NOVEL WEB Chapter 21
Chapter 21: How to Take the Initiative (3)
“Tch.”
Vincent smirked as he glanced at the audience gathered in the training grounds.
No one present had any idea.
They couldn’t fathom that he, the strongest among the heads of the branch families, had merely become a stepping stone to elevate Martin.
‘I was completely played by the young master.’
He only realized it now.
Why Martin had always done things that managed to win his favor.
The duel itself was important, but the true significance lay in standing before so many people.
‘The moment it becomes known that he’s reached the 7th Circle at just 18 years old, there will be chaos.’
It would be an event big enough to shake not only the Altaria Empire but the entire Cracian Continent.
Martin would undoubtedly gain overwhelming fame, which would then lead to an expansion of his support base.
In that sense, Vincent himself was nothing more than a tool to raise Martin up.
But, strangely, he didn’t feel upset about it.
‘Even I’m curious to see it.’
Honestly, he wanted to witness it.
To see just how strong Martin truly was.
Sshk.
Standing at the center of the training grounds, Martin drew his longsword from his waist.
Immediately, an intense and sharp aura radiated from his entire body. So sharp, in fact, it felt as if Martin himself had become a sword.
‘This… If I let my guard down, I’ll be finished.’
A shiver ran down Vincent’s spine, and goosebumps spread all over his body.
It felt like he could be cut down just by watching him.
So, he adjusted his mindset.
He couldn’t afford to think he had the upper hand.
Facing someone with such overwhelming talent required him to take this duel as seriously as possible.
Grip.
Vincent tightly grasped the hilt of his greatsword and aimed it toward Martin.
“When the young master’s ailment flares up, we’ll stop the duel. So, fight with ease.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Kwooo!
No sooner had Martin finished speaking than a sharp, blade-like aura burst out from his body.
Responding to it, a massive amount of mana from his core—centered in both his abdomen and head—flowed into his sword.
First, a brilliant golden light enveloped the blade, but only for a moment.
The gold deepened and then transformed into a fully formed sword.
“An Aura Blade!”
“No way! Just two days ago, the young master’s swordsmanship was only at the 3rd Circle!”
“It shouldn’t be possible by any standard… But look closely! That’s definitely an Aura Blade! Denying it when the proof is right in front of you is meaningless!”
The crowd couldn’t pull themselves out of their state of confusion.
An Aura Blade was a skill that could only be manifested by those who had reached the 4th Circle of swordsmanship.
In other words, Martin’s level had risen significantly.
‘If you add his innate ability at 1 Circle, that puts him at the 5th Circle… No matter how much of a genius he is, how did he reach this level at just 18?’
‘Even if he has the Dragon’s Curse, it doesn’t make sense.’
Everyone watching was overwhelmed with confusion.
That was how absurd Martin’s growth had been.
However, what Vincent said next caused an even greater shock to ripple through the audience.
“It’s not the 5th Circle, you idiots.”
Vincent, with an expression of disdain, opened his mouth.
Naturally, all eyes focused on him.
“The young master has reached the 7th Circle.”
Just one sentence.
That was all Vincent said before he closed his mouth.
But even that was enough to silence the entire crowd.
Meanwhile, off to the side, a few people were having a quiet conversation.
“What on earth could he have experienced in the Tyrant’s Chamber to reach the 7th Circle in just two days?”
It was Marius, one of the elders, who had recognized Martin’s skill the moment he appeared on the training grounds. He spoke quietly as he looked at Elder Aren.
“I don’t know what happened, but I do know what will happen next. The Empire’s attention will now be focused on the young master.”
“That’s not all. Word will spread that he’s overcome countless trials. Once that story spreads, he’ll gain an unshakable support base. Even the nobles who’ve kept their distance until now will start flattering him,” Aren replied calmly.
But Elder Oriana’s reaction was different.
She had lost her composure and shouted in a sharp voice.
“No matter how great the Adalbert family’s swordsmanship is, it’s impossible to grow this strong this quickly! He must have used some vile forbidden technique…!”
