The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 214

We need to cut off their momentum.

Even though the Mobile Fortress and the Aeroship fleet were supporting the expedition team, the sheer difference in numbers was overwhelming. The battle felt like an endless quagmire that wouldn’t stop until Yggdrasil was defeated. Once the expedition lost its momentum, it would be incredibly difficult to regain it.

The canyon formed by the Sky and Clouds Piercer managed to disrupt the enemy's relentless advance, but it only bought a brief moment of respite.

Thus, Leonard drew four swords and intercepted the enemies that had managed to approach the fortress. They weren’t Wraith Kings or formidable foes—just countless lowly minions, so he wasn’t about to waste more power on them.

His mission was to defend the garrison and the Mobile Fortress, keeping himself in peak condition until the moment he could intervene in the fight between the commanders and the Wraith Kings. That was Leonard’s role as the special officer.

Five Elements Style, Four Swords Style

Azure Dragon Thirty-Sixth Form: Surge of the Dragon King

Azure Dragon Qi radiated from the four swords, taking the shape of an otherworldly divine beast. Two horns, resembling those of a mystical stag, grew from its head, and its long whiskers, protruding from its snout, delicately danced as if reading the flow of the wind. Blue lightning occasionally flickered across the scales made of augmented energy.

The dragon moved gracefully, as flexible as a serpent. Two pairs of talons, as fierce as those of a predatory bird, jutted from its legs.

The moment the Surge of the Dragon King—the most powerful augmented energy technique of the Five Elements Style—was unleashed, the enemies recognized their doom.

Roooooooar!!

The Spriggans, who had been gleefully inhabiting their vessels, and the rampaging treants froze in their tracks at the thundering roar. The form of the Azure Dragon shifted into a streak of lightning and charged toward the enemy ranks.

The Spriggans pierced by the Surge of the Dragon King were scorched to their cores, while the treants were ruthlessly torn apart by the divine beast that governed over wood qi.

As expected.

Though Spriggans and treants were, by their nature, outside the bounds of life and death, the source of their corruption was different.

The poison of Nidhogg had tainted their souls, and when faced with a power capable of purifying that, they reacted with extreme fear and anger. Those capable of fighting were enraged and tried to resist, while those unable to stand their ground were seized by terror and tried to flee.

However, with their retreat paths blocked by their own allies, what would happen when these beings felt fear for the first time in their lives?

Screeee?!?

Squaaaawk?!

The answer was simple. Those who survived the Surge of the Dragon King turned around, trampling over their allies who had barely crawled up from the canyon below, throwing their ranks into even greater chaos. The creatures that had yet to feel fear clashed with those that were now fleeing, and just like that, hundreds of them were rendered unable to fight.

Though the Surge of the Dragon King didn’t destroy the Spriggans themselves, forcing them to retreat from the battlefield is enough.

It would take them some time to find new vessels and return to the fight, which was a significant victory. Once this battlefield was under control, the Spriggans would be naturally wiped out. There was no need to focus on executing the fallen.

As Leonard continued to manipulate the Surge of the Dragon King through his four swords, he scanned the battlefield beyond his attack range.

The Order of the Green Dragon and the Order of the Blue Dragon were working well together. The Green Dragon Knights, with their decades of experience fighting on the Spriggan Frontier, were adept at melee combat, while the Blue Dragon Knights, who had honed their skills against the Celestial races, were optimized for long-range attacks. Their combination far exceeded expectations.

“Don’t use the Soul Stakes unless absolutely necessary! Use normal spears to suppress them!”

“Leave the larger creatures to the Blue Dragon Knights! Take out the flying ones first!”

The Green Dragon Knights hurled their spears, bringing down Spriggans possessing wyverns, and shattering the knees and heads of the ogre vessels in mid-leap, halting their advance.

“Focus your firepower on the possessed cyclops! Blind them first, then finish them after!”

“Ignore the small fry! It’s a waste of energy!”

“Only release your aura or attacks based on your unique trait on my command! Don’t make arbitrary decisions unless it’s an emergency!”

Meanwhile, the Blue Dragon Knights compressed their aura into their swords, unleashing long beams or firing them as projectiles, prioritizing the most dangerous targets. Even the higher-ranking Spriggans possessing large vessels were unable to hold out for long against the concentrated attacks of dozens of Transcendence Tier knights.

