Chapter 201: The End of the Trial (5)

Now, it was also the Werniger Plains.

Even in the body of a soldier, I had finally reached Gadreel’s main camp.

‘Of course, to get here… I ended up dying dozens of times again.’

I experienced not only my own death, but also the annihilation of thousands of Essenmunt soldiers. So, close to tens of thousands of deaths.

Experiencing those deaths, my mind was changing again.

The last remaining Essenmunt forces were five knights and Atlin. The difference from the first recollection was that I was with them.

I stood alongside the survivors, preparing for the final battle. I slowly maintained my breathing.

The Fusion Method mana was circulating throughout my body.

An intense mana cultivation technique that was difficult to maintain for even 30 seconds in a soldier’s body. But now, I was somewhat able to control the runaway mana flow.

‘But if I let my guard down even for a moment, the mana vein would be destroyed.’

In other words, it was like a giant boulder balancing on the tip of a small needle. And that small needle was me.

I had to focus on my body more than ever and give it all my attention. It wasn’t just about focusing on the Fusion Method, but using all the means I had.

‘The traits I’ve learned so far… Flowing naturally…’

In that regard, the mana vein projection technique that I had learned from the Medical Order was a big help this time.

You shouldn’t reject the torrent of mana. But unlike Reinhardt’s body, my current body had too many unnecessary side paths in the mana vein.

If the torrent hit those side paths like rocks, my current body would be destroyed in an instant.

‘If the mana vein is going to be an obstacle anyway, I’ll destroy it beforehand so that it doesn’t interfere with the mana flow.’

That’s how I erased the mana veins. Or, if that wasn’t possible, I merged the unnecessary mana veins to create new detours. That was also a type of medical skill.

It was an extremely precise and difficult technique that could easily cause one to cough up blood and die, but I managed to do it.

‘Alchemy helped again.’

A tribute for the Emperor. I had experienced and succeeded in extremely delicate work while making ice crystal sculptures with Chloe.

Although the method was different, it was the same in that it was a micro-operation using mana. That experience was a great help.

I finely adjusted the mana vein in real-time using a similar method.

As a result, I succeeded in creating an effect similar to Reinhardt’s mana vein temporarily, even through my current mana vein.

The survivors remained silent. Finally, Atlin spoke first.

“There are… only five of us left… No, six.”

Just before entering the main camp, Atlin looked back at her knights.

“Everyone must be afraid. But once we’ve stepped in here, there’s no way out. And if we retreat, there will be no paradise anywhere in Iceland. So I will face the Fallen Angel.”

The knights focused on Atlin.

“So, give your lives for me. With those lives, I will survive and behead Gadreel.”
“Understood, Your Highness!”
“Your Highness must survive… and illuminate the future of Essenmunt!”
“Glory to Essenmunt!”

The last knights charged towards the elite demon beasts under Gadreel’s direct command. Atlin was well aware that it was like throwing eggs against rocks. Her face was full of sadness.

She had the same face as Elti, but.

The current Atlin wasn’t just one person, but was carrying all the vengeful spirits of the Essenmunt soldiers who had died on this plain.

Her face, crushed by the weight of that death, was a dark and deep shadow that couldn’t be captured in words.

Along with that despair, I felt an intense hatred towards Gadreel. And at that moment, Atlin and I made eye contact.

“You…?”

Her eyes were filled with bewilderment. It was natural since I, who was not a knight, had survived until the final battlefield.

But before I could answer, an alert window popped up on the system.

 

 

 

At the same time, both of our bodies glowed.

---

‘What is this?’

Atlin disappeared from the battlefield. And I stood in the place where she disappeared.

‘My body is back to normal.’

I had adapted to it to some extent, but the soldier’s body that had been suffocating me was gone. I had returned to Reinhardt’s body.

「And you’ll be fighting in place of Atlin.」

The Imperial Sword I was holding resonated. And I heard Elti’s voice from the sword.

「Be careful! Gadreel is coming!」

Gadreel’s bright red eyes turned towards me. And at that very moment.

Clang-

His spear and my sword collided. No, I barely deflected it. A time shorter than a blink of an eye. He rushed in at a speed that normal reflexes couldn’t react to.

‘How is he so fast…’

But even that short thought was a luxury. When he swung his jet-black wings, a barrage of feather bombs poured down on me.

I reflexively created an alchemic barrier to block the attack.

Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-

The barrier exploded. I moved my body back at the same time as casting the alchemy, but the aftershock pushed me back and made my whole body tingle.

‘I need to use the Fusion Method right away…’

A relentless attack continued, not giving me even a moment to think. On top of that, the high concentration of demonic power that Gadreel was creating was dragging my whole body into a deep swamp.

Even a skilled aura swordsman would die from that curse alone.

‘Atlin endured against a monster like this… Until dawn.’

She not only endured but also beheaded Gadreel. She was truly worthy of being called the Lion Sword Empress, who was recorded in history.

At that moment, the Imperial Sword emitted a clear light. A holy shield created by the runes that rose up. That shield pushed back the pressure of the curse.

「This sword isn’t too bad either. I’ll buy you time with this shield. Hurry up and get used to your current body.」

Elti was using the runes that Cecilia had enchanted more skillfully. I bought myself some time. I accelerated the mana of my whole body with the Fusion Method.

