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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 29: The Sunset that Doesn’t Set (3)
Uniqueness only reveals its value in comparison to others.
The same was true of my eyes.
At some point, I had questioned it.
—Your Highness, why do you teach me the Imperial Swordsmanship? Isn’t this technique passed down only to the Imperial lineage?
Even if we were in prison, I couldn’t understand why he was teaching me the Imperial Swordsmanship.
If this got out, he wouldn’t just face imprisonment but potentially execution.
I couldn’t understand, so I asked, and the Crown Prince replied as follows:
—Because you have good eyes. You would've learned it by watching even if I didn’t teach you. I’d rather shape it myself than leave it to chance.
At the time, I didn’t fully grasp his words.
Swordsmanship isn't something you can simply mimic by watching.
From what I knew, swordsmanship was a profound discipline that required decades of relentless training and experience.
Especially the Imperial Swordsmanship.
The deadly, difficult art that only the first Emperor had mastered.
How could I copy that just by looking?
I denied it, but the Crown Prince just chuckled.
And used it as an excuse to subject me to all sorts of brutal training.
—Observe the flow of mana.
—Read the flow of mana and evade it.
—Disrupt the flow of mana.
—Once you see it, use it.
He kept talking about the "flow of mana."
The Crown Prince wanted me to be able to see and use it fully.
He wanted me to help complete the "New Imperial Swordsmanship."
He was relentless.
He believed people grow through hardship or something like that.
He’d place me in a whirlwind of mana to expand my vision or bombard me with deadly sword moves.
Yet that brutal process undoubtedly helped.
It drastically reduced the time it would have taken for me to reach Swordmaster.
Of course, I couldn’t help but feel resentment.
My goal back then was simply to one day punch that guy in the face.
It wasn’t until I went to the battlefield that I realized the true ability of my eyes.
—Why can't you dodge that?
—Magic is subtle...
—Subtle? I can see the trajectory. Just slice along its path, and it breaks.
—Sir...What are you saying?
On my first battlefield, I got frustrated seeing our formation crumble under barbarian magic and voiced it in a command meeting.
Only after seeing their reactions did I understand the Crown Prince’s words.
—Not everyone’s like you.
Indeed.
My eyes were different.
I assumed others could see mana flowing in the air.
I thought they could see the color, the texture, and the structural pattern if they focused.
I thought it was natural to use or avoid it as I did.
But that wasn’t the case.
No one else had eyes like mine in that battlefield full of the Empire's best talents.
As I mentioned earlier, uniqueness is revealed through comparison.
After that day, my role on the battlefield transformed dramatically.
—We’re reassigning the prisoner unit as a special task force. Your mission is to assassinate enemy commanders and magic users.
Erilda knew how to use me.
And the Crown Prince knew how to complete me.
—I didn’t expect you to be able to see spells. You’re more remarkable than I thought.
—Stop talking nonsense and think of a plan.
—What other plan do we have?
I am a swordsman.
The Crown Prince is a swordsman too.
We both wield swords and walk the same path.
However, while he had his unique weapon, I had mine.
He wanted to refine it.
—Let’s add a new technique to the New Imperial Swordsmanship.
—What is it this time?
—The name… How about 'Spell Severance'?
—Aren’t you going to name it like the others?
—No. This is a special technique only you can use.
The Crown Prince looked quite thrilled that day.
He came up with various applications to match when I described the world as I saw it.
I tested his theories in real combat.
The intricate principles of Imperial Swordsmanship that I knew, the flow of mana, and its characteristics, all woven together into one technique.
Even before I became a Swordmaster, I was wielding sword intent under the Crown Prince’s intense training.
Creating a new technique wasn’t all that difficult.
—I got it.
This is how 'Spell Severance' was born.
The demon’s eyes widened in shock.
[How…?]
"Because I can see it."
I took my stance again, tensed every muscle in my body, and focused my sight.
And so, the world returned to shades of gray once more.
With Spell Severance, a sword move I was most confident in, I held an unmistakable advantage against any supernatural act.
It’s that simple.
Crackle!
[What is this!]
No matter how fierce the lightning or how hot the flames, no sorcery could defeat me.
In the past and present, only one person has ever held a natural advantage over me.
"I can see this too.”
Only the Crown Prince, whose swordsmanship was perfect even without magic.
Slash!
I split the lightning.
* * *
In her entangled consciousness with Amorio, Beatrice read the word buried in her thoughts.
The demon was unsettled, staring into her eyes.
[Is that still there?]
Having another’s consciousness seep into yours is unpleasant.
But Beatrice couldn’t stop.
―Hold onto your mind tightly.
That’s what Yuren had told her.
No one else could fix what she’d done.
So she obeyed, waiting for her chance.
Beatrice was desperate.
Now aware of the cause and effect, all that remained within her was regret and guilt.
There was no room for feelings of betrayal.
What she’d done was too horrific for that.
At that moment...
[Hah…!]
She could feel a strange joy blooming from within Amorio.
Crash!
Magic erupted wildly.
Amorio was unleashing high-level spells, the type she had planned to use eventually, with incredible intensity.
Her calculation speed was far beyond normal.
It was a clear display of why demons were called transcendental beings and why a demon possessing a magician’s body was so terrifying.
Yuren shattered each spell one by one as he advanced.
If he couldn’t close the gap, then—
Bang!
He deflected the magic with methods beyond understanding.
Soon, Yuren was right in front of her.
Amorio’s hand formed a sign, conjuring a shield shaped like a flower bud over Beatrice’s body.
Boom!
The Blossom of Aidria.
A shield that deflected physical impact.
But it wasn’t a complete reflection.
