Crack!
The thrust I unleashed without hesitation pierced through the Energy Armor and lodged into Ebel’s side. A satisfying impact traveled from the wooden sword up to my arm.
Good, effective hit.
The moment I felt that.
Smack!
“Ugh?!”
A heavy pain in my solar plexus!
At the same time, I felt a floating sensation. My vision flipped wildly, and the scenery turned into countless lines.
In one word.
I was flying right now.
Crashcrashcrashcrashcrash!
With a clamor, my body embedded deep into the wall. No great pain was felt. Rather, a sense of depletion came first.
The recoil from the Brandish school’s ultimate technique, ‘Fluid Harmony’. As strength drained from my body, a strand of anger rose in my heart.
“Ugh, this damn old geezer! How is this a defensive form…”
Before I could voice my complaint, my vision blurred.
Beyond my closing eyes, I saw Ebel. He was vomiting black blood in the center of the training room. The direct hit from Vileshaker had shaken his energy veins.
“I won.”
A smile naturally formed on my lips.
And then my vision went dark.
The hastily deployed Energy Armor was torn to shreds by the violent vibrations created by Vileshaker. Even Ebel, who had rolled on battlefields his whole life, struggled to maintain composure.
“You brat!”
Ebel even forgot the rule of not attacking and struck Aiden.
“Urk!”
A fist thrust like lightning. Aiden, hit by it, flew instantly to the training room wall and embedded there. Only then did Ebel catch his breath.
“Huff huff… Cough!”
His heart sank.
If he hadn’t unconsciously held back, the precious blood relative’s entire body might have shattered into pieces.
Relief was short-lived; a sudden nausea surged as if his organs were twisting. Only after vomiting a flood of black blood onto the floor did the resonance in his energy veins and internals finally subside.
He deployed high-level energy breathing and desperately regulated his ruined insides.
“Huu, huu…”
His side, struck by the wooden sword, ached. Despite facing Aiden, who was merely elite knight level, he had allowed an effective hit.
‘Just now, he definitely pierced my Energy Armor. Without any difficulty….
What in the world was that technique?
It’s absolutely not a disruption-type realm.
No matter how much he suppressed his power in an instructional stance, such a petty trick couldn’t possibly break a Twelve Hero’s Energy Armor.
He slowly replayed the earlier exchange. The veteran’s aspect, honed by countless battles, quickly reached a conclusion.
“This is… a marvelous technique. Did it collapse my energy at the particle level?”
Understanding the mechanism, a shiver ran down his spine.
“…That means it can shatter energy aggregates regardless of mana strength? To think such a terrifying realm exists in the world.”
Fortunately, Aiden had only entered heart methods less than half a year ago; if a knight commander-level expert allowed a similar strike, it would be instant death.
“…Alsigima’s Resonance Shatter Art, was it.”
He had never heard of it.
A thread of doubt rose in his heart. How could a school passing down such a profound realm be completely unknown to the world?
Ebel gazed steadily at Aiden, fainted and embedded in the wall.
He had said he connected with some master and privately learned the secrets. Then, just how strong was this teacher who taught Aiden? Could he unleash the ultimate technique Aiden just showed even more powerfully?
No, that’s not what he should focus on now.
In this spar, he neither imparted teachings to Aiden nor demonstrated the potential of Stroke Blunt Swordsmanship.
The only clear result was a miserable defeat in a wager against that young boy.
And this absurd loss cracked the conviction and pride in blunt swordsmanship he had built over decades. The crack would gradually spread, soon becoming a phenomenon martial artists feared most. The prelude to heart demons.
As if his soul had fled.
Ebel stood blankly for a long while.
“Young master, are you coming to?”
“…Ugh.”
It was three days later that I, who lost consciousness in the instructional spar with great-uncle, regained my senses.
The moment I opened my eyes, I tried to rise from bed, but my body wouldn’t listen. It was the aftereffect of the Brandish school’s ultimate technique, Fluid Harmony.
“The family physician diagnosed that you must lie down for a full week.”
“Damn. That cursed old man. Blabbering about honorable northern knights, yet he beautifully broke his own rules. Daring to strike me?”
This is a setback.
In about ten days, I head to the Utland mansion. There, I plan to negotiate with Elvio over Chesa’s safety. It’s a busy time to lay groundwork to obtain her, yet I suffer such an injury.
No.
Think positively.
Since he lost the wager, Ebel must grant any one request of mine. I caught a fine mark, so it’s not pure loss.
“…Still, I can’t just lie still. Linia, bring me ‘that’ from the bottom compartment of drawer 3. And prepare a dagger as well.”
