I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game - Chapter 21:

Phillip examined the stance of the vampire.

In the eyes of the instructor, it was a posture riddled with vulnerabilities.

No matter where or when an attack might come, he left his vital points wide open, seemingly inviting strikes. However, Phillip remained vigilant, not letting his guard down for a moment.

The essence of all martial arts lied in facing the strong as the weak.

The demons were naturally dominant and powerful, so they had no need for such principles.

With his fangs bared, the vampire looked not at Phillip but at Janice and Cheryl. To him, the fact that a mere Instructor like Phillip meant nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

‘Go ahead, underestimate me.’

Mist Transformation, Blood Manipulation, high-level dark magic, and physical abilities rivaling those of an Aura Master.

Phillip had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle with a vampire possessing all these abilities.

In fact, he doubted if it was even possible.

Unlike humans with finite stamina, the demons had almost boundless endurance, and before clashing with the vampire, Phillip had already exhausted more than half of his own stamina.

Phillip wrapped his sword with Aura. The pale Aura split into two and coiled around Phillip’s blade.

‘I didn’t expect to use this already…’

This technique was the most powerful move Phillip could employ at this moment.

Its name was ‘Spiral Sword.’ It combined the Rotating Sword and Aura Lash.’ Phillip was confident that no instructor of this generation could learn this technique within a few years.

Without understanding the principles behind it, one could not grasp its true potential.

Suddenly, the vampire’s gaze locked onto Phillip’s face. In that moment, Phillip spun the Aura at maximum speed, utilizing his entire body to increase the rotational force to its peak.

And then, a thrust as swift as lightning sliced through the vampire’s chest.

Truly a strike of desperation. If this attack didn’t connect, Phillip’s fate would be hanging in the balance.

‘… Did it hit?’

It was an odd sensation, he had struck something, but he couldn’t be sure. In that critical moment when the vampire’s chest was pierced with the ‘Spiral Sword,’ it triggered the vampire’s ‘Mist Transformation’ ability, leaving him engulfed in a crimson mist.

Enraged and shrouded in the red mist, the vampire moved swiftly, surprising Phillip by advancing instead of retreating.

The vampire’s form seemed less stable than what Phillip had encountered before, indicating that the creature had suffered some damage from the earlier attacks.

However, there was no time to relax. Urgently, he warned, “Protect yourselves! Janice, Cheryl!”

Even without uttering the command, Janice and Cheryl had already memorized the defensive spells.

Moments before the crimson mist enveloped them, a translucent barrier materialized, intercepting the mist from penetrating their defenses.

Regrettably, the strength of their magical barriers varied significantly.

“Instructor, please!”

Janice urgently cried out.

Phillip gritted his teeth, and swung his sword with determination. Yet, his attack merely dispersed some of the crimson mist.

Thankfully, the ‘Moonlight Sword’ possessed an inherent power against evil, granting his attacks some degree of efficacy. Otherwise, Phillip would have been unable to land any meaningful blows on the vampire.

“Ah… Ahh! Instructor!”

Janice’s spell was shattered first. Now, Cheryl’s defense remained, though it was considerably weaker than Janice’s.

Faced with this dangerous situation, Phillip pondered his options.

‘What should I do? How can I handle this?’

If he continued to disregard Phillip and target the students, there would be no hope for their survival.

The crimson mist began corroding Cheryl’s defense.

“… Mom.”

Cheryl closed her eyes tightly, and Phillip’s resolve grew stronger. If it came down to it, he would have to take a risky approach. He decided not to dwell on the consequences.

Anything was better than losing the children.

The sound of sharp friction resonated as his sword scraped against the hard surface, causing sparks to fly amidst the swirling aura. The friction rapidly elevated the temperature of the sword.

Seizing the opportunity, the vampire in mist form evaded Phillip’s attack, retreating to avoid the risk of evaporating in the high-temperature aura surrounding the sword.

“Don’t look back, just run! Get as far away from here as possible, right now!”

Phillip urged urgently.

“Yes, yes!”

Janice followed Phillip’s instructions, and firmly held Cheryl’s hand as they began to run. She had no desire to face that accursed being again.

As they distanced themselves enough, Phillip let out a weary sigh.

The sword in his hand couldn’t withstand the vampire’s aura any longer, and its form started to change. Now, he knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand the vampire’s attacks.

With a decisive action, Phillip threw the sword far away, watching as it hit the ground and bent into an odd shape.

Without delay, the vampire reconstituted its body, showing off its cunning nature.

“You really have no idea about human life,” Phillip muttered with a disappointed expression, extending his left hand and widening his stance.

“Who would have thought I’d end up boxing with a vampire while still alive.”

The vampire responded by baring its fangs and sneering. Phillip, however, remained unfazed, and noticed something peculiar.

‘Wait a minute, why isn’t it following the kids?’

Phillip admired the vampire’s intelligence. If he were in the vampire’s place, he would have abandoned him and chased after Janice and Cheryl.

“Kiyek!”

The vampire struck out with its sharp claws, but Phillip managed to evade the attack by lowering his waist and retaliated by punching towards the vampire’s jaw. Despite his powerful blow, which was reinforced with an aura, it seemed to have little impact on the vampire’s robust form.

Indeed, the vampire’s physical endurance was far beyond that of any human.

The vampire’s eyes glowed red this time, and Phillip felt his blood rapidly draining from the wounds on his lower body.

