Chapter 179: Althausen (4)

Laysis had never hated anyone enough to want to kill them.

That didn’t mean she had never killed anyone.

She had shed blood multiple times, whether out of necessity or to protect herself.

Clatter.

Those prepared to kill had to be prepared to die as well.

The intent to kill someone would eventually return to oneself.

It was true for her, the other cadets around her, and for Carl, who was emitting an overwhelming presence ahead.

‘Has Carl ever had such an experience too?’

Only someone who harbored hatred strong enough to want to kill could exude such murderous intent.

Just facing him made her knees tremble and the hand holding her sword shake.

If she felt this way, how much harder must it be for the other cadets?

She had to be the one to pave the way.

Among the cadets, she was likely the only one who could face Carl’s pressure head-on, having learned the Boundless Azure Sword Technique directly from him.

–This isn’t enough.

Recalling the voice transmission Carl had sent earlier, she slowly wrapped mana around her sword.

With a refreshing current like flowing wind, she began creating a path forward against the murderous pressure pressing down on the cadets.

Ssshhhh.

After learning the Boundless Azure Sword Technique, Laysis began to faintly see the air currents brushing past her.

She had wondered if that was something one saw upon learning the technique, but Carl had said it wasn’t—that it was a phenomenon unique to those whose compatibility with the technique was exceptionally good.

‘That means Carl himself can’t read these currents.’

The key lay there.

So Laysis slowly swung her sword, scattering wind throughout the training hall and taking control of all the internal currents.

Saaaaa.

A blue light settled in her eyes.

Seeing that, Carl gave a slight nod, recognizing his judgment had been correct.

‘As expected, their compatibility is excellent.’

The Boundless Azure Sword Technique.

The martial arts of the Namgung Family were deeply connected to the sky.

The secret sword form, Imperial Sword Form, represented the sky itself, and the extremely fast sword style, Flashing Thunder Sword Technique, as well as Imperial Sky Thunder, were modeled after lightning bolts.

The Boundless Azure Sword Technique was no different.

It was a manifestation of the freedom of a single stream of wind that longed for the vast sky, shaped into a sword technique.

From the moment he first saw Laysis, he had thought she might be well-suited to the Namgung Family’s martial arts and had passed the technique on to her—and he had been right.

‘It’s said that when one’s mastery of the Boundless Azure Sword Technique reaches a certain level, this rare phenomenon occurs.’

Clear Eyes, the ability to see the flow of air currents.

Even within the Namgung Family, it only manifested in direct descendants or a very small number of highly gifted individuals.

Namgung Han had also possessed Clear Eyes and had mastered the Boundless Azure Sword Technique.

‘Clear Eyes are just a phase—once perfected, the form changes once again.’

Namgung Han had been the same.

If he had not been an assassin but a pure martial artist, Carl would have lost to him.

So he intended to use that experience to help Laysis reach perfection.

Step.

Laysis, who had been facing off with Carl from the front, finally finished her preparations and took a step forward.

An ordinary martial artist advanced by cutting through the wind.

That was called a charge, and the sound it made when brushing against the air was called Sonic Burst.

But Laysis’s movement made no sound at all.

Even without having learned Dark Flow Footwork or the steps of an assassin, not even the rustling of her collar in the air could be heard.

‘The Clear Eyes phase has begun.’

It meant she had finally reached the threshold of reading the faint flow of currents.

He had wondered when it would manifest, and it seemed his provocation had succeeded.

The sword Laysis swung made no sound either.

A soundless strike—its trajectory alone would have made even a seasoned assassin tense, as it came for his neck.

Clang!

Carl lightly deflected the sword and inwardly marveled.

Not because of her Clear Eyes, but because of the genuine killing intent in her eyes.

‘She really swung her sword to kill me.’

The voice transmission he had sent must have steeled her resolve as well.

If one couldn’t swing a sword with the intent to kill, they would eventually die.

Whether assassin or not, anyone who wielded a sword was bound to the same fate.

Letting go of hesitation was part of becoming a master.

Seeing Laysis, who had cast aside a burden she had carried on her shoulders, Carl nodded in approval.

‘Then I should give her a gift.’

Fwoosh!

The aura surrounding the Heavenly Thunder Sword changed.

A pure white aura surged up, releasing a chill that froze the surrounding air in an instant.

Even the wind, even the flowing currents were frozen by the manifestation of Extreme Yin Energy, making Laysis’s Clear Eyes tremble slightly.

‘The wind… stopped.’

Wind was supposed to flow endlessly.

And yet, it had been stopped by human power?

Just as her mind wavered at the near-miraculous display Carl had shown, the Heavenly Thunder Sword swung mercilessly.

Crack-crack-crack!

It rained down over the training hall, tearing through the air.

Laysis snapped to her senses at the chilling pressure contained in the blow and shouted.

“Everyone, get back!!”

Yet she herself stood firm, feet planted solidly on the ground, not budging a single step.

Swish-swsh-shhk!

The tip of her sword sliced sharply, creating a wall in midair.

It was a perfect sword barrier created through the Boundless Azure Sword Technique.

Boom!!

A barrage of sword energy pounded against it.

“……”

The intense impact inside made her head spin for a moment, but Laysis forced herself to stay focused and turned her gaze toward the cadets behind her.

