Peerless Elf Magic Swordsman Volume 13 Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Chapter 5 – Trial of the High Ancients

“A trial, huh──”

I renewed the grip on my sword.

Then, I raised my magic power in preparation to intercept.

“Milfa.”

As usual, there was no response from the sword.

“Hey, are you still there, Milfa!?”

My worry and anxiety increased.

Milfa, in the form of a beautiful girl, crossed my mind for a moment.

Is she……no, she should be alright.

After all, she’s a meta artifact that the Goddess created. So I’m sure she won’t break or die that easily.

[I have interfered with her sensory waves and shut down your sword. To put it in your terms, she’s asleep.]

The mechanical doll explained matter-of-factly.

I was worried that she might have suffered some fatal damage……but if he’s only sleeping, then it’s okay.

Of course, there was no guarantee that this guy’s words were true, but nevertheless, it calmed me down somewhat.

[Don’t worry. We’re not doing any combat.]

The mechanical doll continued.

[We’re just going to test your mind.]

[If you can successfully overcome them, then you will gain immense power.]

The next thing I knew, I was in a dark place.

It was a space tinted with ash.

“What is this place?”

I started walking.

I went on and on, but there was nothing.

The grayness just stretched on and on.

[We will now begin to measure your willpower.]

[Show me the willpower that will bring light to this world.]

[Present to us your qualifications for the power you desire.]

It was the voice of the mechanical doll from earlier.

Could it be that this space was created by it?

“And it’s asking me to show it something.”

[First. Please show us your reason for seeking power.]

“Power, reason……?”

I couldn’t help but repeat the words of the mechanical doll.

I don’t know what its intentions are, but…

There’s only one reason I’m asking for power.

“I have to protect the people I care about. For that, I need the power to fight whoever’s trying to destroy it.”

By putting it into words, I felt a renewed sense of determination.

Yes, that I have to win this fight.

Against that dark elf magic swordsman.

[Confirmed an increase in willpower.]

[3000 Runes……5400 Runes ……7900 Runes ……exceeding 10000 Runes.]

[Specified number reached. Disclosing information.]

“Disclosing……information?”

At the same time, a cluster of spires appeared in my gray surroundings.

They grew and grew upwards, so high up that I couldn’t even see the top anymore.

Then came clouds, then dragons and phoenixes passing through the sky.

Then, huge demonic beasts that roam through the earth.

Lastly, a land, a land filled with people.

“This is……!”

I couldn’t help but gulp.

It was a solemn yet fantastic scenery.

A world of prosperity and glory.

That image was telling him.

[Once upon a time, a civilization that took magic to the extreme flourished on this planet.]

[Magic, with its power that surpasses that of science, reached its peak.]

[For the current world, this is what was known as the High Ancients’ civilization]

The mechanical doll’s voice explained.

[But this power was too powerful for High Ancients’ civilization to handle, and they perished in an almost endless war.]

[Only a few people survived the war, and from these few, thirteen powerful mages led them, and they were later known as the Thirteen Sages of Akasha.]

[These Sages sealed the technology of the High Ancients from being discovered in this world. They knew that too much power would bring misfortune, cause it to run out of control, and eventually destroy this world of the living like what happened to the era of the High Ancients.]

[But one of them argued against it, saying that the wisdom of the High Ancients is necessary to be transmitted to this world in its complete form. Of course, not to everyone at once, but to sublimate it to a few at a time and engrave them its consequences, or else the tragedy will repeat again.]

[And so, this labyrinth was formed. That person created this labyrinth in order to select those who are rightful in inheriting the wisdom.]

“Select those who are rightful…….”

[He was also the one who created the reincarnation system, selecting human souls with superior qualities from all of time and space, giving them new powers and reincarnating them in this world…… and giving them the wisdom of the High Ancients, in the form of Traits.]

“Then I──.”

[Yes, besides humans of this world, Reincarnators with superior powers like you also deserve to gain power in the Twilight Labyrinth. Of course, after you pass the trials we give.]

The tone of the mechanical doll’s voice changed a little bit, it had always been pale and inchoate, but now it seemed to be filled with enthusiasm.

[Gain the power to change this world. To create a world that surpasses that of the High Ancients of the past.]

“I’m not interested in changing the world or anything like that, but there’s a guy who’s trying to mess up this world just for fun. I want to stop him.”

[It is not in the intention of the Sages to destroy the world. If you intend to save it, we will give it to you.]

[The power.]

[The final stage of your power.]

[Please continue heading your way. We have prepared a place for you to gain that power.]

As I was told, I continued on.

Soon, I saw a massive gate in front of me.

[This is the power of Original SpellSpells of Beginnings──a supreme power that was used in the very ancient times. And that beyond that door is a way to draw out its power.]

The mechanical doll explained.

[This is just an image. If you can consciously open the door and gain direct access to the origin spell database at will, you will be gifted with the wisdom of the High Ancients themselves.]

[And you will be able to use it. You will be able to utilize it as a true and powerful magic swordsman.]

CREAK CREAK CREAK CREAK

The door made a creaking sound and began to open little by little.

Still, I’m not sure if the power I’m looking for is on the other side of this.

My heart was beating wildly with anticipation and tension.

Then, suddenly, the door shattered.

“What the……?”

At the same time, the gray world disappeared.

The next thing I know, I’m back where I started.

……Is this the end of the ordeal?

I looked over and saw the mechanical doll from earlier lying at my feet.

White smoke billowed from its entire body.

In addition, its body was shattered in many places, and its limbs were twisted all over.

“H-hey, what’s going on……?”

I asked, but there was no reply from the mechanical doll.

It was as if someone had destroyed it.

──then, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“I see, so imparting the wisdom of the High Ancients is the test of the Twilight Labyrinth.”

The sound of someone’s footsteps came from my behind.

“And perhaps only the reincarnated will be able to take the test and overcome it. No one has been able to break through for three hundred years, after all.”

The person who appears is a small silhouette.

“Who, no, what are you──?”

It was the old woman who had guided me halfway to the ruins.

──No, it isn’t her.

The vibe she’s giving is very different.

Is it a different person?

Or──.

“I had a premonition. Although Master Redone didn’t say anything, I had a feeling that among the adventurers, there will show up someone of his kind…….”

The old woman said.

In a young woman’s voice.

──the next moment, the old woman’s figure blurred like a haze, and her silhouette changed.

It revealed a tall, slender, and beautiful woman.

“You are……!?”

The only thing she was wearing was a piece of cloth so thin that you could see through her skin.

Her glamorous body lines were clearly visible through the fabric.

Even her nipples and what’s between her legs were slightly see-through, making her look more enticing than if she were completely naked.

“My name is Teardrop(Crimson Tears).”

A beautiful woman full of lustfulness said her name with a smile.

“And I’m a magic armament created in the era of the High Ancients.”

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