Chapter 316

Chapter 316
Chapter 316

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The Profound Enlightenment (Dae-oh-gak-seong)

“Lyca?”

“The personal pupil of Dantalian, the former Head?”

“Wasn’t he turned away by the Holy Land?”

“Did Head Dantalian not abdicate his throne voluntarily just to ensure the gates were locked?”

“If so, doesn’t that mean he has no legitimate tie to the Eight Houses?”

The Holy Land was in an uproar. As soon as Great Elder Albino spoke Lyca’s name, the majority of the crowd recognized it instantly. Dantalian, the previous leader of the Eight Houses, had once traveled to the Holy Land specifically to have Lyca accepted as his protégé. Yet, the Holy Land had refused Lyca. It was a predictable outcome, given that Lyca was born a slave. He was a man devoid of standing, a person who had never walked the path of high-born principles.

However, Dantalian had sealed the Eight Houses’ entrance for the sole purpose of mentoring Lyca. This act was effectively a resignation from his role as Head. Because Dantalian no longer led the Eight Houses, his student Lyca was viewed as having no formal claim to the clan. Despite this, he had the audacity to reappear after decades, seeking the mantle of leadership.

“Quiet—.”

Vroooom!

The command of Great Elder Albino thundered across the Holy Land. The onlookers pressed their hands to their ears as the sheer volume vibrated through their skulls, inducing sharp pains.

“We shall begin the ‘Rite of the Head.’ Let those among the Sixteen Pavilion Lords who intend to challenge step forth.”

In the end, he was compelled to start the ceremony. Lyca demanded it, and it was a request the Great Elder could not dismiss using his administrative powers. Moreover… the Great Elder was privately stunned.

‘A person’s life essence is normally a fixed quantity.’

The well of one’s life is set at birth. It cannot be expanded by normal logic—unless one employs the ‘stagnation’ technique used here in the Holy Land. That specific method was how the Great Elder and his subordinates had sustained their unnaturally long lives. It was the reason the Sixteen Pavilion Lords and other pupils could outlast any typical human life. However, they were simply paused in time; if they departed or were drained, their vitality would vanish. A prime example was the Opening of the Five Gates, which drew out the entirety of one’s fundamental energy.

‘His total reservoir of essence has grown.’

Just before facing the trial of the World Tree, Lyca had been at death’s door. He had been preparing for his light to fade. That was no longer the reality. In a heartbeat, he had climbed over the impossible barrier. It wasn’t just a standard advancement. It was the legendary state of sudden realization. Typically, such a spark is fleeting, requiring years of quiet contemplation to fully grasp the truth of that momentary flash.

But Lyca had reached total clarity in an instant.

‘The Profound Enlightenment (Dae-oh-gak-seong).’

A true, pure awakening requires no time to refine. This is because it involves perceiving reality exactly as it is, without filters. When a person overcomes countless obstacles and navigates the storms of life, they usually become rigid, clinging to the knowledge they have accumulated. This is particularly true for a warrior of Lyca’s level; they are defined by their iron will. Through decades of combat, they come to believe only their specific style is valid. To cast aside that ego, to purge everything one knows, and to embrace a new truth from zero—it is a feat easily described but rarely achieved. It isn’t a simple matter of willpower. One only wakes up through genuine contrition and absolute realization.

‘……He has reached the stage of Maturity.’

The Scripture of Life and Death (Sa-saeng-gyeong). A level said to be beyond the reach of the living. Lyca had attained the Maturity of that discipline. When the Great Elder first encountered him, he was a mere novice, but by hollowing out his soul and replenishing it, he had finally reached perfection.

Maturity of the Scripture of Life and Death. A terrifying tier of combat prowess where one man could topple an entire nation. Even during the peak of civilization before the ‘Ruin’ arrived, there were vanishingly few experts who had mastered the Maturity of the Scripture of Life and Death—those who truly perceived the thin line separating existence from the void. Now, Lyca had become a mortal Immortal (Sin-seon). By perfecting the Five Gates, he had effectively stepped away from his fated demise.

