The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 246

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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 246

The Lord of War’s strategy was remarkably straightforward.
She deployed a conquest team led by Han Yu-sung into Route A.
The remaining forces concentrated entirely on Route B to defend against the Undead Faction’s assault.
There was hardly anything that could be called strategy.
Which meant the counter-strategy was equally simple.

[Either stop Han Yu-sung, or breach Route B….]

The problem was, both were impossible.
Han Yu-sung shattered through Route A with unstoppable momentum.
To break that momentum, to even slow his pace, forces had to be diverted to Route A.
But that meant fewer soldiers to assault Route B.
Naturally, the conquest speed on Route B slowed as well.

[These, wretched insects!]

Route B, the Lion’s Tomb.
War Covenant Members defended the Difficult Realm that once belonged to the Lord of the Dead.
Several of them displayed remarkable prowess, and the Draken Tribe cooperated with the War Covenant Members to hold the Difficult Realm.
Breaking through would require deploying far more forces.
The problem was that Han Yu-sung left no room for such measures.

– Gaaaaaaah!
“Ugh, aaaahhh!”
“We can’t possibly hold…!”

The Lord of the Dead clenched his teeth as he observed the Battlefield.
He had deployed undead created in preparation for this war. He bestowed blessings upon the Oath-takers and granted sacred relics to the Apostles.
Yet, they could not hold the line.

Kwaaaaaaah!

[That demonic energy….]

The demonic energy that Han Yu-sung wielded was the problem.
Was it the demonic energy used by the players of the Murim?
No, it was different from that. There was no way those wretches’ demonic energy could produce such power.
Then, what in the world was that?

A deep, resonant boom echoed through the air!

Han Yu-sung launched himself off the ground with explosive force.
His target was the spectral fleet hovering in the sky above the Immortal Ritual Ground.
It was a colossal vessel woven together from undead and phantoms. However, the ship had already suffered severe damage across multiple sections from previous assaults.
The vessel, detecting Han Yu-sung’s presence, shifted into a defensive posture.
But before it could react, Kaldrex’s ‘Annihilation Hour’ descended upon them.

A thunderous cascade of destruction erupted!

A torrent of golden spears rained down upon the vessel.
Seizing that opening, Han Yu-sung closed the distance even further.
Countless interceptor craft emerged from the spectral fleet, attempting to block his advance.
But it was all futile.

The Heaven-Piercing Thousand Sword Technique.

A blade aura woven from blood essence painted the heavens.
The interceptor craft, caught by the tsunami-like sword wave, plummeted from the sky.
In the next instant, a colossal blade materialized above the spectral fleet.

A deafening crash split the air!

The Heavenly Blade.
The celestial sword descended from above, striking the spectral fleet, and as the demonic energy infused blade aura was unleashed, it cleaved through the entire armada in one fell swoop.
That was the end of it.

A deep rumbling echoed, followed by a final, resonant boom!

“It’s coming this way…!”
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”

The spectral fleet, stripped of its buoyancy, began to sink.
And crashed down upon the countless undead and Covenant of the Dead members below.
What unfolded afterward required no further explanation.
A completely one-sided battle had erupted.

[The Lord of War has occupied the final defensive position, the Immortal Ritual Ground!]
[The Immortal Ritual Ground has been seized. You cannot deploy Oath-takers and soldiers to that Difficult Realm. Surviving allied forces have been taken prisoner.]

The Covenant of the Dead members, stripped of any means to counterattack, crumbled in utter defeat.
The final defensive line, the Immortal Ritual Ground, had been breached.
Now only the Difficult Realm designated as the Central Challenge remained.
If even this were lost, the Golden War would end in the Lord of the Dead’s defeat.

[Defeat.]

The Lord of the Dead murmured the word as if unable to comprehend it.
It was a word foreign to her existence. She had risen to this position having scarcely experienced defeat, commanding an overwhelmingly superior force.
And now, she found herself facing defeat once more.
She stared blankly at the Immortal Ritual Ground.

“Concentrate all remaining forces here! Every last soldier!”
“A-Apostle! What about the forces attacking Route B?”
“I said all of them! The offensive is meaningless now!”

Yang Han-gyeong, an Apostle of the Undead Faction, cried out with a heart bleeding from despair.
Most of the other Apostles of the Undead had fallen and vanished in defeat.
Only he and a handful of Apostles guarding Route B remained.

