[Vol. 8] Chapter 197: The Saint of the Sword
After speaking, he said no more. His deep, weathered eyes suddenly turned sharp. With his greatsword in hand, a powerful wind howled from around him and rapidly expanded, forming an enormous field stretching several kilometers wide. Within this field, countless wind currents condensed into long swords made of air. All of them pointed their sharp blades down at the dark chasm below.
A domain!
Seeing this scene, the members of the Hero's Party once again erupted in shock.
“No way! This—this has to be a Sword Domain, right?! The legendary realm only sword saints can master! Just who is this guy?! Since the start of the new era, there's only one Sword Saint still alive that’s ever been officially recorded, the Swift Wind Sword Saint from the Austre Empire. Could it be…?”
“Uh… He called himself Bevis just now. If I remember correctly, the famous Sword Saint from the Austre Empire, the one who was undefeated over a hundred years ago, was also named Bevis…”
“Huh?!”
A Sword Saint, huh…
Feeling the power of the Sword Domain that Bevis unleashed, Violet finally confirmed one thing.
The sword aura barrier that sealed the Chaos Magic Valley from the outside, it was left behind by this Storm Sword Saint.
Domains are a way mortals express their understanding of power. In a way, a domain is the most basic form of a divine realm. Being able to summon a domain means the person has started to grasp real laws of the world, something only pseudo gods or higher can normally achieve.
So… the Storm Sword Saint is far stronger than rumors said.
But that makes sense. He hadn’t appeared in public for many years, and over time, a lot of misinformation had spread. People said he was a pure-blooded human with no special lineage and had become a Sword Saint purely through unmatched talent and effort. But now, it seems his story might not be so simple.
The very fact that Bevis appeared here alone in the Holy Empire’s territory, in the middle of this chaotic Chaos Magic Valley, and even sealed the valley with a sword formation to keep others out, clearly shows he has a deep connection to something hidden here.
Also, according to history, the Storm Sword Saint rose to fame over a hundred years ago, while the dragon race vanished from the world over three hundred years ago after the Mythical Beings War. And yet, based on how he just spoke to Xiao Guang, it’s like he’s very familiar with the dragon race, as if he’s known them for a long time. Isn’t that strange?
Still, the priestess didn’t rush to act.
Bevis might have many secrets, but just by sealing the valley with his sword aura and helping that young man escape from underground, Violet had already formed a basic idea of his character. Originally, she suspected that this Sword Saint was working with Austre Empire’s Emperor Leonis to stir up trouble behind the Holy Empire’s back. But now… that no longer seems to be the case.
Even though this was her first time meeting Bevis Bernard in person, Violet had already met many of his disciples.
People like “Vicious Wolf” Nicholas from the Human United Kingdom, or members of the Six Disciples like [Flying Flower Sword] and [Blunt Edge]. While their personalities differed, they all shared a sense of righteousness. None of them liked dirty tricks, they all acted with clear hearts and upright intentions. This kind of character is rarely seen without some guiding influence.
As they say, "Like teacher, like student." If his students were like that, then the Sword Saint himself likely wasn’t someone evil either.
And since Bevis clearly knew a lot about the monster called Tartanos, and seemed to have a history with the dragon race, this was the perfect chance to quietly observe him, to learn more about both his strength and the secrets he might be hiding.
As she thought about this, she turned to look at the group behind her.
“Elunie, I have a task for all of you.”
The Hero girl looked surprised at first, but quickly perked up.
“Yes, Sister Violet! Do you want us to go and help in the battle?”
“Help in the battle?”
Looking at the blind girl holding the [Staff of Eternal Radiance], her face full of excitement, the priestess couldn’t help but shake her head with a wry smile.
“No matter how talented a Hero is, if they haven’t grown yet, they’re still just small fries. That thing down there isn’t something you can handle at your current level. Don’t think that just because you’re holding a divine weapon, you can jump straight to the top...”
“Next, I’m going to send your team back near the entrance of Chaos Magic Valley. It won’t be long before some unwanted guests arrive there. Your mission is to stop them from coming in and causing trouble. Of course, you don’t need to defeat them completely, just keep them from getting through.”
“Well? Is that too hard?”
The five looked at each other, all slightly confused, but Violet’s authority as a Hero Instructor left little room for questioning. Only Chloe, who relied heavily on magic, showed a bitter expression.
“Fighting isn’t the problem, but this cursed place doesn’t allow us to use magic. I’m a mage, don’t tell me I’m supposed to whack people with my staff...?”
Hearing that, the priestess just smiled slightly.
“This environment affects everyone, not just you. The enemies will have an even harder time. Otherwise, why do you think they didn’t come earlier and are only making their move now?
“Don’t worry. The situation in Chaos Magic Valley is about to change completely.”
……………………………………
Meanwhile...
“Move! Move! Get into position, everyone!”
Outside the Chaos Magic Valley, it was packed with people.
At least several hundred elite Imperial engineers, all wearing special mechanical power armor, had surrounded the only entrance to the valley. Countless dark shapes flew in the sky overhead, and wave after wave of metal hounds jumped out from activated portals and lined up in formation.
These were the latest Field [Graemes] developed by the Austre Empire. They were created as part of the Austre Empire’s new lightning raid strategy, proposed by the Imperial Research Institute. These machines were far more capable than regular [Graemes], and they could also perform long-range jumps using specially-designed miniature space portals.
Just like now: a small advance team had quietly arrived near the target area, and once the right moment came, the portal was opened. These alloy-made [Graemes] were instantly teleported from the Empire’s borders deep into the Holy Empire’s territory, accomplishing a long-distance sneak attack that was almost revolutionary.
Right now, space magic in the world was still very limited. Using it to teleport living beings over long distances took a massive amount of energy, and the inside of space turbulence was extremely dangerous, most people couldn’t survive it. Trying to make it safer would raise the cost exponentially.
So using space magic for surprise attacks had always been considered impossible. But now, the Austre Empire had found another way: by using lifeless machines like the [Graemes] to bypass the risks. This tactic, once revealed to the world, would definitely cause a huge stir.
The frontlines were currently locked in bloody stalemates. But instead of using this trump card to break through on the battlefield, the Emperor had chosen to use it for a stealth mission, showing just how important this operation in Chaos Magic Valley really was.