Chapter 83: Saeorin (3)
The sky was a domain not permitted to humans. As I rode my sword upward, defying the heavens, I felt a pang of fear. The vast expanse of the azure sky stretched out endlessly before me, immense beyond measure.
It made me feel infinitesimally small.
Beyond the white, flowing clouds, a strange movement caught my retina. The more I enhanced my vision with mana, the clearer that movement became.
A space stained black, within which countless stars glimmered. In the past, when I lived as a hunter on the snowy plains, I had believed all the stars in this sky were the souls of my departed kin.
But now, things were different. Through the sword, I had absorbed countless memories. I had come to realize that beyond this world, another existed.
‘The cosmos…’
In the endlessly expanding void, neither the reincarnator I pursued nor the empire I belonged to amounted to even a speck of dust.
There were still so many worlds I didn’t know. Research into the other dimensions from which reincarnators crossed remained unfinished.
Suddenly, a small curiosity stirred within me. Where exactly did the worlds these reincarnators came from reside? Among the twinkling stars, or perhaps beyond them—I grew curious about those realms.
If crossing over was possible, then crossing back should be too.
The more I learned, the deeper my thoughts wandered. Just two years ago around this time, I would’ve been tirelessly roaming the snowy plains in search of good prey.
I shook my head, casting the thoughts aside. My white hair shimmered softly in the sunlight as it fluttered.
Parna and Vigat stared at their small senior, letting out dazed exclamations of awe. For the first time, they realized a girl could look cool—not just because of her external beauty, but because of the human she was.
Rumors had abounded about the Sword Sovereign’s martial arts being housed in the Azure Wings library.
They’d been adapted so that even those with mana could use them, but only a handful could truly master them.
Without a foundational understanding of martial arts as a discipline, it was something one couldn’t rashly approach. Being swordsmen themselves, Parna and Vigat understood that much.
A sword that flew through the sky—moreover, one they were riding to soar through it. Without knowing the details, one might mistake it for magic.
“When will we ever reach that level…?”
“If we work hard…”
We were midway to the Floating Island, riding our swords, when a massive bird emerged from beyond the blue sky.
It had a sharp beak, talons, and tough feathers. Its overall form resembled a common raptor, but its size was extraordinarily vast.
The enormous bird flew straight toward me.
“Peeeaaak!”
“S-Saeorin!”
“Senior!”
Parna and Vigat could do nothing. The surface of the swords they stood on was far too narrow. Moreover, their only weapons were being used as their footholds.
Unlike their worry, I showed no particular reaction. With my hands behind my back, I calmly gazed at the giant bird hurtling toward me.
In that moment, the White Dragon Sword, sheathed at my waist, unsheathed itself and shot forward swiftly.
Paahht—!
Wrapped in mana, the White Dragon Sword left its characteristic faint afterimage. A white dragon appeared in the sky, piercing through the bird’s wing.
Perk—!
Yet the giant bird didn’t stop. As time passed, the distance between it and me closed rapidly.
Just then, the White Dragon Sword, having pierced through, returned swiftly and stabbed into the bird’s feather-covered chest.
Paak—!
The strength drained from its sharply glinting beak and talons. The razor-like gaze typical of a raptor lost its light. Amid the scattering black feathers, my expressionless face emerged.
‘Slow…’
The speed of the sword was far too sluggish. More so than I’d thought. It was because I hadn’t mastered the advanced stages of the Formless Sword Technique.
The transitions between incantations weren’t fluid either. It seemed I needed a new core technique to tie everything together.
‘I need to wield the Tai Baek Snow Dragon Sword and the Formless Sword Technique simultaneously. Unify the properties of mana, minimize unnecessary steps…’
The first step was the hardest. Yet I couldn’t even begin that process. I had the materials, but I lacked the ability to weave them together. I needed a spark of ingenuity, a flash of inspiration.
After that initial assault, no further threats appeared. And so, now—
My party arrived at Floating Island, said to drift alone through the sky. The sprawling expanse of its vast forest seemed to hold a new world. The mana overflowing around it flowed in a steady stream, cycling back into the island.
