Chapter 55
[Translator – Kie]
Chapter 55: Jacques Noiré (1)
As the sun set, Damien halted the carriage and prepared for camping.
“Everyone, come for the meal,” he called out.
Victor had prepared the evening meal. After filling their stomachs with Victor’s cooking, the group retired to their sleeping quarters.
In preparation for any contingency, Olivia slept inside the carriage, while the remaining three laid out sleeping bags outside.
It was deep into the night when it happened.
A dark shadow approached the camp silently, moving so discreetly that not even the sound of footsteps could be heard.
No one in the camp noticed the intruder. They were all immersed in deep slumber, unaware of the impending threat.
The assailant slowly unsheathed a dagger, its white blade ominously gleaming in the moonlight.
Before swinging the knife, the intruder counted the people lying in the camp—one in the carriage, two outside.
… Two?
“I was getting bored waiting.”
A voice echoed from above. The intruder quickly looked up.
Someone was sitting on top of the carriage.
“Jacques Noiré, did you really want to kill me that badly?” Damien Haksen mocked, framed against the night sky.
“How did you know I was coming?” Jacques spoke with a calm tone, seemingly unfazed despite being caught off guard.
“Trying to easily reveal others’ secrets isn’t a good habit.”
“Smart. There’s nothing to gain from exposing yourself to others.”
Jacques nodded, and Damien felt a sense of perplexity.
“It’s strange. I thought you’d be angry and ready to attack as soon as you saw my face.”
“Why should I be angry at you?”
In response to the unexpected question, Damien replied with a puzzled expression.
“I got you chased by the organization, remember?”
“Oh, that. I did get annoyed as you said, but I decided to forget about it. It’s a hassle being wanted by the organization, but I can change my face and escape to the outskirts of the continent.”
Damien’s brow furrowed slightly.
Speaking so casually about abandoning one’s name and identity was unsettling.
From his breath and tone, it seemed like Jacques was genuinely speaking the truth.
It felt like Damien was finally understanding the identity of the discomfort he had felt since their first encounter.
Jacques was a person lacking something essential as a human.
“So, why did you follow me?”
“To obtain the artifact you possess.”
“…Artifact?”
Damien’s expression tightened even more. He found the statement absurd.
“No matter how much you hide it, it’s useless. You undoubtedly obtained the item left by the master. Through the memories and knowledge stored in that item, you’ve become so much stronger.”
“I haven’t done anything like that.”
Damien responded with a face expressing utter disbelief.
“Even if you lie, it’s futile. How else would you explain your rapid improvement in skills if not for the artifact?”
“I’m just a bit of a genius.”
A brief silence hung between the two.
Jacques licked his lips briefly.
“It’s impressive how thoroughly you conceal your flaws. Intelligent. Almost irritatingly so.” “No, really?”
“I initially considered sparing you if you handed over the artifact willingly, but… with you being like this, I have no choice. I’ll have to kill you and take the artifact.”
Jacques discarded the dagger and slowly drew the sword hanging at his waist.
Unlike a regular sword, its blade undulated like waves.
“A treasure should be in the hands of someone worthy.”
Jacques spun the blade once. With a bizarre sound, the afterimage of the blade lingered before disappearing.
“So, peacefully hand over the artifact.”
Damien sneered, gripping the Heavenly Sword.
“This is ridiculous.”
Damien and Jacques Noiré charged almost simultaneously.
The clash of their two swords echoed through the air, with neither side giving an inch.
Simultaneously, both men stepped back, but as soon as the distance widened, Jacques sprung forward again.
Targeting Damien’s face, he thrust his sword.
As if anticipating it, Damien effortlessly parried the sword, aiming for his opponent’s throat.
However, Jacques smoothly evaded Damien’s attack as well.
With each clash of their swords, the surrounding trees shook, accompanied by a thunderous noise.
“He’s on a high Mid-Class level. Efficient use of power,” Damien thought.
The captain they fought before, Yuran, was a Mid-Class Dark Mage. With every swing of his fist, earthquakes occurred, and the terrain was destroyed.
Jacques’ attacks seemed lacking compared to that Dark Mage at first glance. However, in reality, it was not the case.
If Jacques willed it, he could unleash even greater destructive power. But for now, he concentrated all that power into his sword.
Evidence of this was the occasional traces left by Jacques’ sword in the surroundings.
Whenever the blade grazed a wooden pillar, the entire tree was neatly sliced. The cut surface was so smooth it could be used as a mirror.
Despite not causing any visible shockwaves, it demonstrated an incredible cutting force.
“Smart move to cast Dark Magic on the kids in advance,” Damien observed, glancing at the team lying on the ground.
Even in the midst of such chaos, the team remained in a deep slumber, thanks to the Dark Magic that induced profound sleep.
For the time being, Damien planned to hide his true abilities to avoid unnecessary trouble. He didn’t want to reveal the fight with Jacques Noiré to the team.
“We should change the location.”
Continuing the fight here increased the risk of the team getting involved.
Dodging Jacques’ sword, Damien darted to the side.
“Where are you going?” Jacques Noiré pursued. The two raced through the forest, swinging their swords.
Dozens of exchanges occurred in a single breath. The sound of air being sliced resonated constantly.
‘He’s using a very elusive sword technique’ Damien thought, analyzing Jacques Noiré’s swordsmanship throughout the battle.
It wasn’t an honest swordplay that secured victory by overcoming the opponent’s techniques head-on.
