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Chapter 296

“Don’t back down! Fight the enemies coming at you with your backs against those behind you! Right now, we’re comrades, not competitors!!”

Crack!!

Danjae-woo shouted at the hunters around him as his front paw swung forward, completely tearing apart the approaching gray man with his sword raised.

However, the man showed no sign of pain at all. With a fierce leap, Danjae-woo spun around and delivered a strong kick to the man diving at him.

Thud!!

The man’s body flew at lightning speed and crashed right into the enemy camp, creating a cloud of dust. Meanwhile, Danjae-woo regained his composure and scanned his surroundings.

He spotted two or three fighters, just as he ordered, tackling the enemies by pressing their backs together.

At least they could prevent sudden ambushes, effectively lowering the death rate of hunters in the chaotic fray. Thinking this, Danjae-woo glanced at Yeon-woo.

He didn’t know exactly what that strange space floating in the sky was, but the fact that that boy was staring up at it like that meant it likely held the key to overcoming their predicament.

Some people often prove things by actions rather than words. Choi Yeon-woo was one of those.

In a moment of crisis, he was someone you could trust enough to throw reason and logic out the window.

It felt a bit like placing an unnecessarily heavy burden on a child, but those capable sometimes had to bear the responsibility of their own competence.

‘That said, I have to make sure to support him with all my strength until he fully takes on that responsibility.’

With his palm struck into a fist, Danjae-woo’s fur began to bristle. He was determined to unleash the beast within himself.

Though he typically disliked losing sight of friend or foe, this situation seemed to promise plenty of individuals willing to help him gain control.

“Alright, let’s hold on with everything we’ve got!! It seems our sixteen-year-old teacher is going to do something!! Got it!?”

“I feel like I’m about to die right now! How much longer do we have to hold on!?”

In response to a sudden question from the crowd, Danjae-woo flashed a grin and dived right into the fray of enemies.

“Damn it, just hold on until you drop dead, you useless brats—!!”

Laughter erupted among the hunters, a hearty sound of “wahaha.” It was only natural; dying here was just that—dying. Even if one perished, someone would remember them.

Danjae-woo’s figure began to shift. A violent current of mana surged within him, and his already towering 2-meter frame looked like it was swelling to nearly 1.5 times its size.

His fur turned a reddish-brown, and his red eyes lost all rationality. Blood flowed from his massive front paws.

In a past war, the man had been called a fierce beast. And that legendary tale was now once again manifesting on this battlefield.

*

What needed to be done was incredibly simple. All they had to do was read the world’s principles and locate where the Demand Demon King resided.

Of course, it wasn’t that leisurely of a task. The Demon King, enraged that his powers were ineffective, was twisting the direction of phenomena.

Even without that, it was uncertain how long Ain’s mana could keep the principles of the world open. It certainly wouldn’t remain open forever, and due to the unpredictability of unstable spaces, it was unlikely to last long.

Thus, Danjae-woo found himself needing to ask not just Shar, but also Lunaria and Dawn to lend a hand.

Both of them seemed resigned to the necessity of cooperating, despite lamenting that even a god would find it excruciating to contain the world’s principles with their eyes.

“But is it really appropriate to have made this so difficult to distinguish?”

Rubbing his throbbing head, Yeon-woo muttered.

To put it metaphorically, it resembled a room thrown into utter disarray. You know, like those filthy room photos commonly seen swirling around on the internet.

A pile of trash, clothes strewn everywhere, with countless bugs seemingly existing in a quantum state under all that clutter. That’s exactly how the rift containing the world’s principles appeared.

It was certainly an encyclopedia with everything in the world written in it. But think of it like it was only one page long, and that would make it easier to grasp.

Every concept, phenomenon, and law was infinitely interwoven. With this sort of arrangement, it gave one a headache just to look at it, and it was no wonder the world was in chaos.

If something were to happen because of this, wouldn’t it at least provide grounds to claim that the world was at fault?

Fortunately, Shar had used his mana to apply a filter, allowing them to block around a hundred concepts without having to read every single one.

As they grew accustomed to that, they planned to gradually increase the number as they sought out the Demon King.

It would also be nice to find anything that could help bring Nea out or extend their lifespans, but who knew if there’d even be time for that?

‘For now, let’s focus on finding it.’

[Ugh, my head hurts!!]

[Hang in there, sister!! We’ve got to hold on for Tae-oh!!]

Ignoring the voices of Dawn and Lunaria that sounded almost like screams, Yeon-woo concentrated on the rift. As long as they could find it, that was all that mattered.

*

“Ha, I found it…!!”

[Dad, quickly lower your eyes!!]

[You found it!? Close your eyes, Dawn!!]

[Ugh, my eyes hurt!]

