Chapter 70 : Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Choice (7)

Tayon Adjak’s blue aura surged toward me at a rapid pace.

The moment it made contact, the arm sprouting from Nagelmayer’s forehead was severed.

“How dare you…!”

Nagelmayer let out a piercing scream and staggered to its feet.

It shook off the hand gripping my sword. As a result, I was flung to the side.

I quickly scrambled to my feet and retreated.

Tayon walked slowly, brushing past me.

I knew that Crow’s support forces were coming to Crimson Basin, but I hadn’t expected Tayon, one of the Twelve Swords of Adjak, to show up in person.

The moment Tayon appeared, the suffocating fear of death that had been tightening around my throat vanished in an instant.

“Gaaah! I’ll kill you!”

Tayon neither responded to the demon’s enraged voice nor spared me a glance, simply walking forward at a steady pace.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The hole in Nagelmayer’s chest began to regenerate.

If I had been just a bit stronger, I could have killed it with [Clio’s Divine Spear].

But by unleashing the spear, I had managed to save my life and those of my comrades, so it wasn’t a meaningless act.

Tayon swung his sword in an X-shape through the air.

The motion was simple, but the result was anything but.

A blue crescent-shaped aura shot into the air, raining down on Nagelmayer.

“Urgh!”

The silent sword energy sliced through both of Nagelmayer’s arms.

The smug confidence that had been on its face moments ago was nowhere to be found.

Its thick, sturdy arms flew into the air.

“You worthless human scrap! I’ll kill you!”

Tayon, still silent, swung his sword again.

Another wave of blue sword energy severed Nagelmayer’s legs.

Even in that moment, Nagelmayer’s body wriggled, regenerating.

But Tayon didn’t rush.

He turned his head to look at me and asked, “Is it alright to kill it?”

“Yes, I’ve learned its intentions.”

There might be more information to uncover, but Nagelmayer was too dangerous.

With arms sprouting from its body, it was hard to restrain, and its regenerative abilities were formidable.

Moreover, Nagelmayer had already killed Tello’s top operative.

It deserved to die.

Then, something astonishing happened.

Suddenly, the surroundings darkened as if night had fallen.

The mana in the air shifted.

It felt as though Tayon was dominating the world itself.

Tayon raised his sword.

It glowed with a blue light, shining nobly in the darkness.

Fourfold Transformation.

The hallmark of the 8th Rank.

The effect of a will that interferes with the world itself.

Tayon’s will has transformed the world.

The radius around where Tayon stood was his domain.

All the light in the world was drawn into Tayon’s raised sword.

He swung it slowly.

Unlike before, no blue sword energy tore through the air toward Nagelmayer.

Thud.

Yet Nagelmayer collapsed.

Only after it fell did I see the blue sword energy, which had shredded its body before dissipating.

As Tayon sheathed his sword, the world’s light returned.

Tayon didn’t even check if Nagelmayer was dead.

As if there was no need, he turned and approached me.

“Can you comprehend it?”

“…I’m still lacking and couldn’t perceive it.”

I had seen Tayon fight before, but I had never witnessed the Fourfold Transformation.

In other words, this was the first time I had encountered Fourfold Transformation since arriving in this world.

I couldn’t understand how it had happened.

By the time I noticed, Tayon’s will had already dominated the world.

“You’ve already reached the 5th Rank. Considering your age, that’s an astonishing achievement.”

Tayon spoke warmly.

Perhaps because the tension from Nagelmayer’s death had lifted, or because I was thrilled by the recognition, something welled up deep in my chest.

“Thank you. But I’m still lacking. My sword… it couldn’t even touch that demon.”

“You’re several times more remarkable than I was at your age. But your standards are likely set much higher.”

“Someday, I will surpass Lord Adjak.”

Tayon gave a gentle smile.

It wasn’t amusement at a mere 16-year-old mentioning the unparalleled hero of this world, his ancestor, Adjak.

“It’s been a while. Shall I take a look at your sword?”

With that, Tayon drew his sword.

During the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Tayon had observed my swordsmanship several times.

But he had never sparred with me, crossing blades directly.

This time was different.

Tayon pointed his sword at me and asked, “Can you face me?”

“Of course.”

I drew my sword as well—the Branch of World Tree that Tayon had once gifted me.

“Swing with the intent to kill me.”

I nodded.

I tapped into my Dragon Heart, releasing mana.

I enveloped the Branch of World Tree with aura.

Until that moment, Tayon hadn’t moved.

He simply held his sword aimed at me.

Yet his stance seemed as unyielding as a mountain.

How does one move a mountain?

I would find out by crossing blades.

Tayon had told me to swing with the intent to kill, and I intended to follow his words.

Clang!

I charged, thrusting my sword.

Tayon, with a slight twist of his wrist, deflected it with minimal movement.

