The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority Chapter 91

Deserted Island Attack (3)

—Sssssssssssssssss!

A crimson barrier descended, covering the blue sky.

"... What?"

Ian widened his eyes as he looked up at the sky turning red.

"...!"

It was a sudden phenomenon, but the moment he saw it, he recognized what it was.

"The Demon Cult...!"

It was the same filthy barrier he'd grown sick of seeing in his past life.

The Demon Cult or demonic beings always unfurled it whenever they raided a specific area.

'Those bastards showed up? Here?'

Ian instantly grasped the situation.

'It's an attack!'

The Demon Cult was attacking the deserted island.

'How dare they...!'

What was their goal?

It was obvious.

They must have come targeting Yuria.

In his previous life, those bastards had attacked the Sword Dragon Hall several times, trying to kidnap her.

—KWAANG!

Just then, an enormous impact echoed from outside the barrier.

"Ugh!"

"Kyaa!"

Sophia and Charlotte shrieked, covering their ears in terror.

"...!"

Ian looked up in the direction the sound had come from.

'Aris...!'

She was trying to break the barrier from the outside.

—KWAANG!

Another violent rumble followed.

"Kyaa! Young master!"

"Wh-What's going on all of a sudden?!"

The girls clutched their ears, faces crumpling as they threatened to cry.

"Grrr..."

Ian grimaced, gripping his ringing ears.

'She's smashing away with reckless abandon.'

If Aris kept firing her enhanced energy at that force, even her body wouldn't hold out long.

'The way she's throwing herself into breaking the barrier with all her might...'

Did that mean Aris wasn't behind this raid?

'No. That can wait.'

Now was the time to find Yuria first.

—Crack!

Ian swiftly tore off the belt suppressing his aura.

"H-Huh?! Young master!?"

Sophia gaped, speechless.

"You're not supposed to take that off!"

That belt was a monitoring device Sword Dragon Hall issued to cadets to monitor their condition.

If a cadet undid or broke it without permission, it was a huge infraction—minus 5,000 points.

"The exam's already over, Sophia."

"Huh?"

—KWAANG!!

"U-Ugh! Ow! My ears!"

"Keep watch around us for a bit. If anyone comes, shake me and wake me up right away."

"W-What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Young Lady Yuria."

Ian sat cross-legged on the ground.

'Frenzied Insight Style: Heavenly Thousand Direction Incense Burner.'

A technique to spread his aura wide, searching for Yuria's Heavenly energy.

—KWAANG!!

"Young Lady Yuria? Sitting like that? Young master! Wait! If you just sit here like this, your eardrums will burst! At least put in earplugs first...! Ah, geez! He already closed his eyes! I can't stand this! Miss Lottie! Help me find anything we can use as earplugs!"

Sophia's frantic voice faded away.

His five senses grew distant, and his sixth sense sharpened.

'Yuria... Where are you.'

Ian spread his aura net-wide, combing the entire uninhabited island meticulously.

It would take about five minutes to pinpoint her exact location.

But then.

'Hm?'

A strange, unpleasant energy brushed against his aura.

'What?'

Thick demonic energy.

It was rapidly closing in on his position.

"What the—!"

Ian's eyes snapped open.

"Sophia! Charlotte!"

"...?"

"Yes?"

"Get down!"

Ian immediately dove forward, pushing Sophia and Charlotte to the ground.

"Uwaagh!"

"Kyaa!"

At the same time—

—Whiissssht!

Daggers zipped past, grazing their heads.

—Thwack! Thump! Crack!

The daggers stuck into the tree behind them.

—Ssssss...!

Smoke rose from the tree bark where the daggers struck.

They were coated with potent poison.

"W-What the—!"

"What is this?!"

Sophia and Charlotte recoiled in horror at the sudden flying daggers.

"You're kidding me—? He dodged that?!"

—Rustle, rustle.

A woman emerged from the brush.

With an icy, rigid expression, she glared at Ian.

"It was a perfect shot. Who are you? How did you dodge that?"

—Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Three more emerged behind the woman.

"Maybe you just missed?"

"Shut up! I threw it right!"

"Both of you, quiet. We just need to take the target. If you missed, throw again."

"I told you I didn't miss! You—you! How did you dodge?!"

On the surface, they looked like ordinary people, but Ian could feel it.

'They're demonic humans.'

They gave off an unbearable, greasy sensation.

Clear demonic energy.

They didn't seem to care about hiding it at all, instead, they were releasing it in full force.

