The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 204

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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 204

Lee Su-ho was dead.
A death so utterly pathetic that not even a corpse remained.
The price of coveting power beyond his station.

“….”

Han Yu-sung gazed silently at the space where Lee Su-ho had been.
The bitter karma stretching back through his past life surfaced in his mind.
Lee Su-ho had revealed his true nature during the Trial by slaughtering the players, leaving Han Yu-sung as the sole survivor.
That had been possible only because I had awakened the Demon’s Fangs.
In a sense.

[So it was this wretch who became the catalyst for your current form as a Mad Swordsman.]

Kakasha was right.
It was Lee Su-ho who had transformed the ordinary Han Yu-sung into a Mad Swordsman.
Simultaneously, it was Lee Su-ho who had become the catalyst for my return.
By killing Lee Su-ho, who had sought to become a Star Lord, I had obtained the “qualifications of a Lord,” and with that, I had chosen to reverse everything.

‘Both of my beginnings—in the end, Lee Su-ho was the catalyst for both.’

A strange sentiment washed over me.
Lee Su-ho is an enemy that must be eliminated. This life is no different.
But he was not meant to die now.
My return had drastically altered Lee Su-ho’s fate.

‘And it will continue to change many things going forward.’

Just as it had until now.
I felt no particular emotion. That was why I had returned, after all.
Han Yu-sung flicked the blood from his blade.

Crack!

The sound of someone grinding their teeth echoed through the void.
There was no need to wonder who it was.

“You wanted to reclaim that sword so desperately? How unfortunate, Geomson. All your careful preparations have come to nothing but failure.”
[“….”]

No response came.
Instead, I felt an intense killing intent. And a fury that boiled beneath the surface.

“And I even left you a gift….”
[“Kuhuhuh! It’s broken, but what a fine sacred artifact! Geomson, I shall take this sacred artifact and put it to good use!”]

Fragments of the sacred artifact that Lee Su-ho had used were scattered everywhere.
Flames erupting from Han Yu-sung swept up every last piece.

“I’m so grateful I don’t know what to do with myself. Of course, separate from that, I’ll have to ask the ‘Scale’ whether this intervention was justified.”
[“You bastard….”]

The Wanderer’s intervention in the Trial itself wasn’t illegal.
But this time, I had intervened by using Lee Su-ho, who had been a Sworn Servant of Justice.
In that process, I may have acted in violation of the rules.
If I played this right, couldn’t I extract something substantial from Geomson?

“If you want to kill me, bring something stronger than that.”

I felt Geomson’s presence gradually receding.
With Lee Su-ho, his only Sworn Servant, dead, he could no longer oversee the Trial.
There was only one thing Geomson could do now.

[“If we meet again, then…”]
“Not something I particularly want to hear. It’s far too tedious.”
[“You wretch…!”]

Geomson’s voice faded into the distance.
He was expelled from the Trial before he could even properly unleash his rage.
Han Yu-sung let out a scoff.

[They all spout the same tired lines as if they learned them from somewhere.]
“Tell me about it.”

Not worth listening to.
In any case, Geomson had vanished. This was only temporary; it wouldn’t be long before he attempted to strike at me in some form or another.
I would deal with that when the time came.
Now, what remained was.

“The situation has become rather amusing, wouldn’t you say? Lord of Justice.”
[“….”]

It was the Lord of Justice.
Despite my mockery, he remained silent without offering a response.
Yet his insides were seething with rage.

“That a Sworn Servant like Lee Su-ho would betray and fall under Geomson’s command. And on top of that, all the Sworn Servants who acted alongside him are now dead….”
[Kuhuhuh! The losses must be quite severe. Truly a lamentable turn of events.]
[“Are you mocking me?”]

Achiros, who had been silent for some time, revealed his fury.
But neither I nor Kakasha paid any mind to his anger.
If anything, we were enjoying it.