While it blocked the main attack, Beatrice felt mana twisting within her, suffering internal injuries as the magic broke.
Yuren spoke.
"You’re really persistent."
He frowned, shaking his hand.
Beatrice felt a surge of hope.
‘...He’s dominating.’
Amorio was barely holding her ground, wasting mana without landing a single effective blow.
Because it was her body, she knew.
Even with her enhanced capacity, it was still just a magician’s body.
Though she didn’t know Yuren’s exact level, it was clear he held a significant advantage.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!w
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And what did that mean?
‘I… won…’
In that moment of relief—
[Pffft...!]
Amorio sneered at her realization.
Then she spoke.
[What delightful eyes. That’s why the mortal world is fun! There are so many wonderful things to see here!]
One thing was clear.
To her, this was all mere entertainment.
Surprise, disadvantage—it couldn’t shake the demon.
But did Yuren feel nothing?
"Let’s put an end to this."
[Hmm, that would be inconvenient.]
"And what will you do if it is?"
Screeeeech!
A harsh metallic noise tore through the air.
A rough metallic screech pierced the air.
It was the sound of mana erupting violently from Yuren's body.
Beatrice flinched.
‘That…!’
That feeling.
The very essence of the aura he exuded when he declared his intention to end their engagement.
It felt like stepping into the jaws of a beast, with ferocious fangs casting shadows over the entire space.
“Urgh…!”
[Oh, you're pushing yourself too hard.]
Yuren coughed up blood, glaring furiously at Amorio like a predator eyeing its prey.
Yet,
[Well, then I suppose I should play along too.]
Amorio seemed delighted even at that, undergoing a transformation.
Crunch!
“Ah, aaargh…!”
Beatrice felt a burning pain in her right eye, the part of her that had already been tainted by her.
She was horrified by what came into view.
‘…What is this?’
[This is the color of emotions. See it? That red wave over there—that’s murderous intent.]
A world of colors unfolded before her right eye.
The most intense one was the red wave directed at her—Yuren's murderous intent.
[It’s convenient, isn’t it? Although it can't compare to the true Eye, I can read certain things with it. Quite a vile temperament, wouldn’t you say?]
It was dangerous.
In this melded state of consciousness, she could clearly perceive it.
[Seeing isn’t the end of it, you know.]
Boom—!
Yuren shot forward, following the path carved by his murderous intent.
Amorio reached out leisurely and touched the murderous aura, causing Yuren’s stance to falter.
“?!”
[And that’s why we’re called demons.]
A magic circle unfolded, with Amorio imbuing it with hues that shifted from the colors of sunset to a flickering blue.
[Emotions were, after all, born from us.]
A spine-chilling energy surged.
Beatrice cried out without realizing it.
“Josh…!”
But her warning came too late.
Swoosh!
Though he barely managed to turn his head to avoid it, a long slash appeared on Yuren's cheek.
His eyes widened as though they would tear apart.
It was Amorio's first effective blow.
Even from just watching, it was obvious: Yuren hadn’t seen that previous attack.
The danger had come, but it wasn’t the end.
[Shall we get more serious?]
The moment Amorio said that—
“…!”
Beatrice felt her control slipping away.
Her mind, too, seemed to sink slowly beneath the surface.
“Careful…!”
Her vision darkened.
She gritted her teeth.
“Watch out…!”
She struggled to move her lips, but no more words would come.
The rising despair only strengthened Amorio’s power.
[Yes, keep doing that for me, will you?]
Fwoosh!
The sunset hues grew deeper.
When Amorio lightly tapped the air, ripples spread out, transforming into spells.
Automatic spell formation—the system Beatrice had been developing and refining.
The circle flickered red and blue.
And it wasn’t just one; there were seven.
She was calculating seven spells at once.
If these were attacks Yuren couldn't see or dodge, he would die.
Beatrice felt a choking sense of dread.
Then—
“Ah fuck.”
Yuren spat a curse, making Beatrice flinch.
His eyes weren’t on Amorio—they were on her.
“Hey.”
He spoke to her.
She parted her lips, but no reply came.
Amorio released the completed spell, and seven chains, each carrying a different aura, descended from the sky.
6th-level, Chains of Divine Punishment.
Clang!
The all-encompassing attack was one that Yuren couldn’t possibly block.
The demon's power was embedded in it, leaving him unable to counter it.
That’s what she thought.
Boom!
Yuren stomped the ground hard enough to make it crack.
He was approaching Amorio.
The chains blocked his path.
‘Blocked,’ she thought.
In that instant, Yuren swung his rod.
Shatter—!
The chain broke.
Beatrice’s eyes widened in shock.
Yuren drew closer, stepping on her shoulder and pressing the whip to Amorio's horn.
Beatrice could feel it.
[Ah…?]
For the first time, the demon sensed danger.
[This is… invisible to me…]
“I could barely see it, but if I concentrate, I can make it out.”
[What are you talking about…?]
“Doesn’t matter.”
Mana wrapped around Yuren’s rod.
Crackle!
[Aaaargh!!!]
Pain radiated from the horn.
A sensation as if her whole body were burning overwhelmed Beatrice, who felt flashes of light before her eyes.
Then—
“Hey.”
A voice heavy with irritation whispered to her.
What she saw next—
“Didn’t I tell you to hold it together?”
Yuren, pale and tense with nerves, flared with an aura so intense it was nearly terrifying.
‘…Aura?’
How could someone who wasn’t a Swordmaster be using an aura?
She didn’t have time to voice her bewilderment.
Driven by his words, she focused all her strength on disrupting Amorio's mana flow.
Then—
Crack—!
With a spine-tingling sound,
Snap!
The horn broke.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!w
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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