Chapter 252

Chapter 252: Sky Sword Dance

"This… impossible! How can this be?!" Idak muttered through trembling lips, his eyes locked on Midi who stood suspended in mid-air as if trying to pierce the man with his gaze.

Though this level 58 awakened gunner had fought countless aerial battles, he’d never encountered—or even heard of—such a situation.

Nor had anyone else. Every witness, including pilots from Midi’s own Vanguard ships, struggled to believe the scene before them. Though undeniably real, the surreal spectacle made them question if this could be an illusion.

Twenty rockets.

Each packed firepower rivaling main cannons of large Skyships, their propulsion explosions adding extra destructive force. Three could annihilate an Arrow Fish-class Skyship.

Yet Midi’s ordinary Vanguard ship—temporarily painted red but otherwise unmodified—hadn’t just survived. The man himself stood unharmed in open air, his leather jacket untouched by soot.

"Flight skills? You possess flight skills?" Idak’s face drained of color as the realization struck.

"Partial credit," Midi answered with a humorless smirk.

The truth ran deeper. Midi hadn’t tanked the bombardment. Though twenty rockets couldn’t match the insanity of Wiseman Newton’s Earthly stone bombs or the Lord of Light City’s full assault, surviving them would’ve been possible—but unnecessary.

When the first rocket obliterated his Vanguard ship, Midi gauged the explosion’s power before using flames and glare to mask activating "Demon Shadow Flash." The Ghost Cry skill teleported him dozens of meters away.

There, the Ghost Cry’s "Illusion Array" bent light to create crude invisibility, while the awakened Secret Technique "Sky Sword Dance" let him hover effortlessly. The method paled compared to assassin techniques—Illusion Array’s demonic energy and Sky Sword Dance’s magic waves would betray him under scrutiny.

But aerial warfare provided perfect cover: explosions, blinding flashes, and howling winds distracted pilots fixated on the rocket barrage. When blasts subsided, Midi teleported back through Demon Shadow Flash and emerged from dissipating smoke—completing the performance.

This theatrics served multiple purposes: concealing his mastery of all four Demon Swordman disciplines, preventing factional targeting, and intimidating enemies from using Victoria as leverage.

Yet illusions couldn’t win wars. Victory required real power.

"Idak, wasn’t it? Last we met, you guarded Lady Victoria." Midi gazed down at the gunner in his cockpit. "Ally or enemy matters little. With Sky Sword Dance unleashed, all obstacles perish—numbers become irrelevant."

"Empty boasts!" Idak sneered. "Flight skills won’t save you! How can one man escape our net?"

To the gunner, skills were mere tricks—finite magic draining practitioners’ reserves. What threat could they pose?

Even as a level 58 awakened gunner, Idak knew his magic capacity couldn’t surpass the total of all Vanguard ships in a Black Bats squadron. How much magic could Midi possess, being merely a level 51 sword soul even with perfect awakening? How could such limited magic challenge so many Vanguard ships? Fighting in the sky with just his body? The wind resistance alone would cripple his speed!

But Idak soon realized his mistake – a colossal one.

Golden-red glow pulsed around Midi like dancing blades, churning surrounding magic into stormy seas. This razor-sharp oceanic aura made everyone pale; even Vanguard engines stuttered momentarily.

How strong was this guy?

A mere level 51 Demon Swordman?

What was this unknown golden-red radiance?

Midi answered through action. He blurred into a golden-red arc, crashing into Guild’s Vanguard formation. Merging with his sword, this light moved too fast for evasion. Multiple ships exploded instantly, pilots reduced to ash.

Amid fire and debris, the glow curved gracefully, slicing ships like soft tofu with molten edges. Pilots struggled – their bulky Vanguard ships became liabilities in close combat, like battling with swords while riding wooden horses.

Desperate gunners and roaming gunslingers fired long-range attacks. But how could their puny firearms challenge the Dragon Sealing Sword’s power? Even Lord Segarth of the Light City, Tyrant Dragon’s perfect creation, had fallen to Sky Sword Dance.

Through bullet storms, the golden-red streak flickered. Each pass turned ships into fireballs while grinding bullets to dust. It resembled a wolf ravaging helpless sheep – unstoppable slaughter.

Within minutes, three Guild squadrons lay shattered. Even their commander’s ship exploded, sending him plunging from thirty thousand meters.

Fleeing ships scattered in all directions – yet couldn’t escape fate. The glow destroyed one group, then accelerated beyond sight to bisect others fleeing opposite ways. Fire blossoms lit the sky as observers shivered.

The message was clear – Midi’s speed doubled the Vanguard ships’. None could escape; fighting was their only option.

"Fire rockets!" Idak screamed, composure shattered. Letting Midi finish the Guild meant Black Bats’ doom. Now was their only chance. Could he block twenty rockets? Forty? Eighty?

Idak roared: "Empty the payload!" Black rockets streaked skyward, trailing fire as they launched.