57 Ͳմɾղìղց φօìղէ Ӡ - By the Sword
In this remote and enigmatic realm, known to locals as the [Sword Sanctum], snow covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. It was a land where time seemed to stand still, and nature obeyed its own rules, uncaring of the season.
As Julian set foot in the Sword Sanctum, the first thing that struck him was the sheer immensity of the snow. It laid deep and undisturbed, a soft, pristine blanket that stretched to the horizon. But Julian was undeterred.... for the most part.
Clad in a rather thin, insulated coat, Julian gazed out at the endless expanse of snow and contemplated his next steps. His breath formed crystalline clouds in the frigid air, and he could feel the icy fingers of winter creeping through the layers of his clothing.
For a moment, he considered adding another layer, but he decided against it. He knew that movement would generate warmth, and the journey ahead would be strenuous due to the additional weight.
Taking his first step into the snow, Julian felt it yield beneath his weight, sinking up to his knee. The sensation was both surprising and oddly satisfying, like walking on a cloud. The snow was powdery and soft. It crunched softly beneath his boots, each echoing step renewing his curiosity.
As Julian trudged onward, the cold began to seep into his bones. He could feel the chill gnawing at him, and his fingers grew stiff despite the thick gloves he wore. The snowfall was relentless, tiny flakes dancing in the air, each one adding to the already substantial layer on the ground.
The land was eerily silent, save for the occasional gust of wind that carried with it a haunting whisper.
Hours passed, and Julian's journey took him deeper into the heart of the Sword Sanctum. The snow showed no signs of relenting, and the landscape remained an unbroken sea of white. Yet, Julian felt a strange sense of serenity amid the desolation. The stark beauty of the land, the quiet majesty of the snow-covered trees, and the pristine wilderness around him filled him with a profound sense of awe.
With each step, Julian's contemplations turned inward. The cold had a way of stripping away distractions, leaving only the core of his thoughts and intentions.
He was finally where he was supposed to be.
(***)
The Holy Land of Swords. It had no other name. A harsh land that was covered in snow all year round.
In his final years, the first-generation Sword God built a school here to teach his disciples the sword. To swordsmen it was a place they would go, and then eventually leave. As long as you were a swordsman, no matter who you were, it was somewhere you should visit at least once. This was what the Holy Land of Swords actually was.
Gathered at this Holy Land of Swords were young swordsmen in the making, all with promising futures. Though they were teens, they had talent in the sword that you could see at a glance. They were young geniuses.
At the Holy Land of Swords, there were three swordsmen who had outstanding talent.
The first was the eldest daughter of the Sword God. Nina Farion. Though she was now 18 years old, she had already reached Sword Saint with talent. People would say that she'd be a Sword King around the time she turned 20, and by 25, she would undoubtedly be a Sword Emperor. The people around her felt that she was the most promising one.
Next was Nina's cousin. Jino Britts. He was the second son of the Britts family; a branch family to the Sword God Style's main house, the Farion family. He was now 14. As someone who received the title Sword Saint at 12 years of age, he was the youngest Sword Saint.
Officially at least. For there existed someone who achieved that title at half his age. (insert skull emoji)
He was such a genius that though he was now a step behind Nina, people didn't know if this would stay the same in the future.
Finally, Eris Greyrat. She was now 17 years old. She was a mad dog who frightened everyone who saw her, and those who bit her would be mercilessly beaten down. She who had come along two years ago as Sword King Ghislaine's disciple would never compromise when it came to her actions.
Each day she would tackle her training with a do-or-die attitude, and she'd abuse her body until it surpassed that abuse.
Her debut at the Holy Land of Sword was striking. It was vivid enough that even now, several years later, it was still a topic of conversation.
And after 2 whole years of her chaotic arrival that caused a country-wide uproar, a new individual stepped into the same place. The entirety of the Holy Land of Swords was about to be turned upside down.
All because of the emergence of a single boy.
As the sight of the place where we wanted to be came into his light azure eyes, he let out a long exhale, puffing out a huge cloud of mist. A ripple of mana went throughout the place as even the Sword God - Gal Farion felt it.
"Looks like we have a monster on our door." He smirked inwardly, almost rapturous.
(***)
The sound of swords clashing filled the air as Julian made his way towards the inside of the Sword Sanctum. Looking around, he saw multiple practitioners either swinging their swords or issuing duels to each other, fighting in a fast and decisive way.
Julian watched with a curious face, looking like a lost country boy who had come to the city for the first time—a total bum. A single sword with a golden hilt and black scabbard was attached to his back, while a long white robe was draped over his brown turtleneck.
