Chapter 47

The Sword Emperor Reborn in the Sword Clan (47)

Rumble——!

A massive shockwave is created from the greatsword that Bradley swings down from above. It's not just a simple manifestation of sword energy that amplifies its power; it's evidence that it has begun to interfere with the physical phenomena in the area.

A realm one step away from Transcendence, the peak of the External Force Realm 10th stage.

Kardenas One Sword Style (카르데나스 일검류)

Bradley Style (브래들리식)

Giant's Step

Like a giant taking a step, the shockwave poured down upon the heads of the Shadow Knights.

It was a wide-ranging attack that was hard to believe was unleashed with just a single swing of a sword, causing the Shadow Knights to tremble. Among them were those who had broken through the 10th stage of the External Force Realm, yet the gap between them and Bradley was incomprehensibly large.

“Do not fear. I am here before you.”

However, when the fifth shadow swung his sword, the shockwave split apart, pressing down on the white sand.

It was a strike that didn't even qualify as a secret technique.

That difference was the gap between the External Force Realm and the Transcendence Realm. Even Bradley's all-out secret technique was effortlessly split by a sword strike.

If he hadn't been protecting his subordinates while fighting, Bradley wouldn't have had the confidence to last a minute against him.

The rugged face, like a natural cliff, frowned.

‘He’s stalling. Why?’

The fifth shadow only blocked or deflected attacks from his position, without actively joining the offensive.

Thanks to this, the casualties among the Wyvern Knights were not significant, but the number of enemies they defeated was also not large. A single Swordmaster had led the battlefield into a deadlock.

Bradley glanced down at the magic circle beginning to glow beneath their feet and gritted his teeth.

‘The [Mass Teleport] scroll activates 15 minutes after it is triggered. Since 5 minutes have already passed, we have less than 10 minutes left.’

It’s impossible to accompany these guys on the [Mass Teleport] and pursue them to an unknown location.

The magic circle itself was too small to accommodate even a hundred Wyvern Knights, and with that number, they would be wiped out in no time when facing a Swordmaster.

There might be ambush forces at the destination, or magical traps to distinguish friend from foe.

‘If possible, I should end this here… but I’m being held back by a single Swordmaster. He’s thoroughly preventing me from reaching the place where the children are held.’

Sweat trickled down Bradley’s forehead.

‘Even if I keep pressing, no matter how skilled a Swordmaster is, he can’t handle this many people. But the casualties would be too great. I can’t guarantee I can end it within 10 minutes.’

He couldn’t charge in with a determined resolve, nor could he let time pass by.

The Wyvern Knights, caught in a dilemma, saw the fifth shadow unconsciously showing signs of anxiety. If the situation remained deadlocked, the [Mass Teleport] would activate, and the shadows sent to retrieve the prisoners would not return in time.

‘It’s getting too late.’

The fifth shadow’s senses extended behind him.

The Shadow Knight, who had scanned several hundred meters in a few seconds, was filled with shock and rage.

‘…No signs of life. Are they all dead? When? By whom?’

Bradley’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had noticed something.

Insight gained from decades of shadow life.

His subconscious whispered that it wasn’t the work of Kardenas’ devils. This wasn’t a problem that could be solved by pondering here.

‘I need to see it with my own eyes.’

He signaled to his subordinates behind him and immediately turned to charge.

Or, more accurately, he tried to charge.

Rumble—!

The [Giant's Step] that Bradley hastily deployed struck the ground, blocking his path.

Even if he couldn’t fight on equal terms, predicting and interfering with his next move was not difficult. The fifth shadow turned to face him, his eyes emitting a fierce killing intent.

“Kardenas’ lapdog, do you not understand your place?”

It was different from the delaying tactics he had been using.

A blade-shaped aura, the symbol of the Transcendence Realm, rose above the fifth shadow’s sword, making the area calm.

The Aura Blade, the symbol of the Transcendence Realm.

He was serious.

“About understanding one’s place, I don’t know who’s talking.”

Despite the overwhelming pressure, Bradley did not stop speaking.

“Breaking into the Transcendence Realm and then kidnapping children who haven’t even grown up? The fall of Crusis was already predetermined, even before it was trampled by us.”

“…What?”

“Are you deaf? Or are you running away from the truth you don’t want to hear? I know who you are, the scum of Crusis. Even if you escape from here, the Seven Great Knight Orders will turn your insignificant country into a wasteland. If you have any sense of shame, commit suicide.”

