Chapter 304: Living Sword

Chapter 304: Living SwordHe didn’t kill Julius because it was unnecessary, but in just two simple strikes, he understood the strength of his Eternal Sword rule, which seemed to easily overpower and destroy Julius’s Sword rule.

More importantly, in those two simple strikes, Apollo had gained a deeper understanding of his Eternal Sword Rule. Its strength was far beyond his expectations, effortlessly overwhelming Julius’s Slaughter Sword Rule.

With this realisation, his confidence solidified.

He was now certain that he could easily defeat early-stage Eternal Gods with just his sword rule alone. As for middle-stage Eternal Gods, that was a different matter. The gap between each stage in the Eternal Realm was astronomical, far greater than in any previous realm.

However, he wasn’t just relying on his sword.

His three additional rules—each one profound and terrifying—combined with his Eternal Sword Rule created a force that even middle-stage Eternal Gods would struggle to suppress.

He exhaled softly, his eyes flickering with a sharp, unwavering light.

He had come to test his strength.

And the results were clear—

He had already stepped into a realm where few could stand against him.

Now this 201st step didn’t help him much, so he was ready to move up. He wanted to know how much higher he could climb, as he now understands the eternal sword rule. Not to mention he needed a deeper concentration of sword rules understanding to improve his sword rule.

Without hesitation, he moved forward.

The moment he stepped onto the 202nd step, an immense pressure descended upon him. It was countless times heavier than before, pressing against his soul, bones, and even the very concept of his existence.

But Apollo’s expression remained calm.

The guardian of the 202nd step started to materialise, and a many times strong ancient sword shadow appeared to the right of him. The sheer aura it exuded was enough to make the space around it crack and distort.

It was a bit different from before, as it seemed more real than before. The sword shadow guardian’s gaze—cold, emotionless—locked onto him.

"Only those who truly grasp the essence of the sword may proceed," a voice, neither human nor divine, echoed through the step.

For the first time, he saw the ancient sword shadow talk. It was clearly a bit different from the previous sword shadows and seemed to have its own will, which was a bit surprising.

Apollo’s grip on his sword tightened slightly, but his expression remained calm. He could feel it—this sword shadow was about the same strength as Julius, but when it came to the application of sword rules and swordsmanship, it was a bit better.

But that wasn’t his main concern, but he was excited as he was sure after climbing some steps, he would not only improve but also face a terrifying ancient sword shadow.

And with that, he started to move forward.

The moment Apollo stepped forward, the ancient sword shadow reacted.

The very space around them tightened, and an invisible force locked onto Apollo like a divine decree.

Then—shing!

The first sword strike descended.

It wasn’t flashy. No brilliant sword light, no overwhelming explosion of energy—just a simple cut. But Apollo’s instincts screamed.

His eyes sharpened.

This wasn’t an ordinary attack—it was pure, great mastery of the sword rule. Although the level of sword rule was weaker than Julius only at the early stage of the first layer, it was still extremely powerful.

Apollo tilted his blade slightly and swung in return. A clean, direct clash.

Clang!

A sharp ring echoed through the 202nd step. The impact alone caused the air to split apart, forming countless razor-thin slashes in the void.

Apollo’s feet remained firm. Unmoved.

The ancient sword shadow paused.

A flicker of acknowledgement passed through its gaze.

"Good. But let’s see if you can handle this."

It raised its sword once more.

And the battle begins. They fought with a simple sword rule, but his Eternal aura was still strong even when his usage and control were not good. But he tried to stretch the battle as long as he could so he could learn how to use his eternal sword rule from the sword shadow.

He battled for half an hour and improved his sword rule mastery and even the sword shadow understood Apollo’s intention but he still didn’t back down or show any anger but it marvelled his monstrous talent as he saw clear improvement after each of their clash.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The battlefield was filled with nothing but the crisp, rhythmic sound of swords clashing. No wasted movements, no unnecessary energy—just pure, unparalleled swordsmanship.

Apollo’s sword grew sharper with every exchange; his Eternal Sword Rule control became stronger at a visible pace. At first, his movements were just instinctual, relying on his raw talent and overwhelming aura. But now—he was beginning to truly wield his Eternal Sword Rule.

The ancient sword shadow noticed it.

"Unbelievable..." it thought.

With each strike, Apollo’s mastery grew. His swordplay, once slightly rough and unpolished, refined itself in real-time, adapting and surpassing limits at an impossible rate.

The ancient shadow, for the first time in countless years, felt something it had long forgotten—anticipation.

’Could it be... finally?’

But before it could think more, the sword came that seemed to have reached beyond the strength of Sword Shadow and completely destroyed him.

Boom!

With that sword that cut through everything in its path, Apollo finally ended the battle, and he quickly absorbed the insights of ancient sword shadows. He without wasting any more time, mowed ahead. Leaving the swordsmen on the 201st step shocked, especially Julius, who watched everything that happened with his injured body.

For the first time in his life, he felt inferior to others, but those thoughts were nothing to Apollo, who, without looking back, stepped forward.

He is going to move forward without stopping.

From the next steps, he didn’t waste time, as he directly went to face the ancient sword shadow guardian and continued to climb higher.

Quickly, nonstop, he continued his climb.

Half a year passed in an instant.

Apollo never stopped.

Step after step, battle after battle, sword clash after sword clash. Every fight was a lesson, every opponent a stepping stone.

He no longer needed to pause for insights—his mastery evolved in real time.

The Eternal Sword Rule became part of him, refined through hundreds of battles. Each step sharpened his edge, pushing him closer to a realm beyond swordsmen.

And now—he stood at the three hundredth step.

The air here was heavier. Ancient. Unforgiving. The will of swords from countless ages lingered in the space, pressing down like an invisible blade upon anyone who dared to stand there.

His black robes fluttered slightly as he exhaled, his gaze calm yet piercing.

He has reached his peak, as the last few battles were extremely difficult. It may have been easier if he used his other rules, but this was the holy place for sword rules, and other rules could not be used in the battle.

On the three hundredth floor he only saw dozens of swordsmen, as the higher he climbed, the fewer people there were. These dozen swordsmen were among the best in the early-stage eternal god level; even he wasn’t sure he could defeat them.

But in these half a year, he fully mastered his eternal sword rule and controlled it as his will. He also consolidated his first-layer early-stage eternal sword rule. He can even break through the middle stage at any moment.

Now that he was going to face the ancient sword shadow to reach the 301st step, he knew he might lose as every hundred steps the change in strength was enormous. But he wasn’t afraid of losing; he was afraid there was no more way ahead.

"What kind of opponent will it be this time?"

A hum filled the air.

The space before him rippled—and then, a figure emerged.

Unlike the previous sword shadows, this one wasn’t just a silhouette.

It was a person, a living being, not like the previous sword shadow. He was surprised to see this, as this was a bit unexpected.

And although it somewhat looked like a human, it wasn’t, as he felt the aura was completely different. It was like he was talking to a living sword, and he didn’t mean figuratively but exactly like the life form in front of him was a sword.

His sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

A living sword. Not a metaphor, not an illusion—but a true existence. An entirely new life form that he had never heard of.

The being before him was not human, yet it carried the shape of one. Its silver skin gleamed like polished steel, and its flowing hair looked like strands of liquid metal. But what struck Apollo the most were its eyes—not organic, but endless voids where countless sword wills clashed and merged, like an eternal battlefield contained within a single gaze.

"You are different," Apollo spoke, his voice calm but laced with curiosity.

The living sword tilted its head slightly as if studying him in return. Then, it spoke—its voice ringing like the clash of divine blades, each syllable sharp enough to cut through silence.

"You sword rule..."