The Ashborn Sword Art is the sword technique of the Ashborn household, passed down only to bloodline members.
The technique had also been passed down to the real Gray. However, since Eunuch Jang transmigrated into Real Gray's body without inheriting his memories, Gray did not know the sword art.
Fortunately, in the Ashborn isolation chamber, there was a copy of the Ashborn techniques—perhaps left there by the founding Ashborn patriarch. Since the isolation chamber was accessible only to bloodline members, it was understandable that he would leave it there.
Out of all the Ashborn techniques, the Ashborn Sword Art is revered as one of the strongest sword arts in the Ataraxia Empire.
Though Gray wouldn't be able to unleash its full power due to his low Soul Realm. even so, with the Abyssal energy his sword strikes would be close to Transcendent Realm swordsmen.
'Ashborn Sword Art, Third Form: Gray Mist'
As Gray unleashed the third form toward the masked man, gray smoke appeared, following his sword swing.
Wssoooosh
The masked man flinched, spreading his legs as he bent down and narrowly avoided the blow.
Slash shiiiiiik!
The air split in the direction Gray had swung his sword, and the trees far behind were cut in a straight line.
The sword energy continued to split, making it impossible to tell how far it had reached.
"Tsk, He evaded!" Gray clicked his tongue in frustration. He had used a pretty strong strike, but since the masked man was an assassin-type swordsman, his movements were extraordinary.
It seemed their fight would only be a prologue without any decisive outcome.
Meanwhile, Seeing the force behind the sword strike, the masked man clicked his tongue inwardly.
He recognized the sword technique instantly, it was the Ashborn sword art that the Patriarch,Theron von Ashborn, wields.
But the question was, how could Gray wield such power? Even if he had the strongest sword art, if he himself couldn't utilize the technique, then it would be useless. Yet Gray was utilizing the sword technique at its full power, in accordance with his Soul Realm.
What is he!? the masked man asked himself, as Gray was far stronger than kids his age. And he used an ominous dark energy that even gave him a shiver.
The masked man then frowned and said, "Now I understand why that man sent me to kill you."
Hearing this, Gray raised his eyebrow. 'That man??'
Gray became confused. He assumed the duchess sent him here. But it seemed someone else ordered this masked man to attack Gray.
"Are you at the order of the Elder Council?" Gray asked.
"Elder Council??..." The masked man showed a puzzled expression. It was as if he hadn't come by the order of the Elder Council.
'Does that mean there's a third person!!' Gray's eyes went wide in realization.
It seemed only the thirty escort warriors were ordered by the duchess faction, and this masked man was ordered by a third person.
'That explains his abrupt killing of the escort leader... But it seemed the masked man knew the escort leader.'
The more Gray pondered, the more confusing it became.
Then he came to the conclusion that the masked man was in the Ashborn family and was following orders from that third person.
'Spy…' Gray deduced.
Just then, Gray heard Lina's voice in his head.
- Young master.
She was far away, but Gray could hear her clearly, and she wasn't moving her mouth; her voice was transferred directly to his head through sound vibration.
'It seems even this world has this technique.' Gray chuckled. In his previous life, this technique was widely used by martial artists.
The essence of this sound technique was to create vibrations in the air through sound, using Qi between the vocal cords and the root of the tongue at the Yanquan acupoint, generating internal energy and quickly creating vibrations.
The difference was that it infused mana rather than Qi. That's all.
Grasping the essence, Gray spoke back to Lina through Voice transmission.
- What is it, Lina?
Hearing his reply, Lina's eyes went wide. She hadn't expected him to be able to use voice transmission. But as the situation was chaotic, she held her questions and said what she intended to say.
- Young master, I have a power that I was hiding because your mother... my master told me to. But it seems I need to use it.
- What is this power you're talking about?
- It's Magic Nullification.
'What!!… Magic Nullification!!' Gray was momentarily surprised. Magic Nullification means canceling someone's magic, similar to anti-magic.
But no one in this world can cancel someone's magic, so for his maid to say she can nullify magic meant she was an incarn....
- As the masked man isn't a mage, I can briefly stop his Aura. So give me the signal before you go all in.
Magic Nullification mainly cancels a mage's mana by forcibly stopping it, rendering them helpless. But swordsmen don't use mana; they cultivate it and store it as a refined energy called Aura.
Thus, she can briefly interfere with the masked man's Aura, making him confused, but she can't completely block it like a mage's mana.
Realizing her skill, Gray held his sword tightly and planned to end it with a single strike.
Meanwhile, the masked man saw Gray exchanging glances with his maid and realized they were up to something, or maybe he was signaling them to run away.
Either way, the masked man threw his sword away and took out a pair daggers. The daggers were coated with deadly poison.
If he could even leave a scratch, then Gray would be dead. Since the masked man was quicker, it was plausible that he could slash Gray.
Then, the masked man stomped on the ground and leapt toward Gray.
Crack!
As he launched his body toward Gray, Gray was also rushing at him.
Right at that moment,
Rumble! Thudder!
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck where Lina was standing.
Both Gray and the masked man looked toward Lina.
!!! Their eyes went wide instantly.
The thunder had fallen right on Lina, and her body was producing light as an aftermath. But she seemed completely fine.
Groook!
Just then, a horn started sprouting from Lina's head.