Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 118

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 118

Episode 118. Midnight Secret Meeting (3)

* * *

Everything went according to plan.

I had obtained everything I wanted through this Sacred Inquisition.

By eliminating Jark von Haibrunn, I cleaned up the Middle Temple Traditionalists and elevated the Reformist Faction to the center of the Holy City.

‘Now the Middle Temple will change.’

Those who were conservative and passive will embrace change and actively respond to the coming apocalypse.

And at a much earlier point than in any other cycle.

‘And another important thing is…’

…the fact that I had formed a friendly relationship with Pean.

Clatter-.

Dawn was breaking dimly outside the window.

The fresh scent of peppermint tea filled the room subtly.

Pean was sitting on the sofa across from me, savoring the warm tea. I too was quietly enjoying the refreshments.

‘It’s nice when it’s peaceful.’

How hectic had my days been since the possession?

This long-awaited leisure felt relaxed and sweet.

“…”

“…”

Of course, on the other hand, this situation was somewhat absurd.

Pean was someone who had made a “Sword Master’s Pact” with House of Heibrunn for generations.

Setting aside the details of how the oath was established, it was practically the same as him publicly declaring he would protect the head of Haibrunn for life.

So naturally, I thought a fight with Pean would be inevitable. Even if I could avoid immediate physical conflict, I was prepared to accept becoming enemies with him.

But…

“Haha, the night view of Middle Temple from the Guest Hall is truly beautiful.”

“…You can see the night view?”

“Of course not. I’m blind. I just said it because it was so quiet.”

“…”

Ta-da.

Somehow we had become quite close friends.

‘Actually, I thought I’d have to fight Pean this time…’

If things had gone according to the original story, I wouldn’t have needed to worry about Pean.

After all, the Haibrunn Subjugation War was an event that occurred much later than now.

And by that time, Pean would no longer be among the living.

The death of the strongest elf Sword Master who had lived for thousands of years.

Just this alone gives you an idea of how serious a catastrophe would occur… well, that’s something to think about later.

Everything had been moved up ahead of schedule.

Because the subjugation timing was too early, one more troublesome issue that originally wouldn’t even need consideration had been added.

‘So I made thorough preparations.’

Finding out Pean’s true name was also to obtain a ‘cheat key’ that could restrain him in case of emergency.

“…”

But the situation proceeded much more smoothly than I expected.

To the point where I didn’t even need to bring up Pean’s true name.

It was thanks to him approaching me in a friendly manner first.

I had succeeded in making Pean my ally while saving my most important card.

‘Ah, of course.’

That didn’t mean the meeting with Demarion the Great Sage was useless.

Rather, the information he provided could be utilized much more importantly in more decisive situations.

Swoosh-.

Having finished my thoughts up to that point, I slowly raised my head.

Pean also seemed to have something to say as he began staring intently in my direction.

Actually, with both his eyes covered by bandages, I couldn’t really tell if he was truly looking at me or not, but anyway.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

Pean carefully opened his mouth.

“Before heading to Middle Temple, the great ones gave me a revelation. An oracle saying I would soon meet a very strong opponent.”

“…”

“At first, I thought that ‘opponent’ was you. After all, you were handed over as a defendant in the Sacred Inquisition on charges that could never result in acquittal.”

Acting as the leader of heretics. And even cooperating with the Five Nightmares.

Right.

Even I thought these were heavy charges that normally could never be escaped.

That’s why Pean must have anticipated a decisive battle with me.

“But looking at the current situation… Gaon, you don’t seem to be the protagonist of that revelation.”

“…”

“Then what exactly does that revelation mean?”

Pean, who had been pondering deeply by himself, looked at me and asked.

“Hmm, do you perhaps have any guesses?”

“…”

Slowly-.

At Pean’s question, I maintained silence for a while. The peppermint leaves slowly sank in the teacup.

‘A strong enemy.’

I knew all too well who that target was.

As I mentioned earlier, Pean doesn’t appear in the latter part. He meets his death caught up in a terrible catastrophe before then.

The revelation the Elder gave this time must have prophesied that situation.

But…

‘Everything will change.’

Revelations aren’t absolute prophecies to begin with.

Fate can always be changed.

Oracles ultimately only show one possibility. They weren’t confirmed futures.

‘So this time too, I will change that future.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t an issue I needed to worry about right now.

There was still plenty of time before that catastrophe would occur.

Although the revelation used the expression ‘soon,’ that was based on the standards of an elf who had lived for thousands of years.

From Pean’s perspective, having experienced eternal ages, even a dozen years could feel like ‘soon.’

‘Anyway.’

Whatever the case, I just needed to use this revelation to my advantage.

Coincidentally, there was a very useful way to utilize Pean.

“I received a similar revelation too.”

“Oh… really?”

“They said I would soon be killed by someone. Unless I receive your help, Pean.”

“…?”

Hesitation-.

For a moment, Pean froze.

How much more time passed like that?

“Wait, hold on.”

Pean set his teacup down on the table and let out a laugh as if he found it absurd.

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden…”

“I cannot reveal any more information.”

“….”

“Just promise me that you’ll help me in two weeks.”

Pean’s expression twisted slightly.

“Your joke is quite cruel.”

“….”

