Necromancer Of The Black Bible (68)

[The size of the light indicates the degree of connection with you, Honored Master.]

[How can I tell who’s stronger?]

[You can feel it through the light.]

Following Equinox’s explanation, I felt the lights.

Indeed, an aura emanated from the lights.

William’s light gave off a heavy vibration, while Abaddon’s light had a weaker one.

‘What about Shador, then?’

Shador’s aura was impressive as well.

It carried a heavy vibration, comparable to William’s.

‘These two are neck and neck?’

I had known Shador was strong from early on.

But I didn’t expect William to be this strong.

I thought he had defeated the Sand Dragon with the power of a demonic sword, but I didn’t realize he was on par with Shador even without it.

[You have two subordinates capable of easily defeating high-ranking demons. And if your fourth Mana Ring stabilizes and you master the spells you’ve learned to their fullest, you’ll be able to take on Illinas.]

Truly welcome news.

To think I can finally face Illinas.

It’s the news I’ve been waiting for.

[Honored Master, look here. William’s light is behaving strangely.]

As Equinox said, William’s light was indeed unusual.

Its flickering was different from the others; upon closer inspection, it was expanding and contracting repeatedly.

It looked like a star on the verge of exploding.

[It seems William has gained an enlightenment. To grow stronger from here, you’ll need to intervene, Honored Master. His current body can’t handle it.]

At that moment, William’s voice came through.

-Master, I request an audience.

I replied without hesitation.

[Come in.]

As soon as I gave permission, the door opened, revealing a familiar face.

It was William, in the guise of young Andre.

William had waited for quite a long time.

At last, he could meet his master, Damian.

Damian, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was noticeably different.

It was in his gaze and the aura emanating from him.

His radiant gaze had grown deeper, and his aura seemed to completely overwhelm William’s entire being.

Feeling it directly, he was certain.

‘He’s reached a higher level.’

William knelt before Damian and bowed his head.

“Congratulations.”

“No need for that. You’ve worked hard.”

Just by meeting his eyes, it seemed his master knew everything that had happened.

His master looked at him and continued.

[From now on, speak to me as before. There are many listening ears here.]

[Understood.]

William bowed once more and continued.

[Recently, I gained an enlightenment. It came from attending basic classes in Andre’s body. But strangely, I can’t progress. The energy seems to gather but then scatters, which leaves me frustrated.]

[That’s why you sought me out.]

[Yes, that’s correct.]

There was more to say, but for now, he stopped there.

Because matters should be resolved one at a time.

He had gained enlightenment but couldn’t move forward.

If he told this to someone else, they’d mock him, saying he hadn’t truly achieved enlightenment.

But William knew.

Having reached the realm of a Swordmaster in a human body, he clearly understood his own level.

This matter was incomprehensible to him.

He didn’t know why this was happening or what he needed to do to overcome it.

That was why his master came to mind first.

Like humans turning to a god when faced with difficulties.

He felt Damian’s gaze.

A warm and gentle sensation passed through William’s entire body.

Then it lingered around William’s heart.

After examining William’s heart for a while, he spoke.

[Come here and sit.]

William did as his master instructed, standing and sitting in the chair in front of him. Damian rose from his seat and placed his hand on William’s crown.

At that moment, a potent aura began to flow into him.

He knew instinctively.

That aura was the same as the one that made him.

But it was quite different from what he had contained until now.

It felt purer and hotter.

That hot aura began to fill his heart, and as it filled, his heart started sending it throughout his body.

William fell into a trance.

It was like the sensation of ascending a level in his past life.

At the same time, his body, which had taken Andre’s form, began to revert to its original state.

The youthful child’s skin completely vanished, replaced by a grim, black-gleaming skeleton.

For a while, he absorbed Damian’s aura in that state.

That pure aura filled his heart, which sent it throughout his body, and the energy that circulated through his body returned to his heart.

Thus, thick and pure energies accumulated steadily in his heart, circulating through his entire body.

A light continued to flicker in William’s hollow eyes.

Within that light, he reflected on his past life.

From the moment he first trained with a sword to the time he defeated the Great Demon King Belzemon.

Then founding a nation and losing his life to the Sand Dragon.

And meeting Damian, achieving revenge, and gaining enlightenment at the Theocracy’s academy—all passed before his eyes.

Gradually, changes began to occur in his body.

The energies that had been fiercely circulating began to seep into his bones, and flesh started to grow.

