Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Proving (2)

Clang!

「 Activating the power ‘Sword Ki Master.’ 」 

「 Activating Skill ‘Lightning Sword Ki’ 」

The shock created by the sword’s collision flows through my fingertips.

Bzzzt!

I pushed the blade while activating the Lightning sword Ki, and Jane was greatly confused by that.

“Aura…!?”

Maybe the Sword Ki is treated the same as the Aura in the Ares dimension?

The Aura that the black knight I had met before used was actually a kind of Sword Ki, now that I thought about it.

It must be that the Earth dimension is the only dimension where Sword Ki or Aura didn’t exist at all.

I felt a sense of bitterness toward that fact, but Jane seemed to feel a greater shock than me.

Claaaang!

After exchanging a blow and backing away, Jane opened her mouth in disbelief.

“To think that a mere adventurer can wield an Aura…”

Then, she nodded as though she understood the Sword Ki I had used on her own.

“So you were an adventurer from a fallen noble family, huh… I see. That’s why you said you’d take the trial of the God of Proof. Interesting.”

I wasn’t from a fallen noble family or anything, but I decided to stay silent for now.

And I don’t have to say anything back since the other person is misunderstanding it, too.

“Is it that surprising to you that I’m using an Aura when you’re using one too?”

“It’s because you’re an adventurer, and I’m a high priest.”

She said so as if there was a gap of status that couldn’t be filled between the two.

“And technically speaking, I’m not wielding the Aura.”

“…?”

“I just manifested the divine power given by the God of Proof with power.”

“So you mean it’s not the official way of using the Aura.”

“Well, I guess you could put it that way. It’s some sort of an expedient.”

In short, it meant that it’s the same as the Sword Ki I used before I manifested the Sword Ki by myself.

“Ahh…”

To that, I had no choice but to look at her with massive disappointment.

It was a pity that I had nothing to learn and that the sword Ki she had wasn’t even skill, not allowing any possibility to absorb it.

The fact that I had nothing to learn and the fact that there was no possibility to even absorb her Sword Ki as it’s not skill was disappointing.

Should I say it felt like a single drop of water falling into the ground while feeling a burning thirst soaked right away?

However—

Instead of being frustrated by that fact, I used my disappointment as nourishment and adjusted my grip on the sword.

And at the same time, I looked at Jane catching her breath and asked her a question.

“There’s something that I want to ask.”

“…?”

“Was that the end of the proof of the body?”

“…Do you think you’ve already won? Even if I’m not a formal Aura user, my skills are as good as one, you see?”

“So you’re not going to tell me?”

“I wonder… I don’t know. If you want to know, try defeating me fair and square like a formal Aura user, and then perhaps I might tell you.”

Judging from her sullen tone, she must’ve thought that I was looking down on her.

She must’ve even thought she was despised for not being a formal Aura user.

Of course, she wasn’t wrong that I thought I won, but I have never despised her for not being a formal Aura user.

But I shone my eyes at the condition she attached at the end of her sentence rather than her being angry.

“I don’t think that’s enough. If I win, tell me what other proof will be there ahead of me.”

“Hah! I’ll do that if you win, adventurer. But isn’t it too early to think that you’ve won?”

As soon as I saw the veins rising up on Jane’s fine forehead, I smiled softly.

“That’s something we’ll find out soon.”

And—

With those words, I immediately kicked off and rushed to Jane.

***

Clang! Claaang! Claaaaaaaang!

The battle with Jane was getting far longer than I expected.

At some point, I didn’t even know how much time had passed.

The cause of this long battle was because of the divine power that Jane had in her body.

Perhaps claiming that she was a priest wasn’t entirely wrong. She was constantly replenishing her stamina, recovering her wounds through divine power, and holding out against me.

On top of that, her physical ability was pretty high, so she wasn’t an opponent I could defeat without any damage.

But soon, while fighting with Jane, I noticed she had less combat experience than I thought. 

Should I say it seemed like she had no experience in having a long fight against a strong opponent?

It looked like she had never sparred with someone like me who could tenaciously keep up with her.

‘Then I’ll have to make use of that too.’

For that, I slowly loosened the strength of my right hand holding the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword and started pretending to be a little exhausted on purpose.

