Chapter 180

The sword energies collided with a deafening boom.

“Die, you little brat…!”

“Not a chance, old hag…!”

“What?! Old hag?! Have you ever seen such a beautiful old hag before?!”

A bolt-like strike descended vertically. The wave of sword energy spread out like surging tides as an immense inner force was poured into it.

Wave of a Sword!

The waves of sword energy amplified each other upon collision. This technique excelled against multiple enemies but also effectively blocked all escape routes for a single foe.

“Hmph! It’s just brute force from your vast inner strength…!”

However, instead of evading, his opponent drew a circle in mid-air.

Klang! Kka-klang! Kka-ga-klang!

The sword that had blocked the initial strike flowed with energy, tracing circle after circle in overlapping patterns. The perfectly drawn circles were almost mechanical in their precision!

Waves of sword energy radiated outward, splitting the ground beneath them.

Krak! Krrrk!

I stood before the window of my office, munching on fried chicken wings and pork spare ribs as I watched Hayes and Edward’s dramatic sparring match below.

At this rate, both of them could probably defeat even a legendary rank opponent. In terms of level, they’re roughly around 15 or 16.

They were the strongest warriors in the Human Empire. In Ardenia, where Masters were rare let alone Transcendents, their power was truly unparalleled.

“I always think it when I see them, but they’re really incredible. It’s like watching monsters from a siege battle.”

“Yeah, you’re right. They’re about that powerful.”

I turned my head slightly to gaze at the distant castle walls. Indeed, a fierce battle was raging. From below, the towering height of the castle walls obscured the view, but from our vantage point on the highest floor of the Guild Tower, we could easily look down and observe.

Boom! Bang!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

The Gigas standing atop the castle walls unleashed a barrage of attacks, while the ranked-up soldiers beside them pulled their giant sniper rifles’ triggers with reckless abandon.

Behind them, mages continuously cast spells on incoming ammunition, and scattered priests created barriers that pushed back enemies attempting to scale the walls.

Though the scene appeared intense, it was actually routine work. Even when legendary monsters swarmed together, they rarely managed to breach the castle walls.

In the past Ardenia, monsters capable of plunging an entire nation into terror were futilely dying against the Mythical-Rank castle walls. Of course, smarter monsters didn’t recklessly hurl themselves at the fortifications, making defense challenging.

I’ve been preemptively sweeping away potential landing spots for these creatures.

Despite such precautions, injuries were common, and deaths occurred occasionally. How could there be no casualties when they constantly waged war against legendary beasts? Even so, even those incidents had dwindled to the point where they could now be considered mere “accidents.”

This level of safety was incomparable to the old Ardenia, where people died in the streets not from war or disasters but for other reasons.

“Oh?”

“A Hero rank, I see. It’s been about nine months.”

“Already that long?”

In overall notifications, Heroes and Legendary ranks appeared quite frequently, but they were all items I acquired. As I regularly slaughtered legendary monsters, it was inevitable that my collection of items would grow! After attempting enhancements with these hero-grade items, whenever there was an opportunity to reward someone, I bestowed them upon high-ranking civil servants or my direct subordinates.

Considering this had been going on for ten years now, both soldiers’ and knights’ armaments were exceptionally well-equipped.

So that’s how much time has passed… Ten years.

Looking back, it seemed to have flown by in a blink. The fact that such a lengthy period felt so short proved that my schedule hadn’t been as packed as one might expect.

It was almost like a vacation, I mused. Sure, there was childcare involved, but… well, it wasn’t as if I was doing all the work myself.

I hadn’t planned on taking such an extended break, but maintaining balance between my physical body and inner force required considerable time investment.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t hunted today,” Flower observed.

“Shall I go now?”

“Yes. After you’re done, head straight to the training grounds.”

As I rose from my seat, Flower gently approached and kissed me on the lips.

“Stay safe.”

“I always do.”

We ascended to the rooftop. As the Emperor, I regularly toured eight fire points across the empire, with our current residence being the Palace of Light.

In other words:

I’m currently about 600 kilometers west of home.

Whoosh…

I crouched down, pushing off against thin air. When leaping from rooftops, even those of legendary guild towers, one must use the power of omnidirectional resistance to avoid causing damage. And then…

Whoom!

I shot forward.

Arrival was instantaneous.

Thud!

The acceleration that had been coursing through my entire body vanished in a flash. This phenomenon occurred because I’d accurately reached the pillar of light located exactly 600 kilometers away.

I stood on a soundless satellite. Looking up, I saw a planet as large as the sun looming far in the distance.

I thought we’d get there quickly.

But no such luck.

“Hey, wait a minute! Oh boy, these guys have got some serious temper issues.”

My face contorted at the sight of the approaching elder skeletons.

Ten years had passed.

I had adapted to my new body while continuously refining my exclusive martial arts technique: Late Bloomer. Every day, I spent three hours cultivating inner force and honing my skills by slaughtering legendary monsters.

And above all else,

I battled these mythical skeletons.

My training progressed faithfully, but there were no dungeon raids at all. Over the past decade, the enemies’ countermeasures had become increasingly vicious, far more so than my own growth in power.

Hwoosh!

I ducked my head, avoiding a swinging left arm. Then, from within, I swung Hyperion. The elder skeleton was faster than me by nature, but it tried to block with its shoulder. I struck its leg with my left foot, destabilizing its stance before crushing its head.

Thwack!

The Elder Skeleton lunged at me with its left arm, catching me off guard and striking my side. I braced for this moment and swiftly hooked my pinky finger around its shoulder blade, pulling it closer.

Crunch!

Damn, too shallow! This is already getting messy!

I failed to crush its head. Although I struck it, there was no follow-up attack from Shadow Twice. It wasn’t just me possessing insane passive skills and crazy stats.

