Chapter 42

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Master's Family (42)

Cruze's twelfth shadow, a man with a gaunt and withered body, felt as if he were about to go mad.

Even he, who had experienced everything in the dark world over several decades, felt that this island was not a place for the sane. Within ten days of landing, he had encountered five types of A-rank monsters, and if he counted the lower-ranked monsters, it was over forty.

If it weren't for his breakthrough to the 10th stage of External Power and the few artifacts prepared by his homeland, he would have died long ago.

Among them, the monster in front of him was the worst.

"A third-stage Manticore! And it's a special breed?! Are the Cardenas bastards training here all out of their minds?!"

The Manticore, with a human head, glared at him and his companions, its eyes turning a deep crimson.

This was a prelude to magic manifestation that he had experienced several times already.

True to the Shadow Knights' extensive combat experience, all five quickly took defensive stances.

Whoosh!

A small flame storm swept over the Shadow Knights, who had erected defensive barriers with Sword Aura (Sword Aura), a technique that uses sword energy.

A monster capable of manifesting 4th-tier magic with a shadowless sword.

A Manticore that had broken through to the True Demon stage was such a being, and a special breed had several times the intelligence and mana. A low-level mage might have their internal circle explode from having their spell reversed.

"Unite!"

The twelfth shadow shuddered from the heat and then swung his sword to clear the surrounding air.

Otherwise, the heated air would scorch his lungs.

The other Shadow Knights were the same.

The heat that their defenses couldn't fully block burned their skin, and some had parts of their faces disfigured. Despite this, the twelfth knight did not scold them.

'Damn it, if we hadn't been hit by the roar, things wouldn't have gotten this twisted...!'

The twelfth shadow clenched his teeth, thinking about the overturned board at the last moment.

Blocking the special breed Manticore's ultimate move, [Stone Wave], with armor was very good, but he hadn't expected it to use [Roar of Terror] without even taking a breath afterward.

The reason he and his companions were standing still, continuously hit by the monster's magic, was because of that.

'It will take at least three more minutes for the paralysis in my legs to wear off. I can endure, but the others are more likely to fail.'

The Manticore, boasting its cunning, was only casting spells at a certain interval from outside the range of sword energy.

While a 9th-stage External Power might barely hold on, those at the 8th stage were already showing their limits, their faces pale. They would surely be roasted by the flame storm in no time.

If the twelfth shadow were to withstand all the magic, they might be wiped out by the special breed Manticore.

A dilemma.

Snap!

At that moment, the signal device on his wrist flashed.

A smile of joy appeared on the twelfth shadow's face. This news would also boost the morale of his comrades.

"Reinforcements! Everyone, just hold on a little longer!"

The knights, confirming the signal device's light, all tightened their grips on their swords with renewed vigor.

The balance between the Manticore and them was precarious.

A minor mistake from either side or an unfavorable external intervention could cause it to collapse immediately.

But it seemed that the goddess of fortune was on their side.

Grrr!

The Manticore, sensing the atmosphere, twisted its old man's face in disgust.

Leonard arrived at that very moment.

'One 10th-stage External Power, two 9th-stages, and two 8th-stages. They're holding up well against a True Demon-level Manticore, with all their limbs intact.'

They seemed unharmed by [Stone Wave], whatever means they used, and the movement of their legs being restrained by the ground suggested paralysis from the roar.

Their fatigue was high, but their morale was not low.

Injuries were minor, but their protective aura was thin due to the large consumption of mana.

Leonard, having assessed the status of all five in an instant, turned his eyes.

'Several deep wounds, heavy bleeding, and it seems the petrification ability can't be used consecutively or at all. Only 1-2 doses of poison darts left, and they will likely die when the paralysis from the roar wears off.'

The Manticore was slightly at a disadvantage in the nearly balanced scales. From the perspective of a third party looking to benefit, the side he needed to intervene on was already decided.

Two swords were drawn from Leonard's waist.

And.

Five Elements Sword Qi

Twin Peaks Thunderbolt Sword - Fly

The twin swords, their blades glowing a deep blue, shot out.

Flying Sword Technique.

A technique specialized for killing distant enemies, not quite on par with Yi Qi Sword but requiring the mobilization of serious mental power.

The flying swords, which had increased their speed by accepting lightning, were difficult to react to even when seen head-on. However, the Shadow Knights were only focused on the Manticore, not paying attention to their backs.

Naturally, the result was gruesome.

Pfft!

Almost simultaneously, two heads exploded, and a fountain of blood shot up, freezing the air of the battlefield.

Even the twelfth shadow couldn't react properly.

If he had been the target, he might have protected himself, but he aimed for the slightly weaker ones. The two 8th-stage External Power Shadow Knights fell to the ground, their heads severed.

The Manticore moved immediately after.

"Roar!"

Leonard's ambush had killed two and stunned the other three.

One Shadow Knight, engulfed in cursed flames, writhed and soon died. The magical defense on his armor, which had blocked [Stone Wave], was gone.

The Shadow Knight, having lost three comrades in an instant, glared at Leonard and shouted.