To prevent Jane from thinking that this was acting, I purposely loosened concentration on my eyes, clenched my teeth, and forcefully swung my sword.

At that very moment, Jane took the bait.

Claaaaaang!

With the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword that was deliberately wielded poorly, Jane made a big move and blew my sword away from my hands. 

And soon, her face began to turn bright as though she had just won.

「 Activating the power ‘Iron-blooded Sword.’ 」

Without noticing that it was the result of my plan.

“…!?”

As soon as the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword disappeared, I immediately summoned the Iron-blooded Sword in my right hand.

Then, an antique-looking Iron-blooded Sword tinged with frost was attached to my empty right hand.

At the same time, a look of bewilderment fell on Jane’s face, which had guaranteed her victory.

However, Jane, who struck my sword with a huge movement, wasn’t yet given freedom of action.

I used that moment to strongly parry the rapier on Jane’s hand in reverse.

Kaaang!

***

[Translator – Ramen ]

[Proofreader – DVN-L ]

***

“…”

“I won.”

“N-No… How did it turn like this…”

“Just think of it as your lack of practical experience.”

At that, Jane opened her mouth as though it made her go off the deep end.

“Lack of practical experience, my ass…! Don’t you think it’s the adventurer that’s strange when I’m recovering several times with divine power!?”

「 Administrator ‘God-slaying Swordsman’ says, now that you mention it. She’s right.」

「 Administrator ‘The Hero of the Collapsed World’ affirms the priest’s words, saying that what she’s saying isn’t entirely wrong.」

「 Administrator ‘Seeker of Divinity’ sympathizes with Priest Jane’s anger and tells you that you’re the strange one.」

“Doesn’t the fact that you’ve never competed with such an opponent equate to your lack of practical experience?”

「 Administrator ‘White Crane Sword Saint’ is inflated with pride and says this is her contractor.」 

「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ scoffs at a woman saying why is an administrator who signed the second contract is the one acting pompous.」 

「 Administrator ‘Seeker of Divinity’ feels interest and pleasure in your sophistry and is satisfied.」

“What kind of logic is that…?”

“Either way, I won.”

“That’s… true.”

“Then let me know what you promised.”

Of course, Jane could say no, but I thought she wasn’t a person to do so.

Even if she doesn’t, it’s just a matter of where I can finish her off and move on to the next hurdle.

But Jane didn’t bother to say no, and immediately let out a deep sigh, and she began to explain.

“There are now two proofs of the body left, and the proof of the belief will begin at the fifth hurdle and will end at the sixth.”

“Then do you mean that the proof of the spirit is only in the seventh hurdle?”

“But you might wanna consider giving up once before trying the seventh hurdle.”

“…?”

“No one has ever passed the seventh hurdle, you see. Everyone who went through it had gone insane or died bleeding all over their body.”

I immediately activated the Fire Dragon’s Eyes to check if what she was saying was true, but.

「The skill ‘Fire Dragon’s Eyes’ detects that there are no lies in the words of the opponent.」 

Jane was just relaying only the facts to me.

“Then do you know the content of the proofs that’ll happen onwards…”

“I don’t know about that either.”

「The skill ‘Fire Dragon’s Eyes’ detects that there are no lies in the words of the opponent.」 

“…”

I realized this only after asking Jane this and that through the Fire dragon’s eyes.

Those in charge of each proof barely interact with each other, and only properly know about the proof they’re in charge of.

At that, with a sigh, I picked up the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword that had fallen in the room and deactivated the Iron-blooded Sword.

Come to think of it, even though it had been a while since I acquired the Iron-blooded Sword, I haven’t been using it properly.

‘The performance of the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword is too good, so I can’t really find a situation to use it.’

Originally, I thought that the sword I was using would be destroyed or disappear soon.

But as I was using it, I couldn’t really use the power that much because perhaps the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword was better than I had imagined.

At this point, I felt like I couldn’t even make use of the power properly.

I thought of maybe learning dual wielding of a sword after completing the trial on the 11th floor, and soon looked at Jane.

“I’ll be over soon, huh. My last words are… well. It’s been a while since I had a good fight. That’s about it.”

She didn’t look like someone who knew she was going to die soon.

“…Aren’t you scared of dying?”

