Chaeng—
The sound of swords clashing always seems the same, but in reality, it is completely different every time.
With what kind of strength did I attack, and with what intention did the opponent strike back.
At what angle, aiming for which spot.
Was it sincere, or was it an empty gesture to lay a trap.
All these elements intertwine, creating a new sound every time.
The enchanting melody that arises when your thoughts collide with those of your opponent—a fantastic music found in no scale in the world. To Damon, this was swordsmanship, this was what a duel meant.
Beautiful, electrifying, and bringing one closer to the opponent.
He reads his opponent’s thoughts, the opponent reads his, and these thoughts burst forth through their swords.
The process of conveying them is indescribably thrilling.
The Royal Knights, the Emperor’s Guard, led by the great Sword Saint, Vitalianus Mahel.
Damon Lieefte was a member of the Royal Knights, a swordsman who admired Vitalianus, and a user who had awakened an excellent Skill.
Chaeng!
It meant he was strong.
Being a Royal Knight alone was enough to make him one of the most renowned within the vast Empire.
His uniquely light footwork and the matching extreme speed of his sword.
A space-type Skill that allowed him to instantly appear behind his opponent made him, in theory, an undefeated duelist—a perfect combination.
Even a knight who had trained all his life would not even have time to react before Damon’s sword was at his throat—a terrifying, swift sword.
Of course, theory and reality are different, and Damon’s sword had been blocked before, but to have felt truly helpless, to a despairing degree, had only happened once.
Atawolf of the Black Mist—one of the continent’s strongest, a reigning symbol of terror.
That was when Damon had boldly rushed toward him after he invaded Imenia, only to be thrown aside in an instant.
The moment their swords touched, Damon felt a powerful sensation.
An absolute conviction that he could never pierce this mist, and along with it, a wall formed in his heart—an insurmountable wall.
It felt as though he was facing a being beyond that wall, someone he could never defeat.
Of course, having experienced that, Damon never stopped training.
Compared to that time, his sword had become even swifter, his Skills more secretive, and his Quick Draw Sword Technique was now unrivaled.
‘…But what was this man before him?’
An insurmountable wall.
It felt as if he was facing such a wall once more.
Chaeaaeng!
The ring of sword on sword was not clear.
That is what it means to meet a wall.
Damon’s gaze was on his opponent, but his opponent was not looking at him.
Though his eyes were fixed on Damon, his heart clearly was not.
His eyes were staring far past Damon, as if Damon himself was not even worth noticing.
That indifference was deeply humiliating, so Damon swung his sword with all his might.
His preliminary movements were almost nonexistent, his sword moved too quickly for the eye to follow, and with no sign at all, he appeared behind his opponent.
It was natural that the sword would strike at his opponent’s neck the instant he arrived.
Yet again, the result was the same.
Chaeng!
Blocked.
His ultimate attack—an extreme swift sword combined with a space-movement Skill—had been blocked.
And blocked all too easily.
“Kh!”
At the same moment, a military boot struck Damon’s abdomen, sending him rolling across the ground.
The outcome was decided in an instant.
No, in truth, the outcome had been decided from the start.
“Damon Lieefte.”
For the man before him was a monster beyond imagination.
“To think the so-called strongest among the Royal Knights in duels is only this much.”
At those detached, musing words, Damon’s gaze locked onto his opponent.
A man with long blond hair tied back, a solid upper body.
This was the famed genius once said to be the next Sword Saint.
“Antiphus Praman.”
He who had risen like a comet to become the head of the Imperial Second Knights Division.
Antiphus Praman.
Damon had heard how strong he was, but for the gap to be this enormous…
No, this was just too strange.
“Were you hiding your strength?”
“There was simply no need to reveal it.”
“Are you saying now you have a reason to do so?”
“On the contrary. I no longer have a reason to stay here.”
From the start, it made no sense for the Captain of the Second Division, who was supposed to be dispatched for the stabilization of the capital, to come here and request a duel from Damon.
And now, these words that he has no more reason to remain.