The flesh gradually filled his bones, and he began to regain his living form.

When he had fully regained his form, William opened his eyes.

“Hoo-”

Hot breath flowed from his mouth.

William was shocked by the warmth he had never felt before.

“What in the world…”

He couldn’t continue.

It was only natural.

He was a body that had already died once.

All his flesh had rotted away, leaving only blackened bones to maintain his form.

Yet his body had fully regenerated.

Exactly as it was in his prime when he was alive.

[Alter your appearance and come out.]

It was the voice of his master, Damian.

Looking up, he saw Damian in the backyard.

William rose from the chair and approached him.

Step, step, step.

The heavy sound of his footsteps felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

Just before stepping out, he cast an illusion spell on himself, easily reverting to Andre’s form.

And he stood before Damian, who was in the guise of Raiernov.

Damian spoke.

“Now show me your enlightenment.”

William picked up a branch from the ground.

Then he reflected on the enlightenment he had gained.

‘The sword is merely a tool. Ultimately, it is the swordsman’s mind that cuts the target.’

A maxim passed down among Swordmasters from long ago.

It is not the sword that cuts the target, but the mind.

The so-called realm of the Mind Sword.

As far as he knew, no Swordmaster had reached this realm.

No one had demonstrated the ability to cut without a sword.

Of course, William hadn’t reached that realm yet.

What he had realized was the basic foundation for wielding the Mind Sword.

Swinging the stick in the air, William looked at a small pebble on the ground.

Then he lightly swung the stick.

Swish-

A faint sound of wind was heard.

Not a sharp or tearing sound, just a light breeze.

His movement wasn’t particularly fast either.

He swung at a moderate speed, enough for the trajectory to be visible.

But the effect was astonishing.

Moments later, the pebble he targeted split in half.

Thud-

The split pebble made a dull sound and spun to either side.

There was no tremendous shockwave like the sort from a powerful martial technique.

Nor were nearby objects damaged.

Only the pebble was cut.

Seeing this, a smile formed on William’s lips.

‘This is enough to start.’

The swordsmanship he just performed was worthy of being classified as a new school.

A swordsmanship that cuts a target from a distance with a light swing.

Though it borrowed the power of mana, its method was different from other sword techniques.

While most sword techniques channel mana through the blade, the technique he succeeded in materialized mana near the target, just enough to split the pebble.

This aligned with the principle of the Mind Sword, which cuts with the mind, not the sword.

‘It’s still lacking. I need the motion of swinging a sword. To eliminate even that, I need another enlightenment.’

William considered how to train further.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact direction, but he had a certain feeling.

A feeling that he would definitely succeed.

But he didn’t know where that feeling came from.

At that moment, a voice spoke.

“An impressive realm. But you have a long way to go.”

William quickly knelt and listened attentively.

“Don’t worry too much. The end is not far off.”

“But I still don’t know the direction. Please tell me how to train.”

“Well…”

Damian looked at the split pebble in the distance and continued.

“Don’t be bound by language. You must not forget that your mind can move more freely.”

William was shocked.

Though Damian was his master, he appeared very young.

Because of that, he assumed Damian would be ignorant of the realms Swordmasters had yet to reach.

But now, he clearly understood the situation.

He knew that the swordsmanship William displayed was different from ordinary techniques and that it was the swordsmanship of the Mind Sword, which uses the mind.

Moreover, he pinpointed William’s shortcomings and even suggested the direction to move forward.

“Don’t be too surprised. You’re a part of me. Do you think I wouldn’t know the situation of someone like my own child?”

“I’m sorry.”

William regretted judging his master’s capacity.

He was the one who gave him new life.

There was no way he could measure such a being with mere ordinary reason.

William bowed his head, seeking forgiveness.

Then Damian patted his shoulder and replied.

“No need to apologize. I understand your position well enough. But it seems there’s another issue.”

“That’s right.”

William nodded and shared his concerns about the Academy.

“There’s an empowerment ritual next week.”

“Empowerment ritual?”

“Yes. It’s a ritual to receive power from the god Kallios. They say it involves infusing divine power into the body to awaken abilities, but I’m worried my true identity might be exposed if something goes wrong.”

Damian nodded at William’s explanation.

From his gaze, it seemed he understood the situation beyond what was said.

After a moment of thought, Damian spoke.

“Stay put. I’ll handle that issue.”