Chapter 318: Chapter 19: Codename—Swordmaster
Five days had passed since the Deep Sea Clan’s invasion of J-City.
The true identity of that mysterious powerhouse remained an enigma. Not even the Hero Association could provide any concrete information about him—only that he was not a registered hero.
Yet, despite the mystery, the online buzz surrounding the unknown man continued to grow, day after day. For five consecutive days, he dominated the trending charts, surpassing even Sweet Mask’s latest single and the high-profile hero event of the S-Class Rank 2, "Terrible Tornado."
His fanbase was exploding at an astonishing rate. Fan clubs that initially had only a few thousand members quickly ballooned into groups numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
And now, netizens had given the unnamed powerhouse an unofficial but reverent hero-style codename—Swordmaster.
That single slash that split open the heavens... It had left an impression too deep to forget.
Even now, countless people were flocking to J-City, just to catch a glimpse of the thousand-meter-long chasm carved into the street by that slash.
Standing before the massive rift—over ten meters deep, two meters wide, and stretching more than a kilometer long—was the only way to begin to grasp the sheer force behind that blade.
It was as if... a god who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship had descended into the mortal realm.
That was why, among the tens of thousands of nicknames proposed online, the one that finally stuck—the one that best represented absolute mastery in swordsmanship—was Swordmaster.
J-City.
The kilometer-long rift was now a local spectacle, drawing crowds of onlookers.
Standing silently before the scarred earth was Atomic Samurai, S-Class Rank 4 hero, clad in a traditional samurai outfit and wearing a straw hat. He had traveled here with three of his disciples.
Atomic Samurai stared intently at the colossal fissure.
Standing beside him, A-Class Rank 2 hero Iaian, gazed at the ground in disbelief. "Master... was this really caused by a sword slash?"
Atomic Samurai narrowed his eyes, staring deep into the rift. "Iaian, as a swordsman, can’t you feel it? The lingering sword aura..."
That was all the answer needed.
Iaian and the other two disciples—A-Class Rank 3 Okama Itachi and A-Class Rank 4 Bushidrill—felt their faces pale at those words. Subconsciously, they swallowed hard.
A sword slash that tore through the heavens, dispersed a torrential storm, and left behind a chasm this long... It felt like something straight out of mythology.
Until now, they’d believed their master had already reached the zenith of swordsmanship—an insurmountable peak they could only dream of chasing after their entire lives.
But standing here, before this, even the greatest faith in their master couldn’t let them imagine him unleashing such a strike.
Whoever made this slash... that person had already transcended the realm of humanity. They’d reached a dimension so far removed, so otherworldly, that they couldn’t even fathom it.
Atomic Samurai slowly shifted his gaze from the chasm to the sky above, a complicated expression on his face. "To think... there’s someone in this world with such power. Just the aura left behind by his sword was enough to completely erase my will to fight. Compared to him, I’ve still got a long, long way to go. Swordmaster, huh? Heh... it really is the perfect name."
A faint gleam flickered in his eyes.
"I want to see his swordsmanship for myself one day..."
Z-City, Central District – Blizzard’s Mansion.
"I’m home," Fubuki called out as she returned from her Blizzard Group activities.
The moment she entered, she saw Tatsumaki floating midair, grumbling while holding a tablet.
"Hah? ’Swordmaster’? What kind of dumb name is that! And he’s not even a hero!"
Curious, Fubuki approached her sister. "What are you talking about, sis?"
"Take a look for yourself." With a huff, Tatsumaki tossed the tablet over to her.
Fubuki glanced down at the screen.
It was a notification from the Hero Association.
[After internal deliberation by the board of directors, the unidentified powerhouse who appeared in Z-City and J-City has been officially given the codename: "Swordmaster."]
"See that?! That guy’s not even a registered hero, and he still gets such a cool codename! Totally unfair!"
Tatsumaki, dressed in her usual high-slit black dress, floated in midair with her arms crossed and a pout on her face. But with her petite appearance and childlike features, even this annoyed expression came off as adorably tsundere.
...Though she was technically older than Fubuki.
"A Demon-level threat monster? I could’ve flicked that thing away with a finger! If I hadn’t been busy that day, that guy wouldn’t even have had a chance to make an entrance! And the Association just goes ahead and—ugh!"
She kept venting.
Meanwhile, Fubuki’s mind was still on the image on the screen. Her thoughts drifted to the memory of Ron—his face, his voice, his presence.
She had expected him to become famous eventually... but she hadn’t thought it would happen this fast.
Swordmaster, huh...
"Hey. Fubuki. Fubuki!"
Snapping out of her daze, Fubuki found Tatsumaki floating right in front of her, eye to eye.
"Y-Yes, sis?"
Tatsumaki frowned. "What’s with you? Zoned out like that. Are you overworked or something? I told you, that B-Class fan club of yours is a waste of time. What can a bunch of weaklings even do—"
Fubuki’s brow furrowed. She stared back seriously. "It’s not meaningless!"
"Sis, just watch. The Blizzard Group is going to shock you someday!"
Tatsumaki kept her arms crossed, floating calmly as she locked eyes with her sister. Fubuki didn’t back down.
After a few tense seconds, Tatsumaki turned her head and floated away.
"Fine, fine... I’ll be waiting. Oh, and if you get any info about that guy, let me know."
"...That guy?" Fubuki blinked.
"The one they’re calling Swordmaster."
"You’re looking for him too?" Fubuki asked, clearly surprised.
"Mhm."
"...What for, exactly?"
Hovering through the grand hall, Tatsumaki sipped some coffee from a levitating cup and answered seriously, "What for? To see what he’s really made of. After all, he did steal my thunder."
"...I-I see."
And it wasn’t just Atomic Samurai, or Tatsumaki and Fubuki. Other S-Class heroes—like Child Emperor, Superalloy Darkshine, Metal Knight, Zombie Man, Drive Knight, Tank-Top Master, and Flashy Flash—were all becoming increasingly curious about the mysterious powerhouse now known as Swordmaster.
Bang’s Dojo – Silver Fang’s Domain.
Under the blazing sun, Charanko was training hard outside, drenched in sweat as he punched again and again.
Inside the dojo, Silver Fang—Bang—sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, eyes closed in deep meditation.
In his mind, he was still reliving that intense battle he’d had with Ron.
He’d heard the news. He was well aware of the rising online frenzy.
What he didn’t know... was that the man the world now called Swordmaster, the name on everyone’s lips, was the very same youth who had once stood before him—and left a deep, unshakable impression on his heart.