"You! Stop right there. Do you realise that room is where the Sword God resides. Back off, now." A random practitioner warned him, directing his wooden sword at Julian.
Julian tilted his head, "You'd need more than that to make me stop."
"You fuckin—" His words got stuck in his mouth as Julian blurred and returned back to his place as the disciple fell to his knees, throwing his guts out.
"You shouldn't swear. Bad habits." Julian scolded the unconscious boy and placed his snow laden boots over his face, "Anyone else?" He asked in a loud voice.
Silence. Complete, utter, plumb silence. Not even a breath.
Julian shrugged his shoulders once he confirmed no one was attacking and turned the other way. As he turned around, a silent movement got inside Julian's range. He recognised it in a near instant. Sword God Style's Long Sword of Silence. The attack made almost no sound; however, it was much slower than even the slowest variants of Long Sword of Light.
[Water God Style - Flowing Water]
The side of Julian's hand touched the flat side of the girl's blade and deflected it. Placing his hand underneath her chest, he blasted a sound-boom. The impact made her eyes reel to the back of her head, and she landed instantly on the ground like how a ripe fruit falls from the tree.
Without confirming or looking back, he continued walking towards the door beyond which the [Rank 6] of [The Seven Great World Powers] was. A chill ran down this spine. He felt like a wild wolf was on the other side, scrutinising him---measuring him, even through the door between them.
"This would be worthwhile." Julian spoke to himself and pushed the doors open.
The doors opened without the usual crackling sound. With a smooth motion, the doors flew open as Julian stepped inside. Respectfully, he shut the doors behind him. "It's quite cold outside, isn't it?" He began his small talk.
It was only after the fact that his voice boomed in the eerily silent room that everyone looked back. They confirmed the existence of someone else in the room once they laid their eyes on him. Before that, not even a single person could tell someone was standing behind them. Even now, they were having a hard time understanding what was happening.
The Sword Emperors---the closest ones to becoming the next Sword God were the first to compose themselves. The reactions of the top 3 cadets were quite baffling. Jino immediately felt something was really wrong, just like the other Sword Emperor's perception.
Eris tilted her head, thinking hard who the boy was. She could swear on her life that she had seen him before. But she couldn't put a finger on it. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't recollect. Steam erupted from her ears; her brain overworked.
As for Nina Farion, she was in a trance, almost captivated as she saw white haired boy stare down at her. She stole her gaze away from him.
"Who are yo–" Before the Sword Emperor could finish his sentence, Julian interrupted.
"I have no need for your lackeys to talk to me. I am here for you. I think you know that well." Julian spoke to the man sitting on a throne-like structure. He was an adult man with blue hair and a face like a ferocious wolf, lined by a prominent scar below his left eye that reached below his left ear and another scar at the tip of his right eye.
"Haha, I know that damn well. Well, I can entertain you, but before that, can you indulge these kids and Emperors here before that? They really think they have a chance against me as of now." The man---Sword God---Gal Farion's laughter boomed.
"My joints got stiff due to the cold. I was planning on warming up either way." Julian replied and cracked his neck—almost—but stopped midway. "She's going to nag again." He murmured under his breath, sighing deeply. "Well? Who's first?"
"You three. Nina. Jino. Eris. Go at him with the intent to kill." Gal ordered.
Jino and Nina seemed to be perplexed for a while at the sudden order, but Eris was the first to spring into action. Lowering her stance like a beast, she built up energy before exploding it and lunging at Julian like a bullet. "I'd hate to get my hands on my sister-in-law. Can you please not attack me?"
Eris grunted and swung his sword at Julian regardless of that. Julian placed his finger between her brows, "Do you still not remember me?" The next moment, a huge ball of wind compressed under his finger and exploded in the form of a shrieking sound wave, throwing Eris away. Before Jino or Nina could move, Eris was thrown at the back.
"Eris!"
"Eris!"
"Keep your eyes on me, please." Julian pleaded and both felt a wave of horror wash over them.
In a frenzy, they swung their sword down at him. Weaving around their initial strikes, Julian jabbed under Jino's chin and followed with a hook to Nina's gut. However, his attack didn't end there as he connected the combo with an uppercut to the girl and knee to Jino's solar plexus.
The most basic combo of Muay Thai. Given enough augmentation, it was enough to kill someone.
Both of them fell down with audible thuds.
"HAP!"
Eris had ditched her sword. Twisting her hips, she launched a hook at the back of Julian's head. Slightly tilting, he evaded it and caught her arm. She tried to pull her arm back, but Julian's hand seemed to be frozen in place. His grip strength was overwhelmingly superior to hers.
"You! You're Rudy's brother! Didn't you die?" She spoke as her red eyes locked in with his.
