"Try cutting me down—even a little."
It was a statement one could call arrogant.
But coming from the mouth of the giant, it felt like something entirely different.
Impossible.
Even sword masters like the Grandmaster and Mu-myeong had declared the giant's body impossible to cut.
For someone like Isaac, being asked to attempt it was understandably bewildering.
"..."
A sense of helplessness clouded his vision.
He had grown significantly and was confident he could now hold his own on the battlefield.
But this… this was another realm entirely.
"Do you think it's impossible?"
The giant looked down at Isaac, who was at a loss for words. The tone wasn't scolding or reproachful.
He simply wanted Isaac's honest thoughts, and after a moment's hesitation, Isaac answered:
"…Honestly, with my current skill, I believe it's still impossible."
At Isaac's words, Marlin flinched slightly. He had never expected someone so relentless with the sword to admit defeat so easily.
"Why?"
The question caught Isaac off guard.
He thought he had already answered it—by admitting his lack of ability.
"…Even my masters couldn't do it. If they couldn't, then neither can I."
He wouldn't deny that he was catching up quickly. Even the Grandmaster and Mu-myeong were satisfied with Isaac's progress.
In fact, they wanted him to surpass them.
To transcend the swords of the transcendent races with human strength—
That had always been the dream shared by the ten disciples raised and trained in crimson valley.
"Their impossibility is not your impossibility."
"..."
Isaac subconsciously swallowed at the giant's words, so filled with conviction.
He recalled what the Grandmaster and Mu-myeong had said when they faced the giant:
> [This isn't something that can be cut in the first place. To cut it, one would have to shatter the very concept of 'sword'.]
> [Tch, they say there are sword demons who can cut the uncuttable, but that's a level we haven't reached yet…]
"This may be the only stroke of fortune prepared for me, who has endured through ages,"
The giant spoke calmly.
Each word echoed throughout the abandoned mine, heavy and resonant.
"Or perhaps a cruel fate that has merely kept me alive for this day."
Even these composed words inspired an overwhelming sense of trust.
"I don't know what it is—but I have arrived."
The giant slowly closed his eyes and pointed at Isaac.
"To the only one among humanity who bears the karma of being able to cut me down."
The only one.
At those words, Isaac's hands trembled.
Almost unconsciously, he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword—not merely because he saw a chance.
But because he felt he could reach it.
Cutting what cannot be cut.
Doing what no one else can.
For a moment, a man's image flickered in his mind.
Red hair fluttering as he swung a massive greatsword—still known as the strongest.
Then another—the man standing on the northern wall.
A man most suited to the title "Guardian Deity," who had protected countless lives.
And finally, a woman with long black hair and wolf ears—she stood in that same realm.
Many had called her "Grandmaster" with reverence and awe.
To Isaac, all these individuals were summed up in one word:
Stars.
So he had looked up to them.
And the Grandmaster, with a touch of pity, had once called him:
"A child who chases stars."
He swallowed hard.
As the one who had once been called the "Silent Sword," he now felt exactly where he stood.
Right in front of the stars.
A wall that seemed utterly insurmountable.
But if he could cut through it—then maybe he could stand among them.
And suddenly, a question came to mind.
'What did I just say earlier?'
Just moments ago, when the giant asked him to try cutting him, Isaac had replied instinctively:
'…Even my masters couldn't do it. If they couldn't, then neither can I.'
Impossible.
Yes, he had stated it as if it were an absolute.
From long ago.
A time that no longer existed—he remembered the Grandmaster's words piercing into him like a dagger:
> [Child, you're like someone who wishes for stars. You know it's impossible, and yet you still reach for them.]
What had once been a compliment now felt like bitter regret.
"…Hah."
Before he realized it—
He had become a man who measured what was possible and impossible.
For each thing he came to believe was possible, an opposite impossibility had taken root inside him.
"Phew."
Unlike the version of himself buried in dusty memories, who believed anything was possible—
He now spoke of impossibility.
