<h4>Chapter 170</h4>


    The bolt of lightning became invisible.


    The speed and sharpness were impressive, but normally, Azure Dragon’s sh wouldn’t be enough to cut through a god’s authority. At most, it would only be able to stop it for a few seconds.


    <i>Chwaaaa.</i>


    Leonard’s attack was enough to right the boat, which had nearly flipped over. As its hull hit the ocean’s surface, the impact caused a massive amount of water to shoot up.


    <i>It worked on my first try, but it was more thanks to the sword than my own abilities. </i>


    Leonard had wiped out the wind just as it was about to capsize the boat, even though that wasn’t physically possible.


    In fact, his attack had cut through the wind created by a god’s authority, not a natural force. The divine sword surpassed basic understanding.


    “Leonard! What was that?!” Isaac shouted as he sprinted over.


    “I believe that was Aiolos’s authority. I think he’ll keep trying to capsize us until we reach the ind,” Leonard honestly voiced his thoughts.


    “We still have at least thirty minutes of travel until we reach Aeolia Ind...” Isaac’s face went as pale as a statue’s. <i>Can we even make it? Now I understand why a defensive position is more advantageous. </i>


    Just because they were all Transcendence Tier experts didn’t mean that they were unaffected by the terrain. Lightness arts that could be used on the water’s surface were very advanced, and even then, crossing water on a reed leaf or on duckweed required tangible surfaces.


    It was even harder to traverse Aiolos’s domain when he kept attacking them. It was difficult enough to continue onward even if they focused all their efforts into sailing forward, and it would be a grueling journey to the ind, which was tens of kilometers away.


    “I don’t know what you just did, but can you keep blocking him like you did just now?” Isaac asked.


    “I don’t think so. If I miss even once, the boat will capsize, and if he targets the waters around us instead of the vessel itself, I won’t be able to stop him with just one sword.”


    “I didn’t expect Aiolos’s area of influence to be so wide. Since we’re close to foreign borders, we can’t call for much backup either.”


    No matter how impable the Arcadian Empire’s power and status were, sending arge armed force to its borders would cause a foreign rtions crisis.


    Other countries technically couldn’t do anything unless they intended to start a war, but human emotion was stronger than human rationale. If the Arcadian Empire insulted another nation’s pride, the foreign nation could attack even if they were guaranteed to lose. This would ce a heavy burden on Arcadia’s forces, which were already stretched thin from trying to ward off otherworldly enemies.


    And yet, if they revealed the existence and danger of Void Deities, it would cause even graver consequences.


    <i>Shoooooo. </i>


    As expected, Aiolos didn’t retreat after just one failure.


    <i>But I don’t even need to use Azure Dragon’s sh, </i>Leonard thought. <i>This divine sword can cut down divine authorities if I simply hold up the de. </i>


    He needed precision, not power. It was more important for him to find the weak spots in the wind’s flow.


    His Dragon Eyes began to glow with a golden light as he entered a truly critical situation.


    Sure enough, as the wind raged around them, fierce waves over ten meters high formed, trying to swallow the boat. The tempest contrasted with the calm, clear sky.


    Five Elements Style


    White Tiger Fifth Form Variation


    Heavenly Steel Shockwave Tremor


    The technique had be more refined thanst time, and heunched a shockwave against the wind without even needing to hit it with his sword.


    <i>Boooooom—!</i>


    As soon as the shockwave shot out from his sword and into the waves, it dug under the surface, creating explosions underwater and dispersing the waves.


    But Leonard clicked his tongue as he watched, irritated.


    Even though he’d broken up the giant waves, the boat had been thrown back from the force of the attack. Though his sword could cut down a Void Deity’s authority, he couldn’t cut through thews of physics. He had pushed Aiolos back, but this was the price. A normal boat couldn’t withstand the coteral impact of Heavenly Steel Shockwave Tremor, except perhaps ships<i> </i>that practically lived on the ocean, such as the Aquamarine<i> </i>or the Moby Dick.


