Extra in a Romance Fantasy

160 – Inside (3)

‘…I can’t afford to delay.’

Ethan immediately reached a conclusion.

With Wade having vanished somewhere, this situation was exceedingly unfavorable.

One calamity-level monster, one elite fighter of the Ten Blades, and on top of that, countless monsters whose numbers were impossible to predict.

The sheer power they possessed was terrifying, but to be honest, he wasn’t afraid.

He had confidence that he could fight them off alone.

However, the problem was that he wasn’t alone here.

The academy’s rookie he had brought along was right behind him.

Though he possessed considerable skill for his age, at his current level, it would be difficult to handle the swarming monsters around them.

So.

‘I’ll finish this in one go.’

—

I needed to quickly deal with the calamity-level monster in front of me and that mysterious shadow.

I knew that.

Swish!

Ethan leaped forward without hesitation.

Towards the calamity-level monster, which was revealing its immense presence even amidst this chaos.

But.

“It’s useless.”

The shadow that had appeared out of nowhere blocked his path once again.

Its movements were impeccably smooth, and it seemed that Ethan’s attack would be intercepted by the shadow once more.

However.

In that moment, Ethan—

“I knew it.”

Instead, he smiled.

What he was aiming for wasn’t the calamity-level monster at all.

His true target had been the shadow from the very beginning.

He had anticipated that the shadow would undoubtedly intervene if he took action, and he had deliberately created this situation.

“……!”

The shadow flinched.

Though its face remained hidden, the unmistakable sign of its flustered state was conveyed clearly.

The shadow had realized.

That Ethan’s true aim was itself.

Thus, it hurriedly tried to twist away.

But.

“It’s already too late.”

Ethan had no intention of letting it go.

Whooosh!

Ethan’s sword let out a ferocious cry.

And then.

It swung towards the shadow at the speed of light.

Boom!

The sound of fabric being cut was replaced by a deafening roar.

A shadow, a martial artist who had reached the realm of thought.

Though he had fallen for Ethan’s psychological tactics, he was by no means at a level to be helplessly defeated; it was thanks to his ability to wield his sword and block Ethan’s attacks even amidst the chaos.

However.

As a result, the shadow was sent flying backward.

“Ugh…”

The shadow let out an involuntary groan.

The shock felt in his arms, and throughout his entire body, was no trivial matter.

It was a single strike, merely a single strike.

Yet, even though he had only blocked a single blow, the impact was such that he couldn’t help but let out a groan.

‘…This is no ordinary opponent.’

The shadow was a figure who could be called the head of the order, a right hand of the leader.

He had lived for many years as the leader’s right hand, carrying out all sorts of tasks.

Among those tasks were encounters with martial artists who had reached the realm of thought, those referred to as the Ten Blades.

Each of those battles had not been easy, but the shadow had ultimately emerged victorious and survived until now.

Yet.

The pressure emanating from the man before him, Ethan, felt entirely different from the pressure he had faced from the Ten Blades he had encountered before.

The aura that Ethan exuded was not the sharp and orderly energy typically possessed by those who had reached the realm of thought.

It felt less like facing a martial artist and more like standing before a wild beast.

The sense of pressure was such that if he let his guard down even slightly, it felt as if his throat would be torn out in an instant.

‘A direct confrontation would not be wise.’

The shadow made a judgment.

It would be best to avoid a head-on clash with Ethan as much as possible.

After all, the situation was in his favor.

As long as he could buy time and keep Ethan in check, victory would surely tilt in his direction.

Having made that judgment, the shadow attempted to correct his stance and evade.

But.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Ethan did not allow that to happen.

He pursued the shadow, swinging his sword in quick succession.

Bang! Crash!

With the continuous roar erupting, the shadow’s body was helplessly pushed back.

Though it managed to defend itself somehow, it was merely holding on; it would not be an exaggeration to say it was being unilaterally overwhelmed.

‘Is this the Tugi…!’

The position of the Ten Blades is an incredibly honorable one, receiving attention that could hardly be overstated.

Simply appearing in public is enough to become a topic of conversation.

And each nation, as well as any group of considerable size, pays significant attention to the information regarding the Ten Blades or those of similar caliber.

This was only natural.

The scale of incidents that a Ten Blade could provoke is beyond imagination.

