The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter15: Adalbert Swordsmanship (2)

Martin looked up at Arelia, doing his best to maintain his composure.

At the same time, he realized something—he could never deceive her.

She was, after all, the founder of the Adalbert family, the very origin of Spatial Domination.

There was no way she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Omni Distortion and Spatial Domination.

“What you’ve guessed is correct. My unique ability is not Spatial Domination.”

—”Then what have you awakened?”—

“It’s called Omni Distortion.”

—”And what does it do?”—

“I can twist anything I can perceive with mana. Plus, because of the Adalbert bloodline, I’ve also gained the ability to manipulate more difficult things, like gravity and space.”

—”So, you pretended to have awakened Spatial Domination?”—

“Yes, exactly.”

—”Hahahahaha!”—

Arelia began to laugh hysterically.

In contrast, Martin was left feeling bewildered.

But soon, his confusion was cleared, though what he learned left him even more stunned.

—”Hahaha! Even after living for 1,000 years, the world still finds ways to surprise me! To think that another Omni Distortion user would appear in the Adalbert family besides me.”—

“What…?”

—”My unique ability was Omni Distortion too. Though, I admit, mine pales in comparison to yours.”—

“What do you mean…?”

The revelation hit Martin as hard as the realization of his reincarnation had.

Arelia von Adalbert.

The founder of the Adalbert family, believed to be the origin of Spatial Domination.

To hear that her unique ability had not been Spatial Domination but the same Omni Distortion as his—it defied everything he knew.

—”Since you’ve awakened Omni Distortion, you deserve to know the truth. But don’t expect anything grand. Still, do you want to hear it?”—

“…I would be grateful if you told me.”

—”As I said, my unique ability was Omni Distortion. My husband, however, possessed the ability called ‘Spatial Manipulation.’ When these two abilities combined, they created Spatial Domination. My son, the second head of the Adalbert family, was the first to awaken it.”—

The merging of two completely different abilities to form a new one.

It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

After all, unique abilities themselves were highly unpredictable, constantly changing.

The branch families of Adalbert were a prime example of this.

They had been demoted to branch families because they had awakened space-related abilities that differed from Spatial Domination.

In fact, their situation was better than most—there were cases where descendants manifested entirely different abilities and were not even recognized as members of the family.

“I have a question.”

—”Go ahead.”—

“What about the Adalbert Swordsmanship? You can’t manipulate space with Omni Distortion alone.”

—”That’s not entirely true. Once Omni Distortion reaches the 3rd Circle, it can begin to interfere with space.”—

“That’s why you said mine was more advanced. Even though I’m only at the 1st Circle, I’m already able to manipulate space.”

—”That’s right. As for the Adalbert Swordsmanship… I did write the first draft of it. But it was my son who perfected it. He named it after me out of respect.”—

“I see. Do the previous heads know about this?”

—”No, they don’t. Why would I need to tell them? It hasn’t affected my ability to teach the fundamentals of swordsmanship to my descendants.”—

Arelia smiled mischievously as she spoke.

But Martin couldn’t bring himself to smile along with her.

The truth was simple enough, but it was still overwhelming to process.

—”Anyway, knowing the truth won’t change much. I’ll still teach you the fundamentals of Adalbert Swordsmanship, and you’ll still learn it.”—

“Even though I’ve awakened Omni Distortion, I can still learn it?”

—”As I said earlier, it doesn’t matter. You’ve already proven your worth by breaking through the Permeation Barrier. The only problem, really, is your body… You’re suffering from the Dragon’s Curse, aren’t you?”—

“You’re right.”

—”What a fate. To awaken a unique ability while battling the Dragon’s Curse—your life hasn’t been easy, has it?”—

Arelia looked at Martin with a gaze filled with pity.

Martin responded with a bitter smile but said nothing.

His past had been a struggle, but after his reincarnation, that part of his life was behind him.

Now, his focus was solely on shaping the future.

—”You don’t have much time left. Three years at most. It’s barely enough time to enjoy life. Are you still determined to learn Adalbert Swordsmanship?”—

“I have to master it.”

—”Why?”—

“The Adalbert family is on the brink of extinction.”

Arelia’s expression hardened.

—”Is that true?!”—

“Yes. Right now, I am the only direct descendant left. And for a long time, I couldn’t even manifest my unique ability due to the Dragon’s Curse. Although I was lucky to awaken it recently, the family remains in crisis.”

