Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 277

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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 277

Episode 277. Ravenhil (4)

* * *

‘Sword Masters.’

Those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

There was no absolute hierarchy among them.

Only the day’s condition, compatibility differences, or luck would determine victory or defeat.

Even so.

Even among those who were considered exceptional, there were always those who stood alone at the top.

‘For example, Pean and Mangnyeom.’

Pean had reached a realm where he never lost through his supersenses and experience, while Mangnyeom had become an almost invincible existence through her supernatural intuition that could see the future.

Balhwan was the same.

No, perhaps they were an even more troublesome existence than those two.

Because when facing Balhwan, one essentially had to fight ‘two’ Sword Masters at once.

Twin siblings.

A being whose single soul was split between two bodies.

What one saw, the other also saw, and what one thought, the other also thought.

Therefore, blind spots didn’t exist for Balhwan. Their attack combinations were inevitably perfect as well.

‘This is why Balhwan is recognized as one of the top-tier powerhouses among the Sword Masters.’

And.

Balhwan themselves knew this fact better than anyone.

“…?”

Was that why?

Upon hearing that I had defeated other Sword Masters, Balhwan let out a scoff as if finding it absurd.

It seemed like a far-fetched story that I, who only appeared to be at the level of an ordinary mercenary on the surface, had crushed Sword Masters.

“Hey. Are you telling me to believe that right now….”

“It’s true.”

Thud-.

Right then, Pean interjected.

“All the Sword Masters just mentioned actually had conflicts with Gaon. And they all lost.”

“…?”

“…?”

The twin siblings simultaneously showed puzzled expressions.

“Wait. Then Pean, you too….”

“Yes. I’m the same.”

“….”

“At first, I didn’t recognize The Protagonist’s abilities and dismissed him, then got thoroughly beaten. Haha.”

Pean burst into laughter, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

He was probably referring to when he had arbitrarily tried to see through me using his supersenses, only to fall into panic because of Istereg.

Hearing this, Balhwan’s expression became even more serious.

Meanwhile, Pean calmly continued his explanation.

“The majority of the Heretics have already acknowledged Gaon. Even the Councilors of Middle Temple regard Gaon as a unique existence.”

“….”

“Just recall the message about the Intruder. Wasn’t there a recommendation for all Sword Masters except The Protagonist to avoid solo combat?”

Pean caught his breath for a moment, then continued speaking.

“I know your skills well. I also acknowledge that you’re exceptionally outstanding enough to have confidence. After all, we’ve crossed swords in the past.”

“….”

“But The Protagonist is….”

“No.”

Balhwan shook their head and cut off his words.

“Pean, you know. How much I respect you.”

The last survivor of the old generation.

And the first Heretic who opened the horizons of the new generation.

Pean was the only being who had lived through both eras.

That’s why Balhwan had always listened to his words.

“But this time.”

The boy’s eyes sharpened.

“I want to prove that your judgment is wrong.”

“….”

“….”

Silence flowed.

The wind seeped through the tree branches and howled low.

“When was the last time you saw my sword, Pean?”

“…It was hundreds of years ago.”

“Right.”

Balhwan slowly nodded and continued speaking.

“Too long ago. The world has changed since then, and I have changed too.”

Swoosh-.

The boy and girl who finished speaking surveyed the dark forest around them.

“Aren’t you curious why I established my residence in this place?”

Ravenhil.

A hill made of corpses. Land that rejected life.

“This forest exists to kill intruders.”

A strange fervor began to mix into Balhwan’s voice.

“It’s evolving to become more cunning as time passes. The traps become more sophisticated, the monsters more ferocious, and the land itself tries to crush life.”

“….”

“And even I am no exception to having my life threatened. I fight this forest every night. I can’t let my guard down even when sleeping. I’ve spent hundreds of years like this.”

Flinch-.

Adelia’s expression instantly hardened as she listened to that story.

Her clenched fists trembled slightly.

She must have realized from Balhwan’s words just now.

The fact that time flows equally for everyone. That just as she had grown stronger, this enemy had also developed.

“….”

Meanwhile.

Balhwan’s expression was filled with venom.

They were definitely different from the other Sword Masters.

Pean, Jeungmu, Tyrant Dragon, Heukgol… They loved the sword itself. Refining the sword was their purpose, and becoming stronger was merely a result obtained in that process.

But.

‘Balhwan is different.’

I muttered to myself.

To them, the sword was a means.

A tool to achieve their purpose. A blade to kill something.

That madness.

That obsession.

Everything was telling the story.

“You know it too, don’t you, Pean. That I have a reason why I must become stronger.”

Balhwan slowly raised their head.

“The one who massacred our clan, the Golem Knight.”

The moment Balhwan spat out that name.

It felt as if the temperature around us had dropped.

“To kill that filthy worshipper of evil gods, I spend every day here in Ravenhil.”

The boy in white robes and the girl in black robes simultaneously clenched their fists.

“With that one desire alone, I have endured for hundreds of years and grown for hundreds of years.”

Madness flickered in the eyes of the two siblings.

Revenge.

The gaze of one who had lived solely for that purpose.

“Therefore, I am not the same old Balhwan you once knew.”

