63 – The Messenger (4)
“…….”
I inadvertently gnashed my teeth as if grinding them.
It was partly due to a blocked move in my remorseful strategy, but the main reason was not that.
It was that.
The sword glowing with light on top of the sword of the Swordmaster.
‘…Sword of the Blade.’
That was undoubtedly the Sword of the Blade.
Similar to the one I wield.
No, strictly speaking, there might be some minor differences.
However, fundamentally, there wouldn’t be much of a difference.
A sword forged with the essence of determination, crafted from clay and determination, capable of cutting through anything, created only by Swordmasters who have reached the realm of determination, especially those with extreme enlightenment.
Sword of the Blade.
That’s what the Swordmaster was using.
I had a fleeting thought.
The Sword of the Blade might not be exclusively mine.
There could be others among the Swordmasters of the Ten Swords who knew how to use the Sword of the Blade.
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But there really was.
Such a person.
If I had just confirmed that in a normal situation, I wouldn’t have felt this much of a sense of defeat.
However, it happened in this situation.
In a cornered situation where my move was blocked by the Sword of the Blade, it was impossible not to feel a sense of defeat.
The fact that he could use the Sword of the Blade was nothing short of a death sentence, erasing even my faintest hope.
“…Amazing. Truly amazing.”
However, apart from my astonishment, the Swordmaster was showing a different reaction than he had so far.
The expressions he had shown so far had been varied, but all of them had been artificial.
Surprise, regret, laughter, all of them.
But what appeared on the Swordmaster’s face now was a pure emotion.
Pure astonishment.
For the first time since he saw me, the old man was looking at me with wavering eyes.
“At that age, reaching the realm of determination alone would be enough to flip the continent, but to already reach the ‘Sword of the Blade’….”
His gaze turned to the sword in my hand.
“To think that someone has reached that point, I wonder if, aside from me and the Sword City, there will be anyone else on the continent… at such a young age?”
The Swordmaster lowered his head.
“…hahahaha.”
A laugh tinged with disappointment escaped from his lips.
And then, when he raised his head again.
The expression had vanished from his face.
Kwoong─
At the same time, a heavy aura crushed the surroundings.
The heavy and dense aura that felt so overpowering, as if it might be pressing against the surroundings and my body, emanated from the black sphere.
“…….”
Not even a dry cough came out.
Even breathing became hesitant.
Within that heaviness.
The black sphere drew its sword.
It was undoubtedly a slow movement.
Not one that a normal person, not to mention a martial artist, couldn’t see and evade easily.
However.
I couldn’t even react properly to that slow sword.
I barely managed to raise my sword forward.
And.
Thud!
With a loud noise, the next moment, I was flying through the air.
‘What…!’
It was a single strike.
Just a single strike.
Without a chance to recover from the shock, without a chance to take any action.
I found myself airborne.
The arm that blocked the black sphere’s sword seemed like it would tear apart, expressing a pitiful resonance as if the sword would break any moment.
Moreover.
The aftermath was not the end.
Even flying through the air at a fierce speed like this, I didn’t collide with anything.
Despite not being on a plain but in the mountains.
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
Then, a scene caught my eye.
A landscape split in half.
Trees, rocks, boulders.
Everything was cut in half.
Without the sword even touching them.
“To think you wouldn’t even react to this.”
My such notion was shattered by a voice coming from nearby.
“But, that’s as far as it goes.”
The grim reaper spoke coldly.
And.
The sword flashed once again.
***
Swish─
The sword swung down from the black sphere’s hand once more.
A brief silence enveloped the surroundings.
It was originally a quiet place, but any space is bound to have some small noises.
Especially in places like the mountains, they are filled with sounds that humans easily overlook or that flow naturally.
The chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, the sound of branches swaying in the wind, the cries of insects.
However, at this moment.
Not a single sound could be heard.
Truly, complete silence had descended upon the mountains.
As if the earlier sword strike had even cut through the sounds of the mountains.
How long did that silence last?
─────!
A deafening noise erupted, shaking the silence that had seemed to be there just a moment ago.
Simultaneously, everything around the sword’s tip was being cut through.
A cliff made of rocks, at a considerable distance, crumbled down.
Kugung─
Numerous rocks and stones collapsed, raising thick clouds of dust.
The swordsman quietly watched the scene unfold with sunken eyes.
