Chapter 1155: Chapter 1146

No matter how hard Bharal tried to tamp down the goosebumps rising all over his body, he couldn’t. All he could do was stare at Minhyuk.

When he and Minhyuk first talked, the young man tried to tell him that he had worked harder and tried his best more than anybody else. Bharal had disregarded his words. He let it pass his ears while thinking, ‘Who in the world did not do their best?’ After all, everyone would always try to move toward their goals.

Back then, he had told Minhyuk these words:

–Things in this world can never be achieved by efforts alone.

Only then did he realize that this young man was a foreigner. Compared to the guardians, the foreigners had only lived in Athenae for a much shorter period.

Yet the number of times that Minhyuk had swung his sword was already five times more than the number that they had swung their swords. He had made more than five times the effort of those who think they had already made a name for themselves.

What was more surprising was the sword that he owned. There wasn’t even a single scratch on it, even though it had swung a million times against the invisible wall.

That was when Bharal recalled the times he had shared with his dear friend Leo.

***

The blind Leo was a very unusual person.

His abilities to analyze artifacts were lower than those of the blacksmiths, who were hailed as the greatest of their time. He was also not very good at making various artifacts.

In fact, except for the sword and armor, the only two types of artifacts that Leo was good at making, his ability to create others declined. Regardless, there was something extraordinary about him. He could hammer nearly a hundred times when making a single sword compared to other blacksmiths.

Bharal could not understand him at all.

“Why do you hammer it for such a long time?”

The blind Leo chuckled lowly. “Do you think that only a real blacksmith is the one who makes the most artifacts with the least amount of effort?”

“That’s right.”

Leo hummed in acknowledgment, then said, “Hammering the sword like this will make it sharper, sturdier, and firmer.”

Everyone knew this fact. However, not all blacksmiths did not use this method. Hammering beyond what was written in the existing production method was just too inefficient. They would only hammer a sword five hundred times at most. Besides, removing the remaining impurities in a sword that has already been hammered to some extent would be very difficult. Even if they hammered it past the recommended times, making it sturdier and sharper would be difficult.

“I know it. I know it all. I know relying on luck to make the greatest sword wouldn't be bad. After all, that’s what the gods of the past had done.”

If he made dozens of artifacts, he would one day be lucky and create an excellent artifact.

Leo shook his head, “Even if it just makes it 1% better, I will continue to work harder and harder and hammer on this sword…”

“Things in this world can never be achieved by efforts alone.”

Bharal was just a busybody, especially after seeing his friend work many times harder than others to create a slightly better sword.

Even so, Leo just smiled faintly. “All I’m good at is making swords and armor.”

Leo, who needed ten days to complete a sword when an ordinary blacksmith only required one day, held the finished sword in one hand and said, “Starting tomorrow, I will create a sword with all of my heart, soul, and effort. I don’t know when I’ll complete it, but I will make it.”

“Why the hell are you so obsessed with a single sword?!”

“Because the only thing I am good at is making a sword.”

“...”

“And because what I do best is to give it my all and work my hardest.”

Bharal could not stand the smile on his friend’s face. He walked out of the smithy and was unable to see him for a very long time. This was because Leo locked himself inside the smithy for years. Bharal felt betrayed. On the other hand, he also missed his friend dearly. He thought that he was nothing but an idiot. A fool!

When the doors to the smithy finally opened, a sword emitting a bright light that lit the entire world appeared. He stared at his friend, whose whole body had turned into skin and bones while his palms turned bloody and torn from the constant and repeated hammering, holding onto the sword that made his sword lose power. Bharal had never seen such a beautiful and powerful sword in the world.

And with the birth of this sword, Leo was finally able to make other weapons as well. At that moment, Bharal realized it was not as if Leo could not make other weapons. Only after reaching the greatest level in a weapon could he abandon his lingering desires for it. Leo was a rare genius willing to work hard and give it his all.

At that moment, Bharal asked, “Can this sword, which has been hammered tens of thousands of times more than an average sword, still be broken?”

Leo nodded. “If someone swings as much as I hammered this sword, it will. But when that happens…”

Bharal, who was in awe, heard Leo say this toward the end, “That man will become the true master of the Greatest Sword.”

