A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 525

Chapter 525: Chapter 521

Long ago, the Knight Aker, as he approached death, regretted that his swordsmanship would vanish with him.

‘To be precise, it’s not the swordsmanship but the insights I’ve gained that are too precious to lose.’

There were many times he tried to teach, but he had never properly done so. Like most geniuses, Aker was the same.

Teaching wasn’t fun.

Yet, he wanted to leave behind his skills, especially his swordsmanship. So, right before his death, he came up with an idea.

An idea that others might consider sheer madness.

What if he could store his thoughts in the sword?

Aker’s specialty was transferring willpower into his weapon.

‘Willpower is the force of one’s Will. Perhaps I could embed my thoughts into that Will.’

Aker’s engraved weapon was a gift he received when he first held a sword.

He reforged and tempered that weapon to create his engraved sword.

It was a weapon he had used his entire life, customized specifically for the Knight Aker, and his specialty was transferring willpower, which made such a feat possible. Of course, luck played a part as well.

Luck can sometimes be the most crucial element.

Aker sought the help of a wizard for this, and eventually, he succeeded.

He embedded his thoughts and Will into the engraved weapon.

“There are four conditions.”

Aker set the conditions for awakening the sword.

The first three were simple.

The one who learned his swordsmanship, which was rare to master in combat.

Someone who had at least grasped willpower, as it would be meaningless otherwise.

And the owner of the sword.

The fourth and final hidden condition was someone who still ‘desired’ even after becoming a Knight.

The fourth condition was tricky, but it was also essential.

What’s the point of teaching someone in the world of the sword’s consciousness if they had no intention to learn?

It was a necessary condition, but why was it the most difficult?

Because once someone became a Knight, they had already carved their own path with the sword.

The time for desperate learning had passed.

Yet, he had to find someone with the will to continue learning.

It wasn’t an easy condition.

Those who knew what Aker had done all deemed it a meaningless and insane act, but to Aker, it didn’t matter.

He was satisfied with it.

And thus, the Ego Sword Aker was born.

Over time, this story was misinterpreted, leading to the creation of something like the cursed sword, Tutor.

Some foolish wizard had stolen the vision of the wizard who helped Aker, creating the cursed sword, Tutor.

Tutor was a cursed sword that trapped human souls, and it was the name of the cursed sword that forced Encrid into mental death.

In other words, Tutor was a counterfeit.

As the years passed, parts of Aker’s swordsmanship were passed down through the cursed sword, Tutor. This wasn’t entirely a coincidence.

Knight Aker created the Ego Sword, Aker, and died satisfied.

That was the end of Aker’s story, but there was more beyond the tale.

Regret remained.

His lingering regrets were left behind in the sword as residual thoughts.

But would those residual thoughts remain intact?

Thoughts filled with regret?

Even a human soul trapped in a sword could turn into a wraith.

Couldn’t the residual thoughts have become corrupted like the cursed sword, Tutor, warped by wraith-like insanity?

That could’ve been possible.

Aker’s residual thoughts had been trapped in the sword for a very long time. Even though they were just thoughts, they were still sentient, so it was possible that they might go mad. But he was originally part of Knight Aker.

Even though they were just regrets, he was still one of the three swords that had protected the founding King of Naurillia.

His noble spirit passed down to his residual thoughts, preventing them from becoming corrupted.

Although Knight Aker’s goal, driven by his regrets, wasn’t exactly noble, it gave a clear sense of purpose.

However, just because his spirit wasn’t corrupted didn’t mean everything was fine.

The embodiment of his residual thoughts was regret.

You could call it a past specter, not quite a person, nor a real being, but even this entity had its own desires.

‘I want to finish this and ascend quickly.’

If his residual thoughts dissipated, they would be destroyed, but whether they ascended or were destroyed, they wanted to fulfill the lingering regret first.

That was Aker’s wish.

Thus, when he finally encountered someone who perfectly met the fourth condition, the wraith of Aker couldn’t help but feel elated.

Even if that person seemed a bit crazy, the joy didn’t diminish.

After all, the wait had been far too long.

That’s why Aker started speaking without being asked. It was a sign of consideration so that his opponent wouldn’t get overwhelmed or fed up with the situation.

He wanted to tease him, but the other didn’t fall for it, leaving no choice.

After all, this person was his savior, the one who would help resolve his lingering regrets.

“If you want to quit, just tell me. Then, you can take a break and come back.”

There was no need to die. If it became too hard, resting was an option. This was the fundamental difference between the cursed sword, Tutor, and the legendary sword, Aker.