“Every one of the Sixteen Pavilion Lords elects to engage in the ‘Rite of the Head.'”

……Nonetheless. The Sixteen Pavilion Lords, particularly the top eight, were titans who had honed their skills in the Holy Land for centuries. They were the ultimate weapons forged by the Great Elder to prepare for the return of Ruin. He refused to permit another hollow catastrophe like the one that occurred during the previous era.

Back then, the world was filled with masters and a culture so advanced it touched the stars. Even so, ‘Ruin’ had been an unstoppable force. Regardless of the excuses—that they were caught off guard or that their pride led to them being picked off one by one—when Albino thought back to those days, he shook with suppressed rage.

‘I have endured for millennia with the single goal of destroying Ruin.’

That singular focus led him to align with the Eight Houses. Great Elder Albino was among the few survivors who had looked ‘Ruin’ in the eye. Therefore, he understood.

‘The techniques of the Eight Houses are the only ones capable of resisting Ruin.’

For that reason, he had partnered with the Prophet, the founding Head of the Eight Houses. His entire tenure as Great Elder, his oversight of the succession, and his cultivation of students served one end: the death of Ruin! He had distilled the absolute peak of martial knowledge to instruct the Pavilion Lords. While the lower-ranked lords were replaced over time, the upper tier had remained unchanged for ages.

Even if he had mastered the Maturity of the Scripture of Life and Death, could Lyca truly withstand all the Pavilion Lords that Albino had poured his life’s work into?

“Hold on.”

It happened then. Just as the combat was about to ignite. Lyca spoke up.

“I must clarify one detail. I am not the person who attained ‘Completed Honor.'”

“Lyca……!”

The Great Elder tried to intercept his words. He was currently trying to legitimize Lyca’s claim to the Headship after his previous failure. There was no benefit in revealing such secrets now. However, Lyca’s resolve was unshakable. Lyca looked up toward the second story of the structure. He offered a soft, knowing smile toward Hyun, who was watching from the corner.

“It was my ‘disciple.’ I failed to meet even the basic requirement.”

……He had gone and said it. The Great Elder let out a mental groan. Now, there was no other way but to prove his worth through sheer dominance. Yet, that would be an uphill battle. Especially since the elite Pavilion Lords were specifically conditioned to combat ‘Ruin.’

“However, my pupil shared a sentiment: that the honor of the student is the honor of the Master.”

Lyca let out a short laugh. It felt slightly forced, but he finally appeared to have found his center.

“I cannot allow myself to be a teacher who falls behind his student, so I must give this everything I have.”

With that, he made his intent clear—there would be no holding back. He would fight with his full strength. Consequently—

He smirked.

“Please, do your best to stay alive.”

Lyca’s blade was different now. In the past, his swordsmanship was defined by restraint. There was a rigid adherence to form and a specific structure he forced himself to follow. But that had changed.

‘Sword Dance.’

The spectacle Lyca created as the battle against the Sixteen Pavilion Lords erupted was akin to a rhythmic dance. Yet, the Eight Houses possessed no such dance in their repertoire. Every one of their moves was designed for the clinical act of severing the grain.

‘It’s breathtaking.’

Observing the clash, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect. This was a radical departure from his previous style. His rhythm, his grip, his very soul seemed synchronized with the metal. He possessed a sense of calm. The way he connected and severed felt entirely organic. He wasn’t tense; he moved like water, meeting incoming strikes and redirecting them effortlessly.

‘His power is immense.’

Still, the Sixteen Pavilion Lords were no easy targets. The top eight in the front rank, in particular, exerted a pressure that felt like it could tear the world apart. At this moment, they were a match for the awakened Lyca.

Vroooooom!

The foundations of the Holy Land trembled. The shockwaves from the blades felt as though they were twisting my very vitals. Even with the Great Elder and his peers projecting their mana to buffer the impact, the resulting pressure was suffocating. Most spectators had already retreated to a safer distance.

‘This is the true depth of the Eight Houses.’

The four pillars that upheld the Empire. If one of them, the Eight Houses, held this much power, what did that say about the others? The Arhon Imperial Family, Isabella’s Dercian line, and the Rahon clan. One thing was certain: even if the other families united, they would struggle to match the esoteric power currently displayed by the Eight Houses.

