Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Deep within the forest used as the House Lunei training grounds, Mitchell stood perfectly still, sword in hand.

Kieeeeee!

With a ghostly wail, his Aura Hole surged to the brim. Mitchell circulated the energy through his body, following the flow of the First Form of the Heaven-Shattering Sword: Heaven-Shattering Flash, as Grant had taught him. The energy moving along his Aura Roads settled steadily into the blade.

‘Compression is the key, right?’

Mitchell visualized the energy condensing, just as Grant had described. Grant told him that until it became as natural as breathing, it was best to rely on a mental image. So, Mitchell focused his mind and guided the energy according to the cultivation method.

‘Just a little more!’

He had to push past a certain threshold for the energy to stabilize. This was the part where he always got stuck. Determined to succeed this time, he poured even more energy into the focus—

Bang!

The compressed energy suddenly detonated. The violent backlash sent a shockwave through his hands, leaving them trembling uncontrollably. Mitchell flopped onto the ground, massaging his numbing limbs.

“Phew, well, at least it’s progress.”

The first time he failed, he had suffered internal injuries. The fact that he escaped with only some numbness was thanks to his growing familiarity with handling the backlash of failing the technique.

Regardless, the result was another failure. Yet, Mitchell didn't feel discouraged. When he remembered the terrifying aura Grant had unleashed against their enemies, his resolve only burned brighter.

“Let’s try again.”

Rising to his feet, Mitchell gripped his sword and recalled Grant’s advice.

"The first form, Heaven-Shattering Flash, is made by focusing your mind and compressing your energy over and over. If I were to give you a tip, think of it like forging iron—apply intense pressure."

Over the past month at House Lunei, Mitchell had tried that method countless times. He hadn't succeeded once. He had a hunch as to why.

He hadn't spent the month only practicing the secret technique; he had also been training in basic swordsmanship and general energy control. Through that, he realized one fundamental problem: he couldn't control his energy properly.

‘It’s because this stuff is so damn temperamental.’

Mitchell smiled bitterly as he looked inward. The energy in his Aura Hole was far too chaotic. Because it possessed characteristics of both Aura and Mana, fine control was a nightmare. That was why every technique he had used in battle so far involved explosive, outward bursts of power.

‘I can’t use the Heaven-Shattering Flash like this.’

He wondered if he was being too simplistic. Every problem had its own unique solution.

‘Hmm... if I can’t control the converted energy, maybe I should try a different approach.’

As Mitchell was lost in thought, Grant approached. He smiled, seeing Mitchell standing still with his sword.

“Training again? It’s not easy, is it?”

“You’re telling me. I know I have to compress it, but the energy just won’t move the way I want.”

“It won't be easy, even for you. Aura control is the most important skill for using the Heaven-Shattering Flash.”

Grant seemed somewhat excited. To be fair, he had been constantly intimidated by Mitchell’s terrifying learning speed. In just one month, Mitchell’s sword form had become more perfect than warriors who had practiced for years, and his Aura control was already appropriate for his level.

Unless Mitchell practiced his control through self-study, there wasn't much more Grant could teach him. That was why he had been worried while teaching him the secret technique.

‘I thought he’d snatch the secret in the blink of an eye.’

It wasn't that he was stingy. He just feared the crushing sense of defeat he would feel if Mitchell mastered in days what had taken him years of life-and-death struggle to learn. Seeing that Mitchell was struggling for once, Grant decided to comfort him and offer to teach him other techniques first. Secret techniques were important, but so were the fundamentals.

Just as he was about to suggest sensory training—

“Anyway, good timing. I’m going to try using the Heaven-Shattering Flash cultivation method in a different way. Take a look.”

“What?!”

Grant tried to stop him, but Mitchell was already focused, circulating his energy.

‘Dammit! Why is he trying to modify an already unstable martial art?!’

Every form of the Heaven-Shattering Sword was currently in an unstable state. Naturally, House Lunei had tried to restore them. Many had been severely injured attempting to change the cultivation methods to fix the flaws. And now Mitchell was trying it.

Grant bit his lip. Since Mitchell had already started, forcing him to stop now was more dangerous than watching and intervening if things went south.

He watched closely—and then...

Shiver—

Goosebumps erupted across Grant’s entire body. It was a familiar, chilling sensation he had felt whenever Mitchell used his unique energy. The problem was that this time, it was on a completely different level.

‘Crazy! What on earth is he doing?’

Unaware of Grant’s panic, Mitchell was solely focused on his sword. His new idea was simple.

‘I should do what I’m best at.’

What made him superior to others? His control over souls. The Heaven-Shattering Flash cultivation method was specialized in pulling Aura into a single point. Mitchell was failing because he lacked the control to hold that Aura together. He could grow that control over time, but it wasn't in his nature to ignore a shortcut.

‘Instead of using the energy in my Aura Hole, I’ll just put the souls in directly.’

He was confident in moving souls. Combining his innate control over souls with the principles of Soul Drain and the cultivation method of the Heaven-Shattering Flash, the energy began to compress much more easily than expected.