Balhwan looked straight at Pean as he spoke.

“Today.”

“….”

“I will prove that fact by achieving victory against that arrogant Thirteenth Sword Master.”

* * *

Pean knew everything.

The Golem Knight.

The worshipper of evil gods who had massacred the Bunhon Clan. And even the fact that the siblings standing before him now had lived for hundreds of years solely to kill that enemy.

‘Actually, this is the wrong path.’

Taking up the sword for revenge.

Growing stronger using hatred as fuel.

At the end of that path, only destruction awaited. Pean had lived for thousands of years and had seen countless such people.

However.

‘Even so, I left it alone.’

No, it would be more accurate to say he had turned a blind eye.

The thirst for revenge was a powerful driving force. Thanks to that obsession, Balhwan had worked much harder than other Sword Masters and had been able to grow stronger.

Therefore, Pean had remained silent.

He had judged that Balhwan’s growth would certainly benefit the Elder side.

‘But the price for that was….’

Self-righteousness.

Obstinacy.

Uncompromising stubbornness.

Balhwan had gradually become trapped in his own world. He came to believe that only his path was correct and stopped listening to others.

No matter what anyone said to such a Balhwan, it would be useless.

Gaon also knew this fact. The proof was that he seemed to have no intention of persuading Balhwan through dialogue from the beginning.

The continued provocations and high-handed tone from earlier were all intentional actions.

Having already grasped that Balhwan was someone with whom dialogue wouldn’t work, he had tried to quickly drag things into combat and make him submit through the sword.

Whoooosh──.

The wind passed between the tree branches, letting out a low moan.

In the dark forest of Ravenhil.

Gaon and Balhwan stood facing each other with their swords drawn in confrontation.

Gaon, to break Balhwan’s stubbornness and obtain the path to the Rashutku Ruins.

Balhwan, to prove through victory that he had grown stronger.

“….”

“….”

Tense tension flowed between the two Sword Masters.

And.

Pean and Adelia had stepped back to watch the scene unfold.

Crack-.

The faint sound of grinding teeth could be heard from right beside them.

It was Adelia.

Her nails dug into her palms from clenching her fists too tightly.

In her eyes as she glared at Balhwan with a face distorted by anger, a strange emotion was mixed together with hatred.

“Pean.”

A trembling voice.

Adelia muttered quietly.

“Balhwan, didn’t you say he had lived his entire life for revenge against those who massacred his clan.”

“….”

“Yet he himself has become one who massacred someone’s family.”

A contradiction.

While he had taken up the sword to avenge his clan’s enemy, he himself had become someone else’s enemy.

Pean did not answer.

He too knew all the details. But he couldn’t explain it right now.

Adelia didn’t seem to have spoken expecting an answer either.

It wasn’t even a situation where he could answer in the first place.

Because.

Claaaang-!

The two Sword Masters who had ended their standoff finally clashed swords.

* * *

Sparks flew in all directions.

The dark forest was instantly illuminated brightly. The flash that burst forth the moment sword met sword lit up the surroundings.

Balhwan’s face was revealed in the dim light.

The boy in white robes still wore an expressionless face.

‘Ugh…!’

Tingle-.

My fingertips went numb.

The shock transmitted to my wrist.

It felt like my bones were creaking and my skin might tear.

Still.

‘…I blocked it.’

I muttered to myself.

I had swung the Feather Sword following the path shown by my ultra-intuition, and as a result, I was able to defend against Balhwan’s strike.

Without auto-parrying.

With pure physical ability alone.

‘Of course.’

From Balhwan’s perspective, it was probably just a light probing strike.

‘Even so, blocking a Sword Master’s attack with a level 52 body is an achievement in itself.’

Dragon Body.

It would have been impossible without that effect.

Whooom-!

Right at that moment.

I felt energy from the side.

The afterimage of ultra-intuition showed me the future.

The girl in black robes. The scene of her sword piercing through my side was etched on my retina.

‘So this was the goal from the beginning.’

The Boy in the White Robe’s strike was bait.

Fix my gaze, then disrupt my stance, and deliver a fatal blow from a blind spot.

This was why Balhwan was troublesome.

I had to face not one, but two opponents.

I had to divide my attention, split my sword to block, and the structure inevitably robbed me of any chance to attack.

Even those with fraudulent powers like Pean or Mangnyeom could at best manage not to lose against Balhwan.

However.

‘I’m different.’

Right.

I could defeat Balhwan.

‘It would have been impossible for the past me.’

Back then, my options were limited.

Kill the enemy, intimidate them, or run away.

But now it was different.

The cards in my hand had increased. Skills, powers, strategies—all had become far more diverse. Thanks to that, the methods to neutralize opponents had also branched out in multiple directions.

For example.

Ding-!

〔Authority Skill: 【Avatar Manifestation】 has been used.〕

Swoosh-.

Another form appeared beside me.

Dark blue hair and golden eyes. Another ‘me’ with the exact same face as mine.

“Having two bodies.”

Claaaang-!

The Avatar blocked The Girl in the Black Robe’s attack.

The metallic sound shook The Forest once again.

“Is not exclusive to you alone, Balhwan.”

“…!”

“…!”

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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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