The moment I leaped into the air, pushing back against the waterfall-like pressure of the Roaring Water, the surroundings of my father and the Light God Baldur sparkled with a wildfire, followed by a series of explosions.

The Flame Princess I had unleashed earlier changed its trajectory mid-air to attack both of them. This was not a product of chance but a deliberate manipulation. Controlling Kei essentially means controlling magical power, Od. At my current level, such feats are easily within my grasp.

However, a fifth-circle spell couldn’t inflict any damage on either my father or the Light God Baldur. My goal was only a brief moment of distraction, nothing more.

Slicing through the gaps left by the explosions, I closed in on my father and, without halting my momentum, delivered a fierce slash.

The decision to engage in close combat came from the fresh memory of how he had managed to withstand my Void Devourer earlier. With my Kei heightened by ‘Sei’ even at a distance, there was a possibility that my Kei techniques could be effective—yet, keeping distance would likely invite another barrage of secret techniques. Close combat also served as a means to prevent that.

“Haahhh!!”

A shout of energy naturally burst forth.

The Sword Saint skillfully dodged the black blade of my Soul Eater, leaving not even a paper-thin gap between the blade and his body.

Such skillful and therefore dangerous evasions were made as if routine, while the Sword Saint counterattacked as a matter of course.

Focusing on the offense, I was caught off-guard by a needle-sharp slash, and blood sprayed from my cheek.

Immediately afterward, sensing the Light God Baldur closing in from behind, I interrupted my offensive against my father to switch my focus to this new threat.

Black blade clashed with the light sword. Flashes of sword light, like bolts of lightning, seared my vision, and the relentless exchange of blows thundered in my ears.

My Soul Eater, my father’s treasured sword Sasanoyuki, and the Light God Baldur’s light sword—all three blades clashed fiercely, intertwined, and then parted only to cross again, sketching countless trajectories through the air.

At times fiercely, at times with finesse, the ceaseless barrage of strikes from all three combatants, each potentially lethal, continued without pause, weaving an endless battle that would be over in an instant for any average swordsman.

From an outsider’s perspective, our mid-air dance of blades, constantly changing positions, might have appeared as if we were performing a ballet.

Currently, with “Sei” pushing my Kei beyond its limits and my training in the demon realm allowing me to control this heightened Kei, I was able to fight on equal footing despite being outnumbered.

Having been on the defensive after being bombarded with a series of secret techniques, playing my trump card proved worthwhile.

However, this balance is only temporary. With the time limitation imposed by “Sei,” the longer the fight drags on, the more cornered I become.

I needed to find a breakthrough somewhere.

It means to defeat either the Sword Saint or the Light God Baldur.

Whether it’s the Sword Saint or Light God Baldur, with the effect of “Sei” still ongoing, I can overpower them one-on-one. However, whenever I attempt to overwhelm my opponent, invariably, the other intervenes, restoring the tilting balance back to its original state.

They must have realized my time limit.

They’ve seen through that the rapid increase in my Kei is a double-edged sword, intentionally maintaining the current equilibrium to buy time, indirectly cornering me.

If my speculation is correct, it means I thought I was overcoming the disadvantage only to be driven into a different deadlock.

If forcing the enemy into a corner through continuous use of secret techniques represents a hard way of fighting, then identifying the enemy’s weakness and methodically cornering them like tightening a noose is the soft way.

Not just strong, but also skilled in the art of combat. This too is probably why the Sword Saint is known as such.

After all, unless I deal with one and break the two-against-one situation, it’s hopeless. I reaffirmed this thought.

The question is which one to defeat. Normally, the choice would be solely the Sword Saint. Since Light God Baldur is an Anima, defeating the Sword Saint should make him disappear. Therefore, the Sword Saint should be targeted first.

The fact that the Sword Saint’s weapon is Sasayuki—a mere sword—also works in my favor, allowing me to potentially shatter the blade of Sasayuki by clashing directly against it.

The moment I thought this, Sasayuki’s blade darkened as if it had read my thoughts, shimmering with the same jet-black brilliance as a Soul Eater’s blade.

Feeling a higher density of Kei from the opponent’s sword, superior even to the previous seven secret techniques, I instinctively took a defensive stance.

Then, a ferocious black assault came down upon that defense.

“Phantom Blade Style, Shadow Moon Form, Black Sword.”

Alongside Sophia Azurite’s White Sword and Zenon Quintos’s Red Sword, this was one of the secret Kei techniques belonging to the Four Symbols, distinct in its power.

“Gu—gh—aaaaah!?”

A massive shadow, like a towering wall, bore down on me. The moment I thought I had caught it was fleeting.

The tremendous pressure weighing down on my Soul Equipment forced me to retreat despite enhancing my Kei with “Sei.”

“Tch!”

I clicked my tongue, attempting to divert the force of the attack, but the ferocity was such that it couldn’t be done. I knew that even the slightest disruption in my current stance would allow the enemy’s Kei technique to blast away my Soul Equipment in an instant.

