Chapter 24

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Master's Family (24)

Breaking the Sound Barrier.

The axe, accelerated by its terrifying force, instantly speeds up beyond the sound barrier. The superhuman strength of a 10th-stage Body Tempering expert is something even a 10th-stage Body Tempering martial artist can't match, a privilege the monster was born with.

Before the shockwave could explode, Leonard's head felt like it was about to burst in a moment of intense tension.

Boom!

A disappointing sound echoed.

Eh?

Adno, who had been expecting a geyser of blood, was just as surprised.

Strangely, the axe that had swung at Leonard's sword slipped and deflected in an unexpected direction.

The shockwave arrived late, shaking the surrounding bushes, but Leonard remained unharmed, not a single hair on his head damaged.

"If he had blocked it with the flat of his sword, he would have been split in two."

He spoke calmly, though he could feel the pain in his wrist.

The physical abilities of humans and monsters are vastly different.

Even without reaching the Ogre stage, a simple Orc can easily tear a human to pieces. Despite knowing this intellectually, Leonard's eyes gleamed with a newfound realization.

'Even if I thought it was just a minor inconvenience, isn't this an opponent I can enjoy facing?'

A mere 2nd-stage Beast Transformation monster is stronger than a 10th-stage Body Tempering expert. If that's the case, the monsters above it, the more powerful and dangerous upper-tier beings, would be a level where even the Sword Emperor of his past would have to risk his life.

Leonard's lips curled involuntarily.

"Hmm."

Unable to contain his laughter, Adno felt a chill of fear run down his spine.

Eh?!

Instinctively retreating to a 20-meter distance, he wondered why he had done so.

Adno Chieftain, though still at the Beast Transformation stage, was a being that could reach the True Demon stage with a bit more growth. His instincts, which he couldn't suppress, warned him to fear his enemy.

A true predator, not to be underestimated, stood before him in the "Forest of Scraps."

Keeaaah—!

But his primitive nature was provoked by the inferiority complex that the warning had stirred.

The memory of settling in this forest with his kin, unable to survive the competition on the island, and regaining his pride by ruling over the weakened and frail among them, came flooding back.

He suppressed the instinct to flee.

"Have you turned your eyes away from the inner fear?"

Leonard, who had read Adno's psychological changes, said.

"Someone might call it foolish, but I will gladly praise you. If you can face a stronger opponent and suppress the urge to run, you truly deserve respect."

The phrase "Mantis Blocking the Chariot" actually has two meanings.

One, as everyone knows, is to mock the foolishness of someone who doesn't know their place and challenges a stronger opponent, meeting their end.

The other is to admire the bravery of someone who, despite being overwhelmingly weaker, dares to face a powerful opponent.

"Come at me. I will give you a proper fight."

Leonard's sword naturally took a combat stance.

The sword aura extending from the sword tip tickled Adno's nose, and he growled, raising his axe in a diagonal position.

Eight-Phase Stance.

Whether he knew it or not, it was a stance that threw everything into a full-power swing. Lacking in martial arts or techniques, he focused solely on pouring all his strength into the swing.

This made it more challenging than attempting a clumsy technique.

Swoosh—...

The wind between them shook the forest, and the leaves and branches danced noisily.

A single leaf fell.

The moment the zigzagging leaf completely blocked the two beings' view of each other,

Boom!

The earth beneath Adno's feet exploded, fiercely pushing toward Leonard.

Cunningly, he had kicked up the dirt to obscure his opponent's vision.

It was a trick more human than beast.

But.

"—Focus."

Leonard didn't blink as he was covered in dirt.

He had said he would give a proper fight.

"I'm coming."

Before the echo of his words had even faded, Leonard charged with the speed of lightning.

The power of a 3rd-stage Body Tempering, combined with neural acceleration, far exceeded his original physical capabilities. He added a bit of internal energy for propulsion and withstood the pressure with his 2nd-stage reinforced bones, charging forward.

A sudden acceleration that could surpass even a peak expert in an instant.

Keeaaah—!!

But Adno Chieftain reacted as if it were expected, as if he had been waiting for it.

As mentioned earlier, the physical abilities of humans and monsters are vastly different.

Reflexes and dynamic vision are no exception.

The axe, swung like lightning, tore through the air again. It wasn't something that could be easily deflected like the first attack. Despite his superior swordsmanship, his body was far too inexperienced.

'There is only one way to deal with this as a swordsman.'

Just like when he deflected the first fatal blow.

He doesn't block.

He doesn't dodge.

He just—

'Slices.'

As the axe blade descended like a bolt of lightning,

Five-Phenomenon Style

Red Phoenix Twelve Forms

Blazing Flame Edge

Leonard's sword shot out like a pillar of fire.

A strike that stood on the boundary between slicing and thrusting.

The target was not the blade but the handle below it, where the force of the downward strike had not fully been applied.

Keeeng!

The metallic handle, not made of wood, was cleanly sliced, and the blade flew away uselessly.

But that wasn't the end.

The sword that had cut the handle continued forward, sharply piercing Adno Chieftain's neck.

However,

Kagagag!

The sword, which had easily cut through metal, sparked loudly as it was blocked by Adno's thick body hair.

"Huh?"

This time, it was Leonard's turn to be surprised.

Though it had lost some power from the initial impact, he was confident it could easily sever the cervical vertebrae.

To withstand it without a scratch?

It was almost like being impervious to blades.

Keeeh!

