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Chapter 101

The difference wasn’t insignificant, but it didn’t matter much once one reached the Transcendence Tier. After all, Leonard’s Visualization was even more refined than it was in his past life when he was Yeon Mu-Hyuk. Even if his capacity and control over mana increased a little, that wouldn’t help him reach the Tenth Degree.

I have to improve my understanding. I have to find some leads that will let me destroy his Controlling Otherness and obtain Heaven’s Annihilation, which is essentially a fatal blow.

Dozens—no, hundreds of battles unfolded in Leonard’s mind.

Controlling Otherness was a martial art that was legendary even in ancient times. Even among the other forms of Asura’s Royal Dance, it could be considered the ultimate technique.

As Leonard confronted it with his sword, he surpassed his limits.

He began with the 144 forms of the Five Elements Style, then combined them into the Yellow Dragon Form, holding nothing back. He was so lost in the Mindscape that he physically acted out what he was learning in his mind. His flesh ripped, and blood began to spill.

When the Azure Dragon tried to penetrate the Controlling Otherness, it was reflected back and pierced through Leonard’s body. When the Vermillion Bird tried to set the barrier on fire, it came back burning several times hotter and scorched his skin.

“Hm...”

If these were real battles and not Visualization training, Leonard would have already died several times. He was well aware of this, which was why he never wavered.

Pak! Fwoosh!

He tested all the techniques that flickered through his head.

Azure Dragon. Vermillion Bird. White Tiger. Black Tortoise.

He used them all and even attained the Yellow Dragon Form, which combined them all. Every time he failed, a cut appeared on his skin, but even as his skin was shredded and he was assaulted with severe pain, he did not flinch a single time. If he fought a Profound Realm master, hesitating over this level of injury or pain would spell instant death.

His stubbornness resembled madness more so than dedication. But it brought his swordplay to a higher level, and he was able to start chipping ever so slightly at the Controlling Otherness’s invulnerable shield.

“Heh.”

The Sword Demon smiled.

So the struggle wasn’t for nothing after all.

As long as he continued to take one step at a time—no, even if it was less than that—as long as he didn’t stop walking, as long as he continued on even if the heavens and the earth eroded, someday, he would reach the beyond.

* * *

After sealing the Abyss of the Demon Octopus, the members of Aquamarine collapsed under the weight of extreme fatigue. Naturally, even though they were explorers who had experienced all sorts of hardships, they had never fought monsters that were Rank B and above in the thousands. Each member had come face-to-face with their limits and couldn’t leave their cabins for several days.

Some of them attempted to train after realizing the shortcomings in their skills, but mental energy required physical energy. Even if they tried to practice, if they couldn’t concentrate, it was for naught.

“...Phew. My grip strength is starting to return.”

Galano was finally able to hold a spear after two days, and he began to warm up. He recovered faster than others because of the physical abilities afforded to him by being in the Ninth Degree External Force Tier and because he had a well-trained body as a spearman. The Maelstrom spear-fighting style had severe side effects that were proportional to its might, so its users had to condition their bodies to the peak. If they didn’t have a strong enough constitution, the techniques would wear them down.

“Tch.” Unlike him, Ninian was irritated. I’m already having trouble stringing a bow properly... I can’t believe it’s this bad after just two days. Maybe that means I’m still not strong enough.

Thanks to her elf blood, she was born with nimbler fingers than humans. The depths of the Yeon Family Archery were not reachable with innate talent alone. It felt as if she had fallen to the bottom of a mountain as soon as she’d barely reached the peak.

Ninian caressed the bowstring with her still-wounded fingers. She desperately wanted to keep shooting, whether it was a thousand arrows or ten thousand, but if she overworked herself, it would all be for naught.

So, Ninian started to meditate, still holding her bow. She looked back to when she defended the deck of the ship, playing back the moment during the battle when she achieved something that was impossible during her training.

“—Phew.” After moving through basic stances hundreds of times, the swordswoman Marianne finally took a deep breath and stood straight. Unlike the other two, she was already fully recovered. It was too late to help when she arrived at the battle on the deck, and on top of that, the elixir in her had finally dissolved and sped up the time it took for her to heal.

At this point, it was only a matter of time until she reached the Ninth Degree External Force Tier.

