The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 253

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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 253

【Dead’s Paradise】.
On the island where only the hollow wails of the dead usually echoed.

Whoooosh!

– Gaaaaaahhh!
– Kyaaaaa…!

The sound of unholy fire consuming flesh mingled with agonized screams.
They were the death cries of undead burning away to nothingness, their bodies consumed entirely by flame.
The Covenant of the Dead who had spawned these creatures suffered the same fate.

“Someone stop that monster!”
“Oh, it’s coming! It’s coming this way! Run…!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”

Dead’s Paradise burned.
The raging karmic fire of war consumed everything on the island.
And the master of that inferno was unmistakable.

“Han Yu-sung…!”

The ‘Legion Commander of Karmic Fire’ crowned his head, the ‘Flames of War’ gripped in one hand.
Han Yu-sung, who had summoned armies of ash, incinerated everything that stood before him—even the Apostles of the Dead lurking in the shadows.
Kakasha, watching from afar, let out a triumphant roar.

[Undead! Undead everywhere! I have contracted a most incurable affliction—I cannot contain my fury at the mere sight of the undead…!]

As if responding to that fervor, the ‘Flames of War’ unleashed karmic fire more ferocious than ever.
Meanwhile, Han Yu-sung observed the situation with measured calm.

‘That makes three. I’d like to eliminate a few more here if possible.’

I hunted down one more isolated Apostle of the Dead.
I wanted to kill another, but the Covenant of the Dead’s members who began their counterattack formed ranks and assaulted me.
Their numbers, including the undead, reached tens of thousands.
Even for me, facing them alone was impossible.
The one saving grace was.

[Hmm, the Lord of the Dead shows no response. Three Apostles dead, yet he does nothing—is he preparing something?]

The Lord of the Dead still showed no significant movement.
I couldn’t discern why.
Perhaps he was so focused on preparing to attack me and the War Covenant Members that he’d momentarily lost sight of the situation.
Thanks to that, I could still hold on for now.

“This will never end at this rate. Kakasha, is there a way to destroy the Trial Island?”

Kakasha had said something earlier.
He told me to wait while he considered whether there was a way to completely destroy this entire Trial Island.
Now was the time to produce that method.

[Uuuuum… This Trial Island was created by the Dead’s power, you see. It means this is not a Trial Island that originally existed in this world.]
“Skip the explanation. Just tell me the method.”

I had no time to listen to explanations.
Kakasha seemed to share the sentiment, quickly laying out the method.

[Destroy the ‘core’ that serves as the Trial Island’s foundation, and it shall crumble. That core holds the Dead’s power within it, so if you destroy it….]
“The Trial Island loses its power and vanishes. You’re certain the core exists?”
[Certain, I am. As a fellow Lord, I cannot help but know.]

I clicked my tongue.
Simpler than I’d thought, but the problem was that the core’s location remained shrouded in mystery.
Searching for it meant I couldn’t move freely.
If I moved, my enemies would certainly notice.

[Fortunately, there seems little need to worry. The one you’ve shackled appears to be heading toward the core. If you use the scroll entrusted to him, you should be able to destroy it.]
“Chu Gyu-il?”

The situation had become far more interesting.
It seemed to be thanks to Chu Gyu-il’s unique ability, Greedy Sense.
The ‘Core’ appeared to take the form of an item.
There would be no other way to locate it.

“What damage would the Lord of the Dead suffer if we destroyed this place?”
[Need I explain? It would be catastrophic. Everything here would be consumed by annihilation. If we exploit that chaos…]
“We could kill far more Apostles of the Dead.”

There was no reason not to exploit this opportunity.
Since I had already set events in motion, I wanted to maximize the gains.
The only concern was safety, if anything.

[Fear not. I have prepared an escape route for such occasions.]
“Then so be it.”

Han Yu-sung let out a soft chuckle.
The situation had become far more interesting. My original plan was to slaughter the Apostles of the Dead and the Covenant of War Members, destroy the critical structures on Trial Island, and slip away.

‘To think I would end up annihilating the entire island.’

But it was not unwelcome.
In fact, I preferred it even more.
Chu Gyu-il, who was searching for the Core, would likely disagree.
But that was not my concern.

“Advance! Undead, slay that madman!”
“Han Yu-sung’s target is the Apostles! Three of them have already fallen to his blade! Everyone, protect the Apostles with all your strength!”

What mattered now was the battle before me.
Han Yu-sung gripped his sword as torrents of magic and undead creatures rained down upon him.
The Flames of War in my hand tore through the air.

Whoooosh!

A colossal Conflagration of War swept across Trial Island once more.
The endless screams of enemies echoed across the island.

* * *

While Han Yu-sung was engaged in that fierce battle.
There were those watching from the shadows.

‘A monster of a man….’

It was Chu Gyu-il and Sung Ha-yan.
Chu Gyu-il, observing the combat, clicked his tongue in exasperation.
Thank heavens he was an ally—if someone like Han Yu-sung were an enemy….
I didn’t even want to imagine it. I’d burn to death the moment we crossed paths.
I was genuinely curious where such a monster had emerged from.

“Our Apostle is certainly drawing their attention quite effectively.”
“…The enemies have passed. Let’s head inside.”
“Yeah, alright.”

Chu Gyu-il had been hiding near the Temple with Sung Ha-yan.
It was to carry out the mission Han Yu-sung had given them—sabotage and plunder.
The ‘Black Temple’ erected at the center of Trial Island.
It was the largest building among those here, and in a sense, the most dangerous.
The reason Chu Gyu-il decided to target this place first, leaving others aside, was simple.

