I Became the Youngest Disciple of the Martial God

The outcome of our match would be decided in a single strike.

I looked at the purple fire.

What an ominous flame.

When I lit this flame, I’d meant to erase all sword techniques and movements from my mind...

But as I looked at the Dark Star Blade, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining Eldest Senior Brother.

He was very skilled in spear- and swordsmanship. His hand-to-hand combat was probably far beyond mine too.

I had sparred with him often on Spirit Mountain. Unlike Master, he had never hurt or injured me—and most importantly, he was always kind.

Quite the opposite of the nearly neglectful teachings I had received from Master.

Along the way, Eldest Senior Brother had given me numerous demonstrations.

Stances focused on destructive power.

Stances focused on defense.

Stances focused on dodging.

What I need right now is...

The fastest strike.

With the purple flame wrapped around the Dark Star Blade, I shouldn’t be lacking destructive power. I’d never used it before, but I was certain.

Shhhh...

I steadied my breathing and took a widened stance.

With no scabbard or even a belt, I tucked the Dark Star Blade against my waist like a sheathed sword and slightly bent my upper body.

My bent right wrist, I gently wrapped around the blade. The swirling purple flames died down, and I felt the aura from the blade’s chilled metal.

It wasn’t that the flame was extinguished.

I had condensed it within the blade.

“...”

This was my first time using the quick-draw sword technique.

I didn’t know if I would be able to use it successfully, but I didn't want to turn away the sudden inspiration that had come to me.

[It seems you are ready.]

I nodded at Kajita.

I felt a small amount of gratitude for its patience, and at the same time, I understood.

It must have sensed that the outcome of this fight would be decided in an instant.

Shhhh...

Kajita built up its momentum.

It faced me with both palms outstretched, drawing its left arm close to its chest while extending its right arm toward me.

Its waist and knees were slightly bent.

It was a strange stance I’d never seen before, but...

Maybe it was because of the dark armor.

Or perhaps because of the ki emanating from its entire body.

There was a sense of grace, like an ancient piece of art, or the heavy presence of armor on display.

It was the aura of a master. It must have been acquired after tens of thousands of tedious repetitions.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Does it intend to use fajin again?

If one side was feeling irritated, it was proof that the other’s judgment was correct.

If the attack involved releasing energy waves from the palm, it could momentarily extinguish my purple flames.

Because no matter how hot and persistent they were, they were still a flame.

In the end, the situation was straightforward.

It would be a contest of speed.

The ignition of my flame and the release of my opponent’s attack.

A clash between my quick-drawn sword and Kajita’s fajin.

...

The pain in my thighs was distracting.

It was distracting enough that even with the new power of the purple flame, I didn’t rate my chances high.

The muscles in my thighs were the most important requirement for this explosive speed, but ever since taking a direct hit from Kajita, all I’d felt was throbbing pain.

The poor condition of my right wrist, which was wrapped around the blade, was another disadvantage.

Eldest Senior Brother’s voice echoed in my head.

—The secret to drawing a sword lies in the lower body.

He was always so serious when it came to teaching that even someone like me had no choice but to give my utmost focus.

—Even though it is the upper body that draws the sword. It's strange, isn’t it? But it's the truth.

— From your abdomen and waist to your thighs and even the soles of your feet... You must coordinate all the muscles in your body as if they are one. You need to twist and draw the blade with the feeling that not just your muscles but every single cell is aligned in the same direction.

—That's the secret to achieving ultimate speed. Of course, the hands play an important role too. You have to pull with your right and push with your left.

—Ah. Come to think of it, our youngest is left-handed, aren’t you?

...

I suddenly realized something obvious.

The person who had left the biggest mark on my martial arts after Master was Eldest Senior Brother.

Teachings I had forgotten came back to me as clearly as if I had heard them yesterday.

The scenery, the smell of the air, the emotions I had felt at that time, and even his casual face and faint smile... it was all so vivid.

