The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 217

“Boreas and Cybele were defeated?”

“That’s what I heard. Commander Wade took down Boreas, while Commander Audrey and Commander Uluka defeated one and drove off the other.”

“Judging by the shattered remains, it seems Vulcanus didn’t escape unscathed either. Thetis must be in the same boat.”

“It’s practically a huge victory!”

Despite the surprise attack by the four Wraith Kings, the commanders had managed to defeat two of them and drive away the other two. With this news, the morale among the expedition members soared. The air was thick with the smell of blood and potions, enough to make one’s nose sting, but the stench of death and defeat was hardly present. Most of them were covered in cuts and bruises, but they still had the strength to fight.

Even the loss of the Aeroships, the biggest blow to the expedition team so far, hadn’t resulted in any casualties, since those vessels operated without pilots. Though the endless waves of Spriggans and treants felt like a nightmare, the Cardenas knights’ fighting spirit only grew stronger as their enemies became more formidable.

Above all, one piece of news had lifted the expedition team’s spirits the most.

“...They say heroes rise in dire times, but who would’ve thought we’d actually get to witness that here.”

The news that Leonard had finally reached the Demigod Tier spread like wildfire within the Mobile Fortress, especially since the structure wasn’t as vast as its train form.

Regardless of which order they belonged to, the knights spent their thirty-minute break animatedly discussing the topic. The excitement was so overwhelming that they didn’t even notice the blood still dripping from their wounds.

It was the kind of exhilarating news that made everyone forget about the fierce struggle they had endured on the Spriggan Frontier.

“I wonder which knight order Special Officer Leonard will take command of.”

“He might not be appointed as a knight commander. After all, both the Blue Dragon Order and the Green Dragon Order will likely be integrated with the other knight orders once this mission ends.”

“True. Now that we have a non-aggression pact with the Celestials, and once the Spriggans are dealt with, the only enemies left will be the Demoniacs, the Void Deities, and the Outer Forces.”

The knights didn’t even realize that they had started talking as though they had already won this war.

And then—

“Hey, Heather.”

Leonard, now the hot topic of the expedition, stood in front of Heather, whose limbs were wrapped in layers of blood-soaked bandages. A deep gash peeked out between the bandages, likely caused by a wyvern’s claw. Despite using both potions and healing magic, the wound hadn’t fully healed. If it had been any deeper, she might have lost that limb.

Even while tending to her sword, Heather’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Leonard standing before her.

“Huh?! Leonard?”

She had also heard the news that her old comrade from the training center had broken through to the Demigod Tier, something she was still trying to process.

Perhaps because of that, it still didn’t feel real. Though Heather was regarded as a once-in-a-century genius within the Order of the Green Dragon, she had a tendency to underestimate herself, especially since she knew Leonard personally.

At his sudden visit, she cautiously asked, “Weren’t you with the commanders?”

“I just came from a strategy meeting with them. There wasn’t much left to discuss, so I left about thirty minutes early.”

“I see...”

Leonard, now carefully assessing Heather’s condition, asked, “Did a wyvern attack you? You’re all battered up.”

“Well, it was something like that, but also a little different.”

Despite its name, the Mobile Fortress wasn’t impregnable. No matter how well-fortified a defense line was, there were always vulnerabilities to exploit.

Though only a few creatures out of a hundred could break through the Aeroships’ bombardment and the Mobile Fortress’ defenses, when there were over a hundred thousand enemies, that still meant that roughly three thousand to four thousand could breach the defense line.

The central area of the battlefield was filled with Spriggans ranked intermediate and above, and the enhanced mobility of the treants couldn’t be ignored either. This was a battleground where even Transcendence Tier fighters risked serious injury with a single mistake.

Among the most dangerous foes were, without a doubt, the high-ranking Spriggans that possessed large demonic beasts.

“A drake, leading a group of several dozen wyverns, ambushed the sector. While we were ripping apart its wings, five or six wyverns swarmed us, and before I knew it, I was covered in blood.”

Heather spoke as if her injuries were no big deal, but with a bitter expression, she muttered that three of her seniors had died. That was how dangerous high-ranking Spriggans were.

