Chapter 467

Twin swords?

Reading the achievement message, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened. He had put the finishing touches on two clearly separate blades, yet the system registered them as a

single

item?

I’ve never seen anything like this before—not even before I regressed.

Perplexed, Se-Hoon curiously examined the new swords held by Aria and Jake.

Woong-

One was a sleek rapier with a platinum-white blade that stretched from a golden guard inlaid with a blue gem. The other was a massive greatsword, its blue blade marked with golden lines and a crystalline core that shimmered transparently like carved sapphire.

Aside from the fact that both bore traces of mutual influence, they looked like entirely separate weapons no matter how one looked at them.

What if I check their information message?

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

[

Dawnlight, Primal Unity

]

[Tier: Aspirant] [Quality: Excellent]

[Twin swords born from a single synesthetic mindscape. Each blade is enhanced according to its respective wielder’s synesthetic mindscape, with both requiring a large amount of mana to activate their unique effects.

When the two swords are near each other, their enhancement effects are greatly amplified.

*The shape and sharpness of each blade change depending on the wielder’s synesthetic mindscape

*Cannot be destroyed unless both are shattered simultaneously

*Dawnlight consumes an immense amount of mana to sever concepts, which Primal Unity absorbs and compresses

*Mana consumption drastically decreases when the two are brought near each other

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Linked Star Unity’]

...So the system really does register them as a single weapon.

Just like in the achievement message, the system recognized Dawnlight and Primal Unity as one unified weapon. Due to that, it seemed they had effects that influenced each other, which Se-Hoon found deeply intriguing.

I expected some kind of synergy, but I never thought it would manifest like this.

Had combining their Fatestones caused an unexpected variable? Equipment of Aspirant-tier

was

known to respond heavily to the wielder’s synesthetic mindscape, making variables aplenty and difficult to pinpoint.

Well, the outcome isn’t bad.

Regardless, the swords were perfectly adapted to Aria and Jake. Not only were their tiers and effects both satisfactory, but the skill attached to them—Linked Star Unity—was even better. That was what Se-Hoon liked the most.

[Linked Star Unity]

[Combines the power of Dawnlight and Primal Unity into one, amplifying their strength. Based on the synchronization rate of the wielder’s synesthetic mindscapes, the degree of amplification changes.

*Power can also be concentrated into one person

*Amplification effect will be canceled if the wielders move too far apart from each other

*While this skill is active, the swords share their unique abilities

*Once the power output exceeds a certain threshold, each sword’s ability can transform into a power equivalent to those of the Perfect Ones’]

The ability to transform the effects of the twin swords into a Perfect One power... is completely insane.

Although there were some conditions that needed to be met, considering the reward, the tradeoff was ridiculous.

The required power output is the key... which, with Aria’s capabilities, should be no problem to achieve.

Se-Hoon could already envision it: the power would be channeled into Aria, who would recreate the power of Severance that was once wielded by the Holy Swordsman. He even envisioned funneling it into Jake to forge a brand new power.

Naturally, he was grounded in the reality that achieving it wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded. Still, with steady preparation starting today, it could prove immensely valuable in the upcoming battles against the Demon Force.

“Hm...”

While Se-Hoon had been examining the information message, Aria was gazing at Dawnlight.

Her new blade, which had been forged

solely

for her, gave her a sense of unity. It felt like an extension of not just her body, but her heart as well—which made Aria unconsciously mutter a praise.

“This is a great sword.”

What more needed to be said? Savoring the feeling, she sheathed Dawnlight at her waist with practiced ease and turned her head toward Se-Hoon.

“I’ll use it well. Thank you,” she said gently, a soft smile on her face.

“Huh? Oh—yes...”

The sincere gratitude caught him off guard, causing him to be a bit taken aback.

What’s gotten into her...?

Truthfully, he had been expecting something snarky like, “Not bad, I guess” or “Why did it take you so long if you could make this so easily?” but there wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm.

Hmm... Well, I mean, I did put more effort into hers.

To outsiders, it would have looked like Se-Hoon had just smacked the swords a bit after Aria and Jake did all the work. In truth, though, everything—even the framework of the sword, crafted from the twos’ Fatestones—was the culmination of modern... no, future blacksmithing technology.

Can I call this a success, then?

He had finally completed a sword Aria was satisfied with—something even his master hadn’t been able to do. Of course, unlike back then, Se-Hoon had resolved the root issue beforehand and made the context completely different. Still, one of his longest-standing concerns was now resolved.

Though what comes next is what matters most.

Solving Aria’s issue didn’t mean that Meirin’s death would also be prevented. And considering her current collaboration with Doppelganger, that was especially the case. Alas, there were unresolved problems on that side, too.

