Extra in a Romance Fantasy

197 – King (9)

“I honestly thought it would be impossible to stop it.”

Through the battles thus far, the man had completely grasped Wade’s level.

And with the intention of ending the fight, he unleashed the storm.

It was not an all-out attack, but it was an assault that Wade could not block at this moment.

Thus, the man had thought.

That Wade would be torn to shreds by the storm, and that the fight would come to an end because of it.

However, the man’s expectations were shattered.

Wade was very much alive, and the storm he had prepared was split in two along with the sky.

“What happened? That attack should have been beyond your ability to counter.”

With a gaze filled with curiosity and doubt, the man stared at Wade.

“You can’t be hiding your true skills… Have you grown stronger in the meantime?”

Though his expectations had been wrong, the man did not doubt his own eyes.

He considered it more likely that Wade had achieved sudden growth than that he had misjudged Wade’s potential.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter which it is.”

He wasn’t entirely uninterested, but in truth, the reason held little significance for the man.

He simply wore a satisfied smile on his face, pleased that Wade had shattered his expectations and that this fight wouldn’t end in boredom.

“Now then, since you’ve successfully blocked my attack… it’s your turn.”

Once again, the man reached out his hand toward Wade.

“Show me your skills once more.”

As if in response to those words, Wade raised his sword.

Whooosh—

And the sword in Wade’s hand let out a soft cry.

However, this time, no dazzling light emerged from the sword.

“Hmm?”

At that sight, the man’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Are you not going to use that technique from earlier?”

The man knew nothing about martial arts.

Thus, he had no understanding of the sword’s power.

Yet, he was aware of the might that the sword technique possessed.

That was why he felt puzzled that Wade was not igniting that power.

However, Wade did not answer that question.

Instead, he simply took a quiet step forward.

The speed was slow enough for an ordinary person to see clearly.

Swish!

Yet the result was anything but slow.

In the next moment, Wade had reached directly in front of the man.

And with that, Wade swung his sword.

The trajectory, the speed, was undeniably sharp, but the power emanating from the blade was incomparable to before.

Unlike the earlier strike that had sliced through space itself, this time it merely cut through the air.

Yet, the speed remained as swift as ever.

So much so that it evoked the image of a beam of light.

And the man, who was completely unfamiliar with the art of swordsmanship, followed the sword’s speed with his eyes from beginning to end.

Despite having never trained even a little.

The man was able to keep pace with Wade’s extreme speed.

At last, he extended his arm.

Just as he had done moments ago, over the path of Wade’s swinging sword.

Wade’s sword followed its trajectory, and soon, Wade’s blade collided with the man’s arm.

It was the exact same scene that had unfolded moments before.

Rustle!

But the outcome was different.

This time, Wade’s sword severed the man’s arm.

“…!”

For the first time, surprise flickered across the man’s face.

At the same time, a question arose in his eyes.

However, Wade did not give him the time to voice that question.

Swish!

Once again, Wade’s body accelerated, and the sword that had just cut the man’s arm swung toward him again.

The blade seemed poised to cleave the man in two.

Boom!

But a sudden explosion forced Wade to retreat, unable to fulfill his intent.

“How on earth did you do that?”

The man’s voice flew toward the retreating Wade.

“How did you sever my arm without even igniting that strange light?”

Just moments ago, Wade had poured all his strength into igniting the sword’s aura and had failed to cut the man’s arm.

No, he hadn’t even managed to inflict a wound.

However, this time, the outcome was entirely different.

With a blade that hadn’t even been ignited, Wade cleanly severed the man’s forearm.

That alone was enough to astonish anyone, but there was more to be surprised about.

“It doesn’t regenerate.”

From the moment Wade cut off his arm, the man had tried to regenerate it.

Yet, no matter how many times he attempted, the arm did not regenerate.

Even if his entire body were to turn to dust, this man, who could regenerate his body in an instant, was unable to restore just a severed arm.

He had already experienced being cut to pieces by Wade before.

And at that time, in the blink of an eye, he had regenerated his body.

But this time, for some reason, he could not regenerate his arm.

“Impressive, truly impressive.”

Despite having his arm severed, the man did not contort his face in pain.

Instead, he smiled and offered praise to Wade.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but yes. This is how it should be. This is what Feridion is.”

The man was genuinely pleased.

That Wade had surpassed his expectations, that he had inflicted a wound upon him.

It was because he had been anticipating this moment.

The day he would reunite with Feridion, and the battle that would ensue.

Thus, the man felt joy.

The fact that this fight would not end in boredom.

“Well, losing an arm might be a bit inconvenient… but it doesn’t matter.”

As if it were of no consequence that his arm was gone, the man raised his other arm.

And then.

Whoosh—

The wind began to blow.

Around the man, the wind started to swirl.

Soon, a sphere materialized in the air.

A sphere created from the ominous energy the man exuded.

At first, it was only the size of a palm, but in the next moment, it grew to the size of a human torso, then to that of a boulder, and then to the size of a house.

And ultimately, without any exaggeration, it became large enough to cover the mountain on which Wade and the man stood.

—

The mass, which was difficult to express with the word “gigantic,” evoked the image of the sun.

