The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 26: Grabbing the Tail (2)

“Don’t be afraid! No matter how strong a 7th Circle mage is, he’s still alone!”

“As long as he suffers from the Dragon’s Curse, there are bound to be limits to his combat ability!”

“Now is the time to lay down our lives for the Blood Sword Guild!”

Rooooaaar!

The three high-ranking assassins shouted one after another as they unleashed their full power.

Their fierce killing intent intertwined and, at last, managed to shake off the pressure that Martin had been exerting.

The three assassins, who had barely regained their freedom of movement, immediately pushed off the ground.

But they didn’t just recklessly charge forward.

Each one enveloped their swords with a bright red aura, a force so potent it even contained their lifeblood, flickering like flames.

Seeing this, their subordinates found courage and quickly followed suit.

Watching them, Martin shook his head.

‘This is why brainwashing is terrifying.’

Three of them were 3rd Circle aura users.

The rest were only 2nd Circle, barely able to use mana to strengthen their bodies.

With such a significant difference in their skill levels, their numbers were meaningless.

They probably knew this too, but they still desperately justified their actions to keep fighting—it was almost laughable.

‘I could take them all down with just a flick of my finger.’

He could strengthen gravity and slam them into the ground.

Or manipulate the wind’s flow to tear them apart.

No matter what he did, winning wasn’t a challenge.

Yet, there was a reason he let them keep breathing.

‘I can’t miss this chance for real combat.’

He had practiced Rothar martial arts diligently in the dungeon and realized how incredibly powerful they were.

But merely using mana wasn’t enough.

The true power of Rothar martial arts came to life when combined with spatial abilities.

That’s why he decided.

He would face the Blood Sword Guild using only Rothar martial arts.

The combination of Distortion of Matter and Rothar martial arts.

How powerful would it be?

The thought alone made his heart race.

“Die!”

One of the high-ranking assassins closed the distance and slashed at Martin with an aura-clad sword.

It was a full-power attack.

But Martin easily dodged it by slightly twisting his body.

The blade came close enough to graze his bangs, yet his expression remained relaxed.

Swoosh.

Then, his left palm extended smoothly, landing on the opponent’s right shoulder.

‘Now.’

Martin’s eyes gleamed.

He injected mana into the assassin’s body, shredding their mana circuits, nerves, and blood vessels in an instant.

At the same time, he twisted the space surrounding the opponent’s entire right arm with Distortion of Matter.

The entire process took less than a second.

Boom!

A loud explosion erupted, and fragments of bone, flesh, and blood splattered in all directions.

“Arghhhhh!”

The high-ranking assassin, now missing his right arm, let out a pained scream.

But before the cry even ended, Martin drove his right foot into the man’s abdomen.

Boom!

With the explosion, the assassin’s upper body completely burst apart.

It was a gruesome sight, too horrific to look at directly.

Yet, the morale of the remaining assassins didn’t waver.

Their loyalty to the organization overpowered their fear.

Swish!

The two remaining high-ranking assassins split off to either side.

The one on the left moved faster, slashing at Martin’s back.

‘I’ll pierce your heart!’

The red aura around the assassin’s blade flared even more intensely.

Responding to this, the hair hidden beneath his mask turned white, and wrinkles appeared on his face.

It was the price of sacrificing his life force.

‘Just because you sacrifice everything doesn’t mean you get what you want.’

Feeling sympathy for his opponent, Martin lightly pivoted on his left foot.

Then, he swung his right hand, slamming it into the assassin’s sword.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed.

It was hard to believe the sound came from a mere clash between a hand and a blade.

Regardless, the force of the impact was overwhelming.

In the blink of an eye, the sword shattered, and the fragments pierced through the assassin’s body. His right arm, along with the hand gripping the hilt, was completely crushed.

The mangled corpse collapsed to the ground.

However, Martin’s focus had already shifted elsewhere.

Whish!

Still crouching, Martin spun his body. His right foot rotated horizontally, aiming upwards.

“Haaah!”

The remaining high-ranking assassin swung his sword with all his might, clashing with Martin’s foot.

And met the same fate as his comrades.

The sword shattered into pieces, which then tore through the assassin’s body.

‘As expected, it’s not easy.’

Martin was pleased to have confirmed the true power of Rothar martial arts.

But the problem was the recoil. The stronger the technique, the harsher the backlash.

Even though he hadn’t attacked much, a faint pain spread through his mana circuits, and his muscles were already screaming.

While it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t continue fighting, it was clear he needed to take better care of himself.

“Just tell me where your leader is, and I’ll let you die peacefully. No one wants to go out in a mess like this, right?”

