I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

63 – 063. Ismael Subjugation Operation (1)

Early morning.

We woke up at the crack of dawn and headed straight for the edge of the barrier.

Kugugugu…!

Up close, the energy flowing on its surface was ominous. It looked like it would require a special method to get in…

But then.

Swish.

“Huh?”

Chun Hwa-yeong, who had been quiet until now, made a sudden move. She picked up a discarded twig from the ground and swished it into the barrier.

“Ho ho! How unusual. A barrier is meant to separate the outside from the inside. But… for some reason, this one seems to have a different nature.”

The Sword Demon was right. The twig that Chun Hwa-yeong had poked in freely went through the barrier, inside and out, without any resistance.

“It seems there are conditions for passing through the barrier.”

Friedrich, with an innocent face, waved his hand. Unlike Chun Hwa-yeong’s twig, his hand couldn’t penetrate the translucent green barrier.

*Thwack!*

“You’re not scared at all, are you?”

“With you here, Elder, what is there to fear?”

But what was more bewildering was what happened next.

The Sword Demon, who had been quietly observing Friedrich, thrust his wrinkled hand into the barrier.

Then.

*Swish!*

“……Huh?”

Unlike the rest of us, the Sword Demon’s hand passed through the barrier with disconcerting ease.

“What is this barrier even meant to do?”

Seeing that, I involuntarily furrowed my brow.

First off, the barrier is massive. It started at the western border stronghold, and as I mentioned, it had engulfed several kilometers around it.

“Is it just to prevent people from going outside?”

There were plenty of reasons for it.

Sacrificing the people inside the barrier as offerings, absorbing their vitality and blood to enhance their own power. Something like that was my guess.

“I think I might have an inkling as to what kind of trickery this is.”

The Sword Demon’s gaze, which had been lingering, settled on me.

“Elder. Did you discover something?”

“Indeed. The energy flowing through this barrier has a slight repelling force. Simply put, those with inner energy below a certain level cannot pass through.”

“……So that means, the only ones who can enter this barrier are… high-level practitioners?”

“That’s right. Judging by the energy I’m sensing, it seems to require what you call the 6th stage of power.”

“The 6th stage, you say?”

Dumbfounded, I turned my gaze to the emerald border, glaring at it.

The barrier, which had an ominous aura from the outset, showed no particular reaction even with an intruder standing before it. It was as if it were saying, “Come on in, if you can.”

“Frey. So… that means only certain people can enter it, right?”

“That’s right. Most of the people gathered here probably can’t.”

“Oh, no!”

I murmured a short reply to Ariel’s question, then scanned those around me.

Currently, our group gathered in front of the barrier consisted of renowned figures, all of whom made a name for themselves.

But the problem was that not all of them possessed the strength of the ‘6th stage’ or higher.

First off… I’m the one who recently reached the 7th rank, and I’m called ＜Black Sword＞.

8th rank, Sword Demon.

6th rank, Geum Ha-rin.

Ridiculously, those three are it.

Thud!

“Th-, the barrier is pushing even my hand away…?”

Naturally, Ariel was also someone who couldn’t enter the barrier. Then, I looked at Friedrich.

‘The mana I’m sensing is about 5th rank.’

No need to ask, I recalled how his hand couldn’t pass through the barrier.

“Hmph… this, things might be more dangerous than I thought.”

Sword Demon openly voiced his thoughts.

It was a voice slightly different from his usual demeanor. Perhaps he was mindful of the Young Sect Leader, Geum Ha-rin, who was moving with him.

“Elder. It’s a clear fact that the longer time passes, the stronger that thing becomes.”

“Hmm… if it’s your judgment, it surely won’t be wrong.”

Sword Demon, with a heavy expression, glanced behind him.

There, Geum Ha-rin, who had been avoiding my gaze since earlier… no, since yesterday, was standing awkwardly.

It was hard to believe she was the one who had sweet-talked Cheon Hwa-yeong with her silver tongue; she exuded a timid aura.

“Then. What do you think about this old man and you, perhaps, entering the interior?”

Sword Demon candidly revealed his plan.

The one who deployed this barrier was a ‘Demon Spawn’. Since it hasn’t been long since its descent, a swift and decisive attack was the most crucial strategy.

So.

“I also think that’s the best way. Because others who might support us cannot enter the barrier.”

“Yes. That’s right. Therefore…”

Swish.

Sword Demon, who was glancing behind him, turned his body. Immediately, Geum Ha-rin, as if dumbfounded, said.

“What are you talking about. Sword Demon, I am a 6th rank martial artist. This barrier will not stop me.”

Whoosh!

…Geum Ha-rin’s words were true. The barrier did not stop her hand. It was a scene that confirmed the theory we had established once again.

“Are you determined to go into the interior?”

Sword Demon’s wizened gaze pierced through Geum Ha-rin.

It was as if he were asking.

Are you ready to die? Can you withstand any hardship, any ordeal that may come?

‘…This is, Sword-Master.’

The ‘Sword-Master’ is an incredibly warm and kind person to younger followers. But in real combat, he was a truly sharp and cold warrior, befitting the epithet of .

That meant, he hadn’t just climbed to the position of a Great Protector of the Heavenly Demon Sect by sheer martial prowess alone.

“…Of course.”

