Boom!
It was an aerial battle.
The exchange of sonic booms suddenly came to a screeching halt.
Both had reached a conclusion.
If they kept trading normal attacks, this battle would never end.
Kesylvia, still suspended in the air, was seriously ticked off.
Humans.
Not even those transcendent war gods. How dare his apostle match her in battle?
Her pride was thoroughly bruised.
Kesylvia amplified her aura with fervor.
The red energy around her hands and feet glowed intensely like the sun.
Opening her mind.
Not a demigod, but she could certainly mimic their mind manifestation, [Proclamation of Paradise].
Kesylvia’s paradise was closer to transcending the limits of her physical body than establishing territory.
“Se-Gwang-Wol-Mu (勢狂月舞).”
Veins of red energy bulged forcefully along her body.
Boom!
Her eyes turned pitch black.
The massive form of Kesylvia shot through the air like a bullet.
The winds of the Sky Continent roared in response.
Bell widened her eyes and leaped back in a panic.
Kesylvia relentlessly pursued her like an eagle zeroing in on its prey.
Desperate, Bell tried to escape by kicking off into the sky.
I need a plan.
I must think of a way to retaliate against the lycanthrope’s attack to hold my ground right now!
Gusts of powerful winds surged above the Sky Continent.
It was a speed she had never before experienced. A pressure she had felt during years of training with her father, Luke, the chief of the White Night Clan.
This was a sense of speed and pressure she had never encountered in their matches.
The distinctive cerulean currents of the White Night Clan and the divine power of pure light bestowed by Duke Yuma ignited within her at once.
Bell’s brows furrowed tighter than before.
‘Not yet.’
She still hadn’t fully harnessed the divine power granted by Yuma. How embarrassing.
‘I couldn’t grasp the flow.’
Divine power had a fundamentally different system from aura. Though she understood its essence as an apostle, she still couldn’t apply it effectively to her swordsmanship.
‘Still can’t fully draw out the divine power, huh?’
That was to be expected.
She hadn’t been an apostle for long.
Yuma decided to toss her another piece of advice.
[Reflect on what kind of god I am, Bell.]
God of War.
The divine power follows the history of its origin.
[Just think of it as the power you originally possessed.]
“Think of it as the power you’ve been holding.]
Bel is a born warrior.
Gifted with the Heavenly Martial Body and having awakened the trait of Sword God Unity, Bel could be considered the essence of martial arts itself.
[As you think, my divine power will move.]
A sword that has never left her side for over a decade.
Bel decided to perceive the divine power of the God of War surging through her body in that way.
‘Move.’
The divine power moved.
‘Shape.’
A sword.
Ssssss…
The divine power, gathering like fine particles, formed lines, created surfaces, and soon manifested a complete shape.
Countless formless swords stirred in the sky behind Bel.
A world of ten thousand swords unfolded according to Bel’s will.
Srrrrng—
Bel directly picked up one of the swords.
Dual-wielding.
And dozens of others served as stepping stones.
She arranged the formless swords like a staircase in the air, creating a path she could charge toward Kesylvia.
Screechhhhh!
The remaining countless swords still adorning the sky above the Celestial Continent surged towards Kesylvia, tracing innumerable straight and curved trajectories.
“Disgusting!”
Kesylvia’s brutish fists swatted away the raining swords like a downpour.
Bang! Craccck!
The formless swords shattered like glass shards.
Countless fragments adorned the sky above the Celestial Continent.
Bel charged through the scattered pieces of divine power.
Imagination.
Bel had always aspired to resemble Duke Yuma’s sword.
To be precise, she had tried to follow him even just a little.
However, becoming a god made that impossible. It was never particularly hopeful to begin with.
‘What I yearned to achieve.’
The tip of the sword.
Upon the pile of skills accumulated so far,
she needed to place the sword path she felt most confident about.
She executed her dual-wielding sword technique towards Kesylvia.
The path of the sword that entered Kesylvia’s domain shattered mercilessly.
Without hesitation, Bel tightly gripped the sword in her right hand.
A horizontal slash.
A very basic sword strike.
But it was the sword path she knew best.
Bel’s eyes glimmered coldly like frost.
A crescent moon adorned the sky above the Celestial Continent.
Chchchchchch—
The new moon broke into Kesylvia’s domain.
“…!”
How could this be?
Instead of voicing her doubts, Kesylvia moved her right hand.
To crush the sword itself.
Hooosh—
She focused all her senses. In the realm of oblivion. Kesylvia casually accepted the sensation of time slowing as she moved her right hand towards the sword.
“Uh?”
The blade was deflected off her knuckles, altering the trajectory of the sword. But the sword did not stop.
Bing!
With a flick of the hand, the sword’s trajectory twisted. But the sword didn’t stop.
