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63. Beyond “Speed”

「From the start, [Sword Saint] was a somewhat strange skill.」

『Your foot movement and sword speed will become faster.』

It’s extremely simple and therefore powerful. However, if you spend a long time learning and strengthening other ordinary skills, anyone can do something similar.

Skills like being able to gain magic knowledge going back to ancient times, being able to revive the dead, and being able to increase density without limit – compared to those same set of unique skills that can cause miracles or miraculous phenomenons, Sword Saint is a skill that is extremely lacking in specificity – practicality aside.

「Then, what does “speed” mean in the first place?」

The true value of speed can be broadly summarized into two things.

One, being able to overtake an opponent who has started moving before you.

The other, being able to do more things in the same amount of time.

「–[Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword].」

The moment I activated it, I could see “a few moments into the future.”

I could clearly see the trajectory of the countless piercing blades. It was an effect that could be called reading the future, or even a limited precognition.

「Our w-weapons!?」

「What!? It looked like it slipped right through!?」

Just by moving my body and sword as instructed, I was able to parry every single one of the enemy’s attacks. No matter how early your opponent makes the move, if you can predict it, you can take the lead.

「Come.」

And another true value lied in another effect.

『Summoning autonomous thinking blades.』

Blades of mana shaped like my treasured sword filled the sky. I didn’t need to control those blades myself. They were like loyal soldiers who judged the user’s orders by themselves and carried them out automatically.

「–Suppress them.」

Silver blades rained down from the sky. It robbed over 500 soldiers of their weapons, stripped them of their armor, and robbed them of their power.

「What is this!」

「The swords! The swords are moving on their own!」

「C-Captain! We can’t stop it!」

Unrest spread among the soldiers. The man called the captain raised his voice as if to instill encouragement.

「Push the crossbow corps forward! Fire arrows all at once and turn him into a pincushion!」

「Shoot!!」

Arrows came flying down like a swarm of locusts. The sounds of arrow feathers cutting through the air overlapped, making a sound similar to the flapping of a dragon’s wings. Ultimately, however, it was just a simple attack that drew a parabola.

「Cut it down.」

The mana blades countered the swarm of arrows by traversing and cutting in down from every which direction. Dismantled arrows rained down, causing the soldiers to panic as they realized what was happening above them. The common sense that the enemy will fall if arrows rain down from above no longer applied, and this fact ruled them in fear and confusion.

Once this happens, the power of “command” will no longer reach them.

「The leadership has command of… maybe 20% of the army now.」

The power to get ahead of the opponent who made the first move and control 10, 100, and 1000 at the same time. Beyond its speed, the true essence of [Sword Saint] lies in evolution.

「T-That is… [Sword Saint]…?」

「This is the realm you would have reached one day.…If you hadn’t abandoned it with your own hands.」

「～～～～～～!!」

Altora bit his lip. He lied on the ground while staring at the twinkling stars I brandished.

「Open the line!!」

「……Hmm?」

The line of soldiers who were still in command split apart. Peeking out from the gap was an iron gun muzzle.

「Cannonball!」

「Loading complete!」

「Target aimed!」

In the midst of this confusion, artillery was quickly heading towards me.

「It seems that there is a very talented commander at the back.」

「SHOOT!!」

The muzzles of the cannons burst into flames all at once.

Myself aside, if the aftereffect of the cannons hit Altora behind me, I’m sure he will be wiped out.

「Shizuku, I’ll leave it to you.」

「–[Garou]!」

A golden wolf rushed forward, crushing the shell from the front and passing through the resulting explosion flames to right on top of the artillery unit.

「Werewolf!?」

「Don’t get it Marge’s way.」

She destroyed the wheel part of the cannon and accurately neutralized it.

It wasn’t a bad decision to fire cannons against the three of us without hesitation. However, it also broke the line of soldiers. And now, a “road” has been created.

「Execute connection.」

Each sword dancing in the air was thinking autonomously. Naturally, those thoughts were also shared with the user.

「Execute parallel thinking. —[God’s Eye Drive] [Asura’s Six Arms] [Space Jump] [Chant Destruction] [Infinite Mana Fountain] [Star Years], activate.」

I widened the “road” in the cracks in the battle lines.

The six invisible arms cut in a straight line all the way to the very end, sticking blades at both ends to prevent the soldiers from entering. A bridge imitating the back of the serpent dragon was carved out of ice. The soldiers stopped in their tracks when a white dragon appeared in the blink of an eye.

Its power and appearance intimidated those who laid eyes on it. No one had the will to fight anymore, and I turned my attention to the person at the end of the “road”. There was only one person in the position of supreme commander at the very end of this army.

The great lord who rules this territory remained unfazed even in this situation. My call echoed across the silent battlefield.

「Duke Abik. Though it might be bad manners, shall we have a “discussion”?」