Chapter 84

Reincarnated as the Sword Emperor of the Sword Family (84)

The four members of the Aquamarine adventure party had finished their preparations to enter the 〈Rift〉 and looked down at the hole leading to the 〈Sea Drake Lair〉 on the deck.

The passage through the space flickered ominously.

The darkness beyond, which could not be seen, seemed like a crack someone had made to peek into this world.

Leonard's eyes narrowed as he extended his senses.

'This is completely different from a spatial gate. It’s a structure where you can’t know what exists beyond until you enter.'

The senses were fundamentally cut off.

Even when he used the 'Flame' from the Upper Dantian, it felt like falling into an abyss, so he had to withdraw. This meant that there was a principle that could not be interfered with even at the Harmonious Boundary level.

"Inside the 〈Rift〉, time is the most important thing. If you exceed the 5-hour limit by more than 10 minutes, I will ask the Chief Elder to bring you back to the ship."

Francis spoke in a somewhat tense voice, unlike her usual self.

"Communication with the outside world is cut off inside the 〈Rift〉. So, there’s no way to know what’s happening inside from the outside. Think carefully about the return time and set your route. Don’t fall behind schedule. It’s fine to return quickly, but don’t be late."

The four people nodded without hesitation.

Leonard and Galano, who were in the front, led the way, and Esther and Nini, who were in the rear, followed a few steps behind.

There was a few meters of distance from the deck of the Aquamarine to the hole of the 〈Sea Drake Lair, ’ but the four, led by Leonard, jumped into the hole without any fear.

As Leonard and the others passed through the 〈Rift〉 one after another.

——————.

An indescribable sense of unease swept over his entire body several times. It was a terribly unpleasant and eerie sensation, as if he had entered a place that should not exist.

"——Ah."

After an indeterminate amount of time, the darkness that had covered his vision cleared.

The other side of the 〈Rift〉 was, as Francis had briefed, above the sea.

Leonard's body, which had appeared a few meters above the water, naturally fell downward, as if about to plunge into the water. Fortunately, the acceleration from falling through the 〈Rift〉 had disappeared.

However.

"Ugh."

Leonard landed on the water's surface without any trouble.

It was the realm of Dengpingdushui (Walking on Water and Crossing the River on a Leaf).

A superb lightness skill that could run on a leaf or leave no footprints on snow, surpassing even the legendary abilities like Hu Kong Da Bo (Walking on Air) or Tian Shang Zhi (Flying of Immortals).

"Kyaah!"

Immediately after, Esther fell into his arms.

Perhaps due to the confusion of passing through the 〈Rift, ’ she had failed to construct a magical platform.

However, as befitting a 5th-tier combat mage, Esther immediately recognized the situation and shouted.

"[Glaciate Field]!"

The water beneath Leonard's feet froze.

The sea surface, now transformed into a disk of ice about 10 meters in diameter, caught Galano and Nini, who fell a beat later.

The two seemed to have noticed the precarious timing, as they looked at Esther with expressions of gratitude. Even after leaving Leonard's arms, Esther covered her face in embarrassment and apologized.

"S-Sorry. The sensation of passing through the 〈Rift〉 was too unfamiliar, so the spell was a bit delayed."

"Even if Esther had failed, I could have caught three or four. Don’t blame yourself too much. Though, it doesn’t seem like we have time for that."

"Huh?"

In response to the meaningful words, the three turned to look in the direction of the beach.

Squawk—!

Squawk—!

Squawk—!

The Sea Drakes, armed with tridents and nets, were clearly hostile.

They were a defensive line to repel the intruders who had entered through the 〈Rift〉.

There were at least several dozen, and if you counted those emerging from primitive tents, it looked like over a hundred.

Seeing this, Leonard asked Esther.

"Those guys don’t seem like they’ll let us land easily. Can you suppress the forces on the beach while maintaining this platform?"

"…If Ninian covers me, I can handle it in 5 minutes."