“Hah. Calm down, Elder Oriana. If you make accusations like that without any proof, you could be charged with insubordination and defamation. I understand you’re shocked, but don’t let your emotions take over.”
“As Elder Marius said, now is the time to remain as composed as possible and plan our next move.”
Though Aren spoke calmly, his mind was just as troubled.
Martin shocked everyone every time he appeared.
It was difficult to react to his tactics.
They had been caught off guard so many times that it was hard to know how to move forward.
“…7th Circle?”
Watching from the shadows, Kalain Gustin stared at Martin with trembling eyes.
He couldn’t believe it.
No, he didn’t want to believe it.
But there was no escaping the truth.
The overwhelming force emanating from Martin’s entire body was clear.
It was no longer possible to control Martin.
And because of that, the entire foundation of Kalain’s plans had crumbled.
Grit.
Eventually, Kalain ground his teeth in anger.
—
“The stage the young master wanted has been set. Are you satisfied?”
“I’m just grateful that you’ve gone along with it.”
“I’d say it’s more accurate to say I was led along.”
“You could’ve refused, but you didn’t. That’s what I call going along with it.”
“Well, I wanted everyone to witness the young master’s true strength. In that sense, I won’t let you have the first move. There’s no holding back against someone at the 7th Circle.”
“I also want to fight you with everything I’ve got.”
Thump thump.
Even as he responded, Martin’s heart pounded wildly.
Vincent von Igreet was a swordsman so great that even the Emperor of the Altaria Empire had personally given him a title.
Even if Martin were to regain the full strength he had when he was called the Sword Saint, he couldn’t guarantee victory.
At this point, just wishing for victory was too greedy.
‘But I still have the experience and techniques from back then.’
Though his power wasn’t fully restored, the skills he’d accumulated hadn’t disappeared.
Determined to give everything he had, Martin stepped forward.
In sync with his movement, his sword, enveloped in an Aura Blade, came down.
Sssssh!
The golden Aura Blade detached from the sword and disappeared from everyone’s sight in an instant.
One of the foundational techniques of the Adalbert swordsmanship—Spatial Severance—had been unleashed.
And it had been done with an Aura Blade.
The vanished strike reappeared precisely where Vincent stood.
However, it didn’t work on him.
BOOM!
As if expecting it, Vincent swung his greatsword downward.
The silver Aura Blade surrounding the greatsword easily sliced through the golden Aura Blade.
“Spatial manipulators can sense spatial vibrations, young master. Even if not, the ripple of mana gives it away to some extent. That’s why Spatial Severance has remained a basic technique.”
Wooong.
No sooner had Vincent given this brief lesson than his body entered the gap between spaces. He had activated Spatial Movement.
At that moment, Martin placed his left hand on the ground and performed a tumble.
BOOM!
Vincent’s greatsword crashed into the spot where Martin had just been, shattering the ground and scattering dust and debris everywhere.
The instant Martin regained his stance, he flicked his left hand.
Suddenly, countless fragments flew toward Vincent.
In response, Vincent spun his body and swung his greatsword.
BANG!
A deafening explosion echoed, louder than a cannon blast.
The silver Aura Blade, now in full swing, shattered everything in its path as it rushed toward Martin.
But Vincent’s strike ended up only wrecking the training ground floor.
Martin had evaded the attack by using Spatial Movement.
‘Even spatial movements leave traces. No matter if it’s done through spatial dominance.’
No matter how powerful an innate ability was, it was never perfect.
Vincent, with his vast experience, understood this well.
He quickly utilized Spatial Rejection and spread his mana in all directions.
Wooong.
At 11 o’clock, he sensed the tremor in space.
Without hesitation, Vincent gripped his greatsword with both hands and swung it with full force.
BAM BAM BAM!
The silver Aura Blade slashed in a crescent arc.
But Martin didn’t appear at the spot Vincent had pinpointed. Instead, a boulder manifested, which was immediately shattered by the Aura Blade.
The blade didn’t stop there; it continued flying toward the onlooking knights.
“Move!”
“Get out of the way!”
The knights scrambled to the sides, and the Aura Blade crashed into the spot where they had been standing.