“If I had my way, I’d pull the forces defending Route B as well…!”

But if I did, the enemy would pour through Route B.
I had no choice but to redirect all attacking forces to defense.
I had to concentrate what little strength remained on the Central Challenge and hold back the enemy.

“Apostle… does this even have meaning…?”
“…”

A trusted aide approached cautiously and posed the question.
There was no need for further words—the outcome of the war was already nearly decided.
The tide of battle had turned toward the Lord of War. Moreover, their forces remained intact, while our army had suffered catastrophic losses.
Could we truly hold this position and repel the enemy?

‘…The Lord has fallen silent.’

And at some point, the Lord of the Dead had also grown quiet.
Whether from shock at the unexpected turn of battle or from loss of resolve.
I couldn’t tell which. And that made the situation all the more dire.
If even the Lord had lost faith, what could the Oath-takers possibly do?

“It may seem meaningless. But we can create a variable—perhaps one capable of reversing this entire battle in a single stroke.”
“A variable…?”
“A mechanism that can only be used in the Central Challenge.”

Losing the Central Challenge meant defeat in the Golden War.
It was a Difficult Realm of such critical importance, intimately tied to the Lord himself.
And because of that, certain things were possible only here.

[Descent.]

The Lord manifesting into the mortal realm by inhabiting an Oath-taker’s body.
But there was a problem.
First, the Lord of the Dead had descended during the War of Stars in ages past and suffered defeat.
And second.

‘Unlike then, the opposing Lord could also descend.’

The Lord of War had surely accumulated greater power since those days, making it possible.
Yet hope was not entirely lost.
The Lord of War had not yet recovered the full strength of her prime.
In a state of descent, the Lord of the Dead could certainly prevail.
And after that, if Han Yu-sung and the Draken Tribe were eliminated….

[There would be no other option remaining.]

At that very moment, the Lord of the Dead harbored the same thought.
There was only one method left.
Since all plans had crumbled, there was nothing to do but rebuild what had fallen through his own strength.
The Lord of the Dead gazed toward the entrance of the Difficult Realm.
Suddenly, unease flickered in a corner of his mind.

[The Lord of War hasn’t yet accumulated the power to defeat me. If I face only her, victory is certain. But…]

The problem wasn’t the Lord of War.
The problem was Han Yu-sung, who stood beside her. A player who had demonstrated absurd power—annihilating a Lord’s authority with a human body.
If those two fought together.

‘Can I… win?’

An indelible anxiety crept upward, coiling through his consciousness.
An anxiety the Lord of the Dead would never have harbored in ordinary times.

[The Lord of War has invaded the Central Challenge, the Sanctuary of Death!]

CRASH—CRASH—CRASH—CRASH!

A deafening roar echoed through the Sanctuary of Death.
Empty space tore open, and a portal materialized. From within it emerged countless War Covenant Members.
War soldiers, Draken Tribe, Kaldrex.

“For someone so confident in declaring war…”

And Han Yu-sung.
Han Yu-sung, who had planted his feet upon the ground, slowly lifted his head.

“You’ve become quite the spectacle, Lord of the Dead.”
[Ugh…!]

His face bore an unmistakable sneer.
He had declared the Golden War because he judged this the only opportunity. He had possessed confidence in victory. Though he had found it strange that his opponent accepted the challenge, it was precisely for that reason he had prepared so thoroughly.
Yet it had come to this.
I never thought it would turn out like this.

“It’s not over yet.”

The Lord of the Dead muttered as if making a declaration.
There is still a chance. A chance to set everything right.
As if responding to that declaration, the Covenant of the Dead gathered. The power the Lord had unleashed became a blessing that settled upon the Covenant of the Dead.
Simultaneously, the surrounding land began to rot with death.

[“The way to resolve this situation is simple. It is…”]
“To kill me?”

Han Yu-sung looked around.
The number of enemies had decreased significantly.
Most had perished in the battles at Route A and the final defensive line.
Excluding the undead, our forces held the numerical advantage.
In such a situation, the way to kill Han Yu-sung was obvious.