Grabbing his head which was pounding so hard it felt like someone was hammering it, Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, he had found it. It was hard to explain, but he was sure of what he had discovered.

The Dragon’s Eye spoke of it. That wasn’t something that belonged in a rift that was pure to the core. It was merely a bizarre amalgamation of endless malice.

If he identified the location, the approach was simple. If it was Yuri, she could slice it out.

There were only a few people in this world capable of excising the malignant tumor sullying the rift right here.

“Tae-oh, go get the master!!”

[Okay!!]

Young and struggling too much to grasp the principles, Tae-oh dashed off to find Yeon-woo’s teacher while moving the injured around.

“Fortunately, we still have time left.”

Wiping the cold sweat off his brow, Yeon-woo plopped down onto the ground.

It had only been about five minutes, but the rift was flickering and shaking. He could already see it narrowing compared to just a moment ago.

“What’s going on? Have you found a way?”

“Yes, Master. Starting now, could you unleash your sword energy in the direction I’m going to tell you? With all the power you can wield.”

“…Hmm, I understand. Where is it?”

Without much deliberation, Yuri nodded readily. In response, Yeon-woo bent his knees to match Yuri’s height. At this, Yuri frowned.

“Why do I feel a bit offended?”

“Please bear with it, Master. It’s for the greater good.”

He wasn’t trying to mock her for being short; it was precisely because he wanted to pinpoint the correct direction. Thinking that, Yeon-woo raised his index and middle fingers to point towards the sky.

Yuri looked like she might shoot lightning from her mouth, but it was a necessary motion. It was hard for her to swing her sword while keeping the principles of the world in her sight, making it essential for Yeon-woo to direct her.

Understanding Yeon-woo’s intent, Yuri lowered her gaze to the ground and asked,

“Is it over there?”

“Just a moment. I need to make slight adjustments.”

Even if the Demon King didn’t show up, he didn’t think the principles would be so easily cut, but you never know what could happen.

After all, Yuri was said to be unmatchable in sharpness with pure sword energy.

Perhaps noticing that the two were attempting to perform an act related to their own safety, the half of the Demon King’s face floating in the air contorted grotesquely.

The serpents cloaked like a veil covering the sky all shot towards the two.

Damn, talk about being quick on the uptake. As Yeon-woo hurried to grab the sword he had just set down, Shar suddenly sprang into action beside him.

Shar’s shadow flickered, and he drew a sharp spear.

“I’ll protect Dad and Grandpa!!”

[Tae-oh too, I will protect too!!]

Though grateful, Yeon-woo thought their numbers might not hold. Just as that moment passed, he heard a voice.

It was a pleasant voice that sounded as good as a melody.

“Haha, what a fine princess and knight we have!”

Thwack!! Blood spurted up from the ground, spewing from where the serpents thrice multiplied. Dozens of serpent heads were sent tumbling away.

“That ability is ominous, as always.”

“What can you do? I’m here to help you both.”

Looking up at Delain smiling down from above, Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief. If it was Delain, he could trust him. No one had better defense than him.

“Master, now!!”

“Got it.”

Delain moved aside from the tip of Yeon-woo’s finger. In that instant, Yuri’s sword was swung slowly. Yeon-woo captured the strange mana rippling at the tip of the blade.

Elemental mana was a summary of life; his unique mana symbolized his very existence.

Then, what were Yuri’s elemental and unique mana? As one of the greatest Aura Masters and a swordsman, just what kind of mana did she consider to be the milestone of her life?

The dark-colored sword was covered in colorless mana. It was as if the sword had its own extension. It wasn’t just that the mana was draped over the sword; it was as if the sword had physically grown.

The elemental mana of the ‘sword’ was strange—aside from being a bit sharper than usual, it lacked any defining characteristics.

On top of that, another layer of mana surged forth. This looked less like mana or aura and more like a pattern engraved upon the sword.

Unique mana, ‘SwordCut’.

To put it simply, the man’s life was the sword. He dedicated everything to the sword. And at the end of it, the man became known as ‘Man’s Sword’, said to have mastered every sword in existence.

However, that didn’t truly mean that he learned ten thousand sword techniques. It meant he filled his own being with the essence of the sword.

In doing so, the man had truly reached completion. He had become a being all but indistinguishable from the sharpest sword in the world.

There wasn’t even a sound. It merely left a mark in the air. Since he himself was the sword, there was no need to swing it.

As soon as he decided, it would simply cut through.

‘Heart Sword.’

Everyone sang praises of that name.

The strong one is the ‘One Sword’, the ‘Blade’. But the one who best fits the name of ‘Sword Star’ is undeniably none other than the ‘Seven Blades’, Yuri.

Swish.

The dark part of the world, the junction between the Demon King and the rift, was cleaved away.

(Continued in the next chapter.)

 

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