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Translator: M.S
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: This Time for Sure
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“Milo!”
*Whoooosh—!*
I drew my Aura Blade and charged.
A ferocious, driving storm.
The pinnacle of aura swordsmanship, capable of destroying anything.
Or so I believed.
*Clang!*
“Kuh...?!”
My Aura Blade was blocked.
The monster, which looked like a hairless werewolf, extended its ashen claws and intercepted my Aura Blade.
*‘I couldn't cut it...?’*
An Aura Blade imbued with ancient Sword Ki.
The very sword that had forced Count Ksias to offer up his neck was stopped by mere monster claws?
*Craaash!*
Though it didn't cut through, the destructive power of the Aura Blade was not entirely ineffective.
With a powerful shockwave, the ashen claws blocking my path were thrown back.
I rushed through the opening, aiming for the monster's neck.
*‘Right. So what if it’s blocked? As long as I can kill it…!’*
*Whoosh—!*
A grin—
The monster looked at me, its snout splitting into a wide grin.
As if it knew I'd aim for its neck, it casually pulled its head back, effortlessly dodging my sword.
The dizzying sensation of striking empty air.
*‘What the...!’*
I barely managed to calm my mind, which was on the verge of running wild with agitation.
Focusing until the tip of my nose tingled, I swung my sword again with all my might.
*Hwoong—!*
It didn't connect.
Only the vertigo of missing a step washed over me.
The monster's reaction speed was absurdly fast, almost bizarre.
*Clang! Claaang!*
After knocking aside its ashen claws with my Aura Blade and breaking its stance, I unleashed several decisive strikes, but every one missed.
“Why!”
“Just!”
“Why!”
It felt like I was fighting an untouchable fog.
Even with all the combat experience I had accumulated, I couldn't figure out how to deal with it.
After a desperate struggle, I had only managed to cut down two of the monsters.
A voice broke through my narrowing vision.
“What are you doing, Lansen! Don’t act alone!”
Iodine had appeared beside me at some point.
“But Milo…!”
In truth, Milo was already out of sight.
All I could see was the swarm of monsters.
Iodine spoke coldly.
“Give up. It’s already too late.”
“…”
I knew it too. She was right.
*‘It’s too late...’*
Why does my chest feel so heavy?
I must have projected too much of my own children onto Milo.
Swallowing the bitter taste rising in my throat, I forced myself to let go.
“Sorry. I got carried away. Let’s get out of here together.”
“Right. Keep your head on straight.”
I tried to pull back with Iodine.
“Grrrrr!”
“Graaaah!”
But this time, the monsters wouldn't let us go.
Whether they had devoured Milo or torn him to shreds, I didn't know... The monsters that had gathered around him suddenly scattered like a swarm of hornets and rushed toward us.
Their tough claws, capable of blocking even an Aura Blade, tore through the air from all directions like a storm.
“Lansen, listen carefully!”
Iodine said amidst the claws of death scratching at us from every side.
“I’m going to strike their necks... so you block their claws. You can do that, right?”
“Strike their necks? But their reactions are too fast…!”
“I can do it. So. You can do your part, right?”
I nodded instead of answering.
I can do it.
If it's just defense, it's no problem at all.
*Huuuuu—*
I took a deep breath.
I drew up a massive amount of aura from my core and spread it through my body like a net.
To that, I added the principles of the Body Sword (Chegeom).
A body that killed air resistance, shifted its center of gravity, and possessed elasticity.
On top of that, I added the output of my aura.
Vanroah Royal Swordsmanship.
Acceleration Sword [Torrent]
*Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-clang!*
Dozens of sword strikes unleashed in a single moment.
Striking their necks was difficult, but parrying their already extended claws was nothing.
Penetrating their defense to strike the neck required two movements, but deflecting an incoming attack only took one.
I could predict the attack path just by looking at the angle of their claws, and my extended Aura Blade could cover a wide area.
Dark blue aura exploded around Iodine like a pair of giant wings, protecting her front, back, left, and right.
The monsters' claws, which had been covering us like a storm, were flung back, revealing a circular empty space.
“Nice.”
Iodine leaped into that space and began to dance.
*Slice!*
*Shlick!*
With every flick of her dance-like movements, a monster's head fell.
The necks I couldn't even touch fell before Iodine's sword as easily as rotten fruit.
*‘So this is Entrusting Sword (Geomtak)...’*
It was my first time seeing it in a real fight,
and it was even more incredible than I'd imagined.
The quantity and quality of information she received through her sword were different, as was her reaction speed.
When my accumulated experience paled before a type of enemy I'd never faced, Iodine, using Geomtak, was like a fish in water, showing her true worth.
“This is great!”
Iodine said in a bright voice.
Of course it is.
I'm providing defense and even breaking the enemies' stances for her.
If Iodine had been alone, she wouldn't have avoided a tough fight either.
But the two of us had good synergy.
Me, who could overwhelm the wolf monsters with sheer power, and Iodine, who could strike their necks faster than they could react.
We quickly cut down the monsters and broke through their encirclement.
Iodine shouted.
“We’re almost there! We’ll break through and join the knights! The monsters are undoubtedly after the treasure our master brought back! We have to stop them!”
Just as we were about to escape the encirclement,
“Grrrrr!”
Three monsters that had stuck with us to the end blocked our path.
Iodine, flicking away beads of sweat, shouted.
“This is the last of them! One more time!”
I'd parry the claws, and Iodine would strike the neck.
*Whooong—*
The moment I once again imbued Vanroah with my Aura Blade,
*Grrrgle!*
*Kwaaarrrr!*
something completely unexpected happened.
