The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 156

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

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A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 156

A region of fierce flames engulfed the Cavern.
And at its center, Han Yu-sung stood.

“Nenoooom!”

Linjo’s face trembled with rage upon recognizing Han Yu-sung.
Every question he had harbored until now vanished.
The deaths of his subordinates guarding the entrance, the sudden rampage of the Difficult Realm—
Every mystery, all of it!

“Was this all your doing! Han Yu-sung…!”

Han Yu-sung did not answer.
Instead.

Boom—boom—boom—boom!

“Hah, haaagh!”

I unleashed the Thunder God Spear.
A lance of lightning shot forth, aimed at Linjo’s heart.
An absolute strike that Linjo, lacking any significant combat ability, could never defend against.

“Ugh, ughhh…! Kraaagh!”
“Enemy at the Rear! Protect the Chairman, now!”

Linjo used the Guild members beside him as a shield.
Instead, a Guild member was pierced by the spear, coughing blood.
Linjo paid no mind to his subordinate’s death, his gaze fixed on Han Yu-sung beyond.
Han Yu-sung’s figure blurred in an instant.
And then.

Whoooosh!

That was the beginning.
I swept through the Cavern like a raging tempest.
My destination was singular.
Where Linjo was.
I tore through the enemies blocking my path with a crimson whirlwind, carving my way forward.
The ‘Army of Ash’ followed in my wake.

“Damn it, damn it all! What are these things…!”
“Be careful! These summoned creatures possess far greater power than we anticipated!”
“Hell, we need to get the chairman out of here….”

Linjo and the Zangetsu Guild members fell into chaos.
Above all else, Linjo’s survival was paramount.
While others held back Han Yu-sung, they had to escort the chairman away from this place.
But that was impossible.

KWAAAANG!

[Grave robbers, all of you. I will kill you!]
“Cough! This bastard… he’s strong…!”

A colossal Guardian blocked the remaining path.
Strange. Was Han Yu-sung’s arrival and the Guardian’s appearance truly coincidence?
It couldn’t be.

“He lured the Guardian here…!”
“That son of a bitch! Grrrrgh!”

Linjo’s subordinates erupted in fury.
The Guardian ahead, Han Yu-sung behind.
They were caught between two impossible choices.
Linjo sensed this reality instinctively.

‘Why? How did this happen? Why is that bastard here!’

Linjo led his subordinates with utmost discretion.
So carefully that even those within Japan couldn’t track their movements.
To ensure no insects would swarm, and to eliminate all variables.
Those he brought here were only those he could trust.

‘That’s what I thought, but how did that bastard manage to follow me?!’

Only two possibilities came to mind.
Either it was pure coincidence, or there was a traitor.
Either way, it was hard to believe.
If this was coincidence, did that mean heaven itself was conspiring against me? A traitor among those I could trust?
Linjo’s suspicious gaze swept across his surroundings.
Of course, looking around wouldn’t help him find a traitor.

‘He’s coming. Closer and closer. That monster…!’

Han Yu-sung’s advance did not halt.
He carved a path through the Zangetsu Guild members alongside the armies of ash that followed him, and they lacked the strength to stop him.
At this rate, if things continued like this….

‘I die.’

Linjo swallowed hard.
How often had the chairman of the Maezato Group ever felt his life in danger?
Even after becoming a Player, his life had never been threatened.
But now it was different. This was a desperate crisis.

Crash, crash, crash!

“Gahhhhh!”
“No, don’t come! Monster… this inhuman monster!”

His subordinates’ numbers dwindled by the moment.
Now was the time to make a ‘decision’.

“….”

Maezato Rinzo had never become an Apostle.
But he had devoted himself to his lord and willingly offered everything he possessed.
The lord bestowed fitting rewards upon his faithful and steadfast vassal.
Namely, a reward called a ‘Sacred Relic’.

[Activating Equitas Code (A+).]
[Beginning to summon the ‘Army of Justice’ recorded in the Codex.]
[The ‘Blessing of Justice’ dwelling within the Codex spreads outward.]

The holy relic in the form of a codex blazed with brilliant light as countless pages were torn away and transformed into radiance.
Soon after, it spread throughout the surroundings, taking the form of an ‘army,’ and prepared to settle upon our allies and grant them strength.

“Here, justice shall stand righteous….”

For Linjo, who possessed no combat ability whatsoever, rewards tied to battle held no meaning.
Achiros understood this well, and so he granted him a means to protect himself.
That was the holy relic in the form of a codex—the Equitas Code.
Naturally, there was also a reason why Linjo hesitated to use it.

[The Equitas Code will be destroyed after it ceases functioning.]
[The holy relic will leave permanent scars upon your body….]

Such a tremendous price followed in its wake.
But what meaning could such a price hold before death itself?
Linjo gripped the codex blazing with brilliant light, his eyes wide open.

“Behold! This is the holy relic bestowed upon me by my Lord! With this, I shall set justice aright! I shall do so! With this power…!”

I would correct all things and slay that abominable wretch.
Linjo spread both arms wide with all his might.
Soon, the ‘Army of Justice’ would be complete, and a formidable buff would be granted to all our allies in the vicinity…!

Schwick!

“Ugh, gah…?!”

That was how it should have unfolded.
Until a sharp blade severed both of Linjo’s arms.
The Equitas Code, mere moments from completion, tumbled to the ground.

“Kwaaaaaaaagh?!”

Linjo’s anguished scream pierced through the Cavern.
His subordinates whirled around in panic at the sound.
And every trembling eye found the wielder of the blade.

“R-Ran?”
“W-What is this…?”

