I Can See the Sword’s Memories

Chapter 56: Perpetual Mechanism (3)

“Everything’s collapsing!”

“Shave! Do something, anything!”

Ignoring the panicked cries of the two mages, I scanned the area. Amid the crumbling ceiling, I glimpsed a faint glimmer of light. 

The air shifted—no longer the dungeon’s stagnant and oppressive atmosphere, but the fresh breeze of the outside world.

It was faint, but a chance of survival existed. And I was the only one who could maximize that chance. Without hesitation, I grabbed the scruff of the two mages and sprinted forward.

“Ugh! Sir Knight! Where are you taking us?”

“Wait! I can run on my own!”

Their frail bodies, accustomed to nothing but studying magic, could never keep up with my pace. 

Ignoring Envy’s protests, I kicked off the ground, using the faint remnants of mana within me to strengthen my body and propel myself forward.

Fwoosh!

Even as I leaped, my gaze darted ceaselessly, seeking a clear path amid the falling rubble. My movements were driven by the instincts honed on the snowy plains—a sharpened, animalistic sense that kept me alive.

Dodging and weaving through collapsing debris, I narrowly avoided disaster at every turn. At last, the two mages understood my intent.

“Her mana is almost depleted…”

“Perhaps once, or twice more…”

Checking their remaining mana reserves, Shave and Envy frowned. They wanted to assist me, their savior, but their mana reserves were too low for proper spells.

Still, creating a few small mana platforms was within their ability.

Through the ever-crumbling debris, the three of us climbed higher. Carrying two adult mages and bounding across the ruins was draining my stamina rapidly. My pace slowed visibly.

And then, I stopped abruptly before a large pile of rubble. The distance was too great. My outstretched leg fell just short of the towering debris.

At that moment, I felt a faint shift of mana beneath my feet. The sensation was familiar—a platform spell, the same type of magic the two mages had often used to assist my movements.

I stepped onto it.

Woom—!

Pausing momentarily, I scanned my surroundings. The predetermined path had already vanished amidst the chaos. I needed a new route. As my gaze darted about in search of one, a peculiar sensation overtook me.

The mana flow beneath me became vividly clear, as if drawn in lines before my eyes. Was it a coincidence? Or was it the work of one of the mages? Whatever the cause, the mana platform now fell under my control.

Following my instincts, I manipulated the connected mana, altering the platform’s properties. A small explosion erupted beneath me.

Bang!

“Ah—!”

Shave’s startled voice echoed faintly behind me as I launched upward. My speed diminished quickly, of course. While airborne, I identified my next path and adjusted my trajectory.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

As I ascended, the composition of the falling debris began to change. The sturdy stone structures and dark steel fragments gave way to naturally formed rocks, soil, and even wood.

Thud—

Landing softly on the ground, despite leaping several dozen meters high, I remained composed.

“Ha… Haah…!”

“We’re alive…!”

While I steadied my breathing and checked my equipment, the two mages collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. My gaze, however, turned past them, toward the towering steel giant that loomed above.

Perhaps satisfied with its purpose, the Reincarnator’s attention was no longer on us. The massive construct creaked and groaned, its joints moving slowly, as though inspecting its limbs.

It was then that I noticed the change in the surroundings. First, the sky above shifted. The swirling maelstrom of mana dissipated, returning to a calmer state.

A sharp sensation tugged at my awareness, as if the world itself whispered to me. The mana was once again under control. I could wield my full power once more.

“Mana…”

Placing the dark sword on the ground, I drew the White Dragon Sword.

Shing—

The blade emerged with a cold, crisp sound, releasing the principles of the White Dragon Heart Manual in a seamless flow.

Whoosh—

A faint chill swirled around me as I gripped the blade. Upon the sword’s surface, the form of a white dragon raced forward. The air turned icy, sending shivers through the mages as they instinctively recoiled.

It felt as if I had been submerged in deep water and pulled out into the fresh air. I inhaled the mana-laden atmosphere. 

Unlike the Reincarnator, who absorbed natural energy, I drew from the scattered remnants of mana freed from the dissipated vortex.

My once-depleted mana pool began to refill, though at an excruciatingly slow pace. That was to be expected. I had hastily modified the principles to enable mana absorption. Even achieving this crude success was remarkable.

“Hoo…”

My confidence returned. With renewed clarity, I recalculated my odds against the Reincarnator.

“I can’t win.”

It took less than a second to reach that conclusion. I cast aside any lingering hope. Recklessly charging into an unwinnable battle was pointless. It was better to call for reinforcements from the capital or abandon the mission altogether.

At that moment, I sensed something massive approaching.

With my mana replenished, my expanded perception detected the presence of powerful mana moving toward us.

“From the Magic Tower…?”

“Other mages seem to be approaching…”

Shave and Envy also sensed the approaching mages. With the peculiarities of the Fairy Forest’s domain gone, mages who had been blocked from entering were now able to infiltrate its interior.

I saw hope in that development. If I could collaborate with those mages, it wouldn’t be overly difficult to drive off the Reincarnator.

Around that same time, the steel giant began to move differently. Just as we had noticed the mages approaching, so too had the Reincarnator.

As someone occupying the body of a mage, his sensitivity to such events was naturally heightened.