Without any warning, the monsters' abdomens and chests burst open, and dozens of tentacles shot out from within at tremendous speed.
*Th-th-th-thwack!*
It happened so suddenly that I couldn't react at all.
The one who did react was Iodine.
Leaping in front of me like lightning, Iodine protected me, her sword flashing in all directions.
Sparks scattered like fireworks.
A diM.S feat possible only because she used Geomtak, which brought her reaction time close to zero.
But,
there were too many tentacles.
*P-p-p-p-puk!*
The sharp tentacles finally bypassed her sword and pierced through Iodine's body.
Even after riddling Iodine's body, they still had enough force to stab at me, but thanks to my aura shield, I only suffered minor scratches.
“Iodine!”
So,
there was no reason for Iodine to shield me.
Even if I had taken the full brunt of that attack, I would have been injured, but I wouldn't have died...
“Why…?”
Why did you shield me? You could have just dodged. You were able to dodge.
Iodine struggled to look at me, the light fading from her eyes.
“I’m sorry... You have... to survive... You’re... Master’s only... disciple... now...”
I couldn't react.
Because unlike Iodine, I hadn't mastered Geomtak.
I could only stare blankly as her body, riddled with holes, was flung into the air.
“Iodine!!!!”
I don't remember much after that.
I just fought, frantically drawing out my aura.
Their claws couldn't easily pierce my aura shield, and my sword couldn't break their claws. It was a frustrating stalemate where I barely managed to cut down a few.
Was that why?
The creatures didn't bother with me for long.
One by one, they left the grand banquet hall.
In the end, I was left alone.
I stood dazedly among the countless corpses.
From the neck of a monster I thought was dead, its head severed by Iodine, tentacles squirmed out and began to reattach it to the body.
Truly persistent bastards.
The monsters, having finally reattached their heads, growled and glared at me before leaping out of the banquet hall.
Just as Iodine had said, it seemed their target was elsewhere.
It was probably the cult's treasure that the Grand Duke had brought back as a spoil of war.
“Why did things suddenly get so intense….”
I had never imagined such an outcome.
The gap from last time is just too big, isn't it?
Last time, the most I had to deal with was taking down a single high-level Sword Expert...?
I caught a glimpse.
Iodine's blonde hair, trampled among the corpses like a discarded doll.
Milo's light green body, torn to shreds.
I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped outside the grand banquet hall.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Gyaaaah!”
A scene from hell unfolded before me.
The monsters that had swarmed the central mansion were devouring the servants and trampling the estate.
The knights were resisting, but the monsters were too numerous and powerful. It looked like it would take a long time to drive them back.
Of all times, Sir Brook Denar, the Sword Master and captain of the Horizon Knights, was nowhere to be seen.
“What is that now….”
To the south, in the heart of the city, an ominous fluorescent glow was soaring into the sky.
A bizarre color, just like the moonlight of the Psychedelic Moon.
I didn't know why, but I realized it instinctively.
That light was the cause of everything that happened today.
*Crrrack.*
I thought I'd gotten stronger...
But I couldn't protect anyone.
All I could do was stand there, helplessly enduring the sight of what looked like the end of the world.
[History alteration has failed.]
Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice.
[Rewinding time by consuming a shattered causality.]
Rewinding time?
[Shattered causality is not infinite. Failure means complete defeat. Please be prudent with every moment.]
You're giving me... another chance!?
[I wish you good fortune.]
After the business-like voice faded,
*Fwip-fwip-fwip!*
the Book of Fate, which had popped out of a subspace on its own, flew wide open.
[Luceras Calendar Year 4673. November 21st, clear skies. My master returned after seizing a treasure from a cult...]
The very page that had been open when I first arrived here began to erase itself from the end.
...returned after seizing a treasur...
...returned after seizing a...
...returned after...
...
*Tick-tock-tick-tock*
Along with the loud ticking of a second hand, my body once again departed from the current timeline.
And when I snapped back to my senses,
it was a bright, sunny morning.
*Clip-clop*
I was on horseback, and beside me, a sturdy man with black hair rode a horse of his own.
He looked at me and spoke casually.
“That’s right, Lansen. We met by chance, and I took you as my disciple.”
Grand Duke Laitena Celsius.
I had returned to the moment I first met him.
* * *
Luceras Calendar Year 4673. November 21st.
Everything was the same as the first time.
By rewinding time, the Book of Fate had made its will clear.
On the last day of the exchange,
I was to stop the monsters.
I didn't know what the Book of Fate was or what it wanted from me... but for now, I was so grateful I could cry.
The fact that it had given me another chance.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Had I been staring for too long? Grand Duke Laitena's reaction was different from before.
So was mine.
“Master.”
“Hm?”
“What is the spoil of war you brought back?”
Grand Duke Laitena's eyes narrowed.
I know.
It's a reckless move for me to ask something like this when we haven't even built a relationship of trust.
But still...
If it means I can prevent that tragedy.
The Grand Duke studied me for a moment, then, surprisingly, answered readily.
“A holy relic of a cult.”
“A holy relic... Master. The truth is...!”
I tried to tell him. That because of it, a great disaster would occur. So... he couldn't leave his post.
But,
“Enough.”
The Grand Duke wasn't looking at me.
He was looking up at the sky, as if listening to some voice.
“I do not know what is happening…”
He lowered his gaze to look me straight in the eye and said.
“But it seems this is something you must handle, not I.”
What...?
What on earth?
What do you know?
I wanted to grab him by the collar and demand answers, but...
“I do not know either. It is just that somehow... you have my pity, and my thanks.”
That was all the Grand Duke said.
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