Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 274

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Blacksmith’s Game
Hunting Fenrir (1)
Sword Master Lysen.
Though he had reached seventy years of age, he remained one of the formidable powers that guided Goyad.
Originally, there had been Sword Master Roman, who was called his equal—the two peaks of their era.
But he had perished attempting to slay a royal heir, only to fall by their hand instead.
Because of this, the countless warriors who had followed Sword Master Roman found themselves forced to cower in silence.
They could not easily choose a new master.
Yet the moment war erupted, Sword Master Lysen rose up Swordsmanship Families across the entire nation.
“An old warrior does not fall. That’s nonsense.”
Lysen gazed upon the Knights who had resolved themselves to death.
Knights summoned from every corner of the realm.
A considerable number of them had once followed Sword Master Roman.
Those who had questioned whether following a new Sword Master was the right choice.
They ignited their blood at a single word from Lysen.
“Listen—even if we fall, I shall fall first, so that you may live.”
“Roooaaarrr!”
Having lived a long life, Lysen understood how to command men.
And the true reason they had chosen to follow Lysen.
He genuinely resolved himself to death.
Yet even as the old warrior Lysen poured forth every ounce of strength he possessed, even as he fought with death’s resolve, he could not stem the tide of swift collapse.
But then.
A man still merely building his influence—
In Sword Master Lysen’s eyes, still nothing more than a youth.
He heard that eight hundred of the Blood Ghost Squad had been annihilated by Hyeon-su’s hand.
‘How is this possible…’
Sword Master Lysen could only be bewildered.
The reason he had believed Hyeon-su had not participated in battle.
Not a single speck of dust marred his body.
‘He annihilated eight hundred of the Blood Ghost Squad without sustaining a single wound?’
Sword Master Lysen had once crossed blades with Hyeon-su before, and had been defeated by the narrowest of margins.
Since that day, Lysen had felt the limits of his own strength and grown ever more powerful.
He had demonstrated firsthand that Users and NPCs grew stronger together.
Yet through the aura now emanating from Hyeon-su, he understood.
‘So that was it… To be weak means to grow stronger faster than anyone else.’
Until he had seen him, Lysen had harbored deep doubt about Hyeon-su.
Could one so weak truly lead the Sword King’s Kingdom, so formidable?
But now that conviction was beginning to shift.
‘…He is truly strong.’
Lysen laughed quietly to himself.
Perhaps my king saw something I could not.
The joy of our dramatic reunion was fleeting.
Boom—boom—boom—boom!
The sound of drums being struck forcefully echoed from within the Parion Empire Army’s ranks.
It was the signal for a general offensive.
“Sword Master Lysen, please have all troops retreat from this moment forward.”
“…What are you saying?”
Sword Master Lysen furrowed his brow.
A general offensive.
If we do not stand and fight against that assault, the Blood Ghost Squad will flood the Castle Wall leading into the Capital.
The story changes depending on whether they breach the Castle Wall or fail to do so.
When they draw close to the Castle Wall, the fall begins far more swiftly.
They will scale the walls and climb, flying upon winged monsters to slaughter the archers atop the Castle Wall.
And countless Blood Ghost Squad members will descend upon the Castle Wall to commit massacre.
Yet despite saying he did not understand, Sword Master Lysen sensed that Hyeon-su had something in mind.
Soon after hearing him speak, Sword Master Lysen was taken aback.
“You mean to neutralize them…? Thirty-five thousand of the Blood Ghost Squad?”
Sword Master Lysen understood what power he was referring to.
But he still could not comprehend what he was saying.
The Royal Palace employs analysts who gauge the power of the king.
The Sword King’s killing intent.
That power is tremendous.
Based on experiments conducted in the Colosseum, the Sword King’s killing intent consumed as many as five thousand.
But that was all.
“Withdrawing an army is no simple matter, and if you lack certainty that this can truly be realized, you should not withdraw.”
If we withdraw and things do not unfold as Hyeon-su claims, Goyad will instead permit a swift fall.
Soon the proof manifested in Hyeon-su’s hand.
“…?”
The ring adorning the hand he extended.
Sword Master Lysen immediately recognized what it was and fell backward onto his rear.
“This cannot be….”
No matter how strong Sword Master Lysen was, he remained merely a powerful human within a single kingdom.
