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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 92
The drake carrying Kaylen landed at the spot where Bormian had perished.
As the aura that had enveloped its entire body disappeared, the drake shuddered violently.
「Ugh... This hurts. I feel like my body is going to tear apart.」
"It's because it's your first time."
Even a seasoned drake would struggle with the aftereffects of executing a Dragon Strike, so it was understandable that this one found it difficult.
"Take some rest."
Kaylen dismounted from the drake and gazed at the spot where Bormian had vanished.
‘It seems it can't regenerate in broad daylight.’
When he first encountered the Black Skull in the palace annex, it was a headache because it kept reviving even after being defeated.
However, despite the dark mana being far stronger this time, the enemy did not return.
‘Still... something remains.’
On the scorched land, as if struck by a meteor, a small amount of dark mana wriggled and coalesced.
‘Its life force is quite persistent.’
Kaylen approached the gathered dark mana.
The dark mana, about the size of a fist, failed to take any proper form and clumped together like a ball of cotton.
‘I can sense thoughts.’
Kaylen considered annihilating it instantly but changed his mind and reached out toward the dark mana.
「Ugh... Ugh... My clan... must survive...」
A groan filled with pain emanated from the remnants of thought.
Even after being struck by a Dragon Strike, it had somehow survived.
However, the damage was evident as the thought-form gradually shrank.
If left alone, it would likely disappear.
Kaylen observed it silently before suddenly—
Grab.
He seized the clump of dark mana and absorbed it.
「Ugh... Ugh?」
For a brief moment, the thought-form was bewildered by the unexpected absorption.
But then, it realized this was an unexpected windfall.
‘Even if I was outmatched in combat...!’
Now that it had entered his body, the situation had changed.
Mind control was Bormian's specialty.
After all, it had spent centuries infiltrating the royal palace and manipulating people.
Since the Sword Master had foolishly absorbed it, it was only natural to seize control of his mind.
With that thought, Bormian eagerly moved toward Kaylen’s head.
Wriggle. Wriggle.
It reached his head without any resistance.
‘He’s not blocking me...?’
Things were going too smoothly, and a sense of unease crept in.
Still, Bormian proceeded with the task of taking control of Kaylen's mind.
It spread itself wide, encasing the brain, and gradually infused dark mana.
As soon as the dark mana from the thought-form touched Kaylen’s brain...
Swish.
It was absorbed instantly.
‘Wait...
This isn’t what I intended.
Something's wrong.’
Bormian tried to adjust its mana in a panic, but—
"You've come in quite nicely."
As Kaylen, who had been silently observing until now, spoke those words, Bormian found himself unable to move.
He could only be drawn in helplessly.
‘Ugh... He left me alone on purpose...! Fine. Once I'm inside, I'll take control...!’
Even as he was being sucked into the brain, the thought-form burned with the intent to dominate Kaylen.
However, soon, he could think no further.
He had been absorbed so completely that he could no longer maintain his consciousness.
Kaylen tapped his head lightly and smirked.
‘Compared to the Succubus Queen, this level of mental control is nothing.’
Kaylen had easily withstood the temptations of the Nightmare Succubus Queen when she invaded his dreams.
There was no way he could be controlled by a mere thought-form making a final desperate struggle after losing all its strength.
In fact, Kaylen had absorbed the thought-form for a different purpose.
It was to read the memories left within it.
‘Hmm... So the name given by the Demon Legion Commander was Bormian.’
Bormian had tarnished his own name by leaving behind such an incompetent descendant.
Thinking that, Kaylen continued to delve into the remaining memories within the thought-form.
As he did, his eyes gradually widened.
‘This is...’
Meanwhile, amidst the completely incinerated ruins of Necropolis, Saintess Theresia stood in a daze.
‘This... is the Six-Blade Path?’
The Absolute Sword of Grand Sword Master Ernstine.
Countless sword masters had attempted to replicate it, but none had ever succeeded.
And now, after a thousand years, she was witnessing it once more.
‘He's weaker than Lord Ernstine... but it's unmistakable.’
Sword Master Stein.
She could clearly feel that he had inherited the power of the Grand Sword Master Ernstine.
‘I should take him to the Sanctuary...’
Now that the long-lost Sword Master had reappeared, it was only right to bring him to the Sanctuary somehow.
However, hesitation flickered in Saintess Theresia's gaze.
‘Sword Master Stein... With power of that magnitude, there will be many considerations within the Sanctuary. It’s not a matter I can decide on my own.’
