The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 103

Kuuuuu.

After Arania’s manifestation declaration, the atmosphere in the audience chamber completely reversed.

The universal laws of the world itself began to bend and twist arbitrarily according to Arania’s will and intention.

“Manifestation! Arania! Do you truly intend to see this through to the end?!”

Melchior shouted in shock.

The Tower Lords beside me now are also mages at the pinnacle of the 6th Rank.

In terms of mana capacity or magical destructive power alone, they might not fall far behind compared to the 7th Rank.

However, the reason they cannot be called Archmages is simple.

‘Because they cannot use manifestation.’

All mages from the 7th Rank onward earn the right to be called by the revered title of Archmage.

Because they can single-handedly defy the laws of the world.

That means is manifestation.

It was a realm equivalent to the unity of sword and self that Sword Masters use when they reach the ultimate pinnacle of nothingness.

If a swordsman embodies all the martial arts they’ve mastered into a single blade, a mage melts their philosophy into space itself.

There is no absolute superiority between the two.

However, in a situation like this where it’s one against many, a mage who has completely dominated space through manifestation is close to a living disaster.

—Kuuung.

“Kuk.”

Dark shadows rippled ominously as if the very colors of the world had grown deeper.

At the same time, the air throughout the audience chamber became heavy and oppressive.

It felt as if the atmospheric pressure had increased dozens of times, crushing my entire body.

‘Shadows are heavier than substance.’

This was because the rule Arania had established was being applied with priority over the natural order of the world.

As a result, all objects with shadows collapsed under their own weight.

Crack!

The carefully arranged environment of the audience chamber crumbled helplessly. Melchior’s earth magic collapsed like a sandcastle, and the thorn vines shriveled as if submerged in deep water, unable to bear the weight.

The human body was no exception. I could still breathe because I was circulating mana through my body, but my body became several times heavier than before, as if invisible hands were grasping and pulling down my entire form.

In this situation, if dark magic came flying, there would be no way to dodge it.

“…This is the worst, really. That old monster truly intends to kill us.”

Rosalindr frowned and spat blood-mixed saliva. Even the droplet of blood she spat disappeared as if absorbed into the shadows the moment it touched the floor.

“In this space, we can never oppose Arania.”

Melchior muttered in a despairing tone.

“To think… she would even use manifestation to fight. Arania, will you truly become an enemy of the Empire? If you kill us, the Shadow Tower won’t remain unscathed either!”

“Silence, vermin. From the moment you invaded my tower, your lives have been under my feet.”

Arania twisted her lips and gestured.

Shadows from all directions surged up simultaneously, becoming dozens of dark serpents that flew toward us.

I moved my heavy body and swung Barisada. However, because the shadows were firmly gripping my body, even the simple motion of swinging my arm once required several times more effort than usual.

“Kuk.”

As a result, I deflected some of the incoming dark magic, but attacks whose trajectories I couldn’t follow pierced straight through my shoulder blade.

A hot clot of blood surged up in my throat. I forced myself to swallow it down and readjusted my grip on the sword.

‘…This has become troublesome.’

Truly, this was a desperate situation.

Arania’s manifestation, Shadow Eclipse, which grants overwhelming weight to everything with substance.

The compatibility with us is not good.

Melchior’s earth magic and Rosalindr’s plant magic are spells that use physical mediums. However, in this space, the magic cannot overcome its own weight and gets devoured by the shadows.

My situation is no different, as I need to move my body directly to fight. Due to my heavy body, it felt like fighting in deep water.

“Tsk.”

I bit my parched lips.

If I were a 7th Rank mage, or if I had reached the realm of Sword Master like in my previous life, I could have forcibly torn through this law and somehow found a way out.

However, I have not yet reached the realm of my previous life.

No matter how much I’ve broken through the 6th Rank barrier, I cannot overturn this overwhelming difference with strength alone.

‘No, think.’

It’s not like I hadn’t anticipated this situation.

Even the blood mage Markel showed the power of a half-baked 7th Rank just before his death. There was no way Arania, a genuine 7th Rank Archmage, wouldn’t use manifestation—I had already considered this.

There must definitely be an opening to exploit.

I desperately searched through all the information related to Arania that I had encountered so far.

“Ah.”

Finally, I found one clue.

Arania’s body.

Hadn’t I confirmed it when I slightly cut her skin earlier? Her withered flesh that had reached its limits, so dried up that not even a drop of blood formed. Arania hadn’t taken Sheril away hastily for no reason. She desperately needed a body to transfer into.