"You finally remember me, sister-in-law. I am honoured." He spoke in a respectful tone. "Ah, yes, I died. However, I turned into a vengeful spirit."
"Gross!" She showed her disgust in quite a visceral way. Julian felt hurt.
"Can we stop fighting? I don't want to hurt you."
"Do you think grabbing my arm would help you?" She replied with a smug look and took out the small sword from her back. However, the sword broke into a million pieces upon contact, exploded by the same shockwave that blasted her off---albeit much more potent.
She looked at her broken sword and then at him. However, Julian chopped the side of her neck as she lost consciousness immediately. Julian caught her gently and picked her up in a princess carry, putting her down in the corner with her back against the wall.
"You seem to be close to her." Gal Farion commented.
"Not at all. I still do care about her, indirectly though." Julian replied with a nonchalant look. "Your Sword Emperors still want to learn their lesson? Although, I think you should revoke their titles if they still can't tell it."
The Sword Emperors gulped audibly. They had their pride, yes, but they knew the difference in their ability. Just like how they could only look up to Gal Farion, the boy was on the same level as him, if not more.
"So? You want to become the New Sword God? I guess it will be over quickly." Gal commented.
A battle between two users of Sword God Style practitioners was over with who moved first and who striked first. Speed was everything.
"No. Although, I want your World Ranking." Julian explained.
"That's interesting. But...." Gal's playful demeanour vanished, replaced by a dangerous one, "...what makes you think you can win against me?"
"Nothing. You never know until you try."
Gal's aura extended out from him like a crushing dome. However, it clashed against an invisible barrier around Julian.
"Hoh?"
"Well then? Are you ready to come down here?" Julian asked and slowly unsheathed his sword. The sinister crimson glint shone in the room, followed by the harrowing sound of metal grating against metal.
"Then I won't be holding back." Gal said with a smirk, "Just so you know, I know more than just Sword God Style."
(***)
Sckrrrr—!
Suddenly, a strange cold energy swirled around Julian's sword and froze his blade.
"The 'Iceblades'. You're the [Void God] they've been talking about." Gal spoke with wide eyes.
Julian cringed at the name he had gotten, partly because of his usage of Gravity Magic.
"Hmmmm? You don't look like the description and sketch at all though." Gal's voice was sceptical.
"Oh? Do I look more like him now?" Julian asked, putting on the ring. His face changed to someone else as Gal realised it. Once he was satisfied, Julian removed the ring again.
Sharp and hard crystals of ice were swirling around Julian's blade. Gal was impressed. The cold energy's crystals were spread apart densely like a net and shone brilliantly. And while it gave Gal the urge to touch these beautiful floating shards, they were lethal weapons that would tear him apart.
Gal dashed and reduced the distance between them. He was planning on overpowering him with the difference in their physical capability—if there was any. The two blades collided, and the sound of ice breaking echoed in the hall. Had Gal not covered his sword with aura instinctively, his weapon would've shattered into bits and pieces.
'So, this is the rumoured Iceblades.' Gal thought. There were a lot of rumours going around about Julian. One of them was that there was a boy who used Ice in tandem with Swordsmanship which gained the name of Iceblades, due to how beautiful they looked in battle.
They had a secondary effect. If the slash didn't kill you, the following ice shard would.
Every time he swung his sword, the air around the blade froze. It was a highly dangerous power. In fact, the rumours said he froze an entire lake just with a single slash. The temperature around the blade continued to fall impetuously.
Julian stayed calm, analysing Gal.
Julian was not amping his attack power, due to the sword technique's secondary effect. Although Gal would soon catch up to the trick and Iceblade would be rendered useless.
His [Mana Eyes] were active, reading Gal's every movement.
A horizontal slash. Lower slash. Now a diagonal.
Julian dodged effortlessly, keeping the attack to a minimum.
Suddenly, Gal's mana fluctuated, and he appeared right in front of him. Julian's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he saw Gal's sword right next to his neck.
[Sword God Style - Long Sword of Light]
Gal had activated his ultimate technique in the smallest fraction of the second. The explosive acceleration from 0 to max speed threw Julian off-guard as the sharp end made contact with his neck. A small trickle of blood came out and time slowed down.
[Iceblade - 3rd Form - Lavina]
The Iceblades 3rd Form was a technique that was named "Lavina '' by Julian but people who witnessed it called it "Avalanche".
Julian could only use this technique a few times. Its consumption of battle aura and ice magic was severe, so it wasn't something he could use recklessly. However, he couldn't back up too quickly from this. The sword was about to make contact with his Carotid Artery.
