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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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The ‘sword’ had no strength.
The sword I had been searching for so desperately was not the strongest?
The time it took to determine that was very short.
An overwhelming mass of mana was about to engulf us soon.
In this enclosed space where the wind couldn’t blow, a rough wind started to blow like a storm had arisen.
It was a phenomenon created as mana concentrated into a single point.
Isaac’s red hair fluttered wildly in the wind.
“Kyaah!”
Nias grabbed her fluttering hair due to the whirlwind and clung to my waist.
With a sword that had no power at all, there was only one thing I could do.
All I could do was stare and despair.
“Did you say you’d cut it in half?”
Isaac sneered as if it was ridiculous.
His body transformed black after receiving the power of the Dark Dragon and swelled up even more.
Accordingly, the ground beneath his feet cracked due to the mana gathered around him.
“… I’ll tear you apart until your form is unrecognizable.”
Of course, Isaac’s words were not an empty threat.
The moment Isaac swung his sword, this place would be completely blown away by the energy his sword created.
It would be fortunate if it ended with just that.
‘Splitting a mountain.’
It was literally the meaning of the word.
It might even be possible to split an entire city in half.
Me, Nias, the collapsed Elena, and Elin.
And even the city would be blown away.
For that reason, I had no choice but to dodge.
I thought about the reason things turned out to be so disastrous.
*Ding!*
The sword in my hand couldn’t NOT be the strongest weapon according to the setting.
The system doesn’t lie.
This was being proven by the incidents I had experienced so far.
So, the only possible explanation was that I didn’t know how to use this sword.
What was I missing?
Because the author didn’t reveal the setting?
Or is it because the author himself doesn’t know?
Should I try attaching a setting?
No, to experiment, I needed more data.
Isaac’s sword was already filled with mana.
The most I could utter was a single sentence,
‘I’m missing something.’
When setting up the ‘strongest’ weapon, there’s no way the author himself doesn’t know.
Especially for an author who organizes settings so meticulously.
Strongest is a name that can only be attached to one thing.
Once determined, no other strongest can exist.
Unless there are too many settings, it becomes difficult to set them up!
“System, search for the strongest sword according to the setting.”
With that single sentence, system windows started popping up one after another.
*Ding!*
And the next moment, the system window flashed brightly.
“The sword…?”
Nias first noticed the change in the sword, excluding me.
Nias widened her black eyes and quickly retreated. She would have been caught up in it if she hadn’t moved away.
*Ding!*
The sword underwent a change.
The rusty parts of the sword each turned into burning flames of purgatory and soared higher than my height.
And then, the flames that arose from the rusty parts of the sword spread to the entire sword.
The surrounding air instantly heated up, and the surroundings began to waver along with the heat haze.
The power flowing from the sword began to heat up my entire body.
The scorching power flowing from the sword spread as if burning all my muscles and blood vessels.
I smiled faintly.
Issac, how would you like to be cooked?
Medium rare should do just fine.
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Isaac also saw that sight.
Suddenly, the fire the boy was holding spread and soared high into the sky.
And the heat created by those flames heated the air and made a heat haze.
An intense heat that made the boy’s appearance appear distorted.
Is it magic?
Isaac realized the boy had done something, but he was never afraid.
The boy who had been swinging his sword powerlessly until just before.
No magic that could work against him now would exist, even if he was a mage.
The enormous mana gathered in the sword was already in complete control of the surrounding magic.
How ridiculous.
‘Slice him.’
Through the sword, the thought of the Demon Dragon whispered.
The thought of the Demon Dragon had been swirling inside him since the moment he grasped the sword.
Isaac already knew that the more he followed it, the more power he gained.
And he took a step.
The mana gathered in the sword would cut everything with its sheer strength.
This space, this temple, this city.
And even the damn past that had been holding him back.
With the determination to cut everything apart, Isaac swung his raised sword.
Just before Isaac swung his sword, he saw it.
The boy pushed away the maid behind him and leaped in front of the two saintesses.
‘Is he thinking of taking the sword with his body?!’
Isaac was going to watch the boy’s annihilation with a smile.
Rumble! Boom!
The black sword energy gathered in the sword shot out, cutting through walls and earth.
Things touched by the mana melted without leaving even a trace of residue.
With the power of the sword’s mana, the city’s earth shook as if a landslide had occurred.
A power strong enough to split a huge mountain.
A power capable of shifting the earth’s crust would be applied to the city.
‘Everything will disappear!’
The Demon Dragon shouted.
Isaac wished for the same.
Only then could his revenge finally take a proper step.
But the next moment.
Isaac witnessed something spine-chilling.
Seeing that sight, his whole body began to tremble as if struck by lightning.
The mana that had shot out as if to devour everything…
It was being crumpled as if someone were crumpling paper.
The mana was dissolving as if transforming itself to be sucked into a particular space.
The mana shrunk and compressed, gradually being compressed to about the size of the boy’s arm.
And Isaac discovered something that the enormous mana was being sucked into.
No, it wasn’t a ‘thing.’
It was a ‘space.’
There was a crack in the air as if cut by something sharp.
And the force that had been shooting out just before, shaking the earth with overwhelming destructive power, was being sucked into that crack.
As if being absorbed into that space on its own.
“…The power of the Demon Dragon is disappearing?! Did he counter it with mana?”
Isaac shouted in astonishment.
He had heard of it.
A mighty mage could make mana collide with mana and make it disappear.
He had heard it was about adjusting the difference in imagery.
But that only worked when the amount of mana was within reason.
The power of destruction created by the Demon Dragon was a force impossible to overcome with such a shallow trick.
“I see. So it was like this.”
The boy, who appeared far away, muttered softly.
