Chapter 310

Chapter 310
## Chapter 310: Relinquishing the Blade

True understanding begins with the recognition of one’s own limits. It is the act of identifying where one falls short, embracing those flaws, and through that vulnerability, expanding the soul. Similar to the phrase “shattering the ceiling,” it represents the broadening of a person’s horizon by discovering the truths that lie beyond their current reach. Such a transformation only visits the seeker—the one who remains receptive. If a person believes they are already a finished masterpiece and locks their mind away, growth will never knock on their door.

This was the philosophy of “Enlightenment” according to Wilhelm: a state of being where one is perpetually hungry for advancement while simultaneously letting go of the ego.

‘……Hah.’

And yet, that very phenomenon was unfolding right in front of me. While ostensibly trying to provide me with a guide, the teacher had instead stumbled upon a profound realization of his own. I froze in place, my gaze fixed on Lyca.

Lyca’s eyelids were shut tight while our blades remained locked in a stalemate. He was as motionless as a statue, yet the energy radiating from his frame in thick clouds was blooming with a newfound serenity, soaking in the surrounding world. He was in the process of bridging a gap, seizing a sudden clarity that had manifested from the ether.

When the delicate threads of power, rising like fine silk, finally brushed against me—

—I wish to survive……

In that heartbeat, it was as if Lyca’s internal monologue had become audible. A desperate plea to keep living. A refusal to meet his end in this place. For the first time, he had projected his genuine spirit and true desire to the external world. He had put on a facade of humble resignation toward death, but the reality was that he craved life. By confronting his inner void and accepting it, he had found the will to persist. The heavy gates that had been barred for a lifetime were finally swinging wide.

I stood in silence for over half a day, waiting for him to step through that doorway as the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon took its place. I projected my mana outward to create a sanctuary of silence where no disturbance could enter. It wasn’t until the darkness of night was absolute that he finally looked up. His eyes were wide and trembling as he focused on me.

“Did you… stay here for me?”

“My congratulations, Lord Lyca.”

“……I am grateful.”

Lyca exhaled a long, heavy breath. Expressing gratitude was something he hadn’t done in longer than he could remember. But the feeling was sincere. A moment of clarity is like a bolt of lightning—gone in a flash. If you don’t grasp it instantly and explore its depths, there’s no telling when it might strike again.

However, that level of mental immersion is fragile; it can be shattered by a stray movement or even the sound of someone breathing. This was doubly true for a warrior of Lyca’s caliber. I had recognized the weight of the moment and remained as still as the air, waiting. Such a feat required an intense, unwavering focus on one’s partner. Moreover, maintaining that rigid combat stance for more than twelve hours demanded a nearly superhuman level of discipline.

“I only did what was necessary.”

Beyond his actions, his words carried a weight that was pleasant to hear. The experience must have been physically taxing and agonizing for him, without a doubt. Perhaps that was the catalyst. For the first time since his own Master’s passing, Lyca felt a genuine spark of “affection” for another human being.

‘I believed I had mastered the ultimate state of the Heart Sword, yet I hadn’t even truly achieved the foundation of Unity.’

A swordsman’s progression is marked by specific milestones. Reaching the level of the Heart Sword or the Sword of Emptiness usually marks one as an “Absolute.” Lyca had touched this realm while teetering on the edge of the abyss between life and death. Consequently, he had viewed himself as a finished being. But now, he saw clearly that he had failed to synchronize his Essence, Energy, and Spirit.

‘The flaw in the Eight Houses’ forbidden art, the Opening of the Five Gates, lies in the fact that the Unity of Essence, Energy, and Spirit is fractured.’

Because of this, power could not be stored correctly, and the activation of the Five Gates became a death sentence. He had finally unmasked the fundamental error of the Eight Houses. He felt he was on the verge of discovering the solution: Connection. A state of being eternally linked.

“……”

Lyca’s lips parted as if to speak, then pressed thin again. Finally, he gathered his resolve and addressed the youth.

“…The rest of the Scripture of Life and Death—can you share it with me?”

—

The Grain. The Knot. The power to bind and the power to sever.

Watching Lyca’s awakening provided the spark for my own progress as well. As his energy—his grain—touched mine, certain truths became clear.

‘Wilhelm is the one who binds. Lyca is the one who cuts. But the grain is only whole when both actions coexist.’

Wilhelm’s style was one of connection. He would sense his foe, align his frequency with theirs, and move in harmony with them. It was a cycle without end. To bind and bind again was the soul of Wilhelm’s art. It was the sophisticated craft of borrowing an opponent’s momentum, amplifying it, and returning it with interest. The more powerful the foe, the more devastating the reflected force became.

Lyca, conversely, operated on a different plane. He snapped the grain. Before a stance could even be solidified, he would dismantle the opponent’s core. He shattered the equilibrium of the soul, the power, and the flesh. Yet, I realized that cutting the grain was far more complex than I had imagined. It felt especially daunting because it was the polar opposite of the philosophy Wilhelm had instilled in me.

‘If I can master both the binding and the severing of the grain…… I can step into a new realm.’

I felt a surge of certainty—a path leading beyond the limits of Sword Mastery Level 35.

‘When I hit level 35, the skill Disarmament manifested instead of the expected Blade Force.’

At Level 20, one gains Blade Qi. Past Level 30, Blade Force becomes the standard. I hadn’t known what lay beyond that threshold. I certainly hadn’t anticipated “Disarmament” appearing at Level 35. A doubling of damage was already a staggering benefit, but there was clearly more to this new territory.

‘Disarmament…… the strength to strike that which is unreachable.’