There exists a being that humans regard only with terror.
That is a demon.
A transcendent being that no human would dare even conceive of slaying.
And throughout the Continent, there are far too many records and tales of how certain demons toppled or massacred entire kingdoms in a single day.
Yes.
A demon is such an existence.
A transcendent being that merely toys with humanity.
And those who have slain demons are remembered as the greatest legends among all the tales ever told.
The one who wove that legend.
Moreover, Sword Master Lysen had also heard rumors recently of seals spreading across various regions of the Continent.
“I will repel all forces.”
Sword Master Lysen rose to his feet with resolve.
“Should we inform them?”
“We must not inform them. However, even without informing them, if the Knights led by Sword Master Lysen retreat, the retreat will begin of its own accord. Command the Knights to cry out ‘Retreat!'”
Sword Master Lysen marveled.
Indeed, the number of Knights following Sword Master Lysen now reached thirty percent.
In a place filled with chaos, reason shattered, and fear, no matter how many wished to hold their ground, they could not help but possess the psychology to retreat alongside their army.
Hyeon-su had read all of this in an instant.
“When all forces have completed their retreat, all the people and soldiers must cover their ears and close their eyes, and ‘absolutely’ must not release him. Furthermore, there will be one tremendous tremor. Ten seconds after that tremor occurs, you may open your eyes.”
Sword Master Lysen nodded in understanding.
Status abnormality.
The greatest countermeasure against it is to neither hear nor see, thus not feeling its power.
This holds true even for demonic power.
However, originally this method becomes useless.
In ordinary circumstances, one encounters it suddenly, and one cannot fight with eyes closed and ears covered.
Yet ‘knowing and preparing’ was entirely different from ‘not knowing’ and facing it.
Sword Master Lysen took a step, then looked back at him.
“…His Majesty’s wounds run deep.”
Those words carried multiple meanings.
It was also a question of whether it was possible.
The answer to that question.
Having heard that answer, Sword Master Lysen gazed at him for a long while.
“…I see. The bastard who made my friend like this—I will kill him myself.”
If it were mere boasting, it would be absurd.
Yet it was not boasting; Sword Master Lysen felt it in his very skin.
Confirming that confident expression and unwavering resolve, Sword Master Lysen turned his body.
“Retreat! All forces, retreat!”
Sword Master Lysen’s cry.
That cry struck the Goyad Army at rapid speed.
The Knights led by Sword Master Lysen followed him with absolute trust.
“What?”
“Why are we retreating?”
“I don’t know, but let’s retreat too.”
“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
“They’re ordering a retreat!”
Along with this, the anguished cries of people believing they had lost the war spread throughout the land.
Those cries echoed through Goyad’s Capital, and moreover, brought the Blood Ghost Squad the joy of victory, causing them to charge forward even faster.
Many Knights and Soldiers of the Goyad Army harbored doubts.
“Retreat? What the hell! If we fall back, who will defend this Kingdom?!”
Among them stood Knight Ken.
He refused to retreat and tried to charge at the Blood Ghost Squad.
But.
“Ken.”
“We must go. Now.”
“It’s a retreat order!”
“Damn it, I’m going to fight!”
Ken was dragged inside by his comrades, both arms seized.
Ken.
For the first time, he resented this nation.
Retreat meant surrendering the kingdom, and it proved we were far weaker than them.
Screeeech—
The Castle Gate slammed shut rapidly.
Hearing that sound, Ken’s eyes burned crimson with rage.
“You bastards, I can still fight…!”
And Ken was now completely inside.
“….”
He could see the citizens and soldiers in the Capital huddled down, weeping.
The crouched citizens and soldiers either looked at him or cried out in sorrow and fury.
The Castle Wall was no different.
At the center stood Sword Master Lysen.
‘Shh.’
He pressed his index finger to his lips discreetly, crouched low with one hand, and gestured for them to act like the others.
Only then could Ken understand.
Goyad hadn’t retreated.
Goyad, which had only been pushed back, was preparing a new counterattack.
Ken too crouched down, covered his ears, and closed his eyes.
And just as Lysen had indicated, he waited for the tremendous tremor to come.
*
*
*
‘I never knew Fenrir possessed such power.’
An unexpected variable.
Three Dukes.
