Chapter 137 : Chapter 137

Chapter 137 - Bone Sorcery as Swordsmanship

—Just when is this going to end?

It was a sentiment expressed for the nth time in the Elder’s conference room.

The mountain of documents had dwindled, but they weren't completely gone.

The paper mountains still existed, and they sat in small groups, continuing with short and long meetings.

Right now, their only pleasure was hearing outside news, like inmates.

News that made their eyes pop open arrived one after another to the elders.

“The First Son-nim has come down from the Ash Mountains…?”

He had lowered his voice unconsciously, but there was no need.

“The Undead Knight Legion in the Mujin Plains. He’s causing a bloodbath as soon as he arrives.”

“The direction of their advance is…. as expected, I suppose.”

The other elders were also swallowing hard as they listened to their subordinates' reports.

Strangely, the subordinates who arrived at the conference hall simultaneously all brought the same news.

Less than four days after the First Son descended from the Ash Mountains, the Undead Knight Legion was revived.

Furthermore, the sword he raised high to pierce his kinsmen had remained undefeated to this day.

“Before the First Son-nim entered the Ash Mountains, the Fourth Son-nim and the Daughters couldn't easily leave the Pantheon.”

The one-armed elder, Kalsbach's words were picked up by the boyish-looking Elder Salace.

“Because the Undead Knight Legion would find them like ghosts the moment they poked their heads out.”

Thus, they knew the terror of the undead army.

After the First Son, as if bored, holed himself up in the Ash Mountains, the remaining kinsmen pursued power.

The Fourth Son built the Black Giant Castle, and the Daughters absorbed more spirits.

They became incomparably stronger than in the past and learned the Family Sorcery, but the same was true for the First Son.

In addition, a new kinsman had joined this power dynamic.

The First Son knew this and showed curiosity.

“The fact that the First Son-nim raised an army without even visiting the Pantheon to see the Family Head-nim means he is definitely targeting the Fifth Son-nim.”

Kalsbach, unable to omit the honorific due to Graham’s watchful eye, swallowed dryly.

“If he knows about the Fifth Son-nim, he must have also heard about Eclipse, the Dark Elixir business, and the Blue Volcano incident.”

“Isn't that why he woke up the sleeping Undead Knight Legion? He didn't let his guard down after seeing what the Fifth Son-nim accomplished in a short time.”

“Which side are you on?”

“…What kind of question is that?”

“It's the question everyone here is keeping to themselves.”

Kalsbach pointed with his remaining arm at the elders who were receiving reports from their subordinates.

They had even put down the documents they were reading, their faces full of thought.

The First Son, who had poured oil on the settling power dynamics with his appearance.

Now that all the kinsmen were making their moves in earnest, it was time for the family's powerful figures to get busy as well.

“We have sided with the Daughters for now, but there's no need to be bound by it. At least not since the First Son-nim has arrived.”

“The First Son-nim trusts nothing but his own skills. I’ve never seen a good outcome when the elders tried to contact him.”

“Indeed…. That’s true.”

Kalsbach fell silent again.

Thump, thump—

A couple of thuds echoed through the conference room that was about to get noisy.

Graham retracted the hand that had knocked on the desk back into his sleeve.

“It seems you have all finished modifying the defense systems. In that case, I will write down your names and report to the Family Head-nim as is.”

“W-Wait a moment! Elder Graham!”

“I-I’m not done yet!”

“I’ll get right on it…!”

At the mention of the Family Head’s name, the hall became busy again.

Even so, Graham knew very well that the minds of these old veterans were full of stray thoughts.

He sighed and mulled over the report he had also received.

‘The First Son-nim's advance…. He must be quite interested.’

First Son Hiler Black Millesdusk.

He was the child in whom the current Family Head had first shown interest.

It was partly because Hiler was the firstborn, but also because the subsequent children were not satisfactory.

His love for his children had ceased due to the later children not being as outstanding as the first.

Of course, that interest was revived with the Youngest Son, but until then, that was how it had been.

The frontrunner in the succession competition, favored by the Family Head.

And the latecomer in the succession competition, whom the Family Head had recently begun to favor.

The two were about to clash, whether anyone cared or not.

For Graham, it was unwelcome news.

