Chapter 292

“Christian. Even for you, it’s dangerous.”

Evan said, his voice filled with a concern that was unusual for him.

In fact, back when he was the heir to the renowned swordsmanship house, Evan had once challenged the Land of Warriors that Chris was now speaking of.

This was because the Holy Empire opened the Land of Warriors to its external allies as well.

He had challenged it with youthful bravado, but he had a memory of quickly scrambling out, unable to last for long.

However, Chris spoke as if it were nothing.

“It's fine. I can do it.”

He said it because he really could do it, but Evan frowned.

As if he was displeased with something.

“Why are you always like this….”

“…Like what?”

“…Never mind.”

Chris tilted his head, then looked at Istanya.

“Anyway, you understand, right? Open the Land of Warriors.”

“…Understood. For how long should I open it? Half a day? Or a full day?”

Almost no one could endure a full day.

Since time moves five times slower in there, half a day on the outside would be over five full days inside.

For reference, the person who has lasted the longest in the history of the order is said to have been there for about three days.

However.

“Ten days.”

“!!”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

That was a full 50 days on the inside.

Chris said with a grin.

“I'll be back, so in the meantime, you just provoke the Ghost Sword King as I told you.”

It was time to become stronger again.

* * *

Istanya provoked the Ghost Sword King just as Chris had instructed.

First, she widely publicized the birth of a new Hero.

Having become a Hero with no way out of it, Chris once again felt like he’d swallowed something foul, but it couldn't be helped.

‘The Ghost Sword King won't face just anyone, after all.’

Afterward, Istanya sent a written challenge to the Ghost Sword King in the name of the Holy Emperor.

-In the name of the Holy Emperor, the Hero shall pass judgment on the Ghost Sword King.

The duel will be one of swordsmanship, and if the Hero is defeated, I, the Holy Emperor, will personally apologize to you, the Ghost Sword King, for this wrongful challenge.

From the Ghost Sword King's perspective, it was an offer with no reason to refuse.

Who in the world could surpass him in swordsmanship?

Besides the now-deceased Sword Emperor, who was the First Sword of the Alliance, and the Demon King of Silver Snow, there was no one.

Furthermore, the condition was that the Holy Emperor would bow her head if his opponent lost?

He laughed loudly and welcomed it.

He even paused his plans to move his army toward the Dark Alliance and accepted the duel.

On the other hand, there was strong opposition within the Holy Empire.

A sudden duel like this?

Furthermore, entrusting a duel to a Hero who had appeared out of nowhere, whose identity was unknown, was a natural reaction.

However.

“Have you forgotten the sins the Ghost Sword King has committed against this order until now?”

“But….”

“Enough. The fact that the Constellation has sent us a new Hero must surely be a sign to punish the Magus Empire. First, we will establish the Constellation's will by passing judgment on the Ghost Sword King.”

Istanya, an unbeliever, nonchalantly used the Constellation's name.

Now that she had received Star Power from Christian, she could commit such blasphemy without a second thought.

“If the Hero is defeated, I shall take full responsibility.”

“!!”

At those words, there was no more opposition.

‘This is good. I should use this opportunity to drive Istanya out.’

The corrupt high priests had backed Istanya as Holy Emperor to use her as a puppet.

However, since she had gone against their will and tried to oppose them at every turn, they were already looking for an opportunity to dethrone her anyway.

On the other hand, there were also those who genuinely approved.

“Long live Her Majesty, the Holy Emperor!”

“Make the Ghost Sword King pay the price in blood!!”

The magus who had shed the most blood in the Holy Empire was, without a doubt, the Ghost Sword King.

To hear that such a person would be brought to justice, the common priests and the Starlight Knights of the battle groups all cheered.

The existence of the new Hero, in particular, lit a fire in their hearts.

“All hail the Hero!!!”

“The Constellation has not abandoned us!”

“The time has finally come to drive out the darkness of the Magus Empire!”

Meanwhile, at that moment, that great Hero.

‘Damn it all. Why am I suffering like this. Aaargh! I want to quit everything!! Damn it! To hell with it!!’

He was sprawled out in the Land of Warriors, cursing up a storm.

One day had already passed in the outside world. Inside, five days had passed, and the signs of his exhaustion were clear.

“…Is he alright?”

Evan asked with a heavy expression.

For reference, Evan was giving Chris swordsmanship lessons.

However, he wasn't staying in the Land of Warriors the whole time, but was repeating a cycle of briefly entering to give his lesson and then leaving again.

‘It's this difficult just being in here for a moment.’

Evan bit his lip hard.

It felt as if his body couldn't adapt to the misaligned axis of time and was being turned inside out.

It wasn't just his physical body; the mana flowing in his core, and even his mental stability and the state of his soul were unstable.

It was a feeling more agonizing than the pressure of being dropped into the deep sea, unable to breathe.

‘And yet, Christian, you?’

He bit his lip hard at the sight of Christian lying sprawled out.

It must be just as hard for Christian.

Because Chris was also a human who felt the same agony.

And yet, the reason he was undergoing this ordeal-like training must be due to his single-minded desire to save the world.

Every time Evan looked at Christian, he felt so ashamed of himself that he couldn't bear it.

…For reference, this was all a misunderstanding.

‘Ah, I hate swinging a sword. I like taking the easy way out; this kind of effort doesn't suit me. I just want to drink. Alcohol. Alcohol. Alcohol. Delicious meat and alcohol. A life of debauchery. I want to be a scoundrel.’

The reason Christian was struggling right now was simply because he hated training, not particularly because of the distorted time axis.

