Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 587



586 – Looking for a Master

Even if I had the power of immortality, I wouldn’t want to fight against a martial artist who understands the principles. The only silver lining is that the opponent is far too strong compared to us. There needs to be some level of parity for a fight to take place. Blanca can’t really take the fight seriously either.

“Ms. Shea has already lost her masculinity. She even had her arm torn off once. Well, that’s that.”

It was when I steadied myself and approached Blanca.

In an instant, the distance between us closed. The pitch-black hood enveloped my face. A hand, not very large, gripped my face tightly and pressed down with immense force. The pressure felt like it could snap my vertebrae.

“Ugh!”

I didn’t resist. I couldn’t win. Instead, I threw my body backward, grabbing Blanca’s arm and pulling. The balance of power momentarily shifted, and my body spun half a turn in the air. Instead of my skull shattering, my back hit the ground first.

As I collided with the earth, I quickly unfurled my curled-up body. Shaking off Blanca’s arm, I rolled away.

Blanca adjusted the hood and said,

“Not bad.”

“Not at all.”

“Next time, I won’t hold back.”

“Subtly implying it wasn’t your full power. It might be true, but isn’t it a bit ugly?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure it’s not ugly this time.”

Blanca slammed into the ground. A dark shadow surged forth, causing a disturbance among the branches of the World Tree.

But.

“Isn’t it a bit slow?”

Her movements on the tree of the source were more sluggish than usual.

The tree of the source is both a deity and the World Tree. It is imbued with the essence of the World Tree. Here, on this land, or rather, on this branch, it is difficult to use the technique of Gongi-gong. The mere human energy struggles to penetrate deep into the tree of the source, which is filled with essence.

Why would a practitioner of energy learn Gongi-gong? Why would they waste precious energy underground?

If they do not anchor their legs to the ground like stakes using Gongi-gong, they cannot handle their own powerful strength and swift speed, and they would slip.

Thus, no matter how logical a strong person may be, it is hard for them to move as quickly as I do on this branch. Unlike those who cannot properly utilize Gongi-gong, I can perform a similar technique as a deity.

“Catch me if you can!”

The direction I dashed toward was the edge of the branch. Blanca was flustered by my appearance, as if I were about to leap off at any moment.

“Where are you going? If you go there, you’ll fall!”

“Don’t worry. A monkey might fall, but I won’t!”

The edge was almost like a cliff. I ran along that precarious boundary where the branch curved downward. My body swayed as if I would slip at any moment, yet I moved as smoothly as if on flat ground.

“Energy technique? That can’t be….”

Even Blanca, who was logical, could not properly utilize Gongi-gong. Like a dog chasing a chicken, she realized the secret when she saw the green grass left by my footsteps.

“You made the small grass grow to anchor your feet? You have quite the skill.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“Oh. I’m truly impressed. Growing grass with every step to find a foothold is a feat even with energy techniques. While energy techniques only manipulate one’s own body, you are simultaneously wielding magic alongside it. Truly, a refined and honed skill.”

Though she was an enemy, I felt a sense of pride. Until now, no one had acknowledged my remarkable abilities.

As I fled with a proud heart, I heard Blanca’s sneer.

“But, exceptional skills must be incredibly delicate. That’s their downside.”

Blanca lifted her legs high into the air. Her suit stretched as if it would tear, and her legs extended in a straight line. Like the hour and minute hands pointing to six o’clock, her feet were as far apart as her body would allow.

Feeling an ominous premonition, I turned around.

“Wha—wait! No way!”

“Duh.”

The moment my two legs formed a precarious line, Blanca forcefully slammed her raised leg down.

If one could see seismic waves, this would be the scene. A massive ripple emanating from Blanca spread through the branches of the World Tree. The branches, akin to the ground, swayed violently up and down. Twigs broke off, and grains of rice fell in a shower.

“Ahhh!”

“The tree is shaking!”

The shock created by the skilled architect, who had reached enlightenment, was tremendous. Even those accustomed to life in the trees nearly faltered from the impact.

And I, riding the edge, was affected even more.

The swaying branch nudged my foot away. I needed to step where the grass had grown, but this subtle disturbance hindered me.

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“This is cheating!”

“Ow. You’re the one cheating more!”

I screamed and reached out. Instead of the step I had already missed, I stretched my hand to touch the tree of origin.

