The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 33: Dreams and Bubbles (3)

Boom!

The 20 magic cannons that the Rustal family had brought fired in unison, unleashing blinding flashes of light.

The entire area was instantly bathed in blue light, and huge explosions erupted where the flashes hit.

Sssshhhh.

Some of the barrage from the relentless bombardment flew straight toward Sien, who was descending from the mountainside.

The first flash that came her way directly struck her body.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted, forming a crater in the ground.

Red flames surged into the sky, and the surrounding trees ignited.

But that was all.

Swish.

A hand emerged from the flames, slicing horizontally through the air.

With that simple gesture, the roaring flames were extinguished immediately.

When Sien reappeared, she was completely unharmed.

Not only was she free from burns, but even her clothes weren’t scorched.

More cannon fire then came flying her way.

“Hmph.”

Sien scoffed lightly.

She raised her left hand, igniting an aura around it, and calmly thrust it forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The incoming flash was large enough to easily engulf five grown men and hot enough to melt magically tempered alloys within seconds.

And yet, it couldn’t even push back Sien’s palm.

Grip.

Channeling her unique ability, Spatial Repulsion, Sien clenched her left hand tightly.

That simple act crushed the blue beams of light.

Clap, clap, clap.

A sound of applause echoed.

Sien turned her head slightly to see Lucas Hoffman, who was watching with amusement.

He was grinning as though entertained by what he had just witnessed.

“To gain a perfect body and become a shield for the Adalbert family… Every time I see a member of the Igreet family, I can’t help but think how well you’ve upheld the founder’s legacy. To take a direct hit from a magic cannon and be perfectly fine…”

Lucas was genuinely impressed.

Even as a 7th-Circle warrior, if he were hit by the magic cannon without any countermeasures, he would suffer serious injuries.

No matter how much a body was strengthened through awakening, it still had limitations as long as it was human.

This wasn’t just true for him but for any strong warrior.

However, the members of the Igreet family were in a completely different league.

When it came to physical endurance, strength, and other bodily capabilities, they were on an entirely different level compared to ordinary people—even to the point of ignoring differences in circles.

“I’m still far from my father’s level. He can withstand an aura blade with just his bare body.”

“Well, comparing yourself to Lord Vincent is a bit unfair, don’t you think? Even among the strongest, many are mere weaklings in front of him.”

“Still, I want to become that strong. That’s the only way I can protect Martin.”

Sien replied calmly, her eyes scanning the battlefield below.

Rustal soldiers were charging up the mountainside, armed with various weapons, including magic rifles.

But Sien ignored them.

Magic rifles couldn’t even leave a scratch on her, no matter how many times she was hit.

Her attention was on the knights of the Green Dragon Order leading the charge.

Kwooo!

An intense aura erupted from Sien’s entire body.

That energy quickly gathered into her zweihander, which radiated a brilliant light.

When she infused the blade with the power of Spatial Repulsion, the light intensified wildly, and the blade vibrated violently.

“Get lost!”

BOOM!

With her thunderous shout, Sien swung the zweihander, unleashing a flash far larger than the magic cannon’s blasts.

It obliterated everything in its path, pulverizing trees, rocks, and anything else that stood in its way as it surged toward the Rustal soldiers.

Watching this, Lucas made a mental note.

‘I should remind the Young Lord to never get into a fight with his wife.’

If they weren’t careful, they could lose the lord they had sworn loyalty to in the blink of an eye.

Determined to ensure Martin’s safety should a marital spat ever occur, Lucas began moving.

It was time for him to dispense justice as the commander of the White Dragon Order, the strongest of the Adalbert family’s forces.

—

Valdemar’s rage reached its peak.

However, instead of unleashing it, he focused on using his unique ability.

Woong.

As the space around him rippled, the distance between him and Martin vanished in an instant.

Seizing that moment, Valdemar thrust his sword, aiming directly for Martin’s heart.

Boom!

But the perfect strike failed.

Martin had been waiting for this, and he effortlessly blocked the attack with a well-timed parry.

Yet Valdemar didn’t falter.

