Episode 146: Master (1)
The moment Damian activated his dark magic, Dominico found himself in a strange place.
It was a realm shrouded in darkness, where no matter where he looked, there was only shadow.
“Where am I?” Dominico muttered, bewildered. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.
“Dominico, that’s not how you hold a sword.”
It was a middle-aged man with a kind face and a mane of rich brown hair.
Adrian.
His mentor and the former count, Adrian, was scolding him.
“Master…?”
Dominico’s face went blank, and tears began to well up in his eyes.
“Master!” he cried, rushing to embrace Adrian. But his arms passed right through him.
“What… what is this…?”
Dominico turned back to Adrian, only to see his form dissolve into smoke.
Moments later, Adrian reappeared, this time seated on the ground.
“Never rush your breathing. Slowly, deeply, feel the magic seep in.”
It was something Adrian had told him long ago.
Realizing this, Dominico understood. What he was seeing was a memory from the past.
He didn’t know how or why, but his training sessions with his master were being replayed before him.
“That’s your mentor, isn’t it?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Dominico turned to find Damian standing beside him.
“How did you get here…?”
“We don’t have much time. This isn’t the moment for idle questions.”
With that, Damian stood silently, watching Adrian.
“Dominico, the most important thing when facing an enemy is not to lose your momentum.”
“Today, you’ll complete a thousand downward strikes!”
“You fool, didn’t I tell you not to break your strikes?”
Under Damian’s watchful gaze, Adrian began to demonstrate his techniques, just as Dominico remembered from the past.
Dominico watched with a wistful gaze.
He missed Adrian as much as anyone. Adrian had taken him in when he was an orphan, living as a beggar.
That’s why, when Gastal promised to resurrect Adrian, Dominico had dared to hope, perhaps even more than anyone else.
But that hope had come at a terrible cost.
“I think I understand now.”
With those words, Damian stepped forward, and Adrian’s image vanished like smoke.
Damian reached into the air, and a great sword appeared. He gripped it and began to swing.
“You’ve handled a great sword before, haven’t you? You’re quite skilled,” Dominico remarked, watching Damian’s swordplay.
But as time passed, Dominico’s astonishment grew.
Damian’s swordsmanship became increasingly refined, quickly reaching a level akin to Adrian’s.
“How… how is this possible…?”
It wasn’t just the form that was similar. The same imposing presence and precision that Adrian had were there.
Was it just his imagination? Had the day’s shocks dulled his judgment?
As Dominico pondered this, Damian swung the great sword with all his might.
A massive slash tore through the world, splitting the ground as if a canyon had formed.
“This… this can’t be real,” Dominico murmured, dumbfounded.
What Damian had just demonstrated was Adrian’s ultimate technique, one only his master could perform.
“I can’t be sure since I never saw your master in person, but I imagine he was at this level,” Damian said, planting the great sword into the ground.
“Now, I’m going to pass on what I’ve realized to you.”
“Pass on…? What do you mean…?”
“Remember, what happens to you now is temporary. Once my dark magic is lifted, you’ll forget everything.”
Damian extended his hand toward Dominico.
“But with your talent… you might gain something from this.”
Damian added with a mischievous grin.
“Not that it matters much, since you’re already dead.”
With those words, the world crumbled away.
Dominico opened his eyes to a blinding light.
“Dominico. Are you ready?”
As soon as he opened his eyes, Damian’s voice reached him. Dominico, still filled with questions, asked,
“What just happened to me?”
“Now’s not the time to dwell on that.”
Damian pointed ahead. Dominico followed his gaze.
The first thing he saw was the shattered remains of skeletons, white and red bone fragments mixed together.
Next, he saw Gastal, and beside him, the body of his master.
“If we don’t destroy that undead, we’re all doomed. You’ll have to take care of it.”
Dominico looked at Adrian with trembling eyes.
His once-great master had been reduced to a plaything for a dark sorcerer.
“So, it wasn’t about bringing him back to life, but using him like this,” Dominico said, suppressing his rising anger.
“You’re not going to tell me you can’t fight because it’s your master’s body, are you?”
“Of course not. I only wish to give him peace.”
Dominico reached into the air, channeling the strange sensation coursing through his body.
“Is this how it’s done?”
Aura gathered in his grasp, compressing into a great sword.
An Aura Blade.
A symbol of the Master Class, it materialized in Dominico’s hand.
“To think I’d create an Aura Blade with my own hands.”
Dominico looked at the Aura Blade with a wry smile.
“Even if it’s not my own power.”
“With your talent, you could have reached the level of a master someday,” Damian said calmly.