His breathing quickened, and his vision blurred.

Desperately resisting, Phillip fought back against the vampire, trying to withstand its potent ability to manipulate blood. Without proper resistance, the vampire could drain all the blood from his body with this power.

The vampire skillfully defended itself against Phillip’s attacks, surrounded by its own aura. Though it wasn’t completely immune to the strikes, its resilience was far greater.

‘… So you plan to keep going until my strength is completely drained.’

A sense of helplessness and despair washed over him.

‘Fine. You bastard.’

However, Philip refused to collapse. If he fell here, the vampire that had just consumed his blood would undoubtedly chase after Janice and Cheryl.

“Come on, try hitting me until I’m dead.”

In this dire situation, Philip embraced death. Even if it meant expending all his remaining strength, he was determined to inflict as much damage as possible.

“… You’re a troublesome one.”

Just then, a third person’s voice halted Philip’s rampage.

Unconsciously, Philip turned his head and saw a woman with dark blue hair in his dim field of vision.

“I still can’t fathom the human race. If you possess such talents, why sacrifice your life for worthless obligations instead of fighting until you become strong enough?”

“What are you saying?”

Philip blinked, taken aback.

“Kiiieek!”

The vampire turned his body towards the woman. It seemed like he had assessed who the most dangerous opponent was.

“… Burn and perish, you vulture-like creature.”

With a cold voice, the woman muttered and pointed her finger at the vampire. Flames erupted from the vampire’s body.

“Kieeek! Kiiieek! Kiiieeek!”

A sound of wind escaping from the vampire’s degenerated vocal cords echoed through the cave. Its cool-toned skin melted away, and the smell of roasting flesh filled the air.

“Kieeeek!”

Within moments, the vampire’s body turned to ashes and collapsed. Philip maintained a stern expression, and observed it before turning his gaze to the woman and asked, “…Who are you?”

“Hah, you’re asking questions when you can’t even see properly? Just go to sleep quietly.”

The woman replied in a nonchalant manner, flicking her finger. Philip fell unconscious and fell to the ground like a lifeless doll.

* * *

“Ugh.”

As Philip regained consciousness, he realized that his head was resting on someone’s lap.

The person who supported him was none other than Priscilla, and when their eyes met, Philip was taken aback.

“… Priscilla?”

“Are you alright, Philip?”

Priscilla’s voice carried concern as she assessed Philip’s condition.

“I’m not doing too well, but how did you end up here?”

She hesitated for a moment before answering in a soft voice, “Well, it’s not like I came here… Wait a moment?”

She meticulously arranged her clothes before closing her eyes. Philip sensed her presence growing more profound, as if he were facing something colossal, akin to a mountain.

‘What in the world is this…’

Soon, Priscilla’s demeanor underwent a complete transformation. The fierce expression that once adorned her face vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of weariness and annoyance.

Almost instinctively, Philip realized that the person before him was not Priscilla, but someone else entirely.

“Who are you?”

“You’re quite the perceptive youngster.”

For some inexplicable reason, her expression seemed discontented.

“With that keen intuition of yours, you should have avoided this place. Wandering around like a feeble, clueless insect – what were you thinking?”

“…”

“To think that the so-called successor, who emerged after five hundred years, would be nothing more than this pitiful creature….”

The word “successor” caught Philip off guard. There was only one thing he could claim to have succeeded.

“When you mention ‘successor,’ are you referring to the Moonlight Sword?”

She nodded.

“Yes, the Moonlight Sword. You’re the one who inherited it.”

At that moment, Philip became certain of her identity. Nervously, he gulped and carefully spoke.

“Then you must be the Dragon.”

She looked directly at Philip and let out a wry smile.

“Fascinating. How did you figure it out?”

“Incredible! It seems you have a gift for discerning secrets. Yes, I am ‘Privia,’ also known as the ‘Sage Dragon.’ I have been trapped by a foolish pact with humans, and now, thanks to you, I find myself facing an eternity of boredom once again.”

Philip’s suspicions were indeed correct, and he let out a sigh of realization. However, the dragon, Privia, seemed deeply angered by the situation.

With a pointed finger, she lifted Philip off the ground as he hovered in mid-air.

“Five hundred years have passed, and no one could uncover the whereabouts of the damned ‘Moonlight Sword,’ cleverly hidden by some human. But now, you come to the academy and effortlessly locate it. I thought my burden would soon be lifted.”

Meeting Privia’s fierce gaze, Philip felt his strength draining away.

“Yet, you are just a shallow benefactor, boasting without truly grasping the essence of the ‘Moonlight Sword.’ Three hundred years ago, I would have cared little if you reeked of sour milk and offered your life instead of those timid girls, regardless of whether you ventured into a demon-made dungeon. But now, my patience wears thin.”

“What do you mean…?”

Philip asked, his voice quivering.

Privia glared at him, her fingers twitching.

“If you continue to babble without understanding the grander scheme of things, I can’t even begin to imagine how much longer I’ll be confined to this minuscule realm.”

Then, she uttered a shocking decree.

“I shall imprison you on a remote island. Until you master the Moonlight Sword, you will never be allowed to leave. Mere humans won’t sway me.”

With a nonchalant wave of her hand, a portal opened above Philip’s head. He felt a powerful suction, causing his face to turn ashen.

“Wait, stop! Time!”

———-