Part of the swaying branch transformed into a vine. I quickly wrapped myself around the vine and hung on. I worried it might snap from the hasty creation, but the vine, imbued with the essence of the World Tree, was resilient and strong enough.

I was alive. As I dangled from the vine, letting out a sigh of relief, I saw Blanca slowly approaching.

Standing upside down with her feet on a branch.

“Wait! How are you doing that?”

“Duh. I got inspired.”

Blanca casually lifted her leg. The claw protruding from inside her shoe was wedged into the branch.

“That’s something a leopard would do!”

“Once I know how, I can do it too.”

“Damn it, this is why geniuses!”

“Then I’d feel pathetic. Compared to the trick you pulled off, what I did was just child’s play.”

Blanca walked like a bat in a world turned upside down. Hanging from the vine, I could only watch in silence. She finally reached the vine.

“Goodbye, fool. The one who almost became my master.”

“Ahhh! Stop!”

Ignoring my scream, Blanca crushed the vine with one hand. The vine snapped and fell far away to the ground…

“Hmm?”

But I didn’t fall. The vine that Blanca cut was different from the one I was hanging from.

Blanca didn’t make a mistake. She truly intended to drop me and actually severed the vine she was looking at. But it was a different vine that was cut.

What was misaligned was Blanca’s perception. A shimmering butterfly flew right in front of her eyes.

“…A butterfly?”

Feeling a sense of alienation, Blanca bristled and spread her senses. Only then did she catch the heavy floral scent lingering at the tip of her nose. She saw the branches extending horizontally, vertically, and diagonally unnaturally severed. She also realized that the sounds in her ears had subtly changed.

Her senses were distorted. With the instincts of a hybrid, Blanca reached out her fist toward the space in the gaps of her perception. A crackling sound echoed, as if tearing through a curtain, and from within, a witch wearing a hat appeared like an illusion.

“I told you not to make any conspicuous moves.”

No, in fact, she didn’t appear. There was no one there. However, the scent created by burning petals and the faint smoke, along with sounds inaudible to human ears, were conjuring the illusion of a woman.

It is rare for magic to disturb even the senses of a skilled practitioner. This was the work of the Night Witch, Walpurgis. The power of the witch of ecstasy and illusion lay in scattering catalysts infused with magical energy into sight, sound, and smell, creating the hallucinations she envisioned.

Upon recognizing the nature of this illusion, Blanca spoke.

“The Night Witch has appeared in person. Is this man truly such an extraordinary figure?”

“That matter is separate, Blanca. We helped you, but in the end, you failed in the conquest of Ende. Why are you attacking her when you should be reflecting on your failure and waiting for what comes next?”

“Then… someone will come to tell me why I shouldn’t kill them?”

So you attacked because you couldn’t be bothered to ask? It’s extreme, but efficient.

“It’s not a matter of who you kill. It’s a matter of ‘your’ authority. Do you know how much meat and fruit have been consumed to feed the Wolf King and his pack? And I’ve even brought those who would assist you. Yet you have made a colossal failure, losing even the Wolf King.”

“It was these two who stopped us at Ende. If they hadn’t been here, the path to the Empire would have been open.”

“That cannot serve as an excuse for your failure. If you had succeeded, you would have brought him here sooner.”

Blanca’s body stiffened at the piercingly cold words.

The illusion of Walpurgis scattered in an instant. Her illusion, transformed into dozens of swarming bats, flew around me. The sound of thousands of buzzing insects filled the air. Amidst the strange noises made by the bats, my body slowly began to rise.

“You cannot go out without any notice. If you wish to venture out, you should appoint me or another witch as your guide.”

“I did bring one along on the way.”

“Thanks to that, you arrived on time. However, I would prefer if you took me with you from now on.”

The swarm of bats from Walpurgis briefly protested and lifted my body higher. The sensation of riding on the cloud of bats was less than pleasant. The bats’ claws pinched my entire body, and the vibrations were so intense that it felt as if each cell was moving separately.

Just as I was about to rise past Blanca, she perked up her ears and looked at me. Surprisingly, she seemed pleased after being reprimanded by Walpurgis.

“The human king Maximilian you mentioned, it’s you, isn’t it?”

Have I been found out? Well, hiding it is pointless now. The word is already out.

“So, what do you think? Has your mind changed?”

Blanca tucked away her claws and laid her fur down. With her hand on her chest and one leg pulled back, she bowed her head politely even while hanging upside down.

“Let’s meet again next time, my lord.”