And.

The laws overlaid through manifestation apply equally to all beings in this space.

Meaning Arania herself is no exception.

Rather, since her body’s lifespan is almost exhausted, that tremendous weight and mana consumption must be placing a greater burden on her than on us.

If that’s the case…

‘Land at least one strike on the main body somehow.’

But here the problem is ‘how.’

With these shadow shackles crushing my body, how exactly am I supposed to approach that old monster?

Manifestation can be somewhat offset by overlaying another manifestation… but unfortunately, Arania is the only 7th Rank mage here.

In the end, I must find vulnerabilities within the rules of this manifestation.

There are no absolute rules. Loopholes must exist.

‘Arania is a covert mage.’

7th Rank. Practically the most outstanding in the Empire, one who has reached the pinnacle of dark magic. Therefore, the philosophy of the manifestation she casts is also related to dark magic.

In other words…

‘…Arania’s manifestation is… not a technique that grants weight to substance.’

It grants weight to the ‘shadows’ that follow substance.

That means if I can drive away the shadows, I can also shake off the accompanying weight.

Fortunately, I had one opposing magic that could thin the density of shadows—magic that manipulates light.

‘I should be grateful to Oswald.’

Spectral magic.

True to its name as magic that manipulates light, it would create a momentary gap where I could move my body freely by clearing away the shadows, even if just a little.

However, this too is merely a stopgap measure. I cannot deflect all the dark magic that will fly through the gaps in the spectral magic.

The solution for that is also simple and clear.

‘I’ll just take the hits.’

I felt the cold touch of the silver pendant against my chest.

Hrunir’s Heart.

Just three times, I can avoid fatal wounds.

The plan is set.

“Lady Rosalindr, Lord Melchior.”

I turned to look at the two Tower Lords and spoke.

“Please buy as much time as possible without dying.”

“…What?”

“I will cut down that woman.”

The cards are prepared.

Now, it’s time to draw upon the experience of a Sword Master.

* * *

Arania Morian Shaydi was feeling a perfect sense of omnipotence for the first time in a while.

Rippling shadows flowed down the walls of the audience chamber, creating a cradle of dark magic.

This was Arania’s manifestation, Shadow Eclipse.

Manifestation is the power to place the laws of the world beneath one’s feet and reshape the world according to one’s personal will alone.

This sense of fulfillment from wielding power nearly divine, even if temporary, never grows tiresome.

However, even Arania was not physically unscathed.

‘…I need to change bodies immediately. I won’t last through today.’

Her flesh was screaming in agony.

The shell that had reached the end of its ten-year lifespan was already rotting from within, on the verge of collapse as it could no longer contain the rampaging mana flow.

In such a state, she had even used manifestation, which placed great strain on the body—it was remarkable that she had maintained her form this long. But Arania didn’t mind.

Tonight, once she transferred into that perfect vessel, the problem would be solved.

‘For that to happen… I must deal with these nuisances first.’

There was no more time.

Arania snapped her fingers.

Heavy shadows swept forth like a storm. The sharply honed shadow blades pierced straight through the earthen barrier Melchior had raised.

Shadow drove deep into Melchior’s side. He coughed up blood and fell to his knees.

Next was the Thorn Tower Lord, Rosalindr’s turn. Arania’s shadows crept along the floor and bound Rosalindr’s limbs tightly.

Rosalindr tried to resist, but soon the shadows slashed a long cut across her chest.

“Urgh.”

Before Arania’s shadow magic, both Tower Lords knelt helplessly. Arania smiled with satisfaction.

Wasn’t this a fitting end for the arrogant fools who had invaded the Shadow Tower?

However, it was still too early to celebrate completely.

‘Now… the last one.’

It was time to subdue that irritating brat.

Thinking this, Arania turned her head and was inwardly surprised.

Reagan was running toward Arania, slowly but steadily.

He had already closed the distance to twenty paces. She had noticed late because the two Tower Lords had spread out to divide her attention.

It must have been their strategy.

However.

‘How pathetic.’

Like a moth flying into flame.

No matter how well he wielded a sword, his body must have already become heavy as lead.

Arania mercilessly launched shadow serpents.

The serpents were about to tear into Reagan’s body without mercy.

Flash—.

From Eclat, the wand in Reagan’s left hand, a blindingly intense light burst forth.

Airit’s light dispersion magic. The rush of light scattered Arania’s dense shadows for just a moment. As the shadow’s density thinned, the weight pressing down on his body also disappeared.

