Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 322

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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 322

Episode 322. Legacy of the Ancients (8)

* * *

Rustle—.

Adelia’s fingertips turned the page.

Yellowed parchment.

However, despite the long passage of time, the ancient characters and illustrations still maintained their clear outlines.

Adelia read aloud the name of the man in the illustration.

“Aurellius Tarosk…”

It was definitely a name she had heard somewhere before.

“Ah.”

Then, a memory flashed through her mind.

“I remember. He was an ancestor of the Koshate family.”

“Yes.”

Markus Koshate nodded and continued his answer.

“And if the records are true, our ancestor wasn’t just a simple emperor.”

“…”

Swish—.

Upon hearing those words, Adelia’s gaze turned back to the chronicle.

She recalled the content that Captain Yaakov had explained.

‘He said the power extracted from the divine weapons went to the strongest Swordmaster.’

But if the one who received that power was Aurellius Tarosk…

‘…That means he was the strongest Swordmaster of his era.’

Swish—.

Having finished that thought, Adelia looked at the illustration once more.

Brilliant light was pouring out from several swords. The one receiving that light with his entire body was the crowned man, Aurellius Tarosk.

However, among the divine weapons in the illustration, there were two that looked particularly familiar.

The Feather Sword.

And the Thousand Changes.

‘The fact that The Protagonist’s and Meister Zengmu’s divine weapons are brazenly drawn in an illustration from ancient times means…’

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

Suddenly, she recalled a conversation that had taken place during the battle with Emperor Tarosk.

─You rotten bastards! Did you even steal the sacred relics of the old seekers who protected the Empire!

─I have no idea what you’re talking about. This divine weapon is a sword I received directly from the great ones.

─What…! That’s complete nonsense…!

At the time, she couldn’t understand it.

Why Emperor Tarosk was so enraged.

What it meant for divine weapons to be stolen.

She had simply thought it was the desperate cry of someone whose reason had collapsed from thousands of years of anger…

‘Emperor Tarosk was right.’

Not all divine weapons were born from the「Forge of the Single Flame」.

They had recovered divine weapons used by ancient seekers and then handed them over to new owners.

At least that was the case for the Feather Sword and Thousand Changes.

Thump, thump—.

Adelia’s heart began to race.

‘The characteristic of Thousand Changes is…’

Changing form at will.

From sword to spear, from axe to shield, even to a chainsaw.

This was exactly the same characteristic as the Ferric Clan that had absorbed Proteum.

Whoosh—.

Adelia’s gaze turned to the illustration once again.

The body of the man in the illustration was splitting in two.

No.

More precisely, it depicted the process of a being that had been one person separating into two forms.

As she watched this quietly, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together.

‘Ah…’

Swordsmanship that overwhelmed Swordmasters.

The characteristics of the Ferric Clan.

A body split in two.

And even the obsession of guarding the entrance to Rashtuku for ages.

“The Intruder.”

That name slipped out without her realizing it.

Swish—.

The surrounding air grew coldly still.

The being that had attacked Pean. The monster that had killed Heukgol. The nightmare they had faced in the valley.

Judging by how the Relic Expedition Members’ faces had hardened, they had clearly reached the same conclusion as Adelia from the moment they saw the chronicle.

“The Intruder… was Emperor Aurellius Tarosk.”

Adelia said, looking at Captain Yaakov.

The emperor of the old empire, ancestor of the Koshat Siblings, and the strongest Swordmaster of the old generation.

That was the true identity of the Intruder.

‘It doesn’t stop there.’

The light emanating from countless divine weapons in the illustration.

The man who had absorbed all that power.

If this record was true…

‘…He must be an incredibly powerful being.’

She couldn’t even find a clue as to how to subjugate such a monster.

It wasn’t for nothing that Middletemple had warned other Swordmasters except The Protagonist.

* * *

Thud, thud—.

I walked slowly through the forge, examining my surroundings.

Collapsed walls. Rusted tools. Broken furnaces.

Everything was being forgotten in the flow of time.

However.

‘Even among all that, there are things that remain.’

The place where divine weapons were born.

And the site where the power of divine weapons was extracted.

Somewhere in this place, what I was looking for would surely remain.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence flowed between the group.

The background of the Intruder’s birth. And the story of what kind of being he was before becoming the Intruder.