‘The maintenance of the sword…’
The flow of mana here was quite strong. Once we stepped onto the island, it didn’t seem like I’d be able to fly freely as before.
Beneath the towering mountains, traces of human presence remained. No signs of living movement were detected.
Likely, these were the ruins left by ancient mages. The mana flow was directed toward that spot. My enhanced vision discerned the direction of the current.
I maneuvered the sword and landed on the island.
The moment my feet touched the ground, I gripped the Black Dragon Sword in my hand. This was a place where a reincarnator could spring out at any moment. And the reincarnator wasn’t the only danger.
The Floating Island was a space cut off from the outside. It had developed its own independent ecosystem.
Like the giant raptor we’d encountered on the way up, monsters capable of threatening humans teemed here.
The monster logs compiled by mages were said to be of little use, as the creatures here underwent rapid cycles of evolution and extinction.
Far too rapid.
“Let’s move.”
“Ah, y-yes!”
“Yup!”
I glanced back. Unlike before, I was now in a position to look after juniors. It wasn’t like the past, when I only had to think of my own safety. Now, I had people to care for.
The pressure Parna and Vigat felt grew heavier by the moment. Youngest to pass, fastest to rise through the ranks, favored by the vice-commander—the face of Azure Wings. A senior adorned with countless titles.
The one they’d eventually have to surpass felt impossibly distant. At times, her movements exuded profound mastery.
Yet such a person remained a mid-rank member. Just how strong did one need to be to reach the upper ranks?
Thinking of that distant future, Parna and Vigat let out deep sighs.
I led my two juniors around, teaching them many things. It wasn’t much different from instructing children back in the tribe. I focused on survival skills—how to find your way in the wild, how to identify potable water.
At first, they’d looked disappointed when I didn’t teach them swordsmanship, but soon their eyes sparkled as they followed close behind me.
The island’s climate maintained a pleasantly cool temperature. Moderately chilly, moderately humid. Perhaps because it was an island floating alone in the open sky, the air felt excessively pristine.
Places untouched by human hands were, by nature, always beautiful. My party climbed a large tree and gazed out over the entire island.
“It’s farther than I thought… We won’t make it by today.”
I spoke as I looked into the distance. There was a stark difference between observing from the sky and experiencing it firsthand.
‘Or perhaps, like the Fairy Forest, the space itself is distorted.’
Either way, the fact that we needed to keep moving diligently didn’t change. I hurried toward the mountain range with my two juniors.
The monsters we occasionally encountered attacked us regardless of their size. In an environment where they rarely met humans, many didn’t know the strength humans possessed.
It wasn’t a big issue. They merely slowed us down momentarily. When I stepped in and swung my sword, the monsters—regardless of size—were cleaved in two.
Shwaak—!
I examined the monster I’d felled. The deeper we went into the island, the larger the monsters grew. The amount of mana they possessed was increasing too.
My gaze turned toward the far side of the forest. What was the reincarnator’s purpose in coming to this island? Even modern mages hadn’t unraveled its secrets.
My party reached the base of the mountain range late in the evening. The temperature shifted drastically. As the sun set, the entire island exhaled a biting chill.
It wasn’t a problem for me, but it was for the other two. Despite reinforcing their bodies with mana, Parna and Vigat shivered uncontrollably.
Looking up at the mountain range, I spoke.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
“Ugh, ugh… Sounds good… I’ll prepare the campfire…”
“I’ll handle the food.”
Conveniently, there were ruins nearby, partially collapsed. Though roofless, they had walls to block the wind. My party set up camp around the half-crumbled walls.
Having left all the preparations to my juniors, I found myself with nothing to do. I stepped out of the campsite alone and walked through the night. The ruins, blended with nature, offered glimpses of the past.
There must’ve been a grand bridge stretching out, and perhaps a towering structure like a spire. I leapt lightly, landing on a small rock protruding above the flowing river.
As I brushed my hair back against the cool breeze, something caught my sensitive sense of smell—a familiar scent.
My gaze naturally turned toward it. Beyond the dark forest, a silver thread glinted briefly before vanishing.
My form darted toward the pitch-black darkness.