'At this level... at least late-stage Expert.'

—Rustle.

One stepped forward, rolling their shoulders.

"Either way, we lucked out—targets all gathered together nice and cozy. This'll be over fast."

Ian stood protectively in front of Sophia and Charlotte.

'Targets?'

They were calling us the targets?

'I thought they came for Yuria...'

Were there multiple targets?

Could they be aiming not only for Yuria, but also for all direct members of the Hisperion family and top vassal houses?

'Makes sense.'

If the demonic humans went to this much trouble, they'd want the maximum reward for risking their lives.

'So, the "targets" they mean are probably...'

Himself and Charlotte.

They'd come to offer Ian's talent and Charlotte's bloodline as sacrifices to the Demon Cult.

Sophia probably wasn't a likely target yet, as she wasn't worth their trouble.

'And the fact that four demonic humans came for us...'

That meant two were attached per target.

'I need to hurry.'

Even for Yuria, fighting two late-stage Expert demonic humans alone would be hard.

Even if there were instructors near her, they wouldn't be able to protect Yuria.

Sword Dragon Hall's instructors were only high-rank Experts.

And Yuria, among the targets, was the most important.

She might've drawn even stronger demonic humans than these.

If one at Master level moved to abduct her, nothing the surrounding instructors did would protect her.

—KWAANG!!

"No time to chat! The barrier can't last much longer! Suppress the targets now!"

"Roger. Let's finish and get out."

"You two keep watch. We'll take care of the targets."

—Shrring! Shrring!

Two drew their blades and advanced.

"You brats, just behave. If you resist, I'll chop your limbs off one by one."

"Heheheh, I love those frightened faces most of all..."

"Y-Young master!"

Sophia tensed, freezing up.

"Ugh...!"

Charlotte's pupils trembled as she swallowed dryly.

'What the hell is going on?! Where did these freaks come from!?'

Charlotte glared at the approaching demonic humans, teeth chattering.

Each one's aura far surpassed her own.

Easily at the level of active knights.

They weren't opponents cadet-level could handle.

'N-No way—even Ian can't...!'

Ian had shown overwhelming strength against Hector's gang, but that was only cadets fighting cadets.

These were real, first-rate, combat-tested pros—no way even Ian could beat them.

'I-It's useless even if I join in...!'

It would have been the same even if Yuria was with them.

But still...

That didn't mean she could give up without resisting at all.

'I have to protect Sophia!'

So, at the very least, help Ian as much as possible...

'Flail till the very end, at least!'

As Charlotte resolved to move up beside Ian—

—Slide.

'Huh?'

Ian gently but firmly pushed Charlotte back behind his own back, as if telling her to stay put.

'W-What are you doing...?!'

What was his plan?

Did he mean to take them all on by himself?!

No matter how you looked at it, cadets couldn't possibly handle these guys—not even with the numbers.

Charlotte stared at Ian, that thought in her eyes.

—Nod.

Ian looked back at her, giving a small nod.

His eyes were calm—entirely unafraid.

'C-Confident?'

Charlotte didn't know what Ian was thinking.

But it seemed he had something up his sleeve.

'... He, he wants me to trust him?'

She hesitated a moment, then gave a silent nod.

She still felt anxious, not knowing his motives, but she decided to trust him.

Ian had always shown her feats well beyond her expectations.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd surprise her again.

Rather than making things worse by acting rashly, she figured it was best to trust the always-amazing Ian.

Ian took a deep breath.

'Thank goodness Charlotte's reading the mood. If she charged ahead, she'd be harder to protect.'

Ian eyed the approaching demonic humans again.

'Full of openings. They won't be hard.'

The demonic humans seemed preoccupied with Aris outside the barrier.

They plainly didn't see Ian and the girls here as any threat.

'Do they think they can just pick us up like teddy bears?'

It wasn't a strange assumption.

The world knew Ian's cultivation was just entry-stage Expert.

Charlotte was at the top of the Trainee Rank.

These enemies were late-stage Expert class, and outnumbered them as well.

On paper, the demonic humans were overwhelmingly favored—so being wary would've been stranger.

"Heheheh."

One of them smirked, relaxing completely.

'Seeing kids cry... it gets me every time.'

—KWAANG!!

"Hurry up!"

Aris was still pounding the barrier outside, and his allies behind him were urging him to move—

But...

'I want to torment them more. Make it fun.'

Bullying little ones was this demonic human's only joy in life.