A small crack had formed next to the boy.
‘Could it be…!’
The moment Isaac realized that fact, he realized he couldn’t win.
It was because of that sword.
The sword was giving power to that boy!
Isaac immediately picked up Elin, who had collapsed on the floor.
And he shouted, holding the sword to her neck.
“Don’t come any closer and drop the sword!”
It might be cowardly, but it couldn’t be helped.
Isaac had lived his entire life that way.
For his vanished family!
For himself!
For revenge!
But the moment Isaac shouted, the boy had already disappeared again.
And the next moment, he seemingly disappeared again?
Until his last moments, Isaac couldn’t see the boy’s figure.
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Purgatory was a place of endless torture.
The earth, the air, the mana, and even the living beings in this space.
The only difference was that the living beings here were trapped in eternal flames and burning.
“Aaaah! Save me! It’s too hot! Please get me out of here!”
“Ugh… no… no… it hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts!!! Why am I in this state…!”
“Is there anyone?! To the person who can get me out of here, money…! Aaaaah!!”
The writhing of those twisting in pain looked like they were dancing when seen from afar.
A space that simply kept all living things in eternal pain.
Those who were alive regretted their lives and burned forever here.
Flames, regret, pain.
Only these three words existed in this place, and I casually walked through it.
The flames and the heat emitted by the fire did not hinder my steps, and they moved out of the way wherever I went.
It was the ability of the sword imbued with the power of purgatory.
‘The time in purgatory according to the setting was one-millionth of a second.’
After walking a sufficient distance, I raised the sword and cut through space again.
What I saw in front of me was Isaac, who was holding Elin hostage.
Through the created crack, I crossed back to reality.
“Regret it.”
With those words, I swung the sword toward Isaac’s arm, holding Elin.
The swinging sword created a long trail of flames.
The sword that touched Isaac’s arm melted his body, which was more potent than steel reinforced by the Demon Dragon’s mana, with the flames of purgatory instantly.
The red trail completely severed Isaac’s arm.
And I caught Elin, who was released from Isaac’s grip and falling weakly.
It was nice to catch her without the power of magic.
Damn, these side effects are sweet.
Right after the burning sword of purgatory cut through Isaac’s body, Isaac looked at me with eyes darkened by the Demon Dragon’s mana.
Tears burst from his eyes with burst blood vessels.
And Isaac began to scream as the flames began to spread throughout his body.
“Ugh.. aaaah!!! Like this! Like this, I-!!”
Isaac began to be sucked into the crack created when his arm was cut off.
Isaac’s body, which had turned black and greatly swollen, made an unpleasant sound as it folded to a size that could enter the crack.
At first, his waist folded in half, then his body folded again.
And his legs, arms, and finally…
“No! No…! I haven’t even achieved my revenge yet…! Demon Dragon, you promised…”
Snap.
Along with the Demon Dragon’s sword, Isaac completely disappeared beyond purgatory.
To a place where only eternal pain existed.
He was thereafter condemned to burn for eternity.
*Ding!*
And at that moment, having lost my strength, I collapsed on the spot.
I, who had already collapsed before the system informed me, simply exhaled a long breath.
“Young Master!”
Nias ran over and hugged me.
Seeing her black eyes and shedding tears profusely, I realized the situation had ended.
“Hey. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay! Your complexion… What should I do? It looks like you’re about to die. Young Master, you can’t pass away!!”
My complexion is originally pale.
Because of the Frail status ailment.
Nias was misunderstanding yet again.
The two saintesses who had collapsed also regained their senses belatedly.
And perhaps misunderstanding something because of Nias crying profusely, their complexions turned pale white as they ran to me.
“Sir Leonhart!”
“Sir…! Are you dying?!”
Elena and Elin also looked down at me with worried eyes.
Looking at them, I suddenly wanted to pretend to be sick, even though I hadn’t been injured that much.
“Aah. It hurts.”
At my words, Nias, Elena, and Elin started healing me, squeezing out their lacking mana and sacred power, so I had to get up immediately.
The Red Snake had disappeared, and I had saved Elin and Elena.
And I had obtained the strongest sword according to the setting.
Damn, just look how I had to endure the first 10 years of my life.
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A few years passed since then, and it was spring again.
Time had flown by, and it became the year I was to enter the academy.
They say spring is the season that heralds new beginnings.
This time, it would indeed be a season heralding a new beginning.
At this moment, a warm spring breeze was blowing, signaling the arrival of spring.
“Why aren’t you coming quickly?”
I shouted at Nias, who was dragging a wheel-attached bag stuffed full of luggage.
“I- I’m coming… it’s too heavy… achoo!”
Haa… At this rate, it would take a long time.
Buzz.
I lifted the bag Nias was holding with magic.
When I shook the bag up and down, seeing Nias dragged along like a toy from a claw machine, Nias fell off on her own.
“Eek! Ugh… that’s too much!”
I approached Nias and gently held out my hand to help her up.
Then she smiled like a spring breeze at the small kindness.
“Ehehe.”
“Right. You’re foolish again today.”
“Foolish, you say?! Achoo!”
Coughing makes you look even more foolish, so I sympathized with Nias.
Although Nias puffed out one cheek, I ignored her and pushed Nias into the carriage.
And I also got on the carriage.
In other words, it was a carriage heading to the academy that would be the stage of 『The Hero of Salvation.
The main story of 『The Hero of Salvation』 was about to begin.
‘Finally…’
I closed the carriage door, feeling an uplifting heart and an anxiety swirling like a storm.
It was a new beginning.
[Age 10, 《The Strongest Weapon According to the setting 》 Arc End]
[Academy, 《Enrollment and the Mage and the Princess》 Arc Start]
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