欧美级韩国三级日本三级

Milon was still under the effects of his Fly spell. The problem was that the higher he climbed, the harder it became to breathe.

It was due to the thinning air in the atmosphere as he climbed in altitude.

‘I never felt inadequate being a 5th-class wizard before……’

A wizard’s proficiency influences their speed, especially during moments like these.

Fly was a 3rd-class spell. Milon, being a high-level wizard, wasn’t that much slower than others.

But the problem was……

‘……This is like a firefly in the face of the sun.’

Compared to the child who had scaled this cliff on foot, the difference in speed was staggering.

Milon smiled bitterly.

Yes.

This was the reality of the current age.

Where knights, not wizards, dominated the continent. For nearly a century, ever since the age of the Great Heroe, this immutable truth had never been broken.

Could it be that, during this time, wizards hadn’t tried to find a way to defeat knights?

‘No.’

In fact, they had tried harder than anyone. In this world, strength equaled power.

‘The reason wizards are destined to lose to knights is that once you give up distance, there’s no way to fight back.’

In other words, once a single attack is blocked, defeat is inevitable.

Using a spell like Blink, which teleports the body instantaneously, could help dodge one more attack, but that’s it.

‘Even if you save the first spell using Memorize, you can’t just use Blink, a 5th-class spell, continuously without casting.’

To use a specific spell with just an incantation, you need to be at least two levels above that spell. In other words, you would need to be a 7th-class wizard.

However, across the entire continent, there was only one 7th-class wizard— the Tower Master.

Even then, he barely held the lowest rank among the twelve transcendents of the current age.

‘No one desires it more than the Tower Master. The day when wizards rule the continent.’

For that reason, extensive research had long been conducted within the tower. All to find a way to defeat knights.

Hundreds, no— thousands of brilliant wizards had dedicated themselves to this pursuit. The result of their efforts was the creation of the ‘Battle Mage.’

‘Facing them head-on, without fear of distance. That’s the only way to fight a knight.’

Of course, not just anyone could do this.

You had to be naturally gifted in physical combat, possess magical talent, and be incredibly intelligent.

The problem was……

‘In this day and age, if someone had that kind of talent, wouldn’t they just learn swordsmanship? Who in their right mind would choose magic?’

Milon’s self-deprecating smile deepened.

Even he might have pursued swordsmanship over magic, if not for this cursed fate of his.

“……Huh?”

His thoughts were interrupted.

He had finally crossed the cliff and arrived at the center of the forest, where he could sense multiple presences.

“Why is it so dark all of a sudden……!”

Milon couldn’t finish his sentence. Because what he saw left him speechless.

“The moon……?”

A thick darkness had settled only at the heart of the forest. Within it, a round moon was glowing brightly, suspended in the air.

Countless blue flames, which were anything but ordinary, were blocked by that moon and could not advance.

‘……This is the problem.’

Milon soon realized what they were.

‘Every time I think I’m closing the distance, some ridiculous monster appears and forces me back.’

The distance between knights and wizards. At this moment, Milon felt that gap widening once again.

His gaze was still fixed on Ancelot.

“That monster-like kid……”

But the show was only just beginning.

“That just now……”

Gold hadn’t even finished voicing his question.

“The Knight of the Full Moon! Isn’t that Elunber’s swordsmanship?”

Blue No. 5 was the first to cry out in shock.

He was one of only ten blue-ranked members in the organization. Naturally, his rank came with a wealth of knowledge and information.

“I-I’m sure of it. The unique darkening that occurs when the surroundings grow dim while wielding a sword— that’s a phenomenon only seen when Elunber, known as the Sky of the Continent, swings his blade……!”

As the explanation continued, the voices of the other Masks, who were initially slow to react, grew louder.

At that moment, Blue No. 10 quickly approached Gold.

For context, there were four blue masks present here. Nearly half of the highest-ranking agents had been deployed for this single mission.

“How could the prince possibly know the Full Moon Swordsmanship?”

“……”

Gold, who had been deep in thought, didn’t respond right away. He knew that the prince had somehow inherited the legacy of the Great Hero.

Then……

‘……If the Great Hero, or one of his five closest subordinates, had passed something down to their successor……’

It might have included information about their enemies— perhaps even weaknesses they could exploit.

Naturally, they would have left information about their greatest foes, the Three Heavens. If they had thoroughly studied and analyzed everything about them……

‘No, there’s no way simple observation and research would allow for something like this.’

If that were the case, then everyone who attended the Master Tournaments would have become a Master themselves.

‘……This must be a heaven-sent talent.’

Gold turned his gaze toward Ancelot, his fingers trembling.

The ability to comprehend and master martial arts on such a deep level was beyond imagination.

It was the only explanation he could accept.

‘So, the boss wasn’t wrong?’

Gold quickly shook his head at the thought.

Wouldn’t accepting that hurt his pride too much?

‘I’m not wrong.’

He had been in the organization as an indigo mask for nearly 30 years now.

In fact, he was once purple.

If the colorless mask, the symbol of the highest rank, hadn’t been lost over a decade ago, things would have been different by now.

However, the current leader hadn’t even lived as long as Gold’s time in the organization.

While Gold had to recognize the clear hierarchy, it didn’t mean he had to agree with every decision.

‘It doesn’t mean I have to support his every decision without question.’

If the child made mistakes, it was the responsibility of the adults to correct them. Finished with his thoughts, Gold finally spoke up.

“At the end of the day, it’s just an imitation.”

His gaze flickered toward Narakas.

“A copy can never surpass the original.”

“……!”