It sounded as if he was about to cast aside the lofty title of Imperial Captain and depart.
As if to cement Damon’s suspicions, Antiphus spoke again, his voice as indifferent as ever.
“I wanted to fight the Sword Saint once before leaving… but after seeing you, I can roughly gauge that supposedly great Sword Saint’s skill.”
“…What?”
“Thanks to you, I am certain. There’s no more reason for me to remain here.”
“Captain, Antiphus… Praman.”
A rare flicker of anger crossed Damon’s eyes as he rose.
But Antiphus didn’t care at all.
“Things did get complicated when that guy took the Guardian Knight’s card, but it’s not all bad.”
“…I have no idea what you’re saying, but shut your mouth. There’s no respect in your words.”
“That’s not something I want to hear from someone weak.”
“…Antiphus!”
Damon, enraged, raised his sword again.
“Why are you, one of the Empire’s most honorable captains, doing something like this all of a sudden!”
“You misunderstand—I’m just retiring. I’ve already gained and learned all there is to gain.”
“In that case, I’ll give you a chance to correct yourself. Apologize for insulting the Royal Knights, and furthermore, the great Sword Saint, show your respect, give your thanks to the Imperial Family, and act according to proper procedure, Antiphus Praman.”
There’s no way the Captain of the Imperial Knights could simply retire as he wished.
Much less, to speak as if dismissing the Royal Knights and the Sword Saint Vitalianus at their peak.
Damon could not just let it slide.
“It is an age that demands strength.”
But Antiphus did not listen.
“And in such an age, I am complete.”
He wasn’t even looking at Damon.
What he was gazing at was beyond the level of a mere Royal Knight.
This was a sort of confirmation, a ritual before stepping into the world.
He had always been perfect, always at the highest peak.
“In the end, everything is placed beneath me.”
Ranked #2. Antiphus Praman.
He was called the strongest man in the world.
Of course, Damon, unaware of this, let out a laugh at Antiphus’s conceited words.
“A fool who doesn’t know there’s a sky above the sky.”
He might be strong, but there is always another sky above the sky.
For example, the sky of Imenia.
The heart of the fog of Ba’al Forest.
A world where ordinary people are not even permitted to approach.
“Is that so? You must be saying this because you’ve met both those people. A sky above the sky, huh.”
Only then did Antiphus’s gaze move from the heights, settling on Damon.
“Then let me ask you.”
At the same time, he slowly raised his sword.
In those indifferent eyes was an endless earth.
Damon tensed to the utmost, drawing out all his aura.
“Can my sword overturn the sky?”
It took but a single exchange for Damon’s world to be turned upside down.
***
Skills that attack the mind are rare.
So, Skills that defend the mind are even rarer.
For that reason, the first Holy Power spell I learned over two weeks, “Heart,” could be called an excellent spell.
「You have successfully cast Holy Power: ‘Heart.’」
「Would you like to register Holy Power: ‘Heart’ as a Skill?」
「Holy Power: ‘Heart’ has been registered as a Skill.」
「Skill: Heart」
「A Holy Power spell imbued with the trait of Hope.」
「Creates a high-level Mental Barrier for all allies within range.」
「The caster is designated as ‘Hope.’」
“As long as ‘Hope’ does not fall, the high Mental Barriers for allies are maintained.”
「However, if ‘Hope’ appears endangered or falls, the barriers will collapse and severe anxiety symptoms will manifest rapidly.」
It boosts the Mental Barrier for all those designated as allies.
Hio’s own Mental Barrier is quite high, thanks to the Trait: Can’t Live Without Style!, but others generally are not so lucky.
That was why, last time in the Abyss, he could not protect Daphne’s mind.
If ‘Celestial’ hadn’t evolved just then, Daphne’s mind would have completely collapsed.
But there’s no guarantee that it would work next time.
Above all, ‘Celestial’ consumes a massive amount of Magic Power and Holy Power, making it impossible to maintain for long.
That’s why this new Holy Power spell, ‘Heart,’ is excellent.
