Not a sword art, but a sword dance.
The Flower of Death had said that every spirit possessed sharpness within softness. It demonstrated for me, explaining that the sword arts would have to be transformed into sword dances to fully harness the spirits’ power.
Furthermore, shouting “Bloom” allowed one to summon a spirit, and it was easier to perform a sword dance while the spirit was summoned. Thus, the Flower of Death had also recommended the name Blooming Sword Dance.
“Follow every movement I make. Understood?”
“Understood!”
Everyone looked at me with tense expressions but expectant eyes.
“Blooming Sword Dance. Now, one!”
They simply followed my movements.
“Stop! I am only demonstrating, so I have not entered Bloom. You must shout ‘Blooming Sword Dance,’ enter Bloom, and then follow me!”
“Bloom—!”
“Sword Dance—!”
“Next, I will teach you how to draw the spirit energy spreading around you into the weapon in your hand. Once you can imbue your weapon with Energy, the spirit energy will not disappear even if a dragon uses its Authority!”
According to Elder Bardi, most of the Guardian Unit had served as Rangers before the Guardian Unit was established. They had undergone various forms of rigorous training, including magic, stealth techniques, dagger arts, and swordsmanship.
They were clumsy at first, but everyone followed my movements better than expected.
Flowers of every kind shimmered around the Guardian Unit members as they followed each of my movements.
“That concludes the basics of the Blooming Sword Dance. Anyone who needs water should drink quickly and return. Next, I will teach you something called Energy Circulation!”
Now that I had taught them the sword dance, I needed to teach them Energy Circulation. However, their understanding of Acupoints was likely far too shallow for them to circulate Energy merely by listening to my explanation.
Teaching this many people individually would require far too much work….
I looked at Elder Bardi, who had been learning the sword dance beside me, and spoke quietly.
“Elder Bardi.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I am going to teach them how to circulate Energy within their bodies. Would you test it first and see whether they can follow it properly?”
“Pardon? What do you mean? What is this Energy you speak of?”
Ah, even I must admit that explanation was rather disjointed.
It was not easy to explain terms familiar in my former world, such as martial arts and Internal Energy, in a way they could understand. I raised a hand toward Elder Bardi and sent him a quiet Sound Transmission.
[First, sit comfortably upon the ground.]
THUD.
Elder Bardi sat in the lotus position with a blank expression.
[I will send mana into your Lower Dantian. I call it Energy. Close your eyes, steady your breathing, and carefully remember the path taken by the Energy I send through you.]
I slowly gathered Energy into both hands and sent it into Elder Bardi’s Lower Dantian. His shoulders stiffened slightly, but he soon followed my guidance and slowly moved the Energy from his Lower Dantian toward his Middle Dantian.
Someone circulating Energy for the first time should find this difficult, yet he is following remarkably quickly.
Before long, Elder Bardi was competently following even the complex movements of Energy up to his Middle Dantian.
As an Elder who had received a spirit’s power, there were no chains within his body. However, like me before I learned from the Flower of Death yesterday, his Middle and Upper Dantians were not connected.
I slowly circulated the Energy from Elder Bardi’s Middle Dantian toward his Upper Dantian. Around halfway to the Upper Dantian, he seemed to reach his limit, and the speed at which he followed my Energy slowed considerably.
I soon withdrew the Energy I had sent into his body and rose from my seat.
For now, perhaps I only needed to teach the elves how to circulate Energy from their Lower Dantians to their Middle Dantians. Elder Bardi had followed that part with little difficulty.
Or was he able to circulate Energy so easily because he was an Elder?
At that moment, the Flower of Death’s low Sound Transmission reached my ears.
[I taught his spirit how to circulate Energy. Tell him to fill his body with mana, summon his spirit, and learn from it.]
My eyebrows rose slightly as I answered the Flower of Death through Sound Transmission.
[What do you mean? Can spirits exchange Sound Transmissions with one another?]
[When you send your Energy into another’s Middle Dantian, I can converse with their spirit. I can do so with anyone who possesses a spirit’s power.]
Do spirits converse through Sound Transmission?
[The spirits merely share their memories with me one-sidedly. Spirits adhere to a strict hierarchy.]
Was that why Doidra and the High Priest had used such an honorific when speaking of my spirit’s identity?
I looked at Elder Bardi and spoke.
“If you fill your body with mana and summon your spirit, it will teach you how to circulate Energy along the path I guided you through moments ago. Circulating Energy in the manner I taught you is called Energy Circulation.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“My spirit says it taught your spirit.”
