Claaang—
The sound of sword striking sword always seemed much the same, yet in truth, it was entirely different.
With what force had he struck, and with what intent had his opponent moved?
At what angle, and where had the blow been aimed?
Was it delivered in earnest, or was it a feint laid as a trap?
All of those things interlocked to complete a sound that was always different.
An ecstatic melody born when his opponent’s thoughts met his own.
A fantastical music that could not be found in any scale in the world.
To Damon, that was what swordsmanship was. That was what a spar was.
Beautiful, thrilling, and a feeling of drawing one step closer to his opponent.
The process of the opponent reading his thoughts, and he reading the opponent’s, of those thoughts bursting forth through the sword and being conveyed in turn, was an indescribably exhilarating act.
The Royal Knights, the Emperor’s personal guard led by the great Sword Saint Vitalianus Mahel.
Damon Liefte was a member of those Royal Knights, a swordsman who revered Vitalianus, and at the same time, a skill user who had awakened an excellent skill.
Claaang—!
It meant he was strong.
After all, merely being a Royal Knight already made one among the foremost powerhouses in the vast empire.
His uniquely light footwork, and the extreme quick sword that suited it.
A space-type skill that let him seize his opponent’s rear in an instant was, in theory, a perfect combination that had made him an undefeated knight in one-on-one combat.
A terrifying quick sword that left even knights who had trained their whole lives unable to react before a blade was laid against their necks.
Of course, theory and practice were different, and there had been times when Damon’s sword had been blocked, but he could say with certainty that he had felt such despairing helplessness only once.
Ataolf of the Black Mist, one of the strongest on the continent and a symbol of terror.
It was the experience of charging boldly at him when he invaded Imenia, only to be flung aside in an instant.
The intense sensation he had felt the moment they made contact.
Together with the certain intuition that he could never pierce that mist, a wall that did not truly exist had formed in his heart.
It had felt strongly as though he were facing an existence beyond a wall—one he could never defeat.
Of course, because he had experienced such a thing, he had never stopped training.
Compared to back then, his sword had grown even swifter, his skill had become extremely stealthy, and his sword-drawing technique, which allowed him to unsheathe without any large motion, had reached a level where he could say no one could match him.
……And yet, what was this man before his eyes?
An insurmountable wall.
It felt as though he had encountered such a wall once again.
Claaaaang—!
The resonance of sword striking sword was not clear.
That was what a sword that had met a wall was like.
Damon’s gaze was fixed on his opponent, but his opponent’s gaze was not on him.
His eyes were clearly looking at Damon, but his mind was not.
Eyes that seemed to be looking far beyond him.
An indifferent gaze, as though Damon himself did not even register in his sight.
Because that infuriated him beyond measure, Damon swung his sword with all his might.
There was almost no preparatory motion, the speed of the sword was too fast to be seen, and at the same time, he appeared behind his opponent without the slightest warning.
Naturally, the next step should have been his sword burying itself in the opponent’s neck the moment he appeared.
However, this time as well, the result was the same.
Clang!
It was blocked.
Even though it was no different from a certain-kill technique, combining an extreme quick sword with a spatial movement skill, it was blocked.
Far too easily at that.
“Ghk!”
Damon, struck in the abdomen by the military boot thrust out at the same time as the block, rolled across the floor.
Victory and defeat had been decided in an instant.
No—in truth, victory and defeat had been decided from the very beginning.
“Damon Liefte.”
Because the opponent before him was a monster beyond imagination.
“So even the one said to be the strongest in one-on-one combat among the Royal Knights amounts to only this much?”
At those words, spoken indifferently as though muttered to himself, Damon’s gaze turned to his opponent.
Blond hair tied back long for a man, and a solid upper body.
This was the man who had once been called a rising star destined to succeed the Sword Saint.
“Antiphus Framan.”
The one who had appeared like a comet and swiftly risen to become commander of the Imperial Second Knight Order.
Antiphus Framan.
Damon had heard well enough that he was strong, but a gap of this degree?
Was this not strange—far too strange?
“Were you hiding your strength?”
“There simply wasn’t any need to reveal it.”
“That sounds as though you now have a reason.”
“The opposite. I no longer have a reason to remain here.”
To begin with, it was strange that the commander of the Second Knight Order, who should have been deployed on a mission to stabilize the capital, had come here and demanded a spar with Damon.