“Mimicking the swordsmanship of the Empire with the foundations of the swordsmanship from the unworthy Meeke Principality will not bring about revenge.”

“Gold……”

“I admit the child has great talent. But thinking that one boy can take on the entire Empire…… That is like trying to break a rock with an egg.”

Before anyone could respond, Gold continued speaking quickly.

“Rallying power? Perhaps if every nation united against the Empire…… yes, in terms of sheer numbers, it might seem possible. But wars between nations aren’t decided by numbers alone, are they?”

The biggest problem, after all, was that the three absolute rulers of the continent, without question, belonged to the Empire.

“Elunber, the Knight of the Full Moon, and the Undefeated Knight. Who will face them? Even among Masters, the skill gap between those from the Empire and those from outside of it is vast.”

“……”

“Moreover, do you think they will stand idly by while the child grows? No……”

Gold trailed off, casting his gaze back toward Ancelot.

“Unlike the prince, who is just now inheriting the legacy of a ghost from the past, the Empire continues to evolve, both in the past and in the present. And they will keep evolving.”

“……”

“Especially the Three Heavens— they’ve already reached a level where they create new forms of swordsmanship. Isn’t it odd to think they haven’t made any progress in the last 20 years?”

Unable to stand it any longer, Ancelot cut in.

“For a coward, you sure can run your mouth.”

His face was full of disdain. Because there was a major flaw in Gold’s reasoning.

“You’ve got it wrong. Why would you think I don’t have that kind of swordsmanship?”

“……?”

Gold responded calmly to Ancelot’s question.

“Because your life has been too short for you to develop or improve upon anything. Besides, the Great Hero didn’t have any signature swordsmanship to pass on……”

“Because he didn’t?”

“……”

Gold fell silent.

“……Yes. I scoured countless texts, but there was no mention of it anywhere.”

Of course, as a commander, the Great Hero rarely needed to engage in combat himself.

‘But wasn’t the Great Hero different?’

He was always at the frontlines, leading his men. That was why he earned their boundless respect.

“It’s common knowledge that the Great Hero was a former slave. Despite his innate talent, his background was humble. So later on, he mostly used the swordsmanship of his five closest aides. Unlike the Great Hero, they were all from prestigious families. Like you, he was quick to master his subordinates’ swordsmanship, thanks to his innate genius.”

“……”

“It’s a shame. While hypothetical scenarios are meaningless, if he had learned advanced swordsmanship as a child…… or if he had been born into a better background…… maybe, just maybe, history could have been different.”

Ancelot shook his head quietly.

While it was true that he used his aides’ swordsmanship on the battlefield, it wasn’t for the reason Gold assumed.

‘Those five wanted to learn from me and improve as much as they could.’

So, whenever he had the chance, he demonstrated their techniques in a way that made them even better.

That was all.

“The reason the Great Hero’s swordsmanship is unknown is simple.”

“What?”

“First, no opponent survived long enough to witness it.”

“……!”

Gold flinched.

It was an arrogant and grandiose statement.

Yet, coming from the successor of the Great Hero, someone was known as the greatest absolute of his time, it somehow felt convincing.

“And second, anyone who did see it…… died.”

Ancelot cast his gaze down toward the sword in his hand. The swordsmanship he had spent so long honing and improving.

However……

‘That technique is a monster that demands blood.’

It had an overwhelming, lethal presence.

Ancelot was a former slave soldier. To survive, he killed and killed, again and again.

More efficiently.

More swiftly.

Focusing solely on killing power. That’s how his swordsmanship developed over time, so there was no helping it.

‘……After all, the man who taught me swordsmanship in the first place was the worst murderer in history.’

At any rate, that brutal swordsmanship had caught the eye of a commander back then.

But after achieving a certain level of success, he refrained from using it much. It brought back too many memories.

Memories of those desperate days of struggling for survival.

Above all……

‘Even if I imitated other swordsmanship, no one could block it, anyway.’

Finished with his thoughts, Ancelot spoke.

“……Shall I give you a little taste?”

This entire display was to raise his own value, after all.

Swish.

Ancelot slowly extended his sword forward.

‘With a single stroke, even crows rejoice.’

He silently recited one of the mysteries within his terrifying swordsmanship.

-The mound before you is a mountain of corpses.

-The stagnant pools are rotting blood.

-All is quiet.

-None remain standing.

-The black spots finally consume the heart.

-Even this body shall meet the death of its soul.

Swish.

In an instant, Ancelot’s sword lightly traced a path, then returned to its original position.

“……?”

In that strange silence, Milon narrowed his eyes.

‘What was that? Something felt off.’

He had only blinked. But something seemed different about the angle of Ancelot’s sword.

‘Did he do something?’

As it turned out, aside from a very small number of people, no one had truly witnessed what Ancelot had just done.

But soon……

Rip!

“……!”

The sound of something tearing filled the air, and everyone’s eyes widened. Especially the three blue masks, who were utterly stunned.

“……Wh-What……?”

Their masks of skin were shredding apart.

‘In that split second…… did he cut just the thin surface of the masks?’

Milon stood there, mouth agape in astonishment.

“That monster-like bastard……”

Narakas, who had been silent until now, muttered in disbelief. It was almost the same reaction as before.

“I thought this conversation was dragging on, so I made the first move.”

“……”

“You didn’t even see what I did, did you? I think that means I’ve taken care of all the blue ones……”

Ancelot trailed off as he turned to face another.

“Hey, Mr. indigo.”

“……!”

“Why don’t you stop hiding behind your subordinates and face me yourself?”

***