‘The completion of the new business and the new organization are both just around the corner. It will be finished with a little more time, but the chief director, the Fifth Son-nim, cannot be absent now.’

There were two cases where he would be absent.

Death. Or an injury equivalent to death.

Both were outcomes to be avoided.

A buffer was needed to be placed between the clash.

A protector was needed to get up quickly even if hit.

But who on earth could block the First Son’s sword? Did such a gutsy person even exist?

“Elder Graham.”

Someone approached him as he was organizing the systems with heavy sighs.

Amidst the hoarse and deep voices of the old men, it was the only refreshing tone.

An elder with a youthful appearance, though not as much as Salace, smiled.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind. My share of the ancient texts is finished, so is there anything I can do to help you?”

“…Elder Shina.”

He quietly looked up at her.

With a harmless appearance, her chick-yellow hair was neatly braided and hung down on both sides.

But she was a woman whose mind worked faster than anyone else sitting here.

Accordingly, she was quick-witted and had a good eye for reading the state of affairs.

Even now, she approached with those good eyes and asked innocently.

Graham, who had been looking at her for a moment, gave a small nod and then stood up abruptly.

“Elder Shina, follow me for a moment. Don't you know that an education system should be easy to understand, and the overuse of unique terms should be restrained?”

“I-I’m sorry…. I was just trying to save time….”

“Follow me.”

The two left the conference room.

She must have made some kind of mistake. The elders thought so and started talking about the First Son again.

They also made bets on how much of the new Eclipse, built with Magitech, would be destroyed.

To prevent such a thing, Graham had called Shina outside.

“There is something I need you to do.”

“Please, tell me.”

As if their tense atmosphere from moments ago was a lie, their expressions changed in an instant.

Graham spoke.

“You must go to Eclipse right now. Your task is—”

“The survival of the Fifth Son-nim and the preservation of Eclipse. I am well aware.”

Shina smiled gently and continued.

“If the Fifth Son-nim dies here, the ownerless money, the future value of the business, and all subsequent plans will go up in smoke.”

“Precisely. Go to Eclipse and help if the Fifth Son-nim is preparing some kind of defense, and do not let the First Son-nim discover your identity.”

“Of course. But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

Shina’s eyes briefly glanced towards the Mind Demon within the Pantheon.

“The Family Head-nim must be more aware of the value placed on the Fifth Son-nim’s neck than we are. Why does he not stop the First Son-nim?”

Graham smiled faintly.

“If the Fifth Son-nim were to die at the hands of the First Son-nim, the Family Head-nim would ask the First Son-nim about the value Elder Shina mentioned.”

“Ah…”

“If the First Son-nim fails to create that much value, he will be punished accordingly for his failure.”

“…Because slaughter without thought for the aftermath is not the act of a monarch or a conqueror, but of a genocidal maniac who must be eliminated.”

“That is so. And I do not wish to see such a scene, nor do I wish to see the Fifth Son-nim die.”

Shina nodded.

“The same goes for me. I’m quite interested in the new elder who joined this time.”

“Just don’t cause any new trouble. My head is already about to explode with just the fire-attribute defense system.”

“I’ll be on my way.”

With her final reply, she vanished into a haze.

***

Clang—!! Clang, clang—!!

The cold friction sound of swords clashing erupted repeatedly on the lowest floor.

The lowest floor of the Dark Moon Grand Castle, used as a training hall, wasn’t brightly lit, but the clash of the two swords illuminated the surroundings.

“Your skills have improved.”

“One must, to live.”

The two exchanged simple words but continued their deadly attacks.

They clashed with strikes that could kill if they landed wrong, time and time again.

“It’s an undeniable fact that you are a genius, Youngest Son-nim, but the absolute difference in time is too stark.”

First Son Hiler had honed himself for ten years in the Ash Mountains.

But the Youngest Son here had been out of the Pantheon for less than a year.

However, to have come this far in such a short time was a talent that would make even the heavens tremble.

The downside was that the probability of not being able to display that talent for long was also infinitely high.

Kwoooong—

The bodies of the two swordsmen were pushed back by the shockwave that spread as their powers offset each other.

“Not only are you behind in pure swordsmanship skills, but the First Son-nim won’t be facing you with pure swordsmanship alone in the first place.”

