Final Regression of The Legendary Swordmaster Chapter 52

Inside the domain, the heat intensified sharply. The Duke raised his hand and waved it with casual authority. In response, the ground split apart, and massive waves of molten lava surged forward from both sides of Edward. The glowing magma rolled like living walls, radiating unbearable heat as it closed in, determined to crush and incinerate him in a single, final strike.

The Duke smirked as he watched the attack descend. There was no hesitation in his expression, no doubt in his mind. Inside his domain, the lava was an extension of his will. The pressure, the heat, the sheer destructive force of it left no room for survival. Even a High Mage with exceptional defenses would be erased without leaving ashes behind.

The lava walls slammed together.

The sound was deafening, like the roar of a collapsing mountain. The space where Edward had been standing vanished under the explosion. The ground trembled violently, and waves of heat rippled outward through the domain. The Duke let out a slow breath, already convinced it was over.

Then—

A sharp sound cut through the roar.

It was clean. Precise.

A single sword slash tore through the sea of lava.

The molten walls split apart as if cut by an invisible line. The lava was forced aside, cleaved cleanly in two, spraying outward. At the center of it all stood Edward, unharmed, his blade extended forward. The slash did not stop there. It continued onward, slicing through the air itself as it raced straight toward the Duke.

The Duke’s eyes widened.

Without hesitation, he teleported.

The sword slash passed through the space where he had been hovering, cutting through layers of heat and distorted air before fading into the distance. At the same moment, space twisted behind Edward.

The Duke reappeared directly at Edward’s back.

A sword of flame formed instantly in his hand, as the Duke did not care about pride or honor anymore. He raised the flame sword and brought it down with killing intent, aiming to end Edward in a single strike.

Edward reacted.

He shifted his stance and brought his blade up in a smooth, practiced motion. Steel met flame.

Clang!

The impact sent sparks flying in every direction. Heat burst outward, and the ground beneath them cracked from the force. Edward’s normal blade, stopped the Duke’s flame sword dead in its path.

For a brief moment, the two stood locked together.

The Duke stared.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he felt the resistance through his sword. The force behind Edward’s parry was clean and terrifyingly precise. There was no wasted movement, no strain in his posture. It was as if Edward had parried countless attacks like this before.

"That attack you just used," the Duke said slowly, his voice tight, "that was a seven-star sword art."

He pushed back and leapt away, putting distance between them. His gaze never left Edward.

"A seven-star sword art," he repeated, his voice rising. "One capable of destroying my innate mana barrier as an Archmage. One capable of killing me instantly if it landed cleanly."

The Duke laughed once, sharp and unsteady.

"Tell me," he demanded, pointing his blade at Edward, "who are you really?"

"Is there truly an answer to that question that would satisfy you?" Edward answered.

Not listening to Edward’s response, the Duke began pacing, as he hovered feets above Edward. His movements were now erratic, his composure cracking. "This doesn’t make sense. None of it makes sense. A High Mage shouldn’t be capable of mastering a seven-star sword art with your current bodily constitution. Your body shouldn’t be able to handle it. Your cultivation isn’t supposed to support it. Your existence itself shouldn’t be possible."

He clutched his head with one hand, fingers digging into his hair.

"I understand now," the Duke muttered, his voice trembling. "You exist to create balance. That must be it. The world creates monsters like you when things grow too stagnant. That’s the only explanation."

He laughed.

The sound echoed through the domain, loud and unhinged. "Yes! That must be it! Why else would someone like you exist?"

The Duke’s laughter grew louder, sharper, bordering on madness. He swung his flame sword wildly as he descended toward Edward, slashing again and again with overwhelming force.

Edward sidestepped calmly, his movements precise and minimal. Each swing missed by inches. Flames scorched the air where his body had been moments before, but never touched him. Edward’s expression remained neutral, his eyes focused on the Duke.

The Duke laughed harder.

"Run!" he shouted. "Dodge! It doesn’t matter! That’s all you can do after all!"

He raised his free hand and clenched it into a fist.

Then, the ground under Edward just disappeared.

Not broken or smashed.

Just...gone.

A perfect circle with a radius of two hundred meters disappeared as if it had never existed. No rubble fell. No debris remained. The space simply collapsed into empty air.

Edward dropped.

Below him was molten lava, glowing and churning like a living sea. Heat surged upward, threatening to swallow him whole. Above him, the Duke hovered in the air, his laughter echoing as he watched Edward fall.

"You can’t escape this!" the Duke roared. "You’re inside my domain!"

As Edward fell, the lava below surged violently. Five massive shapes burst free from its surface. Lava dragon wyrms, each one formed from scorching fire and burning mana, their bodies twisting and roaring as they charged upward toward him.

At the same time, the ceiling above Edward shifted.

A massive hand formed from molten magma rose from above, its fingers the size of towers. The palm opened wide, charging downward, ready to crush Edward between overwhelming force and unbearable heat.

Three attacks.

The falling lava sea below. The charging wyrms around him. The descending magma palm above.

The Duke did not hold back anything.

Edward had to die.

Edward fell through the air, his cloak snapping behind him. His eyes moved quickly, taking in everything.

He adjusted his grip on his blade.

As he continued to fall, Edward positioned his sword carefully, aligning it with his center. His breathing slowed. The noise of the domain faded from his mind.

He whispered.

"Seven-star sword art: Thousand Heavenly Piercing." Edward said softly.

Edward swung his blade once.

Just once.

The motion was simple. Clean. Almost gentle.

And then the world exploded.

The single slash multiplied instantly. One cut became ten. Ten became a hundred. A hundred became a thousand. Countless sword cuts spread outward in every direction, overlapping and weaving through space like a storm of invisible blades.

The lava dragon wyrms were shredded mid-charge. Their bodies were sliced apart into countless fragments, their roars cut short as they dissolved into splashes of flames. The massive magma palm was split open, torn apart from the inside out, collapsing into streams of falling lava.

The sword cuts did not stop there.

They struck the surrounding space, carving into the ground itself. The floor above cracked violently, splitting into massive stone cubes that rose upward as everything struggled to stabilize.

Edward landed.

He landed lightly on one of the floating stone blocks, then leapt to another, and another, moving upward with effortless precision. Each jump carried him closer to the Duke, his movements sharp and controlled. He could not suspend himself in the air like the Duke because he was unable to use mana, so he improvised by using the stone blocks.

As Edward rose, his blade steady in his hand, his gaze found the Duke’s.