If I secured the alliance of the Eight Houses, I would have an unparalleled army at my command—a military force of a scale I had never controlled before! That included the Druids as well. While a single Blade Dragon God, the two youths, and the Blood Demons were a formidable group, the Eight Houses seemed superior in a direct, large-scale war.

The potential of the Eight Houses was undeniably tempting.

‘Eight of them have triggered the Opening of the Five Gates.’

The arena was bathed in a brilliant gold radiance. Nine combatants, Lyca included, were operating under the Opening of the Five Gates. The remaining challengers had reached the Four Gates. I found myself confused.

‘I thought opening the Five Gates was a suicide mission?’

Were they really throwing their lives away just to stop Lyca? Or was it simply that Lyca had previously failed to control the Five Gates because he was ‘unrefined’?

‘The grain, the grain, the grain……’

Those thoughts soon drifted away. A sudden wave of clarity washed over me. I began to see the difference between Lyca’s blade and the grains manipulated by the Sixteen Pavilion Lords. I could see the patterns. I felt an phantom sword in my grip, as solid as if it were forged of steel. It felt as though I could finally grasp the intangible.

The invisible. The indestructible. I felt as though I could finally see it, and more importantly, cut it.

‘Just a bit more……’

Swish!

I began to move my hand through the air. Mirroring Lyca, I started to follow the flow of his sword dance. At that very moment, Lyca intensified the rhythm of his movements, as if challenging me to keep pace. The golden waves of energy grew even more turbulent.

“Ugh……!”

A combatant collapsed. Then another followed. Those attempting to withstand Lyca’s onslaught began to falter, their defenses crumbling. In a flash, all the lower-ranked Pavilion Lords were sent flying out of the combat zone. With only the upper eight remaining, the duel reached a fever pitch. Even so—

‘Just a little more……!’

I was entirely lost in this new perception. Lyca continued to push the pace. He was drawing upon the full, ancient legacy of the Eight Houses. I strained every fiber of my being to track the path of his sword.

“Have you reached the absolute peak, the Guk-ui, of the Five Gates?”

Only two people remained. When just two of the Sixteen Pavilion Lords were left standing, they asked in disbelief. Lyca’s prowess had far outstripped anything they had anticipated. Even the Great Elder looked shaken. The skill Lyca was displaying felt like something beyond mere Maturity. It was deeper. The martial truth that Lyca had found, which had in turn reshaped him, held a quiet mystery that defied simple logic. It wasn’t just the grain passed down through the Eight Houses.

However—

“I have not yet reached the true summit.”

Lyca gave a slight shake of his head. The ultimate end. The final strike Wilhelm had shown at the Tower of the War God. Though he had only witnessed it once, that was the true peak. He was still a long way from matching that level of mastery. Besides, Lyca was far from unhurt. His body was covered in a network of cuts and bruises. Had he truly reached the summit, he would have remained untouched. Furthermore, the two survivors were absolute titans. Most of the damage Lyca had taken was dealt by them.

“Now, shall we continue our play?”

Lyca smiled broadly. Fighting the strong was genuinely exhilarating. But the act of guiding his student was even better. He was using this life-or-death struggle as a live lesson for his pupil. And in the heat of that ongoing battle—

‘Ah……!’

[You have achieved mastery over the ‘Grain.’]
[It is a thing of noble sublimity. It is both present and absent.]
[The ‘Vessel of the War God’ now holds the ‘Heart Sword.’]
[You are now capable of manifesting the ‘War God’s Heart Sword.’]
[The power of the ‘War God’s Heart Sword’ is scaled by your swordsmanship skill.]
[Current Swordsmanship Level: 35.]
[By utilizing the ‘War God’s Heart Sword (Disarmament),’ you can cleave that which is ‘Indestructible.’]

In that moment of profound clarity, I allowed the newfound enlightenment to flow into my fingertips.

Slice—!

[You have successfully severed the ‘Sanctuary (Indestructible).’]