Though Martin’s voice was gentle, to the assassins, it sounded like the voice of the Grim Reaper.

“Arghhhh!”

“Hold on to him, somehow!”

“We have to kill him!”

The assassins, trembling in fear, charged at him in a frenzy.

They were even more terrified now than when they first faced him.

Their long years of brainwashing left no room for retreat or betrayal in their minds.

But deep down, even they knew.

This was nothing but a futile struggle.

“If you don’t want to talk, then I guess there’s no choice.”

In truth, Martin didn’t need them to answer.

Thanks to the detection net he had already spread out, he knew the locations of every Blood Sword Guild member.

All he needed to do was clean up these guys and then track down the strongest one.

‘Too bad I’ll get there later than Sien.’

He would have loved to arrive before her and gloat.

But this time, he held back.

If he wasn’t careful, she might actually hit him.

Crack.

Deciding to take his time with the fight, Martin lightly clenched both his fists.

* * *

All of the Blood Sword Guild’s upper echelons had gathered in Zard’s office.

Every single one of them was skilled enough to wield aura, and Zard himself, a 4th Circle warrior, could manifest an aura blade.

Even so, his expression was grim.

Though to be fair, everyone else’s expressions were just as dark.

‘So, we really can’t stop them.’

Every assassin, except for the upper echelon, had been sent out.

Yet, the screams and explosions showed no signs of stopping.

They hadn’t been able to halt Martin and Sien’s advance.

It was understandable that their subordinates couldn’t hold out against a 7th Circle mage, let alone a 5th Circle swordsman.

Still, Zard had placed his hope in Martin’s affliction with the Dragon’s Curse and had sent out almost all of his forces at once.

His plan was to create an opening through relentless waves of attacks.

But his hope had been utterly crushed.

The subordinates he had raised with so much care had lost their lives without even touching the clothes of Martin or Sien.

Someone spoke cautiously.

“Shouldn’t we escape, Commander?”

“Where to?”

“Well, that…”

“Even if we had a destination, it wouldn’t matter. Do you really think we could escape the grasp of someone who can control space?”

“We’ll stop them! Commander, you should use that time to flee as far as possible!”

“That’s right! As long as you survive, Commander, the Blood Sword Guild can be rebuilt!”

“It’s impossible.”

Despite the sincere pleas of his subordinates, Zard shook his head firmly.

“Martin isn’t the only problem. The Rustal family is after us too. Word is that the Green Dragon Knights have already begun to move.”

“R-Rustal family?”

“Why… would they…”

The upper echelons of the Blood Sword Guild were well aware of their relationship with the Rustal family.

That’s why Zard’s words hit them like a shockwave.

“The moment our base was discovered, we became useless to Valdemar. On top of that, we hold the Rustal family’s weaknesses. There’s no reason for them to keep us alive.”

“No way!”

“You all know how relentless Valdemar is. No matter where I run, he’ll chase me to the ends of the continent, if necessary.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“We have to kill Martin Adalbert. That’s the only way we survive.”

“Isn’t that actually a good thing? Valdemar’s dying to kill Martin Adalbert, isn’t he? If the Green Dragon Knights join forces, they’ll surely kill him…”

“It’s a good suggestion, but Valdemar won’t do that. He doesn’t have the guts for it. We’ll have to do it ourselves.”

With those words, Zard fell silent.

He could feel it clearly.

Martin’s overwhelming presence was steadily drawing closer.

‘He’s mocking us.’

Martin was deliberately releasing his aura, broadcasting his location. It was a display of confidence, telling them that even if they tried to run, he would catch them. It was also a taunt, treating them like prey.

Zard gritted his teeth.

Who could ever be friendly toward someone threatening their life?

Crash!

The door to the office shattered, sending dust flying into the air.

At that moment, the deputy commander of the Blood Sword Guild drew his sword and charged.

His aura flared violently, infused not only with mana but also with his very life force. The deputy commander was certain that this attack would reach Martin.

“Move aside.”

Smack!

Sien lazily swung her right palm.

The slap broke the deputy commander’s neck instantly, and the fierce aura that had been burning brightly was extinguished in a heartbeat.

“No way…”

“This… can’t be happening…”

The Blood Sword Guild’s leaders, even Zard, were left speechless.

The deputy commander was a formidable warrior.

He was close to reaching the 4th Circle.

Yet, someone of his caliber had been swatted down like a fly. Such a thing could only be a nightmare.

“Now, listen up.”

Clap!

When Martin clapped his hands and spoke, everyone turned to face him.

“Thanks for not running. You saved me a lot of trouble. Now, I’d like you to do me one more favor, if possible.”

“…What do you want?”

“Tell me who ordered my assassination. It’d be even better if you handed me the contract.”