The mountain didn’t budge easily.

I swung again, trying to seize the flow.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal echoed through the forest.

Yet Tayon’s stance barely shifted.

He hadn’t lifted either foot, firmly rooted to the ground.

Was this even possible?

I wielded the Branch of World Tree, imbued with the [Cutting] tune, and my sword was shimmering with aura.

But Tayon wasn’t even using sword energy or coating his blade with aura.

I couldn’t fathom why my sword couldn’t break his.

“You must focus on whether your will is imbued in your sword. A resolute will is stronger than aura.”

Tayon was instructing me even as he parried with ease.

I wasn’t frustrated.

His words lingered in my mind.

Imbue the sword with will?

I couldn’t grasp how to do it.

I knew that Fourfold Transformation was the pinnacle of manifesting will.

In the game, I had reached the 8th Rank countless times.

But raising one’s rank in a game was vastly different from reality.

I couldn’t comprehend what it meant to interfere with the laws of the world through my will.

Of course, the rank I was aiming for wasn’t the 8th.

I had only just crossed the threshold of the 5th Rank.

I needed to master handling aura more skillfully first.

At the same time, I had to find clues to reach the 6th Rank, Materialization.

The condition for the 6th Rank was mana transforming in accordance with one’s unique traits.

My Dragon Heart transformed my mana into something extraordinary.

When I absorbed mana through breathing, it was filtered through my heart, altering its nature and increasing its density.

But this transformation was more the power of the Dragon Heart than my own.

It couldn’t be considered a transformation aligned with my inherent traits.

To reach the 6th Rank, it seemed I needed to move beyond relying solely on the Dragon Heart.

Clang!

Clang!

My sword clashed with Tayon’s, but I couldn’t overpower him.

I keenly felt the importance of will.

My aura couldn’t overcome Tayon’s will.

Someday, I would reach the 7th Rank, where I could wield will, and the 8th Rank, where one’s will could alter the world.

But I believed the rank I should aim for now wasn’t so lofty.

My grip tightened on the sword.

“Strength is important. But it’s not everything. Hone your will.”

Yet Tayon continued to emphasize will.

Suddenly, I grew confused about what will even was.

The things I had done instinctively began to falter.

Like a child forgetting how to walk, my movements became awkward.

Crack!

Tayon reversed his sword and struck my jaw with the hilt.

“Focus. If your thoughts waver, you’ll die.”

Should I think?

Or empty my mind?

For now, I focused on the sword.

I swung with Linked Sword, as Adjak would have.

I learned Linked Sword from Tayon.

Seizing the flow was what I did best.

But it didn’t work.

Frustration welled up.

Tayon moved minimally, yet each twist of his sword disrupted my flow.

“Use your tune as well. Be conscious that manifesting your tune is your will.”

I unleashed [Flame of the Spirit] first.

A ghastly blue flame roared to life, surging as if to engulf Tayon.

Whoosh!

For the first time, Tayon swung his arm widely.

The flame split in half.

I felt the Flame of the Spirit dissipate in the air.

But I focused my will on [Flame of the Spirit].

Don’t fade.

Burn brighter.

The flame, on the verge of extinguishing, flared up again.

Even as the intense heat surged toward him, Tayon smiled faintly.

“At least you’re adept at wielding your tune.”

Clang!

Tayon swung his sword broadly again.

“Wielding a tune is also will. But you must look beyond.”

The flame on the Branch of World Tree extinguished instantly.

“Tune and mana are not separate. Infuse [Flame of the Spirit] into your aura.”

Was that possible?

I cast aside doubt.

I let [Flame of the Spirit] flow onto the sword.

The blade shimmered with white aura, and blue flames flickered atop it.

But the two energies didn’t merge.

The flames merely burned over the aura.

“Combine them. You can do it.”

I focused on the flames.

At the same time, I concentrated on converting mana into aura.

I didn’t doubt whether it was possible.

My mind felt like it was burning as two mechanisms operated simultaneously.

Blood trickled from my nose.

My consciousness flickered, on the verge of breaking under extreme focus.

But I refused to let go of either the aura or the tune.

Then, a change occurred.

The [Flame of the Spirit], which had only burned atop the aura without merging, transformed.

The white aura and blue flames combined.

The colors coexisted—white and blue—but the aura’s form changed.

It no longer merely coated the sword nobly; it began to blaze like fire.

Tayon smiled brightly.

“You did it.”

I couldn’t respond to Tayon’s words.

My mind and the spar were far too complex for that.

But there was something I could do.

Swing my sword.

The Branch of World Tree traced a diagonal arc.

The flame-wreathed sword clashed with Tayon’s.

Clang!

A clear sound rang out.

Tayon’s sword snapped cleanly in two.

[Cutting] had manifested.

At that moment, I had surpassed Tayon.

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