A Transmigrator’s Privilege-Chapter 224

[‘The Sharpened Critic’ remarks that there’s a cliff nearby, suggesting that jumping off could provide a fortuitous encounter.]

[‘The Spirit That Builds Worlds’ snaps, telling everyone to stop with the nonsense.]

I staggered to my feet.

"Ugh, I'm done resting."

<Good, you've got some grit.>

"If I don’t have talent, at least I need some perseverance."

<Are you being serious?>

It seemed that my sincerity finally reached Agnes.

She had been looking at me with a serious expression, but then, she spoke solemnly.

<That mindset is problematic, Ayleth. To reach the level of an aura master, confidence close to arrogance, rather than humility, will actually be more helpful.>

"Eh?"

Agnes took her position according to mine.

As she raised her chin slightly, seven aura blades appeared from her thoughts.

It was definitely an arrogant but stylish gesture.

Wondering if I should follow that, I tried mimicking it.

‘Hmm, nope.’

Nothing happened, and I felt a bit awkward. At that moment, Agnes continued her explanation.

<Each of the aura blades is like a legion that follows you. Would you want to follow a commander without confidence?>

"No..."

<Right. So, you need to think of yourself as commanding, ruling, and dominating. Visualize your own sword in that mindset.>

"......"

I had many thoughts on this. Perhaps, I had been wrong to admire the flying sword with reverence.

I wondered, but there was no time to dwell on it.

My master had already drawn her sword and was waiting. As a disciple, I couldn’t afford to waste time.

Swish. My beloved sword was still cheering me on with its clear, melodious hum.

Suddenly, the words "visualize my own sword" came to mind.

‘My sword, Serpens...’

The blade of my unorthodox sword reflected part of my face as it lay sideways.

For some reason, looking into my eyes felt like I was locking eyes with Serpens.

I took a deep breath and prepared my stance.

"Then, I’ll leave it to you!"

With that shout, my foot struck the ground.

The 40 days of extreme endurance training had further honed my body.

My movements sped up, and I closed the distance between myself and Agnes.

What had been nine steps was now shrinking.

Eight, seven, six... and finally, when I was five steps away.

Whoosh!

Agnes threw the seven aura blades toward me.

The blades spun as they flew toward me, their rotation producing a sharp, cutting sound.

One of them swept past my eyes, and soon, attacks came from all directions.

I unfurled my awareness. I could feel the aura blades in my heightened senses.

I could perceive them. The real question was whether I could physically handle them.

This time, I didn’t summon Euphoria. Two swords wouldn’t be enough to deal with seven.

Shifting my perception to recognizing the enemies as many, I found a breakthrough.

‘If I don’t have enough swords, I’ll use my body.’

Thwack!

My ankle stepped lightly, gaining smooth rotational force.

Like dancing in a ballroom atop a mountain, my body moved to face the blades.

The footwork of my swordsmanship, useful for weaving through enemy lines, activated the Dance of Extermination.

<Excellent.>

I weaved through the air, dodging and parrying the aura blades. The sword lights flashed continuously, sparks flying.

Whoosh!

The sharp sound of a strike grazed my left ear.

Though I avoided it, the pressure from the wind was still razor-sharp. I felt a trace of blood draw along my left cheek.

Ignoring it, I pushed forward.

After a grueling effort, I was now four steps away.

Whoosh!

The formation of the glowing swords under Agnes’s control shifted.

The white aura blades surrounded me in a circular formation before planting themselves into the ground.

They elongated and formed a cone-shaped prison around me.

For a brief moment, I felt a pulse, a foreboding sign of an explosion. I had no choice but to use my divine power.

"Divine Inviolability!"

In that instant, an aura storm covered the mountaintop.

Boom!

The ground trembled. The explosion cracked the earth, sending trees flying.

‘Such monstrous aura...!’

I couldn’t stay in place. I was thrown back by the force of the wind.

Even so, I attempted a long-range attack.

I injected aura into the sleek, straight blade, swinging it. Serpens elongated gracefully, slithering like a snake and aiming for Agnes’s neck.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

However...

<Ayleth, who taught you that swordsmanship?>

Agnes, merely observing the movement of my wrist, could already discern the trajectory and destructive power.

Even though I attacked from a distance, she had more than enough time to counter.

The path of Serpens was obstructed by Agnes’s aura blades, which sliced vertically.

Like a captured snake, I quickly withdrew my struggling Serpens.

"Ha... ha..."

As I caught my breath and prepared to regroup...

<Now it’s my turn.>

"......!"

Agnes’s violet eyes glowed with a cold, piercing light.

Her gaze seemed to promise an overwhelming difference in power.

Yes, this was where the real fight began.

"Hah...!"

