Chapter 476 — Heaven Splitter
6 min read ·
Damian’s head rose fully, his crimson eyes locking onto the weapon.
The man’s posture shifted, his entire body moving into a stance that looked both relaxed and perfectly balanced.
Then he moved.
"First Sever."
WHOOSH
The sword cut through the air.
A single clean strike, simple and direct.
Stack: 5
The force lingered in the air where the blade had passed, intent made visible.
"Second Sever."
WHOOSH CRACK
The blade cut again, but this time the previous strike’s force didn’t fade.
It merged with the new attack, the intent from both strikes combining into something greater.
Stack: 15
The air screamed as the doubled force carved a line that cut deeper than steel alone could reach.
"Third Sever."
CRACK BOOM
The sword moved, and the accumulated force exploded outward.
Each previous strike fed into this one, three layers of intent stacking into a single edge.
Stack: 35
The ground beneath the strike’s path split open, stone cracking from pressure that existed in will rather than weight.
"Fourth Sever."
BOOM CRACK CRACK
Four strikes worth of intent compressed into one swing.
The broken blade hummed, vibrating from the sheer concentration of force channeled through its damaged edge.
Stack: 60
The air itself began tearing, unable to withstand the accumulated power of four intent levels merged together.
"Fifth Sever."
CRACK BOOM BOOM BOOM
The man and sword moved as one.
Five layers of intent, each one feeding the next, each one multiplying what came before.
Stack: 85
Reality started bending around the blade’s path, space warping from intent so concentrated it weighed on existence itself.
"Sixth Sever."
BOOOOOM
The strike cut through everything.
Six levels of weapon intent stacked to their absolute peak, the maximum force mortal understanding could compress into a single attack.
Stack: 99
The world held its breath.
Then the man’s entire presence shifted.
His crimson eyes blazed with light that made the impossible sun overhead seem dim.
The broken sword rose above his head, and something fundamental changed.
The intent didn’t just stack anymore, it... transformed.
"Seventh Sever."
Stack: 100
[Sword Intent → Sword Law]
The blade fell.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
And the world split apart.
The strike didn’t carry more force than the sixth.
It carried different force entirely.
Law overwrote reality, imposing severance as an absolute truth rather than just accumulated power.
CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK
Mountains erupted from the ground, rock and stone exploding upward as the northern continent was forced to reshape itself.
The Eternal Horizon Mountain Range formed in seconds, a barrier created by a single swing.
Thump thump thump
Damian’s eyes blazed with crimson light, his entire body rigid as he watched creation happen in real-time.
’This!’
His thoughts could barely form coherent words.
’This is true power!’
The man lowered his sword, the weapon dissolving back into nothing as he turned to face Damian.
"This is the weapon art that let me split the north."
His voice was calm, carrying no pride or boasting.
"Heaven Splitter... An art I created based on the levels of weapon intent, designed to harness its power completely at each stage."
’So... this is the reason this soul fragment was created.’
Damian’s thoughts were still reeling.
’Not just to give advice or share wisdom, but to show the art directly. To pass it down in a way that words on a page never could.’
Then another thought surfaced.
’This was his level years ago, when he first created this fragment. Shouldn’t he have grown even stronger after this? Shouldn’t there be–’
"Are there more severings?"
The question left Damian’s mouth before he fully thought it through.
The man’s smile returned, gentle and understanding.
"All weapon intents follow the same fundamental path, regardless of whether you’re using a sword, spear, axe, or anything else."
He raised one finger.
"When intent reaches the seventh level, it transforms into law. The weapon becomes an extension of universal principle rather than just a tool you wield."
His hand lowered.
"The Seventh Sever is based on that transformation, on the moment when sword intent becomes sword law. Each of the forms below it represents one level of mastery."
Damian’s breathing became heavier.
’So there really are more severings.’
The implication was clear.
’If seventh is when intent becomes law, then what comes after? When you go deeper into the law?’
He inhaled deeply, forcing his scattered thoughts to settle.
"I don’t use swords." His voice came out flat. "My weapon is an axe. And for that too, I haven’t even formed an intent yet."
The man’s eyebrows rose, surprise crossing his features, then he laughed.
"Did you think every descendant of mine was a sword user? That my entire bloodline only ever picked up blades?"
His smile widened.
"The art is made to harness every weapon intent, child. The principles remain the same whether you’re cutting with a blade or cleaving with an axe."
He waved one dismissively.
"And forming intent takes years, sometimes decades even for those with natural talent... But based on your comprehension, you should be able to form it in a few years if you dedicate yourself to truly understanding your weapon."
Damian knew how hard it was to form weapon intent.
He hadn’t seen anyone his age with it, regardless of how talented they were supposed to be.
Even among the candidates at the Northern Military Training Center, he only knew of the Sword Demon who had formed sword intent.
And that man was more than two hundred years old.
"Is there no way to form it early?"
The words came out desperate, carrying more emotion than Damian intended.
"Some technique or method that could speed up the process?"
The man looked at him for a long moment, his expression showing confusion.
"I don’t understand." His voice remained gentle. "Why are you being so desperate, child? You’re still young, barely started on your path. You have decades ahead of you to figure this out."
Damian’s mouth opened, then closed without sound.
’Time... is the only thing I don’t have.’
The thought echoed through his mind with terrible certainty.
But he said nothing, the silence stretching between them.
The man watched him for several more heartbeats, then his gaze lifted toward the impossible sky overhead.
"I don’t know what’s going on in the outside world."
His voice became quieter, more contemplative.
"But even if something has happened to my real self, there should still be many strong humans who can protect our world against the monsters, right?"
He smiled slightly.
"Kaiser should be strong enough by now. And the Marshals I personally raised and trained should be able to hold the line. The Federation has plenty of powerful awakeners."
His expression shifted, becoming warmer.
"And besides, my little brothers are very strong as well. They’ll keep humanity safe."
’Brothers?’
Damian’s head tilted slightly, confusion cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
’Grandfather had brothers?’
The man’s face had formed an affectionate smile while looking upward, his eyes distant like he was seeing something very far away.
"Little Vance was always so serious. He’d lecture everyone about responsibility and duty until the others wanted to stuff a sock in his mouth."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"And little Murdock, always trying to mediate when the others argued. Such a gentle soul, that one, always wanting everyone to get along."