LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 194
Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 194
A Unique Sword Spirit.
It was a spell that only an Advanced Sword Master, who had reached the pinnacle of mastery, could discover on their own.
A spell that embodied one's deeply ingrained imagery and will into the world through aura—this was the Sword Spell.
‘It sounds poetic to call it imagery, but in reality, it's nothing short of trauma.’
A vivid memory, one so intense that it was impossible to forget no matter how hard you tried.
Therefore, the form of the Sword Spirit awakened by each warrior varied greatly.
This was because everyone harbored different imagery.
And for Aden, the image that gripped him most powerfully was the moment he slayed the Mad Dragon.
In other words, when he killed the Hermit.
‘Hmm, putting it that way feels a bit strange.’
But what could he do? It was the truth.
For a moment, Aden thought of the Hermit, who was likely conspiring with Gustav to create something bizarre back in Stoneheim, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
This was an important moment.
- Cleaving through the blazing flames that could melt a thousand-year-old castle.
The key to using the Sword Spirit was to visualize the image in detail.
Aden visualized it.
The roar that even terrified a Master.
The searing heat that melted castles, like a furnace.
Although it was a feat from the now-vanished pre-regression world, the imagery of that moment was still etched deep in his soul.
However, Aden personally thought that his Unique Sword Spirit wasn't particularly impressive.
He couldn't send slashing strikes that transcended space like the Sword Spirit of Grand Duke Sias.
Nor could he summon a storm with aura like Kaan's Sword Spirit.
- I will slash down all oppression that seeks to subdue me.
His Sword Spirit was simply about ‘slashing.’
A sword that ‘slays dragons.’
Naturally, the implication of being able to slay a dragon was that:
‘It means I can cut through anything in this world.’
Even if that thing was a storm.
< The Sword Spell, ‘Dragon-Slaying Sword’ is being manifested.>
Hwaaat!
Light erupted.
Whooosh!
Flames flared up.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Kaan's blood-red storm, like a tornado reminiscent of a red dragon ascending to the heavens, engulfed Aden.
He brought his sword down.
In that instant.
The divine beasts, who had been fiercely battling the undead mythical beast, turned their heads.
The Eastern Army, in the midst of thrusting their spears, hesitated.
Likewise, the Western Army, who was also engaged in battle, was left in a daze.
The Great Chief Kaan's eyes widened.
Everyone on the battlefield saw it.
KWAH-AAAAAANG!
A massive pillar of flame, resembling the blue sky, slashed through the storm.
The heavens and earth trembled.
* * *
Kaan, the Chief of the Black Tiger Tribe and a Great Warrior, was a man with greater ambition than anyone else.
‘I will rise to the highest peak above all things in this world.’
His thinking, in line with the Black Tiger Tribe's belief in the survival of the fittest, sought strength above all else. But at some point, he realized there was an ‘absolutely powerful existence’ that humans could never surpass.
Woooosh.
There was a day when a storm struck his tribe.
The storm swept away even warriors who had trained for decades, burying them in landslides, and it reduced his once-fearless tribesmen to cowering in terror, waiting helplessly for the storm to pass.
Kaan was no exception.
It was then that he realized.
No matter how strong or well-trained he became, he was nothing but a weak, insignificant insect before the violence of nature.
And Kaan could not accept this fact.
‘It is the law of nature for the strong to overcome and become strong themselves. Then, why can’t humans overcome nature itself?’
Becoming a being that could slash through even nature, even storms.
This became his desire.
A truly paradoxical and contradictory thought—revering the laws of nature yet wanting to become an existence greater than nature itself.
“Chief of the Black Tiger Tribe, will you join hands with us?”
“We will fulfill your ambition.”
So when a group wielding sinister energy appeared and made an offer, he accepted it.
He swallowed a foreboding stone fragment, embraced its power, and became truly strong.
‘I want to prove it.’
That humans can rise above nature.
That a being can exist that can even cut through nature.
That is why he sought to prove it himself.
By defeating the divine beasts and even destroying the kingdom of mages in the north.
To prove that he was equal to the great nature.
‘I will become the storm that sweeps through the world.’
That was his one and only burning desire.