It was a relentless technique that targeted the opponent’s vulnerabilities, tenaciously exploiting weaknesses.
And it wasn’t merely due to Jacques’ personality.
It was because of the essence embedded in the swordsmanship he was mastering.
“Hmm?”
Damien felt a significant fluctuation in Jacques’ magical power. It indicated he was preparing a technique.
“Not bad, but it ends now.”
Jacques swung his sword in a straight line.
The power and magic imbued in the sword were immense, but the motion was large enough to be easily blocked.
However, Damien chose not to block the sword. Instead, he left his head exposed as if offering it to be sliced.
As Jacques’ sword touched Damien’s head, astonishingly, it turned into an illusion and disappeared.
Immediately after, a sneak attack targeted Damien’s neck.
He had already noticed that the first attack was a deception and the second one was real.
Damien raised his blade to block the attack. The force pushed his body backward.
Jacques halted the attack and increased the distance, wearing a surprised expression.
“…Unbelievable. A Low-Class knight managed to block my attack like this.”
Mid-Class knights and Low-Class knights were on different levels. Not only in physical abilities but also in overwhelming magical power.
Yet, the crucial difference between the two was not these aspects.
It was the depth of their techniques.
The techniques of an enlightened Mid-Class knight were far more profound than those of a Low-Class knight.
In normal circumstances, a Low-Class knight wouldn’t be able to engage in such a prolonged exchange with a Mid-Class knight.
“Even that’s not enough, knowing the intervals.”
The illusion Jacques Noiré just displayed wasn’t an ordinary technique.
It belonged to the swordsmanship intervals that he was mastering. Phantom Sword – a type of sword technique that uses magic to create illusions and pierces the opponent’s vulnerabilities. It was one of the most challenging and difficult sword techniques to learn and utilize.
“I told you, I am a genius, remember?”
Damien said, tapping Jacques’ shoulder with the sharp edge of his sword. During the battle, Damien had already discerned the intervals of Jacques’ stance and magical flow, recognizing the Phantom Sword technique.
“If you understand it well, it’s easy to block. Just rely on senses other than sight.”
“What are you thinking?” Damien asked as Jacques remained silent.
“I get it now.”
After much contemplation, Jacques Noiré nodded slowly.
“The knowledge obtained through the conduit was indeed remarkable. Although you’re in the Low-Class stage, You’ve reached a Mid-Class level in terms of technique.”
“Still on that topic?”
“You must have gained significant knowledge. I’m curious about the kind of conduit you have.”
A smile appeared on Jacques’ face, but it felt forced and unsettling.
“I haven’t felt this excited in a long time. Show me the conduit you obtained.”
Jacques Noiré raised his magical power. The aura of his sword was starting to be enveloped by an aura.
“Do you know the decisive difference that separates a Low-Class knight and a Mid-Class knight?”
The aura of Low-Class resembled a lion’s mane.
The aura of the Mid-Class knight was much denser, almost like being surrounded by smoke.
“It’s the crystallization of aura. Beyond manifesting aura, it’s about transforming and shaping it. That’s the essence of a Mid-Class knight.”
Jacques moved forward. Numerous afterimages remained where he passed. Surprisingly, the afterimages didn’t stop at their initial positions.
They dashed in various directions – some left, some right, and some even leaped into the air.
The departing afterimages didn’t stop but dispersed in the air after moving a certain distance.
Jacques circled around Damien. Dozens of afterimages surrounded Damien, leaving no visible escape route.
“Let me show you my ideology.”
One of the afterimages charged towards Damien. Damien didn’t rely on his eyes; he used his other senses to judge.
Activated senses confirmed it. It was not an illusion but real.
Damien raised his sword, blocking the attack. A powerful impact struck him.
However, what Jacques believed to be real scattered away.
“Hmm?”
Before Damien could react, another afterimage attacked from behind. Once again, his senses confirmed its reality.
Turning his body, Damien swung his sword. However, this time, too, it was an illusion.
“Interesting.”
Damien couldn’t hide his fascination. He didn’t expect his senses to be deceived so easily.
In his past life, he had encountered various swordsmen, but none with such a peculiar Phantom Sword technique.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it? I’ve spent a lifetime perfecting this sword technique.”
Jacques’ voice echoed through the gaps between the afterimages. The constantly moving afterimages mesmerized Damien.
“All these are fakes, yet real. With your senses, you won’t be able to tell what’s real.”
The afterimages simultaneously aimed their blades at Damien.
“This is the end.”
Dozens of afterimages rushed towards Damien simultaneously.
Observing the spectacle, Damien couldn’t help but smirk.
“It’s amusing, but nothing special.”
People encountering the Phantom Sword for the first time would inevitably be overwhelmed – captivated by the mystifying technique that turned illusions into reality.
However, in reality, the Phantom Sword was not such an extraordinary blade. It lacked the destructive power compared to a strong sword and was slower than a swift one. Its main focus was on thrusting attacks. That was the essence of the Phantom Sword technique.
Coincidentally, Damien possessed a technique that could counter the Phantom Sword effectively.
“It seems you take great pride in that sword technique.”
Damien swept his hand over the Thousand-Mile Sword. The sword began to vibrate, emitting a resonating sound.
“Let’s shatter that illusion.”
Damien flicked the Thousand-Mile Sword with his finger.
Dark Blade – Merciless Slaughter.
The piercing sound of the sword seemed to tear the air apart.
[Translator – Kie]
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