The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 80

Shhhhh—

"Failure."

Despite studying extensively, casting the 6th Circle spell Blizzard still proved to be no easy task.

"The issue lies with the Circles."

More precisely, the problem was that Kaylen only had three Circles. Unlike spells of the 5th Circle and below, magic of the 6th Circle required the active manipulation of Mana Circles.

However, Kaylen's unique method of utilizing Circles differed fundamentally from the standard approach due to the disparity in their numbers.

Until now, Kaylen had relied on his overwhelming elemental mana affinity to cast spells effortlessly, but for the first time, he felt as though he had hit a wall.

"The instructions in the book are things like 'pause the flow of the third Circle momentarily' or 'accelerate the mana flow of the fifth Circle.' It’s written like that."

He had scoured various advanced magic texts to overcome this challenge but found no descriptions that addressed his unique situation.

"The mages I fought in the past could cast this level of magic with ease."

Moreover, Grand Mages of the 8th Circle could unleash 6th Circle spells by merely chanting their activation words.

Kaylen had often found it frustrating to deal with the endless barrage of spells they could unleash in battle.

"There’s no way they adjusted their Mana Circles so intricately in such a short time. There must have been a simpler method."

Determined, Kaylen continued experimenting with various spells.

Unlike other mages, Kaylen had an abundance of mana, allowing him to cast spells throughout the night without rest.

As dawn broke, Kaylen had cast Blizzard hundreds of times. His face showed no signs of fatigue as he sat in deep contemplation.

While rereading the passages about Circle manipulation, a sudden realization struck him.

"Manipulating the flow of Circles... it’s ultimately a process to enhance elemental affinity."

If this was simply a method to amplify elemental affinity, Kaylen had an alternative to Circle manipulation.

The Six Swords Technique.

"Summon the Water Sword and the Wind Sword."

Blizzard, with its swirling snow and icy winds, was a spell characterized by the elements of water and air.

"The Wind Sword is still weak, so I’ll need to support it with the power of Infinity."

Kaylen carefully balanced the powers of the Water Sword and Wind Sword before casting the spell again.

"Blizzard."

Whoooosh!

The swirling wind carried an icy chill.

The sky turned stark white, and soon, countless icy spikes filled the air.

However, the range far exceeded what Kaylen had intended—it was no longer confined to the training grounds of his estate.

"The range is far too wide."

The spell was far more powerful than he had anticipated.

Destroying his estate was out of the question.

Kaylen focused, compressing the water mana that had spread out, pulling it together. The scattered icy spikes began to condense and then plummeted to the ground.

The ice embedded in the earth piled layer upon layer, gradually forming a towering structure.

Thunk. Thunk. Thudududu!

The cascade of ice showed no signs of stopping.

Eventually, Kaylen stood before a massive ice tower.

Looking at it, Kaylen shook his head.

"This isn’t Blizzard."

While the spell had activated, the result was far from what he had envisioned.

Instead of producing a snowstorm, it created an ice tower.

"I’ll need to fully develop the Wind Sword to do this properly…"

The 6th Circle was indeed a different level.

Around that time, the elf researchers observing from within the estate were left utterly speechless.

"What kind of magic is that?"

"Was that done while wearing a mana suit? How is that even possible?"

Ice shards rained down with fearsome intensity, embedding deeply into the ground and stabilizing the terrain. Beyond that, they stacked higher and higher, forming a towering structure.

The elves, who had spent their lives within the magic towers of their homeland, had seen countless Meisters and their self-proclaimed masterpieces. But without question, they had never witnessed magic like this before.

"He’s truly a monster…"

"Could he have already reached the 6th Circle?"

While Kaylen himself deemed it a failure, the elves perceived it as magic on par with the 6th Circle—far beyond the scope of low-circle magic.

The elf researchers’ eyes sparkled with admiration as they gazed at Kaylen.

In elf society, where human Meisters were considered top-tier potential spouses, Kaylen wasn’t merely a first-class candidate—he was in a league of his own.

In the northeastern border region of the Bormian Kingdom.

Once a bustling border city known for its thriving trade with neighboring nations, it now lay in ruins.

Whiiiirrr—

Within the desolate city, dungeon portals continued to emerge.

Thud. Thud.

The appearance of the portals was far from ordinary. At first, only a single portal materialized…

Flash. Flash.

But soon, crimson lights erupted in all directions as dungeon portals began to form one after another.

The portals steadily consumed the ruined city, taking full control.

Their numbers eventually surpassed one hundred.

"Grrrrr…"

Thump. Thump.

Monsters began emerging one by one from the portals.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

From orcs the size of humans, to ogres towering over five meters, and even harpies with the ability to fly, various monsters poured out simultaneously.

"Food! Prey!"

"Grrr! Ogres, subdue them!"

The orcs and ogres growled and clashed as they encountered one another.

Aside from them, numerous other monsters of differing species appeared ready to collide in conflict.

At that moment—

Shhhhhhh—

A new portal, unlike the others, appeared in the sky. It was a pitch-black rift that exuded an overwhelming aura of dark mana.

