Alex Volkanov.
The ancestor of the Volkanov family and the first sword of the imperial family that stood at the dawn of the Kallos Empire.
People often referred to him as the God of War.
Born as the son of a blacksmith in a small, desolate village in the frigid north, Alex came from humble beginnings, yet his talent was unrivaled.
Eventually, he reached the point where he could sever the head of Neltalion, the Thousand-Handed Destroyer who had once terrorized the empire.
Hearing of this great feat, people exalted Alex not just as a Sword Saint but as a God of War. So much so that those who wielded swords regarded Volkanov, Alex’s hometown, as a sacred place for swordsmanship.
Though Volkanov was cold and desolate, its economy thrived thanks to tourism revenue brought by those eager to visit the land of Alex’s birth.
To honor his legacy, people created tales and paintings to commemorate his achievements.
As a result, Alex was often depicted in popular culture as a cold, merciless Sword Saint on the battlefield.
However, his true nature was far from the rumors.
“Alex. Mom said there’s a place somewhere on the continent where we don’t have to bundle up like this, with a shimmering ocean!”
“I’ll take you there someday.”
“Tsk… How would you do that? Didn’t the adults say there are terrifying monsters swarming the mountains surrounding our village? We’ll be monster food before we even cross the range!”
“Then I’ll just kill them all.”
“Huh?”
“Just wait a little longer. I’ll deal with all the monsters in our way… Then, I’ll show you the ocean. But in return, Midren, you have to be my girlfriend.”
“…Alex? What are you saying?”
The playful words of his childhood friend, Midren, became Alex’s goal.
At a young age, in order to grant her wish, he secretly stole a sword from his father’s forge and ventured into the forest at night, wiping out the monsters in the area. That marked his first notable accomplishment.
“Where are you off to? You look tired.”
“Well, you know how Mom has terrible insomnia, right? She overheard something… It seems the constant howling of Devil Crows at night is bothering her.”
“She has sharp ears.”
“Yes, and the guild said the Devil Crows have been multiplying because some demons have taken refuge nearby. So, I’m heading out to the guild to find someone to teach me swordsmanship!”
“Don’t. I can’t bear to see calluses on your hands… I’ll handle it for you. When I return, will you marry me?”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Alex’s achievements didn’t stop there.
Recognized for his first feat, Alex became a knight apprentice and continued wielding his sword to fulfill Midren’s wishes.
One night, while she slept, he infiltrated the demon hideout near their village and decapitated their leader, another of his notable deeds.
“Hah… What should I do?”
“Is something troubling you?”
“Well… I’m building a house for our newlywed life, but they discovered a hot spring beneath the land. They’re saying the ground is unstable, and we can’t build there anymore… But I’ve already purchased all the materials. I don’t have the money to buy new land…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find new land. But when I return, you’ll bear my child, won’t you?”
“Huh? Where are you off to, darling?”
His glorious journey continued.
After single-handedly wiping out the demons, Alex was recognized and became a member of the Imperial Knights. Yet, even after achieving such a position, he wasn’t content and relentlessly pursued more achievements.
In the shortest time in imperial history, he rose from a commoner to a baron, receiving both a title and land.
“The wind is cold. You’ve just given birth, so why not go back inside?”
“Oh… Darling, I just wanted to enjoy a bit of fresh air.”
“What’s troubling you?”
“I had a dream. A dream about our son.”
“What kind of dream?”
“Even though he hasn’t been born yet, he spoke to me. He said he was happy to be the son of such proud parents.”
“…”
“He also said that you were the strongest knight in the empire. The man who severed the neck of a god… Ha, isn’t that silly?”
“I’ll have to become a proud father.”
“Huh? Where are you going now, dear?”
Before his son was even born, Alex set out to fulfill his future wish.
Though it was no easy task to become the greatest knight in the empire, Alex, as always, found his way.
He traveled to the domain of the ancient god, a being that terrified the empire.
There, he faced Neltalion, the Thousand-Handed Monster, in a life-or-death battle, bringing back his severed head.
In that moment, Alex became the strongest knight in the empire, just as his wife Midren had dreamed.
After receiving the title of count, he lived out the rest of his days happily in his and Midren’s hometown of Volkanov.
That was Alex.
