Ch.93Transformation (1)

I throw down my gauntlet and declare my name and affiliation.

No one misunderstands what this means. A declaration for an honorable duel. If I bleed today, it shall be only by your spears and swords, and the blood on my blade shall be yours alone.

A declaration with such meaning.

An honorable declaration passed down since ancient times.

When Najin made this declaration, the attackers narrowed their eyes. Some frowned, others sighed… and Klaus, once a knight of the kingdom, gave a bitter smile.

‘An honorable duel.’

A declaration completely unsuited to this situation. Yet, precisely because it was so unsuited, the declaration carried weight. Klaus exhaled deeply.

They were cowardly attackers.

This was an undeniable truth.

Surveillance, eavesdropping, traps, ambushes, attacks… they had committed all manner of dishonorable acts. Moreover, it wasn’t one-on-one but many against one. There could be no honor in such an attack.

‘As a knight…’

This was dishonorable.

Therefore, shameful. However, humans often have goals they must achieve even if it means bearing dishonor and shame.

Everyone gathered here was like that.

Some came because hostages were taken, some because their lives were at stake, others because their lord’s honor or their comrades’ honor hung in the balance. Even if it meant becoming dirty hounds and assassins, they stood here because they had something to protect.

Of course, those were their circumstances. They couldn’t expect understanding from the young man. Right now, they were nothing but cowardly attackers.

Nevertheless.

The young man had declared this would be an honorable duel. Even if that declaration was merely to steel his own resolve, knights had a duty to respond to such a declaration.

Boom!

Klaus struck the ground with the spear in his hand. Pounding his chest where his heart was located, he shouted in a resonant voice:

“I am Klaus Aten!”

If one bears the name of knight.

If one was ever a knight.

One had a duty to answer the young man’s declaration.

“Fifth Wing of the Kingdom of Prolea, Commander of the Blue Wing Cavalry, Klaus Aten.”

My battlefield has ended.

My comrades were buried in the mud, branded as heretics in God’s name, and lost their honor.

“Knight of Atanga, Najin, spawn of Ivan!”

The journey of the Blue Wing Cavalry should not end like this. To restore their honor, I would throw away my own honor without hesitation. I am prepared to bury myself in the mud.

“I accept your duel.”

Klaus pointed his raised spear at Najin. Though this battle might lack honor, they each had something to protect. It was reason enough to cross blades.

Thump, thump, thump!

Starting with Klaus, those who were once knights, those who once held honor, each declared their affiliation and status. Shouting thus, they charged toward Najin.

And Najin.

Looking at those charging toward him, he merely adjusted his stance. In the forest where the sun had set and darkness had settled lightly, sword energy, aura, and mana flashed.

2.

A Sword Master once said:

Sword Seekers are those who have transcended human limits but have not reached the realm of transcendence. From the perspective of a Sword Master who had reached transcendence, this was mockery…

In other words.

Sword Seekers had already far surpassed human limits, becoming extraordinary powerhouses. The proof of this was unfolding before Najin’s eyes.

Boom!

With a sound like an exploding bomb, the ground shook. But it wasn’t a bomb that had exploded. It was Klaus Aten striking the ground. With each step he took forward, the ground shook and a thunderous sound echoed.

Commander of cavalry.

A cavalryman who needed no horse.

Swift knight, Klaus Aten.

The leg strength of this knight was beyond imagination. From the moment Klaus struck the ground, he became a cavalryman mounted on a horse, a chariot sweeping across the battlefield.

“…!”

Najin widened his eyes and threw himself aside. A speed incomparable to when he had attacked the carriage earlier. Rather than countering, Najin chose to evade…

Thud, crack, BOOM!

And that was the right choice. As Klaus brushed past Najin, the pressure wave forced Najin to roll across the ground. Belatedly, the sound of tall trees breaking and falling echoed.

Rising from his roll, Najin saw:

The giant trees completely shattered along Klaus’s path. The footprints Klaus had left in the ground. And in the distance, another “boom” echoed. Klaus had changed direction and was charging again.

CLANG!

But Klaus wasn’t Najin’s only opponent.

Najin’s reflexively swung sword clashed with Jerold’s. Jerold Oton, a demon hunter and Sword Seeker who wielded a greatsword. When their swords collided, Najin felt as if his knees were buckling.

Clang, clang, clang!

Twisting his sword, Najin escaped Jerold’s pressure. The moment their swords separated, Jerold’s blade cut through the air rapidly like a released rubber band.

Then, slash.