It wasn’t a visible aura like the previous stages. However, its utility was undeniable. It wasn’t simply a matter of piercing armor; it was something that transcended mere penetration. Whether it was absolute dodging or a target that was fundamentally “un-hittable”—Disarmament allowed a blade to find a home. It was the literal stripping away of a target’s invulnerability. For instance:

“There are entities that cannot be cut even if the Grain is visible. Beings defined by Indestructibility or total Invincibility. Those whose very essence is ‘Evasion.’ Formless spirits fall into this category as well.”

Perhaps as a gesture of reciprocity for the Scripture of Life and Death, Lyca was now lecturing me on the philosophy of the Grain. He explained what could be destroyed and what was beyond reach. As I listened, a thought occurred to me. If one mastered the concept of Disarmament, wouldn’t those “impossible” targets become vulnerable?

“Then how does one combat a foe with a perfect, unbreakable defense?”

When I asked, Lyca gave his perspective.

“True invincibility does not exist. Usually, there is a hidden trigger for destruction or a specific requirement to bypass the shield. If such a ‘crack’ exists, one can perceive the ‘Grain’ and strike it.”

The Dragon Gods were the perfect example—divine beings with a single, specific flaw. Once identified, they were incredibly vulnerable, but finding that flaw was a near-impossible task. And yet, he was claiming the Grain was the shortcut?

“So you’re saying that by reading the Grain, finding the specific weakness becomes unnecessary?”

“Exactly. If you can interpret the ‘Grain’ correctly, you can force your way into that crack. The tedious search for a weakness is no longer required.”

I was suddenly reminded of the grueling effort it took to find Isera’s weak point during the Great Expedition. If Lyca’s words held true, and I could simply read the Grain to find the opening, all that struggle would have been avoided. However, almost no one possessed the ability to read the “Grain.” In fact, Lyca was likely the sole practitioner in existence who could read and sever it with such precision.

“And if there truly is no weakness at all?”

“If you encounter such a monster…… you run.”

Lyca’s answer was blunt, but it only fueled my fascination.

‘Disarmament combined with the severing of the Grain. If I can weave those two mysteries together, it might actually be doable……’

Invincibility and Indestructibility. The two greatest hurdles in combat might finally have a solution. These were walls that no one in Pangenia had ever truly scaled. While defense could be broken, no one had a definitive answer for those two absolute states. Even among the gods beyond Pangenia, this knowledge was likely non-existent.

‘…A journey into the unknown.’

The realization that Pangenia still held mysteries I hadn’t conquered made my pulse quicken with excitement.

—

‘Show him one truth, and he understands a hundred. He is already grasping the essence of the Grain.’

Lyca watched Hyun with a growing sense of awe. The boy was soaking up his wisdom like parched earth absorbing rain, moving at a pace that defied his expectations.

‘To think I would ever feel like the slow one.’

Lyca was also gaining insight from Hyun. Yet, he felt his own progress was sluggish compared to the boy’s lightning-fast comprehension. The concept of binding the grain and the second half of the Scripture of Life and Death were uniquely intertwined.

‘It is the power of absorption. To link with the foe and claim what belongs to them—that is the core of the second half.’

The Eight Houses focused solely on the art of the severing. They ignored the art of binding. Having never been taught, he had never known how to achieve it. But the solution was standing right in front of him. By observing Hyun, things began to click into place naturally. Realizations were taking root.

‘……He is truly an enigma.’

The boy was like a puzzle with infinite layers. Lyca felt a burning curiosity to see just how far the boy could go. To witness that, he had to survive the Five Gates. He had to keep pushing forward through this new enlightenment. He finally had a reason to refuse to give up.

Lyca and Hyun. The two of them continued to mend their own flaws by looking to the other. They studied and refined their skills side-by-side. After fifteen days of relentless travel—

“We have reached the ‘Sanctuary of Honor.'”

They had arrived. The Sanctuary of Honor…… the site where the Eight Houses had retreated from the world.

—

The Sanctuary of Honor was framed by a colossal palace. It served as a proving ground where individuals demonstrated their worth and earned status. Because it was the destination for those who prized their reputation, the area was bustling with people.

The process for proving one’s worth was straightforward: one had to swear an oath before the Holy Grail known as “Honor” and ask for its blessing.

“I, ‘Amurum,’ stand before you as a ‘King’ by right of conquest! Acknowledge my status, Holy Grail of Honor!”

When the man named “Amurum,” a conqueror who had taken cities by the sword, roared his claim before the Grail—

Flash!

A brilliant light erupted from the vessel. But the light didn’t envelop Amurum. Instead—

Boom!

……It struck him back. Amurum’s face turned a deep, humiliated crimson.

“How dare you……! A mere trinket denies me?”

Schwing!

The second his hand went to his hilt in a rage—

Slash!

Amurum’s head tumbled from his shoulders. He was dead before he could process the blow.

“To draw steel within the Holy Sanctuary is to invite an immediate death sentence.”

The guardian of the Grail spoke calmly. The speed of his draw had been so immense that no one had actually seen the blade move. It was a technique at the absolute peak of the art. Then, the man turned his gaze toward Lyca.

“Turn back, Lord Lyca. This soil is no longer yours to tread. Furthermore……”

The man’s tone was dripping with enmity, despite recognizing who stood before him. He spared me a glance and shook his head, clearly understanding the purpose of our visit. Seeing this cold reception, Lyca’s jaw set firmly.

“……Call forth all eight elders. Do it before I tear this entire place down.”

“This is your last warning. Your reputation does not intimidate me.”

“Ha! A pup like you?”

Lyca gave a mocking laugh and shrugged.

“Fine. If I cut you down, they’ll have no choice but to show themselves. Since you seem to be the one meant to replace me—”

“Enough!”

A voice cut through the air. An elderly man in pristine white robes, his hair a shock of silver, appeared as if descending from the heavens atop a drifting cloud.