Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 177

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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 177

Episode 177. Secret Auction (5)

* * *

“Kyaaaah!”

Thud-!

Batu collapsed to the floor with a miserable scream.

“Wh-what!”

He looked around frantically with panicked eyes.

But he couldn’t identify what had tripped him.

And for good reason, since what had tripped him was…

The Invisible Sword.

Ding-!

〔Skill: 【Invisible Sword 】 proficiency has increased. (2%→3%)〕

‘This works.’

I smiled with satisfaction inwardly.

While it was still difficult to swing the Invisible Sword to directly wound enemies, using it as an obstacle like this was perfectly possible.

Real combat really is the best.

Even after playing with the Invisible Sword all day, the proficiency only reached 2%, but tripping Batu raised it to 3% in one go.

“Urgh, urrgh…!”

I walked toward Batu step by step.

The guy was desperately crawling toward the exit.

The leisurely appearance of Harten Ryu was nowhere to be found. The composed smile of the dignified merchant and his elegant gestures had all vanished.

What was before me now was just a puppet flailing in terror.

Ding-!

〔You have used the authority skill: 【Super Sense Remnant 】 engraved in Mukgwe .〕

Whoooosh-.

As I activated the skill, the world began to look completely different.

My senses, activated to the extreme, clearly perceived everything around me.

The flow of air, minute vibrations.

And…

Even the thread of mana faintly extending above Batu’s head.

Snap, snap snap-!

The thread of mana connected to somewhere was swaying precariously. As if it would break at any moment.

Batu was trying to abandon the puppet and sever the link.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

Having made that judgment, I quickly muttered.

“Mukyoo.”

[Myeeeeeek!]

A rainbow-colored cube burst out from Tristan’s cloak draped over one shoulder.

Mukyoo appeared with a spirited cry, spinning in the air before settling on my shoulder.

“Grab that thread of mana. Don’t let it break.”

[Myumyuk!]

Click, click, click-!

Mukyoo began spinning rapidly like a Rubik’s cube.

Each face moved in complex rotations…

Pop, pop pop pop-!

With cute sound effects, several tentacles extended from Mukyoo’s body.

They weren’t simple tentacles.

Aurora-colored tentacles that seemed to mix the characteristics of Mukyeonjiju and Haewolsumo writhed flexibly.

Divine beasts had excellent mana sensitivity. As could be seen from Haewolsumo changing the nature of mana to be like water.

Using this, it was possible to forcibly maintain a link that someone was trying to sever.

Swoooosh-!

Sure enough.

The aurora-colored tentacles that extended in an instant wrapped around both the thread of mana captured by my super senses and Batu’s body.

Like trying to reattach a breaking thread with powerful adhesive.

“Keheeek! Kek kek!”

Batu let out a terrible scream.

The guy struggled like someone being strangled.

It seemed tremendous pain was washing over him as his connection to the main body was forcibly maintained.

Swish-.

I approached right next to the writhing guy and slowly bent my knee.

Then I grabbed a handful of his blue hair and jerked his head up.

“Urk!”

Batu’s face was forced upward.

At that moment, our gazes met head-on.

I could see his eyes, filled with terror, shaking mercilessly.

“W-wait… let’s talk a bit…”

Grab-!

I dragged him by the head to a mirror hanging on one wall of the reception room.

“You seem confused about what a terrified face looks like.”

I shoved Batu’s face toward the mirror.

Then I whispered in a low, threatening voice.

“Take a good look.”

“…”

“This is what a truly terrified person’s expression looks like.”

* * *

“Krhaaak! Kehek! Kek!”

A miserable scream suddenly erupted.

Batu clutched his throat and rolled on the floor.

Writhing violently as if his whole body was convulsing.

“…?”

The Golem Knight, who had been meditating in a cross-legged position, slowly opened his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Batu?”

“Haa, haa…!”

Batu began gasping for breath.

His face was pale. His body was drenched in cold sweat.

The leisurely appearance from just a few hours ago was nowhere to be found.

He who had been confident that he could obtain the brain core after finishing his meeting with the Ruined Guild Master was now writhing in agony.

“Heu, heuuk, kkeuk!”

Batu sniffled frantically, paralyzed with fear.

He couldn’t easily recover from the shock.

“We, we need to cut it! We need to cut it right now!”

Batu shouted desperately.

“We need to block all the links with every puppet in the Dark City! If, if we don’t… if we don’t, then again…! Again that horrible…!”

Mad muttering filled the dark room.

Batu’s eyes wandered through the air, unfocused, while incomprehensible words continuously flowed from his mouth.

“Batu, take slow, deep breaths.”

The Golem Knight gripped Batu’s shoulders tightly and calmed him as if telling him not to worry.

Haa, ha-.

Only after repeating several deep breaths was Batu able to calm his emotions.

“They, they all…”

Batu muttered while keeping his gaze fixed on the floor.

“They all knew… everything…”

His voice sank even lower.

“One-Eyed Jack, Hairy Brute, Black Flame Guild, the Cheonghe Trade Association Chairman… they knew from the beginning that I was controlling them.”

