Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 17: Arid Wasteland (2)

Rylan felt the vibrations getting stronger and stronger, but he only slashed toward the ground again in response, this time even harder. The blade of Aura dug into the dunes, tearing through everything in its way as it headed deeper in.

The vibrations increased in intensity.

He looked to the right and swung his sword. The new Aura crescent hit the ground thirty meters away from him. The vibrations got even stronger. Rylan repeated this several times, aiming for places further away.

Let’s get a lot of them in here.

The seconds ticked by. It was only at the end of the sixth second that the first Sandworm burst out of the sand, lunging toward him with an open maw, its full weight behind the attack. Rylan only jumped straight up to avoid the lunge, stepping on the air to rise faster. The creatures weren’t faster than he became with Snowfall.

He rested his sword on his shoulder and only waited. The second Sandworm soon emerged from a different direction, trying to reach him, but he avoided the attack once more. The dunes continued to shake. The third Sandworm appeared, followed by the fourth and the fifth. More of them continued to show up, but Rylan only used Snowfall to fly upward. After almost a full minute, Rylan watched the area below him.

Dozens of Sandworms writhed and crawled over each other, all looking at him. Some attempted to lunge toward him, but none managed to reach him. However, that didn’t mean they were helpless; because they were climbing on top of each other, some were almost high enough to try and attack him.

Rylan tilted his head.

They really are quite limited.

It was likely that the Sandworms’ lack of ranged attack options was what made this Dungeon be classified as only in the level of the Fifth Circle. Because Fifth Circle Mages could use the Fly spell, as Gerard had in the Basilisk Wilds, they stood a chance.

Still, it was irrelevant. From here, he could freely bombard the creatures with ranged Sword Arts and make short work of them. However, that wasn’t why he’d gathered so many in the first place. Rylan grinned.

Then, he started falling.

The Sandworms reacted almost immediately. Two of them lunged at him just at the right moment to catch him as he fell, but in the last second, Rylan stepped on the air to speed up his descent, making both attacks miss him by a hair. Instead of crashing into each other, the Sandworms twisted their bodies and managed to avoid one another. Rylan only continued to fall, making even more of the Sandworms try to swallow him whole. Using Snowfall, he avoided their attacks. As he passed by the side of one of the creatures, he abruptly swung Silver Twilight. The sword got through the sandy carapace to reach the brown flesh underneath, creating a large gash and making the creature screech. Green blood burst out of the wound, but Rylan didn’t even glance at it.

Every time he avoided a Sandworm’s attack, he retaliated with a simple sword swing. Without fail, all of his slashes easily cut through the monsters’ carapaces, their greatest line of defense. Finally, Rylan landed on the sand, completely surrounded by dozens of Sandworms. He grinned.

His Aura Heart and Mana Core throbbed at the same time, sending both mana and Aura coursing through him as fast as they could. Even as they empowered his body, part of them reached the edge of his perception to manifest as spells.

Let’s see what my current self can do. It’s about time I start acquiring new sword styles, too.

He lowered his center of gravity. Then, all hell broke loose.

Five different Sandworms lunged toward him from the middle of their brethren, each dozens of meters long. Their fang-filled, black maws only made Rylan let out a breath. He pointed at the nearest one. There was something he wanted to try.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Both his Aura and mana moved at the same time, flowing through his mind into his fingertips.

Concentrate.

The enemies continued to get closer, but Rylan’s focus didn’t waver. He needed to become able to use both Aura Casting and ordinary mana to fuel a spell, and he would keep trying until he succeeded. Once his Aura and mana touched, they vibrated.

Remember what Aether felt like.

He didn’t have to merge them. He didn’t need them to make the other more powerful. He just needed them to work together.

The instants ticked by as the Sandworms kept approaching even faster than fractions of a second before. Rylan’s mana and Aura started to vibrate in the same rhythm, as if they were resonating. He smiled.

Fire Spear.

