The light shot up towards the sky.
Piercing through the heavens, it continued relentlessly towards somewhere in the universe.
Even though it was bright daylight, that pillar of light shone brighter than the sun, coloring the world.
On that day, no one in the Southern or Northern Regions failed to see the light.
To the general public, it was merely a supernatural phenomenon.
Simply a white light rising vertically from the ground.
Amazing and wondrous, but just that.
It was an impression not significantly different from seeing lightning or auroras.
“Captain Rex, what on earth is that…?”
“…”
“Captain?”
“…”
But those who had honed their sword techniques to the limit or beyond, who had glimpsed greater ambitions…
“Lord of the Magic Tower! It’s dangerous! Come down! Seeing that bright light, it must be a radioactive explosion! There might be fallout!”
“Hoo…”
“Lord of the Magic Tower! Don’t just space out! Hurry!”
“How could something like that…?”
And those who had delved deep into the essence of magic, believing they could not divide the smallest unit of this world any further…
“Seo Gong, are you watching?”
[Yes. I am watching, Master.]
“How does it look to your eyes… I can only see a cursed pillar of light through my scope…”
[To my eyes…]
Then, those who struggled to manipulate incomprehensible demonic energy, trying to understand its properties…
They all saw the same thing from the pillar of light.
No, to be precise, they saw a possibility.
[I see the path that my esteemed senior has paved.]
The end of my own path.
A singular path where the great intentions of swordsmanship, magic, and curses converge.
For a brief moment, they could glimpse the source of all power.
…
“Huu…”
I felt strength leaving my body.
All the ruptured muscles contracted.
As if my whole body were crushed under immense pressure, pain surged, and my body began to collapse.
But determined not to let that happen, Mi Jeong supported me, allowing me to look up at the sky.
“It’s beautiful.”
“…Yeah. It feels like leaves are falling.”
A dirigible falls from the sky.
Slowly and, naturally.
Just like Mi Jeong said, some spin down like falling leaves, while others drop quickly on a tilt, and some lie sideways as they fall.
It was the scene of nine airships from the fleet crashing down.
When would I ever see such a luxurious spectacle again?
I smiled foolishly alongside Mi Jeong as we gazed at the sky.
Did they say there were no people inside?
At first, when I crashed the airships with telekinesis, I was terrified there might be someone inside…
But the moment I shot my ultimate technique at them, I realized that was the truth.
The light of the ultimate technique seeped into the airships.
And by prying inside, it became immediately clear.
“…How did you do that?”
“I cut.”
“…Cut? That?”
Mi Jeong looked at me with an expression that clearly said I must be joking.
Indeed.
It didn’t look like cutting at all.
The airships were all intact, as if they had simply lost engine thrust and were falling.
But I definitely cut those down.
It might not align perfectly with the conventional concept of “cutting.”
But I can’t find any other word to explain it than “cut.”
Up until now, I had only been cutting the representations of objects.
I merely destroyed or altered their current state.
Even my secrets didn’t surpass that limit.
While it’s true that my technique originated from raw will deep within me, it still didn’t differ significantly in that I only touched the external representations.
However, the ultimate technique brings you nearer to the essence of objects.
The ultimate technique enters a world deep inside the representation which is normally unreachable.
And when the particles of light permeated the airships, I felt an immense flow of information pour into me.
The daily lives of the crew aboard the airships.
The urgency at the moment of escape.
The clanking, rattling parts moving according to “orders.”
And one “self” that commanded the airships.
It felt like each tiny object contained an entire world within.
If I refine the technique further, I might handle those I skimmed through them separately, like cutting this one but leaving that one.
But for my still-immature self, the only possible approach was to cut them all at once.
So, I cut through the fleet.
By touching with light.
By cutting with will.
Thus, all the memories immersed in the airships shattered.
All the parts lost their power.
The “self” connecting the airships was annihilated.
That was my ultimate technique.
No, it was one ultimate technique reached by everyone walking this path.
“…That technique—”
“No. No way. Don’t.”
“…What? I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
“You tried to name the technique, didn’t you? No. Your naming sense is really awful.”
With a look as if asking how I knew, Mi Jeong glared at me.
Though she pouted as if she was sulking, it was of no use.
I could allow anything else, really.
Whether it was Iron Blood Storm Slash or Magic Sword, the name wasn’t crucial.
But this time, I felt I needed to determine it myself.