Seriously... what a pain of a master.

As Se-Hoon sighed internally, Aria suddenly jabbed Jake in the ribs, who had been staring blankly at Primal Unity.

“Stop gawking and put it away. There are people waiting.”

“Ah! Sorry.”

Watching Jake hurriedly sheathing Primal Unity, Se-Hoon tilted his head in confusion.

“Waiting? What are you—”

He abruptly turned around—and found three people approaching, having stood up from their seats without him noticing.

“Well, well... I thought you’d quit blacksmithing to take on the path of a warrior. Guess not, huh?”

“If you’re going to take requests, you should take responsibility for them as well. You really think it makes sense to only make

one

of a twin spear set?”

“I usually side with you, Brother, but this time... yeah, you kind of deserve this.”

Luize was grinning menacingly while Sung-Ha was scowling in protest. To the side, Amir was letting out a resigned sigh, as if had seen it coming from miles away.

After all this time, Se-Hoon’s backlog of obligations—promised equipment that he had neglected to follow through with—had been pushed over the edge by the flamboyant completion of Aria and Jake’s new swords.

“

Ahem.

If we’re going by the queue, I think I submitted my request over half a year ago.”

“In terms of priority, finishing my physique should come first...”

Even Lea chimed in, being still without her new Sphere, as well as Terra, who was worried about getting pushed further down the list.

Bombarded from all sides, Se-Hoon was seriously debating whether to teleport away from this impending mob when...

“Everyone, please stop for a second.”

Eun-Ha stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Se-Hoon, her expression firm.

“You all know how busy Lee Se-Hoon is. Do you

really

have to pressure him like this?”

“Mm...”

“Well... I suppose not...”

Their expressions all shifted awkwardly. After all, everyone there had witnessed firsthand how tirelessly Se-Hoon was working to save the world.

Wow...

Se-Hoon was genuinely awed. Somehow, she had made the hostile atmosphere that felt moments away from forcing him into the workshop turn into a group guilt trip.

I owe her a meal later.

And with that thought, Se-Hoon decided to slip away before things turned again—

“

Hm?

Is that so?”

Aria, who had been watching from behind, smiled sweetly.

“For someone saying that, the Dean sure picks up lunch boxes containing a hefty amount of weapons pretty often...”

“...”

Just like that, the atmosphere that had shifted into a reflection circle quickly turned around once again into something more like a public hearing.

All eyes were on Eun-Ha, who, feeling the attention, paused before subtly turning her head.

“It wasn’t

that

often...”

“Grab that bastard right now!!!”

At Luize’s shout, chaos erupted in the clearing. And in the middle of it all, Se-Hoon got grabbed by the collar and shaken violently repeatedly.

“...Idiot.”

Watching it all go down from a higher point overlooking the clearing, Kwang-Soo snorted in amusement.

“Still, doesn’t it look nice?”

A calm reply he wasn’t expecting; Kwang-Soo turned and found out that Ludwig had appeared beside him at some point. Like him, Ludwig was gazing down at the lively scene below.

But that smile on his face... seeing his old comrade, who now appeared like an entirely different person, Kwang-Soo made a complex expression.

“Nice, my ass. If he wants to become their leader, he should act like one.”

“

Hm.

Is that really something

you

should be saying?”

“What about me?”

“Didn’t Ha-Rin also behave like that back then?”

“...”

Kwang-Soo blinked in surprise and turned to fully face Ludwig. It was the first time since that day that Ludwig had brought up Ha-Rin on his own.

If such a thing had happened in the past, he would’ve walked away from such a conversation without hesitation. Today, though, for some reason, Kwang-Soo felt a sense of longing welling up, which made him continue the conversation.

“That’s exactly why it was a problem. You know how much crap Master had to go through because of that.”

“Yes. That definitely did cause some issues.”

If Ha-Rin had wielded her power more assertively and led the heroes from the front, maybe, just maybe, more things could have changed.

Kwang-Soo fell silent, entertaining the possibility—

“But if she hadn’t been that kind of person, would you still cherish her as deeply as you do now?”

Kwang-Soo’s eyes widened at Ludwig’s calm response. Then, giving a bitter smile, he shook his head.

“Probably not.”

He had respected and loved Ha-Rin because of that foolishly sincere and unwavering heart. And although she had never explicitly said so, Sophia likely became Ha-Rin’s disciple for the exact same reason.

“Never had Ha-Rin once forced anyone to follow her. She tried to build legitimate relationships and move forward together as a team.”

“...”

“It felt awkward back then—like she was peering into your heart—but now, I truly think she was remarkable.”

Back in the early days, when no formal system existed for understanding the concept of synesthetic mindscapes, accepting someone else’s heart so openly was tantamount to suicide. Yet, Ha-Rin had done so anyway, without hesitation at that.

