Chapter 98

Reincarnated as the Sword Emperor in the Sword Artisan Family (98)

If he could completely engulf the mental world, he could either seize the body or manipulate the will at will.

The darkness of the mental erosion spread like ink throughout his body, rapidly targeting the upper dantian. Even if he tried to block it, the darkness that had already infiltrated his body was difficult to remove. For some reason, Leonard found himself completely defenseless.

Thus, the Mind Kraken was able to easily step into Leonard's mental world.

■■■■~♪ ■■■~♬

The Mind Kraken hummed happily, having easily dispatched a troublesome enemy.

There is still one left, but if I can perfectly control this one, it will be very easy to hunt. Although it was unpleasant to use such a repulsive power, it would be even more useful if it fell into my hands.

Envisioning a dark and damp future, the monster, the Mind Kraken, finally reached the upper dantian.

…■■, ■■■?

At some point, it found itself in an unknown place.

Revealing its massive body, about 300 meters long, it was surrounded by a landscape that bore no resemblance to the deep-sea city.

Only then did the Mind Kraken realize something was wrong.

Even so, it did not immediately escape from this body because it had some confidence. As a mental life form with a transcendent rank, it was confident that it would not be defeated by a mere insect in the mental world.

"—What is this monstrosity?"

Its confidence crumbled with the appearance of an entity.

The entity, which had been looking down at the scenery of the Ten Thousand Peaks from a mountain peak, borrowed the power and form of Dan Muzhen, and looked down at the monster with a look of extreme disgust.

The difference in rank was clear.

In the mental world, the Mind Kraken's cognitive abilities far exceeded those outside, by several times, even several dozen times. Thus, it instantly grasped the power and superiority of the entity.

■■■?! ■■■…??!

Semi-deity (Demigod).

Too strong and too great to be lurking in the mental world of a mere mortal, the overwhelming presence crushed the monster.

Although it could not project its power outside Leonard's body, it could exist as a monster of the Transcendent rank within the consciousness. The entity, finally understanding the situation, laughed in disbelief.

"Madman, you want to pass this monstrosity to me?"

Being used as a sparring partner was bad enough, but being used as a proxy was even worse. It was unclear whether this was a demon or a familiar.

Unable to speak, the entity could only laugh hollowly. The Mind Kraken, hearing this laughter, flared up, feeling as if it was being mocked.

Moreover, its cognitive abilities detected that the entity was still incomplete. Unlike a complete semi-deity, its presence was unstable, and it would collapse if certain conditions were not met.

■■■■■■■■——!!!

The 300-meter, nearly 100-zhang, massive body rose, violently shaking the surrounding mountains and rivers.

The destructive power, measured by scale alone, was something that even a hundred-year internal energy could not replicate. The tentacles extending from the giant octopus-like form covered the sky like dark clouds, casting shadows on the ground, and the ominous light from the hundreds of magic arrays targeted the enemy on the ground.

Heaven and Earth in One Throw (乾坤一擲).

Just as the overwhelming attack was about to be unleashed, the entity, aware of its disadvantage, said:

"What, it might be fun to play with."

The entity, seeing this, laughed derisively.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功)

Asura Tyrant Dance (阿修羅覇皇舞)

Manifestation of the Divine Image (威神像 現現)

A hundred-zhang tall Asura image appeared like a mirage.

Rumble—…!

As the momentum of Ten Thousand Demons Bowing (萬魔仰伏) erupted, the oppressive aura that had settled in the area was instantly dispelled.

The difference in rank.

Even if it could overwhelm in terms of output, there was no way to close the gap in level. If it had a technique of equal rank, like Leonard's Five-Colored Rigid Qi, it might have dared to resist, but the Mind Kraken's mental erosion was ultimately not of the Transcendent rank.

"I command."

The entity, having overwhelmed the enemy in a single breath, ordered from above.

"Don't break too easily. It would dampen the mood."

The Asura image and the giant octopus.

A hundred zhang and a hundred meters.

Despite the tenfold size difference, the superiority was clear. As the Asura's six arms moved, all the tentacles burst, and the Mind Kraken shrank.

…■■, ■■■■.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

* * *

"Ha!"

Leonard let out a faint exclamation, having witnessed the clash of the two entities in the mental world.

Even though it was merely a manifestation of Dan Muzhen, the combat power displayed by the entity was indeed of the Transcendent rank. Each punch and kick from the Asura image visibly reduced the size of the Mind Kraken.

It was exactly as the monster had said, "If you can't match the rank, you will lose one-sidedly, even if you have a significantly greater capacity of power."

This could also be said of the difference between the Harmonious Realm and the Transcendent Realm.

"If I were to use the Five-Colored Rigid Qi at the Harmonious Realm level, I could have overwhelmed the Mind Kraken."

Or, perhaps, he could have been even more advantageous than the entity.

The monster from another world seemed to be severely affected by the world's laws, so the Asura image, which was thoroughly suppressing it by rank, would be even more effective.

As Leonard analyzed this, the non-battle between the two entities came to an end.

A single strike from the Tyrant Killing Line shattered the giant octopus.

■■■■■■■——!?

Simultaneously, the Mind Kraken let out a final, desperate scream.