For similar reasons, the Order also took special care regarding the Ten Blades.

In other words, each of those warriors could significantly influence the Order’s plans.

Thus, the shadow had some understanding of Ethan.

Tugi, Ethan Bertrand.

If one were to summarize the public perception of him in a single sentence, it could be described as ‘a violent battle maniac.’

He initiates fights with anyone he sees as strong, and once a fight is on, he does not shy away, regardless of who the opponent is or the circumstances.

Every action he takes is unrestrained, and if he finds a situation displeasing, it is not uncommon for him to overturn it with brute force.

Because of this, Ethan could be said to have the worst reputation among the Ten Blades, where gentle personalities are rare, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that everyone feared him.

However.

Beneath that violent reputation lay his true worth.

‘A genius.’

The position of the Ten Blades is one that cannot be reached by those without talent; it is a realm of the warriors of Ideation.

It is a level that only those called geniuses among geniuses can attain after dedicating many years to the martial way.

That is the realm of Ideation.

In other words, everyone who ascends to the position of Ten Blades is a genius without exception.

Yet.

Ethan’s talent stood out even among them.

He rose to that position at the youngest age in the history of the Ten Blades.

Generally, reaching the realm of Ideation is only possible after a certain age has been attained.

Even the renowned sword masters and sword saints reached that level in their mid-thirties.

Yet, Ethan stepped into that realm just after turning thirty.

—

There is a reason why all eyes across the continent were drawn when he first became one of the Ten Blades.

Perhaps, among those currently holding the title, no one could match Ethan Bertrand in terms of sheer talent.

Of course, the world is vast, and exceptions do exist.

Like Wade Hebron, who had just been here a moment ago.

Wade had already reached the realm of Ideation at the tender age of adulthood.

No, he had not only surpassed that; he had grown to a level where he could easily overwhelm those who had merely attained the realm of Ideation.

Just earlier, when facing Wade, the Shadow felt it.

A strong intuition that he would never be able to defeat Wade.

In comparison to such an existence as Wade, Ethan might seem somewhat ordinary.

However, Wade Hebron should not even be considered a point of comparison.

He is far too alien, an enigmatic being that should not exist.

And when excluding such exceptions,

Ethan’s talent, his uniqueness, does not fade in front of anyone.

Kwang!

“Ugh…!”

Once again, the Shadow was pushed back forcefully after blocking Ethan’s attack.

The Shadow is not without age.

He has served under the Master for decades, and quite some time has passed since he reached the realm of Ideation.

While age and strength are not always proportional, generally, the amount of magical power increases with age.

Moreover, the Shadow’s body has transcended aging due to the Order’s special techniques.

In terms of physical strength and magical power, he should have been overwhelming Ethan.

Yet, the Shadow was being pushed back by Ethan.

So much so that it wouldn’t be strange to describe it as one-sided.

“This isn’t good.”

Not good at all.

This flow is certainly not favorable for him.

Knowing that,

“Hmm…?”

The Shadow decided to change the situation.

“Ethan Bertrand. I will engage you seriously now.”

Shadows began to seep out from the body of the shadow.

Thick and unsettling shadows.

*

Due to the shadow’s suspicious behavior, I found myself in an unfamiliar space for the first time, and I quickly tried to assess my surroundings.

It wasn’t a situation where I could leisurely examine what kind of space this was or what characteristics it possessed.

One calamity-level monster and a ten-sword level warrior.

That was a power level far beyond what my party could handle.

Moreover, considering that I had been sent to this different place, it was highly likely that everything had been prepared in advance, which meant there was even a possibility of other forces being readied.

Thus, I began to scan my surroundings with a sense of urgency.

What caught my eye was—

“A field…?”

Yes, it was a field.

A field overgrown with grass, the kind you might find anywhere.

The peculiar thing was that the field stretched out so wide that I couldn’t see its end, and the sky was dark, as if filled with storm clouds.

Where am I, and how can I return to my original location?

As I pondered these thoughts, gathering information about my surroundings, I heard—

Swoosh—

The sound of grass being trampled.

Naturally, my gaze turned toward the source.

And then, I saw it.

“I never thought you’d still be alive.”

The face of the old man, vividly etched in my memory.

“I was sure I had killed you back then.”

The Swordmaster, Dreyr Hekslur.

He stood before me, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.