I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

095. What Bloomed in the Snowfield (2)

Superhuman.

It was a word attached to an individual who transcended the human species, a lone figure wielding power greater than an entire legion.

So, what is the criterion for such a superhuman?

If you asked numerous individuals who wielded supernatural abilities to perform miracles, such as knights, wizards, and spiritists, they all answered the same.

―Sword Master. There is no other.

A master-level knight.

They were the very monsters who touched the essence of the word superhuman.

This was not mere praise or exaggeration.

In reality, it was extremely rare for more than three Sword Masters to emerge in a single era, and considering the impact each of them had on history, it was difficult to fully describe their power with just the word superhuman.

Let’s set aside the grand stories and delve in.

Why are Masters so remarkable?

Why is it a miracle to even reach that level, and why does the world tremble the moment they do?

First, there was a transformation of the body.

Boom―!

Just as the flames that enveloped and burned Tibria’s body, the moment they became a Master, their bodies were rewritten by their mana. Bones, muscles, skin, flesh, and organs were all newly created.

Their density and durability far surpassed the standards of ordinary humans.

Even compared to other species, their level was exceptional, especially muscle density. It was as if the strength of a dragon was crammed into a body less than 2 meters tall.

Next, their mana transformed.

Kiiiiiiing―!

Rather than changing, it expands.

However, it’s not that the volume increases, but the vessel of mana expands to an astonishing level, increasing the total amount of power they possess to an incomparable degree.

That wasn’t all.

As befits the name Master, the ability to possess and control mana becomes exceptional.

In the sensory realm, they realize how to use it efficiently and how to absorb it quickly.

To digress, that was the reason Yuren was strong.

Having already reached the end of the Master level, he remembered the control method and could match opponents of higher realms.

Anyway, just considering the above, one can understand how absurd the Master level is.

But fundamentally, there was another reason they were truly classified as superhumans.

“Crazy…!”

Bell was astonished.

The barrier she had deployed to block Tibria burned and turned to ashes in an instant.

It wasn’t an ordinary flame.

That flame was the manifestation of mana, and within that mana was something that couldn’t be fully described as an ability… something vaguely resembling authority.

Bell knew its name.

‘Nature…!’

The reason a Master is a Master.

The reason they are truly classified as superhumans and dominate the world.

Nature was such a thing.

A means to establish one’s existence, to imbue that identity into one’s mana, and to express it to the world.

Yuren’s ‘Shatter’, Kallios’s ‘Domination’, Lord Drenor’s ‘That’, and now Tibria’s ‘Fearfire’ that manifested today. All of these were powers that transcended rules or laws and changed the world with will.

Simply put, that’s what it was.

The moment they embraced Nature, they gained the power to dye the world with their personal identity.

The reason the minimum condition for the ‘Sword’s Will’ to enforce results with will is a Master is also related to that, but that’s a slightly different story.

To summarize what happened now:

Tibria’s complete recovery, and beyond that, the rise in realm.

With just that, the entire situation was completely overturned.

Bell lost her composure and began to struggle with all her might, while Tibria started to press Bell madly.

Although the control was immature as it was a newly acquired power, the destructive power was enough to crush Bell.

The reason Bell could endure and counterattack was because this was the peak of her entire life.

The presence of foreign news, the power of fate. These combined to give the apostle of the two gods a ‘class’.

Didn’t they even have good compatibility?

The power of the mother is the power to turn dreams into reality.

The power of fate is the power to lead the result to the desired cause.

In other words, there was something that could be done by combining the two.

To implement imagination and force it into reality.

“Die!!!”

Bell shot the spear that was implemented in an instant.

She imbued it with power so that it would reach Tibria’s heart.

The power of fate that Bell obtained was ‘Fateful Guidance’.

Although limited, as long as her divine power allowed, Bell’s actions would reach the target point through precise causal coherence.

She borrowed this power even in the process of shaking him by touching Superth’s dream.

She thought she wouldn’t fail…

Boom―!

The spear exploded into ashes from Tibria’s punch.

Immediately after, Tibria appeared in front of Bell. Her fist was drawn back behind her waist. Her ferocious, gleaming eyes stared directly at Bell.

Immediately after, her shoulders shook.

Bell wrapped herself in power like a shield.

With that, she barely escaped death.

Boom―!

The power she wrapped to block was turned to ashes.

Tibria’s nature was a kind of terror.

The power to burn everything it touched to ashes.

She had never heard of such a nature.

Bell bit her lip.

‘There must be a weakness… There has to be…!’

There was a reason for her certainty.

Because Bell was not unfamiliar with the existence of that master-level knight.

‘He’ always had a habitual saying.

―Temperament is a double-edged sword. The more perfect it appears, the more terrible the backlash it harbors. For example, the ‘thing’ of the Imperial Royal Knights Commander… Yes, it is terribly strong, but if you only consider the result, it is a method for mutual destruction, isn’t it? Me, that man, and the other masters all eventually use their temperaments while taking such risks. Masters who don’t do so don’t live long.

Every temperament has a corresponding risk.

The more perfect the temperament appears, the more terrible the form of that risk.

Bell pondered those words as he analyzed Tibria’s temperament.

The flame, that damned flame.

Whether material or immaterial, even if it is a power, it burns everything it touches to ashes.

Then it is invincible.

If that flame is wrapped around the entire body, there is no gap to stab.

Perfect.

So, Bell focused on the point that the flame was so perfect.

He looked beyond the flame at Tibria.

At that moment, Bell’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

His mouth stretched into a long arc.

“Ah, ah…!”

Thud!

Bell barely dodged Tibria and burst into laughter.

“I got it! I understand why you’re so anxious!!!”

It was clear.

He hadn’t been able to see it because he hadn’t been concentrating until just before, but now it was clear.

