Journey to Become the Zenith-Chapter 87: Blades Beneath the Setting Sun
Blades Beneath the Setting Sun
Steel rang sharply in the quiet training ground outside Fantom City.
The field where Victor and Videl once sparred together had become a battlefield.
Videl stood at the center of it.
Her long blonde hair swayed behind her like a banner as she stepped lightly across the grass. Her blue sapphire eyes remained calm, focused, almost cold.
Around her—
Several men lay scattered across the ground.
Some groaning.
Some unconscious.
Some too injured to move.
They were assassins.
And they had come prepared.
But they had underestimated the woman standing before them.
The last opponent remaining was a middle-aged man, his expression tense as mana crackled around his hands.
He wasn’t weak.
In fact, he was stronger than the rest.
A mage capable of casting advanced spells.
"Die!"
He raised both hands.
Mana gathered instantly.
A blazing spell circle appeared.
Flames roared outward.
Videl’s expression didn’t change.
She stepped forward calmly.
Her long sword cut through the air.
The enormous blade gleamed.
The moment the flames collided with the weapon—
They vanished.
The magic was swallowed whole.
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened.
"What—?!"
The weapon absorbed the spell as if devouring it.
Videl didn’t even slow down.
Her body turned smoothly.
The great sword spun with terrifying momentum.
CLANG.
The man barely managed to block.
The impact sent him staggering backward.
"You’re strong," he muttered.
Videl answered calmly.
"You attacked me."
Her voice was soft.
But final.
"So don’t complain."
The man gritted his teeth and launched another spell.
A bolt of lightning surged forward.
Again—
The blade swallowed it.
The magic disappeared like water sinking into sand.
The man’s confidence cracked.
"Impossible..."
Videl stepped forward again.
This time faster.
The massive sword moved with terrifying precision.
For someone wielding such a large weapon—
Her movements were impossibly graceful.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Each strike drove the man backward.
Finally—
Her blade twisted.
The flat side smashed into his chest.
The man flew across the ground and collapsed beside the others.
Silence returned to the field.
Videl exhaled slowly.
She lowered her sword.
Her chest rose gently with each breath.
At that moment—
From a distant hillside—
A pair of furious eyes watched.
Albion.
His hands clenched tightly as he observed the scene.
"What the hell..."
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
A commoner girl defeating trained killers.
Even the elite mage he had hired.
Defeated.
Just like that.
But what stunned him most—
Was the weapon.
His eyes locked onto the long sword in Videl’s hands.
The blade gleamed under the setting sunlight.
Every spell thrown at it had vanished.
It absorbs magic...
Albion’s breathing grew heavier.
Then greed slowly replaced his anger.
That weapon...
That must be it.
His thoughts twisted.
How could a filthy commoner own something like that?
His jaw tightened.
She must have stolen it.
His mind immediately twisted the truth to justify his anger.
"Yes..."
"That must be it."
He muttered quietly.
"Not only did the academy accept a commoner..."
"...but a thief as well."
Yet as he continued watching Videl—
Another thought crept into his mind.
For the first time, he truly looked at her.
Her golden hair shining under the fading sunlight.
Her graceful posture.
Her slender waist beneath the training armor.
The quiet strength in her movements.
Albion’s eyes lingered longer than he intended.
She’s... beautiful.
His expression twisted.
What a waste.
"That woman should be standing beside nobles..."
"...not that bastard Victor."
His voice turned venomous.
"He doesn’t deserve her."
Videl wiped her blade slowly and looked around the field.
"Is that everyone?"
She spoke calmly.
One of the assassins groaned weakly.
Videl pointed her sword at him.
"Still alive?"
The man trembled.
"W-wait! Please—"
Videl stepped forward.
"I only need one answer."
Her sapphire eyes were cold.
"Who sent you?"
The man swallowed.
"Albion... from the Saulon Family..."
Videl closed her eyes briefly.
"...I see."
Without hesitation—
Her sword struck.
The man fell silent.
From the hill, Albion clenched his teeth.
"You’ll regret this..."
His voice was filled with resentment.
"Enjoy your victory today, filthy commoner."
His eyes returned to the long sword.
"But soon..."
"I’ll expose you."
His voice lowered into a whisper.
"And that sword..."
"...will belong to me."
With one last greedy glance—
Albion turned and disappeared into the trees.
-------------------
Far Away
Victor ran across the open fields as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.
The golden light stretched across the vast plains.
Wind rippled through tall grass like waves across an ocean.
Victor slowed his pace slightly.
"...Too late."
He glanced at the sky.
Nightfall was approaching.
Even with his speed—
The delay from earlier had cost him too much time.
Reaching Mystery Woodland before sunset was impossible now.
Victor exhaled quietly.
"Guess I’ll have to camp outside tonight."
He continued walking.
As he did, his thoughts returned to the fight earlier.
The blade of grass.
The assassins.
Victor frowned slightly.
"...I’m rusty."
The realization irritated him.
In his past life—
His swordsmanship had ranked among the top five of his generation.
Back then—
Even without mana—
He could have defeated those assassins easily.
But now?
He had needed to reinforce the grass blade with mana.
His skills had dulled.
His body was weaker.
His techniques slower.
Victor flexed his fingers slightly.
"...Pathetic."
He shook his head.
That’s why I need training.
Real training.
Not just fighting weak opponents.
But rebuilding everything from the ground up.
Then—
Victor stopped walking.
The sky had turned orange.
Nightfall was minutes away.
He looked around.
The land stretched endlessly in all directions.
A wide open plain.
No trees.
No hills.
No cover.
Victor sighed.
"...Great."
An open field like this made him an easy target.
Monsters.
Bandits.
Anything roaming nearby could spot him easily.
Sleeping here would require constant alertness.
Victor rubbed the back of his neck.
"This body is annoying."
His past body as the Supreme Demon Emperor had been vastly different.
Even as a child—
A demon body could survive two full days without sleep, water, or food.
But this human body?
Victor shook his head.
"One day is already pushing it."
He pulled the map from his storage space.
The parchment rustled softly.
Victor examined it under the fading light.
His finger traced the markings.
"...So I’m here."
The area was labeled:
Silverwind Expanse
A massive plain stretching across the land east of Fantom City.
Victor folded the map slowly.
Then he looked around the endless grasslands once more.
The wind whispered across the plains.
Night was coming.
Victor sighed quietly—
As he once again surveyed the area.