It was not a cry of pain or fear.

It was the wailing of a life form facing true death.

'If a mental life form without a physical body... the destruction of the mental body means the annihilation of existence!'

As if confirming Leonard's speculation, the Mind Kraken's body began to disperse like mist.

Not only had its last resort, mental erosion, been turned against it, but the cost of showing its teeth to a semi-deity in the mental world of a mere insect was severe.

The moment it sensed the crisis, it should have fled.

Then, it might have suffered a major blow but would not have been annihilated. The complacency of the Mind Kraken, who had never experienced a real crisis, was the most fatal.

"—Leonard! What is going on?!"

At that moment, Russell, approaching from beyond the darkness of mental erosion, said in surprise.

Even a Great Mage could not know what had happened in another's mental world. Turning to face Russell, whose face was filled with confusion and shock, Leonard raised a finger.

"Let's finish this thing off first and then talk. We need to destroy the medium as soon as it is revealed."

"…Is that really necessary? I'd like to take a look if possible."

With the Guardian of the Rift gone, there was no one to interfere if Russell were to examine the medium. Even if a horde of demon octopuses rushed in, they would not be a threat to the two of them.

The medium of the Rift was, literally, an unknown entity.

It was a priority research item in the Magic Tower, so the Great Mage was momentarily tempted.

However, Leonard's attitude was very firm.

"It took longer than expected. If we delay any further, there will be casualties in Aquamarine."

"Ah, I see."

Only then did Russell realize the situation and smiled sheepishly.

It was at that moment.

Pwhoosh.

The Mind Kraken's body, already dispersing rapidly, exploded.

For a being that had reached the Master level, it was a rather futile end, but the explosion of its mental body, though intangible, produced a shockwave with physical force.

If the mental defenses were insufficient, one might have lost consciousness or suffered serious internal injuries.

However.

'—It's there.'

Leonard's eyes flashed in the midst of the storm, finding a crystal of an almost profane color.

The medium supporting the Abyss of the Demon Octopus.

It felt larger and more powerful than the one in the Cthulhu Lair. The moment he recognized it, a fierce dragon's roar erupted from within him.

Rumble!!

Without resisting the surging power within him, he guided it towards the connected 'Miniature Sun'.

The sphere, now swollen with several times the amount of internal energy, was trembling as if about to explode. The amplification was at a level that even the control ability of the peak Harmonious Realm could hardly suppress.

Five-Phenomenon Stream (五象流)

Phoenix Extra Technique (朱雀番外式)

Three-Legged Crow (三足烏) Explosion (炸裂)

The rigid qi, which had been gathered in a spherical shape like the sun, transformed into the shape of a bird.

A three-legged crow.

The qi technique, taking the form of a divine beast that did not exist in this world, flew at the medium, accelerated by three decades of internal energy. It immediately broke the sound barrier and plunged towards the medium at a speed that left no afterimage.

The attack, like a ray of light, pierced through the interdimensional power that was trying to protect the medium.

The defense, split like paper, shattered a moment later.

Crack!

Just like in the Cthulhu Lair.

The moment the medium was destroyed, cracks spread throughout the space, and the scenery of the deep-sea city receded into the distance.

The wailing of the demon octopuses, suddenly sent back to their home, echoed like a mournful song from afar. The collapse of the intersection between the two dimensions was a natural conclusion.

It was then.

———————.

Leonard felt the gaze of something higher-dimensional, staring at him from a distant and profound place.

Outer God (外神).

He instinctively recognized its nature.

A presence more terrifying than the Heavenly Demon Dan Muzhen was examining him from above. If there were no dimensional gaps, it could have crushed him in retaliation.

Although it was just a blink of an eye, Leonard felt his back drenched in cold sweat.

'…It won't keep staring down at me like this forever.'

While the Five-Element True Dragon Ring remained silent, Leonard fearlessly stared back at the other side of the dimensional wall.

If the Transcendent Realm is insufficient, I will reach the Life and Death Realm and pluck out the eyes of that arrogant being.

Like the legendary ancestor Cardenas, if I reach the Life and Death Realm, or even the Mythical Realm, I can break the noses of those who look down on me as mere insects.

Rumble!

The Five-Element True Dragon Ring responded to Leonard's will, strengthening its power even more.

The destruction of the second medium accelerated its growth again.

The realm that had been stuck at the 7th stage of the External Power Realm broke through two minor realms and pushed to the 9th stage. It was now just one step away from the 10th stage, the limit of the External Power Realm.

The breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm, which would come after, was not something that could be achieved by merely accumulating power, but he had already found the breakthrough point.

'The time to overthrow the entity is drawing near.'

The wall that Lian Wuxie could not surpass in his previous life.

His upper dantian's sixth sense was confident that he could reach the Transcendent Realm only after overthrowing the entity.

19 more times.

If he could not overthrow the entity in 19 life-and-death battles, he would be taken over by it. Despite knowing this, the only thing that gleamed in Leonard's eyes was the spirit of competition.

For a martial artist, defeat and death are fate, so there is no reason to fear the moment of death.

Until the complete collapse of the Abyss of the Demon Octopus, Leonard continued to think about the upcoming confrontation in the not-so-distant future.