Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 397

Galen, the enemy mage, floated in the air. He thought to himself, “Root splitting won’t work. I’ll evade it easily. Metal splitting… no, not that either.”

Aileen watched the enemy, Galen, floating in the air. She focused hard on the magic power coming from him. A feeling, strong and sudden, told her what to do.

“If my normal attacks probably won’t work,” Aileen thought, her eyes narrowed. “Then I need to try something different.”

Galen’s spell was meant to hurt Aileen and the three people on the wall at the same time. The magic power split into four parts, going in different directions, but it was all one attack.

*If I can understand how his magic flows,* she thought, her heart beating faster, *maybe, just maybe, I can cut it off.*

Aileen took a deep breath. *Yes,* she thought firmly. *It is possible. I have to try.*

Aileen used a special fighting style called the “Sacred Sword Technique.” This technique made her much stronger and faster. People who used “Aura,” like Aileen, Ronian, and Viktor, were already stronger than normal people. But this technique made them even stronger, so they could fight other Aura users who were just as skilled.

Aileen could feel the huge flow of magic power very clearly.

She could sense it just before it became a powerful, destructive wind that would rip everything apart.

The magic flow was incredibly fast and hard to see, like trying to see the wind itself. Galen was trying to hide it, but…

“I see it!” Aileen thought, her eyes widening.

*Woooong.* A deep sound vibrated from Aileen’s sword.

Red light burst from her sword, shooting upwards like a flame, growing bigger and bigger until it was like a giant sword, no, even bigger, like a massive red club, twenty meters long!

Aileen swung the huge red club again and again, not at Galen, but at the empty air around them.

*WHAM!* Each swing was powerful.

It looked like she was hitting nothing, but then… *CRACK! CRACK!* The air itself seemed to break.

Suddenly, Galen’s attack, the “Sapsong” spell that was about to tear apart her friends, stopped. It was cut off in mid-air, like it had hit an invisible wall.

“Phew!” Clayton gasped, his face white.

“We’re alive!” Victoria cried, her voice shaking. They both leaned against the wall, weak with relief.

Galen’s face went from angry to shocked, then twisted with rage. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

The other mages looked shaken, maybe hurt a little, but Galen, the powerful knight, was completely unharmed.

“HOW?!” Galen roared, his voice full of fury and disbelief.

It was a shocking thing to see. Everyone knew the “Sapsong” spell was almost impossible to stop. People said only a mage even stronger than Galen could break it, by understanding the magic flow and having enough power to destroy it. No one thought a knight with a sword could do it.

Aileen stood there, breathing hard. Her attack had been risky and used up a lot of her energy. She swayed on her feet, and sweat poured down her face. But she had done it.

“…How dare you!” Galen screamed, his face red with rage. People said he was one of the most powerful mages in the whole Empire, second only to two others. He was not used to being challenged like this. He started to gather his magic power again, even stronger than before.

Just as Galen was about to attack again, a loud shout boomed from inside the castle walls.

“It’s done!”

Suddenly, a strange feeling spread through Kyle Castle, like a wave of unseen energy.

At that moment…

“My power is back!” one of the Imperial knights yelled.

“I can move again!” shouted another.

The faces of the Imperial knights on the castle walls, who had been losing badly, changed completely. The magic that had been holding them back, from the Great Magic Circle, was now much weaker.

But for the Imperial soldiers fighting on the ground, it was very different.

“Magic!” one of them screamed.

“Oh no, what’s happening?!” another cried.

*Poof.* Sounds of explosions and pain suddenly filled the air.

The Imperial mages, about 3,000 of them, who had just come to the front lines, were in terrible trouble. They coughed up blood as they tried to cast spells. The spells they were preparing to help their army suddenly stopped working and turned against them, hurting them instead.

“Cough, cough!”

“What is this?!”

“What’s going on with the magic?!”

This strange wave was caused by something called the “Anti-Magic Barrier.” It was a very old magic that people thought was lost forever. But Victoria, who was a very clever and talented young mage, had found it in some old books.

Victoria and McLaine’s mages had created this barrier as a last resort. They knew the Imperial mages were much stronger than them. This barrier was meant to stop the Imperial mages from using their magic.

It was a risky plan. The barrier would even weaken their own Great Magic Circle, which was helping them. But they were so worried about the Imperial mages that they had to try it.

Now, the Anti-Magic Barrier was working perfectly, especially against the mages. When the barrier turned on, the magic power exploded back at the mages who were using it, hurting them badly.

The barrier, also called the “Anti-mana Field,” affected everyone, inside and outside the castle. But McLaine’s people were ready for it. They knew it was coming and how to protect themselves a little. The Imperial soldiers, however, were completely surprised. They had no idea this would happen.

Clayton and Victoria felt the barrier too, but they were ready. They stumbled a little and their teeth clenched in pain, but they stayed standing.