“The same goes for me. In fact, I welcome it.”

Bloodflame engulfed my body.

The Youngest Son, who had undergone Blood Demonization in an instant, heated the surroundings and became several times faster.

He no longer set foot on the ground and thrust his sword from freer trajectories and angles.

It didn't matter if the blade didn't reach.

The blood-colored flame that covered the blade upon Blood Demonization scattered its vivid red color to its heart’s content.

“It’s still not enough.”

[Don’t worry.]

A voice far from human answered.

A subspace opened behind the haze of the Bloodflame.

At the same time, a swarm of spiders poured out, making the lowest floor even more like a demonic realm.

The atmosphere that had been erased in the past came alive again, and the master of the spider swarm walked out.

“You’ve even made the collateral branch into your private soldiers.”

[They tried to kill me, so I just made them realize the price for it.]

“I have no intention of blaming you, of course. I just felt like I saw the easiest way to learn the Family Sorcery.”

To create private soldiers from the hearts of opponents who have learned the Family Sorcery.

That way, the Family Sorcery could also be absorbed as one’s own power.

The Gatekeeper brutally cut down the swarming spiders, further realizing its fraudulent nature.

The spiders were not even ordinary spiders. Every time one was cut, poison burst out, aiming for its prey.

The Bloodflame strikes did not stop either. The master of the spider swarm spread spiderwebs for binding at the right moments.

It was truly a chaotic battle.

“To be honest, from here on, it’s a level of power where I would have to wear my bone armor or use the Limitless Sword.”

[Don’t be sarcastic when you haven’t even used the Monarch's Aura Body.]

“I am acknowledging that you are using a great combination.”

Besides, he wasn't using the most lethal Exploding Bone since it was a spar.

If a series of explosions occurred here, the opponent would surely find it hard to keep his senses.

The Youngest Son even knew the Limitless Sword and had learned various curses besides it.

But that didn't guarantee an unconditional victory.

“You asked me to tell you about the First Son-nim's sword. It’s unrefined, but I can imitate it. I will show you that one strike.”

The First Son’s swordsmanship required a great understanding of both Bone Sorcery and Cursed Swordsmanship.

The family’s greatest Cursed Knight was far from sorcery, though he knew swordsmanship.

Adding that it was unrefined, he readjusted his grip on the sword.

Even at this moment, the swarm of spiders and the Bloodflame did not stop, trying to touch his skin.

It was at that moment.

D-d-d-d-d-d-d-duk—

White bone marrow began to cling to the surface of the Gatekeeper's single-edged greatsword.

The marrows held hands with each other and tightly wrapped the surface of the blade.

But that was merely a sign.

A signal that the swordsmanship had taken form.

Swaaaak—

A light horizontal slash followed.

However, the ensuing strike was by no means light.

“The purpose of Cursed Swordsmanship is to imbue a curse into the swordsmanship and sublimate it into a sword strike. Depending on what is imbued, the sword strikes vary infinitely.”

“…I know.”

The Youngest Son released his Blood Demonization and looked at the flower bed made of bone marrow.

The amount of magic power accumulated while living as the family’s god of war and his understanding of Cursed Swordsmanship. In contrast, the unimpressive bone marrow.

Nevertheless, the sword strike followed its trajectory, making bone marrow bloom and crushing the spider swarm.

The floor became soaked with poison, and the Gatekeeper put away his single-edged greatsword and spoke.

“Mine merely ends with bone marrow, but the First Son-nim incorporates not only the Skeleton Soldiers you favor, Youngest Son-nim, but also their higher-tier versions.”

“He would.”

I nodded calmly.

If that were to happen, just as the Gatekeeper had done here.

Skeleton Soldiers would be created in the path swept by the sword strike, corresponding to the amount of magic power invested.

That power, which completed the intermediate process with Cursed Swordsmanship, was the foundation of the First Son.

“Do you feel it now?”

“I feel like I need one more collaborator.”

“Who are you referring to as a collaborator?”

“Someone who is so overworked that they would come looking for me on their own. Good work. I enjoyed your little show.”

The Youngest Son sheathed his magic sword, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away.

Ah, but before that.

“Clean this up.”

“……”

Gesturing vaguely at the lowest floor covered in bone marrow, the Youngest Son went to greet his guest.

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