Alive

Uhh

Heavy

My eyes are very heavy. It feels like my eyes are sticking together between my eyelids. Cold, warm, for some reason, this feeling is so special and strange. When I open my eyes, there's only a cloudy overcast sky welcoming me. The world feels empty and calm. This feeling is similar to when I was first born.

Wait.

What?

Why are my hands so small?

"Waaah!"

A baby's voice...

With the mindset of a gamer and a novel reader, I immediately realize that this is something called reincarnation. If I'm not mistaken, I died because...

[Talent confirmed]

[Trait System acquired]

[According to universal law, Traits will be given to those who are worthy and deserving]

[The Universe is watching you]

[Welcome to the world of Platenda]

[The world welcomes your arrival]

[The world bestows upon the host the gift of the 'Heavenly Martial Sword God Body']

[Sword energy envelops the host's body]

[Initiating physical transformation into the Heavenly Martial Sword God Body]

W-wait...

The awareness of the tiny and cute baby is lost amidst the rubble of the collapsed building. The sky, which was initially cloudy, parts its golden light curtains as if blessing the baby. An middle-aged man observes the sky, which has changed from overcast to bright. He approaches the light and finds a small baby, taking off the fine feathered coat he's wearing and wrapping the baby in it.

"Why is there a baby here?"

The man looks around the environment filled with rubble and monster corpses. The thick stench of blood and toxic mist emanating from the monster's bodies would make a normal person unable to survive here. However, there is a healthy baby here, without any injuries. When the middle-aged man checks, he discovers explosive energy from the sword energy. This energy seems to be raging and protecting the baby. The man is surprised.

"I've never seen anything like this in my entire life, and in history, only a handful of people were born with complete sword energy."

The tiny baby's finger, which he holds, feels warm and calms the old man's heart. His cold yet elegant face smiles. He maximizes his senses to cover the entire vast city, only to realize there are no signs of life.

"So, maybe this is the old man's destiny. Perhaps it's a little late, but welcome to this cruel and beautiful world, my child."

"Kryaaaah!"

A deafening scream is heard from quite a distance. Monsters with two pairs of wings on their shoulders have just emerged from a hole in the middle of the city. Worried about the shockwave coming from the monsters, the man covers the little one with sword energy.

"Oh my, these bastards are really tough to get rid of."

Even before he finishes speaking, he beheads the monster. The distance covered from the outskirts of the city to the central square is impossibly vast in a single step.

"You know? It's exhausting to run from the capital to here. Why don't you all come out together and fight me?"

His blood-red eyes and cold gaze infuriate the monsters inside the 200-meter-wide hole. The monsters that were lured out at once are not to be underestimated. They look like a mix of crocodile, fish, vulture, and lion, each measuring 50 meters. These are just ordinary monsters, seemingly subordinate. A total of 1,000 of them come out, their fierce eyes fixed on the middle-aged man carrying a baby in his left arm and holding a sword in his right hand.

"Ho? Is the Sword Saint of the Storm playing the hero game? Do you think that bringing a baby onto the battlefield will make you..."

The 100-meter-tall monster that appears to be their leader dies before it can finish its sentence. The same fate befalls all the other monsters, as they die without even knowing what happened. Only the wind blows through their hair, unhindered. His sword is still aimed at the dead monster in front of him. With a blink of his eye, the lightning on his sword strikes all the mist and poison emitted by the monsters, burning everything in front of him. The man, known as the Sword Saint of the Storm, reaches for the magical device in his ear.

"Stormy 1 here, all the monsters in Kalen City have been eradicated, with a total of 12,000 dead monsters, and one survivor. Requesting center's permission to escort the survivor. Mission complete, over."

"Center here, thank you for your cooperation, Stormy 1. Permission granted, please return to the capital. Report concluded."

The man looks at the city with an indifferent expression, his handsome face gazing at the clear sky. The overcast that once shrouded the world has disappeared, replaced by a golden sunset. With the clear sky, the wind blows strongly on both of them.

"Maybe I should take a break to raise you, shouldn't I? Aeolus Avel."

His cold gaze drops and looks at the trembling baby he's holding. The formless sword energy of Aeolus trembles and condenses in his heart. His heart beats faster, shaken by the sudden change. Inside his heart, there's a beautiful white sword that can cut through anything.

"This... Sword Heart? Only those who have reached the rank of Sword Saint can possess it. How is this possible?"

"Heh, you always manage to surprise me, my child. One day, the Empire - no, the world, might be astonished by your presence, my child."

***