Mana condensed in a small area and then expanded in a near instant, blasting outwards in a cacophony of explosions and objects breaking all over the place. The snow attack mixed in with icicles washed away Gal, neutralising his Ultimate Technique.
Just as Julian stepped back, redirecting his mana to focus on healing, Gal's sword made an arc.
The sword swing was followed by a shrill sound as his battle aura manifested as an extension to the sword, dicing the avalanche itself into two. The heavy flooding of the 3rd form of Iceblade was neutralised as well. The slash that cut it into two made the explosive momentum crash to the either side of Gal's back, breaking the walls of the inner hall.
"Awwwh, man, I thought this much speed would be enough to get ya. Guess I underestimated you by a lot." Gal admitted, a smirk dancing on his face.
A chill went down Julian's spine.
'He was holding back. A lot. He can go faster than this.'
Julian had realised from the start. The differences in their physical capabilities. Despite being stronger than almost any other person of his age or a few years older than him, there still existed a limitation to how much a body could toughen up with Battle Aura.
A human male's physical prime starts from their later teens, around 17 or 18, where he starts gathering strength and muscle mass and the prime remains until early thirties. The physical body in this range is at its peak, with muscle mass, strength, stamina, and agility at its highest.
If Julian's innate amounts of Battle Aura---which was just extending mana as a second skin over your whole body---were less than Gal's, he had a physical disadvantage. There was only so much explosive strength his 15-year-old body could generate.
He didn't have a blessed physique. And his mana reserves were barely above average.
Julian had realised this difference before he came here. The man in front of him was in his prime. And unlike other Sword God Style practitioners, Gal was rumoured to be a logical person. A person who took logic into account and climbed the ranks. Provocations won't work on him.
Julian's heart palpitated.
"What's with that look? Scared already?" Gal asked, straightening his back.
Julian's expressions had changed. But it wasn't out of fear.
The adrenaline in his veins was making him ecstatic as he felt for the first time in this world. Felt that he was in a serious fight to death and his opponent won't die just like that. Strength and power came in a bundle package with loneliness.
The stronger one was, the lonelier and more bored they felt. However, the prospect of losing was making Julian's blood pump faster. He could hear his heart in his ears. When was the last time he felt his heart this excited?
Probably in the White Room. And that was exactly the place where he felt it for the first and last time. However, that "last" time had just changed.
"Just surprised." Julian replied, relaxing his posture as he too stood with a straight posture. "Surprised you thought you could end me when your speed was this pathetic."
"Heh, I like you. Don't die so quickly." Gal's laughter boomed and the next instant he vanished.
Julian's eyes widened but started glowing as he began noticing the streaks and fluctuations in ambient mana.
'Here goes nothing.'
With that thought, Julian launched a technique.
[Long Sword of Silence]
*clang*
"Oi, oi, come on. Don't disrespect me like that, kiddo. I might be getting old, but these can eyes see..." He paused as he held Julian by the scruff, "....something as sluggish as this." Tilting his body to the side, he threw Julian towards the nearby wall.
Twisting his body midair, he landed on the vertical wall with ease. Absorbing the impact from his throw into his feet, he lowered like a spring and then lunged forward like a missile.
Gal, who had also bolted forward after Julian's body was suddenly thrown off-course as he saw Julian cover the distance in the blink of an eye. Using his sword's flat side, he evaded Julian's stab to his heart.
[Water God Style - Flowing Water]
Gal Farion had used a technique from Water God Style. Julian's blade was deflected, and his centre of gravity got disrupted, allowing Gal to capitalise on it. Turning his hips, he held the sword in both hands and went for his neck again.
[Divergence]
A small sphere of mana formed between the two before exploding. Gal only had enough time to shield his one hand as the repulsive gravity threw him into a wall. Julian immediately stood back up to his two feet.
Since Julian challenged him for his ranking for the World Powers, there was no need for Gal to stick to his original school of swordsmanship. His rationality and cool mindedness had allowed him to use Water God Style with ease.
Shrugging off the damage, Gal peeled himself away from the battered wall. He was about to comment on his usage of magic in a sword fight but then again, this fight was about the rankings. Anything goes.
"That was gravity, wasn't it? I have never seen anyone do that." Gal commented, genuinely impressed.
"Earth Dragons can do that." Julian corrected.
"Are you an Earth Dragon? Duh. I was talking about humans." Gal replied with a sarcastic snort.
"Well, you never know. Maybe I am." Julian replied, bringing his sword up.
"I love dismantling dragons." Gal replied and the two disappeared again.
The two exchanged hundreds of clashes in a few seconds. Every time they clashed, they aimed for each other's vital organs and every time it would get blocked. But the raw strength was making the bones in Julian's arm vibrate.