Leonard had taken down two with a single strike of Sky and Clouds Piercer, but there was no point in comparing regular knights to him. It took a group of ten or twenty knights, with the determination of sacrificing themselves, to bring one down.

“I see.”

Leonard didn’t offer pity or sympathy. Instead, he took a moment of silence in respect for those who had courageously fought and fulfilled their duty as members of the Cardenas family.

After some time, Leonard opened his eyes and looked at Heather.

At first, he had seen her as just another passing acquaintance from the training center. However, not only had she awakened her spiritual resonance with the wolf she traveled with, but she had also unintentionally provided him with the key to ascending to a new tier.

The weight of the concept of fate as well as cause and effect suddenly felt heavier.

“...Heather.” Before she could respond, Leonard said, “I am indebted to you.”

“You? Indebted to me? Why?”

“The reason I attempted to break through to the Demigod Tier was because of your internal energy cultivation—no, to be exact, because of the way you control your aura.”

Had he not witnessed Heather’s method of allowing spiritual energy to naturally intertwine with internal energy, rather than forcefully manipulating them, he might have never conceived the idea himself.

From unlocking the Qi of the Four Symbols to mastering the Five Elements One Origin, Leonard hadn’t realized just how feasible that was until he had experienced it for himself.

“So, I have a proposal for you.”

Even if Heather hadn’t meant to teach him, Leonard felt obligated to repay her for the knowledge he had gained. Considering the history of the Cardenas family, where master-disciple relationships were rare, this wouldn’t pose any significant obstacles.

“After this mission is over, I want to impart my swordsmanship and my aura control method to you. Your method is uncharted territory, but having implemented it to reach greater heights myself, I feel that the gap between our enlightenment is not that wide.”

Though he had trained others in his past life as Yeon Mu-Hyuk, he had never formally accepted a disciple. He did not want to take on the responsibility of being someone’s master just for teaching a few sword forms or cultivation methods. He also feared that such relationships would tie him down, preventing him from fully pursuing martial enlightenment.

But after dying and coming back to life, Leonard had learned a few things—relationships could be a burden, but they could also drive you forward. Now he realized that if he had ignored the children at the training center to focus solely on himself, he probably wouldn’t have reached this level.

If he hadn’t crossed paths with Frances in Atlantis, he might have wasted years trying to rebalance himself.

“Leonard... Are you saying you want to be my master?” Heather asked wide-eyed.

The emotions in her gaze were so intense that Leonard could practically feel the weight of them.

“If that’s what you want—”

“Yes, I want that!” Heather burst out, raising one arm in acknowledgment of Leonard’s affirmation. “I mean, I REALLY want it! Should I call you Master now?!”

“There’s no need to be formal from this point onward. When you return to the family, use honorifics only during training.”

“Understood! No, I mean... got it!”

Leonard gave a soft smile as he watched Heather, who seemed to have forgotten the pain of her wounds, practically bouncing with excitement.

Leonard had felt this before when he had acted as an instructor for the Order of the Black Dragon. Since the day he chose to live as Leonard instead of Yeon Mu-Hyuk, his mindset had been more rooted in his current life than his past one.

Being treated as a superior by older peers or even those of the same age felt a bit uncomfortable to him. While he didn’t mind that with strangers, he wasn’t eager to assume a high-ranking position over those he had trained with.

Once the Yggdrasil mission is complete, the Order of the Green Dragon, like the Order of the Blue Dragon, will lose their primary duties. Changing affiliations shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

Moreover, now that Leonard had ascended to the Demigod Tier, his influence was akin to that of a commander. There was no reason for anyone to object to his taking on a disciple.

From Heather’s perspective, training on her own was akin to searching for treasure in an endless sea, and finding a better master than Leonard was likely impossible. Ultimately, this relationship would only benefit both of them.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

* * *

Meanwhile, the knight commanders were resting up, trying to restore as much strength as possible while keeping their eyes fixed on Yggdrasil. The Divine Tree had long been acknowledged as a divine entity since ancient times, and her overwhelming influence had twisted the boundary between life and death over centuries.

