Chapter 38

Reincarnated as the Sword Emperor in the Sword Saint Family (38)

Thud.

The shadow knight, who had answered Leonard's words straightforwardly from beginning to end, a man who had not even revealed his name, collapsed to the ground.

It was a side effect of the Baihui Khaixue (百會開穴).

The upper dantian, which can be called the entrance to the Heart Image Realm and symbolizes the wall of the Inner Jing, when forcibly opened, exposes the inner soul in a defenseless state, turning the person into a state of idiocy.

Since using it even once would inevitably lead to the death of the subject, it was a method used only when even a brief piece of information was needed.

‘The Shadow Knight Corps of Crusis, huh.’

It was an unfamiliar name from start to finish.

He had heard of it a few times during history class, but there was no detailed information. He couldn't tell whether he had overheard it or if the Cardenas family hadn't taught it.

In the end, it was a good thing that he had figured out the identity, affiliation, and the reason for the uninvited guest's visit to Galapagos.

‘Thanks to Galapagos's isolated location, the reduction of garrison troops turned out to be the reason for being targeted.’

Even in the Arcadia Empire, which occupies more than half of the world, this island was isolated, being closer to foreign lands than to the empire's territory.

Despite this, the garrison troops were only one battalion of the Wyvern Knights, due to the ocean currents that made it impossible to approach the island and the ecosystem of the island, which was at the level of a Quasi-Master.

Occupying Galapagos itself was difficult, and there were few forces that could continuously benefit from it even if they did occupy it.

Thus, there was no reason to worry about external invasion.

‘…No one could have imagined that the purpose was to kidnap the children of the Cardenas family.’

Anyone who knew a little about the current state of the continent would know that opposing Arcadia was a delusion.

Directly antagonizing the Cardenas family, the strongest military group, was akin to the outburst of a madman who was desperate to die.

‘The spontaneous act of the brainwashed Shadow Knight Corps, whose loyalty has been distorted since childhood… The possibility is low. The participation of a Transcendent and a Sword Master in this operation means that the higher-ups were involved.’

The Cardenas family had a double-digit number of Transcendents, but according to what Leonard learned in history class, they were rare outside the empire.

Each one was a noble of at least the rank of a count, and they were powerful figures who could be considered the leadership of their respective countries.

Thus, it couldn't be brushed off as a 'unilateral action.'

‘It’s becoming troublesome.’

If Leonard were an ordinary knight, he could have just reported the situation to Bradley.

But how could he report that he had killed a shadow knight and successfully interrogated him as a squire?

Reporting it or hiding it was a big problem.

If this was the only one who entered the island, it might be different, but there were thirty knights of the 8th level of External Force and one Transcendent.

‘If I cover this up, the Wyvern Knights and the squires will suffer great losses. Although the 8th level of External Force has a shallow level of martial arts, considering this dark sword and magical items—.’

It’s dangerous.

To Leonard, the sword technique was too familiar, and he had experienced many battles, so he easily defeated it. The mana cultivation of the 8th level of External Force and the human-specific dark sword were more powerful than expected.

If the squires and the Wyvern Knights, who lack experience in large-scale battles, were to clash with them, dozens would die regardless of the outcome.

Leaving it alone is troubling, and actively intervening has many complications.

"Hmm."

Leonard's eyes, which had been lost in thought, turned to the magical items laid out next to the shadow knight's corpse.

The information obtained from the interrogation was not just about the knight's affiliation and purpose. Leonard also gained quite a bit of information about magical items, 'artifacts,' which he himself was unfamiliar with.

A sword that changes length and shape, the dark sword was no exception.

—It synchronizes with the user's blood and reconstructs its length and shape in response to the user's will. There is a disadvantage in that the conductivity of aura slightly decreases. Once the user is set, it cannot be changed.

Leonard summarized the details and muttered.

"Using it for a long time will lead one down the wrong path. The reason this fool's sword was so mediocre might be because of that."

It's a simple function but very powerful.

If the user of this sword was one of the Ten Great Swords of his past life, Yun Jian, the First Sword of Zhongnan, then?

If the infinitely variable Yun Sword Technique were combined with a sword that can freely change its shape, even the Sword Emperor Lian Wuxie would have found it difficult to find a way to break through.

However, if the user is controlled by the sword rather than controlling it, it becomes a barrier to the swordsman's own growth.

If the sword's length is extended, there's no need to feel the need to close the distance. If the shape of the sword is changed, there's no need to feel the need to study variations, and the sword technique itself becomes simplified.

The sword technique, which remained at a first-class level despite being at the 8th level of External Force, was the biggest drawback of the dark sword user.

"Armor with a shock protection magic array, a signal device that reacts to the user's group at close range, a ring and belt that can cast spells with a trigger word, and a few magic scrolls."

Leaving the useless dark sword aside, Leonard reached out to the other items.

The armor, which had been reduced to rags in the battle with him, had almost no chance of being reused. It had withstood several Five Elements Sword Qi attacks and a properly delivered Form Qi, so it was impressive that it hadn't shattered on the spot.

So what he picked up were the ring and the belt.

‘A ring with the Haste spell and a belt with the Strength spell.’

Leonard, equipped with the two artifacts, muttered.

"[Haste], [Strength]."

At the same time, light burst from the two artifacts.

Crack!

The gemstone part, which contained the magic array, shattered.

"—Huh?"