From hundreds of meters to several kilometers away, powerful attacks, imbued with the unique traits of the knights, rained down on the possessed cyclops in the forms of light, lightning, spears, and arrows.

Their eyes were destroyed first, and their heads were shattered by the subsequent force. Some attacks also seemed to hinder regeneration or directly affect the soul, seeing that even high-ranking Spriggans perished, their main forms destroyed.

There are more of them than when we fought them with the Barricade Train, and they’re stronger. Even if our tactics are flawless, the difference in numbers is too great.

However, from Leonard’s perspective, the flow of battle was becoming increasingly unfavorable. The only silver lining was that, unlike with the Barricade Train, the Mobile Fortress had a smaller engagement area, allowing Leonard to assist more frequently.

With Wade successfully holding off Boreas, the Aeroship fleet was maintaining its firepower. Additionally, with two commanders and two Wraith Kings engaged in battle at the lower section of the Mobile Fortress, the Spriggan army didn’t dare to approach, instead circling far around.

As long as we can hold off the large possessed beasts and those with flight capabilities, we should be able to endure for a few more hours...

But with at least several dozen kilometers left to go before they reached Yggdrasil, the outcome would be a disaster if their forces were depleted by then.

For the first time in centuries, the roles had been reversed—offense and defense; invasion and protection. Humanity, for the first time, was on the offensive, while Yggdrasil was forced to defend the deepest parts of its domain. The benefits of a prolonged battle had switched sides completely.

The commanders still haven’t finished them off?

Leonard’s gaze shifted to Vulcanus and Grace, who were battling several kilometers away from the Mobile Fortress.

Rooooooarr!!

With Yggdrasil’s support, Vulcanus had transformed into a lava giant towering at around two hundred meters. Though dozens of massive ice swords, each larger than a colossal lance, were lodged in his body, they were all melted away by the radiating heat as the Wraith King relentlessly attacked Grace.

Vulcanus’ size impeded his agility, making it easy to avoid the giant’s arm swings—but that was only half the challenge. Even when Vulcanus missed, the subsequent waves of heat severely weakened Grace’s energy shield. The temperature was so intense that, if not for the defense barrier, the people at the Mobile Fortress would have felt like the air was boiling, even though they were several kilometers away.

Vulcanus’ power was gradually decreasing, but due to his immense capacity, several times greater than his opponents, Grace seemed to be at a disadvantage.

Sir Audrey and Sir Uluka seem to have the upper hand.

The commanders engaging in combat at the lower section of the Mobile Fortress, above the bottomless swamp, appeared to hold a slight advantage. Audrey’s Extermination and Uluka’s Soul-Breaker were unique traits that disregarded the scale of power.

Even though the Wraith Kings had absorbed enormous amounts of energy and slightly elevated their status, if the conceptual martial arts of the Demigod Tier commanders were to strike them directly, it would result in more than just serious injuries.

That was why Cybele and Thetis dared not confront them head-on, instead buying time by fleeing to various spots in the swamp. Whether in spirit form or not, Extermination and Soul-Breaker would strike with utmost efficiency.

Meanwhile, Wade had flown beyond the battlefield, far out of Leonard’s range of perception, several kilometers away, leaving him untraceable.

...Where exactly should I intervene in this battlefield?

Even with his perception of time accelerated to the fullest, the Demigod Tier beings were moving with incredible speed, exchanging offense and defense. Amidst the chaos, there was no opening for a third party to intervene.

Vulcanus, impaled by the ice sword, along with Cybele and Thetis, could sense Leonard’s movements, shifting their focus toward him whenever he tried to act. His intervention might help the commanders land an extra hit, but it wouldn’t matter much unless it was a decisive blow.

Clang!

Leonard, riding his sword and supporting the battlefield from different points using Surge of the Dragon King, unconsciously shifted his gaze. He had caught sight of someone dressed in the uniform of the Green Dragon Knights, with her twin swords flowing elegantly like streams of water.

It seemed her swordsmanship bore the colors of the elemental powers of water and wind. The two swords moved harmoniously, leaving dazzling trails in their wake that flowed naturally without opposing each other.

Heather?

