NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40 - Reward
The golden radiance faded, raining imp corpses.
All who had witnessed the spectacle could scarcely believe their eyes – especially the infantry below the walls, shedding tears of joy at the savior who had delivered them, unsure if this was a dream or reality.
Doyun looked at the imp corpses, pondering,
‘Clearly, the imp forces have grown stronger than 100 years ago.’
What did that imply?
Were only these eighteen imps enhanced? Or had the entire imp forces been augmented?
If Satan’s power had increased, did that extend to the other Demon Commanders too? And was mass-producing such formidable imps even possible?
Various hypotheses arose from the given clues, but there was still much he couldn’t ascertain yet.
‘I’m drained.’
Doyun felt exhaustion enveloping him.
Manifest Sword was not a technique sustainable with his current Mana 3 stat. Only by expending all his mana, bolstered by his Divine Beast’s mana efficiency and [First Războlnic] trait, had he barely manifested it.
‘But its power exceeded expectations for the mana expended.’
Doyun recalled part of the [First Războlnic] trait description:
[The etymology of ‘Războlnic’ stems from the courage to face daunting ordeals, and the unwavering will that remains unbroken even in the face of death.]
[Your willpower is strengthened.]
As Doyun had expected, the [First Războlnic] trait had functioned precisely as he anticipated.
For Manifest Sword’s essence of phenomenon materialization, willpower was the most crucial factor. This trait had reinforced that willpower, allowing him to manifest far greater might than his limited mana should have permitted.
‘A trait far more valuable than even [Divine Beast] – truly supreme.’
Doyun smiled with satisfaction before gazing at the system message before him.
[The skill ‘Manifest Sword’ has been created.]
A question occurred to him then.
‘What is Manifest Sword’s skill rating?’
Buske’s and Hecleus’s original styles were both highest A-Tier skills.
S-Tier denoted transcendent effects akin to divine powers far exceeding conventional norms. For a mere martial art to receive S-Tier had originally been impossible.
But upon reaching the 18th iteration and imparting Manifest Sword’s essence to them, their styles had sublimated to S-Tier, as evidenced by the 17th iteration Buske’s Style being A-Tier.
Until the 18th iteration’s climax, neither Buske nor Hecleus had fully comprehended Manifest Sword’s enlightenment to Enoch’s extent.
It was only natural – no matter their genius, there was a vast gulf between them and Doyun, who had physically experienced the Demon Lord’s divine transcendence.
They had described their own understanding of Manifest Sword as ephemeral and shallow, like grasping at wisps of feathers. That they had manifested even that level was enough for their arts to be deemed S-Tier.
‘Then…’
What rating would the true Manifest Sword receive? Surely the maximum S-Tier?
Just as Doyun attempted to view the skill details and resolve this curiosity,
Waaaaaaahh!!
Thunderous cheers erupted from the walls above and below.
The soldiers on the walls raised their weapons skyward, roaring in elation, while the infantry troops below shouted until their throats were hoarse.
Even the knight clenched his fists tightly, overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring spectacle he had witnessed.
‘Such a formidable master!’
Releasing sword aura was no trivial feat – the absolute minimum requirement was Swordsmanship Lv.7 and Sword Aura Lv.3, a veritable final move reserved for true swordmasters.
But that wasn’t all.
‘It was on an entirely different plane from any sword aura I’ve witnessed before.’
This sir’s manifestation had been far more profound and sublime.
Rather than simply unleashing mana cloaking his blade, it had been something more fundamental – closer to the mere sensation of ‘cutting’ itself than any sort of ‘released’ sword aura.
The reach of the sword he had provided was around 1 meter at most. Yet this sir’s blade had undoubtedly cut much farther than that. A phenomenon distinctly separate from mere sword aura.
‘I have witnessed a new horizon of the sword… of martial arts itself…’
Too lofty and distant to even dream of emulating, the mere sight alone had been a lifelong glory for any swordsman.
‘He is undoubtedly a peerless top-tier disciple akin to a Hero.’
Had the knight seen Doyun’s stats, noting no skills exceeding Level 3, he might have fainted from shock far exceeding his reaction to that spectacle.
The squire had been equally stunned, mouth agape at the divine transcendence Doyun had displayed, unable to close it.
‘This fucking… I thought he was just some mere mercenary…’
The imp’s curse-induced frenzy had fully dissipated, memories of dismissively deriding Doyun to his face resurfacing.
‘I’m fucked.’
His complexion, having barely regained color, paled once more.
Amid the soldiers’ raucous cheering, the knight leapt down from the walls, landing with a heavy thud. The squire hesitantly followed, scraping down the walls.
Trailing the squire, the knight approached Doyun and deeply bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
“I merely did what had to be done.”
Not humble, but stating it as a simple matter of course. The knight trembled, overwhelmed by Doyun’s bearing.