“Marianne, the only thing preventing you from reaching the next stage is yourself.” Leonard’s words flickered through her head. In the moment, while he was teaching her, his words had seemed harsh. “Focusing on protecting someone can help a person reach a deeper understanding of swordplay, but in your case, it’s the opposite. Your body has grown used to being a bodyguard over the years, and now you can’t swing your sword properly.”

“Does that mean... I cannot reach a higher Tier if I only train to protect?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Haven’t you ever heard the expression that offense is the best defense? What’s the use in deflecting attacks if you’re not going to fight back? You’d only be bowing your head and letting yourself get pummeled. Neutralizing your opponent’s attack before they even strike and making counterattacks are all part of self-defense.

The way he said it was several times easier to understand than the words of an old traditional swordsman, and when he showed her, it was clear enough that she picked it up after just one demonstration.

He is a genius. No, not even that is enough to describe him. Afterward, she also understood that she couldn’t even begin to estimate the extent of Leonard’s power. It was even more obscure than before.

Considering the advice about spearplay he gave to Galano and the way he taught Ninian archery, his knowledge far surpassed what should be attainable at his age. It was all so incomprehensible that it reminded her of the dragons that existed in ancient times and the way they played with humans.

“...No, it can’t be,” she muttered.

“What can’t be?” Galano interrupted. Marianne hadn’t noticed he was next to her. “You look uneasy. How about a sparring match?”

She narrowed her eyes and growled, “Please. Unmask. Your. Presence.”

“Ahem! I cleared my throat a few times. Like that. You simply didn’t hear.”

“Um, is that so? I apologize.” If that was true, she had nothing to say for herself. If she didn’t notice someone who wasn’t even concealing themselves and they intruded on her personal space, it was her own fault. Galano did nothing wrong.

Both of them looked away sheepishly, avoiding each other’s eyes.

“So, uh, how’s our leader doing? You said you were going to go see him today.”

Strangely, Marianne instinctively flinched. “I was unable to meet Leonard face-to-face.”

After they sealed the Abyss of the Demon Octopus, Leonard locked himself in his room and never came out. She had gone to check on him yesterday, wondering if his injuries had worsened.

Even thinking about it made all her hairs stand on end.

She had approached Leonard’s cabin and was about to knock. And then, her half-bent finger stopped right before she did. In a fleeting moment, she came to realize the extent of her shortcomings and her foolishness when energy spilling from the room bristled past her neck. Leonard wasn’t doing it on purpose. His fighting spirit as a swordsman, honed by his utmost focus, was sending a warning to any who might dare hinder him from reaching the next stage.

All who approached would die.

“I do not believe he was in bad physical condition. His vigor was so intense that I could sense it from outside his room.”

Galano found himself feeling awed by the fear in her voice. He himself was no average fighter, but Marianne was a true genius. Despite the decades of experience between them, she was only one step behind him. In fact, it wouldn’t be long until she caught up to his level.

And yet Leonard inspired fear in her with just the energy he gave off.

“He’s an incomprehensible man, our leader,” he said.

There was no feeling of inferiority, let alone competition.

Only awe.

As martial artists, they couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by the sentimentality, but it was a feeling that arose only because they were so acutely aware of how much his power surpassed theirs. Marianne and Galano found themselves forming a mutual understanding of the feeling despite themselves.

Ninian, in contrast, was as composed as always when she approached them. “Are you talking about the boy?”

“Ninian.”

In some ways, she was the only true student of Leonard’s among the expedition team. Galano and Marianne only received some guidance on their shortcomings in their martial arts, while Ninian was being taught the Yeon Family Archery, which was clearly a secret, inherited technique.

“Don’t bother trying to understand it. People of common sense shouldn’t try to understand someone who goes beyond it,” she advised.

“Goes beyond common sense... well, you’re not wrong.” Galano shrugged.

“No. I’m not talking about his talent or his skills.” Ninian’s eye grew hazy, as if she were trying to look somewhere far beyond them. “He is undoubtedly in his mid to late teens physically, but it is not possible to have the wisdom behind his inner self and his capabilities at that age. I sense a vital incompatibility between the age of his body and the age of his soul.”

“Ah.”

“A difference in age, you say,” Marianne muttered.

She and Galano nodded in agreement.

They were interrupted by the sharp sound of the warning alarm reverberating all throughout the vessel. It was obvious that something big had happened.