Boom—Crash!

When the steel giant raised its arm and slammed it into the ground, the surrounding terrain caved in. The raw power radiating from its massive form obliterated a section of the forest in an instant.

Due to my lighter frame, the shockwave momentarily lifted me into the air.

Recovering my stance, I called out, “Shave.”

“Ah, y-yes? What is it?”

Startled by the sheer presence of the giant, Shave was slow to respond. I sheathed the White Dragon Sword and grabbed the dark blade instead before asking him another question.

“Do you think the mages from the Magic Tower can defeat that thing?”

The small girl posed a question of odds, and Shave, sensing the approaching mages, nodded cautiously. It would be difficult, but not impossible. However, victory required specific conditions.

The steel giant’s body possessed exceptional resistance to magic. No matter how powerful the spell, direct damage would barely affect it.

“If you assist…” Shave began.

“Explain the method.”

Thus, I became essential to the plan. The gathered mages would focus their entire arsenal of reinforcement magic on me, drastically enhancing my physical abilities. 

The tale of a knight cloaked in mystical power battling dragons was well-known, even among children in the countryside.

A steel giant would be no different.

“Reinforcement magic…”

“I’ll run to my colleagues and explain the situation immediately. It won’t take long to convince them. They’ll understand as soon as they cast a few spells.”

Just as Shave finished speaking, an enormous explosion erupted atop the steel giant. The massive body wavered briefly, but not even a scorch mark remained.

“Tsk… I’m going now!”

With that, Shave dashed off. Perhaps he had recovered some mana, as he enhanced his body and moved at a decent speed.

I stayed in place, focusing on recovering my mana. Then my gaze landed on Envy, who was standing alone.

“Aren’t you going?”

“I-I have to stay and protect you!”

Despite her exhaustion, she spoke of protecting me. I raised an eyebrow, annoyed but refrained from commenting further. She had helped me at critical moments, and I did not forget favors.

Shave soon reached the Magic Tower’s mages and quickly shared all the information he had. He explained that the steel giant’s body was highly resistant to magic and powered by an infinite mana generator.

The mention of an “infinite mana generator” spurred the mages into action. They agreed to follow Shave’s plan, and Shave immediately fired a blue light into the sky—a signal meant for me and the remaining team. Soon, a similar light rose from not far away.

“We’ve located them.”

“That knight… Will their body even withstand it?”

“More likely, their soul might fracture.”

“If they’re with Azure Wings, they should endure. Pour every ounce of mana we have into it.”

“If the infinite mana generator is real, we can’t afford to hold back. Use all the potions available.”

“Enchantments won’t be very effective. Focus solely on physical reinforcement.”

Dodging the giant’s attacks, dozens of mages conferred and finalized their strategy. Once aligned, they generated a massive magic circle that spread across the ground.

***

Boom—!

While I recovered my stamina and mana, I felt something massive approaching. Though there was no hostility, the sheer magnitude of the presence was intimidating.

As I tensed and prepared to move, Envy shouted, “The magic’s here!”

Her cry stopped me in my tracks. Mana surged through the ground and wrapped around my ankles before enveloping my entire body.

Rooooar—!

Every sense in my body sharpened as I felt a massive surge of power coursing through me. 

Unlike Saeran’s enchantments, this sensation was entirely new. My blood vessels felt fortified, and immense strength coursed through my muscles.

The mystical energy shrouding me moved with singular intent: to destroy the giant.

“Huff…!”

Even a mere exhale swept across the ground, kicking up dirt and debris. I felt as though my very existence had ascended. Even the simplest movements sent waves of tremendous force rippling outward. A casual swing of my blade severed a tree ten meters away, the cut sharp and clean.

This was no technique—just the pressure emitted by the blade.

“Is this what Kanok’s deputy leader feels like?”

“Whoa… Are you okay?” Envy asked hesitantly.

I tilted my head, puzzled by her concern. Why would I not be fine? I felt invincible—at the peak of my power. I even doubted whether I could ascend to a higher state than this.

A feeling of omnipotence flooded me. I felt like I could do anything.

“I’ll be back.”

With a simple step forward, I disappeared, reappearing directly before the steel giant. My sharpened senses quickly assessed its state. Mana from the infinite generator was steadily filling its body.

The longer this dragged on, the stronger it would become. The best course was to finish it quickly.

“Die.”

The girl cloaked in mystical energy pronounced the giant’s death sentence. She swung her blade—not with intricate swordsmanship but with a simple, raw motion.

Creak—!

For an instant, space seemed to stretch, and cracks formed along the steel giant’s body. From top to bottom, a line split through space itself.

Rip—!

Everything before me, from the steel giant’s form to the clouds above and the forest beyond, was cleaved apart.

Gasp—!

I felt an overwhelming exhaustion wash over me, as if I had run endlessly for days without rest. Breathing became a struggle.

“It’s gone…”

With a single swing, the mystical energy enveloping my body had dissipated entirely. I couldn’t move a finger. My body felt as though it were weighed down by lead.

I collapsed. As consciousness faded, a distant realization struck me—I had momentarily touched upon a higher plane of existence. 

Now, stripped of that power, I grasped just how far I had fallen from it.