—”Now that you mention it, the last visitor here was a boy named Daniel, about forty years ago. No one has come since.”—

“That was my father, the previous head of the family. He passed away about three months ago.”

—”So the family’s situation is that bad. It’s no wonder the heir would be underestimated in such a time.”—

“That’s true. But that’s all going to change now.”

—”Do you think just manifesting your unique ability is enough to turn things around?”—

“No. What the family head needs is absolute power. Without that, the title of head is meaningless, a mere illusion.”

—”You understand that well enough. But with the Dragon’s Curse, your time is limited. Do you know how to cure it?”—

“I don’t know how to cure it, but I do know how to alleviate it.”

Arelia gazed intently at Martin.

Then she nodded lightly.

—”You’ve mastered an unusual breathing technique. It’s improving your physical abilities just by breathing.”—

“This, too, is a legacy of the Adalbert family. However, it was passed down by a branch family, so I doubt you would know of it.”

—”Even if it’s from a branch, they’re still Adalberts. Any child who leaves behind such a remarkable technique deserves praise. But now I understand your resolve. I will teach you properly.”—

“Thank you.”

Martin bowed his head respectfully.

Arelia’s smile returned.

‘How interesting. I wonder what heights this child will reach.’

Shhh.

With a calm yet deliberate motion, Arelia unsheathed her sword.

In that moment, Martin’s eyes flashed with intensity.

He was about to learn from the strongest swordsman in the history of the empire.

Even if it was just the fundamentals, the value of that knowledge was incalculable.

But just as quickly as his expression hardened, it faltered.

—”I will teach you the fundamentals of Adalbert Swordsmanship, but only up to a point. After that, I’ll teach you a different swordsmanship.”—

Once again, Arelia dropped an unexpected bombshell.

—

‘What is she thinking?’

Martin quickly calmed his racing heart.

There was no way she was saying this without a good reason.

Though he couldn’t yet grasp her intentions, he was certain she had his best interests in mind.

—”You must have had quite the experiences for someone your age, to calm your emotions so quickly.”—

“It’s not as much as you think,” Martin replied, trying to remain modest. “But what I’m curious about is why you said you wouldn’t teach me Adalbert Swordsmanship.”

—”You will never be able to fully master Adalbert Swordsmanship. I can see you’ve already realized this to some extent.”—

“I figured that, since I haven’t manifested Spatial Domination, there would be limits to how far I could go with it.”

—”That’s the correct assessment. So, instead of Adalbert Swordsmanship, I will teach you a different style. You could call it Arelia Swordsmanship.”—

“Wait… could it be…?”

—”You’re quick to catch on. Yes, it’s a swordsmanship designed for those who wield Omni Distortion. Are you willing to learn it?”—

“I’ll definitely master it!”

Martin answered with unwavering determination.

Arelia watched him with a strange sense of nostalgia.

The Arelia Swordsmanship was a style she had developed solely for herself.

Yet, after a thousand years, she now had a new successor to pass it on to.

—”Good. I will teach you the Arelia Swordsmanship, but you must still learn the basics of Adalbert Swordsmanship.”—

“I understand.”

—”Let’s begin then. How much do you know about Adalbert Swordsmanship?”—

“I’ve heard that it consists of only three primary techniques.”

—”And what are they?”—

“Space Slash, Space Rend, and Space Sword. I’ve been told that all other techniques are extensions of these three.”

—”You’ve been taught correctly. Now, I’ll show you each technique one by one. Watch closely, as I will only demonstrate them once.”—

With that, Arelia von Adalbert raised her sword toward the empty air.

Just then, Martin interrupted.

“Please wait, Lady Arelia.”

—”What is it?”—

Arelia frowned at the interruption, but Martin continued unfazed.

“You don’t need to show me Space Slash or Space Rend. I can perform them myself.”

—”Hah?”—

Arelia looked at him in disbelief.

Yet Martin remained calm.

—”Your talent for swordsmanship is extraordinary, allowing you to reach the 4th Circle at such a young age. However, Adalbert Swordsmanship is not something that can be mastered simply by having a knack for swordsmanship. It requires a perfect fusion of both skill and unique ability—”—

Before Arelia could finish her sentence, Martin had already drawn his sword.

At the same time, he activated Omni Distortion, and mana surged from the core in his head, enveloping his blade.

“Hahp!”

With a sharp cry, Martin slashed downward with all his strength.

The air rippled, and a dark rift appeared—a sign that space itself had been cleaved.

It was the perfect execution of Space Slash.

—”What in the world…!”—

Arelia’s calm demeanor shattered at the sight.

