Chapter 148: Three Crucial Aspects
Chapter 148: Three Crucial Aspects
Inside an ancient cavern as vast as a city square, a colossal figure sat upon a throne carved from black stone.
It was an orc.
But unlike the ordinary orcs that roamed dungeon gates, this one stood at least ten meters tall, its massive frame resembling a mountain of muscle. At the center of its forehead rested a third eye, tightly shut.
Leaning against the throne was an enormous greatsword.
Its blade glowed with an eerie crimson hue, as though it had been drinking blood since the dawn of time.
Before the throne, dozens of orcs knelt with their heads lowered. Every one of them radiated the aura of an S-Class monster or even a Disaster Class existence.
Yet before the colossal orc, they looked no different from ants.
"How much longer?" the giant orc asked, its hoarse voice reverberating throughout the cavern.
"S-Sire..." One of the Disaster Class orcs cautiously raised its head, its entire body trembling with fear. "Within thirty days, we can open a gate large enough to send Greg through. He alone should be capable of wiping out an entire expanse."
"Only an expanse?" The giant orc’s expression darkened. "Didn’t I say I wanted that entire nuisance erased?" His voice thundered through the cavern. "I must ascend to the Ninth Heaven soon. But as long as it still exists, I cannot."
The Disaster Class orc lowered its head until it nearly touched the ground. "S-Sire, we will try our best. Besides Greg, we’ll do everything we can to send more warriors through. It won’t be long before the Detached Heaven is completely destroyed... and the path to the Ninth Heaven is finally cleared."
The giant orc remained silent for a moment, speaking again. "I’ll hold you to that. Now... Scram."
Its voice was calm, yet every word rumbled through the cavern like a peal of thunder.
The kneeling orcs shuddered. None of them dared linger for even a second. They hurriedly rose to their feet, turned around, and fled the cavern as fast as they could.
Back in Leon’s room...
Leon sat cross-legged on the floor and flipped through the pages one by one before stopping at the page describing the Third Form.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and focused.
He began reading each word carefully, trying to grasp its meaning.
’Sword Art Breathing.
Third Form.
Destructive Thrust.’
"Destructive Thrust..." Leon murmured before continuing.
’This sword technique allows the wielder to gather all of their strength and release it through the sword in a single explosive burst.
Depending on one’s mastery of the Third Form, the wielder can unleash up to five times their normal strength. The lower the proficiency, the lower the multiplier.’
Just reading the description was enough to make Leon’s heart race with excitement. He quickly moved on to the method of execution.
Although the explanation was straightforward, mastering the technique was anything but easy.
’To perform the Third Form of Sword Art Breathing, one must master three essential aspects.
First... posture.
Posture is the foundation of power. A punch thrown while standing stiffly with both feet together can never compare to one thrown with the opposite foot forward. The rotation of the waist, the twisting of the body, and the natural transfer of force are all crucial for storing and releasing explosive power.’
Below the explanation were several detailed illustrations demonstrating the Third Form.
The position of the feet...
The angle of the front toes...
The backward draw of the sword arm...
The rotation of the waist...
The bend of the knees...
Every movement was marked with arrows and accompanied by detailed notes.
Leon carefully studied each one. He then turned to the next section.
’Second... the concentration of energy through the correct meridians.
Energy is like a vast pool of water flowing throughout the entire body. To execute the Third Form, that vast pool must be gathered, compressed, and directed toward a single point.’
Leon frowned. "This sounds difficult." He scratched his cheek. "I can imitate the posture, but how am I supposed to gather all the energy inside my body into one point?"
Just then, Fenrir emerged from Leon’s Soul Sanctuary. "Master, I can help with that."
Leon turned toward him.
"Concentrating energy may sound difficult, but once you’ve mastered it, it becomes surprisingly simple. Sometimes... your body even does it instinctively."
"Instinctively?"
Fenrir nodded. "Yes. Would you like me to show you?"
"Of course."
"Then please stand up, Master."
Leon rose to his feet without another word, curious to see what Fenrir had in mind.
"Now stand naturally," Fenrir instructed. "Relax your entire body."
Leon did as he was told. "Done."
"Good. Now slowly lean forward. Don’t bend your knees, waist, or neck."
"Hmm?" Leon raised an eyebrow, already beginning to understand what Fenrir was getting at. Even so, he followed the instructions.
He leaned farther and farther forward until he reached the point where even the slightest additional movement would send him crashing face-first onto the floor.
"Master," Fenrir asked with a smile, "where do you think all your strength is being concentrated right now?"
Leon answered almost immediately. "My toes."
"Exactly." Fenrir nodded approvingly. "Right now, your entire body is instinctively channeling most of its strength into your toes to keep you from falling. Rest is either holding your core or keeping those three parts I instructed from bending. And that’s very little. Less than even ten percent. That’s the simplest example of energy concentration. Using it deliberately is naturally more difficult, but now that you’ve understood the principle, learning it won’t take nearly as long."
Fenrir grinned, pleased that he had been able to help his master.
Leon pondered his explanation for a moment before nodding. "That doesn’t seem nearly as difficult now. Let’s see what the third requirement is." He sat back down in the lotus position and reopened the manual.
Fenrir remained outside instead of returning to the Soul Sanctuary, just in case Leon needed his help again.
Seeing that, Noira also stepped out of the Soul Sanctuary, as though she didn’t want to fall behind when it came to helping their master.
Leon resumed reading. ’Third... the line of attack.
From the instant the sword is drawn back, coiled like a compressed spring, until the thrust is fully extended, the center of the hilt and the tip of the blade must travel along a single straight line.
If that line wavers or breaks at any point during the strike, the Third Form will lose its true power and become nothing more than an ordinary thrust.’
Leon slowly closed the manual.
"It sounds even more difficult than the second one... But I don’t think it’s impossible." He muttered.
The corners of his lips curled upward.
Just imagining himself unleashing the Third Form was enough to fill him with excitement.