I Can See the Sword’s Memories

Chapter 32: Sun Tail Mission(4)

Occasionally, there are moments when one surpasses their usual limits. My body was in peak condition, and my mind sharper than ever.

I was in my prime.

I could feel the air currents brushing against my skin, and my smoothly loosened joints moved as if carried by those currents.

“What… how is this possible? In just a few seconds…?”

“Is this one defective? We fed it so much mana stone…”

My heightened senses picked up even the faintest vibrations in their voices. Let it flow. I could faintly grasp the meaning hidden in the mantra.

“Send up the next opponent!”

A voice, brimming with excitement, rang out, followed by a massive presence stirring beneath the training ground.

Boom— Boom— Boom—

Ripples spread across the calm surface. Even without seeing the opponent, I could clearly picture their movements.

Hoo—

A frosty breath escaped my lips and scattered into the wind. Simultaneously, the sounds around me faded. I entered a state of extreme focus, my perception narrowing as my razor-sharp senses heightened.

Then I moved. I didn’t hear the signal to start the match, but I knew—it was obvious. The new opponent before me had moved first.

Clang—!

The mana stone-covered arm clashed with the blade of my White Dragon Sword, releasing a powerful shockwave.

My honed senses told me I could go faster. Trusting them, I let mana course wildly through me in rhythm with my pounding heart.

Boom!

I wasn’t overpowered. Instead, I advanced a step. My body, pushing beyond its limits, burned hot and cooled simultaneously.

A relentless barrage of swift strikes built a wall of attacks. Each time the white blade struck the mana stone soldier’s body, sparks flew.

Kaang—!

The resulting shockwaves seemed mismatched with the sounds, as though they couldn’t keep up. My sword began to exceed the speed of sound itself.

Suddenly, the mana stone soldier’s battered body vanished. On the violently disturbed surface, new ripples appeared. My heightened senses immediately detected where the opponent would reappear.

Left rear. Attack immediately.

The moment I perceived it, my body spun smoothly. My cloak fluttered, and a sharp slash sliced through the white wind that burst forth.

Kaang—!

The attack was blocked, and again, the opponent disappeared. This time, too, they reappeared behind me. I intercepted their strike again.

Kaang—!

This pattern repeated. The mana stone soldier blinked in and out of sight, launching continuous attacks, but every strike failed.

I could predict where they would appear. Through the flow of air brushing against my skin, I sensed the movement of mana.

When mana disperses, the opponent moves.

Front, back, sides, below—they appeared in all directions. I was growing accustomed to the rhythm. Riding the flow, I made a decisive move.

Even though the opponent was behind me, I stepped forward with my left leg.

Boom—!

The ground shook as my foot struck, forming a pivot. A dragon-shaped form surged forward.

Zzeoong—!

The moment my blade pierced empty air, the mana stone soldier materialized in its path.

Crack—

A fracture appeared on the mana stone as my extended blade connected. I didn’t move from that spot.

Simultaneously, parts of the soldier’s mana stone covering shattered. A chill wind swept over the scattering blue fragments.

Thud—

The soldier collapsed. They were still alive, but in no condition to continue fighting.

Another victory. Flicking my sword clean, I made my declaration again.

“Next.”

My body must have already reached its limit, but I kept moving. There was no pain. This truly felt like being at my peak.

Even my anger had faded. I was enthralled by myself, losing myself further in the natural flow of my swordsmanship.

Unconsciously, the mantra of the White Dragon Heart technique arose naturally.

“Um, Vice Captain Kanok… should we…?”

“Continue?”

Theo and Flora voiced their concerns. Having spent so much time with me, they knew my physical capabilities better than anyone else.

I was clearly pushing myself too hard, but…

Kanok seemed to agree. I was one of his most valued subordinates. While he didn’t always watch over me, he had a good grasp of my limits.

Even so…

It didn’t seem like I would lose.

“Let’s just watch,” Kanok said, his lips curling into a deep smile.

The Sun Tail nobles, enraged by my confident demeanor, shouted frantically.

“Send that one! The bigger one! The one that’s absorbed more mana stone!”

“But… it’s still in the experimental stage…”

“Just bring it out!”

The noble’s incessant prodding sent a researcher running. The place he hurried to held a soldier far larger than any other mana stone soldier, sitting slumped over.

The researcher, face pale with unease, grasped a small mana stone in his trembling hand. As he activated it, the enormous soldier’s body flickered blue.

“R-Rise… Number Five.”

Boom—

In response to the command, Number Five rose to its feet. The mana stone embedded throughout its body emitted a dazzling glow, exuding an overwhelming, wild energy.

Unrefined savagery. The aura carried the rawness of an untamed beast.

Oddly enough, I found such a presence familiar. Memories of running through pristine snowfields came vividly to mind.

The researcher, who had sent Number Five into the training ground, looked toward the knights of the Karma Empire.