She had blocked the main attack—so the counterattack was up to them.

Tatatat!

The cadets, who had been frozen in awe at Carl’s divine display, snapped out of it and rushed forward.

At this point, whether they lived or died, they had no choice but to clash.

‘He wouldn’t actually kill us… right?’

Maximilian launched an attack with almost no regard for defense.

Even if a limb got cut, it wouldn’t be a fatal blow.

That was why Maximilian swung his greatsword with the resolve of mutual destruction.

Soon, the Heavenly Thunder Sword moved.

Maximilian planned to cling to Carl like a leech and entangle his movements the moment Carl deflected his attack.

But Carl’s response was simple.

“……!!”

He didn’t even swing his sword.

The Heavenly Thunder Sword moved toward the opposite direction—to where Gale was attacking.

What blocked Maximilian’s sword was Carl’s extended hand.

Whoosh.

As Carl lightly rotated his wrist once, Maximilian felt his vision spin.

Barely regaining his senses, he realized that his body had somehow flipped upside down.

“……Aaaaagh!!”

He screamed as he crashed headfirst and rolled across the ground.

Seeing Maximilian being flung so spectacularly, Gale shouted.

“Maxim!”

“You don’t have the time to be distracted.”

“……!”

It was only a brief moment.

Carl slipped into that gap and struck Gale’s body with the back of his blade.

Clang!

But the attack narrowly failed.

A shield that formed over Gale’s body had just managed to keep up with Carl’s speed and blocked the strike.

“Nice one, Pozers!”

“Lady Yuria!”

“All set—guess it’s time I start fighting properly too.”

Yuria held up a gray orb with a faint smile.

The other cadets might not recognize it, but Carl, who had joined the research, knew exactly what it was.

‘Four Seasons! Has she completed the prototype?’

Yuria’s goal as a mage.

A magic auto-activation system.

Its origin was said to come from the Archmage of 《Eternity》, one of the ancient heroes who founded the Gray Magic Tower.

《Eternity》 had mastered all magic under the heavens, and that magic had formed a system that gained its own will.

Yuria was trying to replicate only a fragment of that.

Of course, the object in her hand was still crude and unrefined, but to any ordinary mage’s eye, it was a miraculous device with absurd theories and technology intertwined.

Slash.

At the sudden, formless slash with no warning, Carl raised his sword.

When a mage casts a spell, there are usually signs.

An incantation, casting gesture, or at the very least, the flow of mana.

But Four Seasons stored already completed spells, so only the effect manifested—without any buildup.

‘That’s what made it scarier.’

Carl already knew that Yuria didn’t share all her research results with him.

Even more so since their work had paused for the break, he hadn’t expected she would refine it enough to use in real combat.

Fwoosh.

His collar caught fire.

Faster and more discreet than the previous spell, it flared up and instantly engulfed Carl’s body.

Of course, not a single flame reached him, but seeing the edge of his robe slightly singed, his gaze deepened.

“Sequence Seven, activate.”

Yuria didn’t stop.

It seemed she intended to collect all the execution data from this session, launching a relentless barrage at Carl.

After all, no matter how seriously she attacked, he wouldn’t be harmed, and with a barrier surrounding them, there was nothing to worry about.

Boom!

A lightning strike fell.

The training hall floor slightly caved in and let out a groan.

Then a poisonous substance with a choking stench rained down, prompting Carl to leap from his spot.

He aimed to get out of the magic’s range and regroup—but that was part of Yuria’s plan too.

Crack.

The ground split open to both sides.

As if an earthquake had struck, the fissures left Carl with nowhere to plant his feet.

Clench.

Holding the Four Seasons gem, Yuria watched Carl fall between the gaps and wore an expression of ecstasy.

‘Finally!’

Now she could land a hit on that smug face of his.

This trap was something not even Carl could avoid.

No matter how great his physical abilities were, he couldn’t find footing in midair where there was nothing.

‘The next sequence is…….’

She planned to trap him on the ground, shake the surroundings with Earthquake to induce panic, and follow up with elemental chain attacks until she ran out of mana.

Once that sequence ended, Carl would, as always, let out a bitter smile and raise his hands.

‘Impressive. As expected of you, Yuria.’

That’s what he would say, walking out as if nothing happened.

……However, before she could even begin the first step, Yuria’s prediction was shattered.

“Huh?”

Carl didn’t fall beneath the cracked ground.

Even though there should’ve been nothing there.

He stood calmly in midair as if stepping on solid ground.

Air-Walking that reached the realm of divine skill.

It consumed an enormous amount of internal energy to sustain, but for Carl right now, it wasn’t even worth worrying about.

“……”

Is this all?

Seeing that gaze from Carl, Yuria bristled and raised the Four Seasons gem.

This wasn’t all.

She still had her trump card, and even a finishing blow she could use in an emergency.

If she used that, not even Carl could take it lightly.

“……Fine, I’ll stop here.”

But Yuria barely resisted the urge to unleash them.

They were far too valuable to use in a mock battle like this.

“Is that so.”

Carl also responded with a slight note of regret.

‘She’s not taking the bait.’

He had been curious about what she might be hiding.

It looked like he’d have to dig a little deeper later.

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