Land of Magic

by Kirill Klevanski

  The two warriors flew back after they slammed into each other. Dinos righted himself in midair and landed on his feet. Hadjar didn’t fare as well, landing awkwardly and rolling across the ground before he was able to stop himself. It was clear which of them had the upper hand.

  “High Heavens!” Hadjar breathed out.

  The exchange had restored his clarity of thought. Suddenly, he felt something new awaken inside him. The colors became brighter and all his senses sharpened. Hadjar saw more clearly, his thoughts were faster, and he... understood. He now knew at exactly what distance he could reach his opponent. He knew which attacks would break through Tom’s defenses, and which would leave only shallow scratches behind. He also became aware of the fact that his friend was alive. He waved his hand and the hem of his black cloak stretched out like a ribbon, wrapped itself around Einen, and carried him to the hole in the wall that Tom had left behind.

  “Rest, my friend,” Hadjar whispered as the cloak resumed its original shape. “I can’t promise that you’ll be able to get your revenge.”

  “Hey, mutt!” Dinos laughed from the opposite side of the arena. “Are you really stupid enough to interfere in a duel? You’ll be expelled for this.”

  Hadjar assumed an offensive stance. He didn’t care about being expelled. All he cared about was murdering Tom.

  “Insolent dog! Die! Thunder Strike!”

  Two streaks of blue energy formed a huge star that crackled with countless lightning bolts. It evaporated the sand, exposing the stone beneath. The attack was so powerful that it could’ve destroyed a Spirit Knight at the middle stage. A month and a half ago, the mere echo of this monstrous Technique would’ve sent Hadjar to his forefathers.

  But not today. He bent his knees and sheathed his sword.

  Chapter 520

  The attack that he was about to unleash was the most complicated Technique Hadjar had ever seen. It required you to use not just your hands, but also your heart, soul, and mind. After six months of using the method he’d learned from the ancient tablet that he’d obtained in the Library of Mage City, Hadjar had finally been able to understand this.

  The first stage of mastering this Technique was to develop the ability to visualize the attack as accurately and realistically as possible. Merely thinking about it should cause the energy flows inside one’s body to change and their muscles to ache, as if they had just tried to use more power than they could generate. The Technique required total commitment and dedication.

  Since the battle against the enemy disciples, Hadjar had always put his all into every move. Many saw the silhouette of a dragon in the plume of black fog. And that’s because there was a dragon there. The Black Blade, like Hadjar’s Call, resided in the deepest and most secret recesses of his soul. Combining all of this, Hadjar had been able to perform an attack once used by the Black General himself. Before today, he’d been convinced that this was some special Technique of his distant ancestor, but now he knew better: for six months, he’d been studying a simple, ordinary sword swing made by the first of the Darkhans.

  The Enemy probably hadn’t even put any mysteries of the Sword Spirit into the swing. He’d just used it to strike a better pose for an artist. It was hard to imagine the sheer power of the greatest swordsman in history if his simplest attack, when imitated by a Heaven Soldier, produced such destructive results.

  Black Wind, Hadjar thought. That was what he would call the first stance of this Technique that had nothing to do with the ‘Light Breeze’ Technique.

  The thunder-star, which contained power equal to four attacks from a swordsman who’d mastered the Weapon’s Heart and was wielding an Imperial artifact was so close to Hadjar that he could feel the superheated air rushing into his lungs with every breath he took. This terrifying Technique would’ve easily sent a dozen Heaven Soldiers to their deaths, and might’ve even been able to break through Imperial level armor. There was no doubt in Hadjar’s mind that Tom Dinos deserved to be called the young heir of the Predatory Blades clan, a clan that produced the Empire’s greatest swordsmen. And yet…

  “Black Wind!” Hadjar launched only a single, light strike.

  It didn’t look as powerful and frightening as a slash. It wasn’t as fast as a lunge. It didn’t have the same cutting power as a chop. It was the most ordinary of swings, like the ones that mortal warriors normally used when they trained their back and arm muscles with a stick.

