Journey to Become the Zenith

The Sword That Cut Silence

Victor after sending Videl to academy he turn go toward direction where she said she last show knight.

Videl had left only a few minutes ago, yet the faint warmth from her embrace still lingered in Victor’s chest.

Azriel glanced briefly toward the distant road leading back to the academy and shook his head.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”That girl...” he muttered quietly. ”She worries too much.”

Darkness stretched endlessly above like an ocean of black silk, covering mountains and forests alike. The distant sounds of insects echoed softly beneath the night sky while a cold wind drifted between the trees.

The moon hung quietly overhead, hidden behind drifting clouds as cold wind swept through the forest paths. Dry leaves rolled over the ground with soft scratching sounds while branches occasionally swayed overhead.

Victor walked calmly through the darkness.

His black shirt moved gently beneath his golden jacket while his black hair shifted slightly with the night wind. His golden eyes looked ahead without much emotion.

Outwardly he looked relaxed.

Inside, however, Azriel was observing everything.

His senses spread silently.

The forest itself seemed to open before him.

The movement of insects.

The sound of distant footsteps.

The smell of iron from weapons.

The flow of mana.

Everything entered his perception.

A few moments later his steps slowed.

”Hm?”

His gaze moved toward the distance.

Several figures had entered his senses.

Victor’s expression become amusement.

His lips slowly curved upward.

”Found you.”

Instead of immediately approaching, he silently moved toward a large tree and reduced his presence.

Voices drifted through the darkness.

”...That bastard escaped.”

”Lord Henrick won’t be happy.”

”Tch. We searched all night because of one brat.”

Victor leaned against the tree quietly.

Golden eyes narrowed slightly.

Knights.

Mercenaries.

Mixed together.

Exactly as Videl had described.

The moonlight occasionally reflected off steel armor and weapons.

The knights stood with disciplined posture while nearby mercenaries sat lazily against rocks and tree trunks.

One of them spat on the ground.

”What if that girl returned with help?”

Another laughed.

”Help? Who would come out here in the middle of nowhere for that?”

Victor slowly closed his eyes.

For a second—

Azriel’s smile appeared.

Cold.

Dangerous.

”My girl almost got hurt because of these insects?”

His fingers tapped lightly against his arm.

After he confirmed that they were the people Videl was talking about, Azriel made his presence known to the knights and mercenaries by spreading out his mana.

The surrounding air suddenly became heavier.

The temperature itself felt like it had dropped.

Leaves that had been drifting peacefully suddenly stopped moving.

Silence spread.

An unnatural silence.

Then—

Victor casually stepped out from behind the trees.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The footsteps immediately made everyone freeze.

Several mercenaries stood up instantly.

Knights drew swords.

Victor walked forward slowly beneath the moonlight.

His sharp features became visible.

Black hair.

Golden eyes.

Calm expression.

Like someone taking an evening stroll.

One mercenary swallowed nervously.

”W-Who is that...?”

Another tightened his grip around his weapon.

”I don’t know...”

A knight narrowed his eyes.

”Be careful.”

Victor looked at them calmly.

No anger.

No killing intent.

That somehow made it even worse.

Because everyone there could feel it.

The pressure pressing on their bodies wasn’t mana.

It felt like standing before some ancient monster wearing human skin.

Then—

BOOOOM!

Invisible pressure exploded outward.

Invisible pressure spread outward.

Leaves exploded away.

Dust rose.

The air itself trembled.

The knights who were searching for Videl stopped in their tracks and looked at the newcomer who was spreading his mana so aggressively.

The moment they felt that mana, the knights knew that the person in front of them was extremely dangerous, so all of them immediately went into defensive formation.

Several mercenaries instinctively stepped backward.

Sweat appeared on foreheads.

One knight shouted,

”Who are you?!”

Victor smiled.

A calm smile.

Yet somehow it felt terrifying.

”Hey, I heard you guys have been messing around with my girl.”

The moment those words left his mouth, expressions immediately changed.

”Victor!”

One knight’s face turned pale.

Upon learning Victor’s identity one of the knights immediately started running as he was about to send a message to their lord Henrick.

The remaining knights stood firmly in their defensive formation, while the mercenaries were thinking of watching at the sidelines before deciding what to do next.

The information given about Victor was limited.

They couldn’t gauge his strength.

Engaging without information was stupidity.

Mercenaries survived by avoiding stupidity.

Victor sighed softly.

”Oh, I see there’s no need to talk...” He tilted his head slightly before smiling. ”Well I don’t really like talking either.”

Golden eyes slowly sharpened.

”I’m more of a man of action.”

The moment Azriel said the last word—

He disappeared.

The mercenaries watching from the side widened their eyes.

”W-What?!”

”H-He vanished!”

Victor suddenly reappeared directly in front of the knights.

No.

Not suddenly.

They simply couldn’t follow him.

The distance between them had become meaningless.

The knights nearly panicked.

”SHIELD WALL!”

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Heavy shields immediately slammed together.

Steel formed a defensive wall.

Victor looked at them.

Then sighed.

’These are the weaklings challenging my current incarnation?’

Disappointment flashed through Azriel’s thoughts.

’Rather pathetic.’

Then he stretched out his hand.

Golden energy quietly gathered.

Unlike mana—

This energy carried something sharper.

Something heavier.

Light gathered and condensed.

A blade slowly formed.

A Long Sword.

Golden lines spread across the weapon while energy flowed along its surface.

The mercenaries stared.

”What kind of magic is that?”

”No mana formation...”

”What the hell—”

Victor casually raised the sword.

No stance.

No power gathering.

No dramatic movement.

Just one swing.

Swish.

That was all.

The mercenaries frowned.

Nothing happened.

One scratched his head.

”...Eh?”

”What did he just do?”

”Was that supposed to scare them?”

The knights looked confused too.

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three—

CRACK.

A sound echoed.

Then another.

CRACK... CRACK...

Everyone froze.

Lines suddenly appeared across every shield.

Then— SHATTER.

All shields split perfectly in half.

Cleanly.

Smoothly.

As if reality itself had been cut apart.

Pieces of steel slowly fell toward the ground.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

No one spoke.

No one breathed.

Everyone who saw this scene had their eyes left wide open. They couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.

A man who casually swung his sword with no signs of mana fluctuations was able to slice over a dozen shields with a single slash.