Originally, once the ancient spirits, namely the Wraith Kings, had left the Spirit Realm, they should’ve just vanished upon death. However, Yggdrasil had enslaved them, enabling their return and regeneration just as spirits could in the Spirit Realm, rendering them immortal.

Not even Class 9 magic could reach that realm of authority.

“I wonder just how much more Vulcanus and Thetis will grow,” Grace mused aloud, catching the attention of the other three commanders.

“If we just calculate it logically, they won’t achieve divinity. Even if they were to gather all the power dispersed among the four Wraith Kings, it still wouldn’t be enough,” Audrey argued.

“But Yggdrasil’s energy supply wasn’t at its maximum capacity either. It’s likely that Vulcanus and Thetis will at least come close to the Demigod Tier,” Uluka speculated.

“We’ve already gauged the strength of the Wraith Kings. There’s a bigger issue at hand, and we have no way of figuring it out,” Wade interjected.

At his words, the other commanders’ faces darkened as they gazed toward Yggdrasil in the distance. The unknown variable that could become the turning point in their entire operation was the combat capability of the World Tree herself.

“If we go by the records from the ancient era, Yggdrasil doesn’t possess any combat abilities,” one of the three other commanders pointed out.

“That was before she was corrupted by Nidhogg. Her authorities are entirely twisted now. We may as well throw that old knowledge out the window.”

“It’s a variable that’s impossible to predict, let alone calculate.”

They had never had the chance to explore or investigate Yggdrasil directly before, making her nature a complete enigma. The Barricade Train was only a tool to keep the Spriggans and Yggdrasil’s influence at bay, and even the Mobile Fortress was just a means to approach the Divine Tree.

The ancestors of the Three Noble Families had to have understood this. No matter how well-crafted their weapons were, they wouldn’t be enough to topple the World Tree, which had ascended to divinity. Even in its decayed state, poisoned by an Outer God and consumed by madness, it still stood. The only way to challenge a god was not through sheer power but by reaching a comparable realm.

“The rules of engagement remain unchanged. First, we prioritize taking down the two Wraith Kings, and then we focus on Yggdrasil. That’s the best course of action,” Wade stated firmly.

“I agree,” Grace added.

“Well, there really is no other option,” Uluka and Audrey concurred.

With that, the four commanders began assessing their individual conditions. Grace was nearly at full strength, and Wade, who had expended some energy while fighting Boreas, still had plenty left. Audrey, with over eighty percent of her strength remaining, also had little to worry about.

“Ugh!”

However, Uluka, who had been circulating his aura within his body, suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed to one knee, gasping. It looked as though he had suffered an internal injury, much like the onset of qi deviation in murim.

Grace quickly placed her hand on his back and channeled her aura into him, calming the rampant energy within. The coughing subsided at once, but the fact that a Demigod Tier knight had lost control of his internal energy was a grave issue.

At the Demigod Tier, even if all the eight extraordinary meridians were to rupture, that person should still be able to manipulate their blood flow and maintain the balance and flow of their internal energy.

“Can you keep going?” Wade asked, his expression somber.

Surprisingly, despite witnessing this dire situation, the commanders didn’t seem particularly alarmed. It was as if they had expected Uluka’s condition to be precarious all along.

Uluka slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his lips, his gaze clear and resolute. “I’ve waited for this day for too long. Please don’t ask me to withdraw now.”

“...Even if I tell you to withdraw, it’s not like your condition will improve anyway.”

They all knew why Uluka was so fixated on Yggdrasil and the Spriggans, why he was willing to completely burn through his life in this fight. Knowing that, Wade couldn’t bring himself to tell Uluka to stand down.

Wade closed his eyes briefly before nodding in acknowledgment. “Then fulfill your duty to the very end, Commander Uluka.”

Wiping the blood from his face, Uluka accepted his orders with determination. “For the glory of Cardenas.”

Uluka had honed his unique trait solely for the purpose of vanquishing Yggdrasil and the Spriggans. In exchange, he had burned even through his own soul.

The flame of Soul-Breaker that blazed within his Mindscape was consuming him as well, all while waiting for their enemy. Even though he could have lived for 150 more years, Uluka had chosen to sacrifice part of his lifespan for the sake of his life mission.