‘A man who took up the sword for the wish of the woman he loved and, in the end, severed the neck of a god.’
In reality, he was neither cold nor heartless.
A bit eccentric, perhaps, but in his mind, he thought only of his wife Midren and his children.
‘Yes, unlike those who pursue wealth and fame, Alex was a romantic swordsman who fought for the happiness of his family. That’s who he was.’
Raised in a small village, he had no master to teach him the sword.
Instead, there was a heart willing to fulfill the precious dreams of his loved ones with the divine talent bestowed upon him.
And that was enough.
The first sword he wielded in his life was heavy, and swinging it a few times left him breathless. Yet, for the sake of his beloved, he swung that sword with a desperate determination.
The accumulation of those years became the essence of Alex’s Volkanov swordsmanship.
“This swordsmanship is the culmination of my entire life… so please accept it with a reverent heart.”
Crash!
“Ugh!”
Ian, who received this power, frowned in disbelief.
‘Is this really Alex’s swordsmanship? No… is this truly the legendary Volkanov swordsmanship?’
Typically, swordsmanship reflects the character of the individual who created it.
When we talk about ‘character,’ it refers to the tastes and personalities of those who crafted the techniques.
For example, Haley, wanting to distance herself from the image of a curse caster, was determined to showcase only the most dazzling and powerful attacks, a trait strongly reflected in her swordsmanship.
‘That’s why Haley’s techniques are grand and elaborate in every basic movement.’
Swordsmanship works that way.
Among the Imperial Knights, the swordsmanship learned by the palace guards carries a defensive color, driven by the belief that they must protect the Emperor.
Depending on the reasons for its creation, the maker’s character is heavily infused into the swordsmanship.
Thus, Ian had thought.
‘I believed Alex’s swordsmanship would lean heavily in one direction… like overwhelming aggression against enemies. But it was nothing like that at all.’
The reason Ian felt bewildered after facing Alex’s sword was that his swordsmanship did not lean towards offense or defense.
‘How can attack and defense be inseparably woven into one style of swordsmanship… Is it really accurate to say he wields a single sword style?’
At times, it appeared overwhelmingly aggressive, while at other moments, it revealed an impenetrable wall of defense.
Was this truly possible?
To achieve what was believed to be impossible—mastering both attack and defense, and harmonizing them perfectly?
‘Does such a thing exist?’
It was incomprehensible. Was it really true that Alex wielded a single sword style?
He pondered endlessly and struggled to analyze it.
Perhaps because of that effort, he managed to grasp some understanding.
‘I still don’t really get it… How could such swordsmanship exist? And how did Alex perfectly harmonize them?’
It was a challenge to comprehend the swordsmanship crafted over a lifetime by a genius who could not be surpassed.
“Instead… he clearly said that everything he had was poured into this swordsmanship.”
Perhaps this is the essence of what Alex possessed.
A heart to protect his beloved wife and children, and a desire to tear apart those who sought to disrupt their peace…
Living with those emotions in his mind could very well have led to the creation of such swordsmanship.
‘Typically, this would yield a half-baked result, failing to capture both attack and defense…’
But wasn’t Alex Volkanov the genius of the divine sword?
If he was a talent that could achieve the ability to sever the neck of an ancient god without a proper master, perhaps it was indeed possible for him to create a sword style infused with more than just one color.
‘Thinking that way… I understand why Alex’s swordsmanship is different from the current Volkanov swordsmanship.’
In the later parts of Heroic Academy, Ariel, recognized by Killain after overcoming the plague, begins to pass on Volkanov swordsmanship.
From that point on, she would use the Volkanov style rather than the original techniques she had once used.
Yet, the swordsmanship displayed by Alex now was entirely different from what she had seen back then.
Looking at the original… the techniques she had seen while playing the game seemed almost like trash in comparison.
‘The cause of that was talent… even if the descendants tried to preserve the swordsmanship for their children… if they lacked talent comparable to Alex’s, it wouldn’t matter how many years they practiced.’
His descendants must have gradually diluted the essence of Alex’s swordsmanship through their own adaptations, realizing the wall of talent.
‘And now, at this point… it must have become an entirely different form of swordsmanship.’
Thinking about this brought a sigh of relief.
