Chapter 41. When I’m Reborn
What is a magic sword?
It’s a spell that enhances attack power by imbuing the blade with Circle magic.
However, there are various methods to enhance attack power.
Valuing sharpness to maximize cutting power is possible, as is extending the length to widen the attack range.
Uhlten Schwabein’s magic sword is focused on delivering a strong impact to the opponent.
It is structured to deliver an impact akin to being struck by a giant stone pillar.
By utilizing Uhlten Schwabein’s strength, a single blow could potentially crush someone beyond recognition.
However, it didn’t work on Sirius.
“…!”
Thud!
Sirius blocked Uhlten Schwabein’s blow.
Despite his forearm appearing less than half the thickness, he demonstrated strength equal to Uhlten Schwabein.
How could he have trained to achieve this level of strength?
Uhlten Schwabein felt astonished.
But there was something even more surprising.
The magic sword was gradually freezing.
“Hmm…!”
Uhlten Schwabein briefly groaned as he reconfigured the magic sword.
He removed the frozen parts, infused new magic, and reconstructed the damaged sections.
“It’s an amazing magic sword.”
Uhlten Schwabein licked his lips while eyeing Sirius.
“Is it a freezing attribute magic sword? I’ve never seen one before.”
“It’s not a magic sword.”
“What?”
“This is called a sword aura.”
“Sword aura…”
Upon hearing that it wasn’t a magic sword, Uhlten Schwabein observed Sirius’s blade once more.
Indeed, there were many differences compared to a typical magic sword.
While a magic sword fixes magic to the blade, Sirius’s blade emitted a constant white aura.
How could he maintain that state without letting the magic settle on the blade and dispersing it everywhere?
Uhlten Schwabein couldn’t help but admire.
“I will subdue you and learn the secret of that sword aura technique.”
Thud!
Uhlten Schwabein propelled himself towards Sirius, infusing more magic into his blade. He formed a thick and sturdy magic sword to prevent Sirius’s coldness from penetrating deeply.
Uhlten Schwabein’s greatsword aimed for Sirius’s forehead.
Sirius didn’t dodge but moved his blade to block.
At the moment of blade meeting blade, a sound like the ground collapsing beneath Sirius’s feet was heard.
It was due to the weight of Uhlten Schwabein’s blow.
Yet, even as the ground seemed to crumble, Sirius’s expression remained unchanged.
Without batting an eyelash, he directly intercepted the greatsword.
“Hmm…!”
Thud!
Uhltenstein’s posture collapsed, and at the same time, Sirius sprang up.
What he aimed for was Uhltenstein’s neck, much higher than himself.
However, Uhltenstein, with agility that didn’t suit his physique, dodged the blade.
At that moment, one of the officers watching the situation tried to cast a spell towards Sirius.
But Sirius was pierced through the neck by the dagger he threw.
“Sirius…!”
Uhltenstein shouted and rushed forward once more.
It was a move abandoning defense.
The momentum was fierce, the technique was intense.
Yet Sirius skillfully parried Uhltenstein’s moves while inflicting large and small wounds on Uhltenstein’s defenseless body.
Uhltenstein continued to launch fierce attacks at Sirius as if unaffected.
“Ugh…!”
And when Sirius’s blade left a new wound on Uhltenstein’s cheek.
Uhltenstein finally realized.
Despite the numerous wounds on his body, not a drop of blood was flowing.
“How is this possible….”
The second stage of the Thousand Raven Divine Technique creates a cold that freezes everything.
As the cold penetrates, the wounds freeze, preventing bleeding.
However, it’s not necessarily a good thing.
The fact that even deep wounds are frozen means that the cold has penetrated deep into the body.
“Ugh….!”
Uhltenstein’s movements began to dull.
Unable to keep up with Sirius’s swift sword, he found himself retreating frequently.
And Sirius’s sharp strike pierced Uhltenstein’s left shoulder.
“Master…!”
Seeing Uhltenstein staggering back, the officers who had been standing back in case they became a hindrance rushed forward.
But it was already futile.
Sirius broke through the officers with precise movements.
And he noticed that the light in Uhltenstein’s eyes was still there.
He felt the determination to fight to the end without giving up on victory.
It was the gaze of a warrior.
Uhltenstein is the darkest of the dark when it comes to using any means for his own gain.
That’s why Sirius had no intention of sparing someone like Uhltenstein.
But if Uhltenstein showed his true warrior spirit until the end, Sirius was willing to respect that.
