Ch-310. **Disarmament**
—
Enlightenment.
It is the realization of one’s own shortcomings.
To recognize those deficiencies, to accept them—
and through that, to deepen further.
Much like the commonly used expression *“breaking a wall,”*
it means realizing that there was something beyond the wall, and in doing so, expanding one’s world.
Enlightenment comes only to those who seek it, only to those who remain open.
Naturally, if one believes oneself to be complete and is blocked on all sides, enlightenment will never arrive.
This was Wilhelm’s definition of *enlightenment*.
To constantly yearn and desire, yet still cast oneself down.
‘…Hah.’
And yet, enlightenment was unfolding right before my eyes.
A man who claimed to be teaching me, only to gain instruction himself instead.
I halted all movement and looked at Raiga.
Raiga, eyes closed, swords crossed.
He was utterly motionless, like a frozen frame.
Yet from his entire body, soft, billowing currents of energy rose quietly, embracing the world.
He was connecting.
Grasping a sudden realization that had surfaced unbidden.
And when those thread-like strands of energy finally reached me—
—*I want to live…*
For a moment, it felt as though I heard Raiga’s voice.
That he wanted to live.
That he did not want to die like this.
For the first time, he let his voice—his will—spill outward.
He had pretended to accept death with humility, but in truth, he wanted to live.
By recognizing his shortcomings and accepting them, he had come to desire life.
A door that had been closed for many long years opened.
Until the sun set and the moon rose—
“…Mm.”
For more than half a day,
I waited in silence for him to open that door.
I spread my mana, ensuring nothing could approach, that no sound could intrude.
Only when the night had fully settled did he finally open his eyes.
At the same time, the pupils looking at me shook violently.
“You… waited for me?”
“Congratulations.”
“…Thank you.”
Raiga drew a deep breath.
*Thank you.*
He could not even remember the last time he had spoken such words.
Yet now, he was genuinely grateful.
Enlightenment is fleeting, always passing like an arrow in flight.
If you fail to grasp it in that instant—if you fail to explore it fully—you never know when it will come again.
But such concentration can be shattered by the smallest movement, the faintest breath.
For a powerhouse like Raiga, that was even more true.
And knowing that, I had stopped together with him and waited.
Such a thing would have been impossible without extreme focus on the other person.
Moreover, remaining perfectly still in that posture for more than half a day demanded extraordinary patience.
“That was only natural.”
Not only that—
Even his choice of words struck a chord.
He must have been restless and uncomfortable, yet—
Perhaps that was why.
It was the first time since his master.
The first time Raiga had felt *fondness* toward another person.
*I thought I had reached the absolute realm of Heart Sword, yet I had not even truly attained unity.*
There are many stages to a swordsman’s path.
Among them, the stage called Heart Sword—or Swordless Sword—was said to signify becoming an *absolute being*.
Raiga had grasped Heart Sword at the boundary between life and death.
Thus, he had believed himself an absolute.
But only now did he realize that he had not even achieved proper unity of essence, energy, and spirit.
*The flaw in the Eight Houses’ secret art—Opening the Five Gates—is the failure to harmonize essence, energy, and spirit.*
…That was why opening the Five Gates without proper accumulation led inevitably to death.
At last, he understood the fundamental problem of the Eight Houses.
And he could vaguely see how to solve it.
Connection.
Endless connection.
“….”
Raiga parted his lips slightly, then closed them again.
But soon, steeling his resolve, he asked,
“…Could you tell me the remaining part of the Scripture of Life and Death?”
—
—
**Grain (結).**
Binding, and severing.
Raiga’s enlightenment became the spark for my own awakening.
As his grain touched mine, there were things I came to understand.
*Wilhelm binds. Raiga severs. But only when both exist does the grain become complete.*
Wilhelm’s swordsmanship bound.
He understood his opponent, shared their vibrations, and let everything flow naturally.
Infinite circulation.
Binding, and binding again—this was Wilhelm’s sword.
It was a profound art that used the opponent’s strength, rolling it back even greater than before.
The stronger the opponent, the more unimaginable the rebound.
Raiga, on the other hand, was entirely different.
He severed the grain.
Before the opponent could even assume a stance, he shattered their center.
Mind, energy, body—he destroyed their balance outright.
Yet severing the grain was far more difficult than it seemed.
Perhaps because it was the complete opposite of Wilhelm’s sword.
*If one can fully bind and sever the grain… one can move on to the next stage.*
I felt certain of it.
Sword proficiency level 35.
Beyond that lay another world.
*When my proficiency reached 35, instead of Sword Force, a skill called Disarmament appeared.*
At proficiency level 20, one could use Sword Aura.
Beyond 30, Sword Force could be manifested.
But after that, nothing was known.
Who would have imagined that at level 35, a new technique called *Disarmament* would appear?
A 100% increase in damage alone was already absurd—
which meant that beyond this, there was yet another realm.
*Disarmament… the power to attack what cannot be attacked.*
It was not an energy like Sword Aura or Sword Force.
Yet its effect was unmistakable.
Different from penetration that pierces defense, but in some sense surpassing it.
Absolute evasion.