I’m in no condition to even draw my sword properly.

No sheath, a shattered wrist, trembling thighs—

I couldn’t help but chuckle at my sorry state, but I accepted it with humility.

This was how most real battles went.

Expecting perfection in every fight, even in life-or-death situations, was arrogance.

Whoosh.

The inferno that had engulfed the area died out.

It was as if space and time were being sucked into the palm of Kajita’s hand.

Here it comes.

At the same moment, I held my breath.

I squeezed out every bit of energy I had remaining, and with every muscle in my body, I performed this single movement.

Quick Blade Draw

———

The Dark Star Blade drew soundlessly, and purple flames burst forth like lightning.

It was followed by a thunderous crack that echoed into our surroundings, resembling a real thunderclap.

Ah.

The sound wasn't caused by the drawing of the sword but by my instinctive use of lightning-walker steps.

FWOOSH!

As the condensed and concealed purple flames erupted into a storm...

I saw Kajita, right in front of me.

[...]

Its expression was still unreadable, but at this moment, I felt as if the demon was grinning in delight.

It was not an illusion. I was certain.

The exchange of emotions between martial artists often came through in the clash of techniques. Even if I were blind like Second Senior Sister, I would still be able to tell.

Psht.

A faint, weak sound followed.

I stifled a groan.

Although I hadn't taken a direct hit, the backlash from the strain of overexerting my muscles to their limits hit me hard.

“...”

The shock must have affected my organs too because I could taste metallic blood in the back of my throat.

I forced it down hard and kept my composure.

I didn't want to show any weakness, at least not at this moment.

[You’ve condensed flames into a single blade.]

“Yeah.”

[Does it have a name?] Kajita asked in its calm, emotionless voice.

I thought for a moment before answering, “Flameburst.”

[Intuitive. It suits the technique well].

Crack.

A fissure appeared in Kajita's full-body armor. It started cracking, and a moment later the shattered pieces broke off.

The shattered shards of the dark armor scattered in all directions. The sparks from the fragments, trailing like tails, resembled fireworks.

Was the armor some kind of seal?

Kajita's inferno surged skyward as it suddenly unleashed, but then it subsided just as quickly.

The embers fell like snowflakes, dimly illuminating the underground prison.

“...”

For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the sight.

It was beautiful enough that even someone as drab as me couldn’t help but marvel.

And like fireflies descending, a voice came from the scattering embers.

[It is my defeat, Luan Bednicker.]

“...”

[It's a shame, it would have been fun to fight you when you were grown and at your full strength...]

I slowly sheathed my sword.

We met. We fought. And there we had it.

In the end, one of us had to die.

It was a fitting martial outcome.

Despite the regret in its words, Kajita sounded oddly satisfied.

I understood how it felt.

If I had been on the losing side, I would have felt exactly the same.

I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I acted on my instincts.

“...I learned a lot,” I said while giving the martial arts salute, a palm against a fist.

I had gained much from this battle.

Some lessons could only be learned by risking your life. Beyond even the achievement of the purple flame, I had much to take away from this battle that I was grateful for.

I’d realized what I was lacking, and that was not just an intellectual understanding but something deeply engraved in my heart like a mantra.

This sense of realization was what brought about a change in mindset and led to real improvements.

In other words, Kajita was truly a martial artist.

I hadn’t believed that at first, and I’d doubted myself along the way, but now I’d come to accept it.

As I was immersed in these lingering feelings, Kajita spoke.

[You have...]

Just before disappearing, Kajita said something rather unexpected.

[You have already met my lord. I can sense their presence from you...]

“The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon? I haven't met them yet, though.”

Kajita let out a laugh.

[My master is not Hadenaihar...]

“What?”

[The one capable of embracing even the fires from Hell... the beacon of the Black Sea... the adjudicator of the Abyss... and the master of the Black Swamp...]

“...”