"5 minutes, huh."

Galano's trident also had a throwing rope, but the number he could subdue at once was limited.

In a normal situation, a swordsman would have nothing to do.

But this was not a normal situation.

"I’ll go first. If I break through the defensive line, landing will be much easier, so don’t rush and follow me."

"What? Wait, how are you walking on water…?!"

Ignoring the shock of Esther and the other two, Leonard started running on the water, stepping on the waves.

Shuishangfei (Water Walking)

The distance to the beach was less than 500 meters.

If he broke through with full speed at the Outer Force Boundary level, it would take less than 10 seconds. Moreover, the inner energy emitted from Leonard's Yongquan point and the soles of his feet shattered a layer of waves.

Wuxingliushenfa (Five Elements and Six Spirits Technique)

The rebound was a bit weaker than on land, but it was still usable.

Jietaiyan (Crimson Crow Sun)

The step of Rehuo (Hot Fire)

A large water column shot up with a roar.

He covered more than half of the 500 meters in a single step.

Squawk—!?

The Sea Drake, terrified by the terrifying speed, raised its trident.

Their speed on the beluga whales was several times faster than the ice disk, and they had already moved far from the beach.

The distance to the beach was about 200 meters.

Leonard, who had accelerated explosively, crossed paths with the leading Sea Drake.

Plop!

The Sea Drake's head fell along with its trident, which was cut in two.

With the momentum of his charge, he delivered a horizontal slash, cutting through the weapons that tried to block him.

150 meters.

He cut through three nets trying to capture him and broke through.

100 meters.

He bisected the Sea Drake on the beluga whale that charged at him head-on.

50 meters.

He leaped over the heads of a dozen Sea Drakes. Their heads were solidly fixed, making them perfect stepping stones for his lightness technique.

Swish.

Leonard slid to a stop on the sand and looked at the Sea Drakes swarming in front of him.

He could sense fear in their eyes, distorted by the unique malice of monsters. Perhaps due to their higher intelligence, they could use complex tools like tridents and nets, but they also knew the difference in strength and felt a sense of avoidance.

However.

Roar—!

A Sea Drake with a head larger than the others and a more threatening build emerged.

It was at the True Demon Boundary.

As its roar echoed, the disarrayed formation quickly reformed and surrounded Leonard. It seemed to be the leader of the defensive line.

Despite its brutish appearance, its eyes were cunning, ready to exploit any weakness.

"Good."

Facing dozens of peak experts and one supreme expert, Leonard smiled coldly.

The fight with Conrad was quite good, but it was rare to find an opponent who could engage him one-on-one. If the quality was lacking, increasing the quantity could make it a bit more interesting.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

His sword moved several beats faster than the Sea Drakes' reaction time.

Qinglong Yishi (Azure Dragon First Form)

Zhenlei (Shaking Thunder)

The blade, which had already emitted a blue sword aura, severed three necks, spraying three streams of blood.

The Sea Drakes, drenched in the blood of their kin, stabbed their tridents in unison. Even if he avoided the thrusts, the hooks attached to the sides of the tridents would catch his clothes or flesh, restricting his movement.

It was a weapon specialized for subduing a single target from a group.

'They’re using their numbers to their advantage. Indeed, they are clever creatures.'

Leonard dodged the hooks accurately and recalled the sickle users he had encountered in the martial world.

There were more sickles with chains, known as Suozigian (Chain Sickle), than the long and heavy tridents. The killing power of the sickle, utilizing the flexibility and centrifugal force of the chain, was beyond imagination.

In comparison, the tridents were nothing.

'The Huangquan Xuegandui (Yellow Spring Blood Sickle Squad) of the Four Emperors was truly troublesome.'

With dozens of chain sickles thrown simultaneously, once they entangled your limbs, they would use their true inner energy to hold you down. If you couldn’t break the chain with a protective aura, you would be torn apart by the others even if you won the inner energy battle.

