Chapter 70: Seven Wings (3)

Matthias’s sword had neither a visible form nor any detectable presence.

It was like a Formless Sword, impossible to sense even through heightened perception.

But even a Formless Sword wasn’t without a way to counter it.

Carl had seen masters of the Central Plains wield such techniques before, so he had already devised a method for dealing with them.

‘If there’s no trace, then I just have to make one.’

The energy of the Bright Heaven Divine Art surged sharply, and unlike the flames of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it began to freeze everything in the surroundings.

Even the trees and plants tainted with evil energy in the forest were no exception.

They all turned pure white with frost before crumbling apart, and the air drifting in the void became shrouded in white currents.

Fwaaaah!

No matter how small and stealthily thrown a hidden weapon might be, once it crossed the air, it inevitably left a trajectory.

Through the mist he created with the Bright Heaven Divine Art, Carl seized control of the air and honed his senses to razor sharpness.

Ssst—!

As expected, he sensed a sharp trajectory tearing through the mist, racing toward him.

Carl immediately reacted, swinging his sword fiercely to deflect every formless blade aimed at him.

Shhhk—

White currents continuously flowed from the straight blade.

It had been a long time since he had actively used this in real combat, but the effectiveness of the Bright Heaven Divine Art was better than he expected.

He had assumed it would be inferior to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but it radiated an undeniable presence, as if proving it was indeed a supreme martial art.

‘…The problem is—’

Even with the mist of the Bright Heaven Divine Art, he still couldn’t fully read the trajectory of the Formless Sword.

Of course, compared to earlier—when he could only sense it right before it reached his range—his detection radius had improved, but the middle path from Matthias to him was still completely unreadable.

“Trying to read the trajectory, are you? But that won’t be so easy. Even the strongest warriors of my time struggled against this sword.”

Carl didn’t reply to Matthias’s words. Instead, he crossed both arms and formed a hand seal.

Zzzzzzt—

Mana stretched out through the mist into the air, weaving into a spell.

Between martial arts and magic, between the Central Plains and Artenia, neither could be said to be inherently superior.

That was why he broadened his view, seeking a way to fuse martial arts with magic.

The lofty Heavenly Demon Divine Art made such blending nearly impossible, but the versatile Bright Heaven Divine Art, born of orthodox martial arts, proved to have surprisingly good synergy with magic.

And now, imbued with the extreme yin property of the Crystal of Frost, it had become even more powerful.

“Ice Blaster.”

Crystals condensed in the air and shot forward with the swiftness of hidden weapons.

Matthias swung his sword lightly, erecting a barrier before him to block the crystals.

But when he felt the crushing force that slammed against it, his eyes widened.

Kwaaaang—!

Ice Blaster.

In the martial arts terminology of the Central Plains, it was called Ice Explosion.

The crystals had high penetration power on their own, making them formidable—but their true strength lay in the explosive blast that occurred upon impact.

Thud.

Matthias kicked off the ground lightly, evading the blast’s shockwave.

When Carl saw him slice through the billowing smoke with a swing of his sword, his eyes gleamed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ice Explosions formed in the air and rained down endlessly toward him.

Carl used the brief intervals to analyze Matthias’s ability once more.

‘Now it narrows down to two possibilities.’

Either he was leaping through space itself—

Or he was coming at Carl through some other passage.

Both were troublesome, but Carl leaned toward the latter.

‘If he could leap through space like teleportation, he’d target vital points like my face or heart.’

But there was still a certain distance before they reached him.

Which made the idea of traveling through another path to cross space far more convincing.

“You look deep in thought. Is your head getting complicated?”

“…”

Carl slowly raised his sword.

The swordsmanship of the Bright Heaven Divine Art was the secret art of the Heavenly Martial Sect, the Heavenly Origin Sword Technique, passed down by Shin Muhyuk the Divine Warrior’s family.

Though it might not have matched the label of a supreme martial art, it was undeniably a top-tier style in its own right.

Rumble—!

This technique—Heavenly Thunder.

The sword, wreathed in white currents, split the air with the roar of thunder.

Jjeooong—!

It aimed straight for Matthias, but once again, the Formless Sword disrupted its path.

Carl immediately switched his stance to Middle Reversal, a move that redirected the enemy’s attack with his own strength, but Matthias’s Formless Sword dissipated before being drawn into Carl’s blade.

Flaaash—!

Fifth form—Demon Overturn.

The dominating sword style swept through the void, aiming for Matthias’s neck.

In that moment, several streaks of the Formless Sword grazed Carl’s body, puncturing the ice crystals of his protective technique.

Thud!

Seeing Carl’s deflected attack, Matthias scratched his chin and spoke.

“Well? Don’t you want to learn the sword of one who holds the First Seat of the Seven Wings? I’d hate to see it vanish with me. If you’d just sheath your blade and accept me as your master, I’d gladly teach it to you. With your talent, you’d be worthy to inherit it.”

Clang!

Carl deflected the Formless Sword pushing him back and sneered.

“Your mouth is just as frivolous as those flapping wings.”

“Haha.”

At the sharp retort, Matthias laughed heartily.

Then, as he slowly swung the sword in his hand, a different kind of sonic boom tore through the air.

Bang! Bang!

The Formless Sword, now even faster, struck Carl hard.

The protective energy of the Bright Heaven Divine Art wavered, and fragments of shattered ice trickled down his clothes.

