Karnak, Monarch of Death

Chapter 261: The Treasure in One’s Palm (2)

The secret techniques of the Delphiad Swordsmanship was designed to guide heirs to the path of the martial king. Among its secrets, the technique of aura transmission was something Leven didn’t yet need.

After all, Karnak had already given him plenty. Leven had been packed full of chaos aura and sent onto the battlefield before they faced future Leven. But Delphiad Swordsmanship contained more than just the ability to train aura on behalf of another.

It held generations’ worth of accumulated wisdom on how the recipient could properly absorb and refine that aura as their own, and right now, Leven was learning those principles from Varos.

***

A vast underground chamber was flooded with magical light. Despite being underground, the space shone as brightly as midday. Dozens of expensive mana lamps hung from the ceiling, and their glow illuminated everything.

The chamber was enormous—easily large enough to line up over a hundred soldiers for inspection, even though it was technically inside the mansion. This was the Strauss family’s secret training hall. Like most noble families, they had hidden spaces built into their estates.

It was only natural. Even the Zestrad manor had its own hidden training room, despite lacking any secrets worth protecting. The Strauss family’s swordsmanship harbored the dishonorable secret of aura transmission. They would certainly need a properly, hidden facility.

Varos and Leven were crossing blades inside the secret training room.

Leven launched forward with a shout, his feet kicking off the floor. Blue aura carved brilliant arcs through the air.

—Delphiad Swordsmanship: Storm King’s Barrage!

Leven’s favored flurry of slashes lashed toward Varos’s flanks. Varos calmly twisted his blade to its flat side and diverted the assault before launching a counterattack of his own. Blue and purple aura collided midair again and again. Each time steel met steel, the air quaked and roared.

Varos’s stance suddenly shifted as he blocked Leven’s blade. What he wished to convey from this point on could not be expressed in mere words.

We’ll speak with swords alone!

He held his purple sword steady and took a stance, the exact same stance Leven had just taken. Then, he demonstrated the exact same technique as Leven.

—Delphiad Swordsmanship: Storm King’s Barrage!

Leven flinched in shock. What in the world?! How is it so perfect?

Though it was a technique he had practiced to exhaustion, something felt different when Varos used it. The dazzling barrage of slashes filled his vision. It hadn’t looked this refined even when Emil had used the same technique.

How can someone not of Strauss blood wield Delphiad swordsmanship this skillfully?

Leven had rarely seen Varos use the Strauss family’s swordsmanship. It wasn’t for any profound reason.

—Eh, it’s a bit too straightforward for my tastes.

Varos had always believed that fighting should be practical and efficient.

—Isn’t that something every warrior should agree on?

—But when I fight like that, people call me cheap and underhanded.

—Ah... so that’s what you meant by efficiency.

Indeed, compared to the noble philosophy of Delphiad swordsmanship—which emphasized overwhelming opponents through elegant and powerful sequences—Varos’s chain blade did seem a bit underhanded.

And his other choices of techniques? They gave off such a dark aura that it was no longer a matter of discussing swordsmanship.

Leven shouted as he desperately met Varos’s strikes. As an adventurer, he had picked up many different sword styles, even brawling techniques involving fists and kicks when needed. But now, he was intentionally using only Delphiad swordsmanship. After all, this sparring session wasn’t meant to prepare for actual combat.

Amid the crashing roar, blue and purple aura clashed and danced. And gradually, the blue aura began to synchronize with the purple. Leven was matching Varos’s rhythm and following his lead.

Good, as expected of Sir Leven. He’s adapting fast.

Their aura was beginning to flow in similar trajectories. That meant it was time to move on to the next step.

Varos allowed his aura to surge throughout his body. Flames of burning aura erupted around him, and the purple glow turned into a brilliant silver. He had momentarily elevated his state to unleash the aura of a silver knight.

The gap between them widened once more, and Leven could no longer keep up. The silver aura blade pummeled the blue energy relentlessly. Leven’s aura shook violently and his insides felt roused. Leven grit his teeth as pain stabbed through his body. His muscles were being torn and his organs were being battered.

He grunted and screamed, but he didn’t fall. He couldn’t, not even if he wanted to.

This is...

His aura responded to each of Varos’s blow, activating and becoming concentrated around the impacted area.

So this is what it is...

A clear path opened in his mind. He could see how he should move and how he should respond.

This is how it’s done...

It resembled what Serati had felt when Varos had taken over her body. Of course, he couldn’t feel every nuance of sensation, but it allowed him to directly experience a realm one step beyond his current level.

Even that was a tremendous boon for someone with true talent. Leven focused even harder, determined not to waste the precious opportunity.

Eventually, Varos stepped back and signaled the end of the spar. ”That’s enough.”

Leven lowered his sword as well.

Varos rapidly drew down his aura and let out a heavy breath. ”Hah... I can’t keep that up forever. I can only elevate my level for short bursts.”

***

”Huff... huff...” Leven sat slumped on the floor of the training hall. Sweat poured down his face. ”This really is exhausting.”

He had trained for many years. These days, no matter how intensely he trained, he rarely broke more than a light sweat. It had been ages since he’d perspired like this.

”No kidding. It’s brutal once you actually try it,” Varos replied, looking equally worn out.