He could only win after surpassing the Door of Enlightenment, and if he had remained at the supreme expert level, he would have died.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

Baihu Yishi (White Tiger First Form)

To cut dozens of tridents at once, he needed to use a powerful aura.

But to simply knock them away, a sword aura was sufficient. From the blade that Leonard had deeply embedded in a single step, a mighty White Tiger aura erupted.

Duan Yue (Mountain-Cleaving)

The powerful horizontal slash, like the claws of a divine beast, shattered several trident shafts and knocked the rest away.

It was a brief moment, but Leonard wouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

Qinglong Shiba Shi (Azure Dragon Eighteen Forms)

Leifeng Zhodian (Thunder Meets Lightning)

This technique could either turn a single enemy into a beehive or stab dozens of enemies one by one.

The sword tip, transformed into a blue flash, accurately pierced the necks and foreheads of the Sea Drakes. The lightning energy entered their bodies, burning their brains and cooking their hearts and central nervous systems, stopping their vital functions.

"Hmm."

At that moment.

Boom—!

Leonard, who had taken a step back 10 meters, was replaced by a harpoon with a grotesquely twisted blade.

It was a surprise attack by the True Demon Boundary Sea Drake, the leader of the defense.

The destructive power was not just from brute strength.

Leonard, sensing this, looked through the creature’s body.

'…It can use qi, like Outer Force Boundary martial artists.'

Not just strengthening the body, but imbuing the thrown weapon with qi.

It was a realm where qi could be fixed outside the body.

Swish!

The Sea Drake, pulling the chain connected to the harpoon, stepped on the bodies of its subordinates and charged.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

Facing the charge, which carried the full momentum of a 3-meter-tall, superhumanly strong Sea Drake, Leonard thrust his sword.

Like a beacon of fire.

The sword aura, changing from blue to red, shot out.

Zhuzhuo Shier Shi (Crimson Bird Twelve Forms)

Zuo Lan Yan Feng (Burning Flame Edge)

The harpoon of the Sea Drake's leader collided head-on with the sword aura.

Clang!

The mist surrounding the harpoon burst, and the blade shattered into pieces like glass.

It was clear evidence of the overwhelming concentration of power.

Still, the True Demon Boundary Sea Drake, trusting in its robust body, took another step forward. If technique could overwhelm strength, then breaking the technique was also a matter of strength.

"Stupid creature."

Leonard, looking disappointed, said.

"To charge first with a spear against a swordsman, it’s ridiculous."

In a sword vs. spear match, the most important thing was the distance.

If the spear user gave up this overwhelming advantage, they would be at a significant disadvantage in close combat against a swordsman. The thrust and slash of a spear required more space than a sword.

In close combat, people with longer arms and legs had an advantage, but if the distance was so close that they couldn’t fully extend their arms, their rotational power would decrease, making them vulnerable.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

As if refuting Leonard’s taunt, the Sea Drake tried to cut its own arm at that very moment.

Xuanwu San Shi (Black Tortoise Third Form)

Beimen Houfa Kai Zhansha (North Gate Rear Strike)

The blade, a half-beat ahead, pressed down and blocked the spear.

To thrust or slash, the spear needed a certain distance to build up speed and power. If the movement was cut off at the start, it couldn’t generate proper force.

After this happened several times, the Sea Drake realized it had made a mistake.

So, it tried to create distance by kicking.

"—Idiot."

Leonard, tired of the opponent’s repeated foolish actions, lowered his center of gravity.

Diving under the Sea Drake’s kick, he raised his sword.

Wuxiangliu (Five Elephant Stream)

Qinglong Er Shi (Azure Dragon Second Form)

The dragon that sprang from his grip soared into the sky, piercing the Sea Drake’s chin and exiting through its crown.

A one-strike fatal sword technique.

It was the 〈Shenglong Guantian (Ascending Dragon Piercing Heaven)〉.