After I killed Jane, I’d absorb her soul.

Nevertheless, Jane didn’t seem too afraid.

When I wondered why and asked her, Jane answered calmly.

“Because the soul of a high priest is bound to God.”

“Even if I die, I’ll just be returning to the side of God.”

“So that’s the reason why you don’t have any fear of death.”

“I may look like this, but I’m a priest who dedicated everything to God in my own way, so I’m free from all the worldly desires.”

I didn’t ask further if she really didn’t have any regrets and if it was okay for her to die like this.

Anyway, I was longing for growth, and she wouldn’t feel devastated even if she died.

Knowing that asking more like this would just be a disgusting act, I silently swung my sword.

Slaaaaash!

「 You have absorbed the soul of the priest ‘Jane’.」

「 Proficiency increased by 8.8% 」 

It’s been a while since I’ve felt my mind becoming a bit dull.

We fought properly, knowing that we were going to die, and Jane was defeated and lost her life as a result.

It was a battle that risked life. If I had been weaker, it would’ve been me who died, not her. 

That’s all, and in reality, she’s a person that I wouldn’t be able to remember once I overcame the trial.

And yet, currently, I was feeling some kind of guilt for killing her.

“…”

For an instant, I felt a chill seep through my body.

I once swore to myself.

Which was, to climb the tower, I’d kill everyone who tried to kill me.

In doing so, I’d climb this tower without escaping from fighting and abandoning my humanity.

However, that was to preserve the minimum amount of humanity, and I didn’t hesitate to kill people like this.

Was I confused about my feelings this much because she didn’t have any malice towards me unlike the people I’ve met so far?

However, Johann, whom I encountered at the first gate, was also similar if that’s the case.

He didn’t have much malice towards me. He just quibbled about the trial.

Even when killing him and taking the items from his pocket, I had no other feelings except for being a little sorry.

For the first time, I began to feel fear.

What will happen if this feeling doesn’t end with a simple whim but also overlaps with self-contradiction?

The feeling of being defeated by Namgung hyuk was like firewood intensifying the fire called longing for growth.

But it’d be the worst if this precarious feeling blocks that longing and takes away my will.

As I got to that thought, I felt my hair rising and frowned.

“No wonder why it’s called the proof of the spirit… It’s actually making me think about the subject of the trial.”

Perhaps this trial itself might have this kind of tendency.

This space was prepared by the tower, and at the same time it was called a trial of the gods.

There may be a factor that influences me without affecting the mana resistance and forceful breakthrough.

I drove that fact in my head as though imprinting it, and immediately left the room and walked to the next hurdle.

Unlike a while ago, there were broken pieces of glass attached to the hallway connecting the room. 

And it increased in numbers as I got closer to the next hurdle, till it looked like a single broken window.

Should I say it connected and continueed as if a new mirror was being completed from the pieces of glass?

That feeling became certain as soon as I entered the room where the third hurdle was.

The walls, ceilings, and floors were lined with pieces of glass like broken mirrors.

In the center of that foreign room was a priest with his eyes closed and a scabbard in his left hand.

He was a man of great size, and his stout physique was conspicuous even from the outside of his fluttering robes.

“…An adventurer who can truly wield the laws of the invisible world, I see.” 

He murmured so with his eyes closed, then raised his right hand and placed his hand on the handle of his sword.

And at the same time.

「 Administrator ‘God-slaying Swordsman’ tells you that you should be careful now.」

「 Administrator ‘White Crane Sword Saint’ says he uses a genuine Sword Ki, not a fabricated one.」 

「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ is sending a small admiration, saying as expected from a priest who serves the God of Proof.」 

While messages were flooding in from the administrators, the man grabbed the handle of the sword and—

“I’m the one who’ll become a sword that the God of Proof will wield, Resillian.”

Soon he gradually opened his eyes, slowly pulling out a straight sword from his scabbard.

Then, as Resillian held the sword fully in his right hand, flames erupted from the blade.

It was an imperfect flame that seemed like it could be extinguished by a gust of wind.

However—

“Prove your mastery of arms here.”

It was a technique that had to be acknowledged, even imperfect.

“Sword Flame…”

The worst technique that existed only to devour the Sword Ki appeared in front of me again.

——