It had been for that reason that she was the fastest to perfect her synesthetic mindscape, the first to glimpse the realm of ascension.

Recalling those fond memories, Ludwig looked down at Se-Hoon below.

“Are you saying that Se-Hoon is...”—Kwang-Soo paused, making a strange look—“similar to Master?”

“

Hm?

You’ve never thought that?”

“Of course not. In what world is

that

guy anything like...” Kwang-Soo trailed off.

He instinctively scoffed in denial, but his gaze was drawn to the clearing and the people gathered around Se-Hoon below. Despite their differing synesthetic mindscapes, they all gathered as one around Se-Hoon. Even beyond them, there were countless others whose longing for peace had made them align themselves with him as well.

Maybe I... too...

With that thought brushing through his mind, Kwang-Soo began recalling the past—which overlapped his memories with the scene before him. The moments when he trained under Ha-Rin, when he sparred with Sophia, and when he fought by their side all pierced deep into his heart.

Woong-

A black light seeped from the void pocket at his waist. Noticing, Kwang-Soo made a puzzled look, but before he could react, Ludwig had swiftly waved his hand upon also sensing it.

Swish!

The void pocket burst open, allowing the Celestial Night fragments to fly out and surround Kwang-Soo, forming a field of sword aura.

Woong!

Dozens of black phantom sword auras hovered around him. It was as if they were telling him that now was the time—that his sword aura could finally be completed—making Kwang-Soo stare blankly.

“...So that’s what it was.”

There had never been a need to understand Celestial Night, to understand Ha-Rin’s insight. Just as he and Ha-Rin had once shared their hearts and accepted each other as they were, her insight, too, was meant to be

embraced

.

Swoosh-

Finally responding to his will, the phantom swords gathered in front of him one by one, overlapping and gradually decreasing. Then, at long last, they all fused into a single form and rang out with a completely different level of sword aura.

Woong-

The blade was emitting a mystical aura, like it had been forged from the night sky itself.

Entranced, Kwang-Soo stared at the blade that looked just like Celestial Night had before it was shattered all those years ago.

...Is this really enough?

With sword aura of such a level, he could definitely fight the strengthened Doppelganger. Yet, for some reason, it felt insufficient compared to what he truly desired.

What is it that

I

want?

What kind of sword aura, synesthetic mindscape, desire did he really want in the end? Lost in thought, Kwang-Soo hesitated to grasp the reforged Celestial Night.

Then—from somewhere—a sword aura flew in and stopped right in front of him.

This is...

The sword aura was gray, with a core made from a porous ore that was strangely reminiscent of himself.

Turning toward the direction it had come from, Kwang-Soo saw Se-Hoon looking at him, mouthing something. The words didn’t reach his ears, but the synesthetic mindscape imbued in the sword aura conveyed it clearly:

“Finish it already and come help me!”

...Cocky bastard.

With a smirk, Kwang-Soo reached out and grabbed both the sword aura sent by Se-Hoon and Celestial Night.

This won’t be enough to complete it.

Only by uniting his heart with not just Ha-Rin

but also

Sophia could the sword aura he truly desired be completed. In a way, it was putting the cart before the horse—but Kwang-Soo no longer hesitated.

If I also need her heart to do it, then I’ll fight for it and make her give it to me.

What he needed now was not perfection but the strength to stand beside that brat and fight as equals. Recalling the desire most important to him, Kwang-Soo brought the two together.

Celestial Infinity Blade: Celestial Night Blossom

CRACK!

Both shattered simultaneously—and a new one appeared before him.

Woong-

Its edge was dull and its color faint. By all appearances, his new sword aura looked more like an antique than a weapon. It seemed like a downgrade from the start.

Yet Kwang-Soo silently picked up the new sword aura—Celestial Night Blossom—all the same.

“...”

Had he finally made the right choice? Quietly examining the sword aura, wondering that question, Kwang-Soo suddenly saw gold and blue burst into view before him: Aria and Jake charging up from the clearing with a fierce dual strike.

Reflexively, Kwang-Soo swung Celestial Night Blossom.

CLANG!

A clear metallic ring echoed as a shockwave scattered through the air, leaving Kwang-Soo stunned.

Celestial Night Blossom—his sword aura—had just blocked the enhanced sword aura of Aria and Jake’s new swords, despite its worn appearance.

“This should be good enough.”

“P-Professor!”

Aria calmly lowered her sword, while Jake, far more excited than she was, let out a cry of awe.

“...”

Processing it all, Kwang-Soo stared at Celestial Night Blossom and slowly broke into a smile.

“I guess... I got it right this time.”