“Do you think this makes sense? You, who easily subdued Dorico Shiro and killed Jark von Haibrunn with a single strike… dying at someone else’s hands?”

“….”

“Well. Even setting aside the Five Nightmares, it would be questionable even if they brought forth an ‘Apostle’…”

“Whether you believe it or not is your freedom.”

Cut-.

I severed Pean’s words with a single stroke.

“However, remember this fact: if I am killed in two weeks, you too will have to pay the ‘price’ for failing to fulfill the oath of the ‘Sword Master’s Pact’.”

“No matter how much you say that… Huu.”

Shake shake-.

Pean was about to say something but stopped, sighing and shaking his head.

The very next moment.

Pean began staring intently at me.

Though his eyes were covered by bandages, I could feel the sharp ‘sense’ beyond them pouring toward me.

I realized intuitively.

The fact that Pean was trying to use his ‘ability’.

【Super Sense】

A technique that heightens senses to their limit to measure heartbeats and analyze breathing to detect lies.

When utilized to its extreme, it’s a fraudulent skill that can even discern an opponent’s inner thoughts.

However…

‘You’re making a bad move with your own hands.’

…At least for me, such abilities of Pean didn’t work.

* * *

‘What exactly is his intention?’

Pean couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

He had shown goodwill toward Gaon.

It was essentially a situation where he had abandoned the duties of the ‘Sword Master’s Pact’ for his sake.

But Gaon used this goodwill in reverse. By threatening that if he died, Pean too would pay the price of the ‘Sword Master’s Pact’.

It was a declaration that was half threat. Naturally, Pean couldn’t help but feel displeased.

Setting aside the truth of the revelation, he didn’t like Gaon’s attitude of trying to use him without revealing detailed contents.

What if he had asked politely instead? Pean would have gladly considered that request positively.

But…

‘…To be so high-handed, trying to use me like this.’

He wanted to know the reason in detail.

Beyond simply revealing lies, he needed to know with what expression, with what feelings he was uttering such words.

To get even a little closer to the essence of this mysterious heretic, Pean began activating 【Super Sense】.

Woom, wooom-!

All the noise of the world was blocked, and only the subtle flows within the room flowed into his senses.

But…

‘What is this?’

It was bewildering.

No matter how much he concentrated, he couldn’t grasp Gaon’s inner thoughts at all.

For the super sense he had trained for hundreds of years to become useless. Such cases were extremely rare. No, it would be fair to say there were almost none.

“…!”

Right at that moment.

Pean could belatedly realize why his super sense wasn’t working.

Thump──!

A sound coming from somewhere.

That intense resonance concentrated all of Pean’s nerves in one place.

Like thunder swallowing all surrounding sounds, he couldn’t hear anything else except this.

“…?”

It wasn’t Gaon’s heartbeat.

Well, that wasn’t a sound that could come from a human body.

To understand the situation in more detail, Pean sharpened his senses further.

And…

‘…An egg?’

He could belatedly realize.

The existence that had been interfering with his senses all along.

It was none other than a small ‘egg’ in Gaon’s inner pocket.

“….”

He couldn’t understand it at all.

How could a mere egg interfere with his super sense?

The moment Pean sharpened his senses further to dig deeper into that existence…

Lurch─.

“…?”

He had the illusion that the surrounding space was twisting.

The egg in Gaon’s embrace was small enough to fit in one hand, but what was contained within it was definitely not small.

Pean’s extremely developed super sense penetrated beyond the thick shell.

And inside.

In the abyss deeper than darkness, he could witness an unknown ‘existence’ about to hatch slowly writhing.

Kwaaaaaaaaa──!

“…!”

Literally tremendous presence.

The life force spreading with alien pulsation crushed all of Pean’s sensory organs.

Dizzy.

Nausea surged up to his throat.

Stagger-.

Unable to endure this, Pean unconsciously stepped back.

The bandages covering his eyes became damp. It was due to cold sweat flowing like crazy.

“Haak, ha…!”

He couldn’t breathe.

Regardless of his will, his lungs constricted, and his chest sank as if a heavy stone had been placed on it.

“Wh, what exactly…”

Pean squeezed out his voice with a trembling tone.

“…what kind of monster are you raising in your embrace?”

* * *

Mental attacks don’t work on me at all.

Well, thanks to the passive effect of 【Soul of the Sword Master】, my mental power stat is at MAX.

But supersense is different.

It doesn’t penetrate the mental realm, but is more like a physical phenomenon.

It was a pure ‘sensory’ based ability that analyzed the opponent’s physiological phenomena.

However…

Ding-!

〔Istereg’s existence has been exposed to ‘supersense’.〕

…The Istereg in my arms had effectively nullified the supersense.

A life form received in exchange for a sacred covenant.

Its overwhelming presence had devoured everything else.

Rather, Pean, who had tried to probe deep into the existence within the shell, was suffering from aftereffects.

“Wh-what kind of monster are you raising in your arms?”

Tremble tremble tremble-.

The guy’s whole body shaking with fear.

I answered with a deliberately relaxed smile.

“How laughable.”

Swoosh-.

I slowly brought the teacup to my lips.

Then I glared at Pean and finished my words in an indifferent voice.

“You tremble in fear at the sight of a life form that hasn’t even been born yet.”

“…”

“Yet you don’t seem to fear its master standing right before you.”

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