The fifth shadow’s face twisted like a demon.

Not only had his identity been exposed, but he was in a situation where he couldn’t silence or control the other party.

Their mistake had put Crusis in danger of destruction.

No matter how many times he thought about it, no solution came to mind.

“Do you have any proof that we are from Crusis?”

“It’s not necessary.”

Bradley cut off his words with a firm voice.

“Who would dare question the righteousness of the Sword of Arcadia, Kardenas? Kardenas does not cut down the innocent, but in the judgment of sin, it leaves no room for mercy.”

“Sin? For trying to expose your vile secrets?”

“No matter how you try to justify it, your destination is the same. Fall into the abyss of the afterlife and suffer eternally.”

The conversation was not connecting.

Both sides were only saying what they wanted to say, leading to a quick breakdown in the dialogue.

Bradley and the fifth shadow moved simultaneously.

Squeal!

A crack appeared on the greatsword that blocked the Aura Blade.

The symbol of the Transcendence Realm.

The power of the Gang Qi (剛氣) surpasses even 8th-tier magic in terms of destructive force. No matter how compressed the sword energy, it was nothing more than a slightly hardened straw in front of the Gang Qi.

Bradley, who received internal injuries from three sword strikes, spat out blood.

“Gasp!”

Against a Transcendence Realm user who truly exerted their power, the 10th stage of the External Force Realm was rendered powerless. Bradley’s eyes overflowed with a yellowish light, a sign that he was drawing on his innate True Qi, known in this world as Prana.

But it wasn’t a difference that could be made up with a life.

“Pathetic!”

The light of the Aura Blade swirling around the fifth shadow’s blade became even more terrifying. The peak of destructive power that even a Prana-empowered sword energy couldn’t block.

The emerald-green Aura Blade bisected the greatsword in one strike and followed up, severing Bradley’s arm.

The severed right arm flew up, splattering red blood.

“Gasp!”

Unfortunately, it was the arm holding the greatsword.

In front of the now defenseless Bradley, the shadow said,

“Fall into the afterlife, demon of Kardenas.”

He was going to die.

It was a premonition of death from which there was no escape, no matter what he did.

Bradley faced the blade with composure, harboring only a sense of self-reproach for not fulfilling his duty.

‘I’m sorry, Sir Fabian.’

Just as the banneret of the Wyvern Knights was about to meet his end,

Five Elements Sword Qi (五行劍氣)

Twin Peaks Thunder Sword (雙璧震雷劍) Fly (飛)

A streak of blue lightning aimed for the back of the Shadow Knight.

A Swordmaster couldn’t fail to react.

The fifth shadow immediately reversed his downward strike to block the lightning from behind. The sword that touched the Aura Blade shattered, scattering fragments around.

The confrontation between the two leaders was interrupted by a third party.

The beach fell silent for a moment.

“…This is.”

The fifth shadow, who recognized the Thunder Sword first, had bloodshot eyes.

The bodies of the shadows found in the Valley of Lions.

The sword strike that severed their necks matched this one exactly.

His emerald-green, murderous eyes turned to look behind him.

“It’s you… It’s all you! You did all of this!”

A Swordmaster’s intuition had already reached the level of extrasensory perception.

From the sudden attack by the Wyvern Knights to the disappearance of his subordinates behind him.

Realizing that Leonard had orchestrated everything, the fifth shadow’s thoughts vanished. Only the desire to punish the culprit remained, and he raised his sword.

Leonard, facing him, said to Bradley, who was staunching the bleeding from his shoulder.

“Knight Banneret, all the squire knights have been rescued.”

It wasn’t his original intention.

Even if Bradley died, it wouldn’t change the outcome of the battle. If a Swordmaster who had abandoned the return fought back, it would only result in more bloodshed.

If he didn’t want to reveal his full strength, he shouldn’t have interfered even if a few people died in front of him.

“All the enemies who came this way have been dealt with. The remaining enemies are only those who survived here.”

Still, Leonard decided to give it a try.

The Kardenas family, into which he was born, was completely different from the false prestigious sects he knew in the martial arts world.

A system where one could prove their worth through talent and skill, a family that treated even abandoned children without discrimination, and children who, despite envying those who surpassed them, did not get involved in wrongdoing.