"Gr- Grrrr…"

The monsters froze in unison.

The intense presence of darkness suppressed them all, leaving them completely subdued.

Shhhhhh—

From within the portal, a colossal giant emerged. Clad in pitch-black armor, the giant emanated a presence that seemed to embody dark mana itself.

The monsters trembled in fear, unable to withstand the overwhelming, tyrannical aura radiating from the giant.

[Commence the extermination of Colony E-12.]

The giant spoke in the language of the Demon Realm, issuing commands to the monsters.

Upon hearing the words, the focus vanished from the monsters’ eyes.

Step. Step.

The infighting among the monsters ceased entirely. Monsters of various species began forming organized ranks.

The ogres, who would normally treat the orcs as prey, ignored them and moved to the front lines, forming a shield for the monster army.

The harpies took to the skies, providing aerial support.

Monsters of all sizes and kinds aligned in rows and columns, creating an orderly formation.

"Ugh… Grrrr… What are these words…!"

Among the monsters, there were a few who resisted the command.

[Pitiful creatures. Do you dare to defy me?]

The black giant clenched his fist in the air.

Crack!

In an instant, the heads of the resistant monsters exploded.

Those with strong enough wills to resist the Demon Realm’s commands were erased with a single gesture.

[March south, my servants.]

Thump. Thump.

The monster army began moving as a single, unified entity.

Even the most elite of human forces would struggle to display such synchronized advancement, yet this was being achieved by an army of disparate monsters.

The black giant, observing the march with arms crossed, suddenly turned his gaze skyward.

[Is it a minion of the Celestial God?]

Swish.

The black hand reached toward the sky.

As the giant clenched his fist once more…

Crackle!

A burst of brilliant white light exploded in the air.

[A rat-like nuisance.]

As the light dissipated, the giant turned his attention back to the monster army, showing no further interest in the sky.

It was only natural; the mana he had sensed from the light had long since faded.

"Ahhh…!"

Saintess Theresia clutched her face tightly, covering her eyes with her hands, her expression contorted in pain.

"Saintess!"

"I-I’m fine. The Heavenly Eye was merely suppressed."

Her scream was brief. Though she tried to speak calmly, blood streamed down from both her eyes.

However, the pain in her eyes was not what concerned her most.

‘The fact that they detected the Heavenly Eye!’

The Heavenly Eye was a divine power granted to the saintess, used to monitor the Demon Realm's forces. It allowed her to observe large-scale dungeon portals from the heavens.

‘This has never happened before…’

The Demon Realm had launched countless colony extermination campaigns over the ages. Yet, never before had a commander of the Demon Army detected the Heavenly Eye.

Until now, this divine power had given humanity a crucial advantage, allowing them to gather intelligence and strategize effectively.

‘And now, a giant-class Demon Commander?’

Typically, Demon Commanders were humanoid in form, their appearance barely distinguishable from humans. But this time, the commander was something unprecedented—a giant-class demon not seen since the Demon King Extermination War a millennium ago.

‘Giant demons were always formidable.’

A thousand years ago, the giant demons boasted incredible power. Only the legendary hero Ernestine and his Order of Dragon Knights could stand against them.

Countless holy knights had been crushed under their feet, and humanity’s armies had been rendered helpless, like ants before a storm.

As Saintess Theresia watched the overwhelming black mana radiating from the giant, a cold dread gripped her.

This enemy was far too powerful.

‘...Should we retreat?’

The Bormian Kingdom.

It was a remarkable kingdom, a rare gem among the human nations.

Despite the constant threat of dungeon portals, they had managed to stabilize their borders and protect their fertile lands. Such stability was a rarity in these turbulent times.

‘Still, preserving the forces of Sanctuary must come first.’

Compared to the Demon Realm’s might, Sanctuary’s forces were like fireflies under the noonday sun.

If they recklessly committed their resources and suffered heavy losses, the future of humanity would only grow darker.

‘I must bring Kaylen to Sanctuary while observing how they hold the line.’

The Bormian Kingdom’s military was strong, and with Violet, the princess equipped with her S-rank mana suit, there was at least a sliver of hope.

Perhaps she could face the giant demon, buying enough time for a retreat if necessary.

Having made her decision, Theresia turned to her subordinate holy knight.

“This enemy is powerful. Prepare for the possibility of retreat.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

“Before that, we must secure the talent of the Sixth Circle. No matter what.”

“Understood.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual about him?”

The knight hesitated before responding.

“I did hear something strange from the branch chief.”

“Strange?”

“They said a magical experiment failed and… ‘the subject became more handsome.’”

“...Became more handsome?”

The blood had stopped flowing from the saintess’s eyes by then, but her crimson-streaked gaze fixed sharply on the knight.

“That’s irrelevant and not a peculiar trait by my standards.”

“My apologies, Saintess.”

A magical experiment gone awry, resulting in improved looks?

It sounded absurd. Even if it were true, it hardly qualified as noteworthy information from her perspective.

At least, that’s what she thought at the time.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]