The difference was that, unlike the sun, it was pitch black.

And, merely by existing, it radiated an aura that overwhelmed all living beings on the ground, instilling fear.

Thus, the man who had created another sun in the sky smiled as he looked at Wade and said,

“Well then, can this be stopped too?”

With an expression of utmost delight, he finally lowered his arm—

The black sun began to fall toward the earth.

*

As I watched the falling black sun, I gripped my sword tightly.

I felt it.

The absurd power contained within that black sun.

If it fell like this, it wouldn’t just erase this crater.

Perhaps this academy… no, if things went wrong, even Ferdion itself could vanish from the map.

Such an unfathomable power was contained within that black sun.

I gazed at the falling black sun with unwavering eyes.

Just a moment ago, when I was helpless against the man’s attack, suddenly the sword began to tremble.

At first, I didn’t know the cause, but soon I realized.

It was the voice of the sword.

The sword was speaking to me.

The sword was calling out.

From a conventional perspective, it was a sound that would raise doubts about my sanity, yet it wasn’t entirely absurd.

The saying that an exceptional weapon chooses its master has circulated among warriors as a proverb.

And the most famous of such weapons was none other than the Hero’s Sword.

It is said that the Hero’s Sword never lent its power to anyone except for the hero Ferdion.

I understood this by grasping the Hero’s Sword.

That it was not merely a fanciful tale.

When I defeated Arminanon, I had indeed heard the voice of the sword.

And that voice I heard then echoed back to me once more.

The sword was trying to convey something to me.

Thus, I focused my mind.

To hear the voice of the sword, I strained my ears.

And in that moment, a scene flashed through my mind.

It was the sight of two men engaged in battle.

Though it was clearly a scene I had never seen before, I instantly recognized the identities of the two men.

One was a face I knew well, and the other wielded a sword that was all too familiar.

The identities of the two men were none other than the King of Monsters and Ferdion.

I realized.

What I was witnessing was the past, a battle that had taken place here hundreds of years ago.

And in that battle, Ferdion was fighting the King of Monsters on equal footing.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t truly equal.

The King of Monsters maintained a constant air of ease, while only determination was reflected on Ferdion’s face.

Yet, even so.

Ferdion was engaged in a proper fight with the King of Monsters, to the point where it appeared momentarily equal.

Against the King of Monsters, who had overwhelmed me, who had left me unable to inflict even a scratch despite my all-out efforts.

As I quietly observed the battle Ferdion was waging, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Ferdion didn’t feel that far away.

Ferdion’s strength, speed, skill.

It was clear they were ahead of me.

However, that difference didn’t feel significant at all.

…To be more precise.

‘…I could too.’

I felt as if I could replicate the combat prowess Ferdion was displaying.

With that, a question naturally arose in my mind.

‘How?’

How could Ferdion, who didn’t seem all that different from me, fight the King of Monsters on equal terms?

‘Why?’

My attacks had failed to wound the man, so why could Ferdion’s strikes cut into his flesh, his body?

To find the answer to that question, I watched Ferdion’s fight unfold before me with keen interest.

However, regrettably, I was not given the time to obtain that answer.

The battle that had unfolded in my mind had scattered, and in the next moment, I found myself back in reality.

Boom!

As if welcoming me back, an explosion erupted immediately.

Barely throwing myself to avoid the blast, my mind was still filled with questions.

Yet, no matter how my mind felt, the explosions continued, and ultimately, I had no choice but to swing my sword once more.

It was then.

‘That’s not it.’

I felt as if a voice had echoed in my mind.

At first, I thought it was just an illusion.

However, when I swung my sword again.

‘That’s too inefficient.’

The voice came again.

Only then did I realize.

It was not a mere hallucination.

Clearly, a voice was resonating.

But I couldn’t tell whose voice it was.

It wasn’t the voice of the sword.

The very way it reached me was different.

‘Relax a bit more.’

Even amidst my contemplation, the voice continued to speak.

‘That’s not how you use it.’

Whether I was moving to dodge the explosions or swinging my sword to cut through them.

As if imparting wisdom, the voice pointed out each of my movements.

At first, I tried to ignore it, but the voice was so clear that it was impossible to dismiss.

In the end, I gave up on ignoring the voice.

Instead, I decided to listen to it.

It was almost an act of frustration.

The incessant voice was irritating me.

Since the situation couldn’t possibly get any worse, in a fit of anger, I chose to heed the voice and moved my body as it guided me.

To my surprise, it began to feel easier.

Avoiding the man’s attack, and cutting him down.

The more I listened to the voice, the more I followed its teachings, the easier my situation became.

But that was not the end.

I cleaved through a storm that seemed impossible to withstand, and ultimately, I even severed the man’s arm.

And in this moment, facing the black sun that seemed poised to destroy everything, I finally realized.

The true identity of the voice.

And what it was trying to convey.

I lifted my head.

I saw the sun falling toward the earth.

As I beheld that sight, I summoned my intent, my will.

Wooh—

The sword let out a gentle cry, and my will resided fully within it.

With the sword imbued with my will, I slowly swung it toward the sky, toward the sun—

‘That’s right.’

Along with the satisfying voice echoing in my mind.

The black sun split in two.