Chapter 294: Chapter 26: The Origins of the Annihilation Law
The [Golden Honor Scroll] shattered in Su Xiao’s hand, turning into a golden light that rushed into his brow.
A booming sound echoed in Su Xiao’s mind, like muffled thunder, and his vision went completely dark.
Gradually, a light appeared, revealing a knife floating in the air.
This knife was entirely golden, the same color as the [Golden Honor Scroll].
’The way of the blade is the path of slaughter, the mind must be relentless, steadfast as a rock.’
An ancient voice resonated in his ears, and Su Xiao saw something in the haze.
A silhouette danced with a knife before an old tree, through the cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the tree sometimes lush, sometimes withered.
Su Xiao strained to see the silhouette more clearly, and over time, the face became distinctly clear.
It turned out, that face was his own.
Su Xiao’s eyes suddenly opened wide; he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding the Dragon Slash in his hand without knowing when he had grasped it.
"So this is how limitless the art of the blade can be."
Letting out a long breath, Su Xiao’s understanding of swordsmanship had transformed significantly.
[’Swordsmanship Expertise’ has been upgraded to ’Sword Technique Master’.]
[Due to different tiers, the sword skill level has changed.]
Su Xiao checked his swordsmanship capabilities.
[Sword Technique Master: LV.10. (Passive)]
Skill Effect: Increases sword attack power by 45%, significantly enhances sword techniques.
Level 10 Additional Ability
Rule of All Things (Advanced): This ability cannot be enhanced in Reincarnation Paradise; it can only be realized through the Hunter’s own understanding.
...
The original Swordsmanship Expertise Lv.14 has turned into Sword Technique Master Lv.10, although the level dropped by four, the attack power increased by 5%, indicating that the potential of Sword Technique Master far exceeds that of Swordsmanship Expertise.
Rule of All Things also advanced, growing from Intermediate to Advanced.
The feeling of holding Dragon Slash was vastly different from before; now Su Xiao could accomplish much more.
Picking up the pillow beside him, Su Xiao tossed it into the air and sliced through it with a single cut.
The blade traced across the pillow, leaving a silver arc in mid-air.
With a thud, the pillow fell to the ground intact upon closer inspection.
Su Xiao didn’t intend to cut the pillow, so he perceived the pillow’s rhythm, aligning the slash with that rhythm, allowing the sharp edge to graze the surface without damage.
Sever what I intend to sever, leave unscathed what I wish to remain intact.
No matter how sharp the Dragon Slash, if Su Xiao doesn’t wish to cut something, the Dragon Slash cannot sever it.
The Dragon Slash is his weapon, to cut only what he aims to destroy.
Now, Su Xiao’s swordsmanship had entered an advanced realm, Sword Technique Master offered further potential for growth ahead.
As long as he keeps enhancing the Sword Technique Master, Su Xiao believes he can stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Hawkeye, perhaps even surpass them.
Holding the long knife horizontally in front, Su Xiao smiled, his swordsmanship had finally ventured into the realm of the extraordinary, cutting gold and breaking iron was as effortless as reaching into a bag.
Dragon Slash flourished in the air, becoming an extension of his arm.
Putting the long knife away, Su Xiao had other tasks to attend to; he had five days in Reincarnation Paradise, a reward for victory in battle.
Su Xiao picked up a Soul Crystal (Medium), to unlock the new abilities of the Shadow of Annihilation Law, a Soul Crystal (Medium) + 5000 Paradise coins were needed.
Choosing to unlock, Su Xiao’s vision blurred, and he was teleported.
This puzzled Su Xiao greatly; how did learning a skill result in teleportation? What was going on?
Glancing around, the place felt vaguely familiar, as if he’d been there before.
This was a majestic hall that had stood for countless years, surrounded by ruins, with six piles of rubble inside.
The more he observed, the more familiar it seemed, his mind raced to recall.
Suddenly, it dawned on him; this was the hall where he received the Shadow of Annihilation Law’s legacy, once majestic and pristine, now so decrepit.
He vaguely suspected a possibility; the scene during the legacy might have been an illusion, and now this was the hall’s true appearance.
With a crumbling sound.
