The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 206

Leonard moved the second the cyclops’ eye flickered.

Here it comes.

The most terrifying aspect of the cyclops’ destructive beam wasn’t its sheer power but its inescapable speed. Few truly grasped how absurdly fast light moved, and those who couldn’t perceive it often remained oblivious.

Even the speed of sound, which served as the benchmark for high speed, felt like a crawl compared to the speed of light.

A Transcendence Tier knight could perceive the afterimages, while a Demigod Tier knight could perceive the future just far enough to block or evade an attack coming at that speed.

In this case, however, it was impossible to respond simply through reflexes. Leonard, standing a few steps away from the threshold of the Demigod Tier, used his Dragon Eyes to read two steps ahead.

Five Elements Style

Black Tortoise Ninth Form: Great Moon Anti-Yin Mirror

His sword cut through the air gracefully, painting the sky with the image of an inky moon. The destructive beam arrived at the exact moment the full moon’s shape was completed.

Feeling a chill from the beam—rather than heat—Leonard suspected the Spriggan controlling the cyclops wielded the attribute of ice or water. Although it probably wouldn’t have been enough to topple the Barricade Train in a single blow, this attack would certainly inflict significant damage on the defense barrier.

That was why Leonard chose to block rather than dodge.

Clankkk—!!

The chaotic beam struck the Great Moon Anti-Yin Mirror, its trajectory scattering wildly. The beam diffused downward beneath the train, sending cascades of destructive energy along the ground.

The fusion of a high-rank Spriggan and the power of a Rank S Disaster-level demonic beast had amplified the already formidable beam into a devastating freezing ray, instantly turning hundreds of Spriggans into frozen statues. The overwhelming scene demonstrated the potency of wide-area magic, which Wickeline specialized in.

How unfortunate, Leonard thought, momentarily lamenting the absence of the Wickeline family. The gap left by the Wickeline’s inability to assist due to Yggdrasil’s domination was palpable.

Shaking off that bitter thought, Leonard focused as the drake launched a rapid assault, seemingly trading places with the fading beam.

The massive figure plummeted at supersonic speed. In terms of pure impact, this was far more dangerous than the cyclops’ beam. While energy-based attacks could be offset by the train’s stored magic power, a physical collision could penetrate the defense barrier and damage the train itself.

“I have no choice but to respond,” Leonard muttered.

He wanted to conserve his strength for the battle with the Wraith King, but with two commanders missing, he couldn’t allow the train to be harmed. His celestial energy, still not fully restored from his battle with Cybele, flared up and enveloped him. As Leonard raised his sword high with trembling eyes, he felt his own level intensify.

The White Tiger, summoned from his Mindscape, raised its claws.

Western God Style

Cutter of All Things

Sky and Clouds Piercer

With terrifying force, Leonard unleashed a vertical slash, aimed dead center at the descending drake, a strike powerful enough to tear through space itself.

No matter how powerful a high-rank Spriggan or a Disaster-level demonic beast was, without a high enough status, it wouldn’t be able to withstand an attack from a Demigod Tier warrior. The drake, diving down in what was almost a suicidal attack, had no chance of evading the devastating blow.

The storm unleashed by Leonard’s blade cut into the drake, tearing through its scales, flesh, and bones, splitting its head right down to the brain. But that wasn’t the end.

Kaboooom—!!

The vertical slash struck downward with such force that it didn’t stop at the Drake; it even cleaved through the cyclops, who had charged from beneath the drake.

The cyclops reflexively raised its arms to block, but its thick forearms were torn apart. The blade cleaved through bones as sturdy as palace pillars, slicing cleanly from its skull down to its groin.

Splaaaat!

The sound of searing flesh, eerily loud because of the creature’s enormous size, echoed in the air. Fluid gushed out in a sudden downpour around the cyclops’ towering form.

The attack had been so devastating that it even pierced the conceptual realm, ensuring the Spriggan possessing the cyclops had no chance of survival. As the two halves of the cyclops collapsed to the ground, the Spriggan’s soul, forced out of its vessel, convulsed in agony before disintegrating.

For a moment, the upper floor of the train was dead silent as everyone processed Leonard’s extraordinary display of power. It was only natural. Unlike other commanders, Leonard had often been treated with suspicion due to his age and the vague rumors surrounding him.

“He’s a Demigod Tier knight, right...?”

“Not quite there yet, they say.”

“Well, with rumors about him being the next head of the family, I guess it wasn’t just empty words.”

“I don’t know if he’ll become the family head, but we know who the next commander will be.”