Though the blade’s tip hadn’t touched it, the trunk of a giant tree several steps away split. The tree with its shattered trunk slowly collapsed, and when it hit the ground, the earth shook and dust billowed.

But mere tremors couldn’t stop a Sword Seeker’s movements. Clearing away the dust, Jerold stepped forward, crushing the fallen tree, while Klaus charged through.

And Najin.

Najin, who had selected this stage himself, exhaled. As he opened his eyes with that exhale, bloodshot veins appeared in his pupils. Najin’s heart beat faster than usual. Thump, thump, thump, the blood flow throughout his body accelerated…

SCREECH!

Najin’s sword energy surged. Around the violently rising sword energy, stars twinkled with tick, tick sounds. The sword energy containing fragments of mental imagery shone in the dark forest.

Physical enhancement beyond limits.

A sword shining with fragments of mental imagery.

Najin, showing his full power from the start, gently kicked the ground. The first step was gentle, but from the second step onward, it was incomparably violent. Kicking the trembling ground amid successively collapsing trees, Najin charged.

Tall rising trees.

Fragments of split trees.

Branches extending in all directions.

This was an environment perfectly suited for Najin. If there was an area where Najin could take the lead over Sword Seekers, it was in such an environment. A place with many variables to calculate and where irregular movements could be fully utilized.

Since ancient times, utilizing such terrain had been Najin’s specialty. Trailing a pure white light, Najin made leap after leap. Frowning, Jerold raised his foot and stomped the ground.

The ground echoed with a boom.

Immediately after, fierce sword energy surged over Jerold’s blade. The greatsword that had cut down countless demons. That thick blade was swung, leaving afterimages. A swift sword strike produced by strength beyond human limits.

BOOM!

Trees in the area split. The tree Najin had been standing on collapsed, and Najin, perched atop it, lost his balance and fell. There were those who wouldn’t miss this fall.

Seven Experts rushed toward Najin.

They had already made their judgment after observing Najin’s movements. They couldn’t kill Najin themselves. So they would grab his ankles, rob him of mobility, and buy time. That was the best they could do.

Having made that judgment, they acted.

They thrust their swords toward Najin and rushed to grab his ankles. If they could buy even one second, Klaus’s charging spear would pierce through Najin.

That’s what they thought, and both Klaus and Jerold made the same judgment.

But there was something they overlooked.

“……”

Falling, Najin twisted his body in mid-air. As if he had never lost his balance in the first place. Balancing in mid-air and landing, Najin swung his sword simultaneously. There was no distinction between landing and swinging.

Swish.

The Experts’ swords, along with the sword energy coating their blades, were cut off. Severed swords. Shattered encirclement and exposed weaknesses. Immediately after, Najin moved, leaving afterimages. The Experts couldn’t even perceive his movements, they were so fast.

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

By the time they realized what had happened, they had been cut, kicked, and thrown against tree trunks and the ground. With broken bones or severed limbs, they could no longer fight.

That took one second.

Having removed the Experts from the battlefield, Najin exhaled briefly and lowered his stance. Simultaneously, he charged toward Klaus who was rushing at him.

Charging at full speed toward an oncoming cavalryman.

It was madness. He would be trampled. Watching Najin charge straight at him, Klaus burst into laughter. Come at me. Try to block my spear. As if shouting thus, Klaus increased his speed even more.

Thud!

The aura wrapped around the sharply raised spear, something akin to sword energy for swordsmen. It formed the shape of a giant awl. The landscape in Klaus’s mental imagery was the valiant charge of cavalrymen he had seen in his youth.

Like he himself had become a spear.

Klaus’s aura containing his mental imagery undulated. Responding to that aura, Najin also kicked the ground. Upon reaching maximum speed, Najin stomped the ground and lowered his stance. He swung his sword, accelerated, toward Klaus.

Clang, clang, clang!

As the spear tip and sword collided, sparks flew.

Aura and sword energy tore at each other. Najin’s foot, which had stomped the ground, kicked up a mound of dirt as he was pushed back. While being pushed back helplessly, Najin gritted his teeth and twisted his sword.

The spear tip and blade misaligned.

Spear and sword crossed, sending sparks flying.

A sound of flesh tearing echoed. At the moment Najin and Klaus crossed paths, Klaus’s spear grazed Najin’s side. Even just a graze opened a hole and blood spurted out.

However, Najin wasn’t the only one bleeding.

Klaus, who had passed by Najin, turned with a swoosh. As he changed direction, he clutched his side and burst into laughter.