***

Rough breathings echoed in the open space. Everyone with their weapons broken down and lying on the ground was staring firmly at his sword.

When they first met this man a few hours ago, Army Revolutionary Bharal did not acknowledge him as the Battle God. In fact, he ignored him and treated him indifferently.

And the most significant thing that bothered them was that this man was commanding them.

Now, he had already proven himself. He had swung his sword more than five times the amount that an ordinary person could swing in their lifetimes. He had proven himself with his strong conviction and his sword that had never broken down, even after being swung a million times.

They knew that he was trying to leave this land, and what they needed to do now was simple.

The flustered Akkaman snapped his fingers, and everything repeated itself. Time went back in this repetition, and the ogres appeared again.

The prisoners immediately charged toward the ogres. Someone grabbed the ogres’ arms, someone grabbed the necks, and someone grabbed the legs. The ogres smashed their heads with their fists, kicked those holding onto their legs, and tore apart those holding onto their torsos.

They only had one sword among them. Nonetheless, this sword…

‘Is the sword that has been swung the most.’

This sword…

‘Is the sword knocked against a hard wall the most.’

This sword…

‘Is the only one that did not break.’

Even so, they continued to run because this sword belonged to a man with conviction, hard work, and passion. And because this sword was the only weapon that they had.

“GET LOST!!!”

Hundreds of cannons appeared around Bharal and began to fire at the ogres.

But then, the man holding their only weapon was stopped by another Repetition’s Ogre.

Bharal ran. He might have been the greatest Battle God in existence, but he was willing to sacrifice for the man and the strongest, greatest, and sharpest sword in his hands.

Bang–!

Bharal’s bare fists smashed the face of the Repetition’s Ogre.

The only sword among them looked at them before running forward. Behind him, the screams of the prisoners, whose bodies were torn apart, rang loudly. But they weren’t screams of pain; they were screams of hope.

Hearing the hope in their voices, the man gripped the handle of the unbroken sword tightly. With one swing of the sword, flames shot out and devoured half of the more than 100,000 monsters that had appeared around Akkaman.

Every swing of the greatest and strongest sword would tear apart and sweep away the monsters blocking his path.

Bang–!

A gigantic monster blocked his path and swung its club firmly against his sword. But the sword did not shake or waver. The man swung his sword swiftly.

“Heavenly Sword.”

“Intangible Sword.”

“Annihilator’s Sword.”

He eradicated all of the enemies that Akkaman had summoned. The man looked fearless. It was as if he could take on the world.

Akkaman charged toward the man with a sword and an axe in one hand. Akkaman’s axe swung down on him.

Swoosh–

[Repeated Axe.]

[The Repeated Axe will swing 56 times per second.]

The axe hit the sword fifty-six times in succession. Yet the sword remained steadfast.

The man swung the greatest sword and immediately ripped Akkaman dozens of times.

Slash, slash, slash–!

Akkaman’s blood spurted out like a fountain. When the prisoners saw the blood, they all felt delighted. Even though they were dying, they still rejoiced as they turned to look at their only weapon.

Bang– Bang, bang– Bang, bang, bang–!

The man murmured, ‘Like the Wind’

as he started another fierce battle with Akkaman. Even if every swing of Akkaman’s sword ignored his defenses and cut through his body, the man continued to fight. He staggered on his feet, but he did not collapse, nor did he run away.

“Frenzied Blade.”

Even though the man was far from Akkaman, his sword could still deal a huge blow.

Stab, stab, stab–

Using Like the Wind again, the man appeared in front of Akkaman. Then, he swung and swung his sword like crazy.

Of course, the same was true for Akkaman. The moment his sword could repeat a single attack countless times collided with the man’s armor…

Bang, bang, bang–!

A total of 120 attacks landed on him. The man reeled from the attacks, but he remained firm. His will was tall and unyielding. No matter what happened, he would never break or back down.

The man gazed sharply at Akkaman. His calloused hands that had wielded the sword a million times gripped his sword tightly. And using all his might, he slashed at Akkaman horizontally.