Ran casually flicked blood from her dagger.
After kicking Linjo aside, she closed the grimoire that had fallen to the ground.
The radiant light that had filled the surroundings vanished without a trace.

“You told me before. That you possessed a ‘trump card’ given by your lord.”
“Y-Yes, you wench, how did you…?”
“I waited for you to reveal that trump card. The wait was worthwhile.”
“How could you, you bastaaaaaard…!”

Linjo let out a desperate roar.
His subordinates rushed toward him urgently.
Ran severed Linjo’s leg and brought him down, then withdrew to a distance as if her role was complete.
What remained was.

“No, that monster…!”
“S-Stop him!”

Han Yu-sung, gripping the Thunder Dragon Spear that had returned to his grasp.
He smiled darkly and hurled the spear toward the ceiling.
And then.

Annihilation Time.

Countless golden spears swept across the ground.
A violent tempest tore through the center in an instant alongside the golden explosion.

“You bastard…!”

It reached Linjo, whose face was contorted with rage, shock, and terror.
Han Yu-sung locked eyes with Linjo and gripped his sword.

“You daaaamn fool!”

Hundreds of sword auras, infused with demonic energy and blood qi, erupted forth.
The blade waves engulfed the Zangetsu Guild members and Linjo beyond them.
They tore through their bodies with merciless precision.

“….”
“….”

The hundreds of sword auras that had embroidered the void vanished.
All that remained were corpses, their bodies slashed and mangled beyond recognition.
Yet among them, one still drew breath.

“Gack, cough! Ugh, hnngh….”
“Stubborn bastard, aren’t you.”

It was Maezato Linjo.
But his wounds were undoubtedly fatal.
Left alone, he would die regardless.
Linjo glared at Han Yu-sung with wide eyes.
More precisely, at Ran, who stood behind him.

“Why… why, Ran? You… how could you….”
“They say a cornered rat will bite a cat. I simply caught the subordinate you threw into the abyss instead.”
“….”

Fragmented memories surfaced in Linjo’s fading mind.
The time he had attempted to assassinate Han Yu-sung—seeking vengeance for Ouju’s death and to reclaim his lord’s favor.
The result had been utter failure.

“It began then… didn’t it!”

Ran’s betrayal.
This entire situation—all of it had been orchestrated.
Han Yu-sung knelt instead of answering.

“If I’ve been wronged, I repay it in kind.”

Han Yu-sung gazed down at Linjo’s face, his fist clenching.
He could see the terror of death etched into those features.

“You should not have touched me.”

Crack!

That was the end of it.
Maezato Rinzo, who led the Major Japanese Conglomerate “Maezato Group” and the Guild “Zangetsu,” was dead.
In a form far too pathetic for his renown.

“C-Chairman….”
“N-No. The Chairman….”

I straightened the knee I had bent.
I could see the Guardian thrashing about to kill the intruder. And the members of Zangetsu, shocked by Linjo’s death.
I gripped my sword.

“Since time is short, let me clean this up quickly.”

I kicked off the ground.
And moments later, screams echoed through the Cavern.

* * *

[Grave robber, repelled, fire, gua….]

The battle did not last long.
The Guardian, its body completely destroyed, ceased functioning with an eerie sound.
Around it lay the lifeless bodies of Zangetsu’s Guild members.
No one remained standing in this place.

“…It’s over.”

Except for Han Yu-sung and Ran.
I brushed the oil from my hands and walked toward Ran.

“Ran.”
“…Han Yu-sung.”

Ran stood before Linjo, clutching the Equitas Code.
Complex emotions surfaced on her usually icy countenance.
Joy, sorrow, doubt—feelings too tangled to distill into a single word.

“I didn’t think you’d feel anything about this.”
“Did your emotions become complicated because someone you once served has died?”
“Surprisingly, that’s exactly it. It’s hard to put into words… I apologize. I’d appreciate some time to collect my thoughts.”
“Take your time. Just remember—we don’t have much of it.”
“A moment will suffice.”

Ran closed her eyes, composing herself.
I turned my gaze toward Linjo’s corpse.

‘Troublesome bastard, in the end.’

He’d been holed up in Japan, constantly vexing me.
In my past life, even more so. He wielded power from the shadows of Japan, causing Korea no end of grief.
He’d served as Achiros’s puppet well enough, hadn’t he?
Now that I’d dealt with him, future matters would become considerably simpler.
That’s what I thought.

“…Hm?”

Then something caught my eye.
A fragment appeared on Linjo’s corpse—something I’d seen before.

[Fragment of Talent.]
· A fragment containing part of Maezato Rinzo’s talent ‘Physical Enhancement (B)’.

It was a fragment obtainable when defeating a special Player.
I traced the corner of my mouth upon seeing the Fragment of Talent.

‘So there’s a chance for a Fragment of Talent to drop when defeating a special Player.’

Linjo was special, if anything could be called special.
He never became an Apostle as he desired, but he’d done all manner of things under Achiros’s command.
In that sense, he was indeed special.
But did I need this talent?

[Body Enhancement (B)]
· Classification: Passive.
· Slightly enhances the body for a short duration.
· Marginally accelerates the body’s regenerative capabilities.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Linjo hadn’t tried to temper the sword Ouju for nothing.
The unique ability it possessed was utterly pathetic.

“There’s no need to bother learning it.”

Crunch!

Han Yu-sung crushed the fragment of talent in his hand.
It was an ability that offered him no benefit whatsoever.
Just as it had been with the man named Maezato Rinzo.

“Japan will be in quite an uproar for a while.”

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

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