The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 218

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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 218

[Beginning the conquest of the Tower of Records.]
[From this moment forward, your records shall be measured. Ascend the Tower faster than anyone before you, and surpass those who hold the previous records.]

The first stage of the Proving Ground had begun.
Players composed of countless races—warriors hailed as the strongest in their own worlds—began their ascent up the Tower.
Among them, one man.

“Hsssh, whoooosh….”

A massive man, his skin bronzed as though kissed by the sun.
The leader of Fuse America, distinguished by his striking crimson hair.
Blaze Carter gazed upon the monster standing in the center of the floor.

“…Overwhelming.”

A creature of overwhelming proportions.
Literally the size of a building.
Was it merely its size that was imposing? No. Its entire body was forged from a peculiar metal.
And adorned with armor of the same material.
A steel colossus stood towering, a great axe gripped firmly in its hands.

[You have entered the domain of the Steel Guardian on the 1st Floor.]
[The Guardian is an entity that yields to no attack. Destroy the Guardian, prove your strength, and advance to the next floor.]

“It seems to have no intention of attacking me.”

The Steel Guardian did not move.
It stood motionless, as though awaiting the opponent’s assault, its crimson eyes merely observing Blaze’s every movement.

‘Yields to no attack.’

This surely meant it possessed formidable defensive power.
To pierce that defense, one would need overwhelming offensive force.
And that was precisely one of Blaze Carter’s specialties.

“My Lord, grant me your strength…!”

Whoooosh!

The blessing of the Lord descended upon Blaze’s body.
In the same instant, the greatsword he gripped ignited crimson, unleashing a torrent of fierce flames.
It was power bestowed by the Lord of Flames whom he served.
And that appearance bore a striking resemblance to someone.

‘Han Yu-sung. And the Lord of War.’

Both Flame and War were lords who wielded fire.
Their abilities possessed similar textures.
Yet the differences were unmistakable.
The Lord of War’s primary ability was to support allies’ prowess on the Battlefield, with fire manipulation merely supplementary.
The Lord of Flames, however, was specialized solely in incinerating everything the enemy possessed.

[“Oath-taker. Show those who blaspheme the flame what true fire truly is. Prove the strength you possess in this Tower.”]

Perhaps that was why.
The Lord of Flames was rather—no, quite conscious of the Lord of War.
Han Yu-sung, who had recently demonstrated remarkable feats, was equally so.

‘I had intended to naturalize him.’

Thinking of Han Yu-sung, a sigh escaped unbidden.
Blaze had planned to naturalize Han Yu-sung to the United States. Once naturalization was complete, he would have inducted him into Fuse America and cultivated him at the national level.
But matters continued to spiral.
The leader of the Korean Player Alliance had persistently obstructed his efforts, and Weslor’s foolish blunder had cast an unfavorable light on everything.

‘Above all, Han Yu-sung’s growth rate… exceeded all calculations.’

Ordinarily, as a player grew stronger, the rewards for naturalization only increased.
The problem was that Han Yu-sung grew ceaselessly, at an astonishing pace.
What compensation would be necessary to draw him into America’s embrace?
While deliberating that, I had completely missed the opportune moment.

“No, that’s not what matters right now.”

Blaze Carter shook his head, casting aside his thoughts.
It was regrettable that I couldn’t focus on Han Yu-sung right now, but this wasn’t the time for such distractions. What mattered most was eliminating the enemy directly in front of me.
How could I bring down this giant?
There was only one way to find out—by testing it.

Whoooosh!

Fierce flames erupted across Blaze Carter’s entire body, swiftly taking the form of armor that clung to his skin.
In that instant, the flames pulsed as if breathing power into him.
With multiple buffs stacked, Blaze Carter gripped his greatsword with both hands.
As I concentrated all my strength into the blade, even more violent flames surged upward.

“Raaaaaaagh!”