She glanced in the direction Stein had flown off on his drake before turning her head away.
By now, a large crowd had gathered around the devastated palace annex.
“What... did we just witness?”
“Who is that man?”
“They say he’s a Sword Master.”
“Can a Sword Master really wield such power?”
The Meisters who had been dispatched to defend the palace were left speechless.
The Sword Masters had become figures of legend.
In stories, they were hailed as one-man armies and rulers of the battlefield.
However, upon reading such records, the Meisters had often dismissed them as mere exaggerations.
After all, the idea of a Sword Master cutting down magic and dismantling entire legions with a sword seemed absurd.
But now, seeing one not only manifesting an Aura Sword but also unleashing flames that scorched the sky...
‘I’ve never heard of anything like this before.’
‘Is this really possible with aura alone?’
Of course, there was one key difference between the Sword Masters of legend and the one they had just witnessed.
It was the Mana Suit.
The white armor worn by the Sword Master was undeniably a Mana Suit.
"Perhaps that kind of power comes largely from the Mana Suit? The Sword Masters of the past didn’t wear Mana Suits, after all."
"Come on, knight-grade Mana Suits have terrible performance. Do you really think wearing one could produce that kind of power?"
"That’s true for ordinary knight-grade Mana Suits. But the one that Sword Master was wearing might be different."
The Mage Meisters exchanged opinions, and their discussion gradually leaned toward the belief that the Mana Suit’s capabilities played a major role.
"Yeah. No matter how strong a Sword Master is..."
"It should be impossible to exert such power."
Even after witnessing the Sword Master's astounding prowess firsthand, they couldn’t help but hold onto their beliefs.
This was, after all, the age of Meisters.
Knights struggled to even reach the level of Sword Expert, and due to the inefficiency of Mana Suits, they had long been looked down upon.
Could someone from such a knightly background truly wield that kind of power alone?
Given their existing knowledge, the Meisters found it hard to accept.
'Yes, the Sword Master is strong. But...’
'The Mana Suit must have played a huge part.’
Indeed, no matter how they thought about it, it had to be the Mana Suit.
Even after witnessing the scene with their own eyes, most of the Mage Meisters reached the same conclusion—
The Sword Master was powerful, but the Mana Suit must have played a crucial role.
Meanwhile, the royal knights, who had been watching Kaylen from the beginning, were still unable to recover from their shock and awe.
"So this... is a Sword Master."
"To think such power was possible with aura alone..."
"How can a person move like that?"
All of them were elite knights, possessing skills beyond that of ordinary Sword Users.
Yet even to their trained eyes, the Sword Master's movements were almost imperceptible.
They could only catch glimpses when he momentarily paused.
And each time they saw his Aura Sword, it filled their hearts with a sense of awe.
‘The Aura Sword… it was truly a beautiful blade.’
‘His Sword Area was overwhelming. Truly, a Sword Master commands their domain.’
‘If I could reach the ultimate level, would I be able to wield such power?’
In the place where Necropolis had been completely annihilated, the knights desperately tried to imprint every trace of the Sword Master into their memories.
‘Come to think of it, the gauntlet had "Myorn Workshop" inscribed on it.’
‘Did that workshop craft the Mana Suit the Sword Master wore?’
‘Myorn... I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.’
Some knights pondered over the Mana Suit the Sword Master had worn.
Given that he had chosen to wear it, the workshop’s craftsmanship must be exceptional.
Though few knights could afford such a suit, they still made sure to remember the name.
Lost in lingering admiration for the Sword Master’s presence, they remained deep in thought—
Until the sound of approaching footsteps broke their reverie.
Step. Step.
The Mage Meisters approached with smiles.
"Alright, knights. It's time to clean up and inspect the area."
One of the Meisters gestured around the surroundings with his finger.
There was nothing left to clean up except for the scorched and shattered debris.
'How are we supposed to clean up all of this?'
A middle-aged knight stiffened his expression and asked,
"By ‘clean up,’ do you mean...?"
"Check for any remaining undead and remove anything unsightly."
The young Meister spoke with a bright smile to the older knight.
Despite being merely a Meister assigned to the Royal Civil Squad,
And the knight being the Deputy Knight Commander of the royal forces...
"...Understood."
The knight bowed his head deeply to someone young enough to be his son.
"You should hurry. His Majesty is expected to arrive soon."
"His Majesty is coming?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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