I had revealed all of it.

In a situation where all sorts of questions were swirling around, at the very least the Sword Masters needed to know what kind of being the Intruder was so they could face him with peace of mind.

‘And there’s one reason I can reveal all of this at this very moment.’

Ding—!

[Muwolcha] : ☑

It was thanks to receiving news just moments ago that information had been unlocked from Muwolcha.

‘Now I can talk without worrying about the Evil Deities swarming in.’

Naturally, the three Sword Masters didn’t even ask how I had come to know these facts.

They were already mistaking me for one of the Great Ones.

It seemed they thought I knew all this from having experienced it directly.

“Damn it….”

Pean swept his bangs back with a complicated expression.

He was someone who had experienced the end of the ancient era.

But he said he had never set foot in the Rashutku Empire. There had been virtually no exchange with the Empire.

For him, the story about the Intruder would all be something he was hearing for the first time.

“The fact that they tried to extract divine authority in advance means there was already conflict between the Heretics and the Great Ones even before the Heavenly Laws were established….”

Pean muttered.

“I can’t even begin to grasp what happened before and after the first assembly.”

Having said that, Pean glanced in my direction.

A look hoping for additional explanation.

But I turned away from him and didn’t answer. The information permitted by the scenario that had progressed so far was exactly up to this point.

Pushhhhh—.

It was then that Jeungmu, who had been quietly lost in thought, opened his mouth.

“You said the Golem Knight extracted divine authority from this forge.”

“….”

“Then the place where the Intruder was born must also be here.”

Nod—.

I nodded my head.

“That’s right.”

After briefly pausing my words, I stopped walking.

A pile of debris next to the anvil.

I could feel traces of faint magical power between them.

“And what I’m looking for right now is precisely that ‘extractor.'”

“…!”

“…!”

The Intruder had absorbed divine authority.

And.

I planned to extract that authority from him once again.

The other Sword Masters who heard this plan all wore serious expressions.

“You plan to weaken the Intruder’s power by re-extracting his authority.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what should we do, Lord Gaon?”

Swoosh—.

Instead of answering, I bent my knees and sat down.

I cleared away the debris. Broken stone fragments rolled down to the floor.

And.

Glint—.

A faint light leaked out.

‘…Found it.’

When I reached my hand between the pile of debris, a cold sensation touched my fingertips.

It was an object that fit in one hand.

The surface was charred black, but faint magical power still swirled inside.

A metal sphere engraved with numerous runic characters.

A transparent crystal was embedded in its center, and seven different colored lights were slowly rotating within it.

‘Authority extractor.’

With this, things could proceed according to plan.

Swoosh—.

I stood up and lifted the extractor.

“Now, what you all need to do is….”

The Sword Masters’ gazes all turned toward me at once.

“Hold out against the Intruder until I give a separate signal.”

“….”

“….”

Silence flowed.

I continued speaking while firmly securing the extractor to my belt.

“The Intruder is an extremely strong opponent.”

“….”

“So pour everything you have into it. You’ll need to deploy your 「Transcendent Realms」 in sequence to barely hold out.”

Hearing those words, Pean cautiously asked a question.

“Won’t Lord Gaon be participating in the battle?”

“….”

I gave no answer at all.

A moment of flowing silence.

Then Pean nodded as if he had realized something.

“Ah, I understand.”

A smile spread across his lips.

“This is… a trial for us.”

“…?”

“We can’t depend on Lord Gaon forever, after all.”

Ah.

So that’s how he interpreted it.

“Now you understand my intentions immediately without me having to explain everything in detail.”

“Ahaha.”

Pean burst into laughter as if he was proud.

‘Of course….’

The real reason was simply that I had no MP.

* * *

‘Damn it.’

Balhwan had been nursing wounded pride for the past few days.

He had thought himself the strongest. He was someone who had trained in Ravenhil for long years, sharpening the blade of revenge.

But consecutive defeats had followed.

He had been subdued by Gaon without even being able to properly use his hands.

He had been one-sidedly pushed back by the Intruder in the valley, whom he had targeted for hundreds of years. If not for Gaon’s intervention, his life might have been in danger.

‘And….’

The Golem Knight who had massacred his clan.

He had lived for hundreds of years vowing revenge. Every day he sharpened his sword, every night he ground his teeth while thinking of his dead family.