I focused, gripping Serpens tightly in both hands.

The scattered aura blades around me gathered in response to her call.

The blades, once behind her, aligned and shot out, arcing in perfect form.

The aura blades, now resembling a sword, began violently swirling around me.

"Hah!"

It felt as though the tail of a snake was about to strike me.

Crash! Crack! Boom!

The overwhelming destructive power shattered the stones and trees at the mountaintop. I immediately altered my course.

I fled, dodging with wide strides, ducking under one, sliding under another, and maneuvering across the floor to avoid two at once.

In the meantime, another aura blade cut through with unpredictable changes and slammed into my shoulder.

This time, evading was impossible, so I raised Serpens to block.

Clang!

<Oh? You blocked this too?>

The aura blade scraped against Serpens, its edge cutting through the blade.

As the battle dragged on, my movements became more restricted.

‘No!’

Then, the next moment...

Boom!

"Ugh!"

A heavy blow landed on my back. Blood surged from my throat.

[‘The Spirit That Builds Worlds’ stands up abruptly.]

[‘The Architect of the Tower of Trials’ helps sit ‘The Spirit That Builds Worlds’ back down.]

Thankfully, the Divine Inviolability prevented it from being fatal.

Agnes didn’t follow up immediately, drawing her aura blades back to her.

That gave me time to heal.

<Hmm, by now, you should be realizing something, right?>

"......"

Agnes spoke casually, but her seven aura blades loomed menacingly behind her, ready to strike.

They were poised to attack at any moment.

I instinctively knew what was coming.

‘I can’t avoid this.’

Determined, I summoned a defensive measure to protect myself.

"Divine Inviolability. Mercury Barrier."

I cloaked myself with the defense skill once again and withstood her attack.

Seven aura blades descended in staggered intervals, breaking through the barrier one by one.

The final blade that pierced through the Mercury Barrier was about to crush me.

"Ugh...!"

I refused to stand still and take the blow. With my left hand, I flipped backwards, evading. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Crash! Boom! Crack!

The aura blades slammed into the ground, causing explosions.

As I continued to retreat, I came to a stop.

Agnes still had one more aura blade left, but she didn’t release it yet, keeping it in her grasp.

The reason was...

A faint sound of gravel shifting under my heel ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) reached my ears.

Behind me was the void. A cliff.

I ground my teeth.

‘...How many times is this now?’

This had become routine. Each time, I was forced into a situation where I was driven to the edge by the flying swords, pushed further and further to the cliff.

"Hah."

The constant feeling of powerlessness from each sparring match was starting to wear on me.

Agnes called back her seven aura blades and spoke softly.

<Forget about dodging and blocking. You can’t defeat an aura master with just habitual movements. Draw your sword.>

"......"

I knew she didn’t mean for me to draw Serpens.

‘How do I do this...?’

I was frustrated.

Why can’t I do it?

How am I supposed to create the sword?

Just as I was about to sink into despair, I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. Agnes had told me to become arrogant.

That’s when I saw her preparing the same attack again, slowly. Her voice calmly guided me.

<Raise the aura, Ayleth.>

"......"

"......"

The aura blades lined up to attack, aiming at me.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

‘Visualize the sword... the one I command and dominate...’

Then, a thought suddenly struck me.

‘The sword?’

Something felt off. It wasn’t the usual sword she meant.

Creating a sword is the blacksmith’s job. I am the swordsman.

Then, the sword I must visualize, command, and dominate isn’t a literal sword, it’s...

‘Swordsmanship. Unorthodox swordsmanship.’

At that moment, I realized.

“...Ah.”

When I opened my eyes without thinking, a strong wind rushed toward me.

Seven blades surged at me, and a whirlwind of sword winds engulfed me first.

I opened my eyes wide. The aura blades came closer, spiraling beautifully, and I focused on them, engraving their shapes into my vision. My body had forgotten to react.

<Ayleth?>

Agnes’s voice, puzzled, echoed by my ears, but it didn’t reach me. I was focused solely on one thought.

The essence of my unorthodox swordsmanship. And that essence was...

‘To devour.’

Boom!

A flash erupted and an earth-shattering sound rang out.

Seven aura blades embedded themselves at a single point, shaking the very foundation of the earth.

Yellow dust lingered for a while before it finally settled.

I stood, having taken Agnes's full blow head-on, without a scratch.

I lifted my head and looked around.

Two aura blades circled around me like loyal servants.

They were like forces bound to me.

"Ah..."

I felt as though I had come from somewhere far away. As my consciousness slowly returned, reality began to set in.

Agnes’s voice explained the situation to me.

<Congratulations, Ayleth.>

The message window updated rapidly, showering me with congratulations from the transmigrator management gods.

The privilege for the transmigrator.