“Ack!” Lexie, the mage who controlled water, cried out and fell to the ground, her body shaking.

*Cough.* Celine, the mage who controlled earth, couldn’t even scream. She just coughed and blood came out of her mouth.

“Gack! Th-this…!” Greg, the mage who controlled fire, was hit even worse. Blood ran from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he swayed on his feet.

But some mages were stronger and managed to fight through the pain.

“Damn it!” Galen roared, his face pale but still furious.

He was known as the Empire’s best mage, and he was proving it now. Even though he was hurt, he was still holding onto his magic, keeping it going.

But he looked terrible. Sweat poured down his face, and his hands trembled. He was clearly in great pain.

Aileen saw her chance. *Now!* she thought.

She moved like a flash of lightning, rushing towards Greg, the fire mage, who was weak and about to fall.

“What…?” Greg mumbled, his eyes confused and unfocused. He looked up and saw Aileen’s sword coming towards him. His face was white with fear.

Aileen didn’t hesitate. She struck quickly and powerfully.

*Slash!*

“NO!” Galen screamed, furious. He tried to use magic to stop her, but it was too late. Greg’s head was cut off and fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

*Next!* Aileen thought, her body screaming in pain.

She was exhausted. Every muscle ached, and her bones felt like they were grinding together. But she couldn’t stop now.

*This is my only chance,* she thought fiercely. *I have to attack now. They will never be this weak again.*

With a huge effort, she pushed through the pain and moved forward again.

But when Aileen looked up, the other mages were gone.

*Woooong.* The sound of magic filled the air again.

Galen, his face twisted with anger at Greg’s death, had somehow managed to use his magic again. He had figured out a way to work around the barrier.

Before Aileen could reach Celine or Lexie, Galen lifted them into the air with his magic, pulling them away from danger.

*He’s still using magic?* Aileen thought, shocked. *But the barrier is supposed to stop magic! They said it was impossible to use magic inside it!*

She looked back at Victoria, confused. But Victoria was just staring at Galen, her mouth open in surprise. She looked completely lost.

Galen, even though he was hurt, started to laugh in a strange, unsettling way. His face was twisted and pale.

“Heh heh,” he chuckled, his voice shaky. “This is unbelievable… They actually brought back the old Anti-Magic Circle? Who did this?”

Even though Galen was laughing, Aileen could see he was badly hurt. His laugh sounded wrong, and a thin line of blood trickled from his mouth. He was not as strong as he seemed.

Galen’s angry eyes, which had been fixed on Aileen, suddenly moved. He followed her gaze.

He saw Victoria, standing nearby, her face white, leaning on her teacher for support.

Aileen suddenly understood. She had made a mistake. She had looked at Victoria, and now Galen was looking at her too. It was too late to stop him.

“So, you’re the genius, the ‘genius of the century,’ are you?” Galen said, his voice low and dangerous.

He gave Victoria a cold, cruel smile that sent shivers down Aileen’s spine.

Aileen knew she couldn’t attack again. Galen was hurt, but he was still too powerful. She couldn’t see any way to defeat him right now.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, frozen. Then, surprisingly, Galen turned away.

“Just you wait,” he hissed, his voice full of hate. “This isn’t over. You won’t stop me again!”

As he spoke, his handsome face became ugly with rage, twisted and monstrous.

Suddenly, a raw shout tore through the air from below the castle walls.

“Uwaaaah!”

Every head on the castle wall snapped towards the sound. Below, the Sword Demon moved like a whirlwind of destruction. Each swing of his sword was a terrifying dance of death. It wasn’t just skill; it was raw power unleashed. One sweep of his blade cut through the air, leaving a path of ruin as wide as a small house. When he stomped his foot, the earth itself shuddered and cracked, lines spreading out like broken glass. This was more than just strength; it felt like a force of nature, something unstoppable.

However, Logan wasn’t afraid.

The Sword Demon’s attacks covered a large area, but Logan’s own power was enough to stop them. The Sword Demon also stomped hard, cracking the ground, but Logan thought this was just wasted energy.

If it weren’t for the ice magic that kept sealing his movements, the fight would have ended a long time ago.

Instead, the Sword Demon above the castle walls felt more threatening than before.

‘Why is this?’ Logan wondered.

Triss’s face, with wrinkles deepening in real-time, looked grotesque. The power and speed in his sword were clearly different from when he was on the castle walls.

And Logan himself hadn’t changed.

Could the physical abilities enhanced by the Sword God’s relics make up for this difference? He was certain they couldn’t.

Even the time acceleration of his sword, Lux, which had a special ability to speed up time around it, had already been used.

Logically, he should have been struggling to avoid attacks, but for some reason, he felt relaxed, even able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship.

‘How am I doing this?’

While puzzled, Logan sensed that he was at a turning point. The possibility of reaching a legendary realm was right before his eyes.