He didn’t intend to reveal everything, but he hoped they would accept him as one of their own, even if his strength became known.

‘If I ask for someone’s kindness, I must also show kindness.’

If he ignored the people dying here, he would lose the right to do so.

So Leonard decided to reveal his strength.

“Leonard…? You, what….”

Bradley’s eyes flickered with distrust, but he quickly regained his composure. If Leonard’s intentions were malicious, there would be no reason for him to step in to protect him in this life-or-death situation.

Leonard, impressed by Bradley’s ability to maintain his judgment despite losing an arm, quickly got to the point.

“How much time is left until the [Mass Teleport] activates?”

“…About 3 minutes. It could be shorter, but not longer.”

Coincidentally,

Leonard’s limit for using sword energy was also 3 minutes.

He had recovered all the inner energy he had spent on the commodity spirit stones, but the fatigue in his body couldn’t be completely shaken off.

However, the Sword Emperor had fought more often in a near-death state than in full condition. This level of fatigue was merely a slight drain of unnecessary strength.

Five Elements Sword Qi (五行劍氣)

Gather (輯) Form Gang (成罡)

From the twin swords held by Leonard, compressed aura threads emerged, forming a beautiful blade like the skilled work of a weaver.

Squeal——!

Compared to the fifth shadow’s Aura Blade, it was a perfect sword energy, showing no signs of inferiority.

Red and black.

Leonard, standing at the center, deployed the North-South sword techniques of the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise. The shadow knight, with eyes wide open in shock, glared at his presence and the perfection of the sword energy.

“It’s a trick! You’re using a trick! Even if you’re a demon of Kardenas, to have a completed Aura Blade at your age?!”

Leonard, seeing this, said with a look of disdain.

“Sir Fabian of the Wyvern Knights is on par with you in the Transcendence Realm, but he didn’t deny reality when faced with my peculiarity. You guys fail because you always run away.”

“Nonsense——!!”

The shadow knight, unable to accept the top-of-the-head acupuncture, charged forward with his emerald-green Aura Blade.

Leonard crossed his two swords to meet him.

Sword energy against sword energy.

Even if the power was equal, the difference in inner energy was clear. If he was dragged into a power struggle, he would lose. He needed to push efficiently while keeping the opponent from realizing his superiority.

Five Phenomena Style (五象流)

Black Tortoise First Form (玄武一式)

Tortoise Shell Reversal (龜甲反魂鏡)

The black sword energy met the emerald-green Aura Blade.

Squeal——…

The attack that had torn through Bradley’s sword energy and split his greatsword was nullified. The black and emerald-green lights, tearing at each other, came to a standstill.

Although the attack that should have been repelled stopped, it was enough for Leonard.

Five Phenomena Style (五象流)

Vermilion Bird Seventeenth Form (朱雀十七式)

Burning Flame (灼爛炎火)

The red sword energy split into dozens of strands, rushing in like flames. Even if the power of each strand was low, it was incomparable to sword energy. A light touch would sever limbs.

But the fifth shadow was not someone to be underestimated.

‘Protective Gang Qi (護身罡氣)…! His inner energy is overflowing.’

‘In the martial arts world, only grandmasters could use Protective Gang Qi on their entire body, even at the Fire Stage level…’

Wrapping the body with the world’s most powerful attack made it the world’s most powerful defense.

It wasn’t that Fire Stage experts didn’t know this.

The Gang Qi, which consumed a tremendous amount of inner energy even when applied to the blade, covering the entire body? Even if it perfectly blocked attacks, the inner energy would quickly be depleted, leading to death.

Yet the fifth shadow not only blocked his attacks with Protective Gang Qi but also effortlessly counterattacked.

Squeal!

He was pushed back by a single strike blocked with the Black Tortoise technique.

The difference in the power inherent in the sword energy.

His wrist ached for a moment, but Leonard’s body was not something that could be affected by such a degree.

Then,

“Gasp!”

A sudden dizziness darkened his vision, and a blade emerged from the darkness.

Yet his reaction was absurdly quick.

He had mastered the Eye of Insight long ago.

The two swords danced in the air, forcing the Aura Blade that aimed to tear his neck to retreat. Leonard, regaining his vision, glared at the fifth shadow.

‘…Poison Gang Qi (毒罡).’

It was a rare attribute force that even the Sword Emperor Lian Wuxiao had only faced a few times.