“…”

“Shit… and they pretended not to know this whole time… they were completely toying with me…”

Batu curled up, wrapping his arms around himself.

His voice grew smaller and smaller.

But soon, another emotion began to take hold of him.

“Crazy bastards. Forcibly connecting the link to torture me?”

He didn’t know what method they used, but they had forcibly fused the link, making it impossible to disconnect even when he wanted to.

While Batu struggled and tried desperately to break the link, Gaon continued inflicting pain while coldly warning him.

─Even if thousands like you came at me, it wouldn’t matter. So give up your foolish dreams and get the hell out of Dawnguard.

“I, I…”

Grind-.

Batu gritted his teeth and raised his head.

His eyes began to fill with madness and rage.

Fear gradually disappeared, replaced by fierce hatred.

“Because I came out peacefully, do I look completely ridiculous?”

“Batu, calm down for a moment…”

“Calm down my ass!”

Batu roughly shook off the Golem Knight’s hand.

His face contorted, revealing intense anger.

His usual servile and timid appearance vanished, leaving only the form of a madman burning with vengeance.

“Don’t stop me! Didn’t I clearly say? I’m going to kill that bastard in the most painful way possible!”

Batu rummaged through his robes.

Clink-!

Soon, a purple potion appeared.

A small amount, just enough for one sip.

But an ominous aura emanated from that liquid.

“That is…”

The Golem Knight’s eyes sharpened.

His reaction suggested he knew what that potion was.

Batu laughed maniacally and spoke in a voice filled with madness.

“Ataraxy, it’s a prototype those black mage bastards gave me as a gift. They said it’s a drug that blocks all pain for a day.”

“It’s dangerous.”

The Golem Knight said firmly.

“Its safety hasn’t been confirmed yet. It would be better to refrain from extreme actions…”

“Fuck, what do I care if there are side effects or not.”

Batu whipped his head up.

His eyes had already completely snapped. His usual caution and cowardly carefulness were nowhere to be found.

“I’m immortal anyway. I won’t die from some potion side effects.”

A sinister smile crept across Batu’s lips.

“Gaon, that bastard completely looked down on me, didn’t he?”

“…”

“A terrified face? Ha, fuck! Just wait and see! This time it’s your turn to make that expression!”

* * *

Thud-.

Harten Ryu’s corpse lost its strength and collapsed limply on the floor.

His lifeless eyes began staring blankly into space. The moment the link was severed, he had simply returned to being an empty shell.

“Gaon.”

Pean, who had been quietly looking down at this, asked a question.

“You’ve already mastered supersensory perception, so why did you deliberately resonate with my authority?”

He seemed to be asking about the situation when I forcibly fused Batu’s link.

A question about whether there was really a need to resonate with authority.

I answered without much sincerity.

“Just because it was bothersome.”

“Ah.”

Pean simply accepted it. There was no need to explain in detail anymore. He would figure it out on his own.

Several days passed after that.

I checked Batu’s other puppets as well, but the links had already been severed.

Several guild masters including One-Eyed Jack died under mysterious circumstances, but Karayan quickly handled the situation.

The vacant positions were either absorbed by the Ruin Guild or inherited by existing organization members. Fortunately, no major disturbance occurred.

The auction also proceeded without a hitch.

Day 2, and even day 3. There were no problems whatsoever.

─Congratulations! The Celestial Dragon’s claw has been sold for an incredible 324 billion!

Astronomical figures were exchanged daily, and my wealth grew to an unmanageable level.

And so.

Finally, the last day dawned.

“That Batu fellow is unexpectedly quiet.”

Morning in the hotel suite room.

With the Wintershield party and Pean present, Adelia spoke leisurely.

“Could he have really given up on the brain core…”

Stop-.

At that moment, Adelia stopped speaking and whipped her head around.

The other mages and Pean simultaneously began looking in the same direction. With serious expressions frozen stiff.

“Lord Gaon.”

Tension mixed into Adelia’s voice.

I too could feel something. The alien traces floating in the air.

But I activated a skill to examine this more closely.

Ding-!

〔You have used the authority skill engraved in Silent Chest: 【Supersensory Perception Remnant】.〕

The sight that appeared in that moment sent chills down my spine.

A massive curtain was draped over the city. At first it looked like dark clouds or fog, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that at all.

‘…It’s begun.’

Countless threads of mana.

Tens of thousands of threads, more intricate than spider webs and denser than nets, covered the entire Dark City.

Every building, every alley, even each and every passerby crossing the plaza. Everything was suspended by those threads.

Among them, the faces of several passersby remained in my memory.

They were the cherished puppets that could be seen in Batu’s hideout.

He had sent all of his ‘collection’ that he had painstakingly crafted over a long time to the Dark City.

‘As expected.’

I looked out the window and calmly assessed the situation.

It was a bold yet reckless choice, uncharacteristic of a coward.

If he was willing to send even the dolls he cherished so dearly into battle, it seemed he was truly prepared to stake everything on this confrontation.

“…”

Something he had been preparing since the moment the first plan fell through.

The all-out war with Puppet Master Batu had begun.

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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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