Blaze Carter roared and kicked off the ground.
The earth fractured beneath him. The distance closed in an instant.
Before the Steel Guardian could even react, Blaze Carter raised his greatsword high.

Craaaaaash!

As the greatsword plunged down, a slash carved from shoulder to waist.
The flames condensed within the blade exploded, melting through the Guardian’s metallic body, and the shockwave from the detonation rippled across the entire floor.
Fire and explosive force merged into one, consuming the Tower itself.

‘That was the greatest blow I could deliver.’

A skill synonymous with my very identity.

【Volcanic Impact (SS)】.

As an SS-rank skill, its destructive power was beyond question. No matter how durable an opponent was, before this technique…

“What…!”

The smoke from the flames and explosion gradually dispersed.
And beyond it, the ‘Steel Guardian’ emerged into view.
It was impossible to believe it had withstood my attack.
Not a single scratch marred its surface.

“Damn it. I didn’t land a single blow?”

Blaze Carter’s body went rigid from the impact.
But only for a moment—he pushed off the ground again.
If one attack wouldn’t work, he’d unleash a relentless barrage.
Blaze Carter continued his onslaught without pause, but.

Whoooosh! Boom!

“Damn it…!”

Nothing worked.
Neither Blaze Carter’s vaunted destructive power nor the searing flames born from the Lord of War—flames potent enough to melt all things—could.
leave so much as a scratch on the Steel Guardian’s body.
The fire and explosions merely roared and faded, their fury spent in sound alone.

‘So this is what it means to be unshaken by any attack!’

The defense was absurd.
Blaze Carter, bewildered, glanced around.
He caught glimpses of other players’ afterimages.
Warriors renowned as the strongest in their respective worlds—all of them faced the Steel Guardian simultaneously.
Yet none had destroyed it, though their efforts varied in intensity.
Witnessing this, Blaze Carter exhaled in relief.

‘Thank goodness. It would’ve been troublesome if I alone had failed.’

Even the powerhouses of other worlds couldn’t destroy it on their first attempt.
There was no need to rush. He’d observe the Guardian’s movements carefully, search for weaknesses methodically.
It was placed here to be destroyed—surely it had a vulnerable point.

“Right. No need to act hastily.”

Blaze Carter resolved himself thus.
And at that very moment.

“That is….”

In Blaze Carter’s eyes, the afterimage of a familiar figure flickered.
It was the afterimage of Han Yu-sung and the ‘Steel Guardian’ he faced.
Wreathed in roaring flames and dark energy, Han Yu-sung pushed off the ground.
The distance between them closed in an instant.

Heaven’s Hundred Sword Technique.

Two techniques unfolded simultaneously.
A slash that tore through the void.
Hundreds of slashes fired in succession, engulfing the Guardian, and its metallic body was carved and fractured.
A fist drove down into that lacerated form.

Blood Wind Fist Technique, Blood Soul Heaven-Shattering Strike.

A blow infused with the will to annihilate.
The fist pierced through the Guardian’s body.
The blood wind dwelling within the fist was released, tearing its flesh from within.
Sword energy from without, blood wind from within.
Ferocious demonic energy-laden sword energy and blood wind consumed it entirely.

“Insane… absolutely insane…”

The Steel Guardian’s body began to crumble.
The metallic form that bore not a single scratch from Blaze Carter’s assault.
The Guardian that had withstood the onslaught of otherworldly players.

Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!

It was collapsing.
At first, they were merely hairline fractures.
But the cracks spread across its entire form.
The colossal body groaned and began to twist violently.

Boom!

Metal fragments that composed the Guardian’s body fell away.
Soon after, its head, shoulders, and torso—every part shattered in an instant, and the Guardian, robbed of the strength to remain standing, collapsed slowly.
That was the end.

Crrrrrunch….

With the sound of metal cascading down, the Guardians collapsed.
Once an impenetrable fortress, the Guardians no longer existed. All that remained was metal debris scattered across the ground and dust rising thickly into the air.

