The Instructor of Doctrine seemed to have heard our conversation because she stood up and asked, “Is there any chance you’ll actually win?”
It couldn’t have been easy to overcome her shame this quickly, but evidently, she had made up her mind.
“Sellen has something up her sleeve. We don’t know if it’ll work against the high priest, but there’s no other options, so we should at least try.”
“Then I’ll be the vanguard. You protect Sellen.”
“Got it.”
Juniang nodded, and the dozens of demons circling the sky immediately descended.
Vwoosh!
They fell toward the forest.
I suddenly felt the pressure of death raining down to capture my soul.
Although I felt the pressure, I didn’t feel afraid.Just like in the Gem Mountains, no matter how many enemies there were, only so many could attack me at once.
Boom!
The demons were as big as boulders, and as they fell to the ground, the earth shook.
Juniang fearlessly threw herself into the group of demons.
She had positioned herself at the most dangerous part of the battlefield.
Crunch!
Juniang’s weapon of choice was the morning star. It had what seemed to be spikes jutting out from its round head, giving it a menacing appearance.
Swinging that fearsome weapon with her monstrous body, it didn’t take long for her to become covered in the demons’ blood.
Ugh.
Vwoosh.
I just barely dodged a demon’s punch.
This wasn’t the time to be sitting around and watching her.
I responded to the beast’s attacks with the White Sun Form, but I felt that it alone would be lacking.
...Did he say that beasts don’t have much in common with each other?
The Lord of Blood and Iron had given me that advice at some point.
I understood his meaning now that I was fighting them.
Even though all the beasts looked similar, varying mostly in size, they all behaved differently.
Some moved while only trusting in their instincts, while others schemed and looked for openings.
Even though many demons surrounded me, some attacked with their snake tails while others began by charging me with their horns.
Some breathed fire, ignoring that it was hurting the other demons.
This is a bit tricky.
In this situation, not only did I have to kill the demons, but I also had to protect Sellen, so I was quite strained.
I was lacking in options.
Other than the White Sun Form, all I can do here...
As I was deeply thinking about how to get out of this...
The Martial God suddenly spoke to me.
[Draw your sword.]
He always woke up in the most random situations.
My main strength is in my fist technique, not my swordsmanship.
Although I wasn’t a complete novice in swordsmanship, it wasn’t the best idea in my current situation.
I was only barely holding on thanks to my White Sun Form, which I was quite familiar with. If I had begun this battle with my sword, I’d already be dead. Ｒ
[I know.]
And you’re still asking me to draw it?
[That’s right. And I didn’t tell you to stop using the White Sun Form either.]
My head suddenly felt a bit heavier.
So you mean...
[Use both the White Sun Form and a sword art.]
I couldn’t help but laugh at the nonsensical advice.
Unfortunately, Martial God, I’m not at a level where I can use two different martial arts at once.
If I wanted to use two different martial arts at once, I would need to be enlightened in the art of splitting my consciousness.
My master had told me that splitting my attention like that was impossible to learn just through simple training. A certain amount of talent was required to even attempt it.
[I didn’t tell you to use them simultaneously.]
Now’s not the time to nitpick...
[Inheritor, you are the one who must decide if these words are nonsense or advice.]
“...”
[What’s important is the rapid alternation of your weapons. If you can use sword techniques and fist techniques in quick succession, it may look like you’re using both of them at once.]
What is he talking about?
If not for the situation, I definitely would’ve made a sarcastic comment or two.
I seemed to have gone mad as well, or maybe it was just the situation... but the Martial God’s words began to oddly make sense.
And I was the type of person who would try something out once if it made any sense at all.
Schwing!
The Sword of Seven Sins was drawn like thunder.
The White Sun Form in my right hand, and the Sword of Seven Sins in my left...
I was used to swinging the sword with my left hand.
In my previous life, before I’d regressed, the tendons in my right arm had been cut, so I’d had to learn to swing a sword left-handed.
It’s not using them at the same time. Instead, alternate them fast enough that it seems they’re connected...
I slowly began to digest the Martial God’s words.
Thankfully, my focus was at its peak due to the stressful situation.
I began to understand what the Martial God had meant by “rapid alternation.”
Split my focus.
I couldn’t give all my focus to either of the techniques.
To put it into ratios, the sword received seven-tenths of my focus and the White Sun Form received the remaining three-tenths.
The White Sun Form was the one I was most familiar with. It was the martial technique I was most confident in.
I had trained it so much that I could use it the moment I woke up, so I didn’t need to focus on it too much.
From there, I began to contemplate how I should use the sword in my left hand.
I first used the swordsmanship that I had used a lot as a mercenary.
This third-rate swordsmanship technique that didn’t even have a name had been created by taking House Bednicker’s secret martial art, which I had learned when I was young, and modifying it for my left hand.
Honestly, there were quite a few awkward areas that made it difficult to use right now.
It might have been fine against low-ranking monsters, but it was too lacking to be effective against demons.
“...”
A scene flicked through my head. At the edge of that sheer cliff...
The sudden appearance of a mud monster, and one young man calmly walking toward it...
The following scene had showcased swordsmanship built for efficiency, to wield maximum killing intent.
As I remembered the swordsmanship demonstrated by the Lord of Blood and Iron, I raised my left hand to follow it.
[Hooh...]
The most important requirement for this nameless sword art was to have a heart fully focused on killing.
The goal wasn’t to kill in one or two strikes but in half a breath.
You could attack multiple times within that half a breath, but the target needed to be killed in that time.