He swiftly retrieved his sword and launched another attack.

His sword slashed wildly, as if bullets were raining down in a chaotic barrage.

A lesser knight wouldn’t have even been able to register all of Valdemar’s strikes, let alone the brilliant flashes of his aura blade.

But Martin was different.

He blocked every one of Valdemar’s attacks with ease, as if it were nothing.

Clang! Clang!

Each time their swords collided, shockwaves whipped through the air like a storm, scattering fragments of aura blades like sparks.

When they had exchanged about fifty strikes, Valdemar suddenly amplified his power.

He poured all of his strength into a downward slash, even putting his body weight behind the blow.

In response, Martin violently swung Kaizen upward.

The blade, wrapped in a golden aura, surged upward and clashed head-on with Valdemar’s orange aura blade.

KA-BOOM!

A thunderous explosion shook the air, and blinding white light enveloped the surroundings.

‘Damn it!’

Martin stifled a groan.

The force behind Valdemar’s strike had been immense.

While he managed to block it, he couldn’t prevent his bones from cracking under the strain.

It was fortunate that it had only caused minor fractures.

If he hadn’t focused on reinforcing his body, his arms might have exploded from the force.

Nevertheless, Martin’s counterattack had been just as powerful.

Valdemar, too, was pushed back, evidence of the strength in Martin’s strike.

Both men managed to stop themselves midair, stepping on fragments of space to regain their footing.

‘Persistent bastard.’

Clicking his tongue, Valdemar clenched his left hand.

Woong.

The space around Martin distorted, and dozens of black cracks appeared.

From these cracks, over a hundred weapons, including spears and swords, poured out.

They shot toward Martin like lightning.

But Martin simply sneered.

‘Fast and numerous, but nothing more than tricks.’

It was effective for catching opponents off guard, but that was the extent of it.

Weapons that weren’t wielded by a knight were light and lacked real power.

Shiiing!

Martin spun on his left foot like a top, swinging his zweihander horizontally with all his might.

Dozens of golden traces formed by Spatial Compression swirled around, deflecting all the weapons that flew toward him.

But that wasn’t enough. The golden slash aimed to engulf even Valdemar.

“Haaap!”

With a short shout, Valdemar swung his sword repeatedly toward the air.

Orange traces descended like a whip, successfully canceling out all of Martin’s golden strikes.

The problem came next.

Just when Valdemar thought he had successfully defended, Martin appeared right in front of him.

‘What the—!?’

Valdemar instinctively furrowed his brow.

It was Spatial Compression, eliminating the distance between them.

The very technique he specialized in was now being used by Martin.

It was an utterly unexpected situation, and because of that, Valdemar left a small opening.

Martin wasn’t someone who would miss the opportunity presented to him.

He thrust his right foot forward, striking Valdemar’s abdomen squarely.

This wasn’t just an ordinary kick. It was an attack executed through the Rothar Martial Art, enhanced by the power of Omni Distortion.

Not even someone like Valdemar could withstand it properly.

Boom!

A tremendous sound echoed, and Valdemar’s body bent as he plummeted to the ground.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Valdemar smashed into a tree, and over ten trees behind him snapped. The long trench dug into the earth was just a bonus.

“Guh!”

Though severely injured, Valdemar wasn’t dead.

Of course, he couldn’t claim to be in good shape.

His entire body was drenched in blood.

“Urgh!”

But the real problem was the mana that Martin had driven into his body.

Like a poison, that energy wreaked havoc on Valdemar’s mana circuits, making it nearly impossible for him to control his own mana.

His heart denied it, but his mind had already acknowledged the truth.

He was going to lose this fight.

‘What kind of martial art is that?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it was ridiculous.

That someone like him, a powerful 7-circle mage, could be brought to the brink of death by nothing more than a punch and a kick.

Despite the confusion, Valdemar tried to stand.

He might have accepted it from anyone else, but he couldn’t stand the thought of losing to Martin, who was once powerless.

Thud.

Martin landed lightly in front of Valdemar, who was struggling to get up.