Indeed, had he not known this fact, he would have been eager to delve into his family’s history to learn a diluted version of the Volkanov swordsmanship to prepare for battles against the Demon Lords.
Thanks to the special mock battles, he found himself in a situation where he could learn the long-forgotten original Volkanov swordsmanship.
Of course, one couldn’t say this was necessarily a good thing.
After all, it was a revised sword style born from the realization of the wall of talent.
That meant, unless one had talent on par with Alex’s, learning it would lead to being caught in between—neither this nor that.
But Ian felt confident.
‘At least I haven’t been told that I lack talent anywhere I go.’
He was considered to have a divine talent that ranked among the best in the empire. Some even said his abilities surpassed those of Ariel, the chosen one of the gods…
It was for this reason that he thought.
“So, you’re rising again. I like it. Truly, you’re my descendant.”
Despite being in a near-death state, the reason he was lifting himself up again was that when he looked at Alex, who wore an expression of incredulity, he couldn’t help but think.
Is this what a god of swords really is?
Yet, Ian decided not to care.
‘If my opponent is a god… then I’ll just use an appropriate strategy.’
With a smirk, Ian drew upon every tactic he had.
‘Neltalion. Let’s use divine power!’
– Okay! Got it!
The divine form received from Neltalion began to envelop Ian’s entire body.
However, the tactics he prepared didn’t end there.
[You are facing a powerful enemy! There is a considerable gap between you and your opponent! You will receive significant enhancements to your abilities!]
The Demon Sword Rebrion, created by the Demon Lord of Envy, was also radiating its power, as if to add to the fray.
“The spirit is running high, come forth! Claim victory honorably! My descendant!”
Seeing Alex raise his voice in apparent satisfaction, Ian also smiled.
“Let’s do this.”
***
“Hah. You’ve awakened…”
With the faint light filtering in through the window, Ian carefully opened his eyes.
Although the sky was still dark, the slow rise of the sun indicated it was dawn.
Though it felt like he had been there for quite a while, it hadn’t even been six hours.
‘Time flowed the same during the mock battle, but maybe the special mock battle changed that.’
It seemed that time flowed differently in a special mock battle.
Of course, the fatigue from the intense battle still lingered.
“Still… the results were good.”
A slight smile crept onto Ian’s face as he recalled the duel with Alex.
The victor of that duel was none other than himself.
It might have been a predetermined outcome.
‘Though the mock battles were enhanced and I grew stronger, I wasn’t idle either.’
He had managed to gain the upper hand against Alex even when he couldn’t use swordsmanship and when Neltalion was still developing slowly.
Now, with his significant progress and Neltalion’s divine form coupled with Rebrion’s characteristics shining through, he cautiously anticipated victory.
‘Of course, if I had completely failed despite this, that would have been embarrassing… but still, I won.’
That was enough. There was no reason to entertain any negative future thoughts.
Having achieved a valuable victory, he could simply enjoy the rewards that came with it.
‘Although it turned out differently than I expected, thinking I could immediately acquire his swordsmanship upon victory.’
Even if he won, immediately replicating Alex’s swordsmanship was impossible.
Instead, from the moment he was defeated, Alex had begun training Ian, and within the slowly passing time of the mock battle, Ian had awakened to learn a new style of swordsmanship.
‘According to him, he said I had learned almost everything… so I can use the mock battles to continue my training.’
Thinking this, Ian grinned as he gently laid Neltalion, who was snuggled up and sleeping, back onto the bed before getting up.
Since he was up early, he might as well tidy up the food he had from the previous day… Just as he thought this, he heard a notification.
Beep!
“Huh? Why is there a message at this hour…?”
As the screen of the device, which was charging on the bedside table, lit up, he wondered who would contact him so early in the morning.
Could it be that Igor, who was on the run, had been caught by his family and sent a request for assistance?
With that thought, he checked the message and saw the following:
[This message is being sent to all Squad Commanders of the 1st and 2nd-year students of Ark. The officers dispatched for the preliminary inspection of the training area over the weekend have gone missing. According to regulations, a summons order has been issued for the Squad Commanders, so please confirm this message and return to Ark as soon as possible.]
‘The Platoon Commanders have gone missing? What is this?’
A new threat was emerging.
