Chapter 358
“…”
It was impossible to defeat a Swordmaster by sheer force alone.
Such an obvious truth that Ray had memorized it as common sense.
However, he hadn’t fully comprehended this principle until the moment his sword was about to clash directly.
That’s why he had acted so arrogantly, only to find himself overmatched.
Ernst Prislan effortlessly maneuvered through the distorted space that had confused even Ray, closing in with ease.
With a single motion, Ernst suppressed the power Ray couldn’t properly control and easily wounded him despite his resistance.
Only after his shoulder was slashed did Ray truly realize the gap between himself and Ernst.
Tsuzut!
The sword of light hanging in the air aimed at Ray as he was pushed back.
Within Ernst’s Absolute Domain, the sword of light struggled to maintain its form, constantly wavering.
Though unstable due to the condensed overflowing mana, its power remained formidable.
Ray could feel the pressure bearing down on his body as he spun his sword.
Kwaang!!!!!!!
The Leaping Sword Energy that tore through the void intercepted the sword of light targeting Ray.
Not stopping there, Ray continued spinning both swords in his hands.
At this point, there was no fundamental way for him to close the gap with Ernst.
Therefore, he had to use every technique at his disposal to pressure Ernst, create variables, and accumulate damage.
Ordinary swordsmanship would have been impossible, but the Spatial Blade – the great and bizarre mythical sword art – made it feasible.
Determined to unleash all his remaining strength reserved for Ernst, Ray kept spinning his sword without pause.
Kaadrudk!!!
Space shattered like a net around Ernst.
Every crack in space was a Leaping Sword Energy squeezed out by Ray.
Immediately afterward, Leaping Sword Energies rained down like a storm toward Ernst.
Without observing the situation, Ray plunged directly into the storm.
!!!!
Amid the scattering destruction, Ray pressed against Ernst in an attempt to create any kind of variable.
The sword techniques of the Prizzran Clan were heavy and precise rather than flashy.
Thus, Ray hoped that if he could overpower Ernst physically, he might negate some advantages of his swordsmanship, but this proved to be another delusion.
In the battlefield where the sword of light and Leaping Sword Energy clashed, Ernst’s greatsword wavered like mist.
Excessively agile, Ernst’s greatsword became impossibly heavy at the most critical moments.
Kwaang!!!!!!
He had long since transcended being bound by forms.
His ever-changing swordplay adapted to whatever form was necessary at the required time.
It wasn’t just about sword skills.
Even within the chaotic flow of power that Ray deemed beyond analysis, Ernst read the currents and flowed with them.
Ernst twisted and penetrated Ray’s power one-sidedly, eventually bringing him back into sight.
At that instant, Leaping Sword Energy exploded between Ernst and Ray.
Ray thought his strategy had worked.
But Ernst deflected the energy with a perfectly refined sword trajectory.
There was no sign of confusion in Ernst’s response.
Ray compulsively scattered more Leaping Sword Energies, which Ernst countered with generated swords of light.
Countless clashes consumed the area, their fragments erasing even massive chunks of metal.
Now transformed into a place where even ordinary knights couldn’t approach, Ray fought desperately within the battlefield.
He knew he was far inferior in sword mastery.
Yet, he hadn’t anticipated failing to inflict even a proper wound on Ernst despite unleashing Leaping Sword Energies like a storm.
Ernst responded as if he knew exactly when and where each Leaping Sword Energy would fall.
Ray looked into Ernst’s eyes.
A red circle surrounded golden irises, staring directly at Ray.
The Second Awakening. It visualizes spatial distortions.
This eye, said to pierce the future itself, dismantled the Leaping Sword Energies head-on.
Before the Leaping Sword Energy even fell, Ernst had already read its trajectory.
The Leaping Sword Energies Ray squeezed out failed to create any variables or opportunities.
Within the overwhelming flow of power, Ray found himself gradually being crushed.
Ultimately, Ray resorted to his last resort.
Tzut!
This was madness.
But what else could be done?
It only mattered whether he died a few minutes earlier or later.
Tzutzut!
Ray’s movements began breaking apart.
This was deception in swordsmanship that even Preches, who wielded a sword for thousands of years, couldn’t counter.
No matter how high a level Ernst had reached as a Swordmaster, he shouldn’t have been able to handle this properly.
As Ray approached, his stance suddenly changed without warning.
Chheeng!!!!!!!!!!!!
“…”
Blocked.
Did the Swordmaster’s intuition block it?
Unfazed, Ray changed his stance again.
Five clashes passed this way.
“…”
All five were blocked.
The Swordmaster’s intuition was terrifying, but Ray couldn’t afford such optimistic thoughts.
Ernst had clearly dismantled all five attacks perfectly.
For the first time while clashing swords with Ernst, Ray felt intense bewilderment.
