[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 298: Upstream, and There You'll Find

The first page of the Silent Night Soul-Soaking Divine Art contained a message left by Eldarkion Eisenach for his successor.

-Successor, I was born a barbarian of the mountains, became a slave of the Empire, rose to be the king of gladiators, turned into an enemy of the Empire, and finally, became the liberator of my clan.

-During those many long years, I faced numerous trials that seemed impossible to overcome. Each time, a certain power dwelling within me would awaken and save me. It was a power that seemed to carry the darkness of night itself. In a sense, it was like a spirit of the night. I named this power the ‘Dark Mana’ and dedicated the latter half of my life to studying it, organizing it into a single martial art.

-My children were born, and then my grandchildren. However, only two of them inherited the Dark Mana. One died young, and the other, unable to bear the pain, took his own life before reaching the age of 20.

-Filled with grief, I open this secret manual once more to write new formulas. I shall establish in detail the methods to control this atavistic power, so that there will be no more deaths like those of my two grandsons. I know that my descendants will not have the chance to be forged through harsh trials as I was.

As I read the life story of a man who lived and died in the distant past, I felt as if his soul and mine were resonating.

‘After such a long time, a successor who finally understands your story has appeared.’

From the next page onward, the manual described the various abilities of the Dark Mana and the methods to control them.

-The essence of darkness lies in covering, hiding, concealing, and swallowing. Once you have mastered this Silent Night Soul-Soaking Divine Art, successor, you will truly possess a power befitting a king of the night.

I quickly skimmed past the principles of Absorption, Adsorption, Stealth, and Erosion, as I was already familiar with them.

-The power with which I made the Imperial governor tremble in fear lies in stealth. Of course, this is no ordinary stealth technique. It is a discipline that swallows even sound and presence by spreading the Dark Mana wide like a curtain.

‘Indeed.’

If I could make this power my own, it would add another pillar to the abilities of the Whispering Snow in the Night and the Dark Star.

‘Perhaps I should pay a visit to Svaltalfar and bestow some teachings upon them.’

It has been a long time since I surpassed the stealth techniques of Drak and Ghir.

-The power to cast that same curtain of stealth over an enemy, stealing their sight and hearing, is called ‘Erosion’.

‘Hmm?’

This was another interesting power.

‘If I could momentarily rob an opponent of their sight and hearing in the middle of a fight?’

The match could end in that single instant. Even if it did not, considering how crucial it is to be a single breath ahead in a battle between masters…

‘That’s fucking broken.’

I turned the page, thinking of the various ways I could use this power in a real fight.

‘Huh?’

What was written on the next page, despite clearly being a profound discipline…

‘I already know this.’

-The ability to make the Dark Mana infiltrate an opponent’s body to disrupt their mana flow and inflict damage is called Infiltration. It is best used by injecting mana when swords clash. It is even more effective when used in conjunction with acupoint-striking techniques.

This was a principle not only known to me, but also present in the martial arts of the Black Society, which had imitated this art.

‘Well, since it is an ancient divine art, it is only natural for knockoffs to appear.’

That is just the way of the world.

-The Black Sword is a method that utilizes the principles of Stealth and Erosion to cover the sword energy with the Dark Mana. Using this technique, one can wield a sword of darkness that conceals its explosive aura. As one’s level of mastery deepens, it becomes an invisible sword whose length and shape cannot be perceived, making it possible to subdue even an enemy of a higher caliber.

…I already created this with the Formless sword energy. And I did it when my level of mastery was quite low, at that.

‘But if I cover it with the Dark Mana, I should be able to use a much more enhanced version of the Formless sword energy.’

Speaking of the Black Sword, it reminds me of that fellow, Daikin.

‘My life got twisted once again while getting revenge for that guy.’

Goddammit.

-By creating black wings with the Dark Mana, one can fly through the sky, strike by swinging them, or defend by covering one’s body. This is called the ‘Black Wings’. It consumes a great deal of mana, making it difficult to use for long periods.

‘…I even enhanced this into a slashing attack that shoots feathers, using Gelberich’s ultimate technique as a reference.’