“No need for empty consolation. I’m just grateful for now.”
Dominico stepped forward, Aura Blade in hand.
“An Aura Blade? An Aura Blade, you say?”
Gastal’s face twisted in disbelief as soon as he saw Dominico.
“That death knight… it’s Dominico. He was just a High Class, wasn’t he? How did he… an Aura Blade… no… it can’t be…”
Gastal clutched his hair, ruining his neatly combed style.
“You… you created it… in such a short time… what I spent a lifetime achieving… you… you…!”
Gastal’s eyes were bloodshot as he ground his teeth.
“I won’t allow it! I won’t let you live!”
Gastal shouted, extending his hand forward.
“Adrian! Kill them all!”
At his command, Adrian charged. Dominico rushed to meet him.
The two Master Class warriors clashed in mid-air.
A reforged great sword, made from a cursed spear, descended toward Dominico’s head.
Its surface was coated with an Aura Blade, the most powerful weapon known to humanity.
No metal, no monster’s shell could withstand an Aura Blade.
But Dominico had an Aura Blade of his own.
He swung his great sword to counter. Their stances mirrored each other, like reflections in a mirror.
The two Aura Blades collided.
In that instant, the ground shattered as if a volcano had erupted. The clouds above were torn to shreds.
The two masters locked eyes, Aura Blades pressed against each other.
No, “locked eyes” wasn’t quite right. Dominico’s gaze was alive, while Adrian’s was dull and vacant.
Both masters tensed their arms, pushing each other back.
Dominico immediately lunged forward. Adrian mirrored his move.
The two masters swung their great swords, intent on destroying each other.
Their strikes were so fast, they were invisible to the naked eye. All others could see were afterimages and the occasional flash of light.
“To elevate a High Class to a Master Class! I’ve never been so shocked in my life!” Gastal shouted from beyond Adrian.
“But in the end, the master I created is winning!”
As the battle dragged on, Dominico’s body began to break down. Cracks spread across his form, unable to withstand the clash.
“See? The time and resources I invested in Adrian are paying off!” Gastal’s triumphant smile was evident. Meanwhile, Damian watched the battle with an indifferent expression.
“What do you think a master is?”
Suddenly, Damian spoke. Gastal twisted his lips in response.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s right in front of you! The master I created!”
“What you created is nothing more than an undead that can wield an Aura Blade.”
“Of course… the Aura Blade is the symbol of a master!”
At Gastal’s outcry, Damian clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Sure, you might know how to wield an Aura Blade, but just because you can use one doesn’t make you a master.”
“You’re just spouting nonsense because you’re about to lose! It won’t matter, though. You and that knight of yours will die here!”
A mocking sneer spread across Gastal’s lips.
“Listen carefully,” Damian said slowly, directing his words at Gastal.
“A master is someone who has truly attained mastery. Without the ability to demonstrate it, you’re just an empty shell. I’ll show you the difference now.”
Damian turned to Dominico and gave a command.
“Dominico. Finish this.”
As Dominico exchanged blows with Adrian, he spoke in a low voice.
His voice trembled as he confessed his failures.
Adrian showed no reaction, his eyes dull as he stared at Dominico.
Dominico swung his greatsword with all his might, not to cut, but to send Adrian flying.
Adrian raised his own greatsword to block the attack, but the force pushed him back.
The distance between them widened, and the battle paused for a brief moment.
In that short time, Dominico recalled the knowledge Damian had imparted to him in the mental realm.
Adrian was a knight who wielded a greatsword. Naturally, he pursued the path of a single, decisive strike.
When Adrian reached the master class, he attained a state known as “Solemn Weight.”
This state amplified the power of his strikes.
The simpler the movement, the greater the power and range of the strike.
It was a state that required no finesse, only the singular intent to destroy his opponent.
Perhaps it wasn’t a true state of mastery. After all, it was a construct Damian had created from Dominico’s memories.
But having watched Adrian closely for so long, Dominico was certain.
“Solemn Weight” was indeed the mastery Adrian had achieved.
Dominico raised his greatsword high into the sky.
His intent to bring it crashing down was unmistakably clear.
Normally, revealing one’s intent was a direct path to defeat. But with “Solemn Weight,” that wasn’t the case.
Dominico focused his magical energy into the greatsword. The Aura Blade, which had been stable, began to blaze like fire.
“Adrian! Stop hesitating! Destroy everything!” Gastal commanded again. Adrian let out a roar and charged at Dominico.
In that moment, Dominico brought his greatsword down.
The giant’s strike descended upon the world.