LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 56
“Ah, my apologies.”
After a long fit of laughter, the Swordmaster finally calmed down. Kim Il-shin found this man to be utterly unbearable.
“…It’s fine.”
Even so, Kim Il-shin accepted the Swordmaster’s apology, though he wasn’t apologizing for the laughter.
“I’m sorry for testing you.”
“……”
“I unleashed my sword intent because I doubted you might not be human. In the past, many enemies approached in human form. Once their murderous intent was exposed, they all disappeared.”
The foes the Swordmaster mentioned were shapeshifting monsters.
They could disguise themselves in any form, making them a significant threat to humanity.
“Even so, there’s no way that Baekga wouldn’t have noticed… but who knows? This suspicion of mine simply cannot be cured.”
Endless doubt was an essential element born from decades of war.
“I asked you about your intentions to understand what kind of person you are. There’s nothing more dangerous than a misguided person wielding great power.”
Kim Il-shin stood up and faced the Swordmaster. He had something he wanted to ask.
“So how do you see me?”
“What are you asking? You said you wanted to save the world; there’s no more room for doubt.”
Whoosh—
As the wind brushed past the blades of grass, a sword of blue light appeared in the Swordmaster’s hand.
It felt like he was gripping the flowing waters of a stream.
“Watch closely.”
He stepped forward diagonally with his right foot, supporting his body with his left foot that fell back.
Then he pressed the sword held in his right hand against his opposite hip.
His stance was infinitely low, with his gaze always facing forward.
Whoosh—
And again, the wind blew. A gentle breeze spread out from around the Swordmaster.
“……”
There were no powerful explosions or flashy techniques. The only change was in the Swordmaster’s posture.
The sword, which had been pointed downward, was now aiming at the sky.
An elegant sword movement that was nearly a blur. Yet the essence lay elsewhere.
“May I check something?”
As Kim Il-shin asked this, the Swordmaster couldn’t hide his smile.
The words of Baekho Mountain, who said that his sight surpassed his own, were indeed correct.
‘He too was blind to this upon first glance.’
The Swordmaster quietly observed as Kim Il-shin approached the wooden pillar before him.
Kim Il-shin laid his palm against the wooden post and channeled his mana into it.
There was space within the tightly packed wood.
The trajectory of the diagonal strike could be inferred from the beginning and end of its motion, engraved into the wood.
Kim Il-shin inspected the exterior once more. Indeed, there were no marks.
‘……This makes no sense.’
If Baekho Mountain’s strike sealed death upon confrontation, then for the Swordmaster it was impossible to even make that confrontation.
To survive that strike, one had to make predictions close to foresight. Of course, it was infinitely close to impossible.
A sword strike that transcended space. It was not merely a manipulation of the laws of the world akin to magic.
He had layered his intentions above the very laws themselves.
It was not just swordsmanship by merely using a sword, and thus, Kim Il-shin could not replicate it.
This was a phenomenon one could only unfold by holding a life, experience, and thoughts similar to those of the Swordmaster.
The Swordmaster was aware of this too, which is why he sought to present a new type to Kim Il-shin.
“What do you think of what you saw in my vision? By the way, Baekga cannot do this. Even if you asked, he would never tell you.”
The Swordmaster chuckled as he continued.
“The secret lies in the manifestation of the mind. It’s the realization that I was one with the world. From that single thread begins the journey of melting myself into the world.”
As he put away his sword, the Swordmaster approached Kim Il-shin.
“I don’t know exactly what you felt, but you must think about it in a manner different from me.”
The Swordmaster narrowed his eyes. There was a profound insight that belied his youthful appearance.
“I can’t say for sure… but you seem to be a being that belongs to two worlds simultaneously.”
Kim Il-shin lost himself in thought. The thoughts swirling in his mind refused to coalesce.
He felt some kind of indefinable emotion rising within him.
If only he could grasp that clearly, the puzzle might fit together, yet it remained elusive.
This was the first experience he had since acquiring his talents.
“Did this help at all?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Though he had yet to fully accept it, there was indeed a harvest.
“Then I apologize for asking this, but could you do me a favor?”
Before Kim Il-shin could respond, a gate opened in the ground beside the Swordmaster.
Unlike when he entered, the view beyond the gate was visible. The scene of the mansion beyond was chaotic.
Kugugugung…
The mansion, which the Endo family took pride in, was engulfed in flames.
It seemed to be holding on, but it was only a matter of time before it crumbled.