As always, Heather balanced herself on one foot atop her wolf while swinging her swords, her movements gradually slowing. Leonard observed the depths of her dual-wielding technique, which, although crude compared to his own skills, shone with potential.

What exceeded her swordsmanship, however, was her mastery of internal energy cultivation. Two streams of pure spiritual energy flowed in harmony, channeling through her conception and governing vessels, creating a synergy that transcended even the Transcendence Tier.

Leonard had observed this several times, and it always left him with a nagging feeling that something was missing. But now, enlightenment struck him like a bolt of lightning.

What if I could manage the Qi of the Four Symbols within my body as freely as Heather does? If I could integrate them all with celestial energy, allowing four out of the Five Elements to find their natural place within me...

The theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements was a concept meant to explain everything in the universe, including the human body. In fact, it was most relevant to the human body, as the theory was born from human thought.

Delving deeper from a medical standpoint, human organs could also be classified according to the Five Elements—the liver to wood, the heart to fire, the lungs and skin to metal, the bladder and reproductive organs to water, and the digestive organs to earth.

From the perspective of internal energy cultivation, these classifications were not absolute, although the different elemental energies did tend to favor specific parts of the body. @@novelbin@@

The Qi of the Four Symbols was no different, as it was ultimately born from the Five Elements.

The Azure Dragon Qi takes root like a tree from the brainstem, spreading throughout the body; the Black Tortoise Qi seeps into all the blood vessels, transporting the heat generated in the heart throughout the body; the Vermilion Bird Qi radiates life force from within the heart itself; and the White Tiger Qi reinforces the bones, skin, claws, and hair, strengthening both the inner and outer foundation.

The Qi of the Four Symbols created this framework, and what filled it—symbolizing the essence of humanity itself and governing flesh—was the element of earth.

In other words, the Yellow Dragon Qi.

Faced with this sudden enlightenment, Leonard finally understood the true nature of the power he called celestial energy. It was the energy that could elevate a human being to become a dragon. It was of a higher rank than other kinds of elemental energy, and it also had the ability to elevate the rank of the Five Elements Qi.

And in that moment—

Flaaaash!!

As he gazed down at the battlefield from the sky, Leonard’s entire body was enveloped in a brilliant, radiant light of five colors, shaking the entire world.

A tremor so powerful that those of lower status could not even sense surged forth, and the beings struggling on the battlefield were left in shock. The commanders, as well as the Wraith Kings, froze in their tracks, trying to grasp the situation.

“He broke through? Now? Here?!” Grace, who had been flitting about like a wasp confronting a bear, turned her wide eyes toward Leonard.

“I always thought he was a bold one, but he’s far exceeded my expectations.”

“If he succeeds, our chance of victory will be even more certain.”

“Not even those half-baked bastards will be able to disregard that.”

The commanders who had been chasing Cybele and Thetis around the Mobile Fortress exchanged bitter smiles. They had been waiting for a breakthrough to change the deadlock, but they hadn’t expected such a massive event here.

Even though they knew that Leonard’s breakthrough to the Demigod Tier was imminent, they had assumed it would take at least another decade. They were worried Leonard might have overexerted himself, rushing past the wall to the Demigod Tier too recklessly.

“...Hmm.”

Wade, who had been chasing the Razor Wind at supersonic speed, paused briefly and turned to look behind him. The distance of a few dozen kilometers was still within a Demigod Tier knight’s range of perception.

Realizing the significance of this new variable, Wade wore a broad smile. “It seems I can push myself a bit more.”

The time accelerated by Flamberg sped up even further. From the perspective of the Wraith Kings, the addition of another Demigod Tier powerhouse was akin to a natural disaster—a nightmare. Surely, they would attempt to interrupt Leonard’s breakthrough before it was completed.

The best way Wade could help was by pressuring Boreas and keeping him from intervening.

Bayard

Wings of light unfurled from the back of Cardenas’ second-in-command. Wade pursued Boreas from behind, his acceleration distorting the very space around him.

Although Boreas, as a Wraith King, had no physical form, Wade caught up to him in an instant.

―Instead of a salute, let me incinerate you with flair instead.

As soon as his telepathic message shot forth, a fiery explosion erupted from Wade’s grip as he transformed into pure light. The massive flames filled the distant sky, visible even from the Mobile Fortress.