The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 209

“Phew...” Leonard heaved a sigh as he lowered his sword.

...It’s been a while since I’ve felt this exhausted.

In just a matter of seconds, his once-vast dantian felt as empty as a dried-up ocean. His meridian points, overexerted to the point of scraping the bottom, were now throbbing painfully. If not for his celestial energy that minimized energy consumption, Leonard would have been forced to draw upon his Innate True Qi.

Even his Dragon Heart had been unable to keep up with the rapid depletion, pulsing dozens of times per second as it struggled to replenish his energy. Under normal circumstances, a few deep breaths would have restored more than half of his internal energy, but now, it felt like trying to fill a bottomless jar—no matter what he did, his energy wouldn’t recover.

The internal injury from Boreas’ attack was part of the problem, but it was also the reckless use of the Sky Splitting Cross Slash to stop the sandstorm that had pushed him to this state.

“You pushed yourself too much,” Wade remarked, immediately gauging Leonard’s condition. “It’s already a heavy burden to use conceptual martial arts at the Transcendence Tier, but to use it twice in succession without any rest... Of course it’s going to take a toll.”

“I had no choice,” Leonard replied.

“I know. If it wasn’t for you and Commander Uluka, we would’ve lost at least one sector of the Barricade Train.”

Wade might have been the one to deliver the finishing blow to Boreas and force Cybele to retreat, but the credit for turning the tide of the battle belonged to Leonard and Uluka.

Even after using Areadbhar to move as swiftly as possible, they were only barely able to stop the sandstorm created by two Wraith Kings a mere fifty meters away from the train. If Leonard hadn’t pushed himself to the limit, the sandstorm would have hit the train before Wade had arrived.

In that case, the damage would have been catastrophic. Not only would there have been massive casualties, but the train itself would have been severely damaged, drastically slowing down its advance. The success rate of the operation would likely have been diminished by more than ten percent.

“I also heard Vulcanus was reverse-summoned thanks to you,” Wade continued, changing the subject instead of giving direct praise. “Even though Yggdrasil can summon them back, that gives us enough time for the Barricade Train to push forward smoothly. It’s a victory worth celebrating.”

Although Yggdrasil was known as the legendary World Tree that created life in the ancient era, now it was merely a husk of that, which meant that reviving the Wraith Kings would not be an easy feat. According to historical records, it took three to four days to resurrect one Wraith King, meaning it would be at least a week before Boreas and Vulcanus could return to the front lines.

For the expedition team, which needed to preserve the strength of their commanders as much as possible, this was an enormous achievement.

“Senior,” Uluka asked Wade, “Now that I think about it, wasn’t Grace the closest commander to this sector? Why did you come instead?”

“Commander Grace was tied up with Thetis,” Wade replied instantly, as if expecting the question.

“Thetis likely intended to prevent anyone from coming to support you and Leonard. Or perhaps, unaware of this artifact, she may have planned to kill Leonard and then flee immediately afterward.”

Wade raised his wrist, showing an artifact identical to Leonard’s, the engraved magic circle shimmering faintly on its surface. Each bracelet could only be used three times, which meant Leonard’s was left with two uses. And now that the Wraith Kings were aware of the artifact, they wouldn’t be so bold as to attack Leonard’s sector again, even if it was a weak point.

With only two of their four available Wraith Kings left, the enemy might decide to hole up in their deepest stronghold instead of launching further attacks.

Even if the power of the Wraith Kings increases the closer they are to Yggdrasil, with just Thetis and Cybele, they won’t even be able to get close to the train if two commanders step up to face them.

Leonard hadn’t yet faced Thetis, so he couldn’t say for sure, but based on his two battles with Cybele, he was certain she was weaker in both combat skills and techniques than Boreas and Vulcanus. He doubted that merely gaining more strength would allow her to handle the commanders.

“We’ll discuss the rest once we return to the train. We can’t afford to stay here for too long, since every second counts now,” Wade said.

Following his lead, Uluka and Leonard leaped into motion. As soon as the three of them reached the Barricade Train, Uluka used his authority to command it forward, and with a rumbling sound, the train’s wheels began to turn again.