'There's still a little time for some fun, right?'

Even with Aris smashing at the barrier, it'd hold for at least ten minutes.

'Maybe I'll chop off an arm?'

Or...

'That brown-haired girl over there.'

The demonic human looked at Sophia.

'She's not a target—I could just kill her, couldn't I?'

Maybe slice open her belly and spill her guts.

What kind of faces would the two brats make then?

What kind of face would the brown-haired girl make seeing her own intestines?

'Ahh... I can't stand it!'

—Whoosh!

He raised his blade high.

About to chop down and sever Ian's shoulder, then slice Sophia's abdomen—

"This one is truly beneath even an amateur."

"Huh?"

Ian mockingly muttered, looking at the demonic human.

And at the same time—

—Slash!

"Huh...?"

Suddenly, the weight of the demonic human's raised right arm vanished.

He'd swung his sword—but his arm was nowhere to be seen.

What he saw instead was—

"What?"

Blood.

Crimson blood spurted from his own shoulder.

"U-Uwaagh! Aaagh!"

Suddenly his right arm was gone.

The moment he realized it, searing pain ripped through the stump.

"AAAAAAAGHHH!!!"

He crumpled, clutching his stump, shrieking.

All those ugly, cruel intentions he had were severed along with his arm.

Now, the loss was filled only with despair.

"H-Huh!"

"What's going on!?"

The demonic humans on lookout spun around in shock.

"J-Jimmy! Jimmy got taken down by a kid!"

"What?!"

A black longsword was now in Ian's hand.

"What the hell is that sword?!"

─《Authority of Projection》─

◆Item

[Elegance Armory Longsword Lv.53]

──────────

The ultra-expensive longsword he'd manifested with Authority of Projection—Sophia's own.

"He was unarmed a second ago!"

"You're saying he chopped off Jimmy's arm with that...?! That baby-faced punk?!"

"Damn it! I told you he was weird! I didn't miss before—it wasn't a fluke!"

"That doesn't matter! Go! All at once!"

The demonic humans all raised their blades and charged.

—Whiissssht!

One slashed fast, while the other two followed like wings.

The swordpoint formation of three late-stage Expert demonic humans—a solid combo.

But—

"Pathetic fools."

If your opponent turned out far stronger than expected, you should retreat, not combine attacks.

To charge in without understanding your enemy was suicide.

Not that Ian minded their pathetic choice.

─《Authority of Projection》─

◆Skill

[Subspace Storage Magic Lv.91]

─────────

Ian summoned Vladiark, which he had stored in subspace.

—Pop!

"What the?!"

A massive sword hilt popped out from empty air.

—Clack!

Ian seized it with both hands.

"Hup!"

He poured enhanced energy into it.

"W-What the—!"

"Is that—enhanced energy?!"

And swung powerfully.

—KWAANG!!

The enormous blade of Vladiark ripped through the air, the earth howling as if overturned.

Clouds of dirt and debris shot high.

"Ugh!"

"!?"

"Ghk?!"

The demonic humans, caught in the destructive force, didn't even have time to scream.

Vladiark's enhanced energy gnawed their bones and flesh, turning their bodies to dust and scattering them into the air.

—Whhoooosh!

A gale blew from the force of the blow.

Dust was swept by the wind,

—SHAAAAAA!

The blood and flesh of the demonic humans, mixed in the dust, were sucked greedily into Vladiark.

—Wriggle! Wriggle!

Vladiark's tendrils squirmed in satisfaction, having devoured three late-stage Expert demonic humans in an instant.

"H-Haa... Haa...!"

The demonic human who'd lost his arm gasped in shock—

"??????"

"Uh...? What...?"

—with Sophia and Charlotte behind Ian frozen, mouths agape.

"You there."

Ian pointed Vladiark at the armless demonic human.

—CHUK!

"Eek!?"

His face, already pale, blanched even further.

"I'll ask you."

"S-S-Speak—I-I'll talk! Spare me!"

"Name all the cadets you came to target."

If he could identify all their targets, he could thwart their plans easily.

Ian had no intention of letting a single cadet—including Yuria—fall into demonic hands.

Nor would he let a single demonic human escape alive, either.

'I'll feed them all to Vladiark.'

A rare chance to harvest demonic energy.

If he gathered enough, he'd even be able to operate demon artifacts that ran solely on such energy.

Vladiark's tendrils writhed, as if it craved the blood of more demonic beings.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】