground collapsed and rose to form mountains. After overturning the earth several times, Hayato, who had been retreating until then, descended to the ground and took a stance.

“Hayato Style-“

His low voice spread through the air. He didn’t avoid the approaching dragon. With overwhelming confidence. As a mysterious power gathered around his arm.

Like a bursting dam, a violent force erupted.

“Thousand Flowing Blood Slaughter-“

Buwaaang-!

The roar that burst from Hayato’s katana resembled the sound of buzzing bee wings. A whitish mist seemed to spread from him as he stood still. The Master of Ten Thousand Blades was the first to recognize the true nature of this mist.

With an uncharacteristically surprised expression, he quickly waved his arm as if to recall his swords. But it was too late. The moment the spreading mist engulfed the steel dragon, it began to disintegrate, starting from its head.

In that brief moment, it was a scene created by layered slashes. Simple, yet it was a realm beyond human movement, impossible to reach by ordinary means.

Even the Master of Ten Thousand Blades couldn’t replicate such movement. Time was equal for everyone.

With that single strike, a tenth of the Master’s swords had been destroyed. Quickly recalling his swords, the Master raised his right hand. He had recognized his opponent as someone who couldn’t be ignored. He had to engage directly.

One of the swords floating behind him flew into the Master’s hand. At that moment, Hayato and the Master’s gazes met in midair.

Both simultaneously harbored similar feelings.

“What an unreasonable fellow…”

“This is ridiculously difficult…”

The Master of Ten Thousand Blades, riding his sword, began to move slowly. From the sky to the ground, he descended and approached Hayato. Hayato too, after retrieving his katana, maintained his drawing stance and approached him.

“Die!”

Hayato drew first. The katana pulled from his waist created a long slash that devoured space. Suddenly, Hayato felt an ominous premonition.

And that premonition became reality. The moment the Master’s lightly swung sword touched the approaching slash, a strange distortion occurred, and it vanished along with the slash.

The now empty-handed Master spoke.

“You asked if I was the Master of Ten Thousand Blades. Yes, I am. But do you know why I bear this title?”

“What are you saying…”

“Because I can wield ten thousand swords? No.”

Step-

The Master’s footsteps grew louder. It wasn’t that the sound increased. As his presence grew more imposing, attention naturally focused on his footsteps.

“The Formless Flying Sword Technique is merely a small fragment I created on my path to this position.”

He wasn’t speaking to Hayato. Se-erin instinctively understood. He was speaking to her. At this moment, he wanted to show her something.

“Realize that the heavens are enraged.”

The Master closed his eyes. Among the countless swords in his mind, only one maintained its perfect form. A single sword that shone brilliantly. The single realm reached by building upon the foundation of ten thousand sword techniques.

Unity of mind and sword. Beyond the realm where mind and sword become one, he had reached it one day.

The Master’s hand grasped the empty air. Though there was nothing there, everyone present witnessed the form of a sword in his hand. The image of a sword that both existed and did not exist.

The blowing wind avoided the Master’s hand. The energy wave spreading from within his body made his black robe flutter.

The Master took a large step forward. At the moment when the essence of his numerous martial arts accumulated in his hand, the non-existent sword appeared in reality and revealed its presence.

The Master called this the Formless Sword.

Having no physical form, it couldn’t exert physical force. Yet, it could cut anything the Master wished to cut.

Hayato, who had been wearing a strange expression, drew his katana to defend against the incoming attack, the non-existent attack. But in the next moment, he could only gape blankly.

Thud-

“What…?”

The sensation in his left hand disappeared. One of the hands holding the katana went limp and dangled as if it had lost strength. There was no pain. No sign that the opponent’s attack had hit his body.

“What, what is this?! What’s happening…!”

An incomprehensible phenomenon. Hayato’s face turned pale. The focus disappeared from his once confident eyes. Clutching his left arm, Hayato, as if belatedly recognizing the Master’s presence, quickly retreated.

“The protection isn’t activating? No, wait. Wait a moment. There must be some error…!”

Just as the Master raised his right hand again, an overwhelming energy wave erupted from not too far away. As the Master’s gaze turned to the right, Hayato didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Mission failed… returning…”

At that moment, after quickly tapping his right foot three times, Hayato’s figure became blurry with a blue light.

The Master showed no interest in the disappearing Hayato. He only directed his gaze toward the approaching presence.

“Troublesome fellow… so you’ve finally arrived here.”

His tone suggested he knew who it was. The Master lowered his raised right hand. As the strange energy flow directed at his right hand dispersed, the Master rose into the air, riding his sword.

At that moment, a single sword flew toward Se-erin.

“Your origins don’t matter. People’s hearts can change anytime.”

The Master’s dignified gaze turned to Se-erin. He was confident, as if expecting her to ride the sword. Between the rapidly approaching presences, Se-erin sensed familiar auras.

Reynard and Kanok. Other Blue Wing members were with them too. She couldn’t identify who among them was emitting the overwhelming energy, but based on the circumstances, it was surely the Blue Wing Knight Commander who was pursuing the Master.

Se-erin ultimately did not mount the sword. Watching this, the Master turned away. He never recalled the sword he had offered to Se-erin.

By the time the Master’s figure rose into the sky and became a mere dot.

A man descended beside Se-erin. A young man with a calm expression. It was the Blue Wing Knight Commander whom she had glimpsed once before.

A man shrouded in mysterious wonder. As he descended from the void, the wind gathered to gently wrap around his body. Se-erin could face him for only a brief moment.

By the time she took her next breath, the Knight Commander had vanished. The same was true for the Master who had been floating in the sky. The army of swords that had filled the heavens disappeared along with the Master of Ten Thousand Blades.