The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 103

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 103

Four swords floated around Alkas.

Blades imbued with the aura of fire, water, light, and darkness.

They all tempted Alkas, urging him to take hold of them.

‘I want to grab them.’

If he took one of those swords, it felt like he could become a Sword Master instantly.

No, even if he didn’t reach the level of a Sword Master, he was certain he’d be able to wield aura far better than he did now.

But Alkas suppressed that desire.

Because after the Sword Throne was formed, Kaylen had given him a quiet warning.

—Alkas. If you truly wish to become a Sword Master, do not fall for the sword’s temptation.

Alkas instinctively understood.

If he grasped even one of those four swords, he would be able to master aura more efficiently.

If his only goal was to manifest an Aura Sword, then grabbing one of them would be the correct choice.

However—

‘I think… I understand what he meant by a true Sword Master.’

A Sword Master.

They were those who had perfected their own sword.

They had forged their own blade and spread their Sword Area—absolute beings.

If he took hold of those swords,

He would forget his own blade.

‘If that happens, the sword I have built and refined until now… will disappear.’

Yes.

He understood this in his mind.

But his gaze kept drifting back to them.

Rather than painstakingly building his own sword, it felt like simply grasping one of those swords would be a shortcut to rapid growth.

And even if he forged his own blade, it would never compare to Kaylen’s sword, which boasted absolute prowess even among Sword Masters.

Wouldn’t it be better to just take one of those swords and follow his lord?

That conflict seized Alkas’s heart.

“Kh…!”

Drip.

Blood trickled from Alkas’s tightly shut lips.

The four Aura Swords—so incredibly tempting.

Turning away from them was unbearably difficult.

Clang.

But he raised his own sword and ignited his aura.

Compared to those four swords, his sword aura was like a firefly’s glow—weak and faint.

However, as he manifested his sword aura, he felt his wavering resolve gradually steady.

‘…Right. My goal isn’t to become an Expert.’

Within the blessing of aura created by the Sword Throne, Alkas took his first step toward standing on his own.

He raised his sword aura and steadied his blade.

Rather than submitting to Kaylen’s Sword Area, he resolved to overcome it.

‘I will perfect my own sword.’

As he focused solely on his aura—

‘This is…’

Within the Sword Area, under the influence of the Sword Throne, Alkas could sense his own domain.

Though it was extremely small.

‘This is…!’

Sword Throne.

Among the Six Sword Paths, the Sword Throne possessed a unique nature unlike other sword techniques.

It abnormally expanded Kaylen’s Sword Area, strengthening the aura users within it.

Most aura users couldn’t even utilize half of the mana stored in their mana hall.

They might believe they were using their full power, but…

The way aura users managed their mana was often highly inefficient.

However, knights within the Sword Throne’s domain could easily surpass those limits.

It was only natural—within the Sword Area, aura users temporarily synchronized with Kaylen’s Mana Road.

While they couldn’t assimilate with special traits like Infinity Mana or Mana Body, even achieving synchronization with Kaylen’s highly efficient Mana Road held immense significance.

On top of that, their physical bodies were elevated to their optimal state…

Knights within the Sword Throne’s domain displayed more than twice, sometimes three times, their usual strength, and the stronger the knight, the greater the efficiency.

However, the Sword Throne had its drawbacks.

Once a knight experienced its enhancement, they could never forget the sensation.

The moment their blocked Mana Road was forced open.

The experience of manifesting aura at will, of effortlessly tearing apart enemies…

They would find themselves worshipping the throne of swords.

Yearning for the blessing once more.

And pledging unwavering loyalty to the Emperor of Swords.

It was precisely because of this drawback that Kaylen had chosen to manifest the Sword Throne here.

‘512. Even after expanding the Sword Throne’s domain as much as possible, the number of aura users barely amounts to this…’

The Sword Throne didn’t apply solely to Sword Experts.

Anyone who had accumulated even a small amount of mana in their mana hall could receive the blessing of the Sword Throne.

Yet, despite this being a fortress housing the Duke’s finest elite, there were only this many aura users.

The energy expended to manifest the Four Swords felt like a waste.

‘Honestly, even Three Swords would have been enough to clear out the monsters.’

The number of ogres and airborne harpies was significant, but Kaylen’s Six Sword Paths wielded absolute power.

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Unless the enemy was at the level of a demon, mere numbers weren’t an issue for him.

Unlike the fortress command, Kaylen still had plenty of leeway.

Thus, instead of eliminating the monsters himself, he chose to manifest the Sword Throne.

To ensure that the knights who experienced its blessing would blindly follow Sword Master Stein.

‘Only twenty swords emerged from the Sword Throne. Of those, four went to Alkas, meaning the actual number is at most sixteen.’

The Swords of the Seat—granted only to those of advanced Sword Expert rank or higher.

These allowed Sword Experts to experience, however imperfectly, the power of a Sword Master.

But those who experienced an Aura Sword in this manner were often overwhelmed by Kaylen’s sword, failing to complete their own blade…

Which was why Kaylen warned knights with the potential to become Sword Masters not to take up the Sword Throne’s swords.

‘But it seems there are no such knights here.’

A knight with potential would receive more than one sword.

And within this fortress, the only knight with such talent was Alkas.

A thousand years ago, there were knights who were chosen by more than one sword, even if they weren’t sword prodigies.