Or entities deemed untouchable—Disarmament allowed one to strike them.
Literally stripping the opponent of their armament.
For example—
“There are things whose grain you can see but cannot sever. Things that possess indestructibility, or abilities akin to invincibility. Things premised entirely on ‘evasion.’ Even incorporeal spirits fall into this category.”
Perhaps because I had taught him the missing half of the Scripture of Life and Death,
Raiga was now teaching me about the study of grain.
What could be severed, and what could not.
But as I listened, a question arose.
If one reached the realm of Disarmament, wouldn’t even those become attackable?
“Then how should one deal with enemies that possess indestructible, invincible abilities?”
When I voiced my curiosity, Raiga answered,
“There is no such thing as complete invincibility. Usually, there is a condition under which destruction is possible, or invincibility is lifted. If such a ‘gap’ exists, one can read the grain and strike.”
Like the Dragon Gods.
Divine beings with only a single weakness.
If you found it, they became helpless—but discovering that weakness itself was nearly impossible.
Yet reading the grain could solve it?
“So if you can read the grain, you don’t need to find the weakness?”
“Yes. If you can properly read the grain, you can burrow into that gap. There’s no need to struggle to uncover the weakness.”
…Suddenly, I recalled the grueling ordeal of searching for Issera’s weakness during the Grand Expedition.
If one could simply read the grain and exploit the gap, there would have been no need for such hardship.
But very few could truly read the grain.
No—perhaps only Raiga in this world could read and sever it perfectly.
“And if there is no weakness at all?”
“If you encounter such an enemy… run.”
Raiga replied casually.
Yet that only made me more curious.
*If Disarmament and severing the grain are combined… it might truly be possible.*
Invincibility and indestructibility.
Perhaps the solution to those two unsolved problems existed here.
These were options never overcome in Pangaenia.
Defense could be pierced with penetration—but these two had never been properly addressed.
Perhaps even the gods themselves did not know the answer.
*…An unexplored frontier.*
The thought that there was still something in Pangaenia I had yet to conquer made my heart pound wildly.
—
—
*Teach him one, and he understands ten—no, a hundred. He is already awakening to the subtleties of grain.*
Raiga watched Hyun with unceasing admiration.
Hyun absorbed his teachings like a dry sponge.
At a pace far faster than Raiga had anticipated.
*To think I would feel slow.*
Raiga, too, was learning from Hyun.
Yet compared to the speed at which Hyun learned, his own progress felt sluggish.
Binding the grain, and the remaining half of the Scripture of Life and Death—
the two were strangely connected.
*It is the power of absorption—connecting with the opponent and taking from them. That is the content of the remaining half.*
The Eight Houses taught only severing the grain.
They never taught how to bind it.
Having never learned it, Raiga did not know how.
But the answer was close.
Hyun.
By watching him, Raiga came to understand things naturally.
To realize things.
*…Truly a strange fellow.*
Like an onion with endless layers.
He strongly wished to see Hyun’s limits.
To do that, he had to overcome the Five Gates.
He had to continue forward through enlightenment.
Even if time was short, he would not give up.
Now, he had a reason not to.
Raiga and Hyun.
The two filled each other’s deficiencies.
They learned, and learned, and learned again.
And after fifteen days of relentless travel—
“This is the Sanctuary of Honor.”
They finally arrived.
The Sanctuary of Honor.
…At the place sealed by the Eight Houses.
—
—
The Sanctuary of Honor was surrounded by a massive palace.
It was a place where one proved one’s own qualifications to be acknowledged.
Because those who believed themselves honorable came here, it teemed with people.
The method of qualification at the Sanctuary was simple.
One swore before the chalice named *Honor*.
One asked whether they were worthy.
“I, Amurum, stand before you with the qualification of a *king*! Acknowledge my worth, O Chalice of Honor!”
As Amurum—a man who had conquered several cities by sheer force—shouted before the chalice,
Fwoooosh!
Light spilled forth from it.
But the light did not touch Amurum.
Instead—
Thud!
…It repelled him.
Amurum’s face twisted in rage.
“How dare—! A mere object dares reject me!”
Shing!
The moment he drew his sword in fury—
Slash!
Amurum’s head was severed.
Without him ever realizing how he died.
“If you draw a weapon within the sacred sanctuary, it is immediate execution.”
The man guarding the chalice spoke.
Yet the drawing of the blade itself had not even been seen.
A pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Then the man turned his gaze to Raiga.
“Leave, Lord Raiga. This land is not permitted to you. And moreover—”
Though he clearly recognized Raiga, his tone was openly hostile.
The man glanced at me and shook his head.
He clearly knew why we were here.
At the cold response, Raiga hardened his expression and spoke.
“…Summon all eight elders. Before I tear everything apart.”
“This is your final warning. I am not afraid of you.”
“Hah! You, of all people?”
Raiga let out a short laugh.
Then he shrugged.
“Fine. If I kill you, they’ll all show up anyway. Judging by things, you seem like my next opponent—”
“Enough!”
That was when it happened.
An old man clad in white martial robes, with thick white hair, appeared.
…Floating on clouds, like an immortal.