Kajita gave off an eerie vibe as it muttered lowly, [My one and only lord... Ahop... Please forgive this unfaithful one, who meets their end on the Veiled Side...]

Finally, the embers completely died out.

All that remained in the underground prison was the armor that had once covered Kajita’s body.

With the inferno gone, the prison returned to its original cool, desolate atmosphere.

“...”

But I could only stand in place.

The Demon Lord of the Black Swamp’s vestiges still lingers?

How?

The last time I encountered that demon bastard was at the training camp before my regression.

In this life, I had not faced Ahop.

“Ugh...

I slumped to the ground with a groan, unable to continue thinking. I started feeling the waves of intense pain rushing through my body.

I don't think it’s just physical fatigue or my internal energy being depleted.

Was this a side effect of the purple flame?

This is much worse than White Flame.

I could barely lift a finger, the exhaustion coursing through my body was so overwhelming.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the inferno.

The residual heat on the ground enveloped my body in a pleasant warmth. I was tired and felt sluggish. If only I could close my eyes for just a little while, even for ten minutes.

“I’m amazed. I never thought you’d win against a legion commander.”

“...”

A voice snapped me out of my wishful thinking.

I didn’t have the strength to lift my head, so I remained lying down with my eyes on the ceiling as I asked, “...What about Headmaster Alderson?”

“Rescue success, of course. It’ll take him a while to come to his senses, but...”

“...”

“You should worry about yourself more. Are you sure you’re not about to die? You look like shit.”

Cackle.

I heard Leone laugh at her own joke.

“You're burned all over, your wrist is shattered, your thigh muscles are completely torn, you look like you've got a lot of internal damage... but most of all...”

At that moment, I felt something running through my hair.

My mind went blank and I was instantly dumbfounded.

Was this bastard patting my head?

“Your pretty platinum hair is ruined. How heartbreaking.”

“...Get your hand off me. I feel like I’m really gonna fuckin’ die. You have any potions or anything?”

“There's no way I’d have anything like that.”

Leone smiled and stroked my hair briefly before suddenly gripping my scalp tightly.

“...However, I am relatively omnipotent when it comes to members of the Church.”

“...!”

Rumble!

Immediately, a torrent of energy rushed out from Leone's palm.

Normally, it was extremely dangerous to directly inject energy into the upper dantian, but...

What kind of magic was she using?

The energy Leone injected naturally seeped into my upper dantian, then smoothly traveled through my body’s meridians without obstruction.

But the most amazing thing was what happened next.

“...!”

My body began to rapidly recover.

It was regeneration, beyond mere healing.

My horribly burned skin regained its color and elasticity, and my dried-out eyeballs, scorched throat, and even overturned internal organs were restored.

The various bruises all over my body quickly disappeared, and even my wrist, turned at an unnatural angle, was returned to its original state.

“What the...”

My eyelids were still heavy with mental exhaustion, but...

My body, which had been half crippled, was restored whole in an instant.

A true miracle had happened in the blink of an eye.

With a satisfied expression, Leone said, “The effects are certainly outstanding. As expected, it works well on a high priest.”

“...What did you just say?”

“I said its effects are outstanding.”

“After.”

“That it works well on a high priest?”

I locked eyes with Leone for a moment. “...High priest?” I asked.

“Yup.”

“Who.”

“You,” she said.

“...Who?”

“You,” Leone repeated simply, pointing to me with her chin as she watched me sit speechless. “Oh, right. Congratulations, I guess? I've never met a high priest of the Demon Lord of Black and White. How does it feel to be the first in a hundred years?”

“...”

“Luan Bednicker? I just healed you. Why do you look so pale?”

So... according to what she’d just said...

I, the youngest son of the Bednicker family, was actually a high priest of the Church of Darkness?

The mental fatigue as a result of having fought for my life...

My brain rattled, froze, and malfunctioned, unable to process the sudden information.

"...Ack"

And just like that, I was out cold.

____