Chapter 66
Behind her, a subspace opened, and another sword slipped out.
It was the appearance of the fourth sword.
Even though the difficulty had increased, the smile never left my face.
This very moment was simply exhilarating.
The surge of dopamine and adrenaline that came with realizing I was growing stronger in real time made me forget even fatigue and pain.
The four swords now drew far more complex sword paths as they flew toward me.
However, even though the number had doubled, it was no longer difficult to defend myself.
I deflected the flying swords, evaded their trajectories, and sometimes caught one of hers midair to swing it and block another.
In the midst of that fierce exchange, my domain became increasingly distinct.
To exert dominance over the space within the range of my influence—
Seeing me fend off even her four swords with ease, the Sword Empress smiled as though amused.
“Originally, I only meant to give you a hint, but to think you’d even manage to grasp the concept of a domain. Siwoo, and you as well—you’re both remarkable!”
“Thanks to you.”
Even in the middle of battle, I bowed my head slightly in gratitude.
I had clearly crossed the wall.
Then, just how strong had I become?
The reason I even agreed to this spar in the first place was because I wanted to know my current limits.
I activated the Asura Divine Art and expanded my sensory field.
The difference from before was that I no longer spread my perception widely, but instead, in line with the flow of the Asura Divine Art, I only extended it along the precise path I intended to move, like a guiding line.
To achieve optimal power, I drew my lines efficiently and advanced.
With a light stomp, the ground around me glowed crimson, radiating a dreadful heat.
With a gentle wave of my hand, flames rose, feeling as though they were a part of my own body.
By understanding the concept of a domain, my mastery over manipulating the Infernal Flame had clearly improved.
The Sword Empress, watching me, crooked her finger as if to say, “Come at me.”
Ah, maybe this was worth a try.
I compressed my domain, which had spread throughout my body, as much as possible.
Reducing my domain would leave me vulnerable to attacks, but right now, the Sword Empress was waiting for my strike rather than attacking herself.
So I would unleash the strongest attack I could muster.
I condensed my domain further and further until it focused entirely into one hand.
Then, within that space, I spun the Infernal Flame, igniting it fiercely.
The Sword Empress’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to imitate that? Should I call it foolish… or courageous? But that’s what makes it all the more fascinating!”
Intense heat gathered in my hand, and the air around it shimmered, distorting space like a mirage.
The searing heat felt as though it might cook my entire body.
Ordinarily, I should have fully controlled even the heat of the Asura Divine Art through my domain, but the energy I had condensed to its limit was difficult to manage.
That was why I had restricted the domain to a single hand.
It was the only way to fully control such overwhelming power.
Soon, my hand glowed red, like heated iron, from the concentrated Infernal Flame.
Park Siwoo’s eyes widened.
“Is that… Star Sword Summon?”
The look of panic on his face was priceless.
It looked similar to Star Sword Summon, but it was different.
Star Sword Summon simply condensed raw power, expending a massive amount of energy to create an imitation of Sword Aura.
However, what I was doing now might have looked similar, yet I was pouring condensed mana into a limited domain, perfectly concentrating its power.
If Park Siwoo’s Star Sword Summon was like a thermal power plant running on endless fuel, then my technique was nuclear fusion itself.
It was a strike that concentrated an infinite destructive force into a single hand.
I opened my clenched fist into a knife-hand, aiming it at the Sword Empress.
The compressed energy trembled, ready to explode at any moment.
“Sword Empress, just to be safe… you should be careful. I can’t even guarantee the power of this technique myself.”
“This body isn’t so frail that I’d need to be worried by a junior. Come at me however you wish!”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
I charged straight toward her.
The spear of destruction, filled with the purest yang energy, blazed forth, leaving a long fiery trail as it roared toward the Sword Empress.
KWA-AAAAANG!
As Yoo Sung-woo charged, the path he passed turned red and melted in his wake.
The Sword Empress’s four swords, wreathed in blue sword energy, crossed before him.
Soon, the four swords clashed with Sung-woo’s crimson knife-hand.
ZZZZZHHHANG!
With the collision of their powers, the Sword Empress’s blades screamed.
It was a technique nearly comparable to Sword Aura—or perhaps even greater in raw destructive power.
Ordinary sword energy alone could never withstand such an attack.
In an instant, the four treasured swords belonging to Dan Chun-woo were dyed red.
The Sword Empress’s weakness—
When she defended against a powerful blow, her control over her swords weakened.
Soon, unable to endure the heat, the four swords began to twist grotesquely.
The Sword Empress’s face showed disbelief.
‘What a ridiculous attack.’
Even her Spirit-Controlled Sword Technique couldn’t block that blow.
When she stretched out her hand toward the empty air, space itself tore open, revealing a black subspace.
From within emerged a pure white blade.
It was her beloved sword, Mirinae.
Dan Chun-woo’s eyes widened in shock.
He had never imagined that his sister would draw her cherished sword against a mere cadet.
Smiling, she approached Yoo Sung-woo, who was breaking through her shattered collection of blades.
“You should feel honored. I don’t show this to just anyone.”
At the same time, her aura transformed completely.
The natural mana around her converged toward her blade.