BOOM!
A small crater formed on the ground where the knights had stood.
But Vincent’s attention was already elsewhere.
Martin was standing in the exact opposite position from where Vincent had first focused.
Shhhh!
Vincent spun like a top, and at the same time, his greatsword swung toward Martin.
The silver Aura Blade aimed directly at Martin’s upper body, but it missed once again.
Martin had used Spatial Movement yet again.
Standing still, Vincent raised his left arm—also coated with Aura.
BOOM!
Martin had snuck up behind him in the blink of an eye.
But his sword was blocked by Vincent’s left arm, without him even turning around.
‘As expected, his physical abilities are ridiculous.’
The Igreet family was known for its superhuman strength and endurance.
But even so, blocking a sword imbued with an Aura Blade with just one arm was beyond extraordinary.
Clang! Crash!
Martin’s sword clashed violently with Vincent’s left arm.
After about five exchanges, Vincent twisted his body and brought his greatsword down with great force.
‘I can’t confront that head-on.’
Martin’s eyes gleamed.
What appeared to be a simple downward strike revealed its true nature to him through the enhanced vision provided by the Dragon’s Curse.
A massive amount of power was packed into it.
So much that it could even crush a sword covered in an Aura Blade.
It was a Breakthrough Blade.
A simple strike that could destroy everything because of the immense power it carried.
BOOM!
The longsword and the greatsword collided.
But it wasn’t a direct clash.
Martin had skillfully twisted his longsword, diverting the trajectory of Vincent’s strike.
Throb!
‘This strength is terrifying. Even though I deflected it, my whole body aches.’
Still, it was worth it.
He had created a large opening in his opponent’s defense.
Martin was ready to thrust his sword immediately but chose not to.
Instead, he used Spatial Movement once more and vanished from sight.
BOOM!
As soon as he disappeared, an Aura-enhanced punch struck the spot just a step away from where he had been.
The power was so immense that it created a massive crater on the floor of the training ground.
“Impressive insight, young master. I didn’t expect you to catch on.”
“Are you trying to kill me, Vincent? Just a graze from that would’ve erased me from existence.”
“If it hits, yes. But you dodged it, didn’t you?”
“Well… when you put it like that…”
Martin smiled wryly.
The power contained in Vincent’s greatsword was enough to overwhelm and defeat even a 7th Circle expert in a single blow.
And in such a state, he had deliberately attacked from behind, making it difficult for Martin to react properly.
Martin could only marvel at Vincent’s meticulous strategy.
“Haa…”
Martin took a deep breath to steady himself.
He glanced around for a moment.
The elders and the heirs of the branch families were all visibly shocked. Even Adel von Bitenfeld, who usually remained indifferent, was no exception.
Martin had already achieved most of his objectives.
But it felt too early to stop here.
Vincent’s voice rang out once more.
“Don’t make excuses, young master. You haven’t even shown your full power yet, have you?”
“You’re the same, Vincent.”
“Our circumstances are different. Regardless, since we’ve started this duel, we might as well enjoy it. Give it your all.”
“Of course.”
A grin spread across Martin’s face.
The bitter expression he had earlier was now replaced with mischief.
“You’d better brace yourself, Vincent. My full strength is quite terrifying.”
“Hearing that from the young master, I suppose I should be on guard.”
Vincent nodded seriously, his expression calm.
Wooong.
Martin drew more mana from the cores in his head and abdomen.
In response to his will, the golden Aura Blade shone even more brilliantly.
“Hmm. Simply increasing the amount of mana won’t…”
Vincent started to speak but stopped mid-sentence, as even he couldn’t help but close his mouth.
He could see it clearly.
The moment Martin gripped his sword with both hands, the golden Aura Blade began to merge with the very fabric of space.
The brilliant golden light soon formed a perfect cube, enveloping the entire training ground.
There wasn’t a single person present who didn’t recognize what this technique was.
“A Spatial Sword!?”
The shock that hit Vincent was even greater than when he realized Martin had reached the 7th Circle, or when he witnessed Martin’s exceptional swordsmanship.