Chapter 253

An afterimage.

The past. Something already gone, yet a form that still remained indelibly behind.

It was a remnant left by an existence so extraordinary that it could carve its mark into the Abyss.

The reason the Sword Emperor’s form and movements manifested through Park Chan-woo’s eyes was because the final act he left behind before death had remained as an afterimage.

‘It’s not simply showing the Sword Emperor subduing his opponent. This is his enlightenment.’

Every visible Sword Path and Battle Path carried meaning.

They were not meant to be understood as separate points, but as connected lines whose meaning was revealed only when the final ‘Strike’ was delivered.

The moment he beheaded Gang Si-chan, Park Chan-woo sensed the Sword Emperor’s intent.

That the true purpose of the afterimage lay in the final realization the Sword Emperor had left behind before death.

‘It’s still a realm I can’t reach either.’

The problem was that the Sword Emperor’s realization existed on such a high plane that even when he reached for it, he could not grasp it at all.

He had only happened to imitate the movements and catch a glimpse of the intent. He had not truly reached the Sword Emperor’s teaching.

‘…So that’s why it’s called the [Box of Endurance].’

The True Master of the Cradle.

He felt he understood why that being had left behind the [Box of Endurance].

The Sword Emperor was an ideal that could never be reached without endurance, without endless refinement.

A being who had attained the ultimate mastery of the sword and glimpsed the ultimate.

And yet even the Sword Emperor had failed to reach the True Master of the Cradle.

On the other hand, Park Chan-woo could reach it easily because of his Negative Level.

He did not know whether this had been meant to show him that some things could not be overturned by luck alone.

‘A wall.’

One thing was certain.

He had felt a wall.

He had only imitated the afterimage’s movements and beheaded Gang Si-chan.

Despite possessing ability that was not even worthy of the Sword Emperor’s toenail.

It was proof that purely honed skill could allow someone to stand against enemies far stronger than themselves.

Something completely outside the common sense of the Abyss.

Something that transcended Level and stats.

…He could not even begin to imagine how much relentless effort it had taken to reach that realm.

‘I’m thirsty.’

He was hungry. He was thirsty.

The Sword Emperor’s sword could not be dismissed as merely a sword.

His sword was like magic.

He was a being who had imbued his will into the swordsmanship itself.

It was like instantly grasping everything about the opponent, then unfolding a formula tailored to them.

The entire process, in which each action connected until it ended in the opponent’s death, was truly art.

‘I’m curious.’

But what he wanted to know most was the Sword Emperor himself.

He was an unknown figure.

Despite accomplishing tremendous feats, he had devoted his entire life only to transcending his own limits.

He had shown no interest in clearing the Creation Abyss, interacting with other races, or even engaging in hostility.

The very existence of someone so single-minded was astonishing.

‘I want to know.’

Even while fighting the resurrected Gang Si-chan, he peered into the Sword Emperor’s afterimage as much as he could.

He focused on sensing the Sword Emperor himself.

He paid no mind to the blood spraying around him, the crushed flesh, the cuts and tears.

If not now, he would never be able to grasp the realization the Sword Emperor had left behind.

‘Sword Emperor. Why did you leave this afterimage?’

As he immersed himself deeper and deeper into the afterimage, he realized it.

This truly was something the Sword Emperor had left behind.

But an afterimage could only be fully understood if one saw the form that had come before it.

He did not know the Sword Emperor.

There was no way he could.

But—

‘Magical Wave…’

Every being possessed a Magical Wave.

Because only he could read Magical Waves, the God of Offerings had said that this talent was the very foundation of an Archmage.

That wave remained in the afterimage as well.

And then a thought came to him.

‘…The Magical Wave is the soul.’

The Magical Wave was the resonance of the soul.

If a Magical Wave remained in the afterimage, then the Sword Emperor’s soul remained within it too.

What had he wanted to leave behind inside the [Box of Endurance]?

Park Chan-woo brought his own Magical Wave into contact with the Magical Wave inside the afterimage.

They resonated together.

And then—

‘……!’

He saw it.

The Sword Emperor’s true form.

And the reason he had left behind the afterimage.

===

There was once a man who had walked only the path of the sword with unwavering devotion.

He was born holding a sword.

He breathed with the sword and lived with it.

He cared for nothing except honing his sword and transcending his limits.

He had no interest in communicating with the world, nor in mingling and harmonizing with others.

But that did not mean he had been gifted with miraculous talent for the sword.

‘There is no fool duller than this fool.’

People mocked him.

For someone who swung a sword all day long, his skill was far too pathetic.

No—strictly speaking, his swordsmanship was excellent.

But that was all he had.

‘His control over energy is pathetic, the rate at which his body grows stronger is pathetic, everything about him is pathetic. At best, he’s just a halfwit who’s somewhat decent with the sword.’

He possessed nothing but sword techniques.

And still he did not give up.

He simply kept swinging his sword.

For an entire lifetime.

He had no friends, no comrades, no family.

