Chapter 1285 – A Seasoned Swordsman

Miyamoto closed his eyes for a moment before giving the world he had felt a part of for more than the past millennium a knowing smile. Opening them again, he stood up, moving his limbs for the first time in what felt like forever, the smile still lingering on his lips.

Cupping his hands, he bowed to the land, thanking it for its hospitality before he spoke. “It’s done.”

In the very next moment, he disappeared from the small, unassuming planet, none of the creatures who’d lived there were aware that a C-grade had ever visited. He reappeared again inside the usual white room with a single worktable present, Aeon already sitting there waiting.

The god looked the Sword Saint over for a few moments before nodding. “Then prove your success.”

Once more, Miyamoto was teleported away, ready to face the test waiting for him on the other side. When next he felt solid ground under his feet, he stood atop a tall stack of rocks in the middle of a valley, and right as he appeared, several presences locked onto him.

Looking down, he found himself surrounded by three familiar creatures, though the variant he had fought in Nevermore had certainly been a bit smaller and most certainly weaker, seeing as these were all B-grade. Using Identify, he confirmed they were indeed the same monster.

[Meteorborn Beast Lord – ???]

Each was large, looking like the fusion of a rock elemental and a scorpion, with a bit of lizard mixed in, the scorpion part especially distinct, as evidenced by the stinger and eight legs. Though its rocky, almost metallic-looking exterior was certainly also intimidating.

All three were newly evolved, likely placed there purposefully by the Sword Saint’s Patron. Miyamoto had killed many B-grades already, yes, but these were all far more powerful variants, and could all relatively easily kill other newly evolved B-grades. Facing one was already a tall order for a C-grade, much less three at once, and most would probably suspect Aeon of purposefully trying to kill off the old-looking swordsman.

If this had been before, the Sword Saint would indeed have been in trouble, and he doubted he would even be capable of facing one of them. Now, things were different.

He had lived through the seasons for over a thousand cycles, observed their change, understood them, and made them part of who he was. Miyamoto didn’t consider himself a supreme genius, but he did think he was at least decently talented and could understand certain things others struggled with. Despite still being young based on the regular standards of the multiverse, he continued to see himself as an old man, which was perhaps why he felt so connected to certain things.

At least, that’s what he believed had been what allowed him to do something he reckoned others would find difficult:

He’d successfully upgraded his Transcendent skill.

All three Meteorborn Beasts made their move as one, the rock he was standing on rumbling as they mobilized their energy, and the entire valley started to move as they unleashed their gravity magic as one.

The Sword Saint started rising into the air, affected by the magic. Resisting it as he currently was wouldn’t prove very successful, so he started his presentation. The proof of his improvements, all under the watchful gaze of Aeon.

Drawing his sword, Miyamoto held it out to the side as he spoke, invoking a season he had only managed to glimpse the concepts of before.

“Scorching Summer.”

His blade began to shimmer as it reached an extreme level of heat, and a moment later, his entire body was affected. The gravity magic was suppressed, finding itself scorched and unable to affect him, allowing the swordsman to move freely, right as the beasts made their first actual attack.

The entire valley imploded as a city-sized sphere of rock and soil was condensed into a single large boulder in an instant, with the Sword Saint stuck right in the middle. However, before it could fully condense, a dozen cuts formed in its side before the swordsman flew out, straight down towards one of the Meteorborn Beasts.

Reacting quickly, the monster let out a loud roar as it manipulated the metallic stone covering its own body to form spears that shot towards the old man. With speed far surpassing anything the swordsman had ever been able to display before, he dodged in between every spear, rapidly closing in on his opponent before any of the other monsters could intervene.

Seeing him nearly upon it, the Meteorborn Beast wrapped gravity magic around its stinger, attempting to draw the Sword Saint towards it as it struck forward. Unfortunately, the very concept of gravity was burned away before it could even successfully affect the Transcendent swordsman, allowing him to pass by it effortlessly as he made his first attack.

Miyamoto’s blade clashed with the natural armor of the Meteorborn Beast, the monster confident in its defenses… right until the moment the blade cut straight through, seemingly finding little to no resistance.

The beast roared in pain as not a single drop of blood was spilled, the wound instantly cauterized due to the extreme heat of the sword. Its entire body exploded with powerful gravity magic, forcing the Sword Saint back for only a moment before he sprang forward again, showing no mercy with his slashes.

He cut off several pieces of its armor and eviscerated the B-grade’s face in moments, before landing one final blow as he sprang forward, unleashing a vertical cut as he moved through the entire monster, nearly splitting it in half down the middle.

Even then, as the beast fell dead to the ground, there was still not a single drop of blood.

Breathing heavily, the Sword Saint nearly stumbled as his body was rapidly reaching its limits. Scorching Summer allowed him to embody the heat and ceaselessness of the season, making his blade an unstoppable force and his speed unmatched, incomparable to what he could usually muster. Unfortunately, it also came at a high cost, as he couldn’t maintain the state for long due to the harshness of summer.

After having killed one of their brethren so quickly and effortlessly, one would perhaps expect the two other Meteorborn Beasts to retreat, but instead, they both attacked at once without any hesitation.

Seeing their approach and the torrent of heavily condensed stone spears flying toward him, the Sword Saint allowed his body to cool and summer come to an end as the temperature fell and the season shifted.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

“Decaying Fall.”