It seemed the Elder Skeleton also had some tricks up its sleeve.

Ha! As if it were an ordinary monster.

This insane passive skill, which nullified all additional effects up to three times, even negated critical hits. It rendered useless the damage inflation unique to the Sword God class.

I’m starting to think I should look into other mythic classes. My stats are already capped at their ultimate limit; even a master’s intervention would be futile now.

Though these thoughts had been occupying my mind lately, I couldn’t bring myself to switch due to the sheer excellence of the Sword Body Union attribute. This single ability alone, multiplying Hyperion’s physical attack coefficient from 6.2 to 12.4, was more effective than combining all other passive skills available.

They came from all directions. The elder skeletons were separated by kilometers, but their speed was impressive, as if they found traveling six hundred kilometers a mere joke.

Krak!

Crunch!

I evaded them. I smashed their heads, collapsed their stances, and stomped on them. And when enough of them had gathered…

“Come forth. Land Worm!”

Ku-gugung---!

The earth twisted. A several-kilometer radius of land liquefied instantly, swallowing up the Elder Skeletons that had been accelerating with superlative physical ability.

At the same time:

“Kyahaha! It’s head collection time!”

A giant composed of darkness appeared, crushing the struggling Elder Skeletons’ heads as it went. This was Hyperion’s Epic attribute: Magic Sword Spirit.

Despite his combat style being more brute force than finesse, Landworm boasted mythic-tier stats and could even fly—making him a formidable ally when summoned in this kind of situation.

It goes without saying that the landworm wouldn’t poke its head out unnecessarily; it might be helpful, but there was no point in inviting unnecessary attacks. The real value of these creatures lay elsewhere, so losing one would be quite inconvenient.

“Oh, the Bracelet of Courage.”

Unlike the legendary upper arm bone, which was merely a crafting material, this item had numerous uses. I continued battling with renewed vigor as I pondered my options.

Crunch! Pop!

I evaded the hands reaching for me by stomping on them, then smashed their heads. With practiced ease, I leaped off the ground like a missile, swinging my sword in wide arcs.

After completing my Supreme Physique, I had pondered extensively on how to harness its full potential. I memorized chakra techniques, practiced circulation exercises for half an hour daily, and even acquired the Mythical Rank skill Gumgang… Yet, it was a shock to realize that all these efforts were still inferior to simply swinging a sword.

And then, over the past decade…

I realized I had been laboring under a massive misconception.

I didn’t truly understand my own body.

The greatest strength of the completed Supreme Physique wasn’t merely being able to withstand spiritual energy interference. While that was indeed a benefit, there was something more fundamental at play. Specifically, it possessed “[compatibility with physical dantians].”

Bio-energy cultivators often struggle to develop other psychic abilities alongside their physical prowess. The fusion of mana with one’s body, while granting resistance against various elements, also dulls spiritual perception and makes controlling psychic powers several levels more challenging.

However, my extreme body is different.

This extreme body, harboring a dantian, experiences slightly diminished spiritual sensitivity but can still wield inner strength without issue.

By circulating inner force through my body… I can strengthen my physical form.

Thud.

I launch myself forward with a leap. Before me, Namgung Hyun of the Luna Death Knight (Myth) races towards me.

Black energy surges from her sword in streams.

“Hu.”

With a silent breath, I begin to circulate my qi.

In martial arts, there exists the concept of qinggong—lightness techniques. Simply put, it’s the study of making one’s body light, and its methods diversify according to the level of martial arts development.

One might interfere with gravity, lift their body through a kind of telekinesis, or even harness elemental forces to ride the wind.

Take Cheongunju, for example, a technique from the opposite school of thought.

Cheongunju involves manipulating gravity or applying downward force. The mass remains the same, but it’s as if an additional force is pulling everything down. This allows for accelerated descent.

In contrast, Cheongunje uses inner force to add actual weight. Since the object truly becomes heavier, there’s no change in its falling speed.

“Ganggi.”

And in this case…

The concept of mass is crucial.

Late Bloomer.

Mountain Breaker Strike.

Namgung Hyunah’s sword collided with my Hyperion. Her blade was imbued with Gumgang, which neutralizes most external forces including physical strength. However, my sword also bore the mark of Gumgang.

I can’t apply any additional skills, but…

Despite that limitation, when our swords met, their energies clashed, momentarily canceling each other out before they physically struck one another.

Shock registered on the death knight’s pallid face.

Whoa— crackle!

Hyperion crushed her, armor and all.

Kuu----!

The earth exploded as if struck by a meteorite from the sheer force of this blow. The elder skeletons surrounding them were sent flying into space, while a crater large enough to swallow a mountain was left behind on the once desolate satellite.

All that effort to cultivate Go Yuseok’s One Mind technique had been completely misdirected.

This was the proper use for my extreme body.

A deafening roar swept away the cloud of dust. Above Saruman’s skull, a black sun blazed fiercely.

Zing!

He shot forward. Skull cracking audibly, he sneered at me.

Too late, you monster…! It seems to be manipulating strange physical forces, but my dimensional barrier is…

Shunk!

As I thrust my shoulder forward, I pass through dimensions effortlessly.

What?! No Sword Force needed?

While it was possible to tear apart with Sword Force as he suggested, it would be a waste of time. Even if feasible, I’d need at least three sword strikes, by which point the spell would already be completed. With All Resistance available, why bother with such foolishness?

Thud.

I grasped Saruman’s skull. There it was—the life vessel nestled in the center of his head.

N-no, no.

“Yes,” I declared, though he couldn’t hear me in this vacuum devoid of air.

Without further ado, I clenched my fist around that life vessel.