Therefore, forgetting that it was a battlefield, he focused on defense for the time being.

And after a long exchange, he realized, after repeatedly seeing the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship, that he was reading all of the Sword Demon’s moves in advance and responding one step ahead.

‘I see,’ Logan thought.

The realization came late because he lacked the knowledge. Reading breaths and reading moves were natural skills for a warrior.

But this wasn’t about those skills. If it were, the Sword Demon would be superior in everyone’s eyes, including his own.

The reason for this was his changed vision, or more precisely, his senses.

‘I can see… the soul,’ Logan realized.

Triss Hornsby’s movements, his thoughts, were clearly visible, to the point where he could even predict the improvisational movements that even Triss himself might not be aware of.

The realm of an Aura Master, a warrior who understands the power of the soul—he felt like he finally understood its meaning.

And it was only when he became aware of it that he saw Triss’s eyes, bloodshot and red.

“You really dodge well, like a rat!” Triss shouted.

It was clear that this old knight also sensed his defeat.

“You too, have you finally seen the true power?”

An incomprehensible anger was felt in his dry voice, but there was no need to deal with that anger.

It was time to end it now.

Clang! Clang clang!

Wham!

Crack!

“I have learned well,” Logan said.

The ground cracked, and the battlefield before his eyes was devastated.

Even in the midst of the fierce collision, Logan’s relaxed voice was clearly etched in Triss’s ear.

“…I cannot allow it!”

Deepened wrinkles, fading eyes.

The old knight, sensing his end, did not accept his defeat.

The life force squeezed out from the edge of his life was condensed at the tip of his sword.

“I will never die alone!”

With those words, the Sword Demon stopped.

The storm-like swordsmanship subsided, and a flame-like aura soared high into the sky. As if everything up until now had been a joke, the fiercely burning aura flame forcibly calmed the thick dust that had risen.

Soon, the moment the vision cleared, the huge aura flame disappeared and the Sword Demon’s sword was drawn long.

Whoosh!

A clean sword strike drawn from above Logan’s head to his toes.

The power he had shown with his finger in the Imperial Palace years ago.

The pinnacle of swordsmanship that the Sword Demon had built over a lifetime, Soul Blade, was unleashed with all of his aura.

A strike swung with his soul by the one who was once called the strongest Aura user on the continent.

The Soul Blade burst into a red light as bright as the setting sun, but filled with a dangerous heat. It was the strike that had allowed Logan to see the world again, at the end of the Sword Demon’s life.

A dazzling red light that dyed the surroundings.

The madness of the battlefield subsided for a moment, and everyone stopped their fierce fighting and stared blankly at the explosion of light.

That one sword had the magic to attract people’s souls that much.

But only one person, Logan, felt pity as he faced it.

‘It’s powerful, but…’ Logan thought.

Perhaps the Sword Demon had been constantly yearning for the other side of the wall long ago after facing it. In the end, he succeeded in imitating that realm of ascension, which he could not reach no matter what.

That’s right. That was an imitation.

‘He only put his soul into it, not the power to split the soul,’ Logan realized.

The agony of a knight who had struggled for decades in front of a daunting wall.

That despair.

And the hope that he did not let go of until the end was clearly visible in that one sword.

So Logan decided to see off this old knight’s end with all his might, by showing him the end of the power he wanted to reach.

Thud.

The moment he made up his mind and took a step, a hidden power within him, called ‘Up’, suddenly activated and an enormous power surged up. And a clean sword strike containing all that power was drawn towards the Sword Demon.

Logan’s golden sword met the red Soul Blade. Gold clashed against crimson, light against fire. The sound was deafening, like metal screaming against metal, and the air crackled with energy. The golden sword strike drawn at the same angle and range offset the approaching red light.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The strike of one who crossed the wall by trickery faced the years of the old knight who had been frustrated in front of that wall.

In an extremely short time, that clear difference was clearly compared and imprinted on Logan’s soul.

‘Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to cross the wall completely soon,’ Logan thought.

The 8th form of the Divine Sword Secret, Soul Split.

The secret technique, unfolded without any preparation, burned the old knight’s last life force as the blazing golden light advanced.

Was it because of the shock delivered by that brilliant light? Or was his life already over before that?

Even before the light that split the soul touched his body, the Sword Demon’s body collapsed, leaving behind only a terribly distorted expression.

“Master!”

The one-eyed knight, who had been constantly aiming for an opening but failed to intervene, let out a scream-like shout.

“No way!”

The mage, who had experienced a situation where no magic worked for the first time in his life, screamed with a pale face.

Amidst the shocking scene, everyone’s attention was focused.

Logan raised his sword.

Even while feeling the force draining away like a receding tide due to the aftereffects of the trait activation, and the gazes of the Imperial soldiers surrounding him, he did not waver at all.

And then…

“I have defeated the Sword Demon!”

A voice that echoed through the battlefield signaled the end of the battle.