The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 150

Boooooooom—!!

Leonard’s Rightful Return exhibited its true might against the lightning bolt cast down by the Lord of the Sky.

Even a god’s authority, which distorted the natural order, was rendered ineffective by Leonard’s unique trait. Ultimately, the augmented qi emitted from his blade shattered Zeus’ lightning bolt, the legendary spear of lightning revered as Astrape during ancient times.

Such a feat should have been impossible for anyone below the Demigod Tier.

“Ugh!”

However, Leonard felt his insides churn; his body, usually brimming with internal energy, weakened to the point where he felt like a scarecrow.

Even though Rightful Return had an attribute advantage, the energy consumption was immense. Although used by a Void Deity, the authority of the Chief God was so overwhelming that it nearly canceled out Leonard’s unique trait, which was still only half-developed.

If Zeus himself had summoned the lightning instead of Pollux, Leonard would not have been able to withstand it.

―You cut through Father’s lightning?! Unbelievable!

Pollux was stunned by the spectacle.

Leonard capitalized on his opponent’s hesitation, discarding one of his swords, which melted, and gripping his remaining sword with both hands. He transitioned from a low guard to an upward swing in the blink of an eye.

Though Leonard had expended most of his strength cutting through the lightning, Rightful Return had retained some residual power on his blade, like lingering embers.

Pollux, whose combat power was formidable but divinity less so, could be felled with what little power remained. Confident in this, Leonard swung his sword at the pair of cast-iron fists that had drawn close.

Five Elements Style

Azure Dragon First Form: Thundershock

The fundamental technique of the Azure Dragon Form was captured in a single swift, powerful strike.

However, Pollux’s response was equally swift.

―Not a chance!

In terms of martial prowess, Pollux was slightly ahead of Leonard. Instinctively sensing the danger, Pollux shifted from offense to defense the moment Leonard cleaved through his lightning spear.

Normally, a clash between a blade and a fist wouldn’t even be close.

Screeeeech—!

A piercing sound echoed as Pollux’s right hand was severed and his left palm was nearly split in half. The Unbreakable authority imbued in his iron fists by Hephaestus, the God of Blacksmithing, was nullified. The authority that not even Grady’s Penetration could pierce proved to be no match for the Rightful Return.

Nevertheless, Leonard gritted his teeth at the outcome.

Did I use too much strength to fend off the lightning? I only managed to cut one...!

Despite unleashing a deadly strike, Leonard had failed to kill his opponent. After severing one of Pollux’s cast-iron fists and damaging the other one, the Rightful Return was fully spent, only augmented energy remaining on his blade.

Although Leonard had severely crippled his enemy, the situation was still dire, as Pollux could still fight with his left fist. Worse, the previous exchange had taken a massive toll on Leonard, draining him faster than he had anticipated. His Dragon Heart was overworked, pounding furiously at more than ten beats per second.

Pollux had only a few minutes left in this realm, but Leonard wasn’t sure if he could hold out any longer.

―Hmph.

Time seemed to slow down as the god and the human locked eyes. It felt like the entire world around them had stopped.

Realizing the state Leonard was in, Pollux became certain of his victory and smiled with a murderous glint. Regardless of the differences between them as god and human, the situation was obvious from a martial artist’s perspective. Both knew that after exchanging fatal moves without killing each other, the battle would soon return to an even match.

Pollux had lost one arm, and Leonard had run out of internal energy. Now, the battle became one of endurance.

Heavenly Nature Sword Art

The Second Nature

One-Finger Zen

However, Leonard, staring unflinchingly at Pollux’s smirk, dropped his sword with his left hand and extended just his index finger.

Seeing this, Pollux instinctively raised his remaining left hand to cover his forehead, protecting it from Leonard’s pointing finger. Even an immortal being could suffer significant damage if their head, where their consciousness resided, was destroyed.

The flash that shot from Leonard’s left index finger was the mythical Mimong, rumored to be an invincible cutting force even in ancient times. The golden light easily penetrated Pollux’s mangled hand and pierced his forehead.

Mimong’s attack power was devastating.

Thud.

The God of Pankration, Pollux, finally collapsed, putting an end to the long and grueling battle.

Leonard stood still and stared at Pollux for a few seconds. Only when he was convinced the god had truly perished did he exhale and fall on his knees.

Nullifying two authorities with his Eastern God Style and engaging in close combat with Pollux, who was a superior opponent, had exhausted him both physically and mentally.

“Huff... Huff... Hagh—!”

Panting to the point of coughing up blood, Leonard was about to collapse when Isaac, who had approached from behind without his notice, supported him.

Though Isaac’s complexion was pale, proof of his severe internal injuries, he could still move. The other three were still unconscious.

It had come to this because they hadn’t been strong enough.

“As your senior, I am ashamed. If it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead,” Isaac said as he looked around the devastated plain.

He was right. They had assembled this team with only Castor’s Lesser God status and combat power in mind. Thus, they would never have been able to defeat Pollux, who, despite his lower divinity, possessed combat strength nearly at mid-tier.