Thinking of a one-off explosive technique, Julian took a short sword out of his robe. Slashing his sword in a diagonal, aimed to land a deep gash on his chest.
Battle aura condensed all around Gal, acting as a protective sheen that blocked the sword's trajectory. It wasn't something like Julian's barrier technique since overpowering Gal with pure brute strength was possible. However, it was still enough to block the sword strike from Julian that obliterated the ground beneath and behind Gal, sending a tremor through his body.
'He is young, but the raw strength is so explosive. Nice. Nice. He won't break that easily.'
Gal thought. A grin appeared over his face---a grin that was reminiscent of the one that had achieved victory. It was a natural thought process for him. His reserves of touki were higher than Julian's.
However, as the grating sound of metal fighting against the battle aura surrounding Gal's body, suddenly, something akin to an ice pick, a single handle-less blade pierced through the thick layer of white energy---Gal's battle aura.
'What? How did he—!'
Gal hastily fixed his posture... At least, he tried to. The will wasn't enough on its own. His body was currently immobile due to the continuous deployment of battle aura towards defense rather than offence, preventing his body from following Gal's brain's orders.
He could only wait for the next sequence of events to occur in her bad posture.
A single flash of light streaked through the snowstorm that Julian had conjured a while ago.
The blade didn't contain a god's power like Gal's Light-Sword.
In fact, the blade wasn't even covered in aura, the universal and basic power that every swordsman used.
It merely appeared to be an ordinary steel edge without a handle.
Gal couldn't accept the fact that such an unremarkable weapon, not even his sharp crimson sword, but rather the short sword was tearing through his defenses in tandem with Avalanche.
"What the fuc----"
He couldn't even finish his sentence since the annoyingly persistent blade coming at him was about to explode.
Gal clearly witnessed the steel crumbling on itself as dents formed on it, along with a bright and outré glow escaping through the cracks on the metal. Before he could even realize what was happening Julian spoke something.
"You told Eris to swing her sword a thousand of times, with the first and last swing being identical, yes?"
Gal's eyes widened, "You can tell? That means you understand that one's swordsmanship does not reach its peak after reaching God Class. There is a realm far beyond that."
"I have a slight clue. How did you come across it?" Julian asked, curiously, still pushing the short sword without any augmentation through Gal's battle aura.
"It definitely isn't something one can teach you. I heard it varies from person to person. The fact that you know about it and can realise it from just a single look, means you have achieved it or at least developed a feel for it." Gal spoke nonchalantly, but his brain was processing the new information.
Even among the God Classes, there weren't many who knew about it. Yet the young boy knew everything about it. Or that is what he assumed. Gal was a rational person. He deduced things by putting himself in a worst possible scenario. That means... if he fights continuously....
...he is going to die.
Of course, that too was just an assumption.
Suddenly, Gal's eyes widened.
Julian's steel blade that had been compressed to the size of a knuckle exploded.
[Storm Blade]
Tiny steel shards flew forward. Each little fragment was shining with an eerie amount of compressed mana. Although the weapon that tore through the defenses wasn't covered in touki, its blade was filled to the brim with energy.
A crackling sound resounded, followed by a cacophonous explosion as mist and debris alike rose up in a dome shape, spreading in every direction. Julian immediately jumped back after the implosion of the sword. His mana eyes activated to their full extent in a near instant, tracing every minute pulse in mana.
"Oh damn, this shit had me for a minute, not going to lie." Gal's voice reached Julian's ears amidst the whooshing sound of the subsiding mist.
A silhouette appeared, its visage becoming clearer with every step it took closer to him. Finally, after reaching a yard away from Julian, his features became clearer. Shards of metal stabbed Gal everywhere. A huge chunk was stuck in his shoulder, rendering it useless—unable to move. He also
He also staggered, evident from the fact that two huge pieces of blades were harpooned through his left knee.
"You seem quite lively." Julian commented and let his sword dangle freely to the side. There was no killing intent from him. He was allowing Gal to heal himself.
"A Sword God Style practi---"
"I am not a practitioner of your sword style. Now, heal yourself up. I know you were caught off-guard from my skill." Julian spoke, bobbing his head sideways.
"Didn't you want my world ranking?"
"I do. But while I am at it, I want to feel this feeling called 'thrill.' I've been unable to feel it until now. Maybe you can make me feel it?"
Gal smiled, the smile changing into grin and then full-on outburst of laughter. "Such an arrogant brat you are. But I understand what you mean."
Taking out a scroll, he healed himself up.
