The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 142: The End of the Rampage (6)

It was true that Theodore looked down upon Sien and Adel’s bloodline from the branch family.

Outwardly, he mocked their abilities, but this was merely a tactic to unsettle their composed demeanor.

He certainly took pride in his own power. However, he knew well that, regardless of possessing the strongest innate ability, facing two warriors of similar strength simultaneously was no easy feat.

Whirrr!

Green currents flowed continuously around his body.

With his current level of mastery, warping such a vast area of space was impossible.

‘But disrupting the spatial coordinates is within my grasp.’

With this, he succeeded in blocking spatial movement. Considering how critical teleportation was to those with space-related powers, it was fair to say he now held a decisive advantage.

“Do you think anything changes just because you blocked teleportation?”

Sien pushed off the ground.

In an instant, the distance between her and Theodore closed, and she brought down her zweihander with all her might.

The raw power from the Igreet family added tremendous force to her blow, making it truly formidable.

However, Theodore calmly moved his left hand to the side.

Woom.

The green current drew Sien closer, disrupting her stance.

Theodore seized this opening but refrained from launching a direct attack on her. Instead, he spun his body like a top, swinging his aura-infused right arm to defend himself.

Clang!

Adel’s rapier clashed with Theodore’s right arm.

‘It’s not just his power—his combat instincts are far sharper than I anticipated.’

Adel frowned.

Her level of swordsmanship was at the fourth circle. With her aura blade infused into her sword, she should have sliced clean through Theodore’s aura.

But right before her sword and his fist collided, he used his unique ability to deflect her blade, reducing the impact of her attack. Despite knowing him to be their enemy, she couldn’t help but acknowledge his skill.

Still, Adel wasn’t discouraged. She had successfully bought Sien enough time to regain her stance.

Shing!

Once again, Sien’s sword struck down, her blade wrapped in silver aura falling like a thunderbolt.

Though Adel could have attacked at the same moment, she held back, waiting for the right timing.

‘To counter Gravity Domination, it’s better to stagger our attacks.’

Whirrr!

The flow of the green current changed. Instead of drawing everything inward, it now sought to push everything away.

“Do you think I’ll just keep letting you do as you please?”

Bang!

With a loud cry, Sien forcefully adjusted the arc of her right arm. The moment her blade struck the ground, she launched herself from the earth, swinging her right leg in a powerful kick.

For the first time, Theodore’s face displayed a hint of surprise at the unforeseen move.

Even so, he quickly crossed his arms to shield his upper body.

Sien’s kick struck him squarely.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

Theodore groaned, unable to endure the pain.

Yet beyond the pain, he was baffled. He was using his unique ability to the fullest, trying to push his opponents away. On top of that, he had layered his arms with aura to maximize his defense.

And yet—his right arm was broken.

He had heard tales of the Igreet family’s extraordinary physical prowess, but experiencing it firsthand, he realized it far exceeded ordinary logic.

Suddenly, Theodore gritted his teeth and grabbed Sien’s leg with both hands.

He focused all his strength, intending to crush it in one go.

But once again, Sien’s physical abilities surpassed Theodore’s expectations. Though her leg bone cracked, that was the extent of the damage.

“You maniac?!”

Horrified, Theodore quickly released his grip.

At that moment, Adel closed the distance again, her rapier lunging toward him.

Swish!

Like a barrage of bullets, her strikes poured down upon him.

Theodore not only swung his left arm to block but also used his gravity powers to move his right arm as best he could for defense.

Yet with each passing second, the wounds on his arms multiplied. The aura blade coating her rapier was simply too much for his defenses to withstand.

With the rising number of injuries, Theodore’s rage surged. But he resisted the urge to give in to that anger, keeping his composure.

He quickly came to a conclusion.

‘I’ll eliminate one of them for sure.’

With a firm decision, Theodore activated Gravity Domination again, and the green current moved to pull Adel in.

But the force simply passed through her body.

“This… this is impossible!”

Caught off guard once more, Theodore was deeply rattled.

“Gravity Domination can only pull in entities with a tangible form.”

It would have been better to concentrate Gravity Domination to penetrate her Mirage Form.

Adel didn’t miss his mistake. She immediately deactivated her Mirage Form and poured all her power into a thrust with her rapier.

Squelch!

The aura-wrapped blade pierced through Theodore’s right side with precision.

“Argh!”

Theodore barely suppressed a groan and attempted to strike Adel with a backhand blow. He focused all his aura and Gravity Domination energy into his left hand.

The problem was that Adel wasn’t alone.

Crash!

“Gah!”

Just before Theodore’s left fist could land, Sien’s fist connected with his face.

He let out a sharp cry, his body flying backward.

Though he tried to rise, his body only trembled. The impact had caused a concussion, leaving him momentarily incapacitated.

Thud.

Sien planted her foot on his chest.

“You’re lucky. If it weren’t for orders, I’d have already crushed your skull.”

Martin wanted Theodore to face justice through trial.

After all, killing a royal heir outright could lead to unforeseen repercussions.

‘Even if I have to die…’

Feeling a surge of impending doom from Sien’s words, Theodore gathered all his mana.

Rather than suffer humiliation in a trial, he preferred to end his life here.

He was about to initiate self-destruction, but Adel didn’t allow it.

Whack!

With a swift kick to his head, she knocked him unconscious.

“Causing trouble until the very end.”

“He’s infuriating. He threw so many into war, yet all he cares about is his pride.”

“Typical scum like him. Now, we just have one more left…”

As if in silent agreement, Sien and Adel turned their gazes skyward.

