I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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The success of moving the Holy Grail means that the Mad Lord will soon arrive here.

There are only about 5 minutes left until he gets here. I had to finish preparing to confront him within that time.

[Divine Status: 32123]

A massive amount of divine status was consumed in the process of moving the Holy Grail, leaving only this much.

Now, I needed to make various preparations to face the Mad Lord with what I had left.

“Narin, I’m counting on you.”

“Okay! Just trust me!”

Kim Il-shin entrusted that task to Hanarin.

It was Hanarin who had effortlessly manipulated the divine status she encountered for the first time to create a dimension in no time.

So, she was also the perfect candidate to adapt this dimension for battle preparations.

“First, I’ll set up a barrier and then link a seal here… Ah, the spatial distortion, too…”

Hanarin quickly focused and moved the divine status.

A gigantic barrier enveloped the entire dimension, and complex patterns began to glow in various places.

What was essential to the plan was a barrier that could withstand the Mad Lord’s power and devices to weaken his strength.

I delegated the adjustments of other details and their usage entirely to Hanarin.

“…Phew. Done.”

It took less than three minutes for Hanarin to finish her preparations.

“For now, I did everything according to plan. There’s no time, so I’ll briefly explain the changes.”

Kim Il-shin could only be astonished at Hanarin’s explanation.

What she accomplished in such a short time exceeded all expectations.

First, she wrapped the entire dimension with a massive barrier to prevent its collapse, then created a flexible barrier to protect the three of our bodies from the Mad Lord’s attacks.

Additionally, she inscribed a seal on the great barrier to limit the enemy’s power.

Simply finishing those was impressive enough, but she also prepared devices that could introduce various variables.

“…That’s amazing.”

“Ehe!”

[Divine Status: 14570]

The divine status used to accomplish all that was about 18,000.

It was such a surprisingly small amount that it left one wondering how it was even possible.

Moreover, it was achieved in just three minutes. A remarkable efficiency and speed.

“Please take care of everything behind us.”

“Okay!”

Hanarin’s role didn’t end there.

She was also entrusted with preventing this dimension from collapsing.

It was a task that required immense calculations and judgments, something difficult for a single human to handle, but Kim Il-shin believed Hanarin could do it.

Next was Hazuki. There was no need to say much to her.

“Hazuki, I believe in you.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

That was enough.

Battling the Mad Lord, who had already reached divine status beyond human limits, I entrusted Hazuki with the fight alongside me.

It was certain to be an incredibly intense and dangerous battle, one whose repercussions were hard to predict.

If her skills and strength weren’t enough, just being in the same dimension could lead to instant death.

However, I could trust the current Hazuki.

Boom!!

At that moment, a massive thunderclap erupted from the sky.

The outer space of the dimension twisted and opened a rift, shaking the very ground beneath us with the power spilling through.

‘He’s coming.’

My hands trembled with intense tension.

He was a formidable foe, a being on a whole different level from those I had fought until now.

Moreover, this battle held more than just his life.

There were also Hanarin and Hazuki, who believed in me and followed along with their hearts.

If we were to lose this fight, I couldn’t guarantee their lives either.

‘I must win.’

Kim Il-shin tightened his grip on the Hyunwol Sword, making a firm resolve.

My senses, heightened to their limit, accepted the overwhelming energy of the Mad Lord as it tore through space.

“…Don’t worry.”

At that moment, I heard Hazuki’s voice beside me.

Simultaneously, a warm sensation radiated from my left hand, bringing me back to my senses.

“You can do this.”

At that, another small weight gently added to our joined hands. It was Hanarin.

She was smiling like Hazuki and slowly nodded her head.

“We’re together, right?”

Hearing those words made me smile naturally.

The oppressive energy from the enemy lifted as the warm sensation in my hand came alive.

My sharpened mind calmed down.

The strength in my hand relaxed, finding the comfortable stance I was used to.

“Thank you.”

Only then did Kim Il-shin realize that all preparations were complete.

And he also recognized that every choice he had made up until now was correct.

In this moment, the people beside him all affirmed his choices.

‘I will win. I will return victorious.’

It was not just a determination but a conviction.

For the future he desired, he would emerge victorious.