With only the handle left of his axe, now more of a club, Adno didn't wait for Leonard's thoughts.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

With the blade part, which had made up most of the weight, gone, the club swung faster and sharper.

Though the power had decreased, it could still shatter a rock.

However, the technique was crude, and the movements were easily read, posing no real threat. After easily doding dozens of consecutive attacks, Leonard analyzed Adno's defenses.

'The aura of metal is reinforcing his entire body. Similar to being born as a single-core in Cardenas?'

His innate mana was metal-based, and breaking through the Beast Transformation stage had further strengthened his constitution.

Metallic energy tends to reside in bones, but the excess energy flowed out, turning his body hair into steel. With hundreds, if not thousands, of strands of hair stopping the sword, the power was inevitably reduced.

'Then—'

Leonard immediately lunged forward.

Eh?!

Unprepared for his movement, Adno swung wildly, and Leonard, who had closed the distance, raised his sword.

Without the ability to use sword qi, it was difficult to cut through the body hair.

Then he would thrust.

If the body hair was steel-level, the bone's durability would be even higher.

Then he would aim for the vulnerable spots where the bones were hollow.

Five-Phenomenon Style

Blue Dragon Second Form

A stance with one knee on the ground, the sword tip aimed precisely at the underside of Adno's jaw.

Whether human or beast, the inside of the jaw and the area below it had no protective bone.

If the sword pierced this spot, it would penetrate the palate and destroy the brain in one go. It was a common vital point used to bring down steel-clad warriors in the martial world.

Rising Dragon Piercing Heaven

The sword, like a writhing dragon, shot upward under Adno's jaw.

Fast, yet with a strangely curved trajectory.

The Blue Dragon form was not just about speed. No matter how fast, if it didn't hit, it was worse than being slow. To ensure a hit, both speed and unpredictability were necessary.

Keeeh—!!

Feeling the scythe of death tickling his neck, Adno had no choice.

Unable to read Leonard's sword, he couldn't block or dodge.

His only option was one.

Mutual Destruction.

Abandoning all defense and evasion, he thrust the club. Even if his head was severed, his body would continue to move due to inertia!

And.

A sword and a club crossed.

"......"

......

Adno, whose breath had been cut off, paused for a moment before losing his balance and collapsing to the ground.

The sword, entering from under his jaw, had pierced through his skull.

Adno Chieftain, who was close to the True Demon stage, had been killed by a 14-year-old boy who hadn't even reached the External Force stage, a mere beginner at the 5th stage of Body Tempering.

"You had admirable courage, nameless orc."

Leonard praised the fallen orc, stroking his left arm, which had slipped the club at the last moment.

The bones, cracked in several places, were rapidly regenerating.

If it had been an axe instead of a club, it might have been a bit more dangerous.

'I need to advance further. The 5th stage of Body Tempering is far too insufficient.'

This was a problem that couldn't be solved within the realm of martial arts.

Even with the Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Pounds technique, if Adno's defenses had been flawless, he wouldn't have been able to easily defeat him.

I need to break through to the 10th stage of Body Tempering.

Avoiding the attention of the family is important, but dying a premature death because of it is a problem that must be avoided.

'The increase in mana can be concealed somehow. I can suppress the amount of qi with acupuncture or act as if I've used it all in front of others. Those who don't know how to regulate their qi won't easily see through my disguise.'

Martial artists can use qi regulation to draw in natural energy and restore their internal energy.

However, in this world, cultivators can only rapidly restore their mana by absorbing spirit stones or waiting for natural recovery.

A person walking around with an almost empty mana core is, by this world's standards, non-existent.

Pfft!

At that moment, a spirit stone crystallized over Adno Chieftain's corpse.

It wasn't a low-grade stone.

Leonard's eyes widened at the sight of a mid-grade spirit stone.

"Mid-grade? They said it's rare to find one at the D2 level. He must have been close to the 3rd stage. No wonder he was so strong."

He wasn't suitable for activity in the "Forest of Scraps." Compared to the goblins and kobolds he had previously slain, he was in a different league.

According to the map given by Bradley, mid-grade spirit stones only started appearing in areas with a danger level of two skulls.

"One mid-grade spirit stone is worth more than a hundred low-grade ones, right?"

Killing one Adno Chieftain was as profitable as, or even better than, killing a hundred other monsters.

No wonder the "Forest of Scraps" wasn't popular.

For those who weren't lacking in cultivation like Leonard, it was much more efficient and profitable to hunt in higher-risk areas, even if it meant taking on more risk.

'After breaking through to the 10th stage of Body Tempering, I should go to higher-risk areas. The chances of encountering others will increase, but...'

He could act freely in the "Forest of Scraps" because no one came here, and there were no eyes watching.

Without apprentice knights, the Dragon Knight Order had no reason to come here.

But in areas with a danger level of two or more, he would have to consider the attention from either side.

Once exposed, there would be no room for excuses.

"...I need to disguise myself."

There was no reason to stop when a path forward existed.

Among the skills Leonard had mastered over a long time, there were techniques like reverse energy flow and disguise. While he couldn't completely transform into someone else like the Shadowless Divine Thief, the Thousand-Change Demon, or the Lord of the Five Elements, hiding his appearance was sufficient.

The next problem was choosing a suitable disguise that wouldn't raise suspicion.

"There were a few brats peeping at my residence. I'll have to borrow their appearances."

A dark cloud loomed over the futures of the fourth-year apprentice knights.