How?

‘Well, the distortion of the time axis isn't that difficult for me.’

He possessed the rank of a Transcendent Being.

Therefore, the endurance of his soul and mind had become so immensely strong that he could easily withstand the change in the time axis.

‘My body is a problem, but I just have to ‘adapt’ it.’

Adaptation.

It was an incredible story.

It meant that he had completely readjusted all his body's reactions and biological metabolism to match the altered time axis.

‘Using the Life-Saving Arts makes it possible to change the minute reactions of the body.’

Of course, adjusting to the time axis in such a way was something only possible for Chris.

Thanks to that, he was in a state where he felt no agony at all.

‘In fact, if I wanted to, I could stay here not just for 50 days, but for much longer.’

The reason he said he would only stay for ten days by the outside world’s standard was that he didn't have the luxury of dragging it out any longer.

‘Things don't end with just capturing the Ghost Sword King.’

Chris planned to make the Tri-Alliance kneel before the Dark Alliance this time.

Starting with the Ghost Sword King, he had to eliminate the Beast King and the Duke of Illusion, and then force the Ghost Sword, Magical Beast, and Illusion Demonic Houses to submit.

‘On top of that, before the forces of our Dark Alliance that have advanced into the Four Kings' Castle's territory are worn down, I have to overthrow the Karn Empire's imperial family and make them strike the Four Kings' Castle from the rear.’

Thinking that far, Chris felt a surge of anger and let out a sigh.

‘Aaargh. Why is there so much to do! Damn it! Becoming a Hero when it's not even in my destiny! All I want is wealth and glory!’

However, seeing that look on Chris's face, Evan misunderstood again and said something unexpected.

“I will train here as well.”

“…Huh? It’ll be tough, though?”

Chris could endure it without difficulty for several reasons, but Evan could not.

However, Evan looked at Chris with eyes that seemed to burn with will and said in a strong voice.

“I will not fall behind you. I will not let you bear the world's burden alone.”

Spurred on by Chris, who was taking on a terrible ordeal (?) for the sake of the world, he had resolved to train alongside him!

Chris nodded his head, bewildered.

“Ah… sure. Do as you please.”

And so, the two of them trained together and grew at a stormy pace.

The Land of Warriors was not just different in its axis of time; its environment, including gravity and temperature, was vastly different from the outside.

It was incomparably harsh, but in return, if one could just endure it, the training efficiency was exceptionally outstanding, beyond all comparison.

In particular, thanks to receiving Evan's unsparing instruction, Chris's swordsmanship skills grew enormously in a short period.

However, the one who showed an even crazier growth than Chris was Evan.

‘Tough bastard.’

Chris clicked his tongue as he watched Evan train.

He had thought Evan would be out in a few days, but he didn't know what kind of resolve he had made while watching Chris, because he was enduring until the very end.

The sight of him swinging his sword with bloodshot eyes was frightening.

‘He improved his swordsmanship so quickly because he trains with that kind of vicious spirit.’

Moreover, Evan achieved an unbelievable miracle.

‘I think I need to send him out now.’

Seeing Evan, who had reached his limit, Chris tried to stop him, but.

“I'm... alright. I won't... lose. Never... to you….”

“……”

Having reached the limit of his limits, he gritted his teeth, his complexion as pale as a corpse.

“Hey, Evan? Yo? Hey?”

Even when Chris called out, there was no response.

He surpassed his limits and reached a state of no-self.

Slice!

As Evan swung his sword, the empty space far away was cut.

He had reached the state of cutting principles, the level of 7-Star!

‘...Crazy bastard. It's not like he's the protagonist of some hot-blooded novel. To break through to 7-Star with sheer grit.’

Thud.

Seeing Evan collapse, unable to endure after reaching 7-Star, Chris shook his head.

‘I can't lose either.’

In truth.

No matter how much he trained for 50 days in this sacred site, it was impossible to obtain a level of swordsmanship equal to the Ghost Sword King.

All he could do was close the gap as much as possible.

‘The outcome of a duel isn't always decided by skill alone. If I can just reduce the gap to a certain extent, there's a chance to cause an upset.’

Chris thought to himself.

‘In swordsmanship, I must at least reach the state of a Sword Master.’

Sword Master.

Unlike achievements measured in Stars, achievements in swordsmanship were difficult to clearly define.

This was because each person's path was different, and the achievements they gained were also different.

However, there was one commonality among those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

-They had become the Master of the Sword.

It wasn't just about skillfully wielding a sword; one could only reach the summit of swordsmanship by becoming the master of the sword and controlling it perfectly.

For reference, Evan's swordsmanship was also in this state of a Sword Master.

‘Of course, I am still lacking to challenge the state of a Sword Master.’

No, it wasn't just 'lacking'; it was a statement that would make another who had reached the state of a Sword Master let out a hollow laugh.

It wasn't that Chris's swordsmanship was poor. Excluding the top-tier swordsmen, his skills were among the best.

However, Sword Master was an achievement one could not guarantee reaching even after dedicating their entire life to a single path of the sword.

However.

‘I can do it.’

No, beyond whether it was possible or impossible, he absolutely had to achieve it.

He could only face the Ghost Sword King if he at least reached the level of a Sword Master.

First, Chris put on a bracelet that sealed his energy.

What he needed to obtain now was a pure achievement of the sword.

Forgetting everything else, he focused solely on the sword.

Fwaat!

He swung his sword, and Chris's consciousness sank deep within.

Time passed in an instant, and the time for the duel drew near.