But in the actual battle with the Golem Knight, he had been unable to do anything.

I had merely struggled against one ability I didn’t even know the creature possessed. I couldn’t even engage in proper combat with its main body.

Clench—.

Balhwan gripped the handles of Heukya and Baekya.

Veins bulged on the back of The Girl in the Black Robe’s hands.

‘This time will be different.’

The battle with the Intruder.

This time, I would fight properly.

Whether it was Gaon’s trial or whatever, I would prove my strength.

“…!”

Right at that moment.

A suddenly intensified killing intent wrapped around my entire body.

My skin tingled. My spine grew cold.

My instincts were warning me.

“This is….”

Pean and Jeungmu felt the same.

Everyone turned their heads toward the forge entrance in unison.

The Intruder was approaching.

Kwaaaaaaang──!

At that moment.

With a thunderous roar, the entire wall of the forge collapsed.

Kugugugugugu-!

Dust billowed up thickly, and through it, a massive form revealed itself.

A body made of steel.

Eyes glowing red.

It was the Intruder.

The moment it saw the three Sword Masters, the creature didn’t even attempt conversation and charged straight at them.

Kuuuung-!

With the sound of the ground caving in, the Intruder’s massive frame rushed forward.

“…!”

Balhwan reflexively raised Heukya.

Kaaaaaaang-!

The moment sword met sword, sparks flew in all directions.

Kagagagagak-!

‘This is…!’

Balhwan’s eyes widened.

Its appearance was similar to the Intruder from the valley.

But its power was on a completely different dimension.

I could instinctively realize it. This creature was far stronger and far more dangerous.

“Pean!”

Thud—.

As Balhwan urgently shouted, Pean stepped forward.

A cold aura began to emanate around him as he gripped Seorineul.

Saaaaa-.

Soon, a black forest bloomed. The ruins of the forge, the sky visible through the collapsed ceiling—everything was swallowed into pitch darkness in an instant.

【Ebony Forest】

Pean’s Transcendent Realm.

A space where one cannot detect an opponent’s presence unless they move first.

A world where no one can see anyone, and no one can be seen by anyone.

“….”

Even Balhwan’s breathing melted into the darkness.

Darkness thicker than Ravenhil.

I couldn’t distinguish front from back, left from right. I couldn’t even see my own fingertips. Only the sensation beneath my feet and the flow of air touching my skin served as landmarks.

That was the essence of the Ebony Forest.

Waiting in the darkness for the enemy to move first, then striking at their vital points in that moment.

‘In this state, even the Intruder should….’

Kuuuung-!

Balhwan’s thoughts stopped.

Killing intent pouring through the darkness.

Suffocating pressure rushed in from all directions.

The Intruder had voluntarily revealed its own presence.

‘Insane!’

The Ebony Forest was a space where you wouldn’t be detected if you didn’t move. But the Intruder was emanating killing intent as if hiding was beneath its consideration.

A declaration that it didn’t matter if it couldn’t see.

Arrogance that it feared no darkness.

‘It’s over there!’

Balhwan launched himself toward the direction where he felt the killing intent.

Jeungmu and Pean did the same.

The three Sword Masters charged toward the Intruder from their respective positions.

But….

Kwaaaaaaaaang──!!

A single strike.

Crimson aura exploded outward in all directions.

“Kugh…!”

Balhwan’s body was sent flying through the air. Even though he had raised Heukya in a defensive stance, he couldn’t completely block the impact.

Jjeojeojeojeojeok-!

The Ebony Forest was torn apart.

Like cracked glass, the world of darkness split, and through the gaps, the scenery of reality leaked in.

Kuuuung-!

Balhwan crashed into a pile of debris.

“Kuhuk!”

An impact that felt like my lungs were being crushed. The taste of blood spread in my mouth.

I barely managed to lift my head and look around.

Pean and Jeungmu were also sprawled on the ground. All three Sword Masters had been sent flying by a single sword strike.

‘With just one attack…!’

Balhwan’s eyes widened.

A single sword strike had torn through the Transcendent Realm. It was power that far exceeded common sense.

Saaaa-.

As the dust cleared, the Intruder’s form was clearly revealed.

The creature slowly lowered its sword and looked down at the three Sword Masters.

Yes.

As if looking down at ants.

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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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