The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 126: The Beginning of Turmoil (1)

As soon as Martin returned to the family estate, he headed straight to the Conqueror’s Room.

There, he met Arelia and explained everything he had experienced: the curse placed on the Emperor, the Klaus family’s declaration of independence, the ambitions of the Imperial Family and the Ferdinand family, and more.

“It’s a complete mess.”

Arelia briefly shared her assessment.

Hearing her words, Martin gave a bitter smile.

“People often say that the most chaotic period was when the Altaria Empire was founded. To think I’d hear you describe it as a mess, considering you lived through that era.”

“Yes, it was chaos back then too. Everyone was scrambling to seize control of dungeon entrances, and, on top of that, the first Emperor and the founders of the three great families were constantly at odds while establishing the Empire.”

Martin listened to Arelia’s words with a look of intrigue.

The era she described was an undeniable part of history—so legendary that it was often spoken of as myth. To hear of it directly from someone who experienced it filled him with a sense of awe.

“But we weren’t fighting at 10-circle strength from the beginning.”

“Then did you grow stronger as you continued fighting?”

“You’re quite right. Many powerful beings repeated cycles of life and death. I, too, narrowly escaped death countless times until, eventually, I reached the level of 10 circles. Around the same time, the first Emperor and the founders of the three great families reached that level as well, allowing them to successfully gain control over all dungeon entrances.”

“So that’s the origin of the Imperial Family and the three great families.”

“Indeed. The problem is, the hardships I faced are nothing compared to what lies ahead for you. I grew stronger through clashes with rivals, but you’ll have to face absolute powers who are already at the 10-circle level.”

“In terms of difficulty, it’s certainly on another level.”

Unlike the worried Arelia, Martin answered calmly.

He had known from the beginning that he couldn’t compete with them yet.

“But I’ll keep struggling anyway.”

Hadn’t he resolved to hold out until the end?

He had no regrets about the path he had chosen.

“The task of directly confronting the Klaus family ultimately falls to the Ferdinand family and their head. Considering the power of both families, the conflict will likely be prolonged.”

“So, your plan is to grow stronger in the meantime. It’s your first and last chance.”

“Yes. But I still consider myself lucky. I have things that can help me rise higher. Like mastering the final chapter of Arelia Swordsmanship and analyzing it.”

With a slow movement, Martin lifted the journal of the first Emperor, which he had taken out while explaining the situation to Arelia.

Arelia reached out to touch the journal with a complex expression.

The first sensation she felt was nostalgia.

Despite everything, she could see glimpses of her past.

But soon, a surge of anger filled her.

She had to face a history of defeat.

“You already know, just before the founding of the Altaria Empire, I defeated the first heads of the Ferdinand and Klaus families. But after losing to the first Emperor, everything crumbled to dust.”

“…It’s a story that brings sorrow to the direct descendants of the three great families.”

“I feel sorry as your ancestor. However, after the Empire was officially established, we had no further conflicts among ourselves. Then, shortly before his death, the first Emperor sought us out. He wanted to compare our insights, if only through conversation.”

“If I may ask, how did that go?”

“Even though I’m just an echo, thinking about that path still chokes me up. Despite a lifetime of effort, I could never best him.”

Arelia let out a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“The heads of the Ferdinand and Klaus families are the biggest threats, but you should also be wary of the first prince. If the comparison to the first Emperor is accurate, he’ll grow rapidly and likely drive you to ruin.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. For now, store this journal in your subspace. You’re not ready to read it.”

“Then when should I read it?”

“You should reach at least the 9-circle level. With your exceptional talent, you might gain an insight from reading it sooner, but… that would actually be a problem. Your body won’t withstand the revelation. Even with the dragon blood you obtained to strengthen yourself.”

“Hmm. It seems that having too much talent can be an issue as well. I never imagined it would hold me back.”

“…Can I smack you just once?”

“Please spare me.”

Martin chuckled mischievously.

Arelia shook her head and sighed.

But it was only for a moment.

Her expression turned serious as she gripped the hilt of her sword.

“I will now explain the final chapter of Arelia Swordsmanship, the ‘Chapter of Space.’ Think of it as an extension of the spatial swordsmanship you’ve learned. But you’ll need to apply everything you’ve learned so far. Watch closely.”

Kwoooom!

As soon as she finished speaking, a storm-like aura erupted from Arelia’s entire body.

“Draw in tremendous power through the wind and become one with it.”

In an instant, the mana in the pure white world around her was absorbed into her at an incredible speed.

It felt as if she had truly become one with the world itself.

“Once united, release the accumulated power in a burst, maximizing efficiency.”

Fwoosh!

The moment Arelia assumed her stance, the massive force trembled.

Despite being an apparition or a fragment of her will, she had shown Martin the awe of a true master, and now, she gave him a clear sense of what an absolute being was.

‘The heads of the Ferdinand and Klaus families are even stronger than this, but…’

He set aside thoughts of the outside world for now.