“Ha!”

At the moment their weapons crossed, Najin had aimed for Klaus’s hand gripping the spear. If Klaus hadn’t altered the trajectory of his spear, half his hand along with his thumb would have been severed. Klaus clicked his tongue at the strategy of sacrificing one’s own side to take the opponent’s hand.

With a grip, Klaus clutched his deeply gouged side. Kneading the flesh to seal the wound, Klaus glared at Najin.

The single exchange during the carriage attack.

And the movements Najin had just shown.

Klaus Aten raised his evaluation of Najin by a level. What stood before him was not an Expert approaching Sword Seeker level. The young man before him was equal to a Sword Seeker in every aspect except sword energy.

Not approaching.

He was already a Sword Seeker-level powerhouse.

Klaus wasn’t the only one who felt this. Jerold had the exact same impression. Already, seven Experts had been removed from the battlefield, and only two remained.

“Jerold.”

“I know.”

Klaus and Jerold’s gazes crossed.

The two sensed it. This young man hadn’t challenged them to a reckless fight. He stood there because he genuinely believed he could win against two Sword Seekers.

Then they should oblige.

A sacred duel had been declared. There was nothing to hold back. Klaus twisted the hand holding his spear. With a click, clack sound, the 3-meter spear shortened by half.

Not a cavalryman sweeping the battlefield.

A stance to defeat the enemy right in front of him.

Feeling the atmosphere change in an instant, Najin exhaled. Something was trying to be grasped. Just one more step forward, and he could grasp it. With such thoughts, Najin kept both Klaus and Jerold in his sight.

Whether this duel would be the arrogance of the defeated.

Or the confidence of the victor.

That would be determined by his sword.

As always, a swordsman proves himself with his sword. The sword energy rising above Najin’s blade was sharper than ever before.

3.

Basaus Malek, who had been wielding dual swords, was sweating cold sweat. With each clash of swords, blood burst from his body.

‘I knew it.’

He gritted his teeth and swung his swords.

‘I knew Roseline Askarlo was strong. I knew, but…’

The blood that burst forth soaked the ground. His clothes were already dyed red with blood. Pushed far back, Basaus breathed heavily.

He couldn’t have imagined it would be this bad.

Just as Roseline was about to step toward the retreating Basaus, arrows and magic were fired at her. Each attack was incredibly powerful, but…

Twirl, and clang.

Roseline spun the dagger in her hand once, then neutralized them all by making them collide with each other. The echo that resonated when sword met sword. Her sword energy, amplified by the echo, literally ground the projectiles to dust.

A Sword Seeker-level archer and

A magician who had reached the 5th circle.

Even with their support, they could barely hold Roseline back. Basaus gritted his teeth at this fact. Of the three steps needed to reach Sword Master, she had only climbed one step, “Sprouting,” yet the difference was this vast?

“I had expectations when I heard about a dual-wielding Sword Seeker.”

Roseline approached Basaus leisurely.

“This is a bit disappointing? Got anything else?”

“Ha…”

At her provocation, Basaus sneered.

“This isn’t the time for you to be so relaxed, Roseline.”

“What?”

“My goal from the start was to hold you back. If I just buy time, I achieve my purpose.”

Their victory conditions were different from the beginning.

“If you can’t join him, that young man dies. He’ll die for sure. Maybe it’s already over.”

“……”

“The one who should be relaxed isn’t you, but rather…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Roseline tilted her head.

As if she truly didn’t understand.

“Why would I go there? Join him? You seem to be seriously mistaken…”

Roseline Askarlo laughed.

“My mission is to hold you guys back, not to protect that kid. Though I am considering cutting off your heads while I’m at it.”

That’s as far as it goes.

She shrugged as she said this.

“He doesn’t need my help in the first place.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Before this operation began.

Roseline had met Najin once more. And the Najin she saw then…

‘He was already complete.’

One step. Just one step.

The cocoon Najin was in already had cracks. It meant he was just one step away from breaking the cocoon and transforming.

“That kid.”

Roseline smiled.

“Even before becoming a Sword Seeker, he was already not inferior to Sword Seekers in anything except sword energy.”

He’s a monster of a kid.

A kid who, despite being a Sword Expert, not only matches Sword Seekers but tries to surpass them. If such a kid reaches the realm of Sword Seeker…

“You might be in trouble. Not him, but you guys.”

That would already be…

A being completely different from what is typically described as a Sword Seeker.

Roseline Askarlo was convinced of this.