The Black Sword released by the Sword Saint seemed to bear its own will, relentlessly pressing to grind me down. The Soul Eater has the ability to absorb magic and Kei, but it was almost ineffective against the finely woven Kei technique of the Sword Saint.

Now, what appeared before my eyes was a black turtle, resembling a small mountain—one of the four spiritual beasts known as the Four Gods, the embodiment of Xuanwu.

Whether this vision was a hallucination swallowed by the opponent’s Kei pressure or the essence of the secret techniques I could see through due to my growth, I couldn’t tell.

However, since I saw nothing like this when fighting Archbishop Sophia or Zenon, it should be considered that the Sword Saint’s Kei technique revealed its true value only when he executed it.

“Haha,” I laughed softly while enduring the opponent’s attack.

The soft way of fighting, cornering the opponent by identifying weaknesses and tightening the noose? Completely off the mark. My father intended from the start to crush me with power throughout. He surely didn’t plan to fight aiming for a victory through a timeout.

If their way of fighting seemed passive, it was to measure how much my strength had increased due to “Sei.” Having measured it, they launched the attack in the form of the Four Symbols.

Thus, I could predict the next attack coming.

“Phantom Blade Style, Lesser Yang Form, Blue Sword.”

The Kei pressure approaching from behind was equal to the Black Sword my father released.

Being fully engaged in defending against my father’s Kei technique, I couldn’t check behind, but I still envisioned a blue dragon, reminiscent of the azure sky, attacking.

Whether black or blue, directly receiving such an attack would shatter my body into dust, irrelevant of any shields or restoration.

It was impossible to dodge or deflect two such powerful attacks simultaneously.

So, I decided to receive it.

“Four Calamities Second—’Reside'”

Almost simultaneously as I spoke, the Blue Sword exploded on my back.

This was no ordinary slash but a tremendous shock. Archbishop Sophia once said, “Sui and Kan combine to become Lesser Yang,” and the Blue Sword indeed combined the power of a raging wind and roaring water. No, perhaps it was even more powerful than that.

Taking a direct hit from such an attack, the equilibrium I had barely maintained with the Black Sword was instantly shattered, and I found myself hit directly by both the Blue Sword from behind and the Black Sword from the front.

High-powered Kei techniques capable of slaying mythical creatures with a single blow converged on me as their target.

Immediately after, a bizarre noise, as if space itself were twisting, accompanied a tremendous explosion. It was a dance of light and heat that would have melted bones in an instant if it had struck an ordinary person.

It was impossible for me to come out unscathed from the center of such an explosion, even with regenerative abilities.

—Light God Baldur must have thought so, for sure.

I believe this because it was clear that Light God Baldur had lowered his guard, even though my father had not.

This indicates that Light God Baldur operates with independent thought. It might be a belated realization, but whether this is confirmed or not changes the options available to me.

Feeling a clue to defeating the Sword Saint in the existence of Light God Baldur, I leaped out from the center of the explosion.

If the first of the Four Calamities enhances Kei, the second transforms the enhanced Kei into defense. It’s a Vajra’s guard that temporarily but dramatically increases defense by circulating the swollen Kei throughout the body.

Of course, it’s not invincible; if an attack surpasses this Kei, I would naturally get injured. In fact, when I attacked Light God Baldur, deep sword wounds that were recognizable as such were etched deeply into my back and chest.

The wounds, which tore the skin, gouged the flesh, shattered bones, and scooped out the viscera, would have been fatal for an ordinary person. Actually, they would be fatal for me under normal circumstances.

Yet, as long as I don’t die instantly, I can use my regenerative abilities.

While simultaneously receiving two of the Sword Saint’s Four Symbols-level secret techniques, I endured using the defense of “Reside,” my trump card, and the Soul Eater’s regenerative ability.

And then, I attacked Light God Baldur, who had dropped his guard, believing in his victory. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I understood that clearly without anyone telling me.

“Phantom Burial Blade Style, Thunder Form, Divine Roar.”

The black blade of the Soul Eater, raised high, was clad in fierce lightning. The Thunder Form was a secret technique I had seen for the first time and also the first I had received with my own body.

I had seen Gozu’s Divine Roar in Ishka, and Sophia’s Divine Roar in the demon realm. Based on those, I refined it during a month in the demon realm to be practical for use, keeping it as a secret trump card.

However, after seeing the secret techniques of my father and Light God Baldur, my own seemed too crude to be considered a trump card, but in terms of power, it was among the highest of my Kei techniques.

The black lightning that I swung down clearly caught the head of Light God Baldur, who believed he had finished me off.

—A thunderous roar like a lightning strike echoed.

An unmistakable sense of impact traveled through the blade. Against an ordinary opponent, this strike would have obliterated the skull and reduced the entire body to ash. I was confident it was such a decisive blow.

But—

“―!”

