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Chapter 50: The Sword of the Sun (2)

Yuren Helios.

The descendant of Reynald Helios, the leader of the Five Great Heroes, known as the "Sword of the Sun."

A swordsmanship genius who, at the mere age of 10, overwhelmed his master with his sword skills.

He was called many things: the reincarnation of Reynald, the return of the Sword of the Sun, the one blessed by the Seven Gods with a divine sword.

From a young age, Yuren captivated the entire continent, and in return, he showcased unimaginable skill for his age, building a name for himself.

People hailed him as the genius who would save the Helios family, which had declined slowly over the past 500 years.

But as they say, tragedy often follows genius.

When Yuren was 12 years old, a tragic incident occurred: his younger sister, Yurina Helios, died in an accident.

The cause of death was said to be a fall, a tragedy that occurred on the sacred mountain where the heads of the Helios family were buried.

Devastated by his sister\'s death, Yuren withdrew from the world, even abandoning the sword he had never once let go of.

He secluded himself at home, cutting off all external activities.

Three years passed.

As gossipers delighted in claiming that the light of hope for the Helios family had been extinguished, that the sun had set—Yuren finally broke his silence and reappeared.

The place where he reemerged was at none other than the annual swordsmanship tournament held by the empire.

At the mere age of 15, Yuren took second place in the imperial swordsmanship tournament, showing the world that he was still a force to be reckoned with.

From then on, his rise was meteoric.

At 18, he entered the Hero Academy as the top of his class, and he never once relinquished his spot as the number one ranked cadet, solidifying his position as the heir of the "Sword of the Sun."

But now, that same Yuren—a genius swordsman among elite geniuses—was bowing his head, asking to be taught swordsmanship by a cadet at the bottom of the ranks.

What would anyone think if they saw this?

\'They’d probably think they were dreaming.\'

Honestly, that’s exactly how I felt right now.

\'Well, I was planning to teach him anyway, so it’s not like he had to ask.\'

I never expected Yuren to come to me first, asking to be taught swordsmanship.

And especially not after just one non-mana sparring match between fellow students.

"You want me to teach you swordsmanship?"

"Yes. I\'ll give you whatever reward you want."

"It’s not about the reward. Are you really okay with this?"

"Okay with what?"

"If people find out that the top student is learning swordsmanship from someone at the bottom, the whole academy will be turned upside down."

"I don\'t care."

Yuren responded with a firm expression.

‘He was passionate about the sword even in his previous life, but it seems like it’s even more intense now.’

I shook my head as I looked at Yuren.

"I don\'t mind teaching you, but don’t go around telling people about it."

It would hurt his reputation if anyone found out Yuren was learning from me.

I didn’t want to be a burden to my only friend.

"...Thank you, Dale."

Yuren smiled, as if he had found an oasis in the middle of a desert.

"So, what should I do first?"

"Hmm..."

I thought for a moment before looking around the training ground.

"For now, swing your sword the way you do when you\'re practicing alone."

"Like in my usual practice?"

"Yeah. And use your mana too."

"Got it."

Yuren moved to the center of the training ground, grasping his sword with both hands, and slowly took a deep breath.

Woooong!

Mana flowed through his entire body, and the aura began to radiate from his sword.

A brilliant golden aura, befitting the name of the "Sword of the Sun"....

‘Huh?’

I tilted my head as I observed the golden aura swirling around Yuren’s sword.

\'Was it always this pale?\'

I distinctly remembered Yuren’s aura being much more vivid and radiant in the past, but now it seemed almost diluted, as if mixed with water.

‘Well, maybe it changes later.’

It wasn’t unusual for an aura’s color to change as one’s skills progressed, so I decided not to think too much of it.

\'The color of the aura isn’t what’s important in swordsmanship anyway.\'

I smiled as I watched Yuren, focused on his sword, ready to begin.

‘It’s been a while.’

In the past, I used to love watching Yuren practice his swordsmanship like this.

Just watching him was mesmerizing.

His swordsmanship was that beautiful.

"I’m starting."

Yuren’s sword traced an elegant line as it cut through the air.

Every stroke was flawless, a testament to how much he had been rigorously practicing.

I clenched my fist as I watched the golden aura beautifully paint the air.

‘That’s Yuren’s sword.’

A sword that captivated people with its mere presence.

Graceful enough to make your heart race, yet noble enough to make your heart ache.

The sword of my one and only friend.

\'Of course, compared to the swordsmanship I saw in my past life, there’s still a long way to go.\'

But still, I knew.

Only I could know.

The swordsman in front of me would become a sun even more brilliant than Reynald Helios, the "Sword of the Sun" from 500 years ago.

"Haaah!"

With a short shout, a burst of aura exploded from Yuren’s sword.

Rumble!

The entire training ground echoed as if thunder had struck.

I looked at the swirling golden aura with a wry expression.

\'No matter how many times I see it, that’s an absurd amount of mana.\'

I’d heard that Yuren had more mana than others ever since he first awakened his divine mark.