“Ah, is that so? The spirit dwelling within you is a First-Generation Spirit, Your Highness. I suppose even such a thing is possible!”
Although he understood the words, his expression remained doubtful. He closed his eyes and began filling his body with mana.
At that moment, the Flower of Death’s quiet Sound Transmission reached my ears.
[That man has endured a truly harsh and lonely struggle.]
It could see my memories, but could it also see Elder Bardi’s? Or had Elder Bardi’s spirit told it?
Wait. If so, can’t we quickly determine who the spies are?
‘Dealing with the spies within our ranks may be easier than I thought.’
The members of the Guardian Unit began returning one by one as the break ended. I glanced at Elder Philn and sent him a Sound Transmission.
[Elder.]
[Yes, Your Highness.]
[Come stand beside me for a moment.]
WHOOSH.
Elder Philn used Blink to appear lightly beside me. He looked between me and Elder Bardi, who remained seated in the lotus position.
“Elder Philn.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
[I believe we can identify the spies quickly.]
I slowly placed both hands upon Elder Philn’s shoulders and sent my Energy into his Middle Dantian.
[He is not a traitor.]
Along with declaring that Elder Philn was not a traitor, the Flower of Death briefly recounted events he had experienced in the past.
I slowly removed my hands and spoke quietly to Elder Philn.
“It says that the deaths of so many Investigation Unit members and Rangers in the desert were not your fault merely because you joined them too late. You should not blame yourself so harshly.”
Elder Philn stared at me as though a chill had run down his spine and slowly spoke.
“I have never spoken of that to anyone except Lord Hellorn. How did you…?”
“The Flower of Death can look into the memories of those who possess a spirit’s power.”
Elder Philn immediately sent me a Sound Transmission with a tense expression.
[Could we not find the traitors through this method?]
[We must revise the plan.]
[What do you mean?]
[The matter has become easier. We can take our time devising a plan to wipe them all out at once.]
[You cannot! I know that you are powerful, Your Highness, but how could we stain your hands with blood—]
[Half-hearted mercy will place our kingdom in even greater danger.]
Standing atop the platform, I called out to the Guardian Unit members gathered in the training ground.
“The next stage of training requires great precision, so I was delayed while considering how best to teach it. Next, I will teach you something called Energy Circulation!”
I looked down at them, leaped from the platform into the training ground, and walked toward them.
“I will send Energy into each of you to teach you the next stage of training. Elder Bardi will also assist you later.”
“Understood!”
I stopped before one of the Guardian Unit members.
“My spirit will teach your spirits the next stage of training. Fill your bodies with mana, then learn from your spirits within your mindscapes.”
I secretly sent Elder Philn a quiet Sound Transmission.
[Whenever I find a traitor, I will clasp my hands behind my back as I walk toward the next person. Watch carefully and remember them.]
[Understood.]
[Gather the traitors separately in an isolated building.]
[Many priests, including the High Priest, were killed, so the sanctum is currently empty. However, the sanctum is a sacred place…]
[Then gather them all there.]
[I will have the Elders accompany you.]
[That would arouse suspicion. I will handle it alone. Do not worry too much.]
I placed both hands upon one person’s shoulders at a time and began sending my Energy into their Middle Dantians.
***
The place the elves called the sanctum was located within the trunk of a colossal tree. Its entrance resembled a weathered cave.
With all the traitors gathered inside, they would undoubtedly be conspiring together. I placed a hand against the trunk and sent an extremely faint thread of Energy through it to sense the presences within.
“Brother Parus?”
“You were summoned as well?”
“Rikia, you came too?”
“Were you also ordered to come to the sanctum?”
“I was told there would be a special mission.”
“When the prince sent his Energy into me, I felt as though something were looking down upon me.”
MURMUR. MURMUR.
At that moment, a woman’s voice resounded throughout the vast, circular hollow within the colossal tree.
“Everyone, silence!”
She looked around and fell into thought.
“Lady Salindra, do you have any idea what this could be?”
“Everyone, pay attention. You may not have known because I contacted each of you separately.”
She glanced toward the naturally formed entrance in the colossal tree’s trunk and calmly continued.
“It seems the Elders have discovered that we have been passing information to the dragons.”
“What?! Then what are we supposed to do?”
“The Great Tree Sanctum contains Lady Hairi’s energy, so Subspace magic cannot be used here.”
“We can still use magic other than Subspace, can we not?”
