Chapter 296
“Look. His movements. They are gradually improving.”
That was right.
From a situation where every single strike was life-threatening.
To a point where he could barely block them.
And then again, to a point where it was still overwhelming, but manageable.
Everyone who realized this fact stared with wide-eyed wonder.
‘No, how?’
The reason was simple.
Chris’s swordsmanship skills were improving in real time.
‘Each and every one of the Ghost Sword King’s strikes is a priceless exemplar that you couldn’t see even if you paid for it.’
Chris thought as he ‘devoured’ the trajectory of the Ghost Sword King’s blade flying toward him with his eyes.
There are many powerful knights and magi.
But it was rare to find one who had mastered swordsmanship to such an extreme.
This was because, as one could see in Chris’s case, once a certain level was reached, the power of ‘will’ became more important than achievements in swordsmanship.
Of course, achievements in swordsmanship must serve as a foundation for the power of the will to become stronger, but most high-ranking knights and magi who wielded a sword would, at a certain point, focus on training their will rather than polishing their swordsmanship itself.
‘Of course, even for me, it's impossible for my skills to improve enough to face the Ghost Sword King on equal footing just by watching his sword.’
Nevertheless, the reason for such a noticeable change was simple.
Chris was beginning to ‘adapt’ to the Ghost Sword King’s sword.
‘I was already familiar with his sword style.’
In his previous life, the Ghost Sword King was one of the primary enemies of the Alliance.
Therefore, countless knights had analyzed the Ghost Sword King’s sword.
Chris, too, had researched the Ghost Sword King’s sword with the Hero’s party.
‘Based on that analysis, I conducted simulated duels in my mind's eye during my recent training.’
When training to become a Sword Master, one does not simply swing a sword.
He had also held simulated duels in his mind’s eye, taking the Ghost Sword King as his opponent.
Thanks to that, now that he was experiencing the Ghost Sword King’s sword directly, he was able to adapt quickly.
‘Of course, that doesn't mean it's manageable by any means.’
It was only that things had gotten slightly better.
Every single split second was still a life-or-death crisis.
Fwaat!
The Ghost Sword King’s sword split the light.
It had already surpassed the level of form, making it impossible to even surmise what kind of swordsmanship it was.
The pinnacle of speed.
It was too late to react after seeing it.
One had to predict the direction of the attack through the minute reactions of the body before the sword was thrust and evade.
But the Ghost Sword King twisted even that prediction.
A single ray of light split into countless branches.
Making both reaction and prediction useless.
Chris unfolded his sword according to his searing, primal intuition and showed a dazzling movement as if brushing away the scattering light.
“Ooh!!”
The spectators cried out in admiration..
He had barely been able to block it, but the crisis was not over.
The Ghost Sword King showed no change in expression. He was not tired, nor had he shed even a single drop of sweat.
That was right.
This was the decisive difference between the two.
For Chris, each and every move was a life-or-death crisis, but for the Ghost Sword King, it was nothing more than light swordplay.
Just then, the Ghost Sword King suddenly stopped his sword and said something unexpected.
“I retract what I said before. You’re not bad, for a fledgling. It is a sword worthy of being called a Hero's.”
It was a compliment.
However, it was not well-intentioned.
“Someone of your level is more than qualified to be a sacrifice for my Ghost Sword. It’s been a long time since I've tasted the thrill of seeing blood.”
The Ghost Sword King smiled with his wrinkled face.
It was a chilling smile, as if he felt ecstasy from cutting down a strong opponent.
‘Is this guy the same type as Sherad? Crazy bastard.’
Chris calmed his breath.
The Ghost Sword King’s atmosphere had changed.
If before it had felt like he was lightly warming up, now it felt like he was about to get serious.
And then.
Fwaat!
Chris hastily twisted his body to the side.
There had been no precursor, but it was an action based on instinct.
That choice saved Chris’s life.
A single line stretched out, and after a moment of silence, a fierce wind blew.
The Ghost Sword King’s sword had momentarily twisted space, creating a powerful wind pressure.
‘To create something like that without even imbuing it with demonic energy.’
His attack had been nullified, but the Ghost Sword King let out a continuous laugh, as if he were enjoying himself.