It was inevitable.
Even in a world without martial arts, Sirius remained a martial artist.
“Show me your resolve, Uhltenstein.”
“Ohhhhh….!”
Uhltenstein let out a mighty roar.
Then, not only the blade but also his forearm was enveloped in magic.
The magic had a dark color, fitting well with Ulten Schwabein’s demeanor.
Enhancing a human body with magic was not a common practice.
In reality, blood vessels were bursting and bleeding from Ulten Schwabein’s forearm at that moment.
However, Ulten Schwabein had gained much stronger physical strength than usual.
Utilizing this strength, he began launching life-threatening attacks.
No need for complex techniques.
He simply held the common greatsword with his common arm and aimed at Sirius head-on.
“…….”
Sirius, with his mouth shut, raised the power of the White Wolf.
His blackness had a transparency like the white fur of a new white wolf, contrasting Ulten Schwabein’s common magic sword.
And he managed to block Ulten Schwabein’s greatsword coming straight at him.
“Ugh…!”
“…….”
Thud!
At the moment of blade collision, a thunderous noise erupted.
The two swords interlocked, and a struggle of strength began.
At first glance, Ulten Schwabein seemed to have the upper hand.
Since it was Sirius who was pushed back when the blades collided.
However, as the struggle continued, the situation changed.
Sirius’s coldness was penetrating Ulten Schwabein’s greatsword.
Although the greatsword was surrounded by thick and robust black magic, from the point of contact with the blade, it began freezing white.
But that didn’t mean he could retreat.
Because this was Ulten Schwabein’s final, desperate attack.
If he couldn’t strike Sirius here, there would be no more chances for Ulten Schwabein.
“Haaah!”
Ulten Schwabein let out a desperate battle cry.
He tried to resist Sirius’s cold by pulling out all the magic from the circle.
However, Ulten Schwabein’s black couldn’t overcome Sirius’s white.
The white cold pierced through the black magic, and soon the entire blade froze white.
Suddenly, even Ulten Schwabein’s wrist froze.
“…….”
Sirius rotated the handle, slightly knocking Ulten Schwabein’s greatsword away before striking hard.
Ulten Schwabein’s greatsword could no longer bear it.
It broke as if ice, and Sirius’s blade couldn’t prevent leaving a large wound on Ulten Schwabein’s chest.
“Huff….”
Ulten Schwabein staggered back.
He glanced around for a moment.
Many officers lay dead on the ground.
Until a while ago, there were quite a few still alive, but they lost their lives trying to assist Ulten Schwabein.
“We’re done here.”
Right after that, blood sprayed from Ultenstein’s entire body.
The frozen wounds all burst at once.
Ultenstein collapsed on the spot, spewing an enormous amount of blood around.
And he could no longer get up.
It was the moment when Ultenstein, the leader of the Ultenstein Assembly that dominated this region, met his end.
“…….”
Sirius gazed at Ultenstein’s corpse for a moment.
He was a skilled man. His swordsmanship was quite remarkable.
But he had a temperament that leaned excessively towards darkness.
A man who had to live by harming others… inevitably, he could only meet such a death.
“When you’re reborn, make sure to correct that temperament.”
Muttering so, Sirius moved his hand.
Swish!
The dagger flew swiftly and embedded itself in the wall.
No, it impaled the hand of Balduin, who was trying to escape in secret, against the wall.
“aaargh!”
The man who served as the second-in-command of the organization and acted as an advisor let out a pathetic scream.
“While others risked their lives to save the leader, you, as the second-in-command, sneaked away trying to escape?”
“P-please spare me!”
Balduin pleaded, his face contorted, raising his voice.
“I will persuade all the subordinates to join under Sirius, and all the wealth Ultenstein had gathered will be handed over to Sirius… Ugh!”
Thump!
Sirius’s fist made Balduin’s face turn to the side.
“I heard such words a few days ago. I can’t be bothered to respond.”
“Ugh, ugh….”
Balduin only groaned, unable to say anything more.
At that moment, a voice came from the background.
“Lord Danju, it seems most things have been sorted out.”
“We couldn’t catch all the fleeing ones, but still. Four hundred eighty-seven….”
Alleyon and Vellid, who had cleaned up the small fries, were coming this way.
Unlike Sirius, both of them were covered in blood.
However, most of the blood was not theirs but that of Ultenstein Assembly members.
“Good job. It’s all over here too.”
“Impressive. How did you not get a scratch….”
