Chapter 219: Knight of Honor [3]

Chapter 218

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Episode 55 - Knight of Honor [3]

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No one knew how much time had passed as I searched nonstop for what my master called ’Intent.’

From my perspective, time seemed to pass incredibly slowly.

My mind was focused solely on finding Intent, and little by little, something began to emerge.

’Is this Intent?’

I didn’t know how to explain it, but there was something there that I could feel.

The Intent in Sword Intent did not completely refer to the literal meaning of the word.

I continued searching for an answer and eventually reached a conclusion.

Perhaps Intent referred to the intention to make something become reality.

When I put that idea to the test, I felt something I hadn’t been able to feel before.

’Yes, this is Sword Intent.’

Something invisible yet tangible spread along my sword.

Since it was invisible, I couldn’t see it. However, by using my senses, I could feel it.

So I continued searching for an Intent, something beyond a mere intention.

I thought that perhaps a single Intent wouldn’t be enough, so what would happen if I searched for more than one Intent?

My thoughts accelerated, and the time around me became slower and slower.

Using mana, I manifested Will, and by using Imagination, I entered the Mind Palace and chose a form for my Will.

An incomplete Sword Intent was then created, so I searched for an Intent and added it to it.

At last, a true Sword Intent was formed. However, whether it was because of my talent or simply intuition...

I felt that it was missing something.

And that was only natural—it needed more than a single Intent.

’Why do they use only one Intent instead of more?’

I didn’t know, so I decided to test it.

Then came the first result.

I added numerous Intents to my Sword Intent.

The Sword Intent suddenly felt more original—or perhaps, more authentic.

However, it also became more tangible and easier to manipulate.

’Good, it doesn’t feel empty anymore.’

Now, add the concepts of Space and Time.

Using my knowledge of the First and Second Forms of Inverted Heaven, I first added the concept of Space.

The space surrounding the Sword Intent bent and distorted. To the naked eye, it looked as though a black hole were warping reality around the Sword Intent.

’Now, create multiple paths.’

Space opened, and I allowed part of my consciousness to travel through that rift in space.

From there, I searched for multiple paths around the area where I stood.

At last, I created those paths within space and added the concept of Time to the Sword Intent.

’Now I’ll accelerate the movement of the Sword Intent using Time, and with Space, I’ll divide the Sword Intent into several fragments and let them travel.’

I lowered my sword slightly.

The Sword Intent then crossed through space, and at the same time, I connected all the paths together.

Next, the Sword Intent accelerated its descent using Time. Then it entered every path omnipresently without the need to create more than a single Sword Intent.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Space split open as though countless rift-shaped portals had appeared.

Then, from each of those rifts, the Sword Intent emerged and tore through everything in its path.

Like an extraordinarily sharp blade, it sliced through the ground as though it were butter cut by a hot knife.

"..."

But then I noticed that something around me was different.

"What... where am I?"

I looked around. I was no longer in the training hall.

Now I was standing in what appeared to be a valley.

In front of me, a large portion of the valley had been reduced to countless cracks and slashes across the ground.

Within a fifty-meter radius in front of me, the land had been carved up so extensively that it was completely unrecognizable.

"You are inside my Domain."

My master’s voice came from every direction.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see her. I blinked once, and suddenly, she was standing in front of me.

She looked at the place I had attacked with my Sword Intent.

"So... you’ve already used the Third Form, huh."

The corner of her lips curled into a smile, but then she frowned.

"Mhm, but for an Initial Sword Intent, it doesn’t seem particularly... powerful."

"I think it’s because I added numerous Intents instead of just one."

"...."

She suddenly turned her head and stared at me. Then her voice, filled with disbelief, reached my ears.

"What?!"

I nodded without saying a word. That only made her expression change even more.

"And you’re completely fine."

A question mark practically appeared over my head when I heard those words.

"And what’s that supposed to mean? What do you mean by ’completely fine’?"

She suddenly brought a hand to her face and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Then she sighed before looking at me again.

"Ah, seriously... what the hell is inside that head of yours?"

Still confused, I looked at her expressionlessly.

"Ugh, forget it. Normally, adding more than one Intent would cause your mind to collapse. That’s known as Mental Death—you fall into a coma for the rest of your life."