Kieeeeeeeeeeek!

The souls pushed into the sword screamed as the pressure tightened around them.

‘If I convert them in this state—!’

The souls inside the blade were squeezed and crushed until they transformed into Sword-Qi. The space around the blade began to warp; the energy was so sinister and heavy it was overflowing. It looked exactly like the pressure Grant produced when using the Heaven-Shattering Flash.

But that was where the similarity ended. When Mitchell swung the sword, it wasn't a sharp blade of light that flew out, but a semi-circular wave of pale, misty smoke.

“What in the world is that...?”

Grant knew Mitchell’s version would look different due to their different levels, but he could tell this wasn't just a lower-tier version of his technique. He had been a 3rd-class Aura User when he first learned it—roughly the same level as Mitchell now.

Gulp—

Grant swallowed hard, staring at the misty Sword-Qi as it flew forward. What was going to happen? The pale wave slammed directly into a tree.

“...?”

Nothing happened. Grant frowned and rushed over to Mitchell.

“Are you okay?”

“I... I feel like I’m gonna die...”

“Your level is low, so the recoil shouldn't have been too bad.”

“But... all that for just this...?”

Mitchell couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the ground, splayed out like a starfish. Grant clicked his tongue and poured a potion into Mitchell’s mouth.

“You’re lucky. You messed with a secret technique and didn't explode. Usually—”

Grant stopped mid-sentence, his eyes shifting. He realized he had expected a result only a successful Heaven-Shattering Flash would produce.

‘Wait, the tree looked fine, but...’

Grant turned back toward the target. Just as he thought nothing had happened—

Shshsh—

Suddenly, the leaves of the tree began to fall in heaps. They were completely withered and shriveled. He rushed closer and found the trunk in no better state. When he pulled on a thick branch, it snapped effortlessly, revealing a rotted interior.

“What exactly did you do...?”

“I didn't know it would have that effect either. Anyway, does this count as a success?”

He didn't know if he could call it the "Heaven-Shattering Flash," but Mitchell had definitely learned something.

“You lucky bastard.”

“Hehe, what? Say that again.”

“Forget it. But you’d better be careful. The Holy Empire and the Black Mage families are going to hunt you down for this.”

The Holy Empire would bring maces, and the Black Mage families would bring scalpels. Grant looked at Mitchell with a disgruntled expression.

“Seriously, what family are you from that you use such unheard-of energy?”

“It’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

“Ugh... purely based on the aura, it feels like Dark Swordsmanship...”

“Dark Swordsmanship?”

Mitchell tilted his head, hearing the term for the first time.

“You’ve never heard of it? Well, I’ve only heard stories myself. It’s mostly extinct now. My family was one of the last to use it, but that ended after the war with the Holy Empire.”

During the war, the Holy Empire had exerted a great deal of effort to eradicate Dark Swordsmanship and Black Magic. However, because Black Magic often benefited a nation’s strength, it received full imperial support immediately after the war. That support led to the rise of new houses—like House Kellion.

Dark Swordsmanship, on the other hand, was powerful but had side effects that often left practitioners as cripples. It was already dying out before the war, and the Empire saw no reason to support its revival.

“So if I learn Dark Swordsmanship, will people ostracize me?”

“People might be shocked, but it won’t go that far. There are rumors that the Imperial Family still has a secret unit trained in it. The biggest problem with Dark Swordsmanship is that it’s incredibly difficult to even produce one master. And it’s not like they’re overwhelmingly stronger than those who learn standard Aura.”

“Then there’s no reason to learn it.”

“True, but it was studied because it allowed people to break past their limits. Of course, the real Dark Swordsmanship is said to be different...”

When Mitchell showed interest in the "real" version, Grant shook his head.

“There are techniques in Dark Swordsmanship to pull out your hidden potential. It forces your level up, but the true version depends entirely on innate talent. Just forget about it.”

Forget about it? Not a chance! Mitchell was overjoyed at the thought that he had finally found a hint about the energy inside his body.

“You said your family practiced it until the end. Teach me a little—”

“We don't have it anymore. Even our secret techniques are damaged; you think we’d still have Dark Swordsmanship?”

Grant pointed at Mitchell’s pale face. Even after the potion, the aftereffects of using his "misty" flash remained.

“Anyway, since you don't know anything about it, I guess you aren't a practitioner. They say it’s not something you can learn alone, anyway.”

“Tch, I really wanted to look into it... anyway, why did you come here?”

“Ah! Right!”

He had forgotten because of the bizarre sight he had just witnessed. Grant finally addressed Mitchell seriously.

“I came to tell you we’re ready.”

Three weeks ago, Grant had found the location of the High Chancellor, Hail. After weeks of moving behind the scenes, the preparations were finally complete. Hearing this, Mitchell looked at the sword on the ground and smirked.

“Perfect timing.”

It was the perfect opportunity to test his new technique. Ask Mitchell any more questions about his training or his time at House Lunei.