\'And he’s probably been fed every magical elixir under the sun since he was a child.\'

With his innate mana, the full support of his family, and consistent training through breathing techniques, it was no wonder Yuren had more mana at 20 than most professors.

\'It’s the perfect combination of talent, effort, and support.\'

With all that, it made sense he’d have such ridiculous amounts of mana.

Whoosh! Swish! Slaaash!

The shimmering golden aura dissipated after about five more minutes of elegant sword movements.

"How was that?"

Yuren asked, breathing out slowly.

"You were amazing."

Indeed, Yuren’s swordsmanship was truly worthy of being called genius-level.

"Impressive? I couldn\'t even counterattack properly before losing to you."

"Well, that\'s..."

No matter how much of a genius Yuren was with the sword, he couldn\'t be compared to someone like me, who had trained for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

\'It\'s like comparing a toddler just learning to walk with a fully grown adult.\'

Of course, from Yuren\'s perspective, unaware of that fact, I probably seemed like some sort of sword god.

\'Actually, it\'s better for me if he keeps thinking that way.\'

Just like how the same words can carry different weight depending on the speaker\'s credentials, the more Yuren thought I was amazing, the easier it would be to teach him the sword.

\'Maybe I should push it even further.\'

I grinned as I turned to Yuren.

"Alright. Let\'s have another round then."

"Okay."

"This time, let\'s use mana."

"...Mana?"

Yuren hesitated, his expression stiffening as he trailed off.

He cautiously gauged my reaction before continuing.

"I don’t mean to sound rude but..."

"You\'re wondering if the difference in our mana is too extreme?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry."

"There\'s nothing to apologize for. A lot of mana can affect swordsmanship too."

Hadn\'t he already experienced that firsthand during his \'Incarnation\' state?

\'Mana and swordsmanship are inseparable.\'

Yuren once said that if someone reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, they could perform miracles with pure sword skills alone, without mana.

\'But you\'re wrong about that, Yuren.\'

Without mana, it was impossible even to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

\'If you think about it, it\'s only natural.\'

Telling someone to reach the pinnacle without mana was like telling them to fly without wings.

\'Of course, having mana doesn\'t guarantee reaching the pinnacle either.\'

It was also true that no amount of pure swordsmanship training alone could ever get you there.

"If you insist... fine."

Yuren nodded and raised his sword at me.

Golden aura flickered along his blade.

I stood before him, drawing my own sword.

And then—

Clash.

Kaang! Ka-kang! Kang!

The clear ring of steel resounded as golden and gray auras tangled together.

"Urgh...!"

With every clash of our swords, the skin on my palms tore, sending waves of excruciating pain through me.

"Maybe not using mana was the better—"

"Stop spouting nonsense and fight properly, idiot."

I surged toward Yuren, summoning all the mana I had.

Rumble!

The training grounds shook as if hit by an earthquake.

"Ugh?!"

At first, Yuren had aggressively pressured me, relying on his overwhelming mana, but soon he began to falter.

"What the...?"

Yuren\'s eyes widened in shock as he stared down at his sword, encased in its golden aura, in disbelief.

Just by looking at the amount of aura gathered around their swords, it was clear that the difference in mana between Yuren and me was vast.

\'My sword should be faster and stronger by far...!\'

So why was it him who was being pushed back, not me?

"That\'s enough for today."

"But I can still keep going!"

"I said that\'s enough."

"Ugh..."

"Don\'t rush things. You can\'t master swordsmanship in just one day, right?"

"Yeah... you\'re right."

I sheathed my sword, quietly swallowing dryly so Yuren wouldn\'t notice.

\'Wow, this guy\'s insane.\'

I tried my best to keep a straight face in front of him, but to be honest, I wasn\'t exactly unscathed either.

\'I almost got humiliated trying to show off.\'

If the sparring had lasted even one more minute... no, just thirty more seconds, it wouldn\'t have been Yuren who was losing—it would have been me.

"Tell me. How can I... handle a sword the way you do?"

Yuren asked, his voice filled with a certain desperation.

"How can you handle a sword like I do, huh..."

I never imagined I\'d hear something like this from Yuren.

\'Well, I can\'t exactly tell him to go train for a few thousand years like I did.\'

I searched through my memories of my past life, trying to come up with a plausible answer.

\'Ah, that\'ll work.\'

I grinned and lowered my voice.

"Don\'t think about where you want to aim the sword. Think about where the sword wants to go."

"Don\'t think about where I want to aim... but where the sword wants to go?"

"Yeah."

"What does that even mean? A sword isn\'t a living thing. How can I know where it wants to go?"

I have no idea, you idiot.

\'How does it feel? Confusing, right?\'

Watching Yuren fall into deep contemplation with a serious expression, I couldn\'t help but burst out laughing.

It felt oddly satisfying, like I had just gotten a small revenge.

"You don’t have to understand it right away—"

"...Ah!"

Just then, Yuren let out a small gasp.

His whole body trembled as he clenched his fist.

"Oh, ohhh! Right! I get it now! That\'s what it means!"

"What?"

You get it?

\'How do you know that?\'

Even I don\'t know.