"...."

"Just so you know, using Sword Intent places an enormous burden on your mind. This has nothing to do with having great Will or exceptional mental fortitude."

"At that moment, your mind simply can’t handle more than one Intent. If you use more than one Intent within Sword Intent, your mind will simply collapse, but..."

Her eyes narrowed, and she placed a hand on her chin as she seemed to sink into thought.

"But somehow, you’re completely fine. Do you feel any fatigue or mental exhaustion? Maybe some kind of discomfort..."

I shook my head.

"No, I feel perfectly fine."

"Mhm..."

She walked around me, staring intently as if trying to find something unusual about me.

In the end, she simply sighed and said,

"Ah, forget it. You’re just abnormal."

"....."

I shrugged and then looked at what I had done with Sword Intent.

Or rather, with the Third Form of Inverted Heaven.

’It seems that if I use Sword Intent physically, I can only attack within my field of vision.’

Using Sword Intent through my senses interests me much more.

But that was probably something I could only achieve after completely mastering the Third Form.

After all, each Form of Inverted Heaven has a total of six Masteries.

’But this confirmed it...’

Just as I was thinking about it, a notification appeared.

〖Mana +0.78〗

"....."

I frowned for a second before remembering something.

’Oh, right. The Divine Body absorbs ambient Mana on its own, doesn’t it?’

That means I don’t need to enter meditation to draw Mana into my body.

’Mhm, let’s see how much my Mana has increased.’

There were only a couple of days left before the Prologue ended, and I hadn’t seen any of these notifications since the very first day.

〖Mana +0.28〗

〖Mana +0.95〗

〖Mana +0.17〗

〖Mana +0.70〗

〖Mana +1.08〗

.

.

.

〖Mana +0.52〗

"..."

I looked at the countless notifications I hadn’t seen in several weeks.

’That’s actually quite a lot, isn’t it?’

I checked the Status Window and looked at the amount of Mana I had accumulated.

"...."

And the amount was truly unexpected.

↳ Mana -〖★★★★★/41.39%〗-〖Stage/Intermediate〗

The last time I had checked my Mana, it had been at 15.67%. Since then, it had increased considerably.

But apparently, regardless of the density of the ambient Mana, my Divine Body could absorb either more Mana or simply less.

’That training room lacks ambient Mana.’

If it weren’t for that, I might have already reached the Advanced Stage.

"I think I’ll be able to reach Six Stars within three or four months."

I said as I dismissed the Status Window from my sight.

My master nodded and said,

"The Divine Body will handle absorbing Mana, so for now, simply focus on improving the Third Form of Inverted Heaven."

"Then, once you reach 99.99% Mana, you’ll have to find a way to awaken the Zone of Isolation and the Higher Mind."

Reaching Six Stars requires awakening those two Traits.

Once both Traits are awakened, I must assimilate them into my body as though they were part of one of my limbs.

’The Zone of Isolation is the foundation for creating a Domain after reaching Eight Stars.’

So I need to awaken a Zone of Isolation that suits me best.

"Anyway, now that you can use the Third Form, spend the rest of your time focusing on increasing your Mastery."

"Alright, then the next Mastery is..."

At that moment, I stopped when I saw my master’s expression.

"....."

Then, all of a sudden, the Domain trembled and dissolved, causing us to reappear in the training room.

I turned toward my master and asked,

"What happened?"

"We have a visitor. I think it’s time to finish the Prologue."

I used my senses, and sure enough, someone was walking in this direction with hurried footsteps.

But then I looked around and noticed that the training room floor was covered in numerous cracks after my master’s demonstration of the Third Form.

"Oh, I think this is bad... the training room..."

"I’ll take care of it."

My master’s body shone with a white light before returning to her Spirit form. Then she stretched out her hand, and suddenly...

".....?!"

As if time had reversed itself, the cracks in the floor repaired themselves, and the small fragments of earth and concrete returned to their original places.

I stared at the scene before me speechless, and my master, floating right beside me, gasped in exhaustion.

"A-ah... right, I’m no longer an Eleven-Star Awakened... doing this... was a very bad idea..."

"That was..."

Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask the question, because the door opened and a man clad in armor walked in.

’The protagonist of this Memory Gate has finally returned...’