Straightening his torso, the knight turned and shouted in a mana-imbued voice,
“The hero of this war who has saved our city and citizens! Open the gates and clear a path to the lord’s castle!”
Wuwaaaaahhhh!!
Creeeeak. The gates, tightly sealed in terror, slowly opened to reveal cheering citizens filling the streets.
“Please, enter.”
Doyun nodded.
All city residents, including civilians and soldiers, roared in jubilation at the bloodstained hero’s entry.
Doyun strode down the central avenue towards the lord’s castle, their cheers reverberating through the ground, walls, and air.
+++
The World Tree carriage racing along Lockenmeyer’s streets was utterly silent – an atmosphere of sheer dread.
Not just Eloah and Millaine, but even the elite World Tree troops mobilized as reinforcements maintained grim silence.
They too were aware of this intake’s super rookie who had accepted 10,000 gold coins as a contract fee, now embroiled in war.
Considering he had only just graduated from the Cradle, if the city fell before their arrival, his survival chances were extremely low as a mere fresh disciple.
Moreover, Muspelheim had requested reinforcements – based on their long-range energy detection, they strongly expected the ambushed city wouldn’t last an hour.
At this point, even Millaine had mentally prepared herself – Doyun’s survival odds seemed far too slim.
While emotional in daily life, when it came to work, she was a calculated individual who strictly separated personal and professional matters. Hence her position as the World Tree’s chief administrator and vice-master.
But Eloah’s expression seemed truly grave.
As the Master who had always guided the guild with steadfast charisma and a century’s experience no matter the adversity, she had been unusually emotional even before their departure this time.
And her demeanor only worsened as time passed – to the point that even Millaine, initially as distraught as Eloah before setting out, now looked at her with concern.
“Ma, Master…”
No matter how much Millaine tried to console her, Eloah’s state showed no signs of improving.
Hunched over, she muttered unintelligibly while biting her nails and trembling uncontrollably.
“No… not again… I don’t want to part ways again… Please… Please…”
She truly seemed utterly unraveled.
The guild members shook their heads.
Some had been forcibly conscripted by the Master’s total mobilization order and harbored resentment even before departing, though they were a minority. But seeing Eloah’s state made their grievances dissipate.
“Master… We’ll soon arrive at the warp portal. You need to compose yourself and prepare for battle… right?”
“This can’t be happening… Please…”
As Millaine fretfully consoled Eloah, they reached Skeletonia’s capital warp portal.
The portal manager, having received advance notice, immediately waived all procedures per wartime protocol and allowed the carriage through.
Thus, the carriage arrived in Lockenmeyer’s capital, the nearest warp portal around two hours away from the ambushed city.
But upon reaching the capital, someone obstructed them.
“Halt! Halt at once!”
The carriage stopped, and Millaine narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the sudden disruption.
“What are you doing!? Didn’t you receive the notice!? This is an urgent wartime situation! Follow the wartime protocols!”
“We are from the Lockenmeyer Royal Guards. Are you the World Tree’s reinforcement unit from Skeletonia?”
“Can’t you see the carriage blazon!? Out of the way!!”
Now far more sensitive due to concern for the Master than Doyun, Millaine roared furiously.
The guild members shared her sentiments, exasperated by Lockenmeyer’s bureaucratic inefficiency. Was this really the time for leisurely inspections amid such circumstances?
However, the guard’s reason for obstructing them was completely unexpected.
“I report – the Demon Lord’s ambushing forces have been successfully repelled, and the city is unharmed. The situation has concluded.”
“Pardon?”
Millaine, who had seemed ready to claw the guard’s face like a cat moments ago, loosened her expression with a dazed tone.
“Wha, what do you mean? How has the ambush already been resolved…”
Then, Eloah flung open the carriage door and grabbed the guard, demanding,
“Repelled? You said repelled? The city is safe? Then what about casualties! What are the casualty reports!”
“This, this is highly improper!”
“Master!”
“What are the casualty reports! No, wait…! Just check on one person’s survival for me! Send word to the city and confirm one person’s survival! Please!?”
The guard was utterly flustered by her unexpectedly intense forcefulness. Moreover, dealing with such an esteemed personage, he couldn’t brush her off or ignore her. What should he do?
He recalled his senior’s advice – in such situations, simply following protocol was the right answer.
“I, I shall continue my report! The ambushing forces belonged to the Demon Lord Commander Satan’s imp army, and they were repelled by a single disciple from the Skeletonian World Tree Guild!”
“Pardon?”
“The disciple in question is unharmed, with zero civilian casualties! Precise military casualties have yet to be ascertained! Tha, that concludes my report!”
Upon those words, not just Millaine, but everyone in the carriage stuck their heads out, wearing the same dumbfounded expressions as Eloah.
What had this soldier just said?
‘Repelled by whom?’
They doubted their own ears.