Leonard, who was initially bewildered by the inexplicable situation, soon realized the reason and had to let out a wry smile.

The problem was the power source that replaced his heart.

>The Five Elements True Dragon Ring>.

At this moment, it was rapidly circulating the Five Elements Qi, a capability that even the Sword Emperor considered unknown territory. The force field emitted from the five-colored sphere not only rejected the influence of the artifacts but also destroyed their source.

‘Anti-magic power, or anti-magic force. If it repels the magic I cast, it would be even more so for magic cast by others.’

It wasn't all bad.

He had no intention of becoming a mage or relying on these artifacts. Still, it was a bit regrettable that he couldn't even try using them before they were destroyed. He could have converted them into spirit stones.

"[Fireball]."

Fortunately, the magic scrolls could be used.

As he pronounced the trigger word and tore the paper, the power trapped inside formed a magic array and spat out a large, intense fireball.

A few monsters that had been drawn by the smell of blood from Alvear and the shadow knight were caught in it, turning into blackened lumps of charcoal and falling to the ground. They weren't strong, but the power itself was considerable.

‘Similar to the fire element summoned by the red troll, but the structure is more refined and solid. A higher-level magic might be difficult to cut even with the opposing Five Elements Sword Qi.’

Leonard, thinking about the mages he had yet to meet, put the remaining magic scrolls in his pocket.

>The Five Elements True Dragon Ring>’s ability was roughly understood.

It strongly repels magic that directly interferes with the body and only reduces or blocks the influence of magic formed externally. It seemed that he could pass through spatial portals. If not, getting off the island would have been a problem, so it was fortunate.

“Should I take the signal device? If I put it in a subspace pocket, it won’t be possible to trace my location, but….”

It could be used to track the shadow knight's location from this side, but there was no function to identify who responded to the signal.

The probability was less than 30%, but if he encountered a Transcendent knight, Leonard in his current state would have almost no chance of winning.

The fifth shadow.

Even if it were a dark sword, a Transcendent expert wouldn't have such an obvious weakness. To compete with a Sword Master who can freely control sword qi, at least the ability to clash with the sword is necessary.

Five Elements Sword Qi (五行劍氣)

Form (輯) Strong (成罡)

As Leonard pulled out his sword from his waist and closed his eyes to concentrate, the threads of aura that unraveled intertwined and formed a precise blade.

A proof of true strength, something that could only be attempted after reaching the peak of mastery.

Kiiiiiiing——!

The sword qi formed in a few seconds sliced through the darkness of the night.

‘Too slow.’

However, Leonard was not pleased with the result.

Since he had already reached this level once, forming the sword qi itself was not difficult. The problem was the speed of formation and the amount of internal energy consumed, which were insufficient.

Although his upper dantian was opened after inheriting Lian Wuxie's soul, he had not fully awakened the potential of this body. He would need to reach the Transcendent level to use 100% of his power.

It took 3 seconds to form the sword qi, and he could only use it for less than 3 minutes.

‘If he doesn’t hold back and attacks, he’s a ten-move opponent. Even if he waits for the sword qi to form, he’s a hundred-move opponent.’

The actual difference between the Inner Force and External Force realms, compared to the difference between the External Force and Transcendent realms, was only about one minor level.

It was not something Leonard could handle alone.

‘A way to avoid my movements being discovered and for the Wyvern Knights and Bradley to detect the presence of the invaders…’

And to inform them of the scale of the threat to prevent them from underestimating the enemy and suffering major losses.

After pondering for a few minutes,

Leonard finally came up with a solution.

Kiiiiing!

A sword qi rose from his sword again, and a large wound was carved into the shadow knight's corpse.

From this moment on, the thirtieth shadow would become a hero.

* * *

After returning from >Owl Plain>, Leonard did not enter the island much and observed the situation.

Nothing happened for a week.

Had they not discovered it yet?

“Leonard!”

Right at that moment.

While aimlessly wandering the beach, Leonard heard the familiar voices of the trio. Turning in their direction, he saw vagrants approaching.

They seemed to have just returned from night training.

Hayden, Ian, and Gale approached in tattered conditions and spoke to him.

“It’s been a while! How have you been?”

“By the way, we haven’t been doing well. The swamp was already hell, but it was even worse at night.”

“The ground is muddy, and there are bugs all over the trees. It’s not a place for humans to live or go!”

They seemed to have gained quite a bit of valuable experience from >Bone Heap Swamp>.

Although they were grumbling, Leonard could sense that their capabilities had increased by one level.

Their sword skills had improved, regardless of their mana cultivation level.

“You’re back earlier than expected. I thought it would take a month.”

At this, the trio shuddered.

“No! Why are you saying such a terrifying thing!”

“If you were there for a month, people would try to break their own limbs to escape. I’m not joking.”

“I would do the same. The problem is that even if you break your limbs, you probably can’t escape.”

Ian's words were met with nods of agreement from Hayden and Gale.

If you were still in the growth stage like Leonard, it might be different, but for squires whose bodies were fully grown, breaking their limbs would just mean reattaching them with potions.

They would return to training after a few minutes of rest.

Still, what Leonard said connected to something he had been curious about.

“Well, if everything went according to plan, it would have been another two weeks.”

“This is the first time the training schedule has been shortened like this. We don’t know what happened. Did something happen?”

Leonard's eyes narrowed.

‘They must have discovered it.’

The gift he had carefully prepared for the Wyvern Knights.