“No. You will have to pay the price for this affair. Remember that I disposed of the Sworn Servant who betrayed you in your stead.”
[“You expect compensation for killing my Sworn Servant?”]
“Yes. What do you think will happen if this fact becomes known to the outside world?”
[“….”]

Not merely an ordinary Sworn Servant, but a player capable of becoming an Apostle. Moreover, a player whose name had spread across the world.
Such a one had fallen to The Wanderer’s temptations and betrayed.
In that process, numerous Sworn Servants perished.
Even the Sworn Servants of allied Lords alongside him.

[“…What do you want from me? Do you seek compensation?”]
“Would I want compensation from you? Besides, the suffering you’ll endure once this truth spreads is compensation enough for me.”

Achiros’s presence began to recede further and further.
Just as it had been with Geomson, he was being expelled because he had lost all his Sworn Servants who participated in the Trial.
None other than the Lord of Justice himself.

[“Han Yu-sung.”]

Eyes materialized in the void.
Eyes brimming with emotion—something a Lord would never harbor for a mere human.

[“Just as I have paid the price, so too must you pay the price befitting your transgression. The price for insulting me.”]
“As you wish.”

With those words, Achiros vanished.
Han Yu-sung let out a scoff.

“The one who should be grateful is instead throwing a tantrum.”
[There is no one whose title fits them less than that wretch. ‘Justice,’ you say! Ha, there exists no one more distant from justice than he.]

Kakasha curled his lips into a sneer.
Han Yu-sung shared the sentiment. In truth, few Lords among their ranks actually lived up to their titles.

“Still, I’d say Achiros has suffered considerable losses.”
[Indeed. His core Sworn Servants have fallen in great numbers. The ones he sent out this time all appeared to be of considerable caliber.]
“Lee Su-ho cut through them in a single stroke, though.”

Achiros had lost much.
Maezato Oju, who would have become a pillar of future strength. Maezato Rinzo, who would have become the one to oversee Japan and preach justice.
And Lee Su-ho, who would have become the greatest player and an Apostle.
It was as though the great pillars supporting him had been uprooted.
And on top of that, the loss of prestige that would follow from this incident.

“Delightful.”
[Kuhuhuhuhuh….]

Kakasha laughed with sinister delight.
And what pleased him even more was this.

[You have successfully defeated a formidable adversary.]
[The activation condition for the unique ability ‘Godly Descent’ has been satisfied.]
[Additional rewards are being granted.]
[You have acquired the Skill Book ‘Heavenly Sword (SS)’.]
[You have obtained the special item ‘Fragment of Talent’.]

[Heavenly Sword (SS)]
· Classification: Active.
· A technique created by the Immortal who has now become The Wanderer. It manifests a colossal sword forged from sword energy—the Heavenly Sword—which cleaves the earth and cuts down enemies with immeasurable blade force.
· This is a skill your current body cannot fully wield. Using it will exact a corresponding price.

[Fragment of Talent.]
· A fragment containing part of Lee Su-ho’s talent, ‘Heroic Essence (SS)’.

It was a Fragment of Talent I had obtained when defeating Maezato Oju.
Players who leave profound marks on the future, living extraordinary lives.
An additional reward that appears only from the most radiant among them.
That was what the Fragment of Talent represented.

“Heroic Essence, then….”

The driving force that had made Lee Su-ho the greatest player in my previous life.
An innate ability that allowed him to master any skill with ease, to achieve proficiency in an instant.
I knew it came with countless other functions besides.
And now that power had fallen into Han Yu-sung’s grasp.

“A most satisfying reward.”

All my hardship had borne fruit.
I absorbed blood to restore my body. Simultaneously, crimson threads erupting from me consumed Lee Su-ho’s evolution factors.

[Your ‘Evolution Factor’ has absorbed a factor brimming with overwhelming power.]
[Your ‘Evolution Factor’ has risen by 28 levels!]
[You have absorbed the ‘Unique Factor’ and ‘Special Factor’ that the factor possessed!]