As the first pioneer to survey this path.
As a companion who will draw all those who will follow.
I had a duty to name this technique.
Where did this ultimate technique come from?
It began from my exploration of will born from swordsmanship.
What is this ultimate technique for?
It’s not for anything particularly.
Unlike the clearly defined purpose of secrets, the ultimate technique paradoxically possesses no distinct purpose as a total sum of all secrets.
So what is the ultimate technique?
A technique?
Is it correct to label it as a technique that does something?
I don’t know. It might be far from the most incorrect, but who would understand that abstract phrasing?
“A sword that skims the essence.”
Boom!
The airships crashed down, triggering a fierce explosion.
Even though my voice was drowned out, Mi Jeong seemed to have understood it well.
And nodded as if she accepted it.
The ultimate technique skims through the inside of an object’s representation, the essence.
And somehow, it “cuts.”
Though cutting isn’t the goal, that is its usage.
The reason I deliberately named it “sword” instead of “technique” isn’t profound.
It’s simply that the path I walked was that of a sword.
Now, what I hold in my hand is merely the crystallization of solid will, yet, I wonder if it’s right to even call it a sword.
I still visualize the shape of a sword in my mind as I grip my will.
That’s why it’s a sword.
Though it bears scant resemblance to a sword, what can I do?
If you’re unhappy, let the mage realize the ultimate technique first.
Here, I was allowed to be willful.
“Hah… Just a little… just a bit more… I’ll sleep…”
“…Kooh, sleep. I’ll watch over you.”
“Thanks. I’m really exhausted.”
Though I casually said it…
The recoil from the ultimate technique was much more severe than I expected.
It felt like my body was being crushed like a plastic bottle submerged deep in the ocean.
A punishment for stepping into a realm not permitted to humans seemed to be delivered immediately.
In the past, I would have bled profusely and died from the recoil already.
But now, having learned to manipulate my will freely and strengthen my body, I could endure the recoil that even mana and magic couldn’t withstand.
In other words, it was closer to a force applied to my spiritual body or my inner world, not a recoil against my physical form.
That’s why it couldn’t be handled by mere magic or mana, which only strengthens physical representation.
I merely reinforced my essence with will and enhanced it further.
It hurt like hell.
Yet, that’s all it was.
The pain, not being physical damage, felt unfamiliar and intense because it was enacted deep inside.
“Rest easy.”
“…Yeah.”
I leaned somewhat on Mi Jeong, who knelt beside me as a pillow, and closed my eyes.
When the body tires, it goes into shutdown and sleeps, including the brain.
So what happens when the soul gets tired?
I could find that answer immediately.
As my bodily sensations gradually faded, I sensed a transition into another world.
I could feel myself being drawn deeper into my inner world.
Was this what the God of Underworld spoke of when he referred to astral projection?
Until now, I had to physically guide my body into the inner world.
That’s why it seemed like I vanished from that spot as if I teleported.
But this was different.
My physical body still rested against Mi Jeong’s knees, being petted.
Only my soul was entering the inner world.
|Ah! Crazy! No!|
But in that moment, I felt an incredibly strong attraction pulling my spirit.
As soon as I touched that tenacious and eerie flow of attraction, I realized.
This attraction was heading toward the Underworld!
Did my soul have some kind of magnet on it?
The moment I astral project, this nonsense happens…?
I desperately thrashed about, trying to force my way into my inner world instead of the Underworld.
Clearly, the distance to my inner world was much closer.
But a monster-like force was pulling me with an attraction strong enough to overcome that distance.
This can’t be.
I absolutely dread a fourth date with the God of Underworld.
I really don’t want to see him at all.
Even if my spiritual body recovers, I would have to return, but just the idea of seeing that guy’s face is uncomfortable and unwelcome.
Just as I pleaded, gazing at the inner world that was drifting away…
From within my inner world, a small light flickered.
I could see something sleekly approaching me.
Those four strands approaching me looked like tentacles.
They could also be seen as plant roots.
Finally, as they reached right in front of me, the ends split apart.
Like small hands, fingers reached out toward me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed them, and in an instant, my body was wrapped in light.
When I opened my eyes once more…
“Yoo Jin!”
“Ah! Uhh, Yoo, Yoo Jin… Wah… Thank goodness…”
“You’re alive… You’re really alive…”
I found myself embraced by the three women I love dearly.