Even if a variable like the Abyss appears again, he will be able to protect others.
With the first Holy Power spell completed, the second one came a bit easier.
Of course, “a bit easier” doesn’t mean it was easy—he researched and practiced day and night for a week.
The result of that effort was the second Holy Power spell:
Light the Fire.
「You have successfully cast Holy Power: ‘Light the Fire.’」
「Would you like to register Holy Power: ‘Light the Fire’ as a Skill?」
「Holy Power: ‘Light the Fire’ has been registered as a Skill.」
「Skill: Light the Fire」
「A Holy Power spell imbued with the trait of Hope.」
「Grants the designated ‘Hope’ target basic stats—‘Stamina,’ ‘Agility,’ ‘Strength,’ ‘Magic Power’—and the rare stat ‘Holy Power.’」
“The designated ‘Hope’ target acquires the Trait: Pain Immunity for a set period.”
“The duration of Pain Immunity and the increase in stats rise in proportion to the number of allies recognizing ‘Hope’ and the strength of their trust.”
To activate the second Holy Power spell, the first spell ‘Heart’ must be in effect.
First, cast ‘Heart’ to be recognized as Hope by allies, then activate the second spell ‘Light the Fire.’
It increases Stamina, Agility, Strength, Magic Power, and Holy Power, and even temporarily grants the new Trait: Pain Immunity—a rather unique effect.
As noted in the grimoire, hope shines and feels sweetest the more desperate the situation.
Thus, the stat increases are higher the more hope is held and the more desperately it is desired.
“I hope… I never need to use this.”
A Holy Power spell that gives greater strength the more hopeless the situation.
In the end, it means you only use it in the worst circumstances, when you have no choice but to rely on hope.
If possible, it’s best to resolve things before needing it.
“In any case, I guess this is it.”
Three weeks of hard work, and he had learned two of the three Holy Power spells left by Sangdishu Branchev.
It might seem long, but considering the complexity and unprecedented type of spell, the speed was absurd.
Furnel had researched together, Hio had the genius trait for Magic Power attunement, and could also manage Holy Power well.
He was a proper Magician, qualified for the 5th Circle, and had system assistance—so the speed was possible.
If any of those had been missing, it would have taken several times as long.
The third Holy Power spell, unfortunately, is out of reach.
“I know… Even Sangdishu couldn’t complete this one.”
He must have intended to complete all three spells and spread the Holy Power of Hope to the world.
But the final third spell was never finished.
Not a problem with Holy Power.
A purely magical issue.
Even at the 5th Circle level Sangdishu reached, he couldn’t manifest the spell—truly, it was the ultimate spell of Hope’s Holy Power.
Still, with the theory in place, you can continue the research once you reach the proper level.
“That’s true. It’s so complex that I’ll need at least the 6th Circle just to experiment… For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with the second spell.”
Three hectic weeks had passed.
The two-story house was complete, and while Hio was holed up in the basement engrossed in research, Airlights took action and became a co-owner of the house with Hio.
Well, there was no real problem with that.
In fact, it was convenient.
“Hio, let’s eat!”
Airlights came down wearing an apron, a wooden spoon in her left hand.
She made sure meals were regular and handled all the little problems, letting Hio focus solely on research.
That meant they spent quite a bit of time together.
They learned a lot about each other.
For example, today Airlights, coming down to call for a meal, looked noticeably happier than usual.
Her smile was brighter, her eyes more radiant, and for some reason, she came a little closer than normal when she spoke.
That was how Airlights acted when she was trying to hide something.
‘What could Airlights want to hide from Hio?’
It wasn’t hard for Hio to guess, so he grabbed his big hat and got up.
There was only one thing she wanted.
This peaceful everyday life with Hio.
And there was only one thing, both in terms of timing and circumstance, that could disturb it.
“The Gate has appeared again, hasn’t it.”
The 52nd floor’s Gate had begun.
At that, Airlights hesitated, then nodded.
“…Yeah.”
As always, time was not on their side.