The Green Dragon knights, murmuring among themselves, gripped their swords with renewed vigor. Their morale, which had been dampened by the unfavorable circumstances of the battle, rose once again.

In large-scale battles, the outcome of duels between commanders often influenced the mood of the entire army. Visible success on the battlefield was the strongest source of confidence for victory. Unintentionally, Leonard had taken on the role that the commanders had previously held.

Chills ran down Leonard’s spine. There was no time to celebrate the defeat of two high-ranking Spriggans. An intense cold swept through him, as though he had fallen into an icy cavern.

A prickling wave of danger surged through Leonard, but he couldn’t pinpoint its source. Time seemed to slow as he scanned the area with his heightened senses, but he couldn’t detect any incoming attacks.

What is it? Where is it coming from? How are they going to strike?

Leonard sensed nothing within his perception range, even after scanning several kilometers. He couldn’t determine the direction or the nature of the attack, and consequently, he reacted a fraction too late.

Boom! @@novelbin@@

It wasn’t quite at the speed of light, but the attack had far surpassed the speed of sound, striking from a range where one couldn’t possibly react.

It wasn’t just a mass of force, but a projectile of compressed air, infused with the killing intent of a Demigod Tier being, granting it devastating power. Even Leonard, with his Vajra Physique giving him the toughness of steel, would be facing death or serious injury if it hit him head-on.

Northern God Style

Instance Opening Counter Technique

Deep Frost Shroud

Despite reacting half a beat too late, Leonard managed to raise his sword. The only way to counter a Demigod Tier attack was with a technique of equal rank. He desperately forced his blade into the trajectory of the incoming attack.

The compressed air projectile collided with Leonard’s jet-black sword, sending shockwaves rippling through his body, the force so intense that blood rose to the back of his throat.

“Ugh...!”

Gritting his teeth, Leonard managed to hold on. He kept his wrist and elbow from giving way under the immense pressure as he was driven back, landing heavily on the train—or rather, crashing into it.

His legs sank into the ground up to his knees, the force leaving him with a distinctly unpleasant sensation. His well-trained body, honed through years of physical cultivation, had barely withstood the impact. If not for his rigorous training, his kneecaps and hip joints would likely have been crushed.

“Haah... Haaaah!”

With a sharp cry, Leonard flung his sword downward, forcefully expelling the remaining pressure into the ground.

Boom!

The compressed air detonated upon hitting the ground, unleashing shockwaves. The nearby Spriggans caught in the thunderous explosion were torn apart, leaving only fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the battlefield.

Leonard had narrowly avoided being caught in the storm himself.

“Cough! Cough!”

As Leonard pulled his legs out from the wreckage on the train floor, he violently spat out the blood rising in his throat.

Normally, Deep Frost Shroud could block projectile attacks and strike back immediately. However, the slight delay in timing had turned the counterattack into pure defense. If Leonard hadn’t been channeling his celestial energy, he would have been too late by a full beat and wouldn’t have managed to block at all.

“Sir Leonard!”

As someone approached, Leonard raised a hand to stop them. If the same kind of attack came again, he wouldn’t have the luxury to protect others as well. The pinpoint shot had come from well beyond the limits of normal perception. There was only one marksman capable of that.

Boreas, the Wraith King of the Razor Wind.

Among the Wraith Kings, Boreas possessed the longest reach and the fastest strikes.

...He’s far more dangerous than Cybele, whom I exchanged a few moves with earlier. Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer to Yggdrasil... Aiolos can’t compare to him at all.

After spitting out the remaining blood in his mouth, Leonard glared in the direction the sniper shot had come from—so far away that not even his Dragon Eyes had caught it. Being able to precisely kill a target from several kilometers away meant the marksman had reached the level of unfailing accuracy.

Any other Transcendence Tier knight would likely fail to defend against such an attack, but Leonard wasn’t cowed by the threat.

“If he’d fired one more shot, I would’ve been in real trouble...”

Boreas had to be aware of that as well, which meant he couldn’t actually unleash a follow-up attack.

After a few deep breaths to stabilize his internal injuries, Leonard drew one of his spare swords. Although using Sword Manipulation against Boreas’ attacks wouldn’t make much of a difference, merely buying himself half a second would be enough.

Rumble...

Just then, it happened.

Faint tremors rippled through the ground, toppling the advancing Spriggans and halting the Barricade Train. This wasn’t the work of a mere high-rank Spriggan. Leonard’s expression hardened as he identified the source of the tremors.

No, it’s not just Boreas.

There was no mistake about it; the presence rapidly approaching from below was Cybele, whom Leonard had briefly clashed with earlier.