Crack!!

The rifts all opened. The Mad Lord fully descended into this dimension.

The final battle had begun.

*

A vacant dimension pierced by a rift.

The Mad Lord beheld the three men and women standing on that cramped ground.

Humans.

Disgusting creatures that, out of their ignorance, were endlessly thrashing about, unaware of their rightful fate.

The Mad Lord had endured long years to annihilate them and create a new world.

To him, humanity was nothing but a regret that must be eliminated.

Thus, the Mad Lord had been preparing for the extinction of humanity through the long ages, and finally, the moment he had awaited had arrived.

Faithful followers had gathered life force for the Mad Lord’s resurrection.

The amount was truly immense, enough to indicate that the ritual would proceed smoothly.

But then, Kim Il-shin appeared.

He was the one who disrupted every single plan and brought about such disgraceful circumstances.

The Mad Lord had recognized Kim Il-shin’s existence from a time when he had not yet emerged as a noteworthy figure.

Though it was at a great distance, there remained ruins and texts he left on Earth.

Thus, he knew everything Kim Il-shin had done up to this point.

That included things even the leader of the Evil Heaven Cult was unaware of since Kim Il-shin began to rampage.

The first beginning was the ruins.

Only those who mastered the Illusionary Sky Canopy could open the door and enter; it was a ruin that existed since before the Mad Lord ascended to divine status, yet had never been opened.

However, on that day, the Mad Lord sensed that the door of the ruins had opened and someone had entered.

At that time, he didn’t hold any negative feelings toward Kim Il-shin.

Rather, the Mad Lord was pleased that someone like Kim Il-shin had appeared.

That mastering the Illusionary Sky Canopy meant that such a prodigy had transcended the realm of mere humans.

It was a welcome event that someone of that caliber opened the door and entered.

The memory-transmitting orb located at the end of the ruins contained not only the Mad Lord’s insights but also fragments of his own soul that were asleep.

The Mad Lord eagerly anticipated the moment Kim Il-shin challenged the trials of the ruins.

If Kim Il-shin could prove his formidable mental strength through the trials and, in the process, connect with the soul’s fragment, a being would be born possessing a human body yet a spirit befitting divine status.

Moreover, that would also be the only being to accompany him in his grand mission.

But Kim Il-shin refused the connection of the soul.

Even though he should have inherited the Mad Lord’s will, having accessed the strength and insights left behind, he chose to reject it.

He forsook a precious opportunity, making a purely human choice to covet only the simple power before him.

After that, Kim Il-shin foolishly opposed the Evil Heaven Cult, committing various unforgivable acts.

But the Mad Lord, nevertheless, showed mercy once again.

[Therefore, my descendant reading this, carry on my will and dye the world red.]

He gave an opportunity to join him through the books Kim Il-shin acquired.

However, Kim Il-shin refused even that opportunity.

He gained divine status in a human body, deviated from the laws, and eventually committed such heinous acts.

The sight of him rampaging without knowing his own place was distinctly human.

Boom!!

No amount of thrashing would change fate.

Kim Il-shin would be crushed under immense power, dying like a bug.

And even after losing his remaining soul, he would only suffer a painful demise after witnessing the extinction of humanity.

Crackle!!

The Mad Lord descended into the dimension, unleashing blood-red lightning.

He was shrouded in black mist, the form resembling a circular frame of about 2 meters in diameter filled with fog.

From within the obscured place, flashes of red light pulsed faintly.

It was similar to the light emanating from the Holy Grail, but the ominous intensity was unmatched.

‘A gaze.’

Kim Il-shin realized what the source of the flashes was. The Mad Lord’s eyes must be hidden within that fog.

Grrrrr…

The Mad Lord descended from the heavens slowly.

He didn’t hide the intense hatred nestled within his ease.

It felt as if he were announcing that their deaths had already been predetermined.

And in that moment when the Mad Lord completely touched down on the ground.

[Divine Status: 12109]

Wham!

The barrier surrounding the dimension activated with a bright light.

Boom boom boom boom!!

At the same time, Kim Il-shin dashed forth. In an instant, a black beam raced across the ground.

A battle between gods and humans. The beginning was heralded by a human’s offensive.