One of the six piles of rubble scattered, and a blue humanoid phantom emerged.
"Successor, you’ve finally grown somewhat, although not strong enough, you can barely withstand Enlightenment."
The blue phantom spoke, its voice booming, though its features were indistinct. At the waist of the phantom, Su Xiao noticed a wide-blade long knife, palm-wide and over a meter long. Although it was merely a phantom, its form was splendidly elegant, and it felt familiar, like a weapon spawned from devouring the Supreme Blade!
"Who are you?"
While Su Xiao hadn’t sensed danger, caution urged him not to approach.
"Ah~, we Shadows of Annihilation Law were all like this in life, seeing everyone as enemies, wanting to strike them down."
"As for who I am... hmm~, you could consider me your master, isn’t Absolute Demon Physique remarkable? I perfected that ability once."
The blue phantom chuckled softly, though just a shadow, Su Xiao sensed a heavy scent of blood from it.
Su Xiao was a successor of the Shadow of Annihilation Law; otherwise, the phantom wouldn’t be so amicable.
Thinking about the Absolute Demon Physique skill, Su Xiao recalled a name, Marvin Hwaltz.
"Are you Marvin Hwaltz?"
Su Xiao inquired tentatively.
"Oh, you know my name, a fine successor, honoring your master..."
"Ahem," Su Xiao coughed lightly, saying, "Your name is mentioned in the description of Absolute Demon Physique."
Marvin Hwaltz’s face visibly stiffened.
"Well, written or not, I am still your teacher... among others."
Marvin Hwaltz stared at Su Xiao, and Su Xiao’s scalp went numb; this person’s strength in life must have been terrifying.
As for why Su Xiao knew he was deceased... during the legacy, the six stone sculptures had mentioned it, which he vaguely remembered.
"The Shadow of Annihilation Law..."
Su Xiao appeared thoughtful.
"What’s the true enmity between us and mages?"
This was something Su Xiao had always been curious about.
"Ah, it’s because every time those mages cast spells, they damage the world’s structure, ever so slightly, but undeniably present. In the past, we were called the Guardians of the Rules and were once glorious."
Marvin Hwaltz might have thought of those world-exploring mages who in reality destroyed the world, mages who would do anything for curiosity, akin to mad scientists.
"Our lineage’s legacy existed long ago, roughly a few hundred years after the emergence of mages, the specifics are unclear.
Initially, those pretentious guys hunted us; later, we hunted them. In short, both sides looked down on each other and killed."
Marvin Hwaltz’s word choice startled Su Xiao.
"Don’t look at me so surprised; now I’m a pure energy body, familiar with many cultures across worlds. This wording is to help you understand easily; I can even do retro style, want to try it?
When bored, I watch Earth films; you Earthlings are geniuses in this field."
Marvin Hwaltz in life seemed quite bloodthirsty, but in death, he appeared somewhat comical?
Su Xiao stared blankly at Marvin Hwaltz, unable to reconcile the person before him with a sword-wielding breaker.
Su Xiao still had other questions; having finally met another Shadow of Annihilation Law, he needed to inquire.
"I’m well aware of the Shadow of Annihilation Law’s capabilities against mages, but how did such a powerful profession nearly go extinct, leaving only me now?"
Upon hearing Su Xiao’s question, Marvin Hwaltz sighed.
"Because there were too few of us."
"Too few?"
"Yes, the potential needed to become a mage is nothing compared to the Shadow of Annihilation Law; there were so many mages that we couldn’t kill them all. In the end, six of us were besieged and killed."
Su Xiao nodded and continued asking, "How many mages besieged you?"
He wanted to gauge how powerful the Shadow of Annihilation Law could become, which concerned his future.
"The number of enemies, let me think..."
Marvin Hwaltz assumed a thoughtful pose.
"About... tens of thousands, I suppose. Back then, thousands of Forbidden Curse Level spells rained down on us. We managed to withstand the curses and kill about thirty to forty thousand mages before finally being overwhelmed and blasted to death."
Su Xiao felt a bit stunned; these six Shadows of Annihilation Law... seemed, perhaps, quite possibly extremely powerful!