But now, it was clear that knights had declined compared to the past.

This was largely due to the lack of mana in the atmosphere.

‘However, unlike a thousand years ago, this era has mana suits. The age of knights—I will bring it back.’

Through the Sword Throne, he would make the knights follow the Meier Sword Clan.

By modifying mana suits to suit them, he would resolve the issue of mana scarcity.

As Kaylen organized his thoughts, he sent a message to Eldir, who was seated on the Sword Throne.

[Eldir. You can come down now.]

Whoosh.

As if waiting for those words, Eldir leaped down from the Sword Throne to the ground below the fortress walls.

Watching the enhanced knights from his seat atop the Sword Throne, his body had been itching for action.

Gripping his wooden sword, Melvria, he shot forward like an arrow toward an ogre attempting to climb over the fortress wall.

Slaaash!

The moment Eldir landed, the ogres' heads were sent flying all at once.

These monsters, driven forward by demonic influence, had forgotten even hunger and exhaustion.

But even they couldn’t keep moving after being beheaded.

‘Seeing Lord Kaylen’s Sword Area is inspiring.’

Seated on that throne of swords, he could clearly understand just how weak his own power was in comparison.

But Eldir smiled.

‘To think something like this is possible with a Sword Area. There are no limits to the domain of the sword!’

No matter how skilled one was, aura had its limits.

He had believed that even as a Sword Master, he wouldn’t be strong enough to save Melvria or protect the elf tribe.

But the sword domain displayed by that twenty-year-old youth shattered those preconceptions completely.

‘To be able to receive sword instruction from Lord Kaylen… I’m fortunate.’

Whooosh.

A gust of wind surged from the wooden sword Melvria, and the ogres’ bodies were torn apart.

The area most heavily targeted—

Their lower bodies.

With their ankles and legs severed all at once, the ogres couldn’t get over the fortress walls.

“Grrr…!”

Nearby ogres rushed at Eldir, trying to subdue him.

However, before they could even reach him, their movements visibly slowed.

‘He’s binding their limbs with his Sword Area.’

The entire area near the fortress was under the influence of the Sword Throne.

But when Eldir deployed his own Sword Area, the Sword Throne quickly yielded its domain.

No—rather, it felt as though his Sword Area was expanding beyond its usual limits.

‘Is this also the effect of the Sword Throne?’

Marveling at it, Eldir dashed into the midst of the ogres.

The Wind Sword Master.

He slowed his enemies—while wielding a sword of speed.

No one could hold him back.

“Waaah…”

When the tempest passed, ogres’ heads fell.

At first, they thought one man jumping down from the fortress wouldn’t change anything.

The massive ogres were being cut down without resistance, like helpless sheep.

“That… is a Sword Master…”

“I can’t even see how he’s moving.”

The soldiers watching from the fortress walls couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

The most dangerous section of the wall—

Had somehow become the safest place.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of Eldir.

“Ice Fog.”

Kaylen, his entire body transformed into water, reached out toward the sky. A white mist began to spread across the night sky.

At first, it started small, but in an instant, the icy fog expanded—

And soon, even the harpies’ bodies began to freeze solid.

Thud. Thud.

No longer able to fly, the harpies plummeted to the ground.

‘Most of my mana is bound by the Sword Throne, and yet… Infinity’s expansion function is incredible.’

Even with the support of the A-rank mana suit Guardian—

The power of Kaylen’s magic was beyond comprehension, even for the Meisters.

“W-Who is that?”

“Oh, I know! That’s Kaylen! He’s famous for his talent as a 6th-Circle mage!”

“He’s transformed into a water spirit.”

“Yeah. I heard he received an A-rank mana suit from the Fairy Magic Tower… And he’s using it perfectly.”

The Meisters, who had remained silent out of their inability to understand the Sword Master and the Sword Throne, now erupted in admiration at Kaylen’s magic.

“Kaylen…!”

Especially Lioness, the wielder of the same A-rank mana suit, Inferno.

They had the same A-rank mana suit.

They were both 4th-Circle Meisters.

And yet—

The sheer difference in magical power was staggering.

‘Tch… It feels like I’m watching Princess Violet… How is this possible?’

It was fortunate that the battlefield had turned in their favor with the arrival of Kaylen and the Sword Master.

But as Lioness watched Kaylen, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority deep inside.

The conditions were the same… So why was there such a vast difference?

“Ice Spear.”

Fwoosh.

From atop the fortress walls, an uncountable number of ice spears formed.

At Kaylen’s command, they all shot downward at once.

Avoiding Eldir with pinpoint precision, the ice spears rained down over a wide area, completely halting the ogres’ advance.

‘Wait… Does that mana suit have an endless supply of mana?’

He was doing his best to conjure flames with Inferno—

But casting large-scale magic in both the sky and the ground at the same time was impossible.

How was this even possible?

Even as Lioness continued to scorch the battlefield,

His eyes kept drifting toward Kaylen—filled with a mix of awe and helplessness.

“We’ve practically won now.”

“Cleaning up the harpies’ corpses will be the real work.”

As the reinforcements arrived on drakes and the battle neared its conclusion,

The Sword Throne also began to fade away.

And then—

‘No… Kaylen…!?’

Lioness, who had been keeping an eye on Kaylen, widened his eyes in shock.

Kaylen was once again—

Becoming one with the sword.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]