Swoosh…
Like waves, like a mirage.
Kesylvia’s heart sank.
‘That’s fast.’
The sword path.
Much faster than expected.
The sword path was already far ahead of the punch’s trajectory.
Flustered, Kesylvia quickly raised her left hand to throw a punch.
Thud─
Both of them were sent flying back.
Boom!
Kesylvia stumbled, but managed to land on the ground of the Celestial Continent.
Bell was plummeting towards the ground where Duke Yuma stood.
Yuma, bathed in divine energy, caught Bell’s body.
Thud-
“Are you okay?”
At Yuma’s words, Bell let her body sag against him and smiled slyly.
“Yeah, Yuma.”
Bell set her feet on the ground.
“Ah!”
Then suddenly, she screamed in pain.
“I thought I had completely blocked it with my divine energy manipulation… but my ribs are probably cracked….”
Someone slowly walked towards Bell.
“Human girl.”
It was Kesylvia, who had been fighting like crazy with Bell just moments ago.
The word “girl” made Bell’s eyes narrow.
“I’m Bell.”
The Lycanthrope couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Right, Bell.”
A line of deep scar crossed the back of Kesylvia’s shoulder, a nasty wound.
However, the typical regeneration ability of the Lycanthrope bloodline was quickly healing the injury.
“I have a question about your last sword path. How did you do it?”
Yuma had the same thought as Kesylvia.
How did she do that?
“My goal has always been to reach Yuma’s sword path… but I couldn’t. I just made the biggest cut I was capable of. It was an attack made possible by receiving Yuma’s divine power.”
“…Is that so.”
The Lycanthrope could only acknowledge it.
Regarding the human girl before him. And the power of divine energy bestowal.
‘There’s no chance of losing, but…’
He still considered there was no chance of losing to Bell.
But he couldn’t completely assure himself of victory either.
‘If it comes to the end, maybe an arm… or more could’ve been sacrificed.’
The elf Seiavern strode confidently towards Yuma.
“I’m still not sure about becoming an apostle.”
Seiavern was in deep thought.
“Before that girl Bell unlocked her divine energy, the gap I felt with Kesylvia was immense. Seeing how she closed that gap with divine energy… it’s clear that if I become your apostle, I might gain a significant insight in terms of advancement.”
Seiavern seemed quite interested in becoming the apostle of the God of War, despite adopting a defensive stance.
Considering the attitude you’re showing, it seems you’re quite interested in becoming the God’s Apostle.
“But I need to think about it for now.”
Yuma thought that was enough. Accepting it all at once would have been more strange.
‘Once you become interested, the probability of becoming an Apostle increases significantly.’
Yuma scanned the Sky Continent. Being here, striving to surpass the realm of Half-Gods, was clear proof of endless greed for transcendence.
“I’d like to teach that girl a thing or two. It seems she’s one of the few exceptional talents among humans, even without using divine powers. She’s far superior compared to that Sword God Chronos.”
The Elf Half-God of the Alliance appeared to take a strong interest in Bell.
Yuma slowly nodded. His reasoning was correct.
[Lv.185] Bell
Race: Human
Alignment: Good
Class: Swordsman, Apostle of the God of War
Level: Grand Sword Master
Innate Traits: Genius, Sword and Body as One, Divine Martial Body
Bell rapidly evolved after reaching the level of Grand Sword Master at level 150. Her growth accelerated even more since becoming Yuma’s Apostle.
Of course, the main reason she could duel evenly with the [Lv.278] Kesylvia for a certain period was thanks to Yuma’s divine power.
The position of Apostle had essentially bridged an approximately 100-level gap.
Seiavern chuckled.
“Well, you might think both me and that girl look equally primitive, but seriously, it was supreme swordsmanship just now.”
Yuma couldn’t say anything.
He had simply parried.
Staying silent was the appropriate response too.
“I’ll also… think about it.”
Kiryev, the Join Tribe Half-God, spoke with a stern face.
“You’re a Mage.”
Kiryev flinched.
Yuma hadn’t even seen him use magic, yet he knew it as if it were obvious.
Kiryev shrugged his shoulders.
“Well… It’s not like a God wouldn’t recognize that I’m a Mage.”
[Lv.379] Kiryev
Race: Join Tribe
Class: Mage
Level: Half-God, 13 Circle
Of course, it was an answer obtained through [Search Eye].
“There’s a Mage you need to teach. This is non-negotiable.”
“… Huh, I’ll take care of that with my life then, sure.”
They had rescued Bell and Cloney’s master.
This was just the first yield.
If they allowed a single use of divine power, there would be those desiring to become Apostles. Yuma was satisfied to have acquired three candidates for Apostles, including Kesylvia.
