Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 227

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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 227

Episode 227. Jaque’s Trial (4)

* * *

The very moment she fell into the trial.

Adelia couldn’t help but be bewildered.

‘This is…’

All the sensations in her body were twisted.

Even the touch of sand transmitted to her toes felt unfamiliar.

A sense of alienation, as if her own legs that she had walked on her entire life had suddenly been replaced with someone else’s.

Haak, haaak-.

Ragged breaths escaped on their own.

After taking just a few steps, her heart pounded as if it would burst, and her lungs seemed to malfunction as air became insufficient.

‘I never thought… it would be this severe…’

Swoosh-.

Adelia tried to keep her gaze fixed straight ahead, but her vision spun round and round as if she had motion sickness.

Despite decades of accumulated swordsmanship skills, she now lacked even the strength to properly lift a sword.

No.

Before even lifting a sword…

‘…To think that even lying still would be this difficult.’

Her knees trembled.

Her muscles screamed just from supporting her own body weight.

Her familiar bodily balance had completely collapsed.

The senses honed over a lifetime had instead become poison, constantly clashing with her current frail body.

‘Still…’

One fortunate thing was that as time passed, Adelia began to gradually adapt to this unfamiliar body.

‘…It’s getting a little better.’

At first, even standing was impossible, but in a short while she at least gained enough composure to maintain her balance and look around.

Screech-!

Kieeeek-!

Right then, the clear cry of a monster echoed in her ears.

Adelia slowly raised her head.

“Mangnyeom! To the right!”

“…Yes.”

A battle was unfolding ahead.

The Protagonist and Sword Master Mangnyeom were facing monsters together, just the two of them.

Thwoom-!

A black rapier was already in Mangnyeom’s hand. Having recovered her aura, she had strengthened her body to provide enough muscle power to wield a sword.

Crack-!

The tip of the rapier thrust lightly pierced through the enemies’ vital points.

“Ah…”

Adelia stared at the scene in a daze.

Mangnyeom’s combat, as if she could see the future, was also wondrous, but her gaze remained fixed on The Protagonist.

The Protagonist’s movements were still sharp.

Despite his weakened body, his swordsmanship remained completely undisturbed.

Only refined movements without a single unnecessary motion remained, just as usual.

‘As expected…’

In her heart, she wanted to leap up and fight alongside them.

But she didn’t move.

No.

To be precise, she couldn’t move.

‘In my current state, I would only be a hindrance.’

Cold self-objectification.

If she rushed into battle in her current condition, she would certainly only burden the two Sword Masters.

Therefore, Adelia resolved inwardly. Instead of participating in combat, she would capture The Protagonist’s swordsmanship with her own eyes.

‘Rather, that would be what The Protagonist desires.’

Adelia had a stronger desire for growth than anyone.

She always pursued higher realms and strived not to miss even the smallest stepping stone for progress.

For such an Adelia.

The Protagonist’s swordsmanship unfolding before her eyes was itself a perfect textbook.

Sling-!

The Protagonist’s sword was beautiful.

A sword of perfect restraint.

There was not an inch of waste, and the lines connecting point to point were without excess.

It was neither faster than necessary nor stronger than necessary.

Only the minimum movements needed to cut down enemies existed.

“…”

Adelia held her breath.

She opened her eyes wide, not wanting to miss a single movement.

The Protagonist’s foot position when swinging his sword. The timing of shifting his weight. Even the rhythm of controlling his breathing.

Everything came to her as new enlightenment.

‘This swordsmanship is…’

As she watched The Protagonist’s combat for a long while, memories from Dawnguard suddenly came to mind.

The Protagonist’s sword that had cut down Puppet Master Batu’s puppet troupe.

Even then, his movements had been this efficient. With not an inch of excess, each time maddeningly beautiful lines were drawn in the air, enemies inevitably met their death.

It wasn’t limited to just that time. Regardless of who the opponent was, The Protagonist always displayed extremely efficient swordsmanship.

By killing enemies with a single strike.

Whooom──!

The sound of cutting through air echoed again.

The Protagonist swung the Feather Sword, and an enemy lost its life.

‘…It’s the same.’

The sword’s trajectory.

The principle of swinging the sword.

Everything perfectly matched the sword techniques The Protagonist had previously displayed.

‘However, if there’s one difference…’

The Protagonist’s body was extremely weakened according to the trial’s constraints. Naturally, his speed had slowed, and his strength had also diminished.