“….”

Silence stretched on.
Blaze Carter, witnessing the unbelievable spectacle, was left speechless.
The other participants were no different.
Even the Players who had been contemplating ways to defeat the Guardians now stared at Han Yu-sung with expressions of shock.
It was only natural.

‘That Guardian, in a single breath….’

Gathered here were the strongest from multiple worlds.
Yet what they could not accomplish, he had. And not even a superior race, but a ‘human’—a species regarded as inferior among all the races.
With just one attack, so effortlessly.

“What the fuck…?”

Blaze Carter stared blankly at the afterimage of Han Yu-sung sheathing his blade.
For a very long time, without uttering a word.

* * *

I gazed upon the destroyed Steel Guardian.
An annoyingly durable creature. To deploy such a thing from the very start.
I could feel the malice of whoever designed this Tower.
But it was merely an annoyance, nothing more.
It was no insurmountable adversary.

[That ‘Demonic Resonance’—it’s always useful to see in action.]
“I was thinking the same thing.”

With Demonic Energy and Demonic Resonance at my disposal, it was all the more so.
Add to that the buff from Deification.
The Steel Guardian must have been relatively high-leveled, as ‘Giant Slaying’ activated at quite a respectable level.
The Blood Demon Blade’s armor-piercing effect proved invaluable as well.

[1st Floor, you have broken through the domain of the 【Steel Guardian】.]
[The staircase leading to the next floor opens!]

I could now advance to the next floor with ease.
I climbed the stairs immediately, and the gazes of the spectral figures poured down upon me.
With this, I had surely pulled ahead of the other players considerably.
But I couldn’t afford to be careless.
Every player gathered here was formidable.

“I need to move as quickly as possible.”

I needed to buy more time.
I kicked off from the stairs and headed toward the 2-3rd Floors.

[2-3rd Floors, you have entered the domain of the 【Adaptive Labyrinth】.]
[This labyrinth observes and learns from your actions and movements. Escape the labyrinth before the learning is complete.]

The 2-3rd Floors were a labyrinth where two levels merged into one.
The ceiling, floor, and walls were all constructed of mana.
I gazed briefly at the walls emanating a bluish light.

“Hmm…”

I sensed the presence of enemies from all directions.
Likely, monsters of some kind were stationed throughout the labyrinth.
I proceeded through the labyrinth while keeping my focus on the same direction.
How far had I advanced?

Rumble! Boom!

The Corridor in the distance suddenly began to shift.
The straight passage split into two separate routes.
Kakasha clicked his tongue in annoyance at the sight.

[An Adaptive Labyrinth. So this is what “learning” means.]

The floor’s mechanism itself was simple.
A person enters the labyrinth and advances. The labyrinth then observes their actions and alters its structure to prevent their escape.
It was a system where the labyrinth learned and evolved on its own.

[Hmm, though they wouldn’t have made it impossible to escape.]
“True enough. It seems like a maze designed to force a different method—not the orthodox ‘breakthrough the labyrinth’ approach.”
[I need to discover what that method is.]
“Probably. Ideally before the maze finishes learning.”

The maze would continue learning, advancing endlessly.
At some point, it would become so intricate that escape would be impossible.
I had to find a way out before that happened.
‘Normally’, that would be the case.

“Hmmmm….”
[You’ve been staring in the same direction for a while now. Is there something over there?]
“I’m not certain, but I sense a discrepancy.”

My Dragon Heart was telling me this.
That a discrepancy existed—one affecting the entire maze.
The problem was that reaching that discrepancy would be tedious.

“….”

I stared silently at the wall.
Then, sensing something, a smile crossed my lips.

[Have you thought of a method?]
“Yes. A very useful method just occurred to me.”

I gripped my sword.
There was one method—the simplest and most certain.

“Let’s just smash everything as we go.”

It was a brutishly crude approach.

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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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