The clearing, shrouded in the veil of night, was quiet.
Just a few minutes ago, it had been a space trapped by a vampire’s barrier. The clearing, where even the pulse of insects could not intrude, had to welcome its guests completely empty.
However, this was merely the calm before the storm.
The gazes of two individuals standing opposite each other collided in the void. A taut tension hung in the air as if even the smallest spark might ignite an explosion.
A striking contrast was evident between the pair.
First, the man was a robust figure. His impressive height and well-defined muscles gave him a commanding presence, accentuated by the gloomy atmosphere emanating from his golden eyes.
In contrast, the girl facing him looked so youthful that she almost appeared delicate. With a petite frame, soft skin, and slender arms and legs, one could not help but feel her appearance did not belong to a warrior.
But how could the man be unaware?
Of the true terror of the monster wrapped in that girl’s facade.
The swordsman, who had spent his life searching for a worthy adversary, twisted the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“Even upon seeing you again, I cannot discern your origin… Who trained you? And to which lineage do you belong? I’ve roamed the continent searching for hermits in my youth, but I’ve never heard of a way to create a monster like you.”
Before long, the girl bore an expression of excitement.
She seemed to have no thought of defeat. In fact, her reaction was entirely understandable.
Though she bore the appearance of a lovely maiden, her essence was far different. The girl was one of the three Masters on the continent.
The Swordmaster.
The weight of that brief title was inversely proportional to its length. It represented the pinnacle of achievement obtained after countless legends and bloody battles, and only one being could contend with him for victory.
The Saint of the Holy Kingdom.
As long as the Master of the Southern Kingdom’s Sorceress did not reclaim her true form, it was only natural for the Swordmaster to be confident of victory against anyone but his lifelong rival.
Despite the girl’s composed demeanor, the man momentarily struggled to find a fitting response.
He merely averted his gaze and, after a faint sigh, posed a question.
His slightly crumbled expression unmistakably revealed his incredulity.
“…I’ve never heard of a Swordmaster pretending to be a girl.”
That was indeed a telling point.
At the man’s dry remark, the girl let out a sound of surprise, taking a step back. It didn’t take long for her previously relaxed demeanor to turn crimson.
The Swordmaster raised his voice and shouted fervently.
“T-That’s due to circumstances… Yes, there are compelling reasons!”
“I am curious about those circumstances, but…”
The man trailed off, glancing around furtively.
Elsi had already lost consciousness. The Sorceress had remained motionless since being thrown aside, leaving only the Swordmaster behind.
This was troubling.
Even so, the man could think of little else. The personality that would have originally owned this body was trapped in the World of Unconsciousness, and to forcibly awaken it, he himself would have to be heavily intoxicated to faint.
However, standing before a beast with its fur bristling…
No matter how heavy a drinker one might be, alcohol would not enter.
A voice devoid of any hope escaped the man’s lips.
“…Could you move aside? I am a bit busy.”
“Oh? Is that so? Then I feel sorry for you…”
The white blade in the Swordmaster’s hand was aimed at the man. Faced with this expected development, the man could only release a number of sighs and adjust his grip on the sword.
At that moment, a smile accompanied his declaration of war.
“…I have plenty of time!”
That was the signal.
With a crack, the two swordsmen changed direction, establishing new positions. The soil that had been trampled barely left a trace of their trajectories.
A single flash.
Flashes crossed each other.
The scenery and time were mismatched. The thin silver line etched in the void was parallel. In an instant, it seemed as if the world itself was silent, not even able to process this occurrence.
But a sword clash at a high level was no different from a natural disaster.
With a boom, the storm broke. The ground erupted following the silver line, and the agitated trees screeched, creating friction.
The term ‘typhoon’ was more fitting.
Who would dare to call this a catastrophe born from a single clash?
This was only the beginning.
The two individuals, without leaving any afterimage, leaped into the air with their swords facing each other. As the man altered the course of his sword with a sharp gesture, the girl’s blade followed suit, forming a diagonal cross.
As he applied more force, the two figures were propelled backward amidst a thunderous roar.
Clang clang!
The intersecting blades split the unfortunate ground and space, leaving a long trail behind. From the split void, starlight seeped out like blood before scattering.
Boom, boom, boom!
The dying cries of the severed giant trees resonated through the silenced forest. Dozens of tree chunks reverberated through the ground, passing vibrations up towards the man’s feet.