A voice filled with complex emotions escaped Geum Ha-rin’s lips. The Sword-Master, heavily nodding at her decision, said to me.

“How about it. You and I. And even the Young Sect Leader. How about the three of us scouting the interior?”

“Well, I don’t mind. Just. I must be able to protect myself.”

“Th-th-that’s not a problem! I am a martial artist in the late stages of perfection. The best among those of my age…!”

“You…lost to me, though.”

“Ugh! You…!”

Geum Ha-rin immediately clamped her mouth shut.

There was nothing to say. Just one move. Being struck by that fist and losing consciousness, it was proof of a truly enormous difference in skill.

Anyway.

“Okay. Jokes aside, first, the three of us will enter the barrier.”

“B-Brother!”

“Really? Please, take us with you!”

Friedrich and Chun Hwa-young immediately cried out, their voices full of resentment.

“How?”

“……!”

But what could be done? From the beginning, there was neither the ability nor time to undo the barrier. Wasting time trying to find other methods was the worst option imaginable.

“Frey…”

Arielle’s blue eyes, filled with worry, turned to me.

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you think.”

“Ugh. I know that… but I’m still worried.”

Arielle, with a wry smile, revealed her honest thoughts.

“Haha! Child, like he says, do not worry too much. Your friend… is a man with the most brilliant talent in human history.”

The Sword-Master also smiled and added. Geum Ha-rin flinched her shoulders at his words, and I, nodding silently, took over the conversation.

“Time is of the essence. Right now, powerless people are dying in there.”

“Uh-huh. Be careful. Be careful… you have to go?”

“Of course.”

*Whoosh.*

I turned, spitting out the word shortly.

As if sensing my resolve, the Sword Demon had already taken his place on my left, and Geum Harin on my right.

…A collaboration I never asked for. I’m not some player going through the ＜Heavenly Demon Sect＞ route, and yet here I am, moving together with these two in the middle of this western continent.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s move.”

“……”

*Swoosh!*

Standing before the barrier, we took our steps. Then, a sensation like submerging in water washed over my entire body.

And.

*Cawwww! Cawwww!*

“……!”

The scenery that unfolded was vastly different from what was outside.

What the hell happened inside here?

The inside of the barrier was a complete 180 from what we saw outside. The interior that appeared to be bathed in the bright morning sun was…

“……Corpses.”

“A bloodbath occurred. The scene we saw outside was all ‘fake’.”

It was truly a terrifying scene, resembling a ‘hell’ in every sense of the word.

Ominously screeching crows.

The earth only half illuminated by the sun.

And… endless traces of death stretched out before us.

“Judging by the situation, most of these people were killed trying to escape out of the barrier.”

The Sword Demon murmured, his voice low, as he examined hundreds of corpses.

“And. Their bodies are all melted from the inside. It’s a shockingly cruel method.”

My heart sank coldly. A tension that made my hands tingle for no reason sent shivers up my arms.

‘……Damn it. Could it be?’

Something was nagging at my mind. The common characteristic of the corpses pointed towards a certain being.

“As expected. It’s easy to enter, but not so easy to leave. What will you do? Will you scout ahead as we discussed?”

Then *thunk*, the Sword Demon’s gaze, which had been caressing the barrier’s surface, turned towards me.

As if he thought I was the leader of our group, his eyes waited patiently for me to open my mouth.

“…For now.”

I slowly opened my mouth, my expression heavy as I scanned our surroundings.

Land that seemed to be molded from the very word ‘flame’. And the vast barrier stretched out before us. Not to mention, there were still countless helpless people who we had no idea how many there were.

“We’ll search for survivors.”

“Huh?”

“Survivors? Out of the blue?”

Geum Harin and the Sword Demon stared at me, a little surprised.

“I plan to gather them all in one place.”

“Well, of course. But weren’t *you* the one who mentioned that this was a race against time?”

“How soft. Did you get swayed by your sympathy for the civilians?”

Following the Sword Demon’s words, Geum Harin offered a brief observation.

“That’s right.”

I readily admitted it. Initially, I had planned for a speed run. After all, once the demon species, the root cause of this barrier, was dealt with, everything would return to normal.

But.

*Caw! Caw!*

Upon entering the barrier, I had no choice but to change my plans.

The ominous cawing of crows. People dying en masse in the gaps of the barrier. And the common trait they all shared upon death.

‘I know, *it*.’

“This isn’t a speed run.”

“…!!”

My mana-infused eyes swept over the two of them.

“As I said before, we need to gather as many people as possible in a safe place.”

“What in the…?”

Geum Harin blinked, her voice surprisingly dull.

“Explain it to an old man. This is too sudden.”

The Sword Demon was in a similar state. He couldn’t hide his surprise at my sudden change in thinking, unable to grasp it.

“…We.”

We didn’t know this from outside the barrier.

I’d thought that beyond the barrier, the scenery would be the same as it appeared from the outside.

But.

That was an illusion. Or, maybe, it was a trap meticulously prepared by ‘that thing’.

“You are standing at the threshold of death.”

Wooong──!!!

Inside the barrier, a black sun that had risen high into the sky glared down.

The betrayer of the heavens.

The one wing of the fallen.

Codename… ＜Ishmael＞. His eyes seemed to be smiling as they looked at me.