Final Regression of The Legendary Swordmaster Chapter 51

"Weak."

That single word left Edward’s mouth without any effort. His gaze locked onto the Duke’s killing intent, unflinching and calm, as if the presence of the domain meant nothing at all.

"What?" the Duke asked, genuine surprise breaking through his rage. His eyebrows went up as he glared down at Edward. "You must be foolish, then. My domain is—"

"Copied," Edward interrupted casually.

The word landed hard.

For a brief moment, the Duke’s expression froze. His pupils shrank, and the air around him rippled slightly as his emotions slightly slipped through his control.

It was the way Edward had said it, so plain and casual, that made it sting. The Duke knew Edward was right. He understood that much clearly. But even so, it did not change the facts of the situation. Copied or not, a domain was still a domain. Within its borders, it represented absolute authority and overwhelming power. And Edward was still trapped inside it, with nowhere to escape.

"And so?" the Duke snapped, quickly regaining his composure. "It’s not a secret. The legendary Inferno Domain of the Luminaris Kingdom has always been passed down through the royal bloodline. Any royal who reaches the peak of the High Mage stage uses it to break into the Archmage realm. You’re acting like you’ve uncovered some great truth, as if you’ve said something no one else knows."

Edward let out a quiet breath, almost like a sigh.

"Stop pretending you don’t understand what I’m getting at," Edward said, his eyes never leaving the Duke’s. His voice was steady, almost bored, as if he were stating something obvious rather than challenging an Archmage.

That calm, dismissive tone struck a nerve.

"Stop acting mysterious and mighty!" the Duke roared, his voice shaking the domain itself. Waves of heat rolled outward as his killing intent surged. "I will crush you under my domain immediately!"

Edward did not respond right away. Instead, he began to walk. Slowly.

His boots scraped softly against the scorched ground as he moved in a loose circle. The tip of his blade dragged behind him, carving a thin line into the volcanic floor.

After a few short seconds, he stopped. Edward lifted his head and looked at the Duke, his eyes sharp and steady.

"You do realize your domain is less than fifty percent of the original’s strength," Edward said calmly. "And not only that, it means someone like me can survive most of its attacks... long enough to kill you."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the Duke laughed.

He brought a hand to his face, shoulders shaking as his laughter echoed through the domain. "True. True," he admitted. "That part is correct. My domain is weaker than half of the original domain strength. That isn’t a secret. Anyone who has read even a single book on domain mastery would know that."

His laughter slowly faded, replaced by a cold smile.

"But your other point?" the Duke continued. "That is nothing but arrogance. No matter how strong or weak a domain is, the simple truth remains. No one inside a domain can use magic. The mana that fills this space answers only to me. I am the master here."

Edward tilted his head slightly.

"Who said anything about magic?" he asked.

The Duke’s smile twitched.

"How do you plan on killing me, an Archmage," the Duke demanded, "without magic?"

Edward lifted his blade.

He raised it into a slanted position, letting the dull red light of the molten sky reflect along its edge. The faint glint traveled up the steel and flashed across the Duke’s eyes.

"Sword mastery?" the Duke said, bursting into laughter once more. His voice was filled with ridicule. "You truly are either arrogant beyond reason or simply a fool. How could a High Mage’s sword mastery ever harm an Archmage?"

He gestured dismissively.

"Even Valerius, who is considered one of the finest swordsmen alive, has only reached 5-star mastery, and even that isn’t enough to kill an Archmage. But you think you can still kill me?" His laughter turned sharp. "To even entertain such a thought is pathetic."

But even as the Duke mocked Edward’s words, his eyes never left him. That was when he noticed something deeply unsettling. Edward’s expression had not changed at all. There was no anger, no fear, no panic. Nothing. His face remained calm, almost indifferent, as if the Duke’s ridicule and killing intent meant absolutely nothing. That alone was enough to make the Duke uneasy.

None of this made sense. No, scratch that. Ever since he had arrived here, nothing about this situation had made sense at all. Edward Vistro was supposed to be an unawakened nobody. That was what the Marquis had claimed. A useless second son who had lived most of his life without mana, without talent, without any future worth mentioning. And yet now, that same boy stood before him, wielding power at the High Mage stage.

Worse than the power itself was Edward’s confidence. It was irritating. That unshakable calm he carried made it feel as if the world itself bent around him. The Duke’s situation should have been perfect. Edward was trapped inside a domain. His mana was suppressed. The ambient energy of this space answered only to its master. Every possible advantage belonged to the Duke. And yet Edward showed no sign of dread.

The Duke’s thoughts kept circling back to a single word. Domain. He repeated it in his mind again and again, as if trying to reassure himself that he was not mistaken. This was a domain right? The very thing said to define the difference between an Archmage and a High Mage. A gap so vast it was often compared to an ocean, something no one could cross with nothing but their own strength. And yet the boy standing in front of him remained completely unfazed.

That was wrong. Terribly wrong.

’He’s definitely up to something,’ the Duke thought grimly. ’I don’t know what he’s planning. He did say something about not using magic to kill me, which sounds ridiculous on its own, but I shouldn’t overlook it. The Marquis is dead because of that same mistake.’

If Edward’s sword mastery really was enough to threaten him, then... no. His body couldn’t support it. Edward’s physique was not tempered enough to handle anything above 3-star mastery. Of that, the Duke had been certain. And yet, even that certainty began to crack under the weight of everything he had seen so far.

’No. I shouldn’t be confident in anything anymore.’

The Duke’s eyes hardened as hesitation vanished from his mind, replaced by cold resolve. ’Enough! This ends now.’

It was final. He would kill Edward immediately.