When the wraith Aker spoke, the man kneeling on one knee before him, showing the top of his head, lifted his gaze.

“…I’ll get sunburnt.”

Aker said.

His blue eyes burned fiercely. What could have driven this man to such a state? He didn’t know.

And he didn’t want to know.

He was simply pleased that his lingering regret might be resolved.

Yet, a part of him was worried.

‘Isn’t this too much?’

Was he pushing too hard? Well, it didn’t matter if he kept charging ahead.

Aker wouldn’t subject his opponent to the mental death that the cursed sword, Tutor, would.

But without proper rest, even mental strength could wear down, couldn’t it?

So, he thought it best for the man to take a break and then come back for their duel.

“Hey, just give up. You can come back later.”

Aker repeated, but the man before him knew nothing of giving up.

“Not yet.”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Aker knew what words were left unsaid.

He probably meant, ‘I’m still fine.’

He had been repeating the same words over and over for a while now.

“You said just one month.”

Encrid said as he stabbed the ground with his sword, standing up straight and raising the blade.

“Since I’ve met the fourth condition, there should be some spare time.”

Aker’s lingering regret was to find someone to pass on his skills. It didn’t mean he had to teach everything.

What mattered was passing on the mental aspect. The basics of swordsmanship would naturally lead to further learning and improvement.

Aker thought so, but Encrid had a different idea.

‘It’s only a month. Shouldn’t I make the most of that time?’

He couldn’t fight for his life against Rem, Ragna, Jaxon, or Sinar.

Even if their skills were superior to his own, he couldn’t go all out, pouring everything he had into a fight.

In such a battle, no one could predict who would live or die.

So, he kept a certain distance, infused with just enough killing intent to make the fight serious.

But with the residual spirit of Aker, there was no need for that.

Though Aker’s sword had pierced his body eight times, Encrid wasn’t dead.

There was pain, but it felt like the dull sensation you’d get after taking a lot of pain-relief potions.

It wasn’t that bad. Compared to the pain that leads to death, it wasn’t much.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Aker worried that the pain might scar Encrid’s mind, but Encrid could handle this much easily.

It wasn’t as if he was actually dying, nor was he experiencing mental death.

Repeating today or being trapped by the cursed sword, Tutor, was relatively easier.

In other words, the risk was low compared to the gain.

“If you push too hard, it’ll backfire.”

“I can handle it.”

“I really don’t like you.”

Aker smiled again as he said he didn’t like him, but Encrid hadn’t taken those words literally for a while now.

There was a subtle sense of affection there.

That affection ultimately loosened Aker’s lips.

“If I leave you alone, you really won’t stop, so I’ll tell you this. You’re shouting too much.”

What did that mean?

Encrid thought to himself as he once again aimed his sword at Aker.

“You shout too much. You charge in, yelling ‘right side’ so loudly. Who wouldn’t notice?”

Rem had described Encrid’s willpower manifestation as clumsy, Ragna as chaotic, and Jaxon as noisy.

“When did I ever?”

He spoke, but his posture and breathing didn’t falter.

More than anything, Encrid was thoroughly enjoying this moment.

Why wouldn’t he?

He had become a Knight. Beyond the feeling of omnipotence, it was natural to want to unleash every bit of one’s abilities.

And he was doing just that.

If you gave a bottle of water to someone who hadn’t had a drop for three days, how would they react?

Because of this, even though Aker’s words raised questions, Encrid’s body moved naturally.

“You crazy bastard, at least listen to what I’m saying before attacking.”

Bang!

Leaves shattered, and the ground cracked. Encrid charged forward at a speed far faster than the Junior-Knight’s charge he had once witnessed in the Green Pearl, gripping his sword tightly, his shoulders and elbows loosening to allow the blade to slice with the momentum of his movement.

Shwwing!

Even with Knight-level vision, the blade seemed to bend.

Aker raised his sword vertically to block it.

His sword halted Encrid’s blade. Several more exchanges followed.

Encrid pushed forward with strength, trying to kick Aker’s heel, but Aker withdrew first, attempting to strike Encrid’s hand with the pommel.

If he stayed still, he would be struck. Should he withdraw his hand, though? Or could he endure one blow and counterattack?

Here, it would be possible. The judgment was made instantly, and there was no hesitation in action.

“What’s the point of fast judgment when I tell you everything ahead of time!”

Aker rendered all those tactics useless, shouting as he leaped backward to create distance.

