I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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“Talent Sealed.”

The moment that chilling voice reached my ears, it felt like all the strength left my body.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling. A strong sense of powerlessness flooded my entire being.

In an instant, the heavy sword felt like it had stretched out of my reach, and I could distinctly feel the weight of the clothes I wore.

Every mana circuit that once allowed me to sense and manipulate the flow had turned rigid and unyielding.

It felt as though a large, long, and twisted gallstone had formed within my body.

Consequently, the movements of the battlefield no longer registered in my mind.

As the Forsaken Spirit and the Circle Break dissipated, darkness enveloped my vision.

It was true. My talents had been sealed. Once again.

‘How is this even possible?’

No matter how omnipotent the deity, could it really bind the released restrictions back on me?

If I had pushed just a little harder, it would have been the end.

Just a tiny bit more, and I could have eliminated the Demon Lord.

But with the power of Kim Il-shin, who was currently wielding the sword, nothing was possible.

“How does it feel? To lose your powers?”

Bam!

At the same time, a solid fist slammed into Kim Il-shin’s abdomen, sending his body flying like a cannonball.

In that moment, not dropping the sword was even more impressive than maintaining his life.

Somehow, his abdomen was not punctured.

Though he lost the sensation of handling mana along with his talents, the mana he had accumulated instinctively prevented his body from tearing apart.

“Cough!”

Yet it wasn’t perfect. My vision blurred from the gush of blood pouring out.

“Il-shin!”

Hurriedly rushing in, Hazuki barely caught Kim Il-shin and immediately poured healing potions into his wounds and mouth.

‘The regeneration speed is slow.’

While the wounds were severe, the loss of stamina and regenerative abilities played a significant part as well.

Kim Il-shin’s stamina and healing ability, with his talents sealed, were now far below that of an ordinary person.

He couldn’t fully absorb the effects of the healing potions either.

“Swallow it down. … Slowly.”

Hazuki poured the healing potion into Kim Il-shin’s mouth and then looked in the direction where the enemies were.

With a resolution stronger than ever, she gripped her sword.

“I’ll protect you, Il-shin.”

Boom!

A massive storm, thick with clouds of dust, raced toward us at high speed.

It intended to snuff out Kim Il-shin’s life completely.

‘Strong.’

Hazuki, who was tasked with supporting Kim Il-shin, had only been able to assist him once thus far, and that was not in direct battle with the Demon Lord but merely in blocking dark materials.

The reason was that the level of combat between Kim Il-shin and the Demon Lord was too high.

Hazuki lacked the strength and skills to intervene at that moment.

And even now, it was the same.

Against the Demon Lord, who was pushed to the brink by Kim Il-shin, Hazuki felt powerless.

“I can stop it. … I will stop it.”

However, this time it was different. That attack was imperfect.

The Demon Lord, whose upper half was severed by Kim Il-shin, hastily unleashed an attack.

Despite being so powerful, there was a potential opportunity.

‘If I sacrifice my life.’

If that were to create a small opening, I could save Kim Il-shin.

Heavenly Spirit.

A colossal power latent in the essence of humanity, a dangerous force that would cause one to lose their life if overused.

Hazuki resolved to wield it.

She did not think about the aftermath. She had to save this person in front of her.

A world without him was unbearable.

Whoosh—

Feeling the refreshing breeze that suddenly blew in, Hazuki closed her eyes.

In the deepest part of her body, she encountered a force radiating intense heat.

Just as she was about to draw that power out.

Boom—!!!

At the unexpected thunderclap, Hazuki opened her eyes.

Before her, an intangible barrier blocked the Demon Lord’s attack.

It was Hanarin using spatial refraction.

“It’s useless! Save your deity!”

Hazuki shouted hastily.

Blocking like that wouldn’t make the Demon Lord’s attack disappear.

Since there was no way to evade, the only option to save Kim Il-shin was for Hazuki to counterattack.

That was merely a waste of divine power.