“I wanted to watch, you know. Four hundred eighty-eight….”
Sirius furrowed his brow while watching Vellid continue to swing his sword.
“Vellid.”
“What?”
“You’re too aggressive. Stop.”
“Oh, just a little more, and it would’ve been five thousand….”
“There’s still plenty left, why….”
Ignoring the grumbling Valide, Sirius turned his gaze back to Baldwain.
“Baldwain, I will send you to the Agtas family.”
“….!”
“Explain well the fact that the Ulten Schwabin Assembly has been destroyed.”
Not killing Baldwain right here is to spread the word about what Sirius is up to in the southeast.
Seeing Baldwain being taken away will make the people in the southeast understand that the Ulten Schwabin Assembly has indeed been destroyed.
“Sir, Sirius, it would be wise for you to provoke the Agtas family with some moderation….”
Baldwain said, blood trickling from his mouth.
“You should stop at a reasonable point, or else… the ancestral head will step in.”
“….”
“I advise you. Reconcile with Kayen Agtas before the ancestral head steps in. Otherwise, the entire east… ack!”
Sirius struck Baldwain once again, causing him to faint.
Though Baldwain’s intention was probably to win Sirius’s favor by offering a good suggestion… Sirius didn’t need such trash as an advisor.
“Alayon, bind this man.”
“Yes, should we also prevent him from using magic?”
“Of course.”
As Sirius gave instructions to Alayon, Valide, who was healing injuries with healing magic, spoke up.
“Sirius, but I am also concerned about the ancestral head of the Agtas family….”
Valide’s voice was cautious.
“He was a dangerous man even to be wary of in our Albraim family. Everyone was relieved when he stepped down from the head position and went into hiding.”
“Yes, that’s what they say.”
“If that man reveals himself again and gets involved in this fight, it will be a headache. It might be wise to step back then.”
“No, there’s no need to step back.”
“What?”
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“We need to bring that guy down too to subdue the southeast.”
From the start, Sirius didn’t care much about Kayen Agtas.
He believed that capturing the mastermind behind him… Valerion Agtas was the most important.
* * *
The Agtas family’s mausoleum is not just a simple graveyard but a shrine honoring ancestors.
Originally a solemn place, the atmosphere has turned somber for the past twenty years.
It all began when the ancestral head, Valerion Agtas, started hiding here.
“Father.”
The current head, Kayen, was kneeling on the marble floor.
He had been in this position for over half a day now.
“The Agtas family is in crisis. I need father’s help.”
“Tsk tsk tsk….”
After over half a day of pleading, a voice finally came from inside.
“That’s why I told you, didn’t I? It’s beyond your capacity to reach all the way to the northeast, so just be content with ruling the southeast.”
“….”
“I will protect the land I inherited… Why be greedy for no reason…”
Kayen bit his lip.
It was a matter of wounded pride, but not an incorrect statement.
“Yes, that’s right. So please help me, Father.”
“Does it not matter, Kayen?”
Laughter came from inside.
“If I step up… won’t achieving your dream of elevating the Agtas lineage to one of the five great families of the continent become more difficult?”
“I understand. But… capturing Sirius is the priority.”
Kayen lowered his head with a grim expression.
“He has captured Parriel as his prisoner. We must defeat him by any means necessary.”
“Fine, if that’s how you choose to proceed, I will lend you my strength.”
Clatter, clatter.
Chilling sounds could be heard from inside the mausoleum.
It was not a sound that the living could produce.
“….”
Kayen clenched his lips tightly.
He knew well what the sound he was hearing meant.
And… finally, an elderly man in a reversed robe appeared from the darkness.
Leading a group of skeletal soldiers that moved on their own.
“With my immortal soldiers, capture Sirius.”
The remains of the ancestors of the Agtas lineage, interred in the mausoleum.
Undead soldiers created using the bones of those great wizards.
Valerian Agtas, Kayen’s father, who did not hesitate to abandon humanity for such acts.
Valerian had descended from his position as head of the family due to pressure from the five great families of the continent, concerned about his madness.
They had threatened to personally punish the Agtas lineage if he did not step down and go into hiding.
Since then… Valerian had been immersed in the mausoleum, conducting magical research.
One day, to reach the Ninth Circle, to exact revenge on the five great families who had threatened him.
“Sirius seems to use a unique magic. I must capture him for research to reach the Ninth Circle.”
Valerian Agtas, a necromancer of the Eighth Circle.
He revealed his common ambition towards Sirius.