Chapter 52

The Sword Saint, Karan, felt an anomaly.

He looked at the young man standing before him. Najin’s eyes, reminiscent of a sunset, were bloodshot, his pupils constricted to their limits.

‘His eyes resemble those of Sword Master Gerd.’

The Empire’s Sword Master, Gerd.

The supreme human warrior, surpassing him in every aspect except swordsmanship. In Najin’s eyes, Karan glimpsed Gerd’s. Different in appearance, yet similar in the chilling sensation they evoked.

“……”

Karan silently observed his scabbard.

Moments ago, Najin had grasped Karan’s scabbard as if foreseeing the immediate future. The movement displayed by Najin in that instant was distinctly ‘abnormal.’

…A move predicting the future.

And then.

The ability to replicate others’ movements with a bizarre level of accuracy after a single observation. When Najin imitated Karan’s movements earlier, the aspects he couldn’t mimic were minimal.

Parts were completed after Karan attained the Sword Master level. Beyond human capabilities, almost everything else was precisely mimicked by Najin. An eerily accurate reproduction.

It was imperfect without its own perspective, yet the precision was undeniable.

‘Imitation and a temporary foresight.’

Information clicked together in his mind.

‘Surely not.’

Connecting the dots, Karan chuckled at the conclusion. If his thoughts were correct, Najin’s true talent wasn’t solely in the sword itself.

A smile formed on Karan’s lips.

Meeting Najin’s intense gaze, Karan was about to open his eyes but then firmly gripped his sword. Not yet. He needed to observe a bit more.

“Show me.”

Karan flicked his scabbard.

Whatever it is, show me.

Show me your uniqueness, your worth.

The world looked different.

The landscape, seen through bloodshot eyes, had changed. Having grown through countless experiences in Cambria, Najin had evolved. Naturally, the world, as perceived by those eyes, had to differ.

Constricted pupils. Bloodshot eyes.

The world reflected in those eyes was a mass of information. Waves of data flooded Najin’s mind, but as always, he discarded the irrelevant information, focusing solely on his opponent.

The Sword Saint, Karan.

His breath, posture, minute muscle movements, fluttering clothes, and eye movements. Based on this information, Najin predicted the near future. His extraordinary insight and vision made this possible.

In the underground city.

In the city of opportunities.

During the battle with the Demon Knight.

In battles, escapes, pursuits, Najin had trusted his eyes. This time was no different. However, he also sensed something.

‘I can’t maintain this for long.’

During the battle with the Demon Knight, he could maintain this view, but now, the time he could sustain it was limited due to the overwhelming amount of information.

Before him stood a Sword Master.

A superhuman, transcending ordinary humans.

A being like an entity reigning over common sense.

Even with Najin’s exceptional vision, fully predicting Karan’s movements at his current level was impossible. The volume of information was just too immense.

Drip.

The halted nosebleed resumed. His head pounded. Nonetheless, Najin laughed it off, stepping forward. Then, with a thrust, he charged at Karan.

Karan responded to Najin’s movement, intentionally reacting a beat late.

As Karan moved, the future Najin foresaw wavered. Unlike previous opponents, Karan’s movements were not clear, but blurred. A sign he was yet beyond Najin’s grasp.

‘So what.’

He sees it. Vaguely, but it’s there.

That was enough. Najin’s eyes moved rapidly. Ducking as Karan’s scabbard whooshed overhead, he closed in.

Mixing the Order’s swordsmanship and his own, developed in the underground city, Najin executed his swordsmanship. Karan had called it incomplete, lacking worth.

He doesn’t deny it.

He’s still immature.

Adjusting others’ techniques to his body, compensating the stance – but not quite “his” sword as Karan meant. He knew that.

‘In fact, I couldn’t mimic the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship.’

Complete control over one’s body.

A swordsmanship uniquely theirs.

Not just mastering but fully internalizing and optimizing. Karan’s swordsmanship was such which Najin couldn’t steal.

No matter how he adjusted, the pictures didn’t align.

Karan’s swordsmanship couldn’t be interpreted in Najin’s way yet. Najin was still too inexperienced. He lacked a deep understanding of the sword and hadn’t internalized numerous swordsmanship like Karan.

He was lacking and immature.

He didn’t plan to deny it.

But Karan seeks a variable. Something uniquely Najin’s. He knew he could show that, even if it weren’t his own sword.

Swoosh.

In a split second, Najin accelerated his sword. Karan’s scabbard, too, sped up in response. Clashing with a cacophony, Karan’s scabbard effortlessly guided and blocked Najin’s sword.

Karan still moved easily, but Najin, unlike before, neither rolled on the ground nor got completely overpowered. Stubbornly persisting, he swung his sword. There were no verbal exchanges, but Karan read Najin’s intent through clashing swords.

How long will you only target weaknesses?

Without that, I can’t learn anything either.