“You burn too! That flame burns your body too!!!”

Kahaha! Bell’s smile turned into a mad laugh.

Indeed. As she said, Tibria’s flame was a flame that burned the body of its user as well. Being the subject of the temperament and having a mana barrier under the flame, it didn’t happen immediately, but due to the process of creating the flame, it was inevitable.

Tibria’s flame was fueled by emotions like self-hatred, anger, and hatred. It was a flame born from the desire to burn away everything that had taken her precious things and herself, who couldn’t protect anything.

If she let her guard down even a little, Tibria would turn to ashes.

Having found a way to break it, Bell’s mind worked faster than before.

He gave up attacking.

Instead, he created an illusion of himself and hid within it.

The solution was simple. Just drag out the time and let it self-destruct.

Tibria rushed at him more fiercely and began to erase the illusion.

Bell scattered around, diverting Tibria’s attention, and whenever the flame flew towards his real body, he switched the positions of the illusion and the real body.

Crack!

A spark brushed against Tibria’s cheek.

That part turned black and oozed pus.

Bell felt excitement.

I can win. I can live!

The certainty that she could not only escape the despair that had suddenly descended but also reverse it was more intense than ever.

It was then.

Stop!

Tibria’s body froze.

Bell, who had folded her wings and landed on the ground, met her eyes.

Her crescent-shaped eyes showed Bell’s feelings exactly.

“Why, giving up? You don’t want to die by suicide either, do you?”

It wasn’t carelessness.

Even at this moment, she was wiggling her fingers, preparing a big spell.

Tibria exhaled deeply in the flames.

Her eyes lowered.

“…Yes, I am inexperienced. Even so, it seems I don’t have the power to tear you apart in one go.”

The action of clenching her fist felt resentful.

Bell chuckled and completed the spell.

“Don’t be too disheartened. Incompetence isn’t something you become because you want to.”

And so,

Rumble―

Countless windows sprouted from the ceiling of the space, all aiming at Tibria.

On the ground, numerous Bells were still laughing at her.

In the middle of it all, Tibria closed her eyes gently and muttered.

“Incompetent. Yes. But as I said before, that’s not something you can say to me.”

And so the flames went out.

Bell seized the moment and swung her hand,

“Die―!”

The windows shot towards Tibria all at once.

That was the moment. Tibria opened her eyes and murmured.

“I’ll die. With you.”

By the time Bell sensed something was wrong, it was too late.

Whoosh―!

Flames erupted around Tibria.

Their nature began to sweep through the entire space.

Bell’s breath stopped.

If she couldn’t stop the mutual destruction spell immediately, she would be helplessly consumed by those flames.

Escape? No, it was too late for that.

In that case, she had to attack instead.

Bell was the Queen of Nightmares.

The fifth apostle of fate and the first daughter of all dreams.

She charged forward, finding the most ideal path beyond one-dimensional judgment.

Casting ‘Fated Guidance’ on herself, she pierced through the collapsing illusions and spears, reaching right in front of Tibria.

Bell’s hand extended.

It was aimed precisely at Tibria’s heart, and though Tibria, who had exploded with flames, was more intact than expected, she was in a completely defenseless state.

“To the end…!”

A desperate woman, indeed.

As she thought that and extended her hand, it happened.

Thunk!

Bell realized too late that she had forgotten something.

She saw the figure rising behind Tibria.

“The prince…?”

Kallios emerged, pulling his sword towards himself.

The blade was covered in Tibria’s flames.

What caught Bell’s eyes was the necklace wrapped around his hand and his intense gaze.

“Ah, I’ve been deceived.”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

The flames had obscured her vision to create an opening.

Why hadn’t she thought of it? If the flames erased all illusions, the real body would be revealed.

If you approach like this, you will keep your distance.

I forgot about the variables when I thought of dealing with Tibria.

However, this was not a match that could be improved through such retrospection.

It was just a slaughter where both sides staked their lives.

“…Damn.”

It was simultaneous with Bell’s muttering.

The sword engulfed in flames pierced her forehead.

Boom―!

Bell was engulfed in flames and exploded.

* * *

The foreign god raised his head and looked down at the scene.

Within the territory, countless soldiers were sprawled on the ground.

Considering that these were the monsters that dominated the era of the mythological war, and that it was a single person who tore these monsters apart, it was naturally awe-inspiring.

The foreign god spoke.

[I acknowledge it. For a human, those eyes suited you well.]

Yuren, kneeling, gasped for breath.

He glared at the foreign god, using his saw-blade sword and divine wood as a staff.

Handling the force and tearing through the middle of the monsters, he was certainly at a level that could be called a hero, even by the standards of the mythological war.

In the old war days, the apostles of the gods troubled them just like that.

But that was the end.

[That power is not something you can handle.]

The power of the God-King is a power that is not allowed to anyone but him.

The moment he perished, it was a power that should have disappeared from the world forever.

See for yourself.

Throughout the fight, Yuren was merely swayed by the force, never showing a moment of using it dominantly.

Erasing half of the monsters was largely due to the force rampaging on its own.

The foreign god, who had been banished from this land, could not understand what had happened for that power to flow here, but he no longer felt the need to understand.

[Your antics were impressive. So now, die.]

He would erase that power himself.

So that those dreadful eyes would never appear in the world again.

“`

Rumble―!

The surviving monsters exuded a menacing aura.

Oisin closed his eyes.

It was at that moment.

“…Ah, now I get it.”

[What?]

“I wondered how to use it. Thank you for showing me.”

A strange gleam appeared in Yuren’s pupils.

At that moment, Oisin gasped.

[…!]

Something that shouldn’t happen,

[How…?]

A human handling the dignity of the God-King, such a thing happened because of that.