    Leonard squinted as he analyzed his opponent’s attack. <i>His intention is obvious. He’s not trying to kill us, per se; his authority has more to do with wrecking our vessel. If we can’tnd, it will be impossible to carry out the mission, and Aeolia Ind doesn’t have a wharf or a pier in the first ce. What a bothersome tactic. </i>


    The mission didn’t start until they surrounded the bronze fortress as ifying a siege and found their way in. It was rare for vessels to get attacked this far out at sea, but it wasn’tpletely unheard of.


    Isaac let out a long sigh. He hade to the same conclusion as Leonard. “We’ll have to request help from a mage. Aiolos isn’t even attacking us directly, so we can’t do much against him.”


    A question suddenly came to Leonard. “Why is Cntha still in his cabin? He hasn’te out once since we set out.”


    “He says he has terrible seasickness.”


    “<i>Sigh. </i>I see.”


    It was understandable that Cntha wanted a break. He had probably been pushed too hard while fighting alongside the 7th Division of the ck Dragon, and the White Dragon Knights had been nning to let him rest if possible.


    But if things continued like this, the boat would either capsize or be pushed back to shore.


    Leonard gulped as he assessed Aiolos’s third attempt. He couldn’t help it. Aiolos had seemed to realize that it was pointless to attack the boat directly with winds and waves, and now pirs of water were shooting up from somewhere deep beneath the surface, aiming for the keel. If Leonard wanted to cut through the attack, he would have to either dive underwater or cut the boat along with the pirs.


    @@novelbin@@


    <i>Aiolos is quick to adapt. It’s hard to believe that he can do this from tens of kilometers away.</i>


    ording to the book he had read at the White Dragon, divinities rted to wind were like that. In terms of pure speed, light and lightning were faster than wind, but wind could be directed continuously instead of being used as single-instance attacks. Wind abilities weren’t known for their destructive power, but they were versatile and useful in many areas.


    But Leonard did have a way to deal with such powers.


    ?<i>Thoom.</i>


    He used the subtle yet impressive Heavy Hammer Cultivation Method and stamped down on the boat.


    In murim, this type of move wasmonly known as the Thousand-Pound Hammer.


    He’dpressed his internal energy to increase his body weight, and the vessel resisted the force that was trying to crush it from top to bottom. With the water to cushion it, it didn’t cause a shockwave either.


    If Leonard had slipped up in the slightest, the boat would have tipped over from the dynamic force.


    “...This is dangerous,” he muttered. Even though he had executed it perfectly, he didn’t miss the cracks that appeared here and there on the vessel.


    The impact of his Heavy Hammer Cultivation Method shing with a god’s authority did no small amount of damage. The repeated process of the boat almost being flipped over and regaining its bnce was also a problem. It would only take three or four more exchanges for the boat to break.


    Fortunately, Cntha emerged a momentter.


    “W-What happened?” The sight of the battle woke him right up as he looked around, washing away the disorientation on his face.


    Though it was easy to forget sometimes, Cntha was still an Archmage. He didn’t even need to speak any incantations, and he cast several defensive spells to protect the entire vessel with a few hand gestures.


    Leonard could also use magic with the mana mastery of his Dragon Heart, but he couldn’t cast spells he had never learned or seen. <i>I see. So that’s how youyer defensive spells. </i>


    One could dumbly fight fire with fire, but magic and martial arts techniques only approached perfection once they could be used with precision.


    His Dragon Eyes glinted with wonder as he analyzed Cntha’s spells and filed them away for his own use. Leonard could learn spells wlessly just by seeing them a few times, as long as they weren’t supreme magic.


    Once Cntha began to cast his spells in earnest, mere wind and waves could no longer rock the boat. It was more stable than what Leonard had achieved with his sword. At this rate, they’d be able to reach the Divine Territory without much of a hitch.