Encrid, who had planned to let his right hand take the hit while delivering a left hook to the wraith’s face, halted his fist.

Aker’s words had finally sunk in.

“Will is your intention. I can tell your willpower is overflowing, but what happens if you just let it spill out everywhere? If your opponent is on your level, you wouldn’t even need future sight. They don’t need to be a mind reader to know exactly what you’re going to do.”

Aker continued.

“When you said I was shouting, did you mean it like that?”

“Yeah.”

Aker nodded.

Aker was a residual thought created by a genius. Naturally, the real Aker hadn’t been good at explaining things.

“Just do it like this, why can’t you?”

That’s how geniuses taught things.

However, the residual thought of Aker had time to think about how to pass on his knowledge.

That time difference meant Aker’s explanations were relatively good.

‘Compared to Rem, he’s an angel.’

Encrid nodded, blinking, and replayed Aker’s words in his mind. He mulled them over, organizing his thoughts as he stood there, sword in hand, forgetting about the present situation.

He stood still, lost in contemplation, thinking things through.

“So, take a proper break and come back. Hey? What? Is this guy seriously insane?”

The residual thought felt baffled.

With him right in front of him, Encrid suddenly took a meditative stance, half-closing his eyes.

Encrid spent quite a bit of time like that.

After a while, Encrid opened his eyes and spoke.

“I think I get it.”

“What?”

“The meaning of your words.”

If he had spent that much time, shouldn’t he have completely grasped it by now? He had given all the answers.

But no.

“Again.”

Encrid charged again, and Aker had to pick up his sword to face him once more.

They swung their swords and moved their bodies. They fought with their lives on the line, putting in their all.

Through this process, Encrid gradually learned how to handle his willpower, specifically, how to control the massive chunk of willpower he possessed.

What should one do if it’s too heavy to manage?

Should they break it up into smaller parts?

Encrid didn’t choose that path. Instead of breaking it apart, he took another route. Instinctively, he saw that dividing it would ruin him.

This might not be the correct path, but shouldn’t one trust that the path their heart leads them on is the right one?

After all, in life, you can only walk one path at a time.

Even if you could go back to childhood and start anew, you still only get one shot at each choice in life.

So, the best thing was to give everything to the path you’d chosen.

There was no reason to regret the crossroads you’d already passed.

Encrid had lived his life like that, and he continued to do so now.

He swung his sword in a straightforward, unyielding way.

The massive chunk of willpower within him spread out wildly. He grabbed and controlled it piece by piece.

“You brute.”

Aker spoke with genuine feeling, but Encrid continued as he always had.

How much time had passed?

He didn’t know. Encrid thought he had finally overcome a barrier.

By the time they had sparred over a hundred times.

“What I just taught you is the basics. Insight is what predicts future moves, and by showing false intentions, you plant complexity in the opponent’s mind.”

“Is this the end?”

He felt he had grasped the knack of it, so he asked, and Aker wiped the smile off his face.

“It’s not the end, but take a break! No compromise!”

Aker was firm. Even though Encrid had extraordinary mental strength, no one in the world could go without eating or sleeping indefinitely.

The same applied to the mind.

No matter how strong one’s mental strength, it would wear down eventually.

Encrid realized the need for rest and nodded.

“Then, again.”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

“Yeah, again.”

Aker expelled Encrid from the world he had created.

Perhaps in the outside world, less than an hour had passed.

Encrid reentered the consciousness realm shortly after disappearing.

With his black hair and blazing blue eyes wide open.

“Why are you back already?”

It hadn’t even been that long since he’d been sent away.

Encrid had returned to the consciousness realm again. For someone who had entered once, it seemed like he had quickly grasped the trick.

“I’ve rested enough.”

Instead of being surprised or flustered, Aker nodded.

One can only be surprised so many times. He was beginning to understand Encrid’s strengths.

‘That enormous chunk of willpower must be due to his incredible mental strength.’

Though Aker was just a residual thought, he had the experience of the Knight Aker, and his insight was exceptional.

“Aker liked spiders.”

At the sudden remark, Encrid swung his sword.

They could talk while fighting, after all.

“You crazy bastard, at least listen to what I’m saying before attacking.”

“Time’s too precious. Let’s talk while we fight.”

Encrid spoke as he continued to fight, also subtly learning Aker’s technique for maintaining composure in any stance.

As his desire reignited, he was determined to seize everything he could.

Greed surged within him, urging him forward.

To go further, to never stop.

And Encrid didn’t resist the greed pushing him from behind.

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