And on top of that, his statement that he no longer had a reason to remain here.
Did it not sound as if he intended to cast aside the enormous position of an imperial knight commander and leave?
As if to plant certainty in Damon’s thoughts, Antiphus’s indifferent mouth opened once more.
“I wanted to cross swords with the Sword Saint once before I left…… but looking at you, I can roughly gauge the ability of that so-called great Sword Saint.”
“……What?”
“Thanks to you, I could be certain. There is no longer any reason for me to remain here.”
“Commander, Antiphus…… Framan.”
As Damon rose to his feet, anger—rare for him—flickered in his eyes.
But Antiphus paid no mind whatsoever to such a thing.
“Though things became rather tangled when that fellow took the Guardian Knight’s token, it isn’t too bad.”
“……I don’t know what you’re talking about, but shut that mouth. There is no respect in your words.”
“That is not something I wish to hear from the weak.”
“……Antiphus!”
Enraged, Damon raised his sword once more.
“You were once one of the empire’s honorable commanders. Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“You seem to misunderstand. I am merely going to retire. I’ve obtained everything I could obtain, learned everything I could learn.”
“Then I’ll give you a chance to correct yourself. Apologize for insulting the Royal Knights, and further, the great Sword Saint, and show proper respect. Express gratitude to the imperial family and act according to lawful procedure, Antiphus Framan.”
There was no way a commander of the Imperial Knights could suddenly retire simply because he wished to.
And on top of that, to utter words that seemed to disregard the Royal Knights, the imperial guard, and Vitalianus the Sword Saint who stood at their peak.
Damon could not simply let it pass.
“This is an era that requires strength.”
But Antiphus did not listen to Damon’s words.
“And in such an era, I have been completed.”
He was not even looking at Damon.
What he looked upon was not something on the level of the Royal Knights.
This was a kind of verification process before he stepped out into the world.
For he had always been perfect, and he had always been the man standing at the highest place.
“In the end, all things will be placed beneath me.”
Rank 2. Antiphus Framan.
Called by those outside the strongest man in the world.
Of course, Damon, who had no way of knowing this, let out a hollow laugh at Antiphus’s arrogant words.
“You were a fool who did not know there is a heaven above the heavens.”
It was true that he was strong, but above the heavens, there was always another heaven.
For instance, like the sky over Imenia.
Like the center of the mist in Bhaal Forest.
There existed a world of their own, one ordinary men were not even permitted to approach.
“I see. You have met both of them, so that must be why you say that. A heaven above the heavens, is it?”
Only then did Antiphus’s gaze turn from that lofty height toward Damon.
“Then I ask you.”
At the same time, he slowly raised his sword.
What was contained in those indifferent eyes was an endless earth.
Damon grew extremely tense and drew up his aura with all his strength, but—
“Can my sword overturn the heavens?”
It took only a single exchange for his world to be overturned.
* * *
Skills in the category that attack the mind are rare.
Therefore, skills in the category that defend the mind are even rarer.
For that reason, the first holy magic he had learned over the course of two weeks, “Heart,” could be called an exceedingly excellent magic.
「You have successfully cast Holy Magic - ‘Heart.’」
「Would you like to register Holy Magic - ‘Heart’ as a skill?」
「Holy Magic - ‘Heart’ has been registered as a skill.」
「Skill: Heart」
「Holy magic imbued with the characteristic of hope.」
「Creates a high-level mental barrier for all allies within range.」
「The caster is designated as ‘Hope.’」
「As long as ‘Hope’ does not fall, the allies’ high-level mental barriers will continue to be maintained.」
「However, if ‘Hope’ appears to be in danger or falls, the barriers will collapse, and they will suffer from acute symptoms of anxiety.」
An effect that raised the mental barriers of everyone designated as an ally.
Hio’s own mental barrier was very high thanks to the trait “Can’t Live Without Style!”, but for the most part, others were not the same.
That was why, last time in the Abyss, he had been unable to protect Daphne’s mind alongside her.
If “Heavenly Realm” had not evolved at just the right time, Daphne’s mind would have completely collapsed.
However, there was no guarantee it would work out that way next time.
Above all, “Heavenly Realm” consumed a tremendous amount of mana and divine power, so it could not be maintained for long.
That was why the holy magic “Heart” that he had learned this time was excellent.