As time passed and the dense dust settled, the debris of the collapsed cliff finally came into view.
The shattered cliff, now reduced to countless unrecognizable pieces, was a pile of rocks and stones that made it hard to guess its original form.
The mineral and desolate scene showed signs of change only after a little more time had passed.
One pile of rocks stirred.
Tududuk─
Eventually, it collapsed.
And there, a figure emerged.
A swordsman, covered in blood, clutching only a single sword handle.
“Impressive.”
The old man, the swordsman, remarked as he observed the scene.
“I didn’t expect you to endure that and survive.”
The content of his words was admiration towards the swordsman, Wade.
However, the expression on the swordsman’s face was stern and unyielding.
Moreover, his gaze seemed to flicker with an unsettling intensity, unlike his calm tone.
Contained within that gaze was something more than mere competitiveness.
“But now, surely you know. There’s no chance for you to win.”
Calmly, the swordsman threw his verbal blade at Wade.
“Give up. You will die here.”
As if foretelling an inevitable future.
With an elegant tone.
“Without any remarkable deeds, your brilliant talent would have gone unnoticed by the world, achieving nothing, and perishing here alone.”
Smoothly, the verbal blade continued.
“If nothing extraordinary happens, that talent, which could have rewritten the history of the continent, will be extinguished here without any recognition.”
The old man added.
“How does it feel? To die without ever blooming, like a flower.”
Contrary to his calm tone, his eyes were filled with thick emotions.
“Are you sad? Desperate? Angry?”
Even though it seemed like a form of questioning, it was difficult to see it as a genuine inquiry.
“Aren’t you curious about what will happen to those around you, how they will react to your departure?”
He seemed like someone wishing for that.
Wade to be sad, to be angry.
To fear death, to despair in this dark reality.
He seemed like someone longing, someone wishing.
However.
“……”
Wade said nothing.
He just looked at the blacksmith, his whole body covered in blood, his arms hanging limply, staring at the sword in silence.
The blacksmith’s eyebrows subtly furrowed.
“…It seems you haven’t given up yet.”
He hadn’t given up.
It was a somewhat inappropriate thing to say to someone who looked like a complete wreck.
“……”
True to those words, Wade’s gaze remained unbroken.
Even in a state where his body seemed like it could collapse at any moment.
Only his gaze showed that he hadn’t given up.
“…Well, that unyielding spirit, that spirit of not giving up until the end, can be called the spirit of the undefeated.”
Although the blacksmith made a speech praising Wade’s demeanor, the look in his eyes told a different story.
He seemed displeased that Wade hadn’t given up, hadn’t fallen into despair.
“But it’s futile.”
The old man shook his head.
“Undoubtedly, your talent is unmatched, reaching an unbelievable level that cannot be achieved at your age. But you have a fatal flaw.”
Veiled as advice, the blade’s words flowed from the blacksmith’s lips.
“Due to a lack of absolute time and training, your magical and physical abilities are significantly inferior to those of the undefeated at the same level. Therefore, you cannot maintain the ‘Sword of Will’ for long. Let alone being in perfect condition.”
As the blacksmith finished speaking, he pointed a finger towards Wade.
Toward the sword he held.
To everyone’s surprise, the dazzling light that had emanated from Wade’s sword just moments ago had disappeared.
“As someone who can wield the Sword of Will, you must know well. What happens when a weapon wielded with willpower clashes with one that is not.”
The blacksmith harbored a narrative as if he could forge anything in the world.
Even a sword made of legendary metal wouldn’t last long if it didn’t possess the same willpower as the Sword of Will.
“So, give up willingly. You have no chance of winning.”
The blacksmith suggested.
Subtly, calmly.
Give up quickly and find comfort.
That is the path for you.
But.
“….”
Wade still didn’t say a word.
He just stared at the black ball with unextinguished determination in his eyes.
“If that’s your wish, then so be it.”
Now with a distorted expression, the black ball lowered its head.
“I’ll end your life here and now.”
The black ball, uttered in a low voice, once again swung the sword.
The peculiar sword that had left Wade in such a miserable state.
Swish─
Slowly, the sword swung.
Though the distance between them was vast, it seemed like such a thing didn’t matter at all.
And thus.
A fierce determination to cut through everything emerged from the tip of his sword.
Simultaneously, Wade, who had been motionless until then, moved.