Six days remained before they reached the area where Yggdrasil could directly intervene. The expedition team, aboard the Barricade Train, continued their relentless march toward uncharted lands that even the Order of the Green Dragon had yet to explore since their inception.

* * *

Within a day, everyone on the Barricade Train had learned of the unprecedented incident where three Wraith Kings launched a simultaneous attack. Even the battle-hardened Green Dragon knights, who had seen it all on this frontier, couldn’t have imagined facing a coordinated assault from three Wraith Kings.

Spriggans, by nature, couldn’t stray too far from their domains as their strength grew, and the Wraith Kings, the strongest of their kind, were no different. It was only because the Barricade Train had pushed deep into their territory that they could move so freely.

“Did you hear the news?”

“News? Oh, you mean how the special officer and the commander not only held off three Wraith Kings but even managed to reverse-summon one?”

“Exactly! It’s one thing for the commander, but for the special officer, who’s only at the Transcendence Tier, to achieve something like that? I find it hard to believe. Just luring one of them away last time was already an incredible accomplishment.”

Among those who truly understood the nature of Demigod Tier warriors, none had a better grasp of reality than the knights of the Seven Great Orders of Cardenas. The commanders were like Martial Gods, idolized as untouchable figures. Although every knight persistently honed their martial arts, no one was bold enough to claim they could reach such a level themselves.

The sight of Demigod Tier beings clashing in battle was enough to break the spirits of the knights. In fact, the veterans of the Seven Great Orders were often those who had overcome such psychological scars. It was only natural for them to doubt Leonard’s abilities and accomplishments.

“Hey! Ricardo! Sorry to burst your bubble, but that story is true. The sector assigned to Special Officer Leonard was right next to mine!”

“I saw it too! That last technique he used was terrifying!”

Despite the rumors, there was no shortage of witnesses, and those who were initially skeptical soon had to accept the facts. No one could deny that the young man, who hadn’t even lived half as long as they had, was now closer to the Demigod Tier than everyone else.

Leonard had stood shoulder to shoulder with the commanders they revered and played a key role in defeating a Wraith King.

“A kid who’s not even twenty is contributing so much, while we... What have we been doing?”

“I heard he was also the one who upgraded the Barricade Train’s magic circles.”

“He’s that good with magic too, on top of being a swordsman close to the Demigod Tier?”

Among the knights of the expedition, Leonard had already become something akin to the reincarnation of their progenitor, Ancestor Cardenas.

Some scoffed, while others were inspired.

In the end, some knights, unable to contain their curiosity, sought out Commander Audrey, one of Leonard’s close acquaintances, to ask for more details.

“Oh? So Leonard’s name is spreading that far already?” Audrey, at ease after the reverse-summoning of two Wraith Kings, asked with an amused expression.

“Yes, Commander Audrey. Some call him the reincarnation of Ancestor Cardenas, while others think he’s the illegitimate child of the family head.”

“Ahahaha! Grown men acting like this? They must be at least two or three times their age! Well, if I were their age, I’d probably be gossiping about that kind of stuff too.” Audrey chuckled, the scar on her face twitching with her laughter, but soon her expression returned to a calm one.

“What I can tell you is this: Leonard is far greater than just the rumors you’re hearing. Do you understand?”

Even without mentioning his recent battles, Leonard’s achievements with the Order of the Black Dragon alone were unparalleled. He was such an exceptional youth that if he claimed to be the reincarnation of Ancestor Cardenas, some might believe it. Audrey herself, having been at a standstill for decades, had advanced several steps thanks to him.

“...I understand.” The Green Dragon knight trembled as he realized the weight of Audrey's words.

Just who was this boy? The tales of their brief but remarkable encounter soon spread, reaching every member of the Green Dragon Order and the Blue Dragon Order. Soon, almost everyone knew of Special Officer Leonard.

After his victory over the Wraith Kings, word quickly spread that he was recovering from his injuries, drawing the attention of many to this rising star.

“I want to know more about the special officer.”

It wasn’t long before Leonard had become the main topic of discussion aboard the Barricade Train.

Have I healed enough through energy circulation...?