I am a fearsome one, am I not?

To reach a realm that even the legendary hero Eldarkion Eisenach could not, is my genius not truly terrifying?

…However, the ultimate techniques described from this point on were nothing short of astonishing.

-From here on is a realm that can only be reached by those with prodigious talent. By deeply cultivating the Dark Mana, one can use that power to create flames. These flames melt everything they touch, yet not a bit of heat can be felt until direct contact is made. This is called the ‘Black Flame’.

You cannot feel the heat until it touches you directly?

‘So, you cannot even grill meat without direct flame?’

I muttered this nonsense to myself and read the next sentence.

-As you might have guessed, this is a power specialized for assassination. In particular, if you unleash the power of the Black Flame when your sword clashes with an enemy’s, the enemy will instinctively drop their weapon as if they have grabbed a red hot piece of iron. If they try to endure, they will only suffer severe burns. Unless they possess a high level of body-hardening arts and quick wits, it is an exceedingly difficult power to face.

He was right. If an enemy of a similar level used such a technique, even I would feel like I had no answer.

‘This must be what they mean by fighting like a fucking asshole.’

-Furthermore, you can also use black lightning. A swift power that pierces the enemy like the spear wielded by the god of thunder. This power is called ‘Dark Lightning’.

I thought this would be good to combine with the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist. If I grabbed and zapped someone with this, they would have a hard time.

-Finally, there is the power of ice. While not as powerful as a proper ice art, it is strong enough to infiltrate and freeze what it touches from the inside. This power is called the ‘Ice of the Darkest Night’.

The powers of fire, ice, and lightning?

‘Power to burn, freeze, and zap.’

How absurd. If I could use these powers, it meant I could to some extent imitate the martial arts of Ulbhild or Karl.

-As for these latter martial arts, even I have not reached a stage I could call completion. Therefore, successor, you must further refine the art left by your ancestor. Now, I shall impart the formulas to control the powers described above…

I read and memorized the formulas in order, then closed my eyes and entered a state of meditation.

‘I’ll quickly skim the intermediate stages and conquer the final part.’

I lost track of time. But I knew it would not take very long.

After all, this martial art was meant just for me.

* * *

Aboard a ship heading upriver to the royal capital, Verdzig received news of Allenvert's victory.

“Are you saying Grimnar is dead?”

[He is dead. I hear it was an instant death.]

“What do you mean by instant death?”

[They say not even a corpse was left behind.]

“How preposterous.”

Verdzig laughed, as if finding Venion’s words hard to believe.

“Has he gotten stronger again? To my knowledge, Grimnar’s martial prowess was by no means low.”

[His prowess was one thing, but his poison was what was truly dangerous. Even if I had led the Shadow Division myself, I would not have been able to finish the job with such few casualties.]

Venion’s voice came from beyond the crystal ball.

[The Fourth Young Master has completed his first objective. Now, it is the Second Young Master’s turn.]

“Of course.”

They were set to make landfall tomorrow.

“Then, I will contact you tomorrow with news of our victory.”

[I will be waiting.]

With Regeron on Allenvert’s side, there would be no problems there.

Thanks to that, Venion had found himself in the position of communicating directly with Verdzig.

“Your Highness, the Eighth Prince.”

Verdzig approached the Eighth Prince, who was standing on the deck looking out at the sea.

“It seems Allen has won. Grimnar Angantyr is dead, and Virgenhrid has fallen into Allen’s hands.”

“Ah, that was faster than I expected,” the Eighth Prince said in surprise.

“You need not be so surprised. Our own landing will be complete within a day.”

At this, the Eighth Prince’s expression hardened.

“Hmm, but I hear a skirmish has broken out. It seems my third brother’s side caught wind of our plans, as they were prepared in advance.”

Verdzig said nonchalantly.

“Is that so? If that hinders our landing, it would be a rather unfortunate turn of events.”

“…”

The words sent a chill down his spine.

‘If the landing goes smoothly, it is good for him. If it does not, he can use it to narrow my standing, which is also good for him.’

Either way, it was not a bad development for Verdzig.

‘Is he that confident?’