The two types of energy moved in unison, leaking out of his body to manifest in the shape of fierce flames. The orange-and-red fire took the shape of a six-meter-long spear, which pierced toward the Sandworm Rylan was pointing at. As soon as the spell shot forward, Rylan twisted his body and swung his sword. Another Sandworm flew by to his right as he avoided the attack by only two inches. The blade’s edge met the carapace and sliced through it to sink into the monster’s side. Because of the creature’s speed, the sword created a large gash as the monster continued to move. Its blood gushed out of the wound, then evaporated as it got close to the pure white Aura covering Rylan’s frame.

Remember what it was like.

His Aura moved in a different way. Before he could proceed, however, the third Sandworm arrived. It was coming at him from the front, ready to swallow him whole and shred his body among the fangs. Rylan only pulled out the sword and swung it vertically in a single move. His Aura gained a brownish tone and became heavier, as if it were being weighed down by a mountain, dense and rough.

Mountainpeak Swordsmanship, Final Movement: Mountain’s Collapse.

Surrounded by Aura and mana, the sword fell like a god’s decree. The Aura extended the attack’s range, allowing it to hit the Sandworm from the bottom of its maw to the top.

In the next moment, the monster was split in half.

The heavy edge tore through its carapace and flesh, then through its organs as it split the creature. The two halves went by Rylan’s sides harmlessly. Instead of reveling in his kill, Rylan shot to the side, avoiding a Sandworm’s attack from above. The monster only ended up swallowing a large amount of sand. He looked up. Three different Sandworms had raised their bodies, looking down at him, clearly ready to lunge at a moment’s notice.

Remember what it felt like when you created it.

Both his Aura and mana began to change, carrying a fiery, wild atmosphere. The Aura flared up as if it were fire, an orange hue taking over it. The three Sandworms watching from above attacked at the same time, maws as black as the night sky. Rylan watched the incoming creatures with a fixed gaze.

You can do it. Just remember.

It happened as the monsters were about to swallow him. It was as if his Aura had caught fire. The orange hue dominated it, bearing a sense of finality as the energy moved like flames. His mana directly turned into fire. A memory became clearer in Rylan’s mind. Without thinking, he slashed.

Setting Sun Sword Style, First Movement: Sunset’s Glow.

His Aura burst forth with the colors of a sunset in an omnidirectional attack. The flame-like Aura covered the sand, turning some particles into glass. At the same time, it rose to meet the Sandworms, burning through their carapace and singing their flesh, then charring whatever it touched. The monsters didn’t even have the time to screech as the two types of energy coursed through their bodies, destroying whatever they touched. Before they could even reach Rylan’s position, the monsters’ bodies fell apart into ashes.

Without stopping to appreciate his handiwork or celebrate his victory, Rylan jumped backward to avoid another attack. Still, there was a smile on his face.

I can finally remember.

He was still surrounded by enemies, but he couldn’t help but feel some elation. Finally, he’d acquired a sword style stronger than Stormcaller in this life. His current body could only bear up to the Second Movement, but it was enough.

Keeping his smile, Rylan began to dance. He whirled among his enemies. Some Sandworms got close to reaching him, but they were met with different spells that hindered them, then with Sword Arts that took their lives. Tide magnified the effects of Lesser Lightning and Stormcaller’s Sword Arts, while Gust and Fireball supplemented the Setting Sun Sword Style. Rupture changed the desert’s typography and slowed down the Sandworm’s slithering.

Weaving both spells and Sword Arts, Rylan continued to fight. Suddenly, a group of six Sandworms came at him from different directions. Naturally, Sunset’s Glow stopped them in their tracks, then burned their bodies.

From the moment Rylan reacquired the Setting Sun Sword Style, the battle only lasted seven more minutes.

Standing on top of a small mountain of charred and sliced apart carcasses, Rylan sighed.

“Yeah, I guess I’m stronger now,” he said to himself with a smile on his face.

He looked toward the heart of the desert once again, beholding the pyramid at its center.

I’ll head your way soon. Just let me kill some more Sandworms.

Chuckling, he jumped off the small mountain. He had more enemies to kill.