**But.**
Surely, it should have been so...
\- I am the one who slashes the dragon's reverse scale.
The moment he heard the voice of the stranger before him, he felt as if he had been transported back to the past.
Yes.
Just like when he was a child, trembling before a storm.
\- I will slash down all oppression that seeks to subdue me.
When the massive flame sword, towering tens of meters high, cleaved through the storm he had created, he realized it.
“Haha.”
He laughed.
“Hahahahahaha!”
For the first time in his life, he burst into a maniacal laughter, as if nothing could bring him more joy.
As if slashing through the storm wasn’t enough, a massive sword of blue sky flame tilted downward, descending upon him.
"…It already existed."
Even as the sword that would claim his life, shining with blue light, drew closer, his face was a mix of sheer exhilaration, emptiness, and relief.
“A being that slashes nature.”
Before his eyes stood someone who had already proven that humans could wield the power to slash through nature.
He felt a pure joy in that realization.
KWAH-AAAAANG!
The pillar of light engulfed the storm, Kaan, and the earth.
* * *
The entire Bone Rock Plains trembled, shrouded in thick clouds of dust.
The trembling subsided only after about a minute had passed.
As the dense dust slowly settled, the devastation on the plains began to reveal itself.
“Kaan… your majesty?”
One of the warriors of the Western Forest Alliance called out to Kaan in a trembling voice.
But when the dust fully cleared, they saw only three things.
Kaan’s grand sword, shattered into pieces.
Chunks of flesh and blood stains scattered everywhere, likely belonging to the Great Chief.
And then...
“...Ha, damn, he died with a crazy smile on his face in that situation? He was crazier than I thought. Damn…”
A handsome young man with black hair, sprawled on the ground and on the verge of fainting, muttered curses.
\-Kuo-o-o-o-o…!
Kuuuuung!
Once again, a grand roar echoed across the plains.
The sound was from the colossal body of the Turtle Divine Beast collapsing onto the plains.
Half of its body had melted away from the extreme poison of the Serpent Divine Beast, Jormungandr, meeting its second death.
And it wasn’t just the Turtle Divine Beast.
\-Kee-eee…
\-Krrrooooong!
In the sky, the Crow Divine Beast, engulfed in the flames of the Fire Cat, plummeted down, and the Black Tiger, who had been battling the Wolf Divine Beast, collapsed, its body mutilated beyond recognition.
Even the three divine beasts of the Western Army had all entered eternal rest.
\-Kyaaooooo…!
The four Eastern Divine Beasts roared triumphantly in unison.
Thunk.
A warrior of the Western Forest Alliance dropped his weapon from his hand.
Thud.
Someone else fell to their knees.
That marked the beginning; soon, many in the Western Army lost strength in their legs and sank to the ground.
Everyone in the Western Army realized it.
‘We have been defeated...’
And the Eastern Forest Alliance also came to terms with reality and shouted.
“The Black Tiger Chief is dead!”
“The benefactor of the Great Forest has vanquished the traitor of nature!”
“The enemy leader has fallen…!”
“Waaaaaah!”
A deafening cheer erupted from the Eastern Forest Alliance.
The war between the Eastern and Western Forests.
The cheer signaled that its end had come with the victory of the Eastern Forest Alliance.
* * *
Thud.
Vivaldi, the Faithless, fell to his knees.
“Hahahaha…”
A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
‘How could this be… it’s all over…’
The Philosopher’s Stone project had failed, as had his plan to unite the Great Forest under Kaan.
Even if he returned to the organization, death would be the only thing waiting for him.
How did it all go so wrong?
How did things become so tangled?
Various questions arose, but they all converged on one answer.
“Aden Remes…”
Bivaldi bit his lower lip hard, trembling with fury.
He bit down so hard that blood seeped out.
It was all because of that bastard.
Because of that bastard, his perfect plan had collapsed.
“Kheheheheh! Aaaah! Aaaaaaaagh! Damn it all!”
The laughter he had forced out turned into a scream of despair.
“Aden Remes! I curse you! I will kill you, no matter what! I will!”
He hurled a furious curse, screaming as if he had gone mad.
He couldn’t contain his anger.