    <i>Graaaaaah!</i>


    A sharp wailing suddenly came from the sky, filling the party with dread and disgust.


    The source of the sound was a monster with the body of a bird and the head of a woman.


    Isaac immediately recognized them. He shouted, “Harpyiai! Men, get into formation!”


    Leonard recalled reading about these monsters. They were ancient ancestors of harpies, but their descendants were iparable to them. Harpyiai had the blood of old gods flowing through their veins and could even use authorities.


    These divine servants were far stronger than Castor’s centaurs.


    <i>Looks like they’re not nning to get within reach of my sword. </i>


    They flew fast and stayed hundreds of meters above them. They would be hard to fight.


    On the other hand, the harpyiai had no trouble attacking them.


    <i>Screeeee—! </i>


    The harpyiai created des of wind with the beating of their wings, shooting them straight at Leonard to test it out.


    The wind des were sharp and fast. The intangible attack surpassed the speed of sound.


    The cuts immediately broke apart as soon as they met Leonard’s sword, but he assumed they were imbued with authority because he felt a sizable impact when they met. The des were at least as strong as a Transcendence Tier expert’s sword wind, if not stronger.


    <i>They can’t hurt us much directly, but they have more than enough power to capsize the boat.</i>


    It would be difficult to maintain the defensive power of the boat when they could only rely on one person to defend it. In general, magic was very weak to powers that stemmed from divine authority.


    Not even a shield made by a ss 7 Archmage couldst long against this barrage. Even if Cntha could protect the Third Division, it would take up a lot of his energy.


    If Aiolos called upon the winds and waves again, he would make a sessful attack at some point.


    <i>He wants to drag this out, </i>Leonard realized. <i>Giving him what he wants would be the worst course of action.</i>


    He watched as the des of wind beat down above them, hitting the shield because the knights themselves couldn’t block them all. They weren’t wearing the shield down with destructive power, but by weakening the structure of the spell itself. Even though Cntha was reinforcing the defenses as fast as he could, if the structure of his spells fell apart, he would have to cast new ones altogether. And in that time, the barrage would continue and splinter the boat.


    They didn’t have time.


    Leonard’s grip was tight around his sword as he tried to find a way out of their dilemma.


    <i>...I have no other choice but to try this. </i>


    And then a risky n came to mind.


    When he gave Cntha a quick and simplified rundown, the mage looked at him with half disbelief and half nervousness.


    “So, well, you see, I think it’s theoretically possible, but, um...”


    To mages, “theoretically possible” meant “not possible.” But for martial artists, it meant “achievable.”


    Leonard was satisfied with his answer andunched himself toward the bow, which would be the best ce to carry out his n.


    Cntha was dumbfounded. “Ugh. I was about to say that it wouldn’t work.”


    Cntha pulled himself together and moved to the stern, assessing the situation at the rear. At some point, the shield had be covered in web-like cracks under the harpyiai’s relentless hail of wind des. They would be lucky if the shieldsted another five minutes.


    Cntha saw no other way out. His only choice was to proceed with Leonard’s suggestion, which ultimately wasn’t a suggestion.


    “If this fails, just remember that I wasn’t responsible!” he shouted.


    He kept getting put on the battlefield when he wasn’t even abat mage. Cntha med his bad luck, held up his hands, and cast his magic.


    Leonard’s request was very simple.


    Cntha simply needed to create enough propulsive force to elerate arge vessel.


    “Repulse Force!”


    He used one of the most advanced ss 6 spells, releasing an enormous amount of thrust at the back of the boat.


    The strategy was simplistic to the point of being idiotic.


    Within a few seconds, the keel broke, and the metal frame bent under a force strong enough to splinter the boat. The spell was so barbaric that itunched the boat out of the water, where it met air resistance.


    Even for the knights of the 3rd Division, it took everything in them not to fall over, but Leonard didn’t react and simply raised his sword above his head.