“There wouldn’t be a contract for something like that.”

“Thorough, huh? Well then, at least tell me who the client is.”

“Even if it means death, we never reveal our client’s identity. That’s an assassin’s code.”

“That’s not always true, you know. You do realize it was your own subordinates who gave you up, right?”

Martin openly mocked them, but Zard wasn’t swayed.

“My subordinates might do that. But I’m different.”

“We’ll see. People always say that before they break, but the outcome is usually the same.”

As Martin spoke, he began to twitch his right index finger.

That’s when it happened.

Zard unsheathed his sword and lunged at Martin.

His speed was so great it seemed as though he had crossed space itself.

Woong.

The blade, covered in a blood-red aura, was enveloped in a scarlet glow.

It was the Aura Blade, a technique achievable by those who had reached the 4th Circle in swordsmanship.

‘This is my first and last chance!’

Zard had been carefully watching for an opening, and he had finally found one.

That’s why he moved, and that’s why he swung his sword.

The aura-clad blade closed in on Martin’s head.

Just a little more, and it would make contact with his head.

“Aaaaah!”

Zard let out a powerful roar.

However, despite the intensity of his reaction, the blade stopped just short of Martin’s hair.

Ssssss.

The fierce heat of the Aura Blade slightly singed the ends of Martin’s bangs, but that was all.

Zard’s body, once halted, refused to move.

Even as he squeezed every bit of mana he had left, the result remained unchanged.

“You’ve already mastered Space Imprisonment? You’re developing your abilities way too fast, Martin.”

“Hey, even my unique ability is at the 3rd Circle. I’ve got to be able to do at least this much.”

“Still, it hasn’t even been a few days. Most people struggle just to control their newfound power.”

“Well, I’m not like most people.”

“Ugh, you’re so infuriating.”

“What can I say? The truth hurts.”

Martin shrugged lightly and gave his right hand a small twist.

At that moment—

“Aaaaah!”

“Screaaaam!”

Cries of agony erupted from all around, followed by deafening explosions.

Everyone, except for Zard, had their bodies blown apart.

The room was drenched in blood in an instant.

Shiver.

Zard’s eyes trembled violently.

Although his immobilized body prevented him from seeing directly, he could tell from the sounds alone just how gruesome the scene was.

“I’ll leave this guy to you, Sien. I’ve got something to do.”

“Got it.”

Martin released the Space Imprisonment.

Zard tried to move the moment he was free, but it was too late.

Woong.

Sien appeared behind him in a flash, using spatial teleportation.

She kicked him in the back, slamming him into the ground.

Then, she applied pressure using her Spatial Recoil, completely pinning him down.

Martin knelt on his right knee, bringing himself to Zard’s eye level.

“Personally, I believe fear is the most dangerous emotion. Once you’re trapped in fear, your mind freezes, and your judgment goes out the window.”

“…”

“Ever wonder why I bothered to talk to you?”

Zard remained silent, his lips tightly sealed.

Seeing this, Martin smiled faintly.

“Part of me was worried you might try to blow yourself up. But when you engaged in conversation, you gave me the time I needed to get something very important.”

As soon as Martin finished speaking, he extended his left hand.

Woong.

Space warped, and a dark hole appeared. Martin immediately thrust his left arm into it.

“No unique ability can claim to be the best. Everyone has their own opinion. But one thing most people agree on—spatial abilities are incredibly versatile.”

The moment he entered the room, Martin had manipulated space with Distortion of Matter, scanning the entire area.

As a result, he had detected a hidden vault deep underground.

The fact that the vault was protected by powerful magic circles didn’t matter.

With Distortion of Matter, he could manipulate space and simply reach inside.

‘Ugh.’

The continuous use of his unique ability had taken a toll on his body.

On top of that, distorting space repeatedly put immense strain on his left arm and mana circuits.

If it weren’t for the Rothar martial arts breathing techniques and the dragon’s blood fortifying his body, his left arm would have been unusable by now.

Even now, the excruciating pain was nearly unbearable, but Martin gritted his teeth and focused on what he was looking for.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long.

Tap.

He felt the touch of thick paper.

At that moment, Martin withdrew his left hand, revealing a thick paper ledger.

“H-How did you…!”

Zard shouted, his eyes wide with shock.

The ledger was none other than the Blood Sword Guild’s records.

Although written in code, it contained everything about the Guild.

It was unfathomable.

The vault wasn’t just protected by magic, but also by a curse. It could only be opened with the blood of the Guild’s leader, yet Martin had bypassed everything.

“Thanks a lot. I’ll never forget this favor.”

Martin smiled, expressing his genuine gratitude.