Shwaaaaaa–

Covered in blood, the man murmured, “Transcendence.”

At that moment, man became the strongest man in the world.

With two swords spitting out black energy, the man slashed and stabbed Akkaman while defending against his sword and axe. Akkaman was going to fall soon. His HP was slowly falling to the ground.

‘Just a bit more. Just a bit more!’

“UWAAAAAAAH!”

His roar seemed to echo the road that he had walked so far.

They left each other in a wreck as they swung their weapons crazily. At this point, the man thought things were finally about to end. But then, a force surged out of Akkaman’s axe.

[Repeated Weapon Destruction.]

[His axe will hit your weapon 500 times in quick succession.]

Five hundred attacks hit the strongest and toughest sword in the hands of the man in a second.

Bang, bang, bang–!

“Keuaaaaaaaack…!”

The man shrieked from the pain that almost tore through his hands. Nevertheless, his grip remained firm. Even if blood dripped from his hands, he held on tightly and endured the 500 attacks. His strong will, which allowed him to hold on tight to the greatest sword, was proof of the difficult path that he had and continued to traverse.

Clang–!

Everything stopped at the unbelievable sound that rang in the open space.

The man looked in surprise at his sword, which was cut in half. Everyone was in disbelief. They could not understand what was happening in front of them. But there was one person among them who understood it all. This person felt his heart start to thump like crazy.

The man looked at the sword in his hand in silence. Did he realize that everything around him had been frozen on their spot? Did he realize that one person among them knew what happened? Did he realize that this man might know why his sword broke?

Regardless, it did not matter. He stared at his broken sword and continued to charge toward Akkaman, who was laughing maniacally. And using his broken sword, he stabbed Akkaman in the abdomen with all his might.

“OOOOOOOOOH!!!”

At that moment, everyone felt their blood boil once again. His sword might have broken, but the man’s will remained firm. Even with only a broken sword, he continued to swing and slash at Akkaman.

Alas, his attacks were not strong or sharp enough to kill Akkaman. Akkaman laughed at the man as he released a tremendous force from his body. This force made his muscles bulge, increasing his attack power by 1.6 times. But that was not all. It also doubled his defensive power.

With that, the man’s broken sword could no longer cut Akkaman. Akkaman used this opportunity to swing his weapons and push the man back.

The man was already nearing his end. He should give up now. But even though he could just back down now, the man held the hilt of his sword tighter. Then, an unknown notification rang in his ears.

There was someone among them who knew why the sword broke. And that someone was now shedding tears as he listened to the notifications that resonated all over the battlefield.

[Someone said that they swung their sword ten times.]

[They wanted everyone to know.]

[Another day, someone swung their sword a hundred times.]

[They said that they had worked hard.]

[Someone…]

[Someone…]

[Someone…]

[Someone…]

[Yet that someone did not say anything.]

[It was obvious why he did not say anything.]

[It was because he did not think it was something to brag about.]

[It was only natural.]

[When someone swung a sword a hundred times, he swung it a thousand times.]

[When someone swung a sword a thousand times, he swung it ten thousand times.]

[When… he…]

[When… he…]

[When… he…]

[He swung his sword a million times.]

[For the first time, the sword that has been hammered a million times has met a man who swung it a million times.]

[And now, the true form of the greatest sword shows itself to the world.]

“Sob, sob, sob…”

Tears flowed down Bharal’s face.

He had ignored his friend. But he did not stop there. He also ignored the next-generation Battle God. But now? He witnessed the true form of the greatest sword his friend had told him about before in the hands of the next generation Battle God.

His friend had once told him…

–Once this sword is swung a million times, it will break.

–Only then will the true Sword of Aeon be born to the world.

The Sword of Aeon was named so because it was made with infinite, limitless, never-ending effort and time.

The man stared at his sword through the gaps of his bloody hair and grabbed it tightly. Then, he exhaled deeply as he slowly lowered his stance.

“Hoooooo.”

Their only weapon, Minhyuk, recalled the words of a young boy.

“One second.”

His voice calmed everyone down.

“That’s the time that I need to bring you to the depths of despair.”