In that fleeting moment of intersection, the girl wore a bright smile.
Her panting breath openly displayed the peak of excitement.
“Your clean technique and unwavering stance… You’ve learned how to wield a sword properly. Who is your master?”
“The greatest swordsman of the continent.”
“Aha! That’s intriguing! You dare to invoke the name of the greatest swordsman before me… But, battle is not just about sword techniques…!”
With a sigh, the man exhaled.
He quietly closed his eyes. After all, wasn’t it already a known fact?
The initial clash was merely a warm-up.
The test of pure swords against one another was just a taste; the true world of swordsmanship was about to begin.
As he shut his eyes, his senses sharpened and the flow of time slowed.
Deeply, even deeper.
There were things that could only be seen when one was submerged this deeply.
Yes, just like right now.
Here it comes.
The speed of thought could not keep up with the phenomenon. Just as he felt something creeping in, the entire world had already been shattered.
What had been a heavy flow of time and space fragmented into dozens of pieces in an instant. Among the shattered surfaces of time, only one scene was visible.
The girl’s sword, aimed at the man with fierce eyes.
Up, down, left, right, surpassing the front and behind, it was a blow that transcended even time. The reflected image on the shattered mirror fragments unleashed hundreds of sword strikes simultaneously.
Until then, the man had shown no reaction. Holding his breath, he merely kept his sword at the ready.
With a spark that launched the first flame.
The torrents of blades began to explode like a downpour. The man’s sword, responding to each strike, moved so swiftly it appeared to be standing still.
However, there were several hundred strikes executed.
While the man could endure them, the ground he stood upon could not. When the onslaught of strikes exceeded dozens within the frozen moment, the earth beneath him began to crumble, causing his body to sway slightly.
And then, the remaining strikes came pouring down.
With a thunderous roar, the man’s body finally collapsed. Above him, the girl wore a fierce smile as she swung down her sword.
“Aha! Pretty impressive, but ultimately… this is the end…!”
It was then.
Time stopped once more.
The Master was a sort of superhuman, relatively unbound by the constraints of time and space. Thus, it was not surprising.
The only reason the girl’s expression turned grave was one.
The unwavering foothold of the man.
How was it possible?
The ground had already crumbled beneath him. It should be normal for the man standing above it to collapse.
Yet his feet did not stir at all. It was as if the void had become solid ground.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in the Swordmaster’s mind.
Long ago, he had seen this bizarre sight…
The contemplation did not last long.
Before the faint vision of the old scenery settled in his retina, the man’s movement began.
And then the girl realized.
It was not the sword.
The man’s technique had long since turned away from her. With a pretense of retreating, he had stepped onto a stone for leverage. The lowered body of the man was poised to spring forward like a spring.
And steam.
The droplets of sweat streaming down the man’s body were rising like vapor. Within the abruptly reversed atmosphere, the presence of the sword was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the honed flesh was the true weapon.
In that momentary realization.
The man took a step forward, and using his sword-bearing hand as a counterweight, his fist tore through the frozen time and soared forward.
Thus, the Swordmaster could only chuckle bitterly.
Had he seen such a scene before?
Indeed. It was a memory that would never be forgotten.
On the day he encountered his lifelong rival, he had asked whether the sword or the fist was stronger.
That was the answer.
A miracle that turns the terrain with nothing but the human body.
How could he ever forget that day when, with a single punch, he blew away an entire mountain?
Those three syllables still lingered clearly in the folds of his brain.
“Bungsan Gyeok.”
“Damn…”
That was the last.
The man twisted his waist as he took a step forward, and with all his might, his fist struck the blade that couldn’t find its mark and slammed into the girl’s abdomen.
With a dull sound, the girl’s body bent at a right angle.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, dirt and wood soared high into the sky.
It was truly a tidal wave of brute force.
A single strike capable of collapsing a mountain was aimed directly at the girl’s body.
The moment I saw the weeping girl, I dashed forward.
I did not know why. Only a sense of duty governed my thoughts.
As I reached in front of the girl, my knees slowly bent.
The voice that flowed from my lips was plain.
“Senior Elsi…?”
Then, upon hearing my voice, the girl slowly lifted her head, sniffling.
Her eyes still glimmered with tears as she held my gaze.
“…Who are you?”
It was a long-awaited encounter, marked by a tone that dripped with arrogance.