“Yes? But that’s…”
“Doesn’t matter, hurry.”
Urged by me, Linia reluctantly complied. Suddenly, she took out a heavy pouch from the drawer and handed it to me.
Clink clink!
Peeking into the warmly heated pouch, a grotesque lump of flesh writhed inside as if alive.
The Firebird’s Heart I sneaked from the ruins.
I delicately wielded the dagger and cut just a fingernail’s worth from the surface of that extraordinary elixir, as carefully as possible.
Seeing this, Linia widened her eyes.
“T-That, you clearly said before to handle it preciously!”
“Don’t worry. As long as I don’t touch the important core, the elixir’s efficacy won’t be much affected.”
Saying indifferently, I appraised the cut flesh.
『Firebird’s Remnant (B-)』
- Greatly maximizes self-healing for a certain period upon ingestion
- Temporarily increases fire attribute resistance upon ingestion
※ Efficacy vanishes if not ingested within 72 hours
S-grade means continental value. For a legendary elixir of that grade, even separating a tiny portion yields this effect.
I had happily theorized it might grant the 『Regeneration (B)』 trait, a lower compatibility of 『Infinite Regeneration (S)』, but apparently not.
Cutting the entire outer layer might yield the regeneration grant, but I lack the guts for such gambling. Wasting a chance to use an emergency remedy isn’t great either.
Regretfully, Plan 7 to grant zombie-level vitality to all clan members using the Firebird’s Heart must be scrapped.
“Linia. Grind this and mix it into the tea I usually drink.”
“Understood, young master.”
Drinking the Firebird’s Remnant powder mixed in, astonishingly, in about half a day, I could rise from bed.
Hardening my expression, I asked Linia.
“Where’s great-uncle? He didn’t flee to his front yard Liperta while I was bedridden for three days, right?”
“Well… He’s been holed up in his private room for three days straight without coming out.”
“What?”
The following story was truly bizarre.
On the day of the incident, Ebel carried the fainted me to the family physician. Hearing of my injury, Foden arrived late and asked what happened, but Ebel said nothing and headed to his private room.
And hasn’t come out since.
“He must have been shocked from taking one hit from me.”
“Yes? One hit? But the injured one is the young master…”
“There’s such a thing.”
Confirming no issues with my body through light exercise, I soon headed to Ebel’s private room. Guards stationed there by the grand duke’s order blocked my approach, but I asserted authority appropriately and entered.
“Great-uncle.”
“…Aiden.”
Ebel greeted me with hollow eyes.
His face was haggard beyond words. No trace remained of the stubborn old man who roared at me with lion-like spirit.
Heart demons?
The foundation of heart methods and realms stems from the user’s mindset and imagery. If shaken once, a martial artist may fall into irreparable ruin.
A distortion in the original history has already begun. Of course, the original Ebel Stroke had the least presence among the Twelve Heroes, so no major butterfly effect will occur.
Still, feeling somewhat uneasy thinking he ended up like this because of me.
“Your complexion is poor. Are you perhaps suffering heart demons?”
“Thanks to whom. No, perhaps it’s my own fault, not anyone else’s.”
He smiled self-deprecatingly and said.
“For decades, I ran without a shred of doubt, but suddenly looking back, skepticism arose. Was my path truly right? Might there have been a more correct way? I was pondering that. It was enjoyable in its own way, so I lost track of time.”
Ebel’s eyes as he spoke were deeply sunken.
…No, judging by his manner and atmosphere, this isn’t heart demons but feels like a wuxia master heading toward true enlightenment.
Just in case, I checked his sheet.
<Ebel Stroke>
[Level: 53/54]
Unfortunately, potential level didn’t rise.
Though Ebel is already at the doorstep of his potential limit, there are ways to raise potential level besides chugging elixirs.
A very simple method.
Just effort.
Insane effort.
Reaching max level and repeatedly crashing into limits madly will eventually raise potential level someday.
Perhaps Ebel too could surpass his limits and become stronger than his original history self.
Additionally, raising potential level through pure effort mainly increases [Spirit] stat.
Though extremely exceptional and unique, there is one monster of will who kept surpassing limits until spirit exceeded 50. I’ll set that story aside for later.
I said to Ebel.
“I came because I have a request as the wager’s prize.”
“Come to think of it, I promised that before the instructional spar. What do you want? Shall I give you heaps of gold and jewels?”
Looking at him asking indifferently, I grinned.
“Please obtain a pass to the black market.”
“…!”
Ebel’s indifferent eyes dyed with shock. As if asking how I know of its existence.
Perhaps.
The black market, known only to an extremely select few patrons. There lies a sure card to lead the negotiation with Elvio to success.
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