"You, you—! You vile, dirty, despicable spawn of evil! Do you have no pride or honor at all?!"

The twelfth shadow's roar made Leonard's eyebrows shoot up.

"Pride? Honor? Are you serious?"

It was a laughable statement.

Leonard's lips curled into a deep sneer, knowing their true purpose.

Pulling out two more swords from his subspace bag, he openly mocked and answered.

"Virtues you shouldn't be looking for when you come to kidnap children."

"How, how did you—?"

Leonard's words made the Shadow Knight's eyes widen.

"How could I use the signal device you have? Haven't you guessed? Your comrade spilled everything."

"I won't fall for such a cheap trick...!"

"Shadows of Cruze, defeated by Cardenas, you only put on a grand name. You target children because you can't win head-on. What honor and pride is there in that? Is that common in a small border country?"

"—You."

The Shadow Knight, whose true identity was exposed and whose sore spot was hit, wiped all expression from his face.

He had to kill the young man in front of him, no matter what.

This mission was the only thing that dominated the twelfth shadow.

"Phew!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

To release the Manticore's paralysis, he endured internal injuries and circulated his internal mana, taking a step forward.

Without looking behind him, he ordered.

"Number 21, just hold on a little longer."

"Understood."

It was as good as a death sentence, but the twenty-first shadow accepted it without resistance. The special breed Manticore, now alone, sneered at him.

10th-stage External Power.

A powerful warrior, one step away from the Transcendent stage, faced Leonard, burning his life to the end, and raised his blade.

"Our shadows would never betray Cruze. He must have been manipulated by some evil magic."

"Evil magic...?"

Leonard, making a subtle expression at the words, tilted his head.

Could the Bai Hui Kai Xue technique be considered evil magic? After some thought, he smiled.

It was a good thing.

Squeak.

Black and white light overflowed from the twin swords stretched out to the sides.

Xuanwu Qi and Baihu Qi.

Mingren (冥刃) and Suiren (碎刃) resonated softly.

At the same time, a purple sword qi soared from the twelfth shadow's blade. An attribute force not included in the Five Elements. Leonard, seeing this, rarely showed admiration.

"Not a power of this world...? Interesting."

The Shadow Knight did not respond to his words.

Only the purple blade extended in a terrifying trajectory.

Five Elephant Style

Xuanwu First Form

Leonard's black blade drew a circle to counter it.

Gui Jia Fan Hun Jing

The purple and black sword qi, cutting into each other, bounced off in opposite directions.

The two men's eyes narrowed sharply.

'Unreasonable defense, hard to break through head-on.'

'The attack that should have been deflected ended up being refracted. The nature of the qi is completely different from the norm.'

Unlike before the fight, they didn't exchange a single word.

Sword against sword.

The sound of the blades howling tore through the earth and wind of the area. Both the twelfth shadow and Leonard were in a state close to wu-wo, swinging their swords.

If the sword of the thirtieth shadow was a worm, the sword of the twelfth shadow was at least a dragon, if not a dragon.

Swoosh!

The sword qi that slipped through the gap between the black and white twin swords shot up, drawing a line of blood on Leonard's cheek.

Up, down, front, back, left, right.

The movement of a snake dancing freely in six directions.

'Good.'

Leonard, facing a sword technique worth seeing after a long time, his lips curled into a chilling smile.

The movement of the sword and the movement of the sword qi were independent.

It was a technique different in nature from the sword techniques of the Central Plains, which required the harmony of form and inner power, essence and qi. The special nature of the purple sword qi and the skill of the twelfth shadow's killing sword were on a different level from the clumsy reliance on dark swords.

"Hey."

"...What?"

When Leonard spoke, the Shadow Knight, who had been in a state of wu-wo, raised a question in his eyes.

"Why don't you use the function of the black sword? It would be more dangerous, wouldn't it?"

"I know that much... The reason is simple. The shadow sword's efficiency drops drastically when it contains a certain level of aura. It can't be a proper weapon in a real fight."

Leonard immediately agreed.

Thinking about it, if the dark sword didn't have such a significant drawback, everyone would be using it. The Shadow Knight, who was at the 8th stage of External Power, might have been overwhelmed in the sword qi contest with him because of this.

The two took their stances again.

This time, they intended to fight to the death, and the sword qi rising from their blades shone even more vividly.

But Leonard soon had to frown.

"Tsk."

"?"

The twelfth shadow, puzzled by the opening, moved his leg to take a step forward.

Crack!

Struck by the Manticore's tail, which approached silently, he collapsed, his brain matter scattered inside his skull.

He was dead instantly.

Crack! Thud! Splat!

The Manticore thoroughly finished him off with a few more strikes.

Even the protective aura of a 10th-stage External Power was meaningless against a True Demon-level monster's ambush. He had been too focused on the battle with Leonard and too late in sensing the surroundings.

The Manticore, which had ended the futile battle between the two swordsmen, turned to Leonard.

A monster and a swordsman.

A dry wind blew between them, making it clear that either could kill or be killed at any moment.

"—Ah."

At that moment.

"Human, talk."

The head of the special breed Manticore, in the form of an old man, spoke to Leonard.