Guilt tugged at his conscience. To pit an experimental, uncontrollable soldier against a small girl—it was bound to end in catastrophe.

Number Five was a particularly special creation, crafted with great care. It possessed vast stores of mana and abilities unlike any ordinary soldier.

With trepidation, the researcher clutched the mana stone and posed one last question to the Empire’s knights.

“Are you sure… you want to proceed?”

The deputy commanders exchanged glances, all eyes settling on Kanok. As the representative of the Azure Wings here, his decision carried the weight of authority.

Kanok smiled lightly and called out to me, standing in the arena.

“Do you want to continue?”

I answered with my actions. Lowering my stance, I raised my sword-bearing right hand over my shoulder. I was ready to fight.

Kanok shrugged.

“Proceed.”

At Kanok’s command, the researcher swallowed hard and gave the soldier its orders.

“D-Defeat them.”

Victory became the sole objective. Upon receiving the command, Number Five let out a deafening roar.

“RAAAAAH!”

Its entire body glowed red as the mana stones radiated violently. The colossal soldier charged, its massive legs propelling it forward with such force that the training ground shook and cracked beneath it.

This one was different—entirely on another level.

I stepped forward to meet the oncoming red blur.

Let it flow. Don’t stubbornly resist. Deflect power too great to handle.

Pivoting softly on the balls of my feet, I shifted aside.

BOOOOM—!

The charge of the over-three-meter-tall giant tore apart half the training ground. Beyond the rising clouds of dust, a red glow pulsed ominously.

Fast, despite its size.

I fixated on the red glow through the dust. The air shifted—a prelude to something coming my way.

Before I could consciously process it, my body reacted. I stepped forward as a burst of blue stone shards erupted from where I had been.

Crack—!

Mana stones…

The soldier was causing the stones to grow. Though I couldn’t discern the exact mechanism, it was undoubtedly Number Five’s doing.

Once again, I retreated gracefully, my movements as fluid as a dance. Behind me, more blue mana stone pillars burst upward in rapid succession.

How could I pierce that tough exterior? I moved fluidly, summoning the memory of my blade.

The White Dragon Sword’s recollection, passed across dimensions, emerged vividly in my mind.

A dragon writhed upon a snowy expanse, its form soaring toward the heavens like a divine lightning strike. 

Those who founded schools of swordsmanship on the snowfields captured that image in their techniques.

At that moment, my momentum faded. The biting winds that had swept through the arena stilled, as did the icy aura emanating from my blade.

Before the chaos of a raging storm comes a quiet calm.

I felt the torrent of mana spiraling furiously within me.

“RAAAAAH!”

Number Five roared again, slamming its enormous fists into the ground. Around it, blue mana stone pillars erupted in a cascade.

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—!

I leaped back, twisting in midair. Landing lightly, I sprang upward once more.

Hoo…

I had reached my limit. The mana surging within me was at its peak. I could no longer suppress it.

At that moment, I landed lightly atop one of the mana stone pillars.

CRASH—!

The pillar shattered as an ivory dragon, sculpted from frigid energy, surged forth like a thunderbolt. Frost descended upon the arena where the dragon had passed.

As the white dragon collided with Number Five, its form dissipated.

BOOOOM—!

Landing directly in front of the towering soldier, I grimaced at the massive impact reverberating through my fingertips.

Even with the cold suppressing the pain, a sharp sensation coursed through me. But it wasn’t enough—this strike alone wouldn’t bring down Number Five.

The enormous figure staggered, shaken by the blow. I seized the moment, lowering my stance as another ivory dragon rose toward the sky.

BOOOOOM—!

Ascending like a shooting star, the dragon dissipated, revealing my figure within.

My arms and legs trembled, and the mana remaining within me was faint. Yet the opponent remained standing.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled deeply.

“None can halt the dragon’s momentum as it surges across the ridges…”

This is Dragon Slash.

I unclasped the sheath from my waist with my left hand and lightly pressed it underfoot.

BOOOM—!

All the mana within me erupted violently. As the frigid energy shaped the dragon’s form, a lightning-like strike descended upon the ground.

A thick cloud of dust rose, and as it settled, fragments of red mana stone scattered. Slowly, my small frame came into view.

My condition was far from normal. My half-closed left eye, ragged breathing, heaving chest, trembling hands, and bent legs that seemed ready to collapse told the story.

But I did not fall.

In that state, I opened my mouth.

“This…”

My breath trembled, breaking my words.

“Is this… all…?”

Even so, I finished my statement. My defiant gaze swept toward the nobles of Sun Tail. One of them collapsed under the weight of my stare.

“B-Bring up the next soldier!”

But no one moved. Every soldier they had prepared had been annihilated—by a single small girl.

At that moment, I raised my left hand. A worn sheath flew into my grip and settled snugly in my grasp.