“Be quiet!”

But Hanarin resolutely dismissed her.

Calculating spatial coordinates and the movements of the area in the instant of resisting the Demon Lord’s attack.

And at the moment the spatial refraction disappeared, she confidently utilized her divine power.

A plan that couldn’t afford even a single margin of error.

Swish!

“…Huh?”

It succeeded perfectly.

Hazuki and Kim Il-shin were teleported to Hanarin’s side, and the Demon Lord’s attack did not reach them.

“You, you, you…! Who said you could do that, huh?!”

Hanarin rushed over and began to poke Hazuki repeatedly.

There was no room for excuses. One glance at her eyes from afar made it clear what she was trying to do.

“…Don’t ever think like that again.”

“…I’m sorry.”

As much as she wanted to scold her more, there wasn’t enough time for that.

Hanarin laid Kim Il-shin’s head on her knees and examined his condition.

Thanks to the healing potions, the external injuries had significantly improved, but the internal injuries remained.

“Il-shin. Can you hear me? If you can, wiggle your fingers.”

“….”

“Just a little bit better… okay?”

“….”

The biggest issue was his consciousness.

Until that returned, they couldn’t come up with a plan.

Without Kim Il-shin, there was nothing to be done against the Demon Lord.

“…What about the movements of the Demon Lord?”

“Still none.”

Right now, it seemed the Demon Lord was stalling due to the wounds left by Kim Il-shin.

That previous attack must have been a considerable burden.

But that too was just a matter of time.

Soon, it would stabilize and try to end the battle.

Startled.

It was then.

Kim Il-shin’s eyelids twitched and slowly opened his eyes.

He showed a gaze so feeble, so powerless, as if he had never revealed it until now.

“Il-shin! Are you okay? Don’t move!”

“I’m fine, so just lie still!”

Hazuki and Hanarin immediately detained Kim Il-shin, who tried to get up.

“What’s the situation?”

His hoarse voice emerged from his pale face, sounding pitiful.

Hanarin struggled to hold back tears that threatened to spill.

“You got hit by the Demon Lord and Hazuki caught you for emergency treatment. After that, the Demon Lord attacked right away, so I teleported you here with me while you were trying to block it.”

“And the Demon Lord?”

During the battle with Kim Il-shin, especially at the last moment, the Demon Lord had consumed an enormous amount of power and divinity.

No matter how Demon Lord, he could barely maintain his form now.

That said, he likely still had enough strength to handle the three of them, including the sealed talents of Kim Il-shin.

“He still shows no movement.”

Just by hearing it, Hanarin grasped much of the situation.

How hard Hazuki had fought to protect him… and what determination Hazuki had mustered.

“I used a lot of divine power just to block and move you guys. This is all that’s left.”

[Remaining Divine Power: 1]

It was hardly enough to call it ‘remaining.’ But it was enough.

Kim Il-shin rose to his feet.

Due to the internal injuries and blood loss, it was difficult to stand correctly, but somehow he planted his feet on the ground.

The slight weight he felt on his wrist was sharper than usual.

Divine Mark.

It was time to bet everything on the bracelet Hanarin had created with her life on the line.

For that, one additional condition was required.

“Hazuki.”

There wasn’t much time, but preparation was not necessary. There was enough time to exchange brief words.

“I’ll leave this to you.”

“Me…?”

Kim Il-shin passed his remaining divine power to Hazuki.

The last move he could make to reach the Demon Lord, despite having lost all talents.

Hazuki found it hard to comprehend why he entrusted it to her.

“Do you remember when we fought together before?”

“When we fought together…”

“Yes. While I was searching for the puppeteer, you protected me.”

“Oh.”

It was when they faced the Sword Demon and the puppeteer simultaneously.

Kim Il-shin was trying to slash down the puppeteer hiding in the gaps of space.

And Hazuki had blocked the sword demon’s strike to protect him.

“This time, I’ll protect you.”

Kim Il-shin spoke.

