The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 179

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 179

"The preparations are complete."

Convincing the Fairy Tower did not take long.

Originally, the Fairy Tower did not want human interference regarding the Elves' long-held wish…

But this was a project backed by the Emperor of the Starn Empire.

No matter how much the Elves were at the center of it, a single magic tower could not oppose it.

Besides—

This isn’t a deal that puts us at a disadvantage.

Most of the Fairy Tower’s leadership, the seven elders, shared this sentiment.

The people of the Starn Empire had yet to realize it, but—

With their far-reaching intelligence network, the Fairy Tower’s leadership viewed the current situation with grave concern.

We’ve been losing contact with our kin in the western continent.

There are even rumors that a dragon has been resurrected.

We must open the path to the Spirit Realm as soon as possible.

And then, the Emperor’s side had come forward with an offer.

The price they demanded was Eldir’s "Eye," but it wasn’t to be paid upfront—it would only be handed over after the task was complete. There was no reason to refuse.

"Then, let us begin the ritual."

In the underground chamber of the Fairy Tower—

A hundred elves stood gathered upon a massive magic circle, positioned beneath the World Tree.

"What kind of magic circle is this?"

"It temporarily amplifies spirit power and uses that energy to open the gate to the Spirit Realm."

"I heard that this magic circle alone used to be enough to open the gate. But ever since the continent fell under demonic influence, even spirit power has declined…"

"So, we planned to supplement it by sublimating Eldir into an artificial spirit."

The Fairy Tower had intended to make up for the lacking spirit power by turning Eldir into an artificial spirit.

Although Kaylen and Johannes had joined the endeavor, neither of them specialized in handling spirits. Thus, the Fairy Tower’s leadership simply observed how they would proceed.

"Hmm."

Johannes carefully examined the massive magic circle before asking the elf leaders—

"Would it be alright if I modified this magic circle?"

"Hmm… We have heard of your exceptional abilities, Mage. However, this is not merely a magic circle—it is closer to a spirit formation. Tampering with it recklessly is extremely dangerous."

"If anything goes wrong, it won’t just be the gate that fails to open—this entire underground chamber could explode."

"Don’t worry. I won’t alter the core structure—I’ll only make additions."

The elf leaders were not pleased with the idea.

But—

"In the modified version, the elves won’t need to stand in the formation."

"…But we need to summon spirits, don’t we?"

"It’s fine. The Emperor will handle that part."

At Johannes’s words, the elves exchanged glances before reluctantly stepping back.

Soon, light flickered at Johannes’s fingertips.

Swipe. Scratch, scratch.

Seated on the ground, he began redrawing the magic circle.

"Adding attributes… improving efficiency…"

He adjusted the lines of the existing formation and added a small circle at its center.

"Emperor, stand over there."

He motioned for Kaylen to take position.

"Unleash all six swords and plant them into the ground."

"Around this circle?"

"No. I’ll designate the spots."

The edges of the massive magic circle shimmered.

Lights matching the colors of the Six Swords flickered, as if indicating where the swords should be placed.

As Kaylen summoned the Six Swords and inserted them one by one according to their colors, Johannes spoke casually.

“Gate to the Spirit Realm, open.”

The Elf leaders looked at Johannes with disbelief.

Wait, how could the gate open just because he said that?

However, contrary to their expectations, the air began to distort.

Srrrr—

A portal radiating a blue light formed.

“That was quick.”

“…No, are you saying that’s really the gate to the Spirit Realm?”

Johannes shrugged, while the Elf leaders stared in shock.

‘We’ve struggled so much just to get to this point…’

‘And now it opens this easily?’

Since the appearance of dungeon portals, they had endured countless hardships to settle in the human world.

Establishing the Tower of the Fae had helped them gain some footing in human nations, but…

To humans, elves would always be outsiders.

Completely integrating into human society was an impossible dream.

‘That’s why we needed to return to the Spirit Realm—to escape this half-spirit existence and achieve full spiritualization!’

‘And yet, the most difficult part—opening the gate—was this easy…?’

While the Elf leaders were still dazed by how effortlessly the gate had opened, Johannes approached Eldir.

“Well then, shall we extract the Spirit Stone?”

“W-wait a moment! Taking the Eye is one thing, but shouldn’t we at least confirm that the portal actually leads to the Spirit Realm first?”

“He’s right. We can’t just hastily remove Eldir’s Spirit Stone without verifying what’s beyond.”

“Let’s take a look inside first.”

“If it really is the Spirit Realm, then we can proceed without delay.”

Johannes nodded at the Elf leaders’ concerns.

“Fair enough. You’ll want to confirm it. Then let’s send a few from your side along with our group.”

“Not all of us?”

“What if something happens inside? If all the leaders disappear, it would create a leadership vacuum.”

The Elf leaders accepted his reasoning.

“Understood. We will select a few to enter the Spirit Realm.”

In the end, four members were chosen from the elves—three Elf leaders and Eldir.

Along with Kaylen’s group, a total of eight people stepped into the portal.

“…Is this really the Spirit Realm?”