A thousand years.

It was a span of time incomprehensible to any ordinary person.

Though Arelia was but a fragment of her original self, she had lived through all those years, teaching every direct descendant of the Adalbert family, including all the past family heads.

Every one of them had been hailed as a genius in their own right.

But this descendant standing before her was different.

Martin wasn’t just a genius—he was something beyond that, something that defied explanation.

But Martin wasn’t paying attention to Arelia’s reaction. He was already preparing to demonstrate the second technique, Space Rend.

“Hyah!”

As he shouted, Martin swung his sword, and mana surged along the blade.

A gust of wind was launched from his sword, but then something curious happened.

Instead of traveling in a straight line, the slash vanished into thin air.

Boom!

The slash reappeared behind Martin, striking the ground with a thunderous crash.

Arelia stood there, her mouth agape.

“Space Rend moves the slash through space to a different location. I’ve heard it can even be adapted with aura techniques,” Martin explained.

Blood trickled from Martin’s mouth as he furrowed his brow.

His body was breaking down after pushing through the Permeation Barrier. On top of that, using both his unique ability and swordsmanship at the same time was pushing his limits, leaving him with internal injuries.

No matter how often he experienced it, the pain of his insides tearing apart never became easier to bear.

—”You’re pushing yourself too hard.”—

“I had to show you, so you’d believe me.”

—”You’re as stubborn as they come. But how on earth did you do that? Didn’t you say you’d only just awakened your unique ability?”—

“I saw my father perform it once.”

—”You remembered a single demonstration and then recreated it? And not even with Spatial Domination, but with Omni Distortion?”—

“Isn’t it all thanks to the Adalbert bloodline?”

—”Stop with the nonsense. There have been many direct descendants who awakened Spatial Domination, but none were like you. Even with your age, this is just… beyond words.”—

Arelia sighed in disbelief as Martin chuckled to himself internally.

‘I used to perform these techniques all the time when they called me the Sword Saint.’

Even though he had been reincarnated, the essence of these techniques remained etched into his memory.

If he couldn’t recreate them, that would be the real surprise.

—”Anyway, you’ve passed for Space Slash and Space Rend. Now let’s move on to Space Sword. What do you know about this technique?”—

“My father said it’s the most important technique in Adalbert Swordsmanship. He also told me that the family was able to establish itself as the empire’s most powerful martial household because of the Space Sword.”

—”He’s right. Without mastering Space Sword, one cannot truly claim to have learned Adalbert Swordsmanship.”—

“That brings me to my question—can I perform Space Sword with Omni Distortion?”

—”Yes, you can.”—

“W-what? Really?”

—”Do you think I would lie to you? However, you’ll need to reach a higher circle first.”—

Martin’s body trembled at her words.

For most wielders of space-related abilities, Space Slash and Space Rend were achievable without too much effort.

That’s why they were considered the basics.

But the Space Sword was on a different level.

Although it was called a basic technique, it was anything but simple.

It was the foundation and pinnacle of Adalbert Swordsmanship.

Only by mastering Space Sword could one truly be recognized as a direct descendant of the Adalbert family.

‘In my past life, I couldn’t even begin to grasp it, let alone mimic it.’

Thanks to the Dragon’s Curse, Martin had been able to discern most techniques after seeing them a few times.

But no matter how many times he witnessed his father, Daniel von Adalbert, use the Space Sword, he could never understand its principles.

His father had told him it was because he hadn’t awakened Spatial Domination.

He even mentioned that the Space Sword was a technique reserved for those who wielded that ability.

If that were true, then it meant that Martin, having awakened Omni Distortion, couldn’t ever learn Space Sword.

If that were indeed the case, it would be best to give up on it.

But before he did, he wanted to be absolutely certain.

That’s why he had come to the Hall of the Tyrant.

To read the Adalbert Swordsmanship Manual for himself.

And now, the family’s founder had just confirmed it—he could perform Space Sword with Omni Distortion.

“Then… how many circles had you reached when you first performed Space Sword, Lady Arelia?”

—”I was at the 4th Circle. However, in your case, I cannot say. Your Omni Distortion surpasses my own.”—

“I see.”

—”Do you have any other questions?”—

“No, that was all.”

—”Then, watch closely.”—

“Yes!”

Martin responded with enthusiasm, his heart pounding in his chest.

He was finally going to witness the technique he had been unable to master in his previous life.

He would observe it carefully and make it his own.

With newfound resolve, Martin steeled himself for what was to come.

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