“Kukuk. Good. How long has it been since I've had such fun? Struggle with all your might and please me even more.”
A voice like one toying with a cornered rat.
But Chris showed an unexpected reaction.
“How about you wipe off that blood first?”
“What?”
The Ghost Sword King’s eyes widened.
Drip.
A single line of blood was trickling down the back of his sword hand!
Chris had landed a blow, aiming for the gap in the split second between the King’s thrust and the retraction of his sword.
“…You bastard.”
“On the contrary, I had expectations, hearing you were the Ghost Sword King, but you are nothing special. Don’t tell me you thought you could just show off your power without even being able to land a hit?”
“!!”
It was a taunt, mocking the fact that despite all the threatening attacks he had launched so far, he had not been able to inflict a single scratch on Chris.
He didn't stop there.
“I heard a story that the greatest combat magus among the heads of the prestigious Magus houses is Head Nordian of the Dark Demonic House, and it seems to be true. If I had known, I wouldn't have challenged you to a duel.”
“You bastard…!”
The Ghost Sword King, who had maintained his composure until now, became enraged for the first time.
For reference, among the heads of the prestigious Magus houses—excluding the Necromancy and Mystic houses, who were a ‘Heaven beyond Heaven’—the following four were considered the strongest.
All of them had reached the pinnacle of 8-Star.
The Vengeful Spirit of the Curse Demonic House.
The Obsidian King of the Obsidian Demonic House.
And the Ghost Sword King and Nordian.
Among them, the Ghost Sword King and Nordian were often compared as fellow combat magi.
‘So they actually fought, and my grandfather won.’
Therefore, the Ghost Sword King would grind his teeth at the mere mention of Nordian. On the other hand, Nordian didn't even pay the Ghost Sword King any mind, wounding his pride even further.
On top of that, Nordian had recently become a Lesser Demon King, making him an opponent the King could no longer touch, which must have made it all the more bitter.
“I will make you regret moving your tongue so carelessly.”
Still, as expected of the Ghost Sword King.
He suppressed his anger and calmly launched his assault.
However, there was a clear difference from before.
‘His killing intent has grown thicker.’
He wasn't agitated.
However, the intensity of his attacks had become far more violent.
“D-danger!!”
A terribly precarious situation unfolded, and it looked as if he would collapse, spraying blood at any moment.
But it was in the instant that a continuous sword attack aiming for his leg, chest, and neck grazed past his body.
Once again, the unbelievable happened.
Fwaat!
Once again, blood spurted from the back of the Ghost Sword King’s hand.
In a life-or-death situation, he had succeeded in counterattacking again.
The Ghost Sword King’s eyes hardened.
“Petty tricks.”
He pressed Chris even harder, but another upset occurred.
Chris was being pushed back relentlessly, like a powerless branch caught in a storm, but he wounded the Ghost Sword King’s body again.
This time, as if to show him, it was in a direction perpendicular to the previous wound, forming a cross.
‘You may look down on me, but my swordsmanship has also reached the state of a Sword Master. It's problematic to be underestimated like that.’
When they had first exchanged blows in a light, probing manner, there had been no openings to exploit.
But now that he was attacking with his full power, openings were created, no matter how great the Ghost Sword King was.
Although still far from a match for the Ghost Sword King, Chris’s swordsmanship had also reached a high state.
Combined with his innate talent, he was able to somehow dig into those openings.
‘Of course, inflicting these minor wounds is my limit.’
But that was fine.
Chris’s real ‘counterattack’ was just beginning.
“…They say even a cornered rat will bite. How amusing.”
“It seems you still have the leisure to strike a pose. Hey, old man, your bones must be aching. How about you just go and rest comfortably in Purgatory? I’ll give you special treatment.”
At the provocation, which had now dropped all honorifics, the Ghost Sword King’s face became infinitely colder.
“Insolent whelp. The game is over. I will take your head with this next strike.”
The Ghost Sword King’s sword seemed to become gigantic, then came crashing down toward Chris.
It was not that the sword had actually grown larger, but an optical illusion caused by the presence imbued in the Ghost Sword King’s sword.
It was as if a mountain were crashing down.
The Mount Tai Sword.
It was the Ghost Sword King’s powerful ultimate technique; its sword presence alone covered all directions, making it impossible to evade in any direction once caught within its range.