One of the three Elf leaders, Irene, looked around with a doubtful expression.

It was understandable.

The world beyond the portal seemed far too confined to be the Spirit Realm.

Like floating on a cloud, the space was dreamlike.

A dense mist covered the area, and the boundaries of this world were visible at a glance.

Darkness loomed in every direction—above, below, and on all sides.

Only the small area they stood on was shrouded in pure white mist.

“The spirit energy here is abundant, but…”

A hooded woman from Kaylen’s group observed their surroundings as she spoke.

‘Huh? Who is that?’

Irene felt a sense of familiarity upon hearing the voice.

A voice she had heard many times before—a voice she longed for.

She glanced at the hooded woman, but it was as if a veil had been drawn over her face—nothing was visible beneath the hood.

It seemed that she had used magic to conceal her appearance.

Meanwhile, Eldir kept sneaking glances at the hooded woman.

‘Why is my brother acting like that? How rude.’

Irene pinched Eldir’s arm.

“Brother, that’s rude.”

“Ah, Irene. Actually…”

Eldir had been about to say something in response to Irene’s scolding, but—

“Let’s not waste time with unnecessary talk and focus on the task.”

At the hooded woman’s curt remark, Eldir immediately fell silent.

Eldir, who usually treated women with complete indifference, was listening to her without resistance.

Irene was slightly surprised at this unusual behavior.

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‘Who is she?’

She wanted to take a closer look at the hooded woman, but after scolding Eldir just moments ago, she couldn’t allow herself to do the same.

Unaware that the woman beneath the hood was Melvria, Irene suppressed her curiosity and turned her attention back to investigating the Spirit Realm beyond the portal.

‘Just as she said, the spirit energy here is overwhelming…’

A space filled with dense mist.

The spirit energy was so thick that, even as an elf, Irene felt suffocated.

“The flow of mana seems to intensify toward the center.”

“Shall we head that way?”

Kaylen and Johannes took the lead.

The group walked deeper into this world.

About an hour later—

“This should be the place.”

They had arrived at the area where the spirit energy was most concentrated.

The mist had grown so thick that visibility was almost nonexistent.

“Huff… Huff…”

The elves were gasping for breath as they struggled to keep up with Kaylen.

Even Eldir, a Sword Master, looked exhausted as he supported the elves.

The overwhelming spirit energy was proving to be more harmful than beneficial to them.

“Hmm. This place… seems suspicious.”

“I thought the same. The spirit energy is stagnant.”

“Elves, can you summon spirits…? No, never mind. It’s hard enough to breathe as it is.”

Johannes glanced back at the struggling elves and shook his head.

“Emperor, can you shake this space up with the Six Swords?”

“Sure. I have just the right one for this.”

Six Sword Path – Third Sword

Bottomless Abyss

Before Kaylen, a massive vortex of darkness appeared.

It began devouring the thick mist in all directions, rapidly expanding in size.

…

In an instant, the fog-filled space was cleared.

“Now we can see.”

“That is…”

At the center, where the mist had vanished—

Four mana constructs hovered in the air.

Each one radiated the colors of the four great elements: fire, water, wind, and earth.

Their shapes resembled stars.

The elves, apart from sensing their immense spirit energy, felt nothing unusual.

But Kaylen’s group was different.

“…Infinity?”

Though they weren’t golden stars, their flawless forms were identical to Infinity.

‘To think I’d see Infinity here.’

Kaylen slowly approached one.

The first he neared was the brown star.

Up close, Infinity was nearly the size of a person.

Ssshh—

As Kaylen placed his hand on Infinity, a new scene began to emerge on the surface of the brown star.

“This is…”

“Could it be the New Continent?”

Reflected in the brown star was the very land Johannes had discovered—the continent where Baldrix had completed the Supreme Sword.

With uncertainty in his mind, Kaylen touched the other Infinity stars one by one.

“This one is also the New Continent, Johannes?”

“Yes. The Continent of Fire. A land covered in volcanic traces.”

The red star displayed the Continent of Fire.

“This is…”

“Underwater? See, I was right!”

The blue star revealed a land floating beneath the sea.

Now, only one Infinity remained—the green star.

Johannes, as if it were obvious, spoke.

“Then that one must be the Continent of Wind.”

Kaylen nodded in agreement.

Everything they had seen so far had been part of the New Continent.

That one would surely reveal the Continent of Wind as well.

Since they had already checked the others, Kaylen decided to confirm the last one.

As he reached out toward the green star—

“Huh?”

Contrary to their expectations—

A completely different scene appeared.

Instead of the Continent of Wind, it showed a floating castle in the sky.

“This place is…”

As Kaylen stared at the sky castle in confusion, the holy sword Astella, housed within the Lightblade, suddenly spoke.

—Master. I can sense the power of my replica there.

“…What? Your replica? You mean the one in Sanctuary?”

—Yes. Seeing that, I’m certain we can now pinpoint Sanctuary’s location.

The sky castle revealed by the green star—

It was Sanctuary, the refuge of the Sacred Court.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]