“I’ll do anything to kill you! Anything at all!”
“Well, that’s convenient, Vivaldi the Faithless.”
“...!”
Startled by the voice that suddenly came from beside him, he turned his head.
“I’ll help you get your revenge.”
“You, you...!”
Bivaldi’s face twisted in terror.
* * *
Aden felt a wave of exhaustion wash over his entire body.
His body felt heavy, like a water-soaked sponge, and he grimaced at the sensation.
The Unique Sword Spirit he possessed was a near one-hit-kill technique, not something that could be used repeatedly without limit.
\-Dad! You’re amazing! That was incredible!
Leo's voice chattered with admiration in his mind.
He chuckled, easily imagining Leo’s bright-eyed gaze if he had been outside his body.
‘It’s all thanks to you, Leo.’
\-Huh? Thanks to Leo?
‘Yes, thanks to you.’
Originally, using the Dragon-Slaying Sword required an absurdly massive amount of mana.
An amount of mana far beyond the limit of what a warrior at the level of a superhuman could normally possess.
The Sword Spirit had a grand name, but in reality, it was all about recklessly pouring an overwhelming amount of mana into a reckless strike.
Fortunately, Aden had Leo, who could draw mana and meet that ridiculous demand, allowing him to use the Dragon-Slaying Sword.
Having undergone a second growth and absorbed the divinity of the four Eastern Divine Beasts, Leo’s mana was now on a completely different level.
No, it wasn’t just an abundance of mana.
By accepting the Cat, Serpent, and Bear Divine Beasts as his guardians, they had become beings that shared their power with Leo.
This meant it was as if he had at least five mana sources linked together!
With surplus mana to spare, it was like when he had the mana of a dragon; no matter how wastefully he used it, the mana would quickly regenerate and fill up again.
‘You really are the best.’
\-Leo is the best!
Just then, Fenrir approached Aden from afar.
\-You’ve worked hard, Great Master.
“Yes, you’ve done well too. What’s the current situation?”
\-All the artificial Sword Masters have been dealt with, and as you can see, the Western Army has lost its will to fight.
With Kaan’s death, the morale of the Eastern Forest Alliance had soared to its peak.
The chiefs shouted.
“Spare those who surrender, but kill those who resist!”
The Eastern Forest Alliance began to neutralize the Western Forest Alliance, which had lost its focal point and strongest force, Kaan.
The morale of the Western Army had plummeted, as they were now fully aware that their revered Great Chief had been defeated.
“It’s already over.”
But at that moment.
“Indeed. It’s all over now.”
“…!”
\-…!
Aden and Fenrir flinched at the sudden voice that came from behind them.
They immediately reacted.
As Aden turned around.
Shwiiing!
He unleashed Baalzebul, wrapped in an aura blade.
His blue aura blade slashed fiercely forward.
KWAANG!
But it was blocked.
It was stopped by a translucent white barrier.
\-Grrr!
Fenrir charged forward, aiming to break the barrier and eliminate the mysterious figure.
However.
“Get lost, mutt.”
KWAANG!
A massive fireball exploded and struck Fenrir directly.
\-Ugh!
Fenrir, who had earned the name ‘Silver Wolf Who Devours the Sky,’ was thrown back by the impact and collapsed.
Such was the strength of the opponent’s attack.
Whoosh, dust swirled in the air.
“You have an incredible reaction speed. As expected of someone who has caught the boss’s attention.”
A woman’s voice, laced with laughter.
Aden’s expression hardened again at the sound of that voice.
‘This voice…’
It was a voice Aden knew.
How could he not recognize it? It was the voice of someone he had heard countless times in his previous life.
As the dust gradually settled and the barrier that had blocked Aden’s aura blade disappeared, the woman’s figure slowly came into view.
A woman dressed in white mage robes.
“Let me introduce myself first. I am Shaura, an Archmage from the Central Tower of Anguis.”
“…”
“But now, I should introduce myself like this.”
The woman, with red eyes that radiated an unfathomable aura, smiled and continued.
“Shaura of the Hellfire, one of Chaos’s executives. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Remes.”
Archmage Shaura.
She had appeared.