Even if a variable like the Abyss appeared as it had before, he would be able to protect the others.
After completing his first holy magic like that, the second went far better.
Of course, “far better” did not mean it was easy, and he still researched and practiced day and night for an entire week.
The result of those efforts was the second holy magic.
Light the Fire.
「You have successfully cast Holy Magic - ‘Light the Fire.’」
「Would you like to register Holy Magic - ‘Light the Fire’ as a skill?」
「Holy Magic - ‘Light the Fire’ has been registered as a skill.」
「Skill: Light the Fire」
「Holy magic imbued with the characteristic of hope.」
「Grants the basic stats ‘Stamina,’ ‘Agility,’ ‘Strength,’ ‘Mana,’ and the rare stat ‘Divine Power’ to the target designated as ‘Hope.’」
「The target designated as ‘Hope’ gains the trait ‘Pain Immunity’ for a set period of time.」
「The duration of ‘Pain Immunity’ and the increase in stats rise in proportion to the number of allies who recognize ‘Hope’ and the depth of the hearts that rely on them.」
The prerequisite for activating the second holy magic was the first holy magic, Heart.
First, he would activate “Heart” and be recognized as hope by his allies, then activate the second holy magic, “Light the Fire.”
It had a rather unique effect, raising all the stats of stamina, agility, strength, mana, and divine power, while also granting a new trait, “Pain Immunity,” even if only temporarily.
As Saengdisyu had added in the grimoire, the more desperate a situation was, the more brightly and sweetly hope shone.
Thus, the extent of the stat increase also rose the more hope people held and the more desperately they yearned for it.
“If possible…… I’d rather never have to use it.”
Holy magic of hope that granted great power the more desperate the situation became.
In the end, did that not mean it was magic used in the worst situations, when one had no choice but to rely on hope?
If possible, resolving things before such a situation arose was obviously the best option.
“In any case, I suppose this is about it.”
As a result of three weeks of effort, he had learned two of the three holy magics Saengdisyu had left behind.
It was a long time if one called it long, but considering that this was a complex, unprecedented type of magic, it was an absurd speed.
Because Purnell had helped him research, because he possessed the genius trait for mana sensitivity, and because he could also handle divine power well.
It was a speed possible only because he was a magician who had reached the Fourth Circle, possessed the qualifications for the Fifth Circle, and even had the assistance of the system.
If even one of those factors had been missing, it would have taken several times longer.
—Unfortunately, the third holy magic won’t be possible.
“Yeah…… even Saengdisyu didn’t complete this one.”
He had surely intended to complete all three spells and reveal the holy magic of hope to the world.
But the final, third spell had not been completed.
It was not an issue of divinity.
It was purely a magical issue.
It was magic impossible to manifest even with the Fifth Circle realm Saengdisyu had attained, so it could truly be called the ultimate expression of the divinity of hope.
—Still, there is some theory in place, so if you raise your realm, could you not continue the research?
“That’s true. It’s such a complex spell that I’d need to reach at least the Sixth Circle just to try experimenting with it…… For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with the second spell.”
The three weeks had passed in a blur.
The two-story house aboveground had been completed, and while Hio was holed up underground, immersed in research, Airaitz had pulled some strings and become a co-owner of the house with Hio.
Well, there was no major problem with it.
If anything, it was convenient.
“Hio, let’s eat!”
Airaitz came down wearing an apron, a wooden ladle in her left hand.
She prepared his meals without fail, and handled all sorts of minor issues on her own, allowing him to focus entirely on his research.
That meant they had spent quite a lot of time together.
It meant they had come to know quite a lot about each other.
For example, the expression on Airaitz’s face as she came down telling him to eat was brighter than usual.
Her smile was even more radiant, her smiling eyes even more cheerful, and she came needlessly closer as she spoke to him.
It was what Airaitz did when she wanted to hide something.
Just what was she trying to hide from Hio for her to act this way?
It was not very difficult to guess.
Hio picked up his large hat and rose from his seat.
What she wanted was only one thing.
This peaceful daily life spent together with Hio.
And there was also only one thing, in terms of both time and circumstances, that would interfere with it.
“The gate has appeared again, hasn’t it?”
The gate to the 52nd floor had begun.
At that, Airaitz hesitated, then finally nodded.
“……Yeah.”
As always, time was not on their side.