His sword seemed to speak. Karan responded with a hearty laugh to Najin’s unspoken proposal. Alright, let’s show you more. Karan pushed back Najin’s sword, advancing for the first time.

Boom.

Slamming the ground, Karan swung his sword. It was a guillotine-like strike from above. A perfect motion and a perfect breath were combined in this strike. Najin, despite anticipating it, had to force himself to block.

Just knowing where it would come from didn’t make it easy.

His knees almost buckled upon impact. His fingers trembled on the hilt. Crack, the ground splintered under his feet.

Clash, crash, crash.

However, it didn’t end with a single strike. As Najin blocked the sword, Karan’s scabbard flowed like a river along Najin’s blade and reached for his neck. The transition from a slash to a thrust was incredibly smooth.

“…!”

Najin, having foreseen it, twisted his sword just in time to disrupt the flow. But the flow had already shifted. The Order of the Sword’s technique creates momentum, cornering the opponent through a series of connected stances.

Some say the Order’s swordsmanship is like a giant tree.

Starting from one root, it branches into hundreds, thousands, even millions of forms. It’s practically equipped to handle any conceivable situation in a duel. The Order has spent centuries refining these techniques.

The way of linking sword moves.

Responding to an opponent’s block.

Shifting from defense to offense.

Countering and retaliating against an aggressive opponent.

In any given situation, there are dozens of ways to respond. All these techniques, tens of thousands of stances, memorized and mastered by a Sword Saint, make a duel… merely a process of selecting the correct answer.

‘It’s like a wave.’

Receiving the Sword Saint’s blows, Najin felt as if he was in the midst of a vast sea, with waves crashing over him. A feeling of being swept away, on the verge of sinking.

This is the swordsmanship of a Sword Master.

This is the pinnacle of the Order.

Even in his duel with Volkman, Najin sensed the flow created by his opponent, but Karan’s swordsmanship was incomparable. An unyielding current created by Karan.

‘Even predicting the future…’

He couldn’t resist the flow.

Najin’s eyes screamed in agony. The future he saw became blurry, like a white fog. He was continuously pushed back.

Yet, Najin engraved it in his memory.

Karan’s sword. The pinnacle of swordsmanship he witnessed. Even if he couldn’t replicate it yet, it was a valuable lesson, a rich fertilizer.

‘I envy it.’

The swordsmanship of the Sword Saint.

The understanding of that sword.

The beautiful art of his swordsmanship.

‘More, much more…’

Najin wanted to see more. However, he couldn’t draw out the Sword Saint’s sword on his own. So, he decided to gamble instead of being swept away. Najin’s eyes widened.

Blood vessels burst, coloring his vision red.

But for that brief moment, Najin precisely read Karan’s sword. He saw the clear future. The trajectory of Karan’s scabbard, what swordsmen at the pinnacle call the Sword Path, was witnessed by Najin.

Najin’s sword reacted belatedly. Yet, it effortlessly received Karan’s blade.

Visible trajectory. He knew exactly where to block. When Najin blocked, Karan’s eyes widened in surprise. Najin, still with wide eyes, took a step towards Karan.

Three times more.

With his throbbing eyes, he could only manage three more times. Intending to land a blow within those three opportunities, Najin had witnessed and experienced the pinnacle. A valuable experience for anyone.

After the duel, he would review the content of the duel, refining his understanding. Alone, facing a wall, swinging his sword based on the reviewed content.

This process is a path to enlightenment for swordsmen.

But Najin didn’t need such cumbersome methods. Enlightenment could come even in the midst of battle, there was no need to postpone it.

‘So, then.’

Hundreds of pictures formed in his mind.

Dozens, hundreds of pictures shown by Karan unfolded in Najin’s mind. He understood how Karan swung his sword, when to apply and release force.

‘Just like this.’

Understanding it.

Swoosh!

Najin mimicked Karan’s sword in his own way. It wasn’t enough to be called exclusively Najin’s sword yet. It was still imitation, not creation. But even so…

Najin’s single strike.

It didn’t seem worthless in the eyes of the Sword Saint.

At least there was no way to block it at the same level. Hence, Karan laughed. He recognized the value in Najin’s effort.

“The last strike you showed was excellent.”

Karan had seen a commendable sword strike.

So, he owed a response. Showing even that much would benefit Najin. Releasing Najin’s sword, Karan moved toward where his real sword was planted before the duel began.

Securing his scabbard at his waist, Karan reached for his embedded sword. And the moment he drew his real sword…

The air changed. The flow reversed. Despite the distance, Najin felt as if a blade was pressed against his neck. Not just him, but even Volkman, observing from afar, felt the same.

Karan gripped his sword. The energy rising from it was Karan’s sword aura. Looking at Najin, he warned:

“Don’t move.”

It was a single warning.

Immediately after that, Karan swung his sword.