Chapter 146: Master of the White Dragon Throne (1)
Arelia von Adalbert had once resolved never to be surprised by Martin again, no matter what he accomplished.
But that promise to herself was quickly broken.
‘How could someone like this even exist?’
It had already been astonishing that he reached the seventh and eighth circles at eighteen.
But the ninth circle at nineteen?
Words like “exceptional potential” or “overwhelming talent” no longer sufficed.
It was as though he laughed in the face of the world’s natural order—a talent that evoked the image of a god of the sword.
‘It’s inevitable that he’ll reach the tenth circle… and somehow, it wouldn’t even surprise me if he surpassed it.’
The tenth circle, regarded as a level close to divinity, was revered as the ultimate peak. No one in Cracian history had ever reached beyond it, so it was widely accepted as the limit.
But as someone who had brushed against that realm herself, Arelia knew the truth—that there was no true end in the world of mastery.
And so, she found herself curious: how high could Martin climb?
Meanwhile, Martin looked at Arelia with silent awe.
‘To think that even after reaching the ninth circle, I still feel completely overwhelmed…’
Rumble!
Arelia’s presence asserted itself effortlessly, her aura palpable. Just watching her made Martin feel short of breath.
Even more astonishing, her aura seemed to grow stronger by the moment, filling the space with an unbreakable, crushing pressure.
A sense of despair and helplessness surged through him, along with an unshakable certainty that she was unbeatable.
Grip.
Despite this, Martin tightened his grip on the hilt of the holy sword, Karadyl.
‘I can’t give in here.’
Arelia had told him repeatedly: her presence was only a partial form of the tenth circle, not the true level of a complete Absolute.
In other words, Karl von Ferdinand—the enemy he would eventually face—was even stronger than she was now.
If he wavered here, his grand ambitions could never be realized.
He had to endure and overcome.
“Your resolve is impressive,” Arelia said with a slight smile.
At the same time, her intangible aura coalesced into a stream of platinum light, a sight of such beauty that Martin couldn’t help but feel the shadow of death behind it.
“Let us begin. As usual, you only need to withstand three strikes.”
With those words, Arelia brought her sword down.
A platinum arc of light slashed through the air at a terrifying speed, tearing space itself as it moved.
“Hyaah!”
With a sharp cry, Martin raised his sword to intercept.
A vast amount of mana surged from his mana cores, condensing into a golden trail as he swung his sword to meet her strike.
Slash!
The golden and platinum trails collided but only for an instant.
Martin’s strike was torn apart in a heartbeat.
The platinum arc continued its course toward him.
Boom!
Martin swung Karadyl with all his strength, using his Spatial Cleave technique.
“Urgh!”
At the same time, he felt his arm bones crack, and a groan escaped his lips.
Still, he managed to divert the arc’s trajectory, though the overwhelming force hurled him backward.
He flew through the air at breakneck speed; had there been a wall behind him, he would have suffered even more serious injuries.
But he couldn’t let his guard down.
Arelia’s second strike was already on its way, a horizontal slash this time.
“Hyaah!”
Martin roared, summoning even more mana.
Although he had nearly limitless reserves, his previous limitations meant he couldn’t release them all at once.
Now, with the ninth circle, he had gained control over a greater flow of power, pouring it all into Karadyl.
He combined all the skills he had honed.
With the Field of Wind, he harmonized with the surrounding energy, and with the Field of Flame, he maximized his strike’s potency.
BOOM!
An explosion sent shockwaves and fragments of aura scattering in all directions.
Amid the chaos, Martin barely remained standing.
“…This is insane.”
He’d only blocked two strikes.
Yet both arms, along with several ribs, had broken, and bone fragments had pierced his organs.
The internal damage forced dark blood up his throat, spilling from his lips.
“It’s not over yet!” Arelia’s powerful voice rang out as she raised her sword again.
Mana gathered around her platinum aura blade, growing larger with each passing second.
‘I can’t block that head-on.’
The first two strikes had already surpassed the ninth circle, though they hadn’t fully embodied the power of the tenth.
But this time was different.
Arelia may have downplayed her ability as “incomplete,” but this attack carried the force of a true Absolute, bordering on divinity itself.
Facing it directly was impossible.
The only way to withstand such power would be to unleash skill beyond mastery.
Yet, no matter how refined one’s skill, it could easily crumble under such overwhelming force.
Rumble!
‘Then I’ll display a skill that surpasses even absolute power!’
As he resolved himself, the third platinum arc descended upon Martin like a thunderbolt.
“Hyaah!”
With a final cry, Martin swung Karadyl with all his might, his blade moving dozens of times per second. In an instant, countless golden trails formed, weaving into an enormous net.