    <i>Now.</i>


    This was the moment he’d been waiting for.


    Unlike Aiolos’s authority, air resistance was a natural force, so Leonard had to cut through it without relying on the properties of his divine sword.


    What he needed was conviction.


    The conviction to cut through anything.


    One Origin Five Elements Sword Art


    Five Elements Style


    Ultimate Secret Technique: White Tiger’s Resolve[1]


    He used the ultimate secret technique he had awakened while pondering the Western God Style. This attack came from the guardian and divine beast who was the master of the physical forces. The White Tiger’s blow came down.


    As soon as Leonard swung his sword downward from the bow of the ship, he cut through several kilometers of air,unching the boat forward.


    Cutting through air didn’t get rid of air resistance.


    But somehow, the team’s vessel flew forward at incredible speed down the path Leonard had created. He hadn’t pushed aside air or wind, but resistance itself. The restitution force of naturalws set in a few secondster, and the air resistance returned, but in that brief moment, they had broken through the flock of harpyiai, buying themselves some time.


    “Cntha!” Leonard shouted.


    The harpyiai were shocked that their prey had suddenly evaded them, and the barrage of wind des stopped for a moment.


    In that instant, Cntha lowered the shield and cast offensive spells.


    “O fire of Gehenna, boiling mud with no bottom.”


    Leonard had heard this incantation before.


    “Burn. Erase. Devour. Open your mouth and spew the mes of Purgatory with the maws of sin.”


    The memory of facing the Mind Kraken flickered through Leonard’s mind.


    This was the ss 7 fire spell that Jack Russell had used.


    A magic array manifested at a close distance from the harpyiai, and blood-red fire shot out in a downpour. It was so lethal that it could reduce a target into a pile of ash with just one spark. The harpyiai’s vitality and defenses were nothingpared to the offensive power and the mobility of the projectiles, making the attack deadly.


    <i>Graaaah!</i>


    <i>Kiaaaaa!</i>


    <i>Screeeeeee!</i>


    They wailed like the ghosts of tortured spirits, and tens of harpyiai fell from the sky, scorched by the mes of Purgatory.


    They were long dead by the time the seawater put out the fires.


    <i>Some of them are still alive? As expected of an ancient race. </i>


    It was the equivalent of staying dry under a rain shower. But Leonard could count the number of survivors on one hand. They seemed to have lost the will to fight, and they disappeared into the horizon.


    The party had now defeated the gatekeepers of the Divine Territory.


    “Leonard, to think that you fought not only at sea but also in the air. If it weren’t for you, we would have had to return to shore and call for backup,” Isaac said.


    In the end, he and the other knights had only ended up being a burden. They looked away in shame. They hadn’t been able to attack the harpyiai when they were soaring through the air, be it with martial arts or unique traits. They did try to use javelins, but even if they were experts in javelin-throwing, it would have been very difficult to hit the flying harpyiai when they were moving so fast.


    Of course, Leonard was aware of their thoughts. He consoled, “Our subjugation of Aiolos hasn’t even begun. You can worry about your contributions once the mission is over.”


    “Thank you for saying that. We won’t disappoint you.”


    The White Dragon Knights’ eyes lit up with resolve. They wouldn’t let their youngest member do all the work again.


    Aiolos, who had intended to ward off his enemies before they reached his Divine Territory, had unwittingly strengthened their fighting spirit. He’d even lost most of his harpyiai, and barely any were left.


    “I think I see it,” Isaac said.


    Before they knew it, they were nearly at Aeolia Ind.


    Leonard concentrated mana into his eyes, and he could now see the glimmering fortress.


    The jade-green metal walls glinted under the light.


    There was no mistaking it. This was the Divine Territory, a replica of the ancient Aeolian Kingdom, protected by its bronze fortress.


    1. Can also mean to break or to sever, but I thought this was a more fitting name. ?