"Do not hold back, Gal Farion. The moment you do, you might not keep your head. I am a human with a limited life. Hence my patience also isn't unlimited."
""No one has acted this bumptious towards me ever since—"
"Orsted?" Julian interjected.
Gal's body trembled at the name.
"Oh yeah. He told me to extend his greetings towards you. Unlike him, I won't be letting you go with all your limbs intact." Julian commented. Gal's grip over the sword tightened, the rationality that helped him to climb up to this level slowly slipping away.
"Fucking runt!" Gal bellowed.
The next moment he launched himself towards Julian.
'3 seconds, reverse slash'
However, Gal's limbs went limp as he charged like a zombie towards Julian. The subtle twitch in muscles that Julian used to predict his movements suddenly disappeared and immediately, instead of 3 seconds, Gal was slashing at him in the quarter of a second.
'Unorthodox methods of wielding and unconventional slashes. He is trying to activate THAT.'
That was the conclusion Julian reached.
He had a strong feeling that all of Gal's attack would begin earlier than expected.
'Left? Right?'
His eyes flickered to the left, then to the right. Then, as he focused his attention back to the middle...
Gal had disappeared and the familiar sound of a sword traveling through the air went to his ear. Surprised by the aggravated acceleration, Julian raised his crimson sword, and Gal smiled as he flew towards Julian.
Clang!
The impact that traveled through the sword hilt was incredible, as if an explosion occurred within his sword. Within the heavy blow was an energy as sharp as shattered obsidian. If Julian even lacked a little less hip and lower-body strength, his stance would have collapsed immediately.
"I tried it, thinking that there was a possibility of it working. But as expected, it didn't. You're something else. Didn't you say not told hold back? Are you looking down on me?"
Disappointed, Gal licked his lips. Julian cracked an awkward look instead of responding.
'He's getting faster and faster...? Oh, he is using the accumulated momentum.'
Lost in his thoughts, Gal had already begun to swing his sword, and Julian was still gathering his aura to defend.
However.
He was too slow.
Every time their blades met, sounds of explosion echoed. Instead of two sharp weapons, it sounded as if two blunt weapons were slogging against each other.
"Wh-Whooaaa!"
"Is that really a kid? He is going toe-to-toe with the Sword God."
"I can't believe it myself. And Sword God isn't holding back."
The Sword Emperors discussed amongst themselves, cold sweat breaking on their forehead. All of them had considered the possibility of jumping in on Julian after he punched the top 3 students. However, the difference in their speed and ability was awfully visible.
Both the Sword God and Julian were far beyond their reach. They couldn't even react to the Long Sword of Light that Gal launched before, which was awfully held back due to him underestimating Julian. And an attack they couldn't even understand was blocked easily by Julian.
Even now, every now and then, Julian was keeping the Sword Emperors in check. He stance had no opening. It wasn't just Julian. They knew well enough....
If they try to help Gal, he would the first person to kill his own subordinates.
He was having a quality time with Julian...after all.
Eris, Nina and Jino were now awake, watching the high-speed battle while being in a petrified trance.
Nina Farion---Gal's daughter, oblivious of her sweaty hands, clenched her fists. A dry lump formed in the back of her throat. The boy had gone easy on her. If he wanted, he could've killed her with a punch then and there. But he did it in a way that she was knocked out for a little while.
The shockwaves from their blows were enough to tell her that. However, it wasn't just that. Despite seeing her father in a battle with him to death, she seemed oddly enchanted by his swordplay. Hypnotised even.
Julian continued tanking Gal's hits, although, every hit was getting stronger than the last.
'To activate THAT he needs to reach the realm where his will and force are identical throughout the fight. The chant works only then.' Julian deduced.
However, since THAT took too much aura or mana, he could feel the fatigue accumulating in Gal's body. The adrenaline was making him push his limits, but all Julian needed to do was to put a small pause in his onslaught and the effect would start diminishing.
Hah, hah...
Julian felt that Gal's breaths were getting hoarse. His own breaths weren't the same as in the beginning of the fight, but he still had more breathing room than Gal.
"I guess it's my turn now."
Julian—who had been on the defensive the entire fight—began to attack. \
And Gal began to look back to see where it all went wrong.
'Damn it. I should've finished him off at the beginning! Why did I go slower at him at that time?'
He didn't need much time to make that conclusion. If he didn't have that sense of foreboding at the beginning, Gal would've already won. It would've been close, but he could've ended it quickly.
It was possible since the intel Orsted gave Julian was miniscule and full of misinformation. He wanted to see how strong Julian was.
'Then what was that feeling? My instincts were telling me that a careless attack would be dangerous.'