Alone, with only the sword as his companion, he refined himself tirelessly through sunrise and moonset.

And then, one day, he felt the sword’s breath.

He felt as though he had become one with the sword.

And in the end, he himself became the sword.

He reached the perfect state of Swordless.

He entered the ranks of the absolute strong, whom no one could ignore, and yet—

‘What a pity.’

He let out a sigh.

The moment he crossed one wall, another wall appeared before him.

And it was a wall he could never overcome.

He realized then that while he might become the strongest within one world, he could never become the strongest Sword Master in the entire Abyss.

Because he had remained trapped in his own world, his view too narrow.

‘…True Master of the Cradle. You gave me both hope and despair. What a cruel being you are.’

The reason he had been able to broaden his perspective was because of the True Master of the Cradle.

Through the trials that being imposed, he realized that he had only been a frog in a well.

He was shown that a higher world existed, and vaguely sensed a way to reach it.

But by then, it was already too late.

Because—

‘Did you say that those who have something to protect can become stronger?’

—That is correct, Sword Emperor.

‘……I have nothing important left. There is nothing left for me to protect.’

His world had already perished.

And until the very moment it was destroyed, he had done nothing but swing his sword.

Even if regret came now, it was far too late.

‘I can no longer become stronger. But… the one who inherits my sword will likely become stronger than I ever was.’

—Do you wish for your sword to be inherited?

‘Yes. If possible, I would like it to be someone who has something to protect. Better still if it’s some foolish man who truly wishes to save the world.’

—I will leave behind your afterimage. If someone who fulfills the conditions appears, the name Sword Emperor will manifest from the [Box of Endurance].

‘[Box of Endurance]? What’s that?’

—It is a box in which the four Emperors who reached me left behind their realizations. You are the fifth and final one. When the one who obtains the [Box of Endurance] opens it, the name of the Emperor among the five who best suits their conditions will appear.

‘So even if someone obtains the [Box of Endurance], my name might not appear?’

—Correct. Sword Emperor, Blade Emperor, Bow Emperor, Fist Emperor, Spear Emperor. Among those five, only the name that best matches the talent and conditions will appear.

‘Only one name? Then could there be someone who displays all five names?’

—I do not know whether such a being exists, but if there were someone with talent on that level, it would be possible. Of course, they would also have to satisfy the conditions laid down by the Emperors.

‘I see. So the other Emperors also set their own conditions, just like the one I gave about having something to protect.’

—That is correct.

The Sword Emperor laughed.

He did not know how many years it had been since he last smiled, but if a proper successor to him appeared, he was willing to hand over his sword gladly.

And so the Sword Emperor burned away the remainder of his life to leave behind an afterimage.

The Sword Emperor’s final Martial Arts.

‘…But within the Abyss, where does my sword stand?’

Suddenly curious, he asked, and the True Master of the Cradle answered.

—In sword technique alone, it is unquestionably first. But in overall skill as a swordsman, it ranks third.

‘I see.’

—Aren’t you curious who first and second place are?

‘I am not.’

—…Why not?

Grin.

The Sword Emperor laughed as he answered.

‘Because the one who inherits my sword will become first anyway.’

===

When he came to his senses, his sword was already moving just like the Sword Emperor’s.

It was because their Magical Waves had touched and blended, allowing him to feel the Sword Emperor’s will itself.

‘I want to protect.’

He and the Sword Emperor were different.

He had things to protect.

Things he wanted to protect.

That meant he could become stronger.

Perhaps because of that—

even though his body felt as if it would shatter, he did not care.

The experience of this moment was so sublime that it could never be repeated again for all eternity.

This was the one and only instant in which he could fully receive the Sword Emperor’s sword.

That overwhelming experience immediately elevated all his potential.

His Class Level rising and [Divine Art of Absolute Learning] reaching 2 Star were also part of that process.

But that was not all.

“This is impossible…!”

Gang Si-chan screamed.

His body, harder than steel, was cracking apart.

For some reason, the wounds were not regenerating.

His Mana was being severed and collapsing.

[Ding!]

[The [Magic Swordsman] Class has advanced to [Successor of the Void].]

[You have inherited the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship, [Infinite Sword Emperor].]

[[Arahan’s Intermediate Swordsmanship] has advanced to [Arahan’s Advanced Swordsmanship].]

[The attack power ratio based on physical ability increases.]

It was not only the Sword Emperor.

The moment he gripped the sword, he felt it.

Baal’s presence.

‘You must be hungry.’

Park Chan-woo swung his sword.

It felt as though he had become one with [Baal’s Sword].

And he felt that he now understood just how starved [Baal’s Sword] had been.

[Ding!]

[You have completed [Sword and Body as One]!]

[You have harmonized with [Baal’s Sword].]

Ah.

It felt like he could wield it better now.

Baal’s power.

…The power of an Absolute Being.

It felt like he could reproduce it through the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship.

Whoooooosh!

Black energy began surging from his entire body.

Groooooan!

Soon after, the Fierce God Baal revealed his form.