It might have looked like he was simply swinging rapidly, but each movement was exquisitely refined.
Not only did he employ the Fields of Wind and Flame, but he also incorporated the Field of Gravity this time, endlessly compressing and dispersing the vast energy into his strikes.
Boom!
The result was astounding.
The platinum arc tore through the golden trails at an alarming rate, but Martin’s strikes immediately filled each gap.
He was creating new attacks faster than they could be destroyed.
The golden arcs rose and fell in a cycle of destruction and renewal, dispersing Arelia’s attack with each blow.
Finally, he succeeded in neutralizing the attack.
“Hah… hah…”
“I can’t even count how many times you’ve surprised me now,” Arelia said, genuinely impressed.
She hadn’t given her all, of course.
She hadn’t used any special techniques.
But her attacks had carried the full power of a tenth-circle Absolute.
And yet, Martin had blocked them, a feat that astonished even her.
The outcome had been certain from the beginning, yet his instantaneous judgment and execution were impressive.
“If I’d been in the ninth circle, even I wouldn’t have been able to block my own strikes the way you did.”
“Thank you… for the compliment.”
Martin replied through labored breaths.
In truth, his entire body felt broken, and he could collapse at any moment.
If he hadn’t been so determined not to show weakness, he would have lost consciousness already.
“I’ll… rest for a moment…”
With those words, Martin sank to the floor.
Arelia gave a wry smile and waved her hand.
Instantly, all his injuries vanished.
“You truly will rewrite the history of the continent.”
It was no longer a mere guess. It was a certainty.
—
Martin awoke shortly after, and Arelia went straight to the point.
“Now that you’ve reached the ninth circle, nothing can prevent you from becoming the head of the Adalbert family. You’ve proven not only your bloodline and unique ability but your strength as well.”
“Yes. My retainers are making preparations. I’ll formally be appointed as head at the family’s founding anniversary, about a month from now.”
They had already notified the Imperial Family.
Now, there was no one who could oppose it.
“Indeed. But there’s something I want to ask of you. No… I suppose it’s more of a request than a test.”
Martin looked puzzled by Arelia’s words.
If it were a test, why had she chosen to call it a request?
Sensing his confusion, Arelia explained.
“I am already dead; it’s not my place to interfere in the present world. And as you’ve met all the requirements to become the head of the family, I have no grounds to impose anything on you.”
“Even so, there’s something you want me to do.”
“Exactly. There’s something I would like the true head of the Adalbert family to accomplish.”
Arelia removed the sheath from her waist and held it out to him.
“This… why are you giving this to me?”
It was the holy sword Crassion.
Renowned as Arelia’s blade, it was said to surpass even Karadyl in quality and performance.
Though that might change if Karadyl’s true power was ever restored.
“I asked every heir who was to become head of the family to do one thing: unlock the true power of the holy sword Crassion.”
“The true power? Then… is Crassion sealed in some way?”
“You understand correctly. Crassion will evolve into a divine sword once certain conditions are met. However, in its sealed form as a holy sword, this fact remains unknown to the world.”
Though Arelia’s revelation was unexpected, Martin wasn’t too shocked.
If the founding head of the Adalbert family had wielded a divine sword, that wouldn’t have been surprising.
After all, each of the other three great houses, along with the Imperial Family, held divine or equivalent weapons as symbols of their lineage.
“What conditions must I fulfill?”
“It’s simple. Descend to the seventieth floor of the dungeon and slay the dragon there. Absorb its heart, and Crassion will evolve into a divine sword.”
Though Martin had remained unperturbed by the request itself, this explanation left him momentarily speechless.
After all, slaying a dragon was no simple task.
The true dragons were the rulers of their kind, each one far surpassing lesser dragon species in power.
And the seventieth-floor dragon was notorious, not as a mere dungeon monster but as an ancient wyrm.
Throughout history, only the heads of the Adalbert family had managed to slay such creatures within the dungeon of Varehein City.
“As I said, it’s not a requirement. This is merely a personal wish of mine. It’s never been publicized.”
“Has anyone refused this request?”
“…Daniel, your father. He decided not to pursue it, and so, he never inherited the holy sword.”
Arelia’s expression turned troubled as she spoke, her tone hesitant.
Martin’s expression grew neutral.
Though his father hadn’t possessed the strength expected of an Adalbert head, he had been a man of exceptional character in Martin’s eyes.
“I’ll do it.”
And so, he had no choice but to accept the request.
Though his father might have fallen short as head, Martin wanted the world to know that he had left behind a worthy successor.
With that, Martin accepted the holy sword Crassion.
Even merely holding it, he could sense the immense power contained within the blade.
“Return safely.”
“I will.”
Martin steeled himself for the journey ahead.