  Hadjar’s attack formed a wall of darkness. The thick, undulating wall struck the thunder-star, drove it into the ground, and then the star exploded into a shower of sparks that scorched the magical veil and tore holes in the stone walls. Lava spilled onto the sand, causing it to sizzle and bubble. Cut in half, the star fell apart, emitting echoes. The echoes turned into lightning bolts that were several feet long and flew all across the arena. Each of them was comparable to a Heaven Soldier’s sword strike.

  The audience thanked the heavens for this opportunity to bear witness to a clash between these monsters. The swordsmen were especially happy. Watching such a battle, they could feel inspiration fill them and their understanding of the Sword Spirit deepen.

  “Do you truly think that’s all an heir of the Predatory Blades clan is capable of?”

  Tom’s eyes flashed scarlet. Anise, who hadn’t looked at all worried before, jumped to her feet. Clutching a pale Dora’s shoulder, she almost shouted at her brother. Their clan hadn’t attained its lofty position by only using their incomplete Thunder God’s Technique. They didn’t have the seventh and eighth volumes, which were stored on the top floor of the Treasure Tower. This was why generations of the Predatory Blades clan’s heirs had attended ‘The Holy Sky’ School. The chance to completely master one of the most powerful Techniques in the Empire was worth the hassle. It could be used with light swords, heavy swords, and even sabers. Its creator must’ve been much more powerful than a mere Nameless cultivator.

  Even so, the Dinos would’ve never become one of the seven great clans of the Empire if they hadn’t had their own Technique as well — the ‘Bloody Hunt’ Technique.

  Only the most talented members of the Predatory Blades clan could study it. Only geniuses could advance beyond the first two volumes. In the current generation, only the clan leader had the power and skill required to handle the might of the third of four volumes. Anise herself was able to use stances from the first volume. The ‘Bloody Run’ allowed her to strike at any target within sixty feet of her. The ‘Bloody Harvest’ Technique created a wave of lethal slashes directed not only in front of, but around the swordsman using it as well. Mastering these two stances was enough for Anise to be considered one of the best swordsmen of the younger generation in her entire clan. In the past, she had even been the eldest heiress of the clan, until…

  “Bloody Run!”

  Tom felt the weight of the world fall on his shoulders. Unlike his sister, he hadn’t been able to fully comprehend the mysteries of the Technique described in the first volume. Even so, the level of understanding he possessed was enough to fight against an arrogant commoner. As soon as he raised his sword, Dinos felt an incredible surge of power. Unlike other, simpler Techniques, which relied on the mysteries of the Weapon Spirit to fuel them, this one took a different approach. It drew the mysteries of the Sword Spirit from Dinos’ blade and poured them into his body. Before you could study the ‘Bloody Hunt’, you had to make your body as strong as a Spirit level artifact. The power of the mysteries poured into the body was so great that, without that strengthening, it could destroy one’s body as easily as if the cultivator had plunged their own sword into their heart.

  The audience saw Tom swing his sword almost casually, seemingly not even aiming at Hadjar. Then he disappeared, his sword coming in at an oblique angle, trying to obliterate his foe.

  The second swordsman, still shrouded in the black fog, had obviously been prepared for something like this, as he had assumed a defensive stance in advance. As soon as Dinos realized that his blow wouldn’t
land, he disappeared again and changed the trajectory of his attack. Leaving behind an arc of scarlet droplets in the air, Dinos’ sword sliced into the part of the black cloak covering Hadjar’s back.

  Chapter 521

  Hadjar had seen a similar Technique before. Aware that Tom would strike faster than his mind or hands could react, he’d assumed the sixth stance of the ‘Light Breeze’ Technique: ‘Rustle in the Treetops’.

  As he had advanced to the next stage of the Heaven Soldier level, Hadjar’s increased understanding of the essence of the world allowed him to notice a glimmer in his opponent’s eyes. Knowing that Dinos would target his chest, Hadjar first guarded that area and then counterattacked.

  To his surprise, Tom’s sword struck his Defensive Technique, then suddenly disappeared. This wasn’t a normal Movement Technique. He felt the tip of Tom’s sword graze his chest, but the full power of the attack hit his back instead. All of this happened so quickly that even the few Spirit Knights in the audience only saw Tom’s attack begin in one place and end at another. Only the three Lords had seen Tom turn into a red lightning bolt.

