SWNOVELXO Chapter 576
Chapter 576: You Will Become a Legend (3)
Ghislaine ground her teeth, blood trickling from her mouth.
After reaching the level of her past life, she could maintain her strength at the fifth level for a decent time, but there were limits.
And now, that limit had arrived.
“Haah…”
Ghislaine staggered to her feet, still bleeding from her lips.
Aiden, who had also retreated and coughed up blood, looked at her with a gleeful smile.
“Hahahaha, finally feeling weak, huh? As expected, I’m superior!”
To the casual observer, both looked in bad shape. However, a closer inspection revealed that Ghislaine was slightly worse off.
This was due to their differing fighting styles.
Ghislaine amplified her mana to unleash explosive power, while Aiden dispersed that shock to minimize damage.
Thus, he could transform Ghislaine’s momentary destructive attack into an ordinary blow.
They were two individuals with completely different styles and affinities. Unlike Ghislaine, who consumed energy rapidly, Aiden specialized in enduring a bit longer.
Step by step.
Aiden advanced again, taking his stance.
As the battle stretched on, it favored him. All he needed was to push just a little more.
“Thud.”
Ghislaine spat out blood and wiped her mouth.
It was unavoidable that she would expend more energy than her opponent. But what did that matter?
Her opponent also looked unwell. Even if his strong attacks did disperse some shock, not all of it was gone.
So, his internal shocks must be piling up.
‘Just a bit more.’
In this life-or-death struggle, Ghislaine finally confronted a new wall.
If she fought just a little longer, she would know whether she could surpass that wall.
Both began to move again, each confident they would win.
Boom!
Now, they stumbled each time their swords clashed. Even with mana still remaining, they both displayed powerful strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They poured all their might into their attacks. With each onslaught, the scars from the mana’s backlash multiplied.
Boom!
“Cough!”
A cry escaped — who knew from whom? They both had retreated once more, spitting blood.
Ghislaine wiped her blood and laughed.
“Heh, a tough one. This isn’t easy.”
Still, it was an improvement compared to her previous life. Back then, she had died without a proper fight.
Aiden cracked a toothy grin, also laughing.
“You still have the energy to act tough, huh?”
Now, Aiden could no longer properly disperse the shock. He had wounds, just as he received them.
But it was evident that his opponent was more exhausted. With every attack, her stance was subtly disrupted.
In reality, Ghislaine had already lowered her core to the second stage. If she continued at the fifth stage, her body wouldn’t be able to take it.
But the second stage was sufficient. Aiden was just as fatigued and had depleted mana.
The two, with fierce smiles, clashed again.
Boom!
With each exchange, they felt the end drawing near. Their mana was already running low, and barely avoiding vital strikes, their bodies were covered in wounds.
They could clearly tell how exhausted they both were.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After several exchanges, Aiden stepped back slightly.
Ghislaine didn’t rush after him. Even she needed a brief rest now.
There was a reason Aiden had fallen back. He needed time to collect himself.
At this moment, his heart was as bleak as could be.
Aiden smiled wryly and spoke.
“I’m going to die here.”
Even if he killed the Duke of Penris, he wouldn’t be able to escape in this body. It was obvious he’d die from a sudden ambush.
Therefore, it was better to abandon thoughts of living.
“Hmm…”
He took a deep breath and straightened his back.
It was regrettable to die like this, but it wasn’t bad.
At least he could kill the Duke of Penris and leave behind his name.
Thus, he would become a legend.
The hero who swept across the continent, the one who killed the Duke of Penris.
“It’s not bad.”
Yes, it truly wasn’t bad. His name would shine forever like a star in the sky.
Before he knew it, Aiden had shed his regrets about life completely.
“I won’t die disgracefully.”
His death must be more beautiful than anything else. It should be revered and praised by all.
He held his sword firmly, his eyes still glistening with determination.
Ghislaine, seeing Aiden’s stance, smiled.
“That’s a good posture.”
Setting aside that guy’s humanity, Ghislaine couldn’t help but acknowledge such attitude.
Self-love that could be called conviction. There wasn’t even a shred of doubt within it.
Aiden was qualified to become an overman.
“I’ll grant you a death that befits you.”
A death identical to that of his past life.
On this side too, there was an unyielding belief.
Now, it would be proven which of their beliefs was stronger.
Boom!
Ghislaine’s core had already dropped to the first stage. No, her mana itself was nearly depleted.
And Aiden was in the same boat.
The light emanating from both their swords had faded away.
The two were now only fighting with the swordsmanship they had built up over time.
Wham!
Both displayed movements beyond what a mere human could handle without mana.
Even the watching knights struggled to follow their swordplay.
Techniques that reached near-impossible peaks.
Clang!
As their swords clashed, they swiftly moved again, aiming for each other’s vital points.
Now, there was no need for petty tricks to exhaust their opponent’s strength. Only sharp strikes were required.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their injuries mounted. Every attack was something they could hardly block or avoid.
Wham!
Another wound was added to Ghislaine. But there was a slight change.
Wham!
Aiden received two new wounds.
This situation began to repeat itself.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Aiden, who had been dominant when his mana was abundant, was now gradually being pushed back.
Displaying his anxious state, the muscles around Aiden’s eyes twitched.
“What the… how can you possess such swordsmanship?”
When his mana was full, he didn’t recognize it. He simply assumed they were at an equal level.
However, the more they fought, the harder it became to face the Duke of Penris.
It was difficult to predict his opponent’s swordplay. It moved in inexplicably irregular patterns.