As he had done back then, he would block the Demon Lord’s strike so that she could bring this battle to a close.

The circumstances were the complete opposite from that time. But the trust between them remained unchanged.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

She didn’t ask, ‘How can you in that body?’

Her faith in Kim Il-shin was absolute.

What he said he could do, he could indeed do.

Thus, it was clear that she could bring an end to the Demon Lord as well.

However, one separate issue still remained.

“…I’m sorry.”

Hazuki’s sudden apology caught Kim Il-shin’s attention, and he looked at her with a puzzled gaze.

“I was going to throw my life away to save you.”

“….”

Kim Il-shin’s eyes deepened. He had suspected it, but indeed, it was true.

There was no need to scold her now, but why had she suddenly brought it up?

“I didn’t consider your feelings. If you were to sacrifice your life to save me, I know I couldn’t hold on for even a second.”

“….”

“I realize I was wrong. I won’t do it again. I promise.”

Hazuki’s hand, clenched into a fist, trembled. This was unrelated to trust in him.

He would protect her from the Demon Lord. But she didn’t speak about the process.

“So… So…”

Lastly, he did not say the most crucial words.

Thus, even if she had to insist and coax him, she had to hear them.

“Please come back….”

To hear him say he would return.

“I’ll come back.”

“…!”

Hazuki felt as if she had been saved.

He said he would come back, which meant he would no matter what happened.

Surely, he would return to their side.

“You….”

On the other hand, Hanarin noticed the hidden intentions behind Kim Il-shin’s plan.

The Divine Mark was a magic tool Hanarin created to dispel her anxieties.

Hanarin was extremely afraid of the world without Kim Il-shin.

She was anxious that she would lose the peace and warmth she had barely found.

At that time, she truly wanted to tell Kim Il-shin.

She was scared of him getting hurt. Scared of him being in danger. Scared of him leaving.

So why couldn’t they just quit everything and live happily together?

She knew it was an unreasonable request, but she desperately wished for that…

‘…Thank goodness she didn’t. She knew everything.’

But knowing he would never stop, he risked his life to create the Divine Mark.

Hoping that her soul-sustaining hammer, which had accompanied her throughout her life, would guard Kim Il-shin.

And the next day, she placed the Divine Mark on Kim Il-shin’s wrist and said.

[No matter the situation, no matter what you encounter. This will save you at least once.]

Looking back now, it was the second-best decision of her life (the first was accepting the request to create a sword from Kim Il-shin).

That incident allowed them to reaffirm their affection for one another and eased the anxiety that had tormented her.

“…You.”

However, the words stuck in her throat.

At times like this, she should have waved him off with a smile he loved, but her lips kept drooping.

As tears pooled in her vision, her breath grew heavy.

The anxiety she had barely shaken off crept back and whispered the worst possible future to her.

What if the Divine Mark didn’t activate? What if Kim Il-shin died?

Nobody else would be the one to kill him…

“I’ll believe you.”

Then it came.

Startled by the voice right in front of her, Hanarin raised her head.

“I’ll believe you.”

The warmth she had chased since childhood, before ever meeting him, came rushing back.

In his affectionate gaze, there was no hint of anxiety to be found.

“…Okay.”

Finally, Hanarin let out a voice laced with tears.

Quickly wiping her eyes and relaxing her puffed-up eyes, she smiled brightly.

“…Be safe.”

Kim Il-shin believed in Hanarin, and Hanarin trusted Kim Il-shin, who believed in her.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

In their final words, their voices harmonized.

A sense of happiness surged through them, utterly unfitting for a desolate battlefield.

She never wanted to let go of this happiness.

“I also—”

It was the moment Kim Il-shin opened his mouth to respond.

Grrr…!!

From a distance, a powerful and dark energy surged high into the sky.

‘Too bad.’

It seemed the following words would have to wait until everything was over.

‘…No, it should be fine even if I say it now.’

It was merely a matter of delay; nothing else would change.