The three of them immediately dashed out of the training room and headed to the wheelhouse to find out what was going on. There, the person who raised the alarm, Frances, would tell them what was happening.

Galano and Ninian, who hadn’t been on the Aquamarine for very long, looked to the veteran member Marianne for an explanation.

“This alarm is rung when there is a dangerous enemy or if an unidentified entity suddenly appears. It means that there is something we cannot engage with or that there is a monster that we cannot track, such as the Sea Dragon King,” she said.

The newer members gulped. Either way, it meant that something very dangerous was upon them.

They hurried the rest of the way to the wheelhouse in silence. Since they were all powerful warriors in the upper degrees of the External Force Tier, they were swift and arrived in under a minute.

“Oh.” Marianne entered the room first and unwittingly let out a sound.

Standing there was Leonard, who had arrived ahead of them.

He looked as if he had just come out of an intense battle. His clothes were in shreds, and the room smelled strongly of blood. And stranger still was the fact that a deep stillness surrounded him despite him looking as if he should be giving off fierce killing intent.

Like the calm before a storm.

Click.

More members arrived before Marianne could even say anything. It was Vivian, Esther, and Lorelei, who had stayed up all night discussing magic and spiritual arts.

Esther tilted her head when she saw them frozen by the door. “Huh? What is it? Why aren’t you going inside?”

Unlike the other three, who could sense the danger as martial artists, this group was only puzzled.

“It’s nothing. Come in,” Marianne said.

And so, a while after the six of them gathered in the wheelhouse, Jack Russell stepped inside. All the members of Aquamarine were gathered.

Frances wasted no time in explaining. “I assume several of you were quite startled by the sudden alarm. Just a little while ago, I picked up on something that our expedition team may not be able to handle.”

“Ooh.” Russell’s eyes filled with interest.

Despite their small size, this expedition team’s fighting power was not average. Even aside from Leonard, who was about as strong as a Master, there were the three upper-degree External Force Tier martial artists who were flourishing under his guidance, the Archmage Hyne’s finest apprentice, and a high-rank spiritualist.

Esther paled a little bit in comparison, but she was by no means weak.

“I’d like to hear your reasoning,” Russell said.

“Of course. Now, if you would please look at that dashboard over there,” Frances said. Everyone turned to look where she was pointing. The dots and lines were oscillating like waves, but only three of them understood what it meant.

Lorelei was one of them. “Th-That’s a dimensional wall... right? But it looks a little bit... abnormal.”

“That’s exactly right,” the captain replied. “This pattern appeared because it detected the Corrupted Spirit Legion, a Rift we are currently close to. It appears during a certain phenomenon that we have recently experienced twice. Who can guess what it is?”

The answer wasn’t very hard to figure out. The Aquamarine Expedition Team had recently made two monumental accomplishments that were sure to go down in the Alliance’s history.

They had sealed Rifts.

Frances read their expressions and nodded. “Indeed. It was sealed. Not only has someone entered the Corrupted Spirit Legion, they are on the brink of sealing it.

It was hard to believe. Sealing Rifts was a very convoluted process in general, but the Corrupted Spirit Legion was unexplored. On top of that, it was a very dangerous Rift.

A Rift of this caliber could only be sealed by a Rank A team with a comprehensive plan, or by a cooperative effort between the majority of the strongest Rank B expedition teams. A mission that big would never go unnoticed by Frances or Russell.

“An unknown powerful force. Is it possible that it’s Wild Hunt?” the Archmage questioned.

“That is a possibility. Because no one has a clue where they are or what they’re doing. However, if it’s not them, we must prepare for every possible outcome, whether we engage through negotiations or combat,” she said.

Rrrrip!

They heard the familiar sound of space collapsing several kilometers away.

It was not a natural sound.

It did not make the air vibrate, so as skilled explorers, all of them heard it. It was the sound of the Corrupted Spirit Legion, the Rift that was estimated to be Rank A, being sealed.

The wheelhouse was quiet. Even the sound of their breathing had quieted. Nine pairs of eyes blinked as they watched the Rift close from a distance.

A moment later, an enormous vessel ripped through the air and revealed itself. Despite the large distance between them, they could faintly sense a presence. It was as if they wanted to show off the fact that they had closed a Rank A Rift.

In an instant, Frances’s face grew as pale as a sheet.

“...the Pequod?” she whispered, her voice so small no one could hear it.