In truth, Martin’s condition wasn’t great either.

The impact from defending against Valdemar’s earlier attack and the ongoing exchange had taken a toll on his body as well.

Blood trickled from his nose and mouth, evidence of the internal injuries he had suffered.

Still, the fact remained that Valdemar had taken the worse hit.

“You should know by now, Valdemar von Rustal. Whatever you can do, I can do too. That’s the difference between the main family and the branch family.”

“…Your tongue is sharper than the previous head’s.”

“Not really? I’m just stating the truth.”

“True, Spatial Domination does allow you to use all spatial techniques. But remember, it doesn’t determine individual strength, my young lord.”

Valdemar glared at Martin and slightly wiggled his left index finger.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Orange spheres formed around Martin and began to close in on him.

Valdemar pinned his hopes on this technique.

He believed that Martin, still lacking in experience, could be caught off guard and that this would allow him to make a comeback.

But that hope crumbled in an instant.

Flash!

Golden light erupted from Martin, shattering the orange spheres in an instant.

The light rapidly expanded, transforming into a cube that enclosed both Martin and Valdemar.

It was the manifestation of the Spatial Sword.

Though there was some distance between them, Martin didn’t care as he swung his sword horizontally.

A golden aura blade sliced through the air, aiming for Valdemar. But that was only the beginning.

Whirrrr.

He had only swung once.

But the number of traces multiplied exponentially, filling the entire cube.

All of the attacks converged on Valdemar simultaneously.

Valdemar bit his lip hard.

‘Spatial Sword isn’t invincible.’

No technique in this world was perfect.

Valdemar was determined to prove that and bring Martin down.

Whoosh.

Valdemar’s orange aura blade flared up like fire. It wasn’t just infused with mana—it carried his very life force.

With that, Valdemar began swinging his sword with all his might.

He couldn’t produce hundreds of slashes in one strike like the main family.

But he could swing his sword dozens of times in less than a second.

Indeed, orange traces surged wildly, resisting the golden ones.

Slowly but surely, he advanced step by step, threatening Martin’s life.

‘To think he’d be able to counter even in this situation. As expected of the head of the branch family.’

Martin thought this as he swung his sword upward.

Newly formed slashes spiraled upward, wrapping around Valdemar.

Realizing he could no longer resist, despair flickered in Valdemar’s eyes.

‘Damn it! Am I at my limit?’

Slash!

Golden slashes finally tore into Valdemar.

Seeing this, Martin retracted his Spatial Sword.

Thud.

Moments later, Valdemar, his body slashed all over, collapsed to the ground.

Martin knelt beside him, making eye contact.

“I always thought I might die without ever becoming the head of the main family. But I expected it to be at the hands of Vincent or Mateus, not from the likes of you.”

“So, I’m no longer ‘young lord’ but just ‘you.’ Well, you’re free to call me whatever you want. But I wonder if you’re ready for what’s next. Your son will soon follow you.”

“Stefan’s maternal grandfather—surely you know who he is. Do you really think you can handle him?”

Stefan Rustal’s maternal grandfather was none other than Nicholas Royce.

The Royce family, though ranked just below the top three noble families, was renowned as a house of powerful magicians.

Nicholas himself was a 9-circle grand mage, and his fame extended far beyond the Altaria Empire, reaching across the entire Cracian Continent.

Nicholas was also well known for doting on his grandson.

“To think your final card is your in-laws’ name. How pathetic.”

“You bastard!”

“Whatever happens next, I can handle it all. Unlike you, who’s about to die.”

Valdemar closed his eyes as he watched Martin’s cold smile.

He couldn’t stand the sight of this bitter reality, nor of Martin.

“Don’t feel too bad. The other traitors will meet the same fate as you. Like Mateus von Gustin, who pretends to be neutral but plots behind the scenes. So, goodbye.”

Still sitting, Martin swung his sword downward.

Slash!

Valdemar’s head separated from his body.

Blood spilled, painting the earth red.

‘That’s one down.’

He had succeeded in punishing one of the traitors.

But it was too early to celebrate.

There were still many left to kill.

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