“They have no evidence yet. Could we not deny everything and request help from outside?”
“I heard that they plan to summon every member currently operating outside back to the kingdom within the next few days. What if we join forces with them and plan for the future?”
“Can they not use the spirits’ power?”
“Instead of the young ones still on active duty, why do we not request help from those who retired after operating outside and never returned to the capital?”
Salindra forcefully released mana from her body and shouted.
“Everyone, calm yourselves!”
The others soon glanced outside the colossal tree before turning to Salindra and waiting for her to speak. She raised both hands toward the sky.
[Bloom!!]
Closing her eyes, she murmured.
[O Spirit, I call your True Name with sorrow etched into my very bones!]
[Pulsation]
[Pour Forth Knowledge]
Reddish-purple petals covered in white down gently drifted through the air toward which she had extended her hands.
Apparently sensing me approaching while concealing my presence, she hurriedly shouted.
“Quickly place all the information you must send into my spirit’s petals!”
WHOOSH. WHOOSH.
They looked in the direction Salindra was staring and swiftly released their spirits’ energy into the petals falling around her.
The white down covering the petals began trembling faintly. The petals then crumbled, transformed into reddish-purple smoke, and disappeared.
At that moment, the Flower of Death’s Sound Transmission reached me.
[Why are you allowing them to leak information? You could simply have killed them earlier.]
I continued walking toward them and raised one corner of my mouth as I answered through Sound Transmission.
[Did we not coat their spirits’ power with Energy mixed from my Heavenly Demon Divine Art and your Energy, Master? Is this not instead an opportunity to wipe them all out at once?]
[Ha. It seems you have decided to call me Master. I do not consider you my disciple.]
I gripped the staff like a sword and walked toward them. The traitors who had sold our information glared at me warily.
They still aren’t releasing murderous intent…
Are they underestimating me? Or have they given up?
“You remained calm even after noticing that I had extended my Energy Sense.”
“As the next High Priest, should I not be capable of at least this much, Your Highness?”
“A traitor certainly has a great deal to say.”
“We devoted our lives to the kingdom, yet all we received in return was death and emptiness!”
“I did learn something important from your pasts. Every last one of you has been passing information to Shavron’s subordinates and repeatedly weakening the barrier from within the kingdom.”
“The kingdom and the elves are already doomed. We are a flower on the verge of crumbling.”
She reminded me of the spies who had betrayed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and gone on to live in wealth and comfort.
“Have you finished spouting your nonsense?”
Salindra unleashed her murderous intent and shouted.
“Kill him!”
[Bloom!!]
[Bloom!!]
I drove strength into my front foot.
[Blink]
I cast Blink and appeared among them. Using the principle of softness, I deflected every Energy Projectile the traitorous bastards launched at me and reversed their trajectories.
SWISH.
“Ghk—!”
The Energy Projectiles flying toward me turned back toward the traitors.
One bastard was struck directly by the sudden attack, rendered helpless, and knocked unconscious. I immediately lifted him and used his body as a shield against the attacks that followed.
After exchanging offense and defense once in the blink of an eye, I hurled him into the middle of the group and unleashed the Blooming Sword Dance.
[Blooming Sword Dance, First Technique]
[Flower-Blood Rain]
THUD-THUD-THUD—!
At first glance, Flower-Blood Rain appeared to be a swift sword technique that thrust at multiple vital points amid countless feints. However, it was not merely fast.
Its sword path was as irregular and varied as a sword dance, making it appear to be an illusory sword technique. Yet it also carried the heavy Aura of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, giving it considerable profundity.
Any master of the Martial World who witnessed it would have cried out in astonishment and praise.
However…
My strikes were too shallow.
I had intended to kill every traitorous bastard with Flower-Blood Rain, yet several survivors remained among those who had fallen.
‘I suppose it can’t be helped. I’m still not used to this body.’
[Moon Step]
WHOOSH—!
THUD—!
I advanced toward the trembling Salindra, striking every survivor in the face within a single exchange, whether they staggered because I had missed their vital points or sat collapsed upon the ground.
The sword dance would be far more powerful if I moved with magic rather than footwork, but I was not yet accustomed enough to use it in actual combat.
I would need far more training and practical experience to make not only the magic I had learned yesterday but also the sword dance entirely my own.
My head throbbed from using magic. Just as I began raising a hand toward my forehead, murky energy started filling the interior of the colossal tree.
‘This is… a dragon’s energy?’