A beautiful light burst forth from the sword.
It was a sword energy so vast that no one could imagine it was merely the manifestation of mana concentrated within the blade.
But she didn’t stop there—she began to perfectly control the eruption of power like a raging volcano.
Under her command, the immense energy moved and condensed into pure sword energy.
Soon, her sword radiated a dazzling brilliance, taking on a distinct, tangible form—like a blade forged from light itself.
Then, the Sword Empress’s Sword Aura and Sung-woo’s knife-hand collided.
KWA-AAAAANG!
A clash of forces incomparable to before exploded forth.
A fist that destroyed all things met a sword that cut through all things.
The momentum belonged to the Sword Empress.
Even though she wasn’t using her Spirit-Controlled Sword Technique but was wielding her sword directly, her strength was so immense that Yoo Sung-woo could hardly even think of resisting.
Above all.
‘Damn it… this pain….’
My body couldn’t withstand the strain of the compressed power.
This technique was worthy of being called a strike that destroyed everything—but it also devoured its own user with that excessive force.
Even now, I could feel the throbbing pain vibrating through the hand that contained all of my condensed power.
The pain was fading bit by bit—not because my hand was healing, but because I was losing sensation.
At this rate, it was a guaranteed defeat.
Yoo Sung-woo decided to make his final move.
He straightened his crimson-stained hand.
Releasing the condensed energy all at once would be dangerous even for him.
So instead, he created a small outlet for the suppressed power to escape through.
As a tiny crack formed in the sealed energy—
The power, unable to withstand the pressure, burst forth as a red laser.
From the crimson blade of his hand, a concentrated beam of flame shot out in a straight line.
Like a dragon’s breath, the Infernal Flame surged forward, pushing against her Sword Aura.
KUUUUGUGUGUNG!
With a tremendous explosion, the dueling ground—shielded by a blue barrier—was dyed red.
Helena’s face turned pale at the sight.
“Crazy! That kind of attack—the training field won’t survive it! We have to get out!”
“What the hell are they doing?!”
Park Siwoo and Helena hurriedly moved to get as far away from the dueling ground as possible.
If that explosion broke through the field’s barrier, the entire building could collapse.
At that moment, they spotted Dan Chun-woo standing completely still.
Seeing that, Helena shouted.
“You need to get out of there too! You’ll be caught in the explosion!”
“……”
But Dan Chun-woo didn’t respond. He couldn’t take his eyes off the scene before him—no, he wouldn’t.
Frowning, Helena grabbed Dan Chun-woo’s wrist.
He was someone she disliked—no, loathed—but she couldn’t just stand by and watch someone get hurt.
“I said move! What are you doing going closer?!”
Dan Chun-woo extended his hand, pointing toward the air.
“You seem to have forgotten who she’s fighting against.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a massive subspace opened above the dueling ground, and dozens of swords poured down.
Helena’s eyes widened in shock.
Dozens of blades, wreathed in blue sword energy, encircled the barrier of the dueling ground and began to spin furiously.
At that very moment, the barrier of the dueling ground finally gave way under Sung-woo’s strike and shattered.
CHING!
However, Sung-woo’s energy wave didn’t escape outward.
The sword energy from the blades rotating around the barrier intertwined, forming an even stronger barrier.
The clash of immense forces shook the entire dueling ground, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
When the countless swords that had been rotating around finally stopped, and the dust settled, the Sword Empress came into view.
She was supporting a limp Yoo Sung-woo.
Dan Chun-woo’s face twisted at the sight.
‘Humiliating.’
For the first time, he was seeing someone’s back ahead of him—the one who had always believed himself the strongest among his peers.
Something boiled deep within his chest, an unpleasant heat rising to his head, clouding his thoughts.
He had always stood above others—born as the strong, living as a ruler.
Or so he thought.
Until he witnessed the battle between those two.
It was the first time in his life he had ever felt defeat.
That feeling began to gnaw away at him.
Dan Chun-woo knew better than anyone that, though he had sparred with his sister, the Sword Empress, hundreds of times, she had never once fought him with her full strength.
She was a master who had already reached an extraordinary realm, and their age gap was nearly ten years.
His sister had begun honing her sword long before him and possessed far more experience and enlightenment.
Above all, she had learned much more from their grandfather.
That was why Dan Chun-woo had always accepted defeat in their spars as inevitable.
To him, the Sword Empress wasn’t a rival—she was the embodiment of the path he would one day walk.
But Yoo Sung-woo was different.
He stood proudly before her, and she had drawn her true Sword Aura to face him.
Dan Chun-woo had been nothing more than someone who could make her hold her sword.
‘How disgraceful.’
That unwavering fighting spirit against a mighty opponent, that refusal to imagine defeat while giving everything he had—
It was enough to drench the arrogant Dan Chun-woo, who had lived basking in his own superiority, in cold water.
‘I must train even harder.’
For the first time, the conceited Dan Chun-woo—who had believed he had no equal—found a true rival.
It was the moment his perspective shifted: from one who thought there was nothing to gain from the Academy—
To one who now saw it as a place to rise higher.
And that moment became his new stepping stone—
The event that gave him wings.