The most precious figures in Goyad right now.
“Summon Gremory.”
Between Fenrir with his gaping maw and the three Dukes.
Hyeon-su’s heart pumped wildly as he summoned Gremory through that gap.
[Demon Descent]
[Status Abnormality: Extreme Despair has been inflicted.]
[Status Abnormality: Extreme Frustration has been inflicted.]
[Status Abnormality: Extreme Terror has been inflicted.]
[Status Abnormality…]
[Status Abnormality…]
“Ga—gaaaahhh…!”
“I—I can’t breathe….”
“Kyieeeeeek!”
Thirty-five thousand of the Blood Ghost Squad.
All of them had suddenly encountered the demon Gremory and descended into panic.
The demon Gremory’s status abnormality constricts the throat, inducing irregular breathing.
Moreover, blood flows from countless wounds across their bodies, amplifying the sense of terror dramatically.
According to accounts in ancient texts, there exists a passage stating: ‘Those who encounter a demon shall meet death upon that very spot.’
Indeed, the HP of the thirty-five thousand Blood Ghost Squad members was plummeting at a rapid rate.
And it was not only them.
Fenrir, facing the demon before his very eyes.
Does a legendary monster not feel fear?
No.
No matter how strong a human may be, when confronted with a madman firing bullets indiscriminately, they freeze and tremble with dread.
Especially the aura emanating from the transcendent-class demon Gremory was something a mere Fenrir could never withstand.
And Hyeon-su, hidden among the Blood Ghost Squad.
He had equipped himself with Artifacts stripped from the corpses of fallen Blood Ghost Squad members, appearing indistinguishable from them.
Naturally, Hyeon-su too had fallen victim to the status abnormality.
‘Is this all you’ve ever seen?’
Gremory’s Prison.
When Gremory’s ring had said ‘it was less impressive than expected,’ the expressions of Bahala and Kabel grew subtle.
Hyeon-su had merely failed to witness it, convinced at the time that it was indeed unremarkable.
Only now did I truly feel it.
Of course, I knew they had not hidden it with malicious intent.
‘Rather, I am grateful. Because of them, I see far more broadly.’
Precisely because they had not told me, I conceived of an even more astonishing revelation.
What they had witnessed was merely the status abnormality of ‘Demon Descent.’
And at the moment of descent, Gremory’s expression treating Fenrir as nothing more than a worthless mongrel.
She was sensing it.
The human who had sealed her away.
Where he was located.
“Move aside.”
“Screeeech!”
She kicked Fenrir away, hurling him through the air.
Her gaze swept across the crowd, searching, and found him.
The moment Gremory’s gaze fell upon me, both my middle fingers rose in a mocking gesture.
“…!?”
Gremory, who had been summoned against her will and had raged to find her summoner, now beheld me.
She could see me looking back at her with a grin that seemed to say, “Hehehehe, you bastard.”
The moment our eyes met, an unbelievable surge of power rippled outward.
Kuhooooooo—
The Blood Ghost Squad members present could not comprehend what was happening.
“Die. Now.”
Why was the demon looking at them with such hatred in her eyes?
And why was she drawing forth the maximum of her demonic power?
Kuhooooooo—
The very embodiment of wrath.
And I knew, because I possessed Gremory’s ring, exactly what would happen.
If she were summoned and saw me, what fury she would unleash and which Legion Commander’s power she would borrow.
That Legion Commander.
The being known as the Second Legion Commander.
His epithet is the Commander of Explosions.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Every eye turned skyward.
“I will kill you without fail!!!!!”
With Gremory’s voice stripped of all reason, a single black spear brimming with catastrophic explosive force began to descend at a perfect right angle.
Though infused with demonic power, it possessed a beauty and majesty that was breathtaking.
The place where that spear fell.
It was precisely where I had been standing mere moments before.
[Using Return Scroll.]
In the instant I vanished into light, the spear pierced the ground with a margin of 0.1 seconds.
Fuuuuuck—!
In that moment.
The true power of that spear was revealed.
It was like a nuclear bomb.
A wave of Hellfire spread violently, and a massive explosion of infernal flame erupted.
Kwahaaaaaaaaang—
The Hellfire explosion that shook heaven and earth swept away fifteen thousand of the Blood Ghost Squad.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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