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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Sylvia was born with the sword in her blood.
Though she was unmatched in beauty, none could claim her heart. Her azure eyes, perfectly paired with silver hair, enchanted all who saw her. Aen had loved her endlessly—this woman who never wavered, never lost her composure.
She hadn’t always been so guarded with her emotions. In her youth, Sylvia’s warmth had touched everyone around her.
Everything changed that night she wore the blue dress to the social gathering.
On the balcony where they stood alone, eighteen-year-old Aen spoke beneath the deep blue summer sky.
‘Sylvie, I believe I’ve fallen in love with you. No—I know I have.’
Sylvia’s smile then was radiant, the kind men would play the fool just to glimpse.
‘Brother, you shouldn’t jest like that.’
At fifteen, Sylvia looked up at her relative with that gentle smile.
‘Do my words sound like jest to you?’
‘You’re hurting me, Brother. Please let go.’
Aen clutched her arm, refusing to release her. Though from a branch family, he believed the distance in their bloodline made her attainable.
They had been childhood friends, after all.
‘Just tell me why! Why can’t you be mine?’
Her response came with unwavering calm.
‘I am drawn to those stronger than myself. Perhaps if you surpassed me in strength, I could return your feelings.’
Those words drove Aen to take up the sword, to seek strength. But he never managed to eclipse her brilliance.
And after that night, Sylvia began severing her emotions one by one.
‘I’ll give no false hope. I’ll let none misunderstand.’
She held fast to this resolution—until the day she met her only disciple.
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The impact sent Sylvia crashing across the ground, her breastplate caving under Aen’s mana-infused kick. As she reached for her sword, his boot slammed down on her stomach.
“Stop this, Aen! She’s your family!”
“Stay out of this, boy.”
I drew my blade, meeting his gaze. His eyes blazed with madness.
“Look the other way, and we can both have our way with Sylvia.”
My blood ran cold at his words.
Pure rage filled me as I watched Master’s blue eyes trembling.
“I heard about the marriage proposal. Your master is exquisite, isn’t she? The kind of beauty anyone would want to break.”
Aen’s theatrical gestures made me want to separate his head from his shoulders.
“When will you ever have another chance? Sylvia stands among the empire’s strongest. She’ll only grow more untouchable.”
His lips twisted into a sneer.
Master’s words echoed in my mind—about being drawn to those stronger than herself.
Those words had revealed a simple truth: Aen was weaker than Sylvia.
“The more something’s denied you, the more you crave to possess it.”
“Then I have no choice but to kill you.”
He’d planned this from the start, leading us into this trap.
Rage boiled in my veins as my teeth ground together. I would protect Master even at the cost of my life. There was no other option.
“Then I’ll sever your limbs and take her before your eyes. You can watch your master scream while you bleed.”
Master glared at him through labored breaths, biting her lower lip.
“Is… is my body all you desire? Nothing more?”
“Hush now, Sylvia. Don’t make this harder.”
“If it’s my body you want, take it. But my disciple—”
His kick silenced her, striking her already bruised stomach. Her words had ignited his fury.
“Yes, Sylvie! You truly cherish your disciple! Fine then—I’ll let him live. If you call existing without limbs living.”
The rage burning through me crystallized into pure killing intent.
I launched forward, blade singing through the air. He stepped back, deflecting my strike with casual grace.
“I won’t let you dishonor my master further.”
Blue mana erupted around me like a storm.
The demon territory’s energy sapped my strength, but such concerns meant nothing now. Aen’s laughter rang with madness, reveling in the moment.
“How touching! Such devotion between master and student!”
“Ethan…!”
Blood spilled from Master’s lips as she forced out the words.
“Kill him. Losing is not an option.”
“Yes, Master.”
I kicked off the ground, my blade a blur of consecutive strikes. Metal screamed against metal as our swords met.
Our mana-infused blades clashed in deadly arcs above us.
When his kick came, I retreated two steps before unleashing every technique I’d learned.
‘Linchester Swordsmanship Fourth Form: Sword Dance.’
Had I ever wanted someone dead this badly? But my opponent was a true knight of Linchester.
A master swordsman with over a decade of training.
Our blades danced through the air in a lethal ballet of strikes. The realization hit me quickly—I was outmatched in both technique and raw power. The longer this fight dragged on, the worse my chances.
And Master was still dying from the poison.