[“What a cunning wretch. Are you planning to manifest yourself here? Hmph! Do you truly believe you can defeat me if you descend?”]
[“Silence! You mindless, foolish warmonger!”]
[“Kuhuhuhuh! Listen to the defeated dog bark!”]

I had known this even before coming here.
Kakasha had given me a separate warning about it.
The Lord of the Dead’s next move was equally predictable.

[“I shall set everything right with my own power!”]

Crack!

The sound of space tearing echoed.
An overwhelming torrent of killing intent stained the heavens and earth pitch black.
That spreading killing intent converged upon Yang Han-gyeong, the Apostle of the Dead.

“Y-Your Majesty! Ugh! Using my body, victory shall…!”

A living body rotted in an instant.
The corpse that had died in a flash floated in mid-air, its body beginning to twist.
A body that had once been human transformed hideously.
The Lord’s ‘Manifestation Form’ revealed itself.

[“Embrace death…!”]

A colossal form wrought of black bone.
Decaying flesh dripped away, an overwhelming aura of death seeped endlessly forth, and upon its head sat a crown forged from death itself—such was the entity that now opened its eyes.
A lord draped in a cloak woven from countless spectral forms had awakened.
In that instant, an overwhelming presence crushed down upon all directions.

“That… that is…”
“Hmm, has a Lord descended? I’ve heard the tales, but…”
“Kaldrex! The aura is converging toward us!”

The Draken who sensed that presence swallowed hard.
Whether Kaldrex or the Draken Tribe, they were warriors of unparalleled valor. They were seasoned fighters who had endured countless brutal battles.
Yet even they could not help but be crushed beneath such an aura.
But that lasted only a moment.

“Fear not, warriors. The Lord of War and her Apostle stand with us. Behold that figure!”

Kaldrex gestured toward Han Yu-sung with a faint smile.
Unlike the Draken Tribe, Han Yu-sung stood at ease, composed as always.
Han Yu-sung clicked his tongue as he gazed upon the towering descended form.

“Hideous every time I see it.”
[Indeed, I share that sentiment.]
“I can’t fathom how anyone serves such a lord. Isn’t it grotesque?”

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

As if hearing that mockery, the sound of grinding teeth echoed from somewhere.
Han Yu-sung chuckled softly while gazing down at his palm.

‘I’ve expended far too much power reaching this point.’

I could not afford to grant my enemy a moment to recover.
That was why I had fought without respite until now.
Especially in that first Difficult Realm—deflecting the enemy’s assault had been costly. I had wielded both Reverse Heaven and Dragon Flame together, and that had consumed considerable strength.

[It seems I am what you require. Am I not correct?]

At that moment, laughter echoed through his mind.
Han Yu-sung nodded and stepped forward.
Fierce crimson flames erupted across his entire body, gathering behind his back.

“Yes, this is the perfect opportunity to test your strength.”

Something burst forth from between the crimson flames gathering behind Han Yu-sung.
They were wings.
Four pairs of wings, wrought from endlessly burning crimson flames.
Arms that appeared alongside those wings wrapped around Han Yu-sung in an embrace.
The Lord of the Dead’s eyes widened at the sight.
It could not have been otherwise.
This was a form he could never forget.

[“You….”]

The owner of the wings gradually revealed herself through the crimson flames.
She bore blazing scarlet eyes, wore armor adorned with countless victories beyond measure, and held the flames of war in her hands—a Lord.

[“The Lord of War! Descending here in person! Do you truly believe you can defeat me!”]

The Lord of War—Kakasha.
She embraced her Apostle with a smile burning with resolve.
Crimson flames spread outward from the wings enveloping Han Yu-sung.
The flames consumed without mercy the despair that covered all directions, the sinister aura of death itself.

“This is merely a rehearsal. You understand, don’t you?”
[I understand. Is this not a rehearsal before we slay that treacherous and abominable Lord with our own hands? Therefore….]

Han Yu-sung closed his eyes.
He felt tremendous power flowing from Kakasha.
A familiar yet strangely unfamiliar laughter reached his ears.

[“Go forth, my Apostle. Show the enemy, show all who witness this place. Your strength. That the Lord of War has risen once more.”]
[“With fierce war and victory!”]

Whoooosh!
His vision, obscured by warm radiance, opened wide.
Han Yu-sung gazed upon the Lord of the Dead who brought forth death, and nodded.

“As much as you need.”

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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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