Leaping Sword Energy had premonitory signs before tearing through the void, allowing it to be read in advance.
However, this technique was different.
This technique, which changed stances without any prior signs, was not something whose trajectory could be predicted merely by seeing spatial fluctuations.
Yet… why? How could it have been read?
Ray’s crimson eyes, empowered by authority, stared at Ernst, who collided head-on with Ray’s disjointed movements.
!!!!!!!!!!
“…”
When they first met.
Ray believed that using his self-destruction technique would be enough to ensure mutual annihilation.
Out of ten attempts, seven would result in mutual destruction – that’s how confident he was.
His severely inferior capabilities and limited vision led to this miscalculation.
Ray had failed to see the true extent of Ernst Prislan’s power.
Ernst Prislan.
The current pinnacle, and the most perfectly completed Swordmaster since Harshia.
The Second Awakening achieved by Ernst was not merely a technique to see spatial fluctuations.
Ernst’s eyes pierced beyond the distortion of space to the very essence of reality.
Whether it was corrupted authority, beings from other dimensions, or Spatial Blades, Ernst could not be toyed with simply through the uniqueness of power.
Through the combination of Absolute Domain and the Second Awakening, every being opposing Ernst was forced into a pure struggle of power.
This power was undoubtedly…
Another answer created to resist the alien forces ravaging the world.
Though in a different form, it shared the same directionality as what Harshia had achieved – ultimate perfection.
Ernst intended to pass this power down to future generations.
It was not only a warrior’s desire, but Ernst truly believed this power would become the key to saving the Empire and the continent.
That’s why Ernst had, for the first time, completely bent his own beliefs to transmit this power.
“…”
Ray had completely misjudged the power possessed by Ernst Prislan.
If he had faced an ordinary Swordmaster, self-destruction might have been enough, but Ernst Prislan was no ordinary being.
Facing humanity’s true transcendence, Ray reflected on how insignificant his granted powers truly were.
Even so, Ray could not collapse alone.
Having revealed the bottom of his capabilities, Ray once again changed his stance.
Ernst used his greatsword as bait to distract Ray’s eyes before penetrating his defenses with bare hands.
Chheek!!!!!!!!
Ernst’s punch struck Ray’s rampaging core directly.
The mana stream flowing through Ray’s body wavered as his core shook.
Ray, feeling the pain of his entire body being torn apart, slammed onto the ground and slid away.
Though showing signs of fatigue, Ernst remained unscathed, while Ray’s condition was pitiful.
Ernst glared at the fallen Ray while gripping his greatsword.
“Go back.”
“…”
“Go back now.”
“…”
“Go back now and bring me that child’s head!!!”
With regret and sympathy, Ernst voiced his absurd demand, venting his frustration.
Hearing Ernst’s frustration, Ray rose his near-terminal body.
After standing up and regripping his two swords, one of them broke.
Still, Ray clenched his fists tightly.
“I… was an outsider.”
His talent was insignificant.
This was not exaggeration or complaint but a clear truth.
“I fell into a world I didn’t know. A world where language, culture, everything was different.”
He might have been considered a genius in a certain region, but that was all.
Compared to the unparalleled talents that could truly revolutionize the world, he was utterly insignificant.
“The first emotion I felt was hatred and anger. Alone, I cried and cursed the transcendent being who forced this fate upon me.”
Possessing weak talent, he despised life.
Lacking affection for the world, he easily ventured into dangerous situations and repeatedly fought.
“When I was suffocating in hatred and anger, Bella offered her selfless sacrifice. Her dedication and warmth gave meaning to my life, and only then did I finally come to embrace the emotion of love.”
He crossed countless death lines.
Knowing his lifespan would be shortened, he never stepped back.
“Although my relationship with her may not be the same as before, Bella became the foundation of my life. Everything I’ve achieved in this world – all my connections, emotions, and accomplishments – rests on her existence.”
Regretting how easily he wasted his life when death was near.
But it was too late to stop.
“And now… Lea… That child has become Bella’s world. Because of Lea, Bella was freed from countless deceptions and could smile brightly.”
The struggle continued.
He experienced others’ experiences, faced hidden truths in history, and confronted transcendent beings.
He performed miracles by carrying on fragments of Harshia and clashed swords with those who achieved transcendence through human bodies, sacrificing flesh and soul.
“I… therefore cannot give up Lea.”
Weak talent consumed Ray’s life.
Weak talent only craved life while forcing Ray towards death.
“Therefore, this weak talent that has devoured all hope and brought me to my final moments…”
“Must reach…”
“A realm that should have been unreachable.”
Light takes shape.
Ray gripped the sword of light and fully rose his crumbling body.
The Absolute Domains of the two Swordmasters clashed.
Swordmaster of the Empire (4)