It was shameful.
"…I'll try."
Isaac stepped forward.
Something inside him felt refreshed, almost light.
He smiled faintly, like a child returning to their pure dreams.
And as their eyes met, the giant's lips curled up into a faint smile for the first time.
"I see stars in your eyes."
•••
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Two swords were being swung at the giant's thick skin.
It looked almost like a frenzy, even chaotic in its intensity.
"So that's why he's swinging like that?"
Sharen asked absentmindedly, watching Isaac's relentless attacks.
At her question, the Grandmaster crossed her arms and nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Indeed. It's to advance. Look at his back—there's no hesitation. And isn't he charming, like an innocent child?"
"Ohh."
Sharen tilted her head.
Charming?
She wasn't so sure.
"Isn't Isaac more cool than cute?"
The way he swung his sword so fervently felt more fitting to call cool.
The Grandmaster chuckled and patted her head.
"A true handsome man holds all kinds of charm, you know."
"Ah! Like how I'm both cute and sexy?!"
"Just like your teacher here, who holds both adorableness and sultry charm."
Listening to their banter, Liana clicked her tongue.
But… she couldn't help but agree, at least a little.
Isaac was sometimes cute, and often cool.
Anyway.
There were a lot of things she wanted to say—but didn't.
She is not swinging a sword herself, but just watching, she could tell.
That's…
"What do you think, sis?"
Sharen, assuming Liana had been thinking about Isaac, suddenly removed her necklace.
And from Liana's mouth came a completely unexpected remark.
"Even Father wouldn't be able to cut that."
"…?!"
"Hmmm."
Sharen was stunned. She thought Liana had been focused on Isaac.
After all, if Sharen had to name the strongest in the world, it would undoubtedly be her father—Arandel Helmut.
"I'm certain. Not even Father's sword could cut it. I've watched his sword more closely than anyone."
"T-Then doesn't that mean it's impossible for Isaac too?"
"Probably."
Liana agreed plainly.
For now, it was simply impossible—no matter how you looked at it.
"For now."
But why?
When watching Isaac… it somehow felt like it might be possible.
That's why she added the last part.
Hearing that, Sharen blinked and asked:
"If he succeeds, does that mean Isaac will be stronger than Father?!"
"Haha! Wouldn't that be wonderful if it were so!"
The Grandmaster laughed as she patted Sharen's head again. Sharen accepted it for now but looked up at him.
"If we're talking about raw strength, he wouldn't beat Arandel. But…"
With a soft smile, the Grandmaster gazed at Isaac.
As if moved by how beautifully he was striving forward.
"In terms of cutting through… he'll surely surpass Arandel Helmut."
The gazes of the three women simultaneously turned to Isaac.
Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
Clear, resounding, dull impacts.
The giant's skin didn't show a single scratch.
Then, Sharen suddenly voiced another doubt.
"…Isn't he just swinging like that because he's mad?"
It looked a bit like he was venting frustration. She voiced her thought.
Especially since the sword he was using wasn't even his usual one—it was a blunt, borrowed blade.
"Hard to deny."
Liana couldn't refute that completely. Watching closely, that impression did come across.
"But Isaac isn't the kind of person who'd swing his sword without thinking."
He must have a reason for swinging like that.
Because that's the kind of man Isaac was.
If he had no intention, he would've sat and pondered instead.
The Isaac who had once wasted four years chasing after Helmut's sword with no direction was gone.
Now that he had a clear goal and path, that's why he was moving forward—Liana believed that.
"Heh."
Listening to the two talk, the Grandmaster let out a faint smile.
Proud enough to raise her shoulders, now that she had the chance to share something only she knew.
"Do you know what he was called in his past life?"
Of course, they didn't.
"He was called The Silent Sword. Because he wielded his sword through words, they called him that."
In theory—no one could best him.
"So let's trust him and wait. He will show us."
He will reveal the sword that exists now—only in his mind.