Enveloped in light, Light God Baldur did not vanish or turn to ash upon receiving this blow. On the contrary, the moment after taking my Thunder Form, he was already shifting into a counterattack stance.

Light God Baldur, his entire form shrouded in a serene light, was indistinguishable in features or attire. Naturally, it was impossible to confirm any injuries—though I could not say for certain, he was likely unscathed.

Despite delivering an unparalleled blow at the perfect timing, I hadn’t inflicted any damage. Gritting my teeth, I launched another attack before the opponent could fully regain his stance.

“Phantom Burial Blade Style, Separation Form, Wrathful Flames.”

One of the four secret techniques unleashed by Archbishop Sophia. If the blade of lightning did not penetrate, then let it be a blade of flame, I thought, releasing the second secret technique which also surely caught the enemy. A strike with full confidence.

Yet, it didn’t get through. At most, it slightly disturbed Light God Baldur’s posture.

Whatever the mechanism, swords do not affect Light God Baldur. Confident in this, I closed the distance in the brief moment he was regaining his stance, as if this were the end of the road, and delivered a third attack.

“Four Calamities Third—’Destruction’!”

If “Reside” uses the enhanced Kei for defense, then “Destruction” utilizes it for offense.

Whether the target is organic or inorganic, this ultimate form of Kei strike sends the Kei inside to shatter it—literally a lethal technique.

I didn’t know how Light God Baldur blocked the direct hit of the secret techniques, but “Destruction” couldn’t be blocked.

If Light God Baldur could even prevent “Destruction,” it would mean that no attack could possibly affect him.

—My thoughts were confirmed in the next moment.

The “Destruction” that I had surely released had no effect on Light God Baldur, and the Sword Saint’s anima counterpart continued to shine brightly before me.

Despite seizing the greatest opportunity to deliver three unparalleled attacks in succession, my opponent remained unharmed. It’s not a boast, but all were attacks powerful enough to slay mythical creatures in a single strike.

If they had been dodged, it would be one thing, but to be unscathed after direct hits leads to only one conclusion.

I let out a dry laugh, almost in disbelief.

“Truly invincible, huh?”

It was then I remembered a piece of mythology about Light God Baldur.

Among the gods, Baldur, the god of light, was known for his exceptional wisdom, beauty, and kindness.

Baldur began having dreams of his own death.

Concerned, Baldur’s mother made everything in the world, living and non-living, promise not to harm Baldur. Thus, Baldur became a god immune to all attacks—a myth.

I wished I had recalled this sooner, but the abilities of the mythological Baldur and the Anima existence of Light God Baldur might not necessarily align. Even if I had remembered the myth of Baldur earlier, I would have still acted the same to verify if he truly was invincible.

Regardless, it’s confirmed that neither “Destruction” nor any secret techniques can harm Light God Baldur. Based on this fact, I have no choice but to face the Sword Saint once again.

I’ve exhausted all my hidden trump cards in this battle. To be precise, there is one more, the White Sword used by Archbishop Sophia, which I’ve honed to use as a trump card. However, against my father, my Kei techniques cannot serve as trump cards. They would likely be easily defended against.

There’s one more secret technique in the Four Calamities, “Void,” equivalent to the Void Armor in the terms of the Azure Banner knights, but I couldn’t reach that realm during my month in the demon world. Thus, I have no more trump cards left.

On the other hand, my father, with fifteen forms of the Eight Forms, Four Symbols, Two Rites, and One Pole, still has six forms left. Both he and his Anima existence are in prime condition, and the latter is an invincible being that no attack can touch.

This leaves me no choice but to target my father, but he’s likely anticipating that. It will undoubtedly be a tough battle.

After all, the simple fact is that even using all my trump cards, I couldn’t land a single blow on my father. Persisting any further might just be futile resistance. Such a thought crossed my mind.

—Still, I don’t plan on giving up, not even a bit.

It’s a fact that even after using all my trump cards, I couldn’t land a single blow on my father.

But it’s also a fact that I was able to draw out his Soul Equipment. Moreover, I’ve survived after forcing him to use nine out of his fifteen secret techniques.

The me who once lost to the Dragon Fang soldiers has managed to fight to this extent against the Sword Saint. This is a commendable achievement that I don’t need to be ashamed of, recognized by others or not, I can acknowledge myself.

Acknowledging and believing in oneself, that is confidence.

The very thing Sophia Azurite once pointed out I lacked, I now truly possess. So, there’s no giving up. Far from it, I still feel a surge of vitality bubbling from the depths of my being.

Of course, the Sword Saint isn’t an opponent that can be overcome with vitality alone. The effects of “Sei” will soon wear off. No matter how much vitality I have, without Kei, I cannot fight. I fully understand this.

Therefore, I’ll pour all the rising vitality and the remaining Kei into the next few minutes. It’s my first and last chance to fight my father, and I won’t waste a single moment of it.

With that determination, I gripped the handle of Soul Eater and grinned.

Across from me, I could see a similar smile forming on my father’s lips.