However, she wasn’t alone. Leonard felt the fire element surge within him, a sign that Vulcanus was drawing near. Including Boreas, sniping from afar, three Wraith Kings were now concentrating their efforts on Leonard’s sector.

Without a moment to spare, Leonard activated his bracelet. Fighting a one-on-one battle was already an uphill struggle, but facing three on his own? That was suicide, plain and simple.

A beam of light shot into the sky as Leonard activated the emergency call through his bracelet, a signal recognized almost instantly by the other commanders wearing the same device. However, there was only one individual that could respond quickly enough.

The first to accept the summoning spell of the bracelet appeared right next to Leonard, crossing the distance in an instant. Upon arriving, he quickly grasped the situation and smiled.

“...So, three of them showed up at once? It’s not like you to call for backup, since you charged in first against Cybele before. But you made the right call.”

It was Uluka, the Green Dragon Commander.

The man who had stood at the forefront of the Spriggan Frontier for decades, bearing the weight of that history on his shoulders, unsheathed his sword as his eyes gleamed with fierce determination.

“Let’s keep them busy until the other commanders arrive.”

“Understood.”

Leonard moved to Uluka’s side, grinning despite the absurdity of the proposal. Fighting three Demigod Tier beings at once was, by any measure, a losing battle.

It’s not just that we’re one man short. I’m not at the level of these Demigod Tier beings, but that’s not all there is to it.

Among the Order of the Green Dragon, Uluka was the only one who had reached the Demigod Tier, while the Spriggan race had four Wraith Kings at the Demigod Tier. Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the Frontier had remained in a deadlock. This meant that one man, the Green Dragon Commander, had managed to hold back all four.

Unlike Leonard, Uluka had already pinpointed Boreas’ location, his sharp gaze sweeping over three key points.

“They’re here,” Uluka murmured. Almost immediately, a wave of sulfur surged, so pungent it could paralyze one’s nasal passages.

■■■■■■■■—!!

It was Cybele, the Wraith King of Decay.

Rumble...!

Vulcanus, the Wraith King of Molten Flame, also appeared. The two Demigod Tier beings emerged from the ground, at considerable distance from one another so as to not harm each other.

Vulcanus, unlike before, had reduced his size to around ten meters, while Cybele retained her form as a woman molded from a swamp.

The ground around Vulcanus melted, resulting in a molten lava field, while the area around Cybele turned into a swamp, trapping even the wheels of the Barricade Train.

“Halt.”

Uluka had the operational authority of the train, and at his command, the entire barricade, stretching over a hundred kilometers, came to a stop.

The two knights stood facing the three Wraith Kings—Vulcanus and Cybele, who had appeared before them, and Boreas, lurking out of sight as a sniper.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

A blue-white Aura Blade formed from Uluka’s sword.

“Come to think of it, you probably don’t know how I became the Green Dragon Commander, do you?”

Without even glancing at Leonard, Uluka stepped into the air, one step at a time, raising his sword high.

Skreeeech...

A Sword Cry echoed akin to a ghostly wail, freezing the flow of mana in its tracks. Even the Wraith Kings, who seemed ready to charge, hesitated ever so slightly. That was exactly what Uluka had intended.

Soul-Breaker

The blue-white energy rising from his sword suddenly formed the shape of a dragon, its eyes glowing fiercely as it snarled, seemingly alive. This was different from augmented energy techniques.

Leonard recognized that this type of energy, though similar to celestial energy, belonged to a slightly different category.

It’s probably best described as spiritual energy.

This was a power that acted directly on the soul. No matter how much one enhanced their augmented energy or used their unique traits to interfere with concepts, powers based in the physical realm were bound to be less effective against spiritual entities. While this wasn’t an issue against ordinary Spriggans, it became critical when fighting the Wraith Kings.

But with this power, Uluka made for an exceptional adversary.

“Don’t fall behind. I won’t have time to look after you while dealing with three of them.”

“I’ll take care of myself.”

“Good. Let’s get started then!”

Satisfied with Leonard’s response, Uluka soared into the air.

Then—

Thoughtless Killing Art

Spirit Burst

Uluka swung his sword like a baton, and the Aura Dragon born from his sword opened its jaws wide. The Wraith Kings, catching sight of the blue flames flickering in the dragon’s throat, shuddered as they scrambled to escape—an unusual yet clear display of fear.

However, the Aura Dragon’s breath was faster.

———!!

The dragon released a beam of purified light, meant solely to incinerate souls. Much like the cyclops’ deadly attack, the beam shot out at the speed of light, savagely striking both Vulcanus and Cybele.

With that, Uluka had signaled the beginning of the battle.