Chapter 273 : Royal Road and [Sword Melody]

« Chapter-272 | Index | Chapter-274 » Sora quickly formulated a theory he guessed was at least fifty percent correct. "A part of his powers

« Chapter-272 | Index | Chapter-274 »

Sora quickly formulated a theory he guessed was at least fifty percent correct.
"A part of his powers is stored in these planets, which act as proxies for him... And by destroying them, it seems like we're simply returning what he lent."

Although Sora had no intention of studying every World Boss encountered along the way or wasting time, he wanted to test his team: "Shade, do you want to go first?"

Shade, seemingly pleased with the command, stepped forward. He raised his hands and, with a swift gesture, covered the battlefield with his [Shadow]. In an instant, he moved everyone into his [Umbral Realm].

---------------------------------------------------

Journal of the Royal Shepherd, Midnight.

Entry 53.

Dear Journal,

It has now been twenty-three days since I betrayed our god.

My master, once nothing more than a talented fool, has regained his memories and escaped the control and manipulation of our god.

Although at first, I didn’t understand what could have led to such heresy, each day I understand a little more about what really happened.

I’ve discovered that, like us Royal Shepherds, my master is a young pup among a pack of hundreds of brothers. He draws his motivation and determination from the support of his brothers, and contributes daily to the success of his clan.

His family freed him from his chains because they couldn’t allow him to abandon them to follow the orders of a god they knew little about.

What I once thought was a catastrophe in my life now seems to be a miracle. Watching my master die and come back to life a free man opened my eyes to the future of our species. Seeing him master the shadows with such speed has drawn me closer to him.

Seeing him treat me with love and empathy, despite my allegiance to my former lord, has convinced me completely. I believe he is our hope in escaping our slave status in the universe, a status we never asked for, but never dared complain about.

Although it is taboo for our kind to abandon our god, and envy species with free will, I will stand by my choice.

My loyalty belongs only to the one who gave me my name.

No matter what happens. No matter the cost.

I will remain by the one who gave my life meaning.

PS: My master seems to need me for a fight, so I am hurrying to join him. I’m writing this hastily. This is the first time I’ve had this chance since my master regained his memories, so I will try to remember everything and write it down for you.

---------------------------------------------------

As Shade covered the area with his shadow, Sora watched the spectacle with curiosity.

"Isn't Midnight supposed to appear when he summons his shadows and sends us into his domain?" he asked his brothers, watching the scene from his [Soul Palace].

"Indeed. That damn mutt comes out of his den the moment he enters here. Maybe he's finally croaked?" Twelve provocatively threw his theory to the others.

"Twelve, you still haven’t gotten over the beating Shade gave you in his [Umbral Realm]?" Seventy-three asked teasingly. "Coming here remind you of something?"

Sora smiled upon hearing the small mental brawl between his brothers but stayed focused on Shade. A few seconds later, a gigantic dog emerged from a giant den in a corner of the [Umbral Realm].

It was several dozen meters tall and emanated a terrifying aura.

"Ooh... He must’ve eaten a lot of shadows to have such a chilling aura..." Sora commented, observing the dog’s progress.

He then turned his gaze toward Minny to see his reaction, and he was not disappointed. The casualness had vanished from his face, his smile replaced by a tense expression, and his arms, once crossed behind him, were now raised defensively in front of him.

"This little Jinn doesn’t have Tian Long’s experience in judging his opponents, I think. Freaking out over a pup but not being able to gauge the power of each of you... So powerful yet so innocent, go easy on him, Sora." Twelve commented, taking the opportunity to call Midnight, Shade's [Shadow Partner], a pup.

Sora refrained from responding and continued watching the young Stellar Jinn. "Maybe it’s a ruse... There’s nothing good in underestimating a World Boss," he thought, staying vigilant.

Seeing Midnight open his mouth and reveal his fangs, Sora understood that the fight was about to resume. Without hesitation, Midnight took flight, leaping from one planet to another. Landing like a meteor each time, the planets exploded under the force of his paws. Even for the gaseous planets, he didn't need to change his strategy. He simply used the power of his shadows and darkness to reduce them to ashes. Within seconds, all the remaining planets were destroyed.

As Sora read the notification telling him that phase one was complete, Midnight dove toward Minny.

Sora was forced to lift his head and watch the fight unfold before him. To his great surprise, Midnight was beating up the young Stellar Jinn. Although Minny had undergone a transformation and gained power, it was still insufficient. Shade’s partner seemed to be toying with him effortlessly during this second phase.