After four days of meditation, Leonard finally opened his eyes and rose from the floor.

Boreas’ sniper shot hadn’t caused serious harm; what followed was the main problem. Leonard drained both his celestial and internal energy, aggravating the internal damage he had sustained. Had his body not grown more dragon-like, his blood vessels strengthening with each Major Tier breakthrough, the veins of his heart might have ruptured.

Leonard clenched and unclenched his hands, narrowing his eyes.

Still, successfully manifesting the Sky Splitting Cross Slash has solidified my Mindscape. Next time, the backlash from using it should be less severe.

If there was something to be disappointed about, it was that there was nothing much to learn from Cybele. The Wraith King’s style of overwhelming foes with raw power and output felt crude and clumsy to Leonard. It was like watching someone who, after consuming too many elixirs in their youth, had barely grown their internal energy by a few gapjas and could do nothing but mindlessly unleash energy blasts.

While he acknowledged that Cybele wielded the authority of Decay effectively, such techniques were meaningless against someone at the Demigod Tier.

I don’t want to rush, but reaching the Demigod Tier is a top priority.

Even with a temporary increase in status, there was a limit to what Leonard could handle, and not all Wraith Kings relied on foolish fighting methods like Cybele. The injury he had sustained from Boreas’ sniper shot was a testament to that.

Even while fully utilizing his celestial energy, it had been difficult to completely fend off the Wraith King’s well-planned surprise attack. Thanks to the insight of his Dragon Eyes, Leonard had only been half a beat too slow. Had he responded normally, his entire upper body would have been blown away.

Considering there were still unknown enemies like Thetis, breaking through to the next Major Tier was essential.

“Hmm.”

Just then, Leonard felt a sudden shift in the train’s atmosphere. He immediately left his cabin, leaping to the upper deck to scan his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the increased number of eyes on him, but that wasn’t the main issue. His real concern lay in the forest ahead of the Barricade Train’s path, which sent a chill down his spine.

...It’s dark? But the sun is still up. @@novelbin@@

Though the sun still shone in the sky, the forest ahead was shrouded in darkness, as though it were the middle of the night. Something was distorting the laws of the world at its whim.

This is different from the conceptual martial arts of a Demigod Tier knight or the authority of a Void Deity.

He could see it with his Dragon Eyes but couldn’t comprehend it. The world’s laws were tainted, and they suffused the ground and air, and swallowed space and time.

It wasn’t that different from the mana mastery mages wielded through their circles, except here, the entire forest’s mana was under Yggdrasil’s control. Teleportation and most forms of magic were rendered useless in its presence.

Rumble...

Soon, the Barricade Train slowed down, coming to a complete stop several hundred meters away from the forest. Leonard felt it would be dangerous for the train to come any closer .

The domain of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

Leonard instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, feeling as though the Spriggans could leap out of the dense forest at any moment. The eerie silence of the forest, devoid of birdsong or even the sounds of insects, only heightened the foreboding atmosphere.

It’s like stepping into the jaws of a tiger.

Unlike Leonard, most of the knights were excited, unable to grasp the true nature of the forest. To them, the subjugation of Yggdrasil, the culmination of the Order of the Green Dragon’s long-standing desire, was right in front of their eyes.

However, even as the Green Dragon knights cheered, Leonard gazed into the bleak future. There was no doubt in his mind. Most of the casualties from this subjugation mission would come from that forest.

“Sir Leonard!” A Green Dragon knight rushed toward him from the left section. “Commander Uluka has summoned you! He wishes to discuss the composition of the suicide squad before we proceed into the forest!”

“Understood.” Sensing the urgency in the knight’s voice, as well as her barely contained excitement, Leonard hid a bitter smile and turned away.

The saying “You can only see what you understand” had never felt crueler.

Doesn’t she realize what it means to form a suicide squad?

Leonard and the commanders knew all too well. In that forest, death was inevitable. The previous battles had been nothing more than warm-up skirmishes for the true battle that lay ahead.

Leaving the cheering Heather and the other Green Dragon knights behind, Leonard shot toward Sector C, sword in hand, his face devoid of even the faintest hint of a smile.