A battle beyond human comprehension was unfolding in the sky.

“I hope he returns safely,” Adel murmured.

“He will. He promised,” Sien replied in a calm tone.

Yet, despite her words, she couldn’t fully hide her anxiety. Her tightened grip on her sword hilt was proof of that.

‘Please, win, Martin.’

Sien prayed fervently.

—

An 8th circle and a 9th circle.

It was only a single-circle difference, but the gap between the two was enormous.

Still, Martin thought he stood a chance.

‘I’m no ordinary 8th circle, and he’s not in peak condition.’

Martin calmly studied Nicholas. The fact that Nicholas had bested Barthez proved that he was among the elite of 9th-circle mages.

Ordinarily, he would be an opponent Martin couldn’t hope to face, but the situation had changed.

After his battle with Barthez, Nicholas had expended significant energy and suffered internal injuries.

‘I’ve also successfully deployed Spatial Sword.’

Inside this cubic space, Martin was in his domain. It’s said even a dog has an advantage in its own den, and he was no mere dog but an 8th-circle warrior.

Yet, even that didn’t guarantee victory.

Rumble!

What he truly relied on was the endless surge of power from the mana core in his abdomen.

“Even if I’m injured and trapped in your Spatial Sword, thinking I would lose to the likes of you is a grave mistake.”

Nicholas spoke indifferently as he waved his staff. White lights sprouted around him, each beginning to coalesce into a clone.

“Not on my watch.”

With a slight motion of his holy sword, Karadyl, Martin sent out a barrage of precise strikes, targeting the clones exclusively.

Nicholas frowned as he watched.

It was bothersome that Martin’s responses were faster than anticipated, but what truly unsettled him was something else entirely.

‘Even within the Spatial Sword, there should be a limit to the power he can channel.’

It was a matter of output.

An 8th-circle warrior couldn’t match the instantaneous power of a 9th-circle mage, yet Martin was seemingly bridging that gap with ease.

Knowing that the Dragon’s Curse only increased mana capacity, not output, Nicholas couldn’t understand it.

Woom.

Setting aside his doubts, Nicholas mobilized his mana again, creating nearly twenty clones. Not stopping there, he conjured countless light missiles, hurling them toward Martin.

“Quantity isn’t a bad approach,” Martin said, swinging Karadyl.

Aura-infused slashes radiated from all sides, intercepting the missiles midair.

Boom! Boom!

The powerful collision sent shockwaves rippling in all directions.

Yet despite the relentless impacts, the Spatial Sword’s boundaries remained intact.

“There’s no reason for me to rely solely on a numbers game,” Nicholas remarked, looking down at Martin.

Wind, flame, gravity, and space.

His investigations into Martin’s past battles had confirmed his opponent could wield all four elements.

And with greater potency than most magic.

Sizzle!

White sparks began crackling around Nicholas. Then, a stream of white energy flowed out from him, attempting to invade the Spatial Sword’s domain.

In this state, Nicholas pointed his staff at Martin.

Crackle!

Bolts of lightning, resembling a dragon’s breath, descended upon Martin. More bolts appeared with each flick of Nicholas’ staff.

“To think he had that much power left…” Barthez, watching from below, felt his eyes widen.

He had attacked Nicholas with the intention of mutual destruction, yet his opponent still had such strength in reserve.

‘The Young Lord said he’d fight alone, but if the situation worsens, I’ll have to step in.’

This was no time for pride.

Even if he poured everything into it, Barthez knew their chances were slim against this monster.

Or so he thought…

“Hah.”

Barthez let out a sigh of admiration as he watched the ensuing scene.

“Haaap!”

As the lightning rained down, Martin shouted, slashing Karadyl downward, and a golden trail shot forth.

But this wasn’t an ordinary slash.

Through the Field of Wind, Martin had merged with the Spatial Sword’s realm. This allowed him to exceed the usual limits of power, while the Field of Flame maximized his strike’s potency.

‘And the Field of Gravity let me split and recompress my strength.’

Swoosh!

The golden trail split into five distinct streams, matching the number of lightning bolts. When they collided, a massive explosion erupted.

This time, the impact shook the entirety of the Spatial Sword’s domain.

Without it, the ground forces below would have suffered catastrophic losses.

Drip.

As the white lightning and golden trail canceled each other out, blood trickled down Martin’s lips.

But Nicholas’ expression was worse than Martin’s.

‘…He blocked that?’

He had struck with overwhelming power, far beyond the interference of talent or skill.

And yet Martin had nullified it all.

No matter how capable he was, Martin was still an 8th-circle mage.

He had done something that exceeded the limits of his level.

As his thoughts reached that point, another realization crossed Nicholas’ mind.

‘If he has surpassed the limits of his level… can he still be considered an 8th circle?’

The answer was a resounding no.

At that moment…

Rumble!

A tremendous force erupted from Martin’s entire body.

Its magnitude was on par with Nicholas’ own.

“No… this can’t be.”

Nicholas wanted to deny it. It defied all logic.

“It’s exactly as you fear.”

Martin’s smile radiated with confidence.

Crack.

A sound only he could hear echoed within him.

It was the sound of the four rings within his abdominal mana core shattering, replaced by a single massive ring.

‘At last.’

He had restored his peak swordsmanship level.

In other words, his swordsmanship had reached the 5th circle, and his unique ability had achieved the 4th circle, bringing him to the 9th circle in total.

“It’s time to end this.”

Right here, in this place, he would bring an end to this war.