The prince started to think that Verdzig's request to secure the port might not have been because it was absolutely necessary.

‘I cannot let my guard down around this man, the Second Young Master.’

* * *

Two days passed.

“…Nice weather.”

When I stepped out of Eisenach’s repository, I saw sunlight streaming down through the dense forest.

“Hehehehahahaha.”

But my cheerful mood was not just because of the weather.

“Young Master, you are out?”

“Boss!”

Zizek and Jeffrey, who had been guarding the entrance, approached in surprise.

“Why are you two hanging around here?”

“We were standing guard for you.”

“Remnants with a grudge might have tried to get in.”

“Oh? So you were loyal vassals after all.”

Zizek, glancing at my expression, asked, “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“You must have had a great achievement.”

Jeffrey added, his curiosity piqued.

I answered readily.

“I have mastered about eight-tenths of the martial art, and my level of mastery has reached the peak of the 7th tier.”

“Wow, really?”

“You broke through another wall in just two days?”

“It was the kind of fateful opportunity that made it possible.”

The wall to the 8th tier was still high, but it was no cause for disappointment.

‘It is only natural.’

Countless brilliant martial artists had shed tears of blood, unable to overcome this single wall in their entire lifetime.

‘A talent that might not even appear a few times in a generation. That is the level of the 8th tier.’

And how many of those with such talent failed to reach it because they lacked training, were in a poor environment, had no fateful opportunities, or were killed by an insurmountable foe they met too early?

Only a very small number of warriors who passed through the eye of a needle could break through the wall to the 8th tier.

In truth, it was a level of mastery that fewer than ten people on the entire continent possessed.

‘Even if my current talent is at a level to reach the 8th tier.’

In the end, Karzan, born an orphan who lived as a blade in the criminal underworld, without access to superior martial arts, elixirs, or cultivation techniques, was killed by the Dark King at the peak of the 6th tier.

But Allenvert, starting with the memories of his past life and the status of a young master of the Grunewald clan, was finally able to reach this point.

“My feeling is, I will probably be able to challenge the 8th tier again only after I defeat my brother Verdzig and learn the clan’s secret martial art.”

Nevertheless, one thing was certain.

With the Silent Night Soul-Soaking Divine Art added to the extreme power of the third stage of the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique, which I had mastered to near perfection, I now had very few rivals at the peak of the 7th tier.

‘Excluding Leszek, Geninghen, and my father, no one in the Grunewald clan can defeat me now.’

The Elder of Military Strategy, Lorentius, remained at the peak of the 7th tier, never reaching the chosen realm of the 8th tier.

Venion was likely somewhere between the mid and late 7th tier, so he would be no match for me now.

‘…And Verdzig, too.’

Two days ago, I was his equal. Now, I have surpassed him.

“Jeffrey.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“You said the Duke of Montera and the Grand Commander of the Royal Guard have also reached the 8th tier and vie with my father for the title of the kingdom’s strongest martial artist?”

"That's correct. However, it's said that his younger brother's martial prowess is about half a tier above theirs."

Good. Let us see if Verdzig and I can handle those two.

‘But what if Ivan joins them?’

Even including Verdzig, it is an unfavorable 3 against 2 situation.

‘Hmm, this will not be an easy fight after all.’

As I was running the numbers, including Siena and Ghir, a certain name suddenly came to mind.

‘Come to think of it, that bastard Zamuel.’

Has he been training?

He was a guy with exceptionally rare talent.

As long as he had not died and had survived all these years, I believed he should have overcome the wall of the 7th tier if there were no major issues.

‘It has been seventeen years. That is more than enough time for all the potential you had to fully bloom.’

If not, I would be disappointed.

Right, Zamuel?

“Zizek, Jeffrey.”

I looked back at my two vassals, who represented light and shadow respectively, and said.

“Are the preparations for departure complete?”

Zizek grinned.

“We just need you, boss, and we can leave immediately.”

“Excellent.”

I nodded my head.

“We depart at once.”

Upstream along the Lindela River, and there you'll find…

A meeting with Siena, Kailan Webern, and Zamuel awaits me.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]