And I was surprised for a moment. I thought that I had already adapted to the Fusion Method with my original body, but that was my misconception.

‘I’ve been using the mana veins so inefficiently… I see it now.’

A terrible soldier’s body. I desperately tried to use the Fusion Method in that body. So now that I was back in my proper Reinhardt body.

I intuitively understood the efficiency of all the mana veins in my body.

‘Just because those veins are as dense as a spider web… and form a multifaceted structure… that’s not everything.’

What was more important than that was the optimization of the mana cultivation technique.

Not suppressing the runaway mana cultivation technique with the superior specs of my body, but creating the path until the torrent of mana could reach its desired destination.

However, since the mana vein was also part of the body, touching it carelessly could cause the mana to flow in reverse.

And moving the numerous mana veins that existed in the body in real-time was theoretically near impossible.

But it was possible for me.

‘It was worth struggling with that terrible body.’

I could already use the Fusion Method even with a body that was more terrible than this. I was more confident in mana veins than Atlin.

I immediately blocked the inefficient mana vein paths.

My original body had already finished projecting all the mana veins. So, that task was completed the moment I became aware of the new paths.

「I can’t hold on anymore!」

Clang-

Just like a glass window shattering, the shield was shattered. At the same time, Gadreel’s spear flew towards my neck.

「Be careful, Julian!! No?」

And mana dwelled in the Imperial Sword. No, it was different from the blue mana blades until now. A silver flash that seemed to burn the sword’s blade.

It was an aura blade.

Clang-

And that flash met Gadreel’s black spear. With an explosive sound that tore through the air, he and I were pushed back.

「You withstood Gadreel’s demonic power-filled attack head-on without deflecting it. It’s definitely aura…」

But I didn’t have time to listen to Elti’s thoughts. I heard a death cry.

“Your Highness!! Please survive and behead that Fallen Angel… Kugh!!”

Another knight had died. It was a familiar voice. When I had joined the surprise attack in the body of a soldier.

It was the high-ranking knight of the White Night who called out and remembered the names of all the dying soldiers one by one.

He was a great warrior who had died on these Werniger Plains but was still praised in Essenmunt along with Atlin.

‘But even he ended up dying. Just like now.’

The weight of death that he bore while repeating names. And Atlin had to bear the name of that dead knight.

Again, I heard the screams of a dying knight. The demonic power in all directions cried out in cheers, as if they were enjoying the death.

At this moment, I, who had taken Atlin’s place, felt a fierce murderous intent towards Gadreel and the demon beasts that filled this plain.

‘Mayer… and Elson.’

The two knights who died at the hands of the demon beasts. I remember their names.

Not only had I found my body, but I was also sharing some of Atlin’s memories.

The names of the dying soldiers. And I felt with my whole body everything that they were trying to protect in Essenmunt.

‘This is… Lion Sword Empress Atlin… The weight of the name she had to bear as Reinhardt.’

The blood of Reinhardt resonated. Mourning and respect for all the dying names. And the regret for not being able to protect them.

Those despairs leaked out of me and stained the sword’s blade. The sword form created by the jet-black aura blade. Polar Night.

A pillar created by alchemy soared into the sky.

Riding that pillar, I reached the sky where Gadreel was. I swung the Imperial Sword towards that guy who was looking down at humans with arrogant eyes.

The jet-black sword form drew a half-moon.

---

I opened my eyes again.

My body felt a little stiff, and my head was dizzy. When I looked around, it was a familiar scene.

“Is this… the Grand Training Ground?”

When I looked at the sky above the training ground, dawn was breaking. As I looked at that twilight, I remembered the memories of the previous moment.

‘Gadreel…’

The aura blade I had created, Polar Night. Polar Night covered his body. As if he hadn’t expected that attack, he let out a tearing scream. But I couldn’t take down Gadreel.

‘It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do. Atlin, too… barely defeated him with her final secret technique, White Night.’

He was a top-tier demon beast who led an Imperial-grade demon beast army. A named demon beast whose name was recorded in history. But I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“I will become stronger.”

I checked the system.

 

 

 

Roya’s trial was completed. And in my hand, I held Agnes’s Rosary and a ring I had never seen before.

‘Elti’s core.’

The core of the Holy Sword Ciertia. And the holy sword that I had to revive for the future. I wore the rosary and the ring.

The ring made a woong sound of resonance. Roya’s trial felt like a dream, but it was all real.

‘And the Old Empire’s Warp Gate.’

I gained an unexpected profit through Roya’s trial. The lost warp gate from the Old Empire. Being able to use that meant that.

It meant that I could move more actively without being bound by time and place. I moved my head busily for a moment, but then stopped.

“I should go back for now.”

Almost no time had passed compared to the time I had been in the other dimension, but I had ended up staying out all night.

Moreover, I had returned to this place and was lying on the ground of the training ground. The combat uniform that Eileen always neatly laundered was covered in dirt and dust.

“I’m going to get an earful.”

I went to the Pantheon’s carriage waiting room and woke Hans. When I returned to the mansion in the carriage, Eileen greeted me.

“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”
“Did you wait for me all night again? I’ve told you not to do that so many times.”
“That’s…”

It was like Eileen, the maid who was loyal to me. She changed the subject when she saw me covered in dirt and dust.

“Would you… like to take a bath first, Young Master?”