Thick black smoke rose. Before it lay a fierce battlefield.
“Block the enemy! Protect the family!”
“We must not falter! Maintain formation!”
The warriors of the Endo family, organized into a dense formation, were confronting the enemy.
Among them was Hazuki as well.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Die!”
The enemy surrounding the circular formation was surging with ferocity. They charged in madly, howling like beasts.
Bang! Crack!
The enemies paid no heed to their own lives. With every swing of the warriors’ swords, the sound of flesh tearing echoed.
The blood soaking the ground and the body parts rolling atop it all belonged to the enemy.
However, the expressions of the warriors were far from pleasant.
“What the hell is this…!”
“They won’t die!”
No matter how many times they were cut or pierced, the enemies did not perish.
Even with their hearts pierced or heads severed, they would quickly rise again and charge.
Even the most elite were shaken by such horrendous sights.
Gradually, the formation began to crumble, and injuries began to mount.
‘Those bastards….’
Red eyes and claws. They were the ones Kim Il-shin remembered.
The Bishop of the Red Heaven Church, Vernika. It was a characteristic of her followers.
Confirming this, Kim Il-shin shifted his gaze to the top of the mansion.
There stood Vernika, observing the battlefield with an arrogant gaze.
‘…Have they come for me?’
If there were any reason the Red Heaven Church would attack the Endo family, it was none other than Kim Il-shin himself.
The closed environment surrounded by a barrier was perfect for ambushing him.
With the bishop himself making an appearance, it was evident that the Red Heaven Church had staked their lives on this effort.
They would not retreat until every living being in this mansion was gone.
“You see, contrary to what you might know, I cannot leave this barrier.”
While it was known to the public that he resided within it for training, the reality was different.
The Swordmaster could not leave the barrier. The reason was his physical condition.
Due to a long-term illness, the Swordmaster could not endure outside the barrier for long.
“I was aware of that.”
“What…?”
There was no time to discuss it. Even at this moment, their formation was falling apart more and more.
Kim Il-shin walked toward the entrance.
The moment he stepped beyond the barrier, the Swordmaster’s voice reached him.
“I’m begging you.”
Kim Il-shin replied without halting his steps.
“Leave it to me.”
*
Even after Kim Il-shin left the barrier, the Swordmaster could not take his eyes off the open entrance.
“Ugh… Hang in there!”
“Don’t let go of your swords! Hold on until death!”
The people he cherished were being hurt and killed.
It was pitiful, but also terrifying.
This was an emotion he hadn’t felt since successfully closing the Great Rift and restoring peace long ago.
‘…….’
As he felt such emotions, buried memories began to creep back to life.
It was the memory of when the Swordmaster first felt powerlessness.
On the day he set out with his comrades to finally close the Great Rift, he was filled with anticipation.
He would not lose anything precious this time.
However, as he approached to close the Great Rift, he became ensnared by a curse.
The Swordmaster, who could see more than others, glimpsed something residing in an unknown dimension beyond the Great Rift.
In the endless darkness, all that could be seen was malice towards humanity.
Something that couldn’t even be called an existence, a collection of concepts was lurking there.
Just seeing it was enough to scar his mind with the enormity of it.
If that came to humanity, it would bring about a disaster greater than the Great Rift.
The world itself might very well face annihilation.
From that moment on, the Swordmaster strove to prepare for the future.
He built a family and gathered information.
Yet, there was no talent that could match that something.
His efforts to find information were also sluggish.
Despite this, he never gave up, but his health deteriorated beyond his control.
So, he created a barrier to fix time and trapped himself inside.
In that barrier, he repeated his training in hopes of being of some help in the future.
But even that was reaching its limit now.
That’s when he met Kim Il-shin.
To meet him personally, verify his potential and inner qualities, and to pass on everything he had.
“I didn’t expect this much….”
However, seeing it firsthand, Kim Il-shin’s talent exceeded all imagination.
His teachings would only serve as poison.
Kim Il-shin would carve his own path without needing anyone’s instruction.
The single strike he showed just before was merely advice saying, ‘There’s this path too, consider it.’
“Baekga praising him had its reasons. I thought I’d finally lost my mind when he did something I didn’t expect… but it seems I wasn’t that far gone. His arrogance remains intact, too.”
The Swordmaster sat before the entrance of the barrier.
His now calm eyes reflected Kim Il-shin beyond the door.
“……they said he’s just talented. But he’s far beyond that.”