If even a single mistake was made, the demon would still be alive and would deal a fatal blow.
...It’s a haughty sword art.
The swordsmanship carried a sense of confidence about its ability to defeat any enemy in half a breath.
It was an excessive sword art for my current body.
At this rate, I would collapse before the demons were all dead.
What’s next?
I had used the third-rate swordsmanship I’d used as a mercenary,
I had also used swordsmanship that was to be used against the great demons, demonstrated to me by the Lord of Blood and Iron.
The only thing left...
Ah.
The final swordsmanship I remembered was the sword art shown to me at the altar of the forgotten god, the symbol of the Nameless King...
The Galactic Sword.
If I could imitate it even just a little bit...
[...]
They say that ignorance is bliss.
My situation resonated with those words.
If I’d understood the truth of the Galactic Sword, I wouldn’t have dared to use it with the White Sun Form.
Since it was a sword technique that I had only seen from a distance and had only awkwardly copied, I was able to mimic the Galactic Sword.
And in that moment, I witnessed an odd situation.
* * * * *
* * * * *
It was chaos.
I couldn’t alternate between the techniques smoothly.
Sometimes I punched a demon with the fist holding the sword, and sometimes I used the Galactic Sword with my open hand while holding the sword out to the side.
At that moment, I somehow couldn’t feel a big difference between my fist techniques and my sword techniques.
I realized that if I wanted to, I could use the Galactic Sword with my bare hands while using the White Sun Form with my sword.
But if that was the case, then what was the clearest distinction between sword techniques and fist techniques?
The sword.
I looked at the Sword of Seven Sins.
Swords were definitely convenient.
They were generally tougher than the body, they were forged in a way that improved how much damage they dealt, and they had greater range as well.
The body.
However, swords weren’t so great that they could replace the body.
It was obvious, but the body was much more flexible than the sturdy sword, and there were a lot of ways it could respond to new situations.
And unlike a sword, the body gave instant feedback whenever something went wrong.
If that’s the case...
Maybe the techniques in the second half of the White Sun Form had been unnecessary to begin with.
But then why had Master told me that the White Sun Form was a half-finished martial art?
Did he not want the White Sun Form to be my only martial art?
It was just a theory, but perhaps he’d foreseen that this martial art would end up limiting me?
[A sapling born from within the raging flames. It is worthy of seeking the Crimson Sky.]
The Martial God laughed.
[I congratulate you on beginning the path of the Galactic Sword, Inheritor.]
***
My body felt hot.
Alternating between the White Sun Form and the Galactic Sword was putting serious strain on my body.
But honestly, I’d been looking for something that could push my body in this way.
My body, which was moving beyond its limits, was creaking like it was about to break at any moment... but it continued to burn hotter.
The conditions were almost perfect for the Strongest Fire Technique.
A moment came when I could only feel the heat. I momentarily forgot the influence of the demonic energy...
And finally entered White Flame.
Splash!
My fingernails cut through two different beasts.
It wasn’t as clean as if I had used a sword, so the wounds made it look like they had been mangled.
It was difficult for me to explain the state I was in.
Normally when I entered White Flame, my exhaustion and pain were replaced by exaltation, but this time, my head was still dizzy and my insides felt rough.
It seemed that the curse of the evil god couldn’t be overcome even by White Flame.
Gaaaaaaah.
I heard a disorienting wail.
A banshee?
The cry of the low-ranking demon Hector told me about soon turned into a scream.
Kyaaaaaak!
The moment the piercing scream reached my ears, my body numbed a little.
Was that scream intended to slow my body rather than to inflict direct wounds?
But the scream wasn’t the end of it.
The banshee’s long tongue pierced toward me like a spear.
Slash!
No thanks.
I dodged the attack and grabbed the tongue.
Its tongue seemed quite sturdy. Even though I tugged on it, it didn’t rip; instead, the banshee was dragged to me.
I used the banshee as a windmill to spin and hit all the beasts around me.
It wasn’t easy since I needed to be wary of hitting Sellen.
A little more...
The number of demons had decreased considerably.
I didn’t need to look; judging by the sounds of crushing skin and bone, Juniang seemed to still be alive as well.
Honestly, I was more surprised about myself.
Despite how I’d acted earlier, I hadn’t actually realized I could fight like this.
Was this why being in real battles was important?
I wasn’t trying to lessen the importance of my training on Spirit Mountain, but if I were still stuck there, it would likely take me a few more years to realize the things I was realizing now.
But...
Even though my body had already been slow, I could tell that I was reaching the limit.
How much longer could I hold on?
The high priest hadn’t even joined the battle yet—
“...!”
At that moment, I saw a demon approach Sellen from behind.
Sellen was focusing hard enough that she’d started sweating even in this cold weather, so she couldn’t notice the demon.
I quickly threw the Sword of Seven Sins.
Stab!
The black demon was struck in its head and fell backward, but the absence of my sword quickly turned the tide of the battle.
Kyaaaak!
It seemed the demons also realized that this was their chance.
The group of banshees that had been flying in the air screamed as if they were in a choir.
This time, my body didn’t just stop at numbing a little; it completely froze.
Sssssssh!
The high priest, who had only been watching the battle, raised his palm to create a black storm.
I gritted my teeth so hard that they nearly cracked to try and make myself move, but I was a step too late.
Slash.
Pain rushed me like a wave.
An emptiness I hadn’t ever felt before...
Splat.
I saw a part of my body fly up before falling to the ground.
My right arm had been severed.