Gal could not work out that what he sensed was due to Julian's suppressed techniques—The Infinity.
'I am landing hits but there is no damage. God damn it! What the fuck is this?'
He felt it.
An inherent terror that came from a 'stronger opponent'.
Clang! Clang!
Julian swung his sword with all his might and began his attack. Gal's stance staggered, urging him to back off. He only did a single movement in each attack.
The swing that he made Adam practice.
The swing that Gal made Eris practice.
The swing that both Gal and Julian strived to achieve.
The swing that only Orsted---as far as Julian knew---could perform.
The swing he practiced ten thousand times with maximum effort every day. One that he himself could only replicate three thousand times.
'You fuckin' monster. You still had this much energy left...! On top of that, how is a simple swing so heavy? Is he more efficient in doing THAT when compared to me? ME?'
Julian continued with the same vertical swing, and Gal could not easily escape from it. Each time the crimson arc fell on him, it felt as if a massive wall pressed upon Gal. He had neither the time nor strength to change his stance.
At this rate, in a few minutes, Gal would experience an embarrassing defeat to the same swing. He knew this as well.
In a last-ditch attempt to fight out of his onslaught, Gal exploded a massive amount of his battle aura to form some distance between them, allowing him some breathing room.
Long Sword of Light wasn't going to do any harm to Julian. He had realised this by now. Julian's own Long Sword of Light was just as fast, if not faster.
He had to do THAT.
There was no other way.
He wasn't sure if he could do it.
The problem wasn't whether or not to use his secret technique. It was whether or not he would try his best without hesitation or doubt in himself.
Ending the battle without doing so would be pointless regardless of the fact that he will win or lose.
"I apologize for showing such disgrace. Let's start anew. And sorry for underestimating you when you clearly are at my level."
Gal pointed his sword at Julian, meaning to tap swords to represent respect for each other. Julian shrugged and used his sword to tap Gal's regardless, emitting a soft musical sound of metal hitting metal.
The gasps and mumurs grew faint, like an echo traveling in a canyon. Their surroundings blurred and gradually became dark. In their world, it was just the two of them, standing in front of each other.
They both had the same thought.
'Entertain me.'
'Entertain me.'
They both trusted that either one of them would put up an exhilarating fight. They didn't need to talk to share this feeling. It was a common hallucination that swordmasters enter when dueling an enemy of equal caliber.
"Then let's begin, shall we?" Julian was about to crack his neck again... and once again stopped, grumbling to himself.
Whew.
Hoo.
They simultaneously took a deep breath.
It was difficult to tell who struck first as they clashed swords. Unlike their respectful sword taps in the beginning, the impact of their blades caused blinding sparks to scatter. Cacophonous sounds akin to explosions, the screech of metallic friction, and wind echoing throughout; aura flickering everywhere.
As if his exhaustion was a lie, Gal swung his sword more energetically than before. Julian, as well, channeled the rest of his energy in his attacks with a shout.
They dashed at each other and because of the impact, blood and snow splattered and sprayed throughout the hall.
In a moment of utter silence and bone chilling terror, everyone around them was watching them.
In their eyes, the two figures fighting each other looked like gods, and they didn't dare to blink, lest they would miss a moment of the fight.
It had been years since Gal Farion became Sword God, but they never had a moment like this. The spectators—Sword Emperors and top students who usually used to watch Gal's fight which was a single sided slaughter-fest—were now blessed with a spectacle.
'Maybe I kind of underestimated Gal. I was sure he was exhausted, but where did this power come from...?!'
Blood dripped from Julian's lip. He was too busy deflecting Gal's attacks to notice that he had been biting his lip.
Gal's feel for the sword was a god-given talent, however, he didn't always have it.
Long ago, he was humbled by Rank 2, Dragon God Orsted. After that, he honed his mind and body to their absolute limits, integrating rationality into his fights and rose to the epitome of power—or so he thought.
He was nowhere near to him—Orsted.
So, Julian could easily picture Gal's past.
Him curled up like a little ball in a dark training room, staring at his defeated self in the mirror with distress. He who trained and whipped himself until he was on the verge of death and exhaustion.
And in all those moments, he never let go of his sword.
Just like his own past life.
When he lost a fight to someone---Shiro, the feeling of dissatisfaction and urge to not be second to anyone. To come out alive, and better than anyone. To the best in what he does.
'Makes me shed a tear.'
Julian realised something. Gal's hoarse and husky voice was born from all of the shouts and screams he channeled in order to overcome his challenges.
He began to tremble.
From wandering through hopelessness to becoming the Sword God and Rank 6 on Seven Great World Powers and having the motivation to try harder and harder after each tiring day.
