The group left the camp's perimeter with the first threads of morning light—
but morning here… was not truly morning.
The snow was white, yes,
but the air was heavy, suffocating.
Kevin was the first to stop. His face darkened.
"…This place is bad."
It wasn't a joke.
Reinhardt placed his hand on his weapon's hilt, his eyes moving cautiously.
"The mana here is unstable."
Suho said nothing.
He walked at the front, his face rigid—yet inside, something stirred.
This isn't just a trace.
This… is a presence.
Minutes hadn't passed before everything changed.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Then—
he appeared.
A man in a black robe, his body thin,
but the mana around him…
dense, sticky, moving like living smoke.
And to his left…
a creature.
A demon.
It wasn't massive like a dragon,
but its appearance alone was enough.
Cracked gray skin,
horns curled backward,
pupil-less eyes glowing with a sick, dark crimson.
The black mage spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Students…?"
"No matter."
"Offerings don't need to be ripe."
The team moved instantly.
Team Battle – Against the Black Mage
Reinhardt moved first.
"Kevin! Left!"
"Aileen, Shuang-Yu—split!"
Kevin charged with his reinforced body,
his fist smashing the ground as cracks exploded outward.
"Haaaaa!!"
Aileen unleashed: Consecutive Flame Line.
Shuang-Yu followed:
"Ice Technique: Fracture Blossom."
The air froze.
Three summoned beasts shattered at once.
The black mage raised his staff.
"Blood Circle – Third Tier."
The ground blackened beneath their feet.
Dark arms erupted, grasping for them.
Amy shouted,
"Barrier!"
"Spell: Triple-Circle Shield!"
The barrier held—but shook violently.
Reinhardt rushed straight at the mage.
"I won't let you finish another spell!"
His sword collided with a dark barrier.
"Spell: Curse Guard."
The recoil was brutal,
but Reinhardt didn't retreat.
"Kevin! Now!"
Kevin leapt from behind,
his fist blazing with energy.
"Smaaash!!"
The barrier shattered.
The black mage screamed.
"Drain Curse!"
But—
Aileen's blade was faster than his voice.
The mage fell,
his blood staining the snow.
It was over.
He was powerful—
but underestimating your enemy is always fatal.
Suho's Battle – Against the Demon
On the other side…
it was a different world.
Suho stood before the demon,
alone.
The demon spoke in a voice that wasn't language:
"Your scent…"
"…is strange."
It charged.
It wasn't fast—
it was heavy.
Suho barely avoided the first blow.
Strong…
but this isn't the worst part.
The demon released its aura.
In that instant—
Suho froze.
Not fear.
Pressure.
The demon's mana wasn't just dark—
it was stimulating.
As if it empowered the body…
then tore it apart from within.
This is…
mana that devours mana.
Suho tried to reinforce his body,
but the flow collapsed.
A second strike—
hit his shoulder.
He staggered back.
Blood.
For the first time—
real pain.
"…Damn."
He attacked with his sword.
First.
Second.
Third.
They didn't pierce.
The demon's skin absorbed the blows.
"Futile."
The demon roared violently.
"Corruption Roar."
A wave of mana exploded.
Suho dropped to one knee.
His breathing was ragged.
No—
not like this.
He closed his eye.
He began isolating mana.
Not with force…
but with silence.
Reduce the flow.
Suppress the response.
Do not react.
Do not resonate.
He stood.
Slowly drew his sword.
"…Come."
He attacked again.
This time—
he wasn't fast.
He was precise.
Joints.
Neck.
Unprotected points.
The demon stepped back.
"…?"
But Suho was exhausted.
The pressure remained.
Then—
everything stopped.
New footsteps…
heavy…
steady.
A man emerged from the snowstorm.
Silver armor.
A long sword.
An aura stable like a mountain.
Eight stars.
A veteran swordsman.
One of the European Union's knights and the international guard.
He looked at the scene—
at the demon—
at Suho.
And said calmly:
"It seems I arrived late."
One Slash
The European knight moved.
No raised voice.
No charge.
No change in expression.
One step forward.
He drew his sword—
not fast,
but with an eerie steadiness.
—shhhhhhk—
A single horizontal slash.
No explosions.
No flashes.
But the air split.
The demon didn't understand what happened.
It didn't scream.
It didn't resist.
Its body split in two,
as if a line had been drawn through its very existence.
The rocky hill behind it—
split as well,
a clean, straight fissure stretching dozens of meters.
The halves fell.
Silence fell.
Then—
the body dissolved.
All that remained was a dark heart,
beating…
then shattering,
turning into black ash scattered by the wind.
The knight sheathed his sword.
It was over.
Suho stood frozen,
eyes wide,
mind drowning.
One slash.
Not power—
but mastery.
He felt no humiliation.
No jealousy.
Only something closer to forced attraction.
So this is how one who crossed the threshold fights.
Aftermath and Teaching
Back at camp,
whispers spread.
"The Silver Knight…"
"Leonard Griefwald…"
"Eight-Star Duelist."
Later, Leonard sat beside Suho.
"What you faced," he said,
"wasn't dark mana—
it was demonic mana."
"A Baron," Leonard explained.
"Incomplete… but still catastrophic."
The next morning,
Leonard sparred with Suho.
"I won't fight you with my full power," he said.
"But I'll show you a path."
Measured strikes.
Balanced rhythm.
Suho observed—
angles, distance, timing.
Not imitation.
Analysis.
A concept formed.
In his mind, he named it:
Sword Art: The Balanced Path
A style built on stability,
control,
and striking vital points without recklessness.
Leonard left.
And Suho remained,
holding his sword,
his gaze fixed on the horizon.
He no longer thought only of his weakness—
but of the long road
now becoming clear before him.