Was that why?

‘Rather, I can see it more clearly.’

Things that weren’t visible when swung with great force and speed began to become apparent.

Since the essence of swordsmanship hadn’t changed, as the speed slowed, the truth contained within was also clearly revealed.

Something struck her mind like lightning.

The sensation of sword principles that had only been vaguely felt for so long suddenly becoming clear all at once.

Swish, swishhhhh-!

Simultaneously, shadow swords began to rise behind Adelia.

Woong, woooong-!

Along with that, a constellation was being carved into the Meteor Sword.

It was proof that the owner of the Meteor Sword had achieved another level of growth.

‘Now….’

…Finally, the time had come for Adelia to join the battlefield as well.

Whoosh, crack-!

Gaon’s Feather Sword pierced through the wolf’s neck. The monster collapsed without even letting out a scream.

But at that very moment.

Kieeeeeek-!

Another wolf came flying from a blind spot at fierce speed.

A surprise attack targeting the opening while Gaon’s sword hadn’t been withdrawn yet. Sharp fangs were eerily revealed between its gaping jaws.

Whoooooosh-!

In that instant, a blue-green flash flickered like lightning.

The wolf’s scream echoed across the wasteland. A sword had flown in like a meteor and pierced straight through the monster’s flank in one strike.

“Haah….”

Adelia let out a satisfied sigh.

Her body was still frail, but this wasn’t a problem at all.

Divine weapon.

A weapon bestowed by the gods would only realize its master’s will according to their intention.

“….”

Swish-.

Gaon slowly turned around.

His gaze swept past Adelia. It almost seemed like he was looking somewhere above her head.

A brief smile spread across his lips. It was an expression that seemed quite satisfied.

“Right.”

Gaon muttered quietly.

“Now it’s time to end the trial.”

* * *

“What are you saying, again…?”

The Tyrant Dragon frowned upon hearing Gaon’s words.

He already knew the trial’s clear conditions from Gaon. Recovering one’s original power while physical abilities were reduced.

‘But is that an easy task?’

The reason the Tyrant Dragon had only been watching the fights until now was simple.

First, Gaon didn’t seem to need help in the first place.

More importantly, he didn’t want to engage in such lackluster combat in this weakened state. Struggling in this condition wasn’t battle but merely pathetic floundering.

But….

“…You’re going to end the trial?”

Gaon had declared as much.

In a tone as if he could return to his original level anytime he wanted.

“Why.”

Gaon looked back at the Tyrant Dragon and asked.

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

“That’s….”

There wasn’t even time to respond.

Kuuuuuuuuuuung──!

Suddenly, tremendous energy that covered the entire wasteland exploded.

‘This is…!’

It was a pressure the Tyrant Dragon knew well. That very overwhelming energy he felt every time Gaon unleashed his power.

Urgh-.

Gaon’s aura, encountered while his body was weakened by the trial’s restrictions, twisted the Tyrant Dragon’s internal organs.

It was fortunate that killing intent was directed at the monsters; if it had been aimed at him, he would have died just from receiving that energy.

‘Wh, what….’

The Tyrant Dragon’s eyes were filled with shock.

‘…He can freely move between such levels at will?’

It was incomprehensible. How could he, while under the trial’s restrictions… enter and exit the Sword Master’s realm, the transcendent’s energy, so freely?

‘That’s impossible.’

The Tyrant Dragon was staring at Gaon with an expression of disbelief.

At that very moment.

Kugugugugugu-!

The world of the wasteland began to crumble.

He had perfectly overcome the Evil God’s trial, designed to kill challengers by any means, through nothing but his own will alone.

‘That’s….’

The Tyrant Dragon let out a hollow laugh. He knew Gaon was remarkable, but what he showed was always new and surprising.

‘…What the hell is that guy really?’

Where did such a Sword Master just drop from?

* * *

‘That was easier than I thought.’

Actually, from the moment I gained Ultra Instinct and even obtained Avatar Manifestation, I expected I could easily pass Jaque’s trial.

My level is 50.

It’s not a low level, but compared to transcendent-level powerhouses, it was a level that could be reached relatively quickly.

With the Dragon Body’s effects as well, it was a trial I could clear quickly enough through conventional methods.

But.

‘Come to think of it, there’s no need to follow conventional methods, is there?’