“Hmm…”

Sharp. He had grasped the weakness of the manifestation’s rules in that brief time to counter the manifestation.

But Arania wasn’t flustered. It was only momentary. Once the light faded, he would be crushed again. Moreover, he wasn’t even holding a sword. Drawing a sword would slow his feet due to its weight.

It was at that moment when Arania made this judgment.

Whoosh.

Light gathered at Reagan’s fingertips.

Following that, threads of azure mana intertwined to form the perfect shape of a blade.

“Blade creation magic…?”

Arania’s eyes filled with shock.

The unique magic formula of the Rucen Mage Family, which creates swords made of mana.

Why was Benheim’s son-in-law using Rucen’s unique magic?

Above all…

‘That sword… has no substance.’

Being a sword made of pure mana, it cast no shadow.

In other words, it wasn’t bound by Arania’s manifestation that made shadows heavier than substance.

Only then did Arania realize Reagan’s strategy.

Slash!

The azure mana sword, ignoring all constraints, cut through the air, and Arania’s rushing shadow magic was instantly severed in two and scattered.

‘…This is.’

Dangerous.

Alarm bells rang loudly in Arania’s mind.

She couldn’t let him close the distance. If she allowed even a single attack, this body pushed to its limits would shatter.

Arania instinctively tried to use shadow step to retreat.

“Kuk…!”

But her feet wouldn’t lift.

The shadows were heavy.

The constraints of her own manifestation and her creaking flesh had become obstacles instead.

She couldn’t escape.

Nor could she subdue him.

‘Then… I’ll kill him.’

She had to end his life here.

After killing him, she would steal Lashelle’s body.

Dealing with Steren could be considered after transferring to a new body.

Though it was regrettable, that was the best option for now.

“Die.”

Having made her decision, Arania launched shadows. A certain killing blow aimed precisely at his heart.

Arania didn’t doubt for a moment that her magic would pierce through Reagan’s chest.

—Clang!

However, with a clear ringing sound, Arania’s expectation was wrong.

Two red flames flickered from the silver pendant hanging on Reagan’s chest.

Arania immediately recognized the identity of that pendant.

“Hrunir’s… heart?”

One of the Seven Divine Relics.

Why was such a precious item hanging around that brat’s neck?

Boom!

Reagan accelerated again with light dispersion magic.

Now the distance between him and her was less than ten paces.

The prospect of defeat, which she had never anticipated, had suddenly grown thick.

‘I… lose?’

She, a 7th Rank Archmage.

Arania Sheydi, who had built her mastery over 70 years.

Losing to a mere brat barely at the beginning of 6th Rank, not even twenty years old?

‘…Impossible.’

Arania couldn’t accept it.

She continued launching shadows. But her mind understood this situation with chilling clarity.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have changed bodies a little earlier…’

By insisting on a body with perfect resonance, she had unexpectedly exposed a weakness.

If it had been a year ago, or even just a month earlier.

She could have torn this brat apart instantly. She wouldn’t have needed to rely on techniques like manifestation.

Having reigned as the queen of the Shadow Tower for so long, she had become too complacent.

She, the leader of covert mages, had overlooked the iron rule that covert mages should only pick fights they could win.

That fact was deeply lamentable.

But now was not the time to be lost in regret.

Crack.

The second shadow spear Arania launched grazed Reagan’s sword and aimed for his neck. Flicker! The second flame went out.

Only one torch remained.

Fault.

Having kicked off the ground, Reagan had already approached right up to Arania’s face.

Only then could Arania meet Reagan’s eyes.

The third dark magic was fired. The third flame in Hrunir’s heart was extinguished. There was no longer any barrier protecting him. Blood gushed from Reagan’s body. He didn’t care. His pale blue eyes already contained only Arania’s true form.

“….”

Arania trembled with instinctive fear.

Those weren’t the kind of eyes a twenty-year-old brat should have.

Vicious killing intent, and determination without a moment’s hesitation.

Steren, no—even beyond that.

Having crossed hundreds and thousands of life-and-death situations.

The gaze that only one who had reached the end of the path, the pinnacle, could possess.

That cold, even cruel stare was too similar to the eyes of the one man Arania had ever feared.

It resembled Damian Carius’s eyes far too closely.

“You bastard… just who are you…?”

Before Arania could even finish her question.

Thunk—!

The sword in Reagan’s hand pierced through Arania’s rotting heart.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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