Final Regression of The Legendary Swordmaster Chapter 39

The atmosphere in the ruined wing of Vistro manor felt like something out of a legend. Captain Valerius, the iron-clad commander whose name was synonymous with the stability of Vistro territory itself, stood between the injured Marquis and his third son. Lightning crawled across Edward’s body in violent arcs, snapping and crackling like a living thing, bathing the shattered hall in flashes of deep blue light.

Valerius was usually a man of steel and few words, but for the first time in his thirty years of service, his mind was a mess. Under his helmet, his eyes showed a mix of confusion and pain. He could feel the energy coming from the boy – a dark-purple, choking feeling, like a mountain about to fall on him. It was clear that the young man was at the High Mage Realm.

’How did this happen?’ The question echoed in his mind. Edward is only fifteen. He hadn’t shown any magical talent before. How could he reach that level? It usually takes a lifetime to reach such a level. As a drop of the Marquis’s blood landed on the floor behind him, Valerius pushed the questions aside. While still being confused, he decided that the most pressing issue was not the questions bubbling in his mind, but to defend the Marquis. So this intruder – even if he was the son – was the enemy.

Valerius adjusted his grip on his heavy claymore, his armor humming as he began to gather his Internal strength. "Master Edward," Valerius’ said. "I do not know what madness has possessed you or what dark bargain you have struck for this power. But look at your father. Look at the ruin of your home. Lay down your weapon, or I shall be forced to fulfill my oath to the Vistro bloodline."

SNAP!

In the space of a heartbeat, Edward vanished. He didn’t wait for the knight to draw his next breath. The air where he had stood imploded with a sharp crack. Before Valerius could even raise his shield, Edward reappeared right in front of him. Edward’s right leg, wrapped in bright blue lightning, shot forward in a blindingly fast kick.

BOOM!!

The contact sounded like a hammer hitting an anvil. The lightning-enhanced strike collided with Valerius’s shield, the force so great that the shield vibrated intensely. The energy, combined with the power of a High Mage’s mana, sent the seven-foot titan hurtling backward. Valerius tore through the remaining stone wall of the west wing, his body a blur of silver until he slammed into a huge oak tree in the garden, breaking the tree in half.

Valerius rolled, his internal strength allowing him to instinctively redirect the momentum. He sprang to his feet, his armor scratched and smoking from the lightning kick, but his stance was firm.

Edward stepped through the hole in the wall, his boots crunching on the debris. He looked at Valerius with a cold, analytical gaze.

In every one of his previous regressions, Valerius had been a thorn in his side—a man whose loyalty was so absolute it was often a tragedy. But Edward also knew the value of such a man. To have a warrior at the Peak of the Adept Stage who had mastered up to the 5-Star of both sword and martial arts was a rarity in the Luminaris Kingdom.

’I won’t kill him today,’ Edward thought. ’He would be far more useful alive. I’ll break his spirit first, grind it down until he kneels and pledges his loyalty to me.’

Edward’s motive was unmistakable. He had no intention of killing Valerius, but he would crush him all the same. He would do it with overwhelming force, with a display of power so absolute that the veteran warrior would have no other option but to let his primal instinct reign supreme, an instinct that would immediately tell him that faced with a predator so far beyond him, Valerius would understand there was only one path to survival: submission. And once that instinct took hold, Edward would seal it properly. Valerius would offer his soul blood, a final safeguard. Any betrayal, any misplaced thought of defiance, would be answered with instant death!

Edward raised his lighting filled blade horizontally. With a sharp, flicking motion, he unleashed a Sword Energy Attack. The wave of purple magic tore through the air, ripping up the ground as it went.

Valerius didn’t move. He stood his ground and swung his sword in a powerful arc. "5 Star Sword art: Mountain-Splitter!" The sword swung into the purple wave, creating a bright flash. Valerius’s sword skill, built up over years of sword comprehension, allowed him to scatter the energy, though the force pushed his boots six inches deep into the soil.

Seeing the opening, Valerius didn’t wait. His massive frame flickering as he teleported across the garden. He reappeared behind Edward, his blade descending in a strike meant to end the conflict.

Edward didn’t even turn around. He simply tilted his head to the side as the massive blade whistled past his ear, missing him by a fraction of a millimeter.

"Too slow," Edward hissed.

Edward spun on his heel, his left palm opening and striking the center of Valerius’s breastplate.

BLAST!

A concentrated mana blast erupted from Edward’s hand. The point-blank explosion was enough to vaporize a normal man, but Valerius was far from that. The knight was sent flying once again, his body crashing through another stone wall that bordered the training grounds.

Edward sighed, narrowing his eyes. The magical items built into Valerius’ armor were absorbing much of the impact, turning the energy into heat and spreading it around. It was a tough defense that wouldn’t be broken easily.

From the wreckage, a low, guttural growl began to vibrate through the air. The stones began to tremble, and the temperature in the garden rose.

Valerius stood up. His helmet was gone, revealing a face lined with scars and eyes that were beginning to glow with a primal, blood-red intensity. He was now a man who had been pushed to the edge of his limits, and his pride as the Vistro Shield was demanding a price in blood.

"You are strong, Master Edward," Valerius roared, his voice shaking the leaves from the trees. "Far stronger than the Marquis or I ever imagined. But I am the Captain of the Silver Knights! I have stood against many, and I will not fall to a boy today!"

Valerius let out a piercing shout that echoed across the entire estate. His mana, once a steady silver, suddenly flared into a roaring, violent red. It was the raw, volcanic aura of a martial master entering a state of Berserker Transcendence.

The red aura saturated the air, clashing with Edward’s purple pressure. The grass beneath Valerius’s feet turned to ash, and the heavy claymore in his hand began to glow red.

Edward watched the transformation with a slight smile. The knight was finally becoming a challenge.

"Show me what you’ve got," Edward said, his blue lightning crackling in anticipation.