A thought I’d had for several weeks. Using 【Soul of the Sword Master】 instantly raises all stats to their limits.

‘I can use that to instantly satisfy the trial’s conditions like a glitch, right?’

And indeed, my idea worked perfectly.

Ding-!

〔You have cleared the trial arranged by ‘■̸̨̹̀̃@̷͎̜̤̥͐̌̓͝■̵̲̳̳̻̈͘#̸̻̝̐̇̐͝!̵̤̼̈́̅͊?̴̡̧̠́́̏■̴̼̿͑̈́̾%̸̦͎̯̀’.〕

But the trial didn’t simply end with just being cleared.

〔Error: Level of @̸̱̱̭̞̹̲̥̺̼̎ͅ&̴̩̜̰͍͑̓͗̽̒̊͘%̸̨͉͉͍͈̮̙̹͍̪̳̺̒͊̐̆̅͌̀̒̀̌͠͝ͅ#̶̛̮̮͉̏̏̇͂!̵̨̳̪̯͍̬̥͖̮̼̖͎̪̾͌͑̏́͌̄̋̂͆͘͝$̸̨̟̦͍͖̭͈̀̋̿̌̾́̀̅̆͂͘̕͜ͅ%̸̮̣̩̰͔̿̄̎̾̓̏̍̈́̓̌͜͝͝ that vastly transcends existing realm….〕

〔@̴̛̬̪̭̖̼̤̹̦̻̖̟̜͖̃͗̿̌̚͜͠*̵̡͍̘̯̞̮̜̹̥̬͔͉͍̊͗͆̈͗̽͐͑͋̕ͅ&̵̡̨̝̫͓͍͙̯̖͉̼̭͚́̈̋̃̈́͘͝(̸͉͎͛̾̅̾͐̓̔̊̈́̋̄̕͝#̴̬̐́́̊̂̑&̶̜̗̲̞̼̽͑̈́̆̇̆͗̑̃̎̆̒*̵̢͎̯̦̯͉̼̟͉͉͆̔̔͝!̴͓͔̙͊̏̃̋̔̏͒̀͒̌̊^̵̝͖̩́̅͛̔̐̓̇̈́̇̆̋̚̕̚͝*̶̧̫̽̅́$̵͚̬̮̼͉̌̿̃͌͠ͅ!̸͚͉̠̹̺̽̽͛͗̂̈́$̷̧͍͓̍͗͐(̶̢͕͎̘͍͍̯̼̰̲͚̏̈̕̚͘̚͜*̷̢̲̻͓̦͈̤̾́̋͒͋̊ͅ〕

…

〔Perfect clear.〕

〔Additional rewards will be given.〕

‘Oh.’

By vastly transcending the existing level 50 through the Soul of the Sword Master systemically, additional rewards were given as well.

‘This is unexpected.’

I had emerged from the trial and was about to check the notification window in detail.

Knock knock-.

At that very moment, the sound of someone knocking on the door was heard.

“…I’ll open it.”

Adelia, who had been standing there dazed, suddenly came to her senses and walked toward the door. She still hadn’t completely recovered from the trial’s aftermath.

Creak-.

When the door opened, the girl from the Order of the Mute was standing there with a serious expression.

Adelia asked gently.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

“Why did you take so long to open the door! Do you know how many minutes I’ve been knocking?”

“…?”

The girl shouted indignantly.

‘What?’

I’m sure I told the dwarves that I wouldn’t be able to answer for the next few hours? Did they not pass that message along?

I simply thought the girl was knocking on the door because she was bored.

After all, there were no events supposed to happen at this point in time.

According to the original story’s flow, there should have been about two more days of free time after Dorico Shiro’s visit.

I was planning to use that gap to clear Jaque’s trial, then proceed with the next scenario using the reward.

But….

“The aunts urgently called for the Protagonists.”

“…?”

“They said the catastrophe that Gaon oppa worries about most is about to begin.”

* * *

“M-Master!”

Clatter-!

The main hall of Middletemple.

The butler stopped Arwen von Goldhart with an urgent voice.

“Haa, haa…!”

The butler who stopped beside Arwen was breathing heavily.

His face, as if he had been running for a while, looked endlessly pale.

“What’s the matter?”

“The, the Count of Heukgol….”

Arwen asked with a worried expression.

The butler who had been panting gave his answer.

“The Count of Heukgol has been murdered…!”

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