“S-such a…!”
“No!!”
The spectators held their breath at the sight of a crisis where he would be helplessly and brutally crushed.
Even Evan placed his hand on his sword.
‘I have to block it!’
A sacred duel?
He didn't care about that.
Saving Chris was the first priority.
But Evan stopped in his tracks.
He had seen the smile that appeared on Chris’s lips.
Surprisingly, it was a smile of ‘victory’.
‘He took the bait.’
Chris thought to himself.
A question here.
Why did Chris receive swordsmanship lessons from Evan?
Was it simply because his swordsmanship was excellent? There was another, more decisive reason.
He recalled the past.
-Evan, there is only one way for you to defeat the Ghost Sword King. You have to make him use the Mount Tai Sword.
In his previous life, the Ghost Sword King had shed much of the Alliance’s blood for a long time.
Countless knights had challenged the Ghost Sword King, but they all became prey for his Ghost Sword.
‘Especially since the Ghost Sword King bastard at the time had even received power from a devil, so he was much stronger than he is now.’
So, the Hero’s party had devised a plan.
First, they used Ranya’s ability to deploy a magic circle that bound all mana, magi, and authority, inducing a one-on-one duel of pure swordsmanship with Evan, just as Chris was doing now.
‘That alone wasn’t enough. At the time, Evan’s swordsmanship was insufficient against the Ghost Sword King.’
It was Chris, the guiding light of the Hero’s party, who had found the answer for Evan to defeat the Ghost Sword King.
Chris perfectly copied the stance Evan had taken during the duel before his regression.
Just as he had taught Evan in the past.
He placed his right foot back and aimed his sword at a slant.
A famous ready stance.
“That’s?”
“Could it be, from the renowned swordsmanship house?!”
The Flash of the Dead Sea.
The advantage of this technique is that, depending on how it is executed, it can exert a powerful effect even without mana.
‘Precisely at the core.’
Fwaaaat!
A single ray of light that split the dead sea pierced through the center of the giant mountain.
“!!”
The momentum that seemed to overturn the heavens and the earth faltered.
Chris did not stop.
On the contrary, he moved forward, repeatedly unleashing the Flash of the Dead Sea.
Precisely toward the same core.
Like a spear piercing a barrier of evil.
Finally, Shatter!
The Mount Tai Sword was neutralized.
But it was not the time to celebrate.
Because the Ghost Sword King had merely withdrawn the Mount Tai Sword; Chris had not dealt him any damage.
On the contrary.
“How ridiculous.”
Hwaak!
His sword fell as if a wave were crashing down.
It was the Ghost Sword King’s other ultimate sword technique, the Wave Sword.
In that moment, another story from the past came to mind.
-After the Mount Tai Sword is neutralized, the Ghost Sword King’s reaction is what's important. If he takes a step back or becomes wary of you, it’s a failure. It’s over at that point, so run without looking back.
He had deliberately made Evan enter the Ghost Sword King’s striking distance.
To be positioned at a distance perfect for unleashing the Wave Sword.
-You have to induce the Ghost Sword King to use the Wave Sword.
In truth, it was a gamble.
There was no guarantee that the Ghost Sword King would use the Wave Sword.
At the time, it had been a desperate move, taken because they absolutely had to stop the Ghost Sword King.
But Chris was different now.
He had laid the groundwork to ensure that the Ghost Sword King would use the Wave Sword.
‘Earlier, I deliberately wounded the Ghost Sword King's hand.’
The current distance and direction between Chris and the Ghost Sword King.
Furthermore, considering the posture of the Ghost Sword King’s arm, shoulder, and body, the sword forms he could take were narrowed down to a few.
However, because the wound Chris had inflicted beforehand placed a minute restriction on his hand’s movement, the most effective move for the Ghost Sword King right now was the Wave Sword.
-If the Ghost Sword King uses the Wave Sword, it's your victory.
At the time, Chris had said this with a grin.
-Show that damn bastard that you are the Hero.
What it means to be a Hero is not the Mana of Radiance or the blessing of a Constellation.
The miracle of making the impossible possible—that was the true symbol of a Hero.
Just as Chris was doing right now.
Chris’s sword advanced head-on toward the Wave Sword.