His focus was on committing the sight before him fully to memory.

“Amplify the force with gravity, then stabilize and separate it to achieve resonance. Finally…”

The platinum energy surrounding Arelia’s body transformed into five distinct rings.

Each ring resonated, producing an even more powerful force than before.

“With the power of space, cut through the world itself.”

Speaking in a calm tone, Arelia swung her sword.

At that moment, Martin’s eyes widened.

‘The sword… extended?’

The five rings of light had each transformed into swords.

This was a level far beyond merely splitting or modifying power through spatial swordsmanship.

Each ring held identical power and transformed simultaneously.

Swoosh!

With the original sword plus five more, the six swords extended in all directions.

If there had been a target, it would have been sliced into countless pieces by that single strike.

“What did you perceive?”

“…I felt it was an attack that transcended the limits of space.”

“Then, what do you think has changed?”

“I think it touched the domain of time.”

“To recognize that so quickly… You’re truly no fun to teach.”

“…Honestly, I still can’t believe it, even though I said it myself. Abilities related to time have never appeared on the Cracian Continent.”

Yet here was the final chapter of Arelia Swordsmanship, undoubtedly intertwined with time itself.

It was no wonder he was astounded.

“Mages say that space and time are intertwined. I’m not confident in explaining the theory, but I’ve grasped one truth. A way to understand this world. I’ve reached a realm that surpasses space, touching the dimension.”

“Even reaching the 9-circle level… I don’t think I’d be able to perform this.”

“Of course not. Once you reach the 10-circle level, you’ll be able to complete Arelia Swordsmanship. And you’ll master every Adalbert Swordsmanship technique crafted by previous heads.”

“If it’s this powerful with Omni Distortion, I can only imagine what it would be like with Spatial Domination.”

“Manipulating space is where Spatial Domination holds an edge over Omni Distortion. Those who wield it can understand the dimension itself sooner. However, they’re at a disadvantage. It’s harder for them to engage with certain techniques, unlike Omni Distortion.”

“So each has its own strengths and weaknesses.”

“Exactly. In any case, I’ve shown you all I can. Until you reach the 10-circle level, keep coming here and practicing.”

“Yes. But today, I have something else to take care of.”

“Hm?”

Woooong.

Leaving behind a puzzled Arelia, Martin pulled a vial containing dragon blood from his subspace.

He also took out a leaf from the World Tree that he had acquired from the Elf Village.

“A World Tree leaf… I recall you mentioned you felt no pain when you used wyvern blood imbued with World Tree mana.”

“Yes. So I brought a World Tree leaf just in case. I hope it works.”

“It’s still remarkable that you’d endure dragon blood, something most people can’t even handle once.”

“If it can fill in my deficiencies, then I’ll do it, of course.”

With that, Martin removed his shirt and carefully poured dragon blood onto the World Tree leaf.

Then, he slowly began to drink the blood that touched the leaf.

*Crunch!*

‘Well, this is terrible.’

The pain was somewhat less intense than the first time he drank dragon blood in the Conqueror’s Room.

So, the World Tree leaf seemed to have an effect.

But that hardly mattered.

The pain was still excruciating.

Martin gritted his teeth.

He forced himself to stay positive, thinking at least the effects were real.

* * *

In terms of results, this round of dragon blood had helped him restore 80% of his physical abilities from his prime.

‘If I can raise my swordsmanship to the

5-circle level, I might exceed my former peak.’

Though he remained at the same 8-circle level as before his regression, his physical abilities lagged compared to when his swordsmanship had reached the 5-circle level.

But a small breakthrough could push his swordsmanship to the 5-circle level and him to the realm of 9 circles.

Pleased with the significant progress, Martin decided to remain optimistic.

Just then—

“This is urgent, young master!”

The moment he left the Conqueror’s Room, Kurt Steinhoff approached him in haste.

He was so flustered that his usual impassive expression was deeply disturbed, and his face had turned pale.

Seeing Kurt’s expression, Martin immediately sensed that something was amiss.

“What happened?”

“The second prince and Marquis Nicholas von Royce have officially declared their support for the Klaus family’s independence!”

“…This is really maddening. No matter how much they desire the throne, to go this far.”

Martin sighed deeply.

The implication of the declaration was simple.

The two had committed treason against the Emperor and the Empire.

It was clear that the head of the Klaus family had enticed them to hinder Martin.

‘I had hoped to bide my time and grow stronger while the Ferdinand and Klaus families clashed.’

That was no longer an option.

His enemies had been decided, he and Claudia had clear opponents now.

For that reason, Martin cursed Nicholas sincerely.

The second prince was one thing, but Nicholas… truly seemed like a fated enemy.

“Gather the people.”

“Yes, sir!”

Martin had hoped to evade the fallout of the approaching turmoil, but fate was unkind.

Martin now accepted that the true age of chaos had finally begun.