Carl kicked off the ground to widen the gap, but Matthias’s sword clung stubbornly to his trail.

“Bloom.”

Shaaah—!

At Matthias’s gesture, the number of trajectories piercing through the air multiplied exponentially.

Ten, fourteen, twenty-two, thirty-one…

Sensing the presence of easily dozens of swords, Carl tightened his grip on his weapon.

Crackle—!

White extreme yin energy and thunder intertwined, sending sparks surging over his entire body.

An overwhelming aura, enough to shatter the sky, swept outward, devouring all the trajectories aimed at him.

Sixth form—Heaven Quake.

Kwaaaang!

It was like a thunder grenade had exploded—the shock shook the very ground.

Matthias, watching from a distance, let out a series of admiring remarks.

“Splendid. Has the sword of this era advanced so far? Or is it that man who is exceptional?”

“…If you’re that impressed already, it’s a bit disappointing.”

Carl, having emerged from the blast’s aftermath, used the momentum of Heaven Quake enveloping his body to kick off the ground and charge forward.

His movements were so swift that even an afterimage remained.

Matthias immediately moved his sword to pierce through it.

Thwack—!

But Carl’s form turned into black smoke, scattering in midair.

It was a shadow, mixed with Dark Flow Footwork, that had deceived his gaze.

“A little trick.”

Matthias smiled faintly, as if finding it amusing, and continued launching attacks without pause.

Wherever he sensed Carl’s presence, he sent the Formless Sword, piercing without fail and boasting near-perfect accuracy.

But before long, he could only hum lowly as he saw white shards shattering in the air.

‘A dummy?’

What his sword had pierced was nothing but a clump of ice crystals in midair.

Because they contained Carl’s energy, piercing them seemed to cancel the effect of absolute accuracy.

Clang!

Sensing killing intent right at close range, Matthias raised his sword.

For the first time since using the Formless Sword, their blades clashed.

Carl, pressing in with a fierce momentum that refused to let go, stared at Matthias with flashing eyes.

“I see. Rather than a sword, it’s more accurate to call it a bullet with homing ability.”

“…”

“To send a formless bullet, three steps are needed.”

First, to lock eyes on the opponent.

Then, after recognizing the target, use the art of absolute accuracy to fix it in place.

Finally, fire the invisible bullet through an unseen path.

“The effect of absolute accuracy is not invincible. The designation is not merely physical—it also includes the energy the target possesses. You seem able to adjust the trajectory to a certain extent, but once it touches something imbued with the target’s energy, the effect disappears.”

“Hm.”

Despite Carl’s sharp gaze, Matthias smiled faintly.

“Amazing. You figured that out after so little fighting?”

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.

There were still questions left unanswered.

‘The material that forms the bullet, and the path it takes when fired.’

It wasn’t mana.

It wasn’t demonic energy.

It was a force without color, without scent, without any perceivable nature—making it difficult to detect.

And he still hadn’t discovered the path the bullets traveled.

“You’re right. In truth, this isn’t a sword but my unique ability, something I call a Magic Bullet. Normally, when I say ‘sword,’ most get fixated on that, but you’re one of the rare exceptions.”

Thud.

Knocking Carl’s sword away, Matthias lifted his hand.

In his palm, a faint halo of light gathered, forming a small sphere.

The invisible Magic Bullet.

It revealed itself to the world at Matthias’s will, exuding an air of lofty elegance.

“I can guess what you’re curious about—the material that makes the Magic Bullet, and the path it’s fired from. It’s hard to understand, but the material is supernormal. In simple terms, I forge the bullet from will or thought.”

“…Mental Image?”

“Oh, ‘mental image,’ is it? That’s a good term. I’ve never heard a more accurate analogy.”

Carl was genuinely surprised.

The Formless Sword was also a blade with no visible shape, but it was still forged from internal energy and the principles of martial arts.

But to craft a Magic Bullet from mental imagery?

‘That would be akin to Heart Sword, the ultimate realization.’

A sword forged from will and mental image—

The intent to cut manifests as reality.

It was the destination often called the end of all martial arts.

“What do you say? You seem a bit tempted now. Hm… I’ll make a concession. How about this?”

After a brief thought, Matthias smiled at Carl’s expression.

“If you lose to me, you will personally kill everyone in this forest. Then I’ll accept you as my disciple. …If your sword overcomes my Magic Bullet, I’ll tell you everything without any conditions.”

“…”

Carl read sincerity in Matthias’s eyes.

At first, he thought it a joke, but it seemed Matthias genuinely wanted his legacy to remain in the future.

Carl twisted his lips into a mocking smile.

“I have no need for it. Such petty tricks.”

“…Why? Aren’t you tempted? If you could truly master the Magic Bullet, you could make a great name for yourself even in your own era. With your skill, you’d be more than capable of using it.”

Matthias looked as though he couldn’t understand.

Warriors of such caliber always craved greater strength.

If they found a new means or method, they would risk themselves without hesitation.

At least, Matthias had felt that kind of madness in Carl’s sword.

“I said I have no need. I already have the strongest martial art in my hands.”

Zzzzzzt—

Over the pure white currents of the Bright Heaven Divine Art flowing through Carl’s body, black specks began to appear.

The embers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art gradually flared, staining its purity.

Matthias could only stare blankly at the sight of pure white and jet-black mixing together.

Before long, all of it became one, forming a perfect unity.

It was the Primordial Unity’s Single Pole.

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