Simply because he was one with his sword.
As he exerted force into his sword's handle, Gal could feel cracks crawling throughout the bones in his hands. Excruciating pain traversed his body, yet he didn't falter.
Instead, he smiled.
Every time he swung his sword, his bones would suffer from more fissures, but his movements didn't change in the slightest—not even his shoulders, chest, waist, and feet.
He wasn't alone though. Julian's body was in the same condition, if not worse.
"Their bodies.... are falling apart...?!" One of the Sword Emperor commented as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Wait, don't do it. Sword God will...."
The Sword Emperor lunged forward.
[Long Sword of Light]
Julian blocked a slash and lazily looked back, "What are you doing? You're making me yawn." The Sword Emperor's eyes widened and before anyone knew, his head went flying back to where the other Emperors were.
However, it wasn't Julian who killed him.
Gal blitzed from Julian's periphery and had not only severed his head but also cleaved the emperor's body in a clean half.
"Stay away, you bastards."
As soon as those 4 words escaped Gal's lips, he lunged at him again.
"Fuck everything. Secret Technique: Ph---"
Before he could start chanting, Gal fell to the floor, coughing up a horrendous amount of blood.
"Guess the high from your adrenaline finally washed away." Julian commented as streaks of green light enveloped him, mending his fissured and dislocated bones, stitching his torn muscles.
Much to Julian's own surprised, Gal stood up. He staggered but refused to stay on his knees.
He pointed his sword at Julian. "I am still breathing, brat. Come at me."
Julian sighed.
"What a pain." He mumbled.
"Haha, scared to kill this old ma---"
"Phase, Samadhi...." Julian started chanting and pushed the sword into the ground.
Gal's heart started beating like a wild animal as he heard the opening chant.
"...Arahant"
Julian continued as Gal fell on his back.
The air around them seemed to crackle, lightning popping all around them. Julian's pure white battle aura turned into a majestic shade of golden, spreading all around him like luminous tentacles.
"Samsara..."
As the chant continued, despair filled Gal as he suddenly grabbed Nina and tried to run away.
'Fucking hell. He knows how to use it.'
"Mi--- I was just kidding."
[Long Sword of Light]
Dropping the bluff chant, a streak of light, tinted with the crimson hue of the sword flashed across the hall and severed Gal's limbs in one fell swoop.
As Nina looked at her arm, still trying to comprehend the situation and recovering from the suffocating miasma of whatever Julian was trying to manifest via his chat, she saw her father's severed arm holding on to hers.
She was used to violence and killing people.
However, seeing her own father's arms and legs scattered all over the hall, she threw up.
Julian walked over to the Sword God.
Gal Farion had lost.
Rank 6 - Sword-God, Gal Farion was now only Sword-God, Gal Farion.
As he laid in a pseudo-lifeless state in Julian's feet, he cracked a smirk.
"You got me. Can't believe I fell for that. Well, you can't blame me. You had it 70% of the way." He spoke and his breathing got slow.
"Master... Dad!" Nina went towards her father's limbless body.
She didn't look at Julian with contempt or anything. She was too worried about her father to do so.
"I'd spare your life. Since you still have a use." Julian spoke.
"Nah, just kill me. I lived by the sword, and I will die by the sword."
"I am not Death God to fulfill last wishes." Julian muttered and casted healing magic on him, reattaching his limbs.
"What do you want from me?"
"To accept the invitation of an all-out war against me. Give it your everything the next time we meet."
Speaking that, Julian turned around and vanished, the swirling mist the only evidence that someone was here.
That day, the world changed.
Drastic changes happened.
But the most notable were two.
And both were the changes to the world rankings.
Rank 6 on the Seven Great World powers was the [Void God], Julian Greyrat as he left the Sword God limbless and then healed him.
Rank 7 on the Seven Great World powers was the [Magic God], Rudeus Greyrat as he left the North God limbless and then healed him.
Although, he did it with another intention.
A drastic change happened in the Milis as well.
Claire Latreia opened a box and took out a healing scroll. Placing it on Zenith while being surrounded by her family, she put mana into it.
As soon as the light soaked inside Zenith, light returned to her eyes. However, pushing everyone away, she held Paul by his collars.
"Julian. Julian....he is alive. We need to stop him."
She spoke for the first time since arriving there. Or rather ever since Julian left her there.
At the same time, the World Ranking tablet updated itself, causing a frenzy throughout the world. Even in Milis.
Claire took out a letter as she read it out loud.
It was a single sentence but seeing the way how lovingly Claire read it, showed that this Julian was real and not a hallucination of Zenith.
"Send my family to Shaira."
This was the only thing written on the letter.