[Evolution Factor (Lv.38)]
[Strength +120%, Agility +120%, Stamina +120%, Mana +120%.]
[Your body has evolved to be optimized for ‘Close Combat’. (Lv.MAX)]
[Unique Factor….]

My evolution factor had grown overwhelmingly.
I had absorbed not only Lee Su-ho’s unique factor but his special factor as well.
Tremendous power flowed through my body, and I could feel it acutely.
Yet the other message I had been awaiting did not appear.

“Is it insufficient to reach the pinnacle of evolution?”
[It seems that’s the case. Hmm, at this level….]

Upon reflection, it was only natural.
If absorbing this would have immediately brought me to the pinnacle of evolution, Lee Su-ho would have reached it back then. A separate message would have appeared at that time.
I still had far to go before reaching the pinnacle of evolution.

“Still, at this rate, it shouldn’t be too distant.”

I would reach the pinnacle soon enough.
Han Yu-sung surveyed his surroundings.

“….”
“….”

He felt the gazes of countless enemies from all around.
They were enemies who had converged upon witnessing the battle between Han Yu-sung and Lee Su-ho.
But that was not all.

[The number of Trial survivors has fallen below a certain threshold.]
[Uninvited guests are arriving at the Trial….]

In the Trial called 【Pinnacle of Evolution】, there existed such uninvited guests.
The void tore asunder.
A massive portal materialized within the fissure, and a multitude of enemies poured forth.
They were non-human races.

[Huh? Those creatures….]
“Familiar faces appearing once more.”

Yet their forms were unmistakable.
It could not have been otherwise. They were Dark Elves he had seen during the Plunder War.
The Dark Elves descended to the ground with an air of supreme arrogance.

“Is this where humans undergo their trials?”
“Evolution…. A fitting gimmick for an inferior race.”
“That we Dark Elves are granted evolution factors….”

Han Yu-sung and the other humans turned their attention toward the uninvited guests.
They conversed as though indifferent to such scrutiny.

“So, all we need to do is rampage here?”
“Yes, Patrol Captain. They guaranteed our lives would be protected, so you can hunt the humans without worry. And….”
“We receive compensation equal to what we hunt.”

The dark elf called Patrol Captain laughed with cruel delight.
God’s Trial occasionally introduced variables to push participants into increasingly dire circumstances.
Of course, maintaining a shred of conscience, they did announce when variables would appear.
The variable in this trial—the uninvited guests—were beings of another race.
A variable: a superior species, stronger than humans.

“I like this very much. Good, then….”

The dark elves would have made an excellent variable.
They would have rampaged brilliantly using their innate strength, driving the trial’s participants into harsh circumstances.
‘That is what should have happened.’

“Move, sleep….”
“P, Patrol Captain. That is….”

A colossal shadow fell over the dark elves.
They lifted their heads in confusion at the sudden darkness.
What met their eyes was.

“A sword?”

An enormous blade.
And from somewhere, a scoff echoed out.
The Patrol Captain furrowed his brow, turning toward the source of the sound.
What entered his vision was a human radiating overwhelming power.

“You brought idiots as uninvited guests.”
“Human, what are you doing…!”

Han Yu-sung clicked his tongue and brought his hand down in a sweeping motion.
Presently, the Heavenly Blade fell.
The Heavenly Blade struck the ground without giving them time to react.

Kwaaaaaaaaahhhhh!

“Graaaaahhh?!”
“Uaaaaaahhh!”

Hundreds, thousands of sword auras erupted in a cataclysmic explosion.
The colossal blade descended upon the earth and shattered into countless fragments, each razor-sharp edge descending upon the dark elves with merciless ferocity.
Their anguished screams echoed across the desolate landscape.

[Heavenly Blade, is it? Lee Su-ho gave you quite a useful skill.]
“Indeed. To be precise, it was Geomson who granted it to me.”

The dark elves perished, their death cries piercing the air.
Han Yu-sung absorbed their evolution factors, a faint smile playing across his lips.

“This will end sooner than I anticipated.”

The end of the Trial drew near.
Such was the premonition that gripped me.

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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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