Nobody had expected Castor to summon his twin brother.

“Sir Isaac, there is no need for you to apologize,” Leonard finally spoke up after calming his breathing. “All of us went into this mission knowing that battles rarely go as planned.”

In his previous life, even the Heavenly Strategist Zhuge Ming, who had ascended to the peak of divine insight, acknowledged that while humans may plot, the fulfillment of their plans depended on the heavens.

Upon hearing this, Isaac gave a bitter smile. “If anyone saw us, they’d think I’m the rookie and you’re the veteran. To be learning where I came to teach... Thank you for the reassurance.”

Once Leonard was able to stand on his own, Isaac carefully approached Pollux’s remains to inspect them.

“To think he didn’t die instantly even in this state... It’s almost repulsive.”

Even with his head pierced, Pollux hadn’t disappeared immediately. As the legend said, he was born immortal, and simply destroying his weak point wasn’t enough to eradicate him entirely.

However, this Divine Territory did not belong to Pollux, and after his time in this realm had run out, his corpse gradually faded away.

Confirming his disappearance, Isaac went ahead and picked up something Pollux had left behind—the cast-iron fist that Leonard had cut off. The authority of Unbreakable, bestowed by Hephaestus, was still writhing inside the fist. The strange force was visible to Isaac’s Dragon Eyes.

“This will be reported as your spoils of war,” said Isaac.

“Will it be useful?” Leonard asked, puzzled.

“Anything that comes from a god’s body has its uses.”

As he handed over the cast-iron fists, Isaac explained, “If we hand this over to Wickeline, it could be exchanged for several artifacts of the highest grade. Since this is metal, you could commission Jehoia to forge it into a sword or armor. Commander Demian could give more details.”

“You mean it’s possible to forge a sword or armor with this, even with the authority still inside it?”

“In Cardenas, it’s impossible, but Jehoia could do it. There are no better craftsmen on the continent than them.”

Understanding its value, Leonard stored the cast-iron fist in his subspace pouch. After fighting Pollux head-on, he couldn’t even imagine what incredible weapons could be made from the fist.

Satisfied, Isaac nodded and went to tend to the still-unconscious White Dragon knights.

I think I have to circulate my qi first.

Leonard, feeling slightly dizzy, decided to meditate and regain his strength. Fortunately, the dense energy within the Divine Territory made it incredibly easy to recover his internal energy using his Dragon Heart and internal energy cultivation method. In less than fifteen minutes, half of his internal energy had been replenished.

While meditating, Leonard realized from his Mindscape that he had gained more than just Pollux’s cast-iron fist from this battle.

...The Eastern God Style has improved significantly. Successfully cutting through a god’s authority twice in a row must have had an effect.

Though it was merely an educated guess, Leonard was right. The authorities of Void Deities fundamentally outmatch the unique traits of mortals. Having managed to not only match but also overcome it, Leonard had become stronger.

Cutting through Zeus’s lightning had contributed more to his growth than facing Pollux’s cast-iron fists. After all, lightning was one of the powers symbolizing the Azure Dragon, which formed the foundation of the Eastern God Style. Deflecting such a deadly attack had inevitably helped Leonard grow.

I was right to stay in Cardenas. The path to reaching the Demigod Tier is smoother than I ever imagined. This would’ve been unthinkable in murim. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Despite his battered state, Leonard’s lips curled into a triumphant smile.

If he completed the Western God Style and gained more experience, he could actually reach the Demigod Tier. He had many more opponents to face, and the more he fought and defeated, the higher he could rise.

He figured that after finishing his trial period with the Order of the Red Dragon and the Order of the Blue Dragon, it would be a good idea to find out more about the Order of the Black Dragon, who fought the Demoniacs, or even learn about the Spriggans.

In the meantime, his peers had gathered around him, stunned by his expression and unaware of his thoughts.

“Smiling after going against that monster... We’ve really got an incredible rookie.”

“We need to train even harder than before. We can’t embarrass ourselves in front of a kid.”

“Mhmm.”

Pollux had been absurdly strong. Everyone aside from Isaac and Leonard had been defeated in a single blow, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if their spirit had been broken.

However, Grady, Janet, and Hugo were members of the Cardenas family. Rather than being dejected, they were spurred on by Leonard’s smile, even though he was half their age.

Isaac, intending to encourage his subordinates, held back his words and simply caressed the hilt of his sword. It seemed the renewed determination wasn’t limited to the three knights.

It looks like neither the Order of the Red Dragon nor the Order of the Blue Dragon will want to let go of Leonard. Who knows, maybe we’ll see the commanders clash for the first time in a while.

Isaac wore an unusually bright smile, feeling that Leonard could lead their kin forward just with his presence. A fresh wind had broken the monotony of their lives, and Isaac was thrilled at the thought of one day sharing the tale subjugating a Void Deity alongside Leonard.