It was apparent. This was swordsmanship that required mastering countless lines.
“I can’t accept this!”
Aiden gritted his teeth.
He had been acclaimed as a genius of swordsmanship. Supported by many since childhood, his talent had shone brighter.
Yet here was a pitiful Duke of Penris, raised in a poor count’s house, showcasing swordsmanship that surpassed his!
Aiden’s confusion was entirely justified. The weight behind that sword could not belong to someone his age.
Once his mana was spent, it became clear. In pure swordsmanship skill, the Duke of Penris was above him.
Clang!
Ghislaine’s sword knocked Aiden’s sword aside and struck forward. Aiden, with a bewildered expression, hurriedly retreated.
Finally, Aiden’s heart began to waver. The uncertainty affected his movements.
Ghislaine smirked.
“That sword has crossed death numerous times.”
It was unavoidable that their mana was lacking. Aiden had built his prowess over many years in the best of environments.
To attempt to catch up in just a few years was foolishness. It was only thanks to his explosive mana circulation method that he could take such risks.
But swordsmanship was different.
From a rookie mercenary to the King of Mercenaries, he had sharpened his sword in life-or-death battles every day.
And the real death of the encounter.
The reincarnation that had overcome that.
Ghislaine’s sword carried every realization she had gained from those experiences.
And in the life-or-death struggle, they began to blend into one.
“I will go further from here.”
Ghislaine didn’t use amplification through Dark. No, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t.
Even at her current level, using it twice would be her limit. Sure, she could display powerful strength, but if Aiden avoided it, the fight would end right then and there.
So she fought without using amplification.
In the end, having expended all her mana, Ghislaine flirted with the edge of death while battling Aiden.
She had once more transcended her limits and just completed a new sword.
In that moment, the voice of the sword echoed in her mind.
— This is the will by which you have lived.
Finally, the sword held the same will as its master and began to gaze upon the world.
Thus, even without mana.
Thud.
Ghislaine advanced with a fierce grin.
Amazingly, a red glow began to emanate from her eyes again.
Boom!
As Ghislaine’s sword moved, it sounded as if the air was being torn apart.
Even after exhausting all her mana, she struck with the speed of a mana explosion.
The sword that flowed with the existing currents of the world.
It was a sword that harmonized with the fundamental force of this world, expressed through will.
Wham!
The sword sliced through the空間, drawing a red trajectory.
It perfectly harmonized with the flow of the world.
The sword was no longer just a tool. It had become a medium to wield the fundamental power.
The sword restructured by Ghislaine’s will had become almost a living entity. Anything held in her hands would now possess the will of its master.
Aiden stared at the approaching sword with trembling eyes.
At that moment, what he felt was neither fear, despair, nor a sense of defeat.
‘Beautiful.’
The trajectory of that sword was so beautiful that it left him entranced.
Even he, hailed as a genius of swordsmanship, couldn’t have imagined reaching such a realm.
To become one with the flow of the world.
That was a level only reachable by those who risked their lives numerous times.
“Aah, so that’s what it was.”
In the face of death, a light of realization glimmered in Aiden’s eyes.
That was the sublime art of manifesting the principles of the world.
It was like poetry being written in the void, wielded by an invisible god.
He, who loved beauty, nobility, and art, found that sword even more deeply resonant within him.
Thus, the only emotion that filled his heart was singular.
A fierce jealousy.
“I… I’m not the protagonist of this world?”
It was an unbelievable reality. Yet, he could not deny it.
Wasn’t a sword stronger and more beautiful than his own vividly soaring right before his eyes?
“I too… want a sword like that…”
Aiden grasped his sword tightly with trembling hands.
He could do it. He could also achieve it.
To think that only the Duke of Penris could show such artistic swordsmanship was unacceptable. He was far superior to the Duke.
“I am the hero chosen by the heavens!”
So, he must not doubt that.
Whirring…
His sword began to move slowly. Simultaneously, the air around him began to tremble.
Faintly but riding the currents, his sword moved.
As his life hung in the balance, his genius intellect found the solution in that instant.
Swish!
Blood burst forth from Aiden’s nose, ears, mouth, and eyes.
As he attempted to forcibly wield a power still forbidden to him, tremendous pressure tightened around his body.
Even so, he moved the sword.
Although he hadn’t reached complete understanding yet, his exceptional senses allowed him to mimic Ghislaine’s sword.
Swish!
Time felt slow. The scenery around him grew blurry.
Only the Duke of Penris’s sword stood out clearly.
A world that transcended the time of overmen.
In that world, the red trajectory slowly approached Aiden. His sword, now half ascended to a new level, chased after it.
But his arms felt exceedingly heavy. He still couldn’t move freely in this deep, ocean-like space.
Swish!
Just a bit more, just a bit more.
If he could go just a little further…
…he could have become a legend.
Crack!
Boom!
The world reflected in Aiden’s eyes became clear once again.
He realized.
He had just had his throat slit.
“Hmph.”
His heart sank. It felt like it was truly over now.
He had to be composed. He mustn’t die in disgrace.
That was the last remnant of his pride.
So even as he could still speak, Aiden opened his mouth.
“Duke of Penris.”
His neck moved slowly as he spoke, tilting to the side.
Even so, he didn’t stop and conveyed everything he wanted to say until the end.
“You will become a legend.”
Aiden was certain.
This war would ultimately end in the victory of the Duke of Penris.
So surely…
Thud.
The last words left unspoken, Aiden’s head fell to the ground.