  Orune shook his head in frustration as he watched the noble brat’s attack send the boy flying.

  “His reflexes aren’t sharp enough,” he commented.

  “How can you possibly say that?” Jean was indignant. “He was able to sense Dinos’ intent, and he’s still only at the middle stage of the Heaven Soldier level!”

  “Intent…” Orune snorted. “What a load of nonsense! A true swordsman shouldn’t try to feel where the blow will come from. They have to know it!”

  Jean disagreed.

  Standing in his flying boat, hidden behind the veil he’d cast, he watched the battle intently. Orune and Markin were with him. The latter was nervous for some reason. He wanted to stop the fight, but he couldn’t go against Orune, the strongest fighter in the School after the vice-rector and rector. No one wanted to get on his bad side, especially not because of something as insignificant as the possible death of a fully-fledged student.

  Jean had no doubt that Dinos would win. No matter how talented and strong Hadjar was, Tom had the power of the entire Predatory Blades clan behind him — all their Teachers, resources, and Techniques, including the ‘Bloody Hunt’ Technique, the fourth volume of which was rumored to contain power at the Imperial level.

  “But Dinos is even worse,” Orune continued. His hand kept touching the hilt of his sword, as if he were about to go fight the two young swordsmen himself. “With the resources of the Predatory Blades clan at his disposal, he could’ve been three times stronger by now.”

  “Maybe we should end the fight?” Markin suggested, but the other two ignored him.

  Jean shook his head, recalling the infighting of the Dinos. “My friend, the Predatory Blades clan recently changed its ruling family. The second family, which still had a right to the clan’s surname as well, forcibly took the title and the right to rule away from the first family of the clan. They only spared Tom and Anise while the rest were killed. All of them.”

  Orune glanced at the young Dinos. The boy was burning with fury, and his sword bled, echoing his pain. In such a state, he would never progress far along the Way of the Sword Spirit.

  “In this world, the strong devour the weak, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Orune shrugged.

  As the Lords discussed the battle and the fate of the Predatory Blades clan’s former ruling family, Hadjar struggled to his feet. His vision was blurry and he could taste copper in his mouth. Spitting out blood, he managed to use the ‘Rustle in the Treetops’ to counter Tom’s third attack just in time. Instead of hitting his neck, it clashed with his Defensive Technique.

  The sword, which had a red lightning bolt surging up and down its blade, struck the dragon that materialized out of the air. It had a sword for a body as always, but it was also more defined this time. It halted Dinos’ scarlet blade, distracting Tom for a second and giving Hadjar just enough time to escape. Turning into a plume of black fog, he moved to the left. When he was at his foe’s side, he swung his sword. The crescent of dark energy that shone along his blade was an extension of Hadjar’s sword.

  For the first time since the beginning of the fight, Orune nodded in approval.

  “Not bad,” the Lord commented, still frowning.

  Jean glanced at him but said nothing. No ordinary disciple had ever gotten such praise from Orune.

  Even the current Head of the Predatory Blades clan, Tom and Anise’s uncle, had received only criticism from Orune. The man was also considered the strongest swordsman after the Emperor only because Orune had never taken part in court intrigue. Moreover, he hadn’t done much around the School, either. He preferred solitary training. However, even Jean didn’t know why Orune trained so hard. It was a known fact that the Kingdom of the Weapon was the final level of weapon mastery. It was impossible to advance further than that.

  The three of them watched the whirlwind of the battle. The black and red energies flickered. They moved so quickly that some of the weaker spectators could only see flashes of color and nothing else. The exchange of blows produced echoes that looked like scarlet and black rents in the air. They would sometimes intertwine and cut through the stone walls of the arena, leaving deep gouges behind. The spectators in the front rows drew their weapons just in case.

  None of the people present had expected such a furious fight from two little-known cultivators. They weren’t the eldest heirs of the Tarez and Dinos families, after all. Their duel would be taking place in a few days.