Blue mana surged through my grip into the midnight blade.
“Runtar!”
I summoned Runtar behind my opponent. Flame-blessed power coursed through my sword.
Aen’s smirk only widened.
The inferno erupted. My blade carved through the air as streams of fire sought to consume him.
‘If we die together, so be it. As long as he falls.’
My resolve was set.
Linchester Swordsmanship, Third Form: Swift Sword.
Mana surged through my arms as my blade became a storm of strikes. Light flashed with each blow. But his strength was maddening, overwhelming.
His strike caught me in the stomach, sending me flying.
Mid-flight, I twisted to land and immediately pushed off again. Our blades met in a shower of sparks, mana clashing against mana.
“Hah… hah…”
I clutched my chest, fighting to stay conscious. A glance showed Master had fallen unconscious, her head lolling forward.
“Runtar, Formation One!”
No time to waste. I created a ring of fire, trapping us both within. Aen’s grin only widened.
“Planning to burn together?”
“Lien!”
Lien burst from the shadows like lightning, his halberd singing. Steel met steel as his weapon crashed against Aen’s blade.
The powerful strike drove Aen back. I seized the opening, charging in.
“A Death Knight. No—a Chaos Knight?”
Clang!
My strike met his blade uselessly.
“Your master would weep blood if she knew her precious disciple consorted with demons.”
“Shut your mouth, you bastard!”
I readjusted my grip, mind racing for options. A memory flashed before me.
‘Master, why can we only use Flash Strike once?’
‘Haven’t I explained? The recoil is too severe. Only use it when victory is certain.’
‘Something seems odd.’
‘What do you mean?’
I’d voiced my honest confusion then.
‘The Second Form, Sword Soul, releases mana to create a dragon shape, right? Couldn’t it be combined with other techniques? Like Flash Strike?’
A faint smile had touched Master’s lips.
‘Using techniques that way would destroy your body.’
‘I see. Still, maybe I could try—’
Thwack. The Rod of Discipline had found my head.
‘Stop thinking about creating strange techniques. Master what I teach you properly.’
‘Ow! Master, that hurts!’
‘It pains me to strike you.’
After a moment, she’d added softly:
‘Please wield your sword for many years to come, Ethan.’
The memory felt like it was from another lifetime.
I’m sorry, Master. I’m a worthless disciple after all. Always doing exactly what you tell me not to.
‘I’ll combine the First and Second Forms.’
Tomorrow’s mana, next week’s mana—none of it mattered now. No time left, and my opponent was too strong. Everything would ride on this single strike.
‘Linchester Swordsmanship Forms One and Two: Flash Strike Soul.’
The ground shuddered beneath us. Mana erupted like a pillar of flame.
The blue energy coalesced into a dragon’s form, surging toward Aen. In that same instant, I leaped through the mana-storm to deliver the First Form.
Using my sword while channeling such mana felt like my arms were being shredded.
‘If this fails, it’s over.’
My teeth ground together as power surged.
The earth buckled as my strike cleaved through space itself toward my target.
The massive mana crashed down like divine judgment.
In that final moment, Aen’s eyes were wide with ecstasy.
The mana-storm passed, leaving devastation in its wake.
The recoil sent me tumbling dozens of meters across the ground.
My ears rang and nausea swept through me.
My ultimate strike had severed half of Aen’s body—but somehow he still staggered toward me.
“Kuh… hack…”
He tried to speak but couldn’t form words.
I could only watch helplessly as he lurched closer.
Step by unsteady step he came, like a zombie driven by the singular purpose of ending me.
Then—slash.
Lien’s halberd swept through the air, taking Aen’s head. The body crashed to the ground with a dull thud.
[My lord, are you alright?]
I had no strength to answer. Lien’s voice grew distant as he called to me again and again.
In that moment, both Lien and Runtar were forcibly unsummoned.
My mana might have been overflowing, but my body had nothing left. I crawled toward Master, my vision dimming as exhaustion claimed me.
Sylvia lay as if in peaceful sleep.
I pulled her into my arms. She was cold as ice. Emotion overwhelmed me as tears fell freely.
“Master…! Master!”
Fatigue and searing pain weighed down every limb. We were still in demon territory. If I lost consciousness now, we’d be helpless against the beast hordes.
But my body had nothing left to give. I couldn’t fight the darkness claiming my vision.
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