The secret of Delphiad swordsmanship—the art of guiding another’s aura through one’s own—required more than just a higher realm, shared sword style, and refined aura control. It also required a significant disparity in level between the two practitioners, at least two tiers.

Currently, Leven was at the blue-tier, and Varos was at the purple-tier. To meet the condition, Varos had to elevate himself temporarily to the silver-tier, and as a result, he looked just as drained.

Varos walked over to a jug of water they’d prepared in advance. He dipped a ladle, took a long sip, then grumbled, ”Ugh, I want a beer. But I guess I’ll have to hold off, right?”

”Should I have them bring some for dinner?” Leven asked him.

”It’s not like we can’t get it. I’m just choosing not to drink it,” answered Varos.

The two sat on the training hall floor while wiping their sweat. After catching their breath, Varos muttered, ”We’re progressing slower than I thought.”

Since he could only teach when he reached the silver-tier, the actual time they could spend training each day was limited.

”I need to finish digesting this aura fast if I want to get a new batch from the young master,” said Varos.

”Sir Varos?” Leven tilted his head, puzzled. ”Why aren’t you doing that, exactly?”

Varos shot him a look as if he’d asked something stupid. ”You know as well as I do. That’s not something you can just do. It takes time and dedication.”

Leven nodded. ”Of course. I get that.”

There were no shortcuts to mastering martial arts. The only true path was persistent, diligent effort every single day.

”But still,” Leven added, a little baffled, ”isn’t what we’re doing literally creating a shortcut where none existed before?”

And Varos was the one carving out that shortcut for Leven.

”Huh. You’ve got a point.” Varos’s expression shifted strangely. ”Wow, why didn’t I think of that?”

It was like he’d been holding a treasure in his hands all along. He knew it was valuable, but never thought of making a use out of it.

There was some excuse for it. The secret technique of Delphiad swordsmanship was, by design, a method for someone of higher skill to lead someone of lesser skill. It wasn’t meant as a method to refine one’s own aura. So Varos hadn’t thought of using it that way.

But the steps that allowed for a quick elevation of power were already outlined. Perhaps someone with talent bordering on divine could modify the technique to absorb and refine aura on their own.

”Then Sir Varos,” Leven said excitedly, ”if you develop a new method of aura absorption. Can I call it that? Anyway, if you make one, wouldn’t that solve everything?”

Varos waved him off. ”No way. That’s way beyond me.”

As he’d said earlier, only someone with god-tier talent could pull that off. Varos was undeniably gifted, but not that gifted.

Luckily, that wasn’t a problem. After all, they had a certain girl in their midst, someone who could produce answers to any problem as long as the question was asked.

”We’d better call in Lapicel,” said Varos.

***

The next day, Varos and Leven brought Serati and Lapicel to the secret training hall. There, they demonstrated the secret technique of Delphiad swordsmanship.

”Alright, did you catch all that?” Varos asked with a deliberately casual tone after finishing the demonstration. ”You just need to do that yourself, Lapicel. I only used Sir Leven’s body to show you.”

Lapicel wore a thoroughly bewildered expression. ”This is really complicated.”

”Yeah?” Leven turned to the gray-haired girl with surprise.

Well, it is the ultimate secret of Delphiad swordsmanship. Even for Lapicel, it wouldn’t make sense instantly...

But that wasn’t the issue.

”I’m not even sure it’s even the same technique. The core concept seems similar, but it feels completely different in execution...” Lapicel tilted her head repeatedly as she spoke. ”I think it’d be way easier to understand if Brother Varos just showed me how he absorbs aura himself.”

Indeed. She had not only understood it in one go but had even grasped its underlying principles. Show it to her? How were they supposed to show something like that? The whole reason they had called in Lapicel was because they couldn’t.

Leven murmured.

—We’ve been found out, Sir Varos.

Varos replied calmly.

—Don’t panic, Sir Leven.

After soothing Leven, Varos composed his expression into a solemn one. He’d spent over a hundred years watching a master of deception. Getting out of a situation like this was nothing.

No big deal. I just need to smooth it over.

He began in a gentle, measured tone. ”Things gained easily are also easily lost, Lapicel.”

Lapicel nodded. That was one of the most fundamental martial sayings.

”Only what is earned through hardship truly becomes your own,” Varos continued.

That, too, was correct.

”I understand! I’ll give it my best effort!” Lapicel shouted eagerly.

With her sword in hand, Lapicel fell deep into thought. Leven felt his guilt tugging at his conscience as he watched. He mumbled under his breath.

—Is this really okay? I mean, we’re not exactly earning this through hardship either. We’re kind of taking the easy route, aren’t we?

Varos responded, unfazed.

—Come on. That’s just how the saying goes. The world doesn’t really work that way.

Varos remained confident as ever, as expected from Karnak’s most loyal follower.

—Even if it comes easy, it’s still mine. Doesn’t matter whether I struggled or not.

Serati, who had been silently observing them, let out a small chuckle.

—You two are funny. You’re talking like it’s already a given that Lapicel’s going to figure it out.

Varos raised an eyebrow.

—Are you saying she won’t?

Serati let her shoulders drop with a sigh. Would Lapicel be incapable of figuring it out?

—It’s Lapicel. Of course she will.