  Hadjar ducked under a sword that appeared out of thin air and counterattacked. Tom disappeared and reappeared in a completely different area of the arena once again, and then continued his endless barrage of rapid attacks. Sometimes, his slashes reached Hadjar, cutting only skin and muscle even though Tom had swung with all his might. Such wounds weren’t dangerous, but they did have a debilitating effect.

  The sand had been dyed crimson.

  Hadjar, try as he might, couldn’t break through his opponent’s Imperial level armor.

  “Thunder Strike!” Tom shouted.

  Suddenly appearing in front of Hadjar, he attacked with all his might. The two Techniques he was using merged, forming a scarlet crescent of lightning. Hadjar responded by using the ‘Black Wind’ once again.

  The wall of darkness that surged out of his blade landed a direct hit. There was another explosion. Cutting the crescent in half, the darkness advanced further, but failed to reach its goal.

  “Still, he is a Dinos.” Orune’s eyes flashed.

  Tom wasn’t going to waste energy maintaining his Technique. Though it hadn’t reached his foe, he planned to use it to his advantage. Disappearing once more, he appeared next to one of the halves of his Technique. He swung his sword and, catching the scarlet lightning with his blade, used it to augment his attack as he struck Hadjar’s unprotected shoulder.

  Chapter 522

  Hadjar’s cloak wrapped around him like a cocoon of black fog, but it wasn’t enough to completely protect him from the attack. The scarlet lightning bolt tore through it and it exploded into a lake of darkness that the bloody Hadjar flew out of. He collided with the wall of the arena. His back dug a hole in it at least a foot deep. His left shoulder looked as if it had been struck by a molten rod — it looked like one massive burn. If it hadn’t been for his cloak, which was comparable to a Heaven level artifact, and the dragon’s blood that had strengthened Hadjar’s body for decades, the attack would’ve sent him to his forefathers.

  Even so, as he spat out blood, Hadjar realized that not only was his shoulder ruined, but the energy channels inside his body had also been damaged. Leaning against the wall and trying desperately to keep himself upright, Hadjar scrambled to his feet. Even with the aid of the ‘Black Wind’, he hadn’t been able to bridge the deep gap that separated an heir of the Predatory Blades clan from a commoner.

  “It’s time to die, dog,” Tom panted, furious.

>   Tom was breathing hard. That damned dog was tougher and more dangerous than he could’ve ever imagined. Damn it! He’d thought that he could handle him with one, maybe two attacks. He hadn’t expected that he would end up having to use the ‘Bloody Run’ and ‘Thunder Strike’ Techniques together, especially since they were powerful enough to defeat any fully-fledged disciple of ‘The Holy Sky’ School on their own. But this bastard, who was protected only by his Call, just refused to die. He couldn’t believe that the Call of a simple Heaven Soldier had power equal to that of a Heaven level artifact. Dinos had never heard of such a thing, even though he’d met a lot of Inheritors. There were many of them in Dahanatan. Taking his helmet off so that it wouldn’t obstruct his view, he reached for the hilt of his blade.

  I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way. My sword is my path, and I-

  The pain didn’t allow him to finish that thought. Not wanting to waste any time, he used the ‘Bloody Run’ Technique again. He could only use it twice, after which he needed deep meditation and medicinal potions to recover. The second time he used it, Dinos would only be able to support the Technique for a few seconds. The mysteries of the Sword flowed into Tom’s body and he disappeared. There was no crater or deep footprints left behind in the sand where he’d stood, just a pale haze. He only had a couple of seconds left in him.

  The Lords, who still stood in the boat, looked strained.

  “The boy won’t survive.” Orune gripped the hilt of his sword. Had Jean not cast a veil over the boat, the Lord’s will alone could’ve killed some of the weaker spectators. “If that Dinos bastard hadn’t had his fancy armor, Hadjar might’ve had a chance.”

  The fact that Orune had called the disciple by name said a lot. Jean couldn’t help but feel sad that two of the most talented students he’d ever seen would meet their end today. Markin looked the most concerned. He was eager to stop the fight. Jean didn’t understand why. The boat was surrounded not only by his veil, but also by the mysteries of the Sword Spirit. It would be impossible to break through them.