Seeing the surprise on Sora’s face, Tian Long spoke up: "Pushed far enough, a supreme skill can make the impossible possible... You should follow Shade’s example and boost your own supreme skills. Your fused abilities are divine, but they rely heavily on your supreme skills. If you max them out, no one will be able to stop you."

"Newtons was right... Maybe this is the royal road to dominating the server," Sora said, accepting the advice and nodding.

At the same time, Midnight jumped back when his opponent began a transformation that marked his entry into the third phase. He suddenly reduced his size and, like a good pup, returned to his master to demand a reward.

Shade didn’t seem surprised by this reaction. Although floating in the air, he crouched down to pet Midnight. When Sora saw the dog wagging its tail, he rolled his eyes toward the sky.

"Do I have a single normal alter ego in the bunch?" he muttered to Tian Long.

In response to Tian Long’s silence and the amused look she gave him, he said, "Tell me I don’t look like them."

Tian Long nearly burst out laughing before answering, "Although they have slightly different personalities, they’re all made from the same mold: yours."

Sora shook his head without responding and continued watching the end of Minny’s transformation. Minny had grown by about fifty centimeters, now matching Sora and Shade in height. While he hadn’t changed much physically, Sora sensed a major shift.

'His connection to the planet beneath his feet has evolved massively. It feels a million times sturdier than it was just moments ago,' Sora thought.

And as he had feared, after several attempts, Midnight could no longer hurt the Stellar Jinn. The latter, gradually regaining his smile, seemed to have recovered some of his confidence.

"Your domain is incredible, master of shadows and darkness... How many shadows has your Shadow Beast absorbed to reach such a level of power?" Despite having suffered a true humiliation at Midnight’s paws, Minny didn’t seem resentful.

Shade, appreciating the compliment, replied briefly, "I had help. Can we resume the fight?"

Sora tried not to smile at how Shade cut the conversation short, but Minny didn’t seem offended.

"With pleasure. But know this—you can do nothing against me now." The young Jinn placed his palms together, and a monstrous amount of energy surged from the ground of his planet, concentrating into thousands of energy orbs.

Seeing the scene unfold, Sora communicated telepathically to Karl: "Shade will be hard countered by Minny’s abilities. Get ready to step in."

Shade felt the threat his opponent now posed and prepared to fight alongside Midnight. Midnight, back to his giant dog appearance, positioned himself behind his master to protect his back.

However, just as the duo prepared to resist Minny, who seemed ready to attack, Karl suddenly drew his sword from his inventory. This otherwise insignificant event immediately drew the attention of Midnight, Shade, Minny, and Tian Long. All eyes focused on the sword of the least proactive warrior on the battlefield so far.

Minny had paid no attention to him until now, and Tian Long had never considered him stronger than his brothers. As for Shade, he hadn’t seen his brother draw his sword from his inventory in ages.

Sora, watching the scene, simply smiled. "That madman... He really did it," he murmured, sensing the obsession bordering on madness in the eyes of the one once called One Hundred-One.

The sword, still in its scabbard, emitted a soft, almost imperceptible sound. Sora didn’t feel any danger from it, but his soul vibrated to the rhythm of the enchanting melody. Tian Long and Shade seemed to hear the melody as well, but while Shade showed a face of confusion, Tian Long’s expression blended disbelief and fear.

Minny, who had just gained the upper hand in his fight against Shade, suddenly froze, trembling from head to toe upon hearing the sound emitted by Karl’s sword. His opponent hadn’t even unsheathed his sword, yet within seconds, Minny was brought to his knees by the overwhelming pressure Karl’s sword imposed.

Crushed, he didn’t rise until several seconds later, his limbs shaking.

Tian Long, still in shock, struggled to find words to describe the situation. She pointed a finger at Minny, her voice full of astonishment: "He... He forced him to enter phase four without even attacking!! He destroyed him without unsheathing his sword! This technique—this is the [Sword Melody], the symbol of the Sword Saints? Who taught him that? He didn’t have this level a week ago! What did you do in your hidden dimension?! Are you a regressor? Or the reincarnation of a Sword Saint?!"

Sora, only half-listening to the dragon, reflected on Karl’s choice. 'He really burned all the ultimate skills he had to fuel his [Faith In the Sword]...'

« Chapter-272 | Index | Chapter-274 »

Small note:

This is longer than usual, but not that much longer !