“I prefer to secure the big prizes first.”

It was a matter of personal preference.
Of course, that wasn’t the whole reason. Right now, with Han Yu-sung creating such a spectacular disturbance, the Dead’s Camp was in its greatest chaos. Chu Gyu-il judged that this was the optimal moment to breach the most dangerous location.
It was a judgment born from experience accumulated over time.
Years of accumulated wisdom.

“We grab only the valuables, set up the scroll, and get out.”
“Yes. I was hoping there would be plenty of fighting.”

I decided to ignore the ominous words that escaped Sung Ha-yan’s lips.
By now, I had developed sufficient combat capability.
Unlike before, I no longer felt fear at the prospect of fighting, nor any desire to avoid it.
But the situation wasn’t favorable right now.
The more we fought, the more time would slip away, and the greater the danger would become.

“I’ll take this, and this too…. Setting up the scroll should do the trick.”

Chu Gyu-il and Sung Ha-yan swiftly traversed the interior of the Black Temple.
The Black Temple was such a colossal structure that destroying it with a single scroll was impossible.
They would need to install scrolls in each direction.
Chu Gyu-il moved quickly, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.
Sung Ha-yan, who had been silently following him, suddenly spoke up.

“…What’s supposed to be down this way?”
“I don’t know! But I’m picking up the scent of treasure, so we’re going. According to my unique ability, there’s something incredibly valuable in this direction!”
“I see. The path does seem unusually treacherous, now that you mention it.”
“Treacherous?”

Chu Gyu-il looked puzzled.
Thanks to Han Yu-sung drawing the enemies’ aggro completely, they had reached this point without much difficulty.
But the path was unusually treacherous?
Sung Ha-yan silently pointed at the door directly ahead.
It was where Chu Gyu-il had been heading.

“What is it? What’s beyond that door?”
“Yes. Thanks to the skill I received from the Lord this time, my senses have become sharper. It seems there are enemies guarding the treasure.”
“Tch, how troublesome. I need to install a scroll around here too.”

If they had to fight, there wouldn’t be enough time to install it.
What should they do? As Chu Gyu-il was rapidly considering his options.

“…I’ll handle them alone, so please go install the scrolls.”
“You’ll fight alone? Do you even know how many enemies there are?”
“Hundreds, I’d say. That much is manageable for me alone.”

Sung Ha-yan answered calmly.
It was probably hundreds when combining the Covenant of the Dead members and the undead. Considering that the oath-takers could summon more undead, the numbers would only increase.
Sung Ha-yan was well aware of this fact too.
More precisely, it meant she didn’t care even if that was the case.

“Are you really sure about this?”

Sung Ha-yan didn’t answer with words—she answered with a smile.
Chu Gyu-il shuddered at the sight of that smile.
That unnecessarily combative smile resembled someone he knew.
There was no point in asking again at this rate.

“Good. I’ll be back soon, so don’t you dare die.”
“Yes.”

Chu Gyu-il kicked off the ground.
In the same instant, Sung Ha-yan rushed toward the door directly ahead and kicked it open without hesitation.

– A low, guttural growl…?!
“What, what is this! Who dares!”

Beyond the door lay Covenant of the Dead members and undead creatures.
The moment Sung Ha-yan’s eyes registered the enemy, they burned crimson red.
Hundreds of foes stood before her.
An overwhelming number to face alone.
But it didn’t matter.

[Sacred Artifact, 【Heart of Wrath】 is activated.]
[Unique ability, 【Frenzied Blood】 is triggered.]

“Krraaaaaaah!”

If it were Han Yu-sung, he would have won.
Sung Ha-yan, surrendering herself to madness, hurled herself into the enemy ranks.
Screams of agony erupted from all directions.

“Seriously, he picked the exact same type of Oath-taker. That man.”

Hearing this, Chu Gyu-il shook his head in disbelief.
Either way, they were both Oath-takers. He needed to finish his task before things became dangerous.
Empowered by the effect of 【Zephyros’s Shackle】, Chu Gyu-il moved at tremendous speed through the Temple interior, reaching the installation point for the scroll in mere moments.
It was a vast space resembling an Altar.

“An Altar-like place? Well, that works. With this, the North as well…”

The scroll installation was complete.
All that remained was to return to where Sung Ha-yan was.
With that thought, Chu Gyu-il prepared to kick off the ground again, but.

“…Huh?”

Chu Gyu-il suddenly stopped in his tracks and tilted his head.
A tingling sensation spread across his skin.
His heart quickened unexpectedly, and an urge to move toward something seized him. It was a familiar sensation—one he’d experienced countless times before.
His unique ability, Greedy Sense, had activated.

“There’s something here, isn’t there?”

But the sensation felt stronger than usual.
It meant an exceptionally rare item lay nearby.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Chu Gyu-il moved in the direction Greedy Sense indicated.
The direction led downward—to the Underground Chamber, a place with formidable defenses and a complex Labyrinth.
The item I sought would be at the end of that Labyrinth.

“Sigh, this is going to take a while.”

I couldn’t venture in alone.
I needed to bring Sung Ha-yan and move together with her.
If we defeated the enemies in the Labyrinth together and I used my unique ability to find the path….
Even then, traversing the Labyrinth would consume considerable time.
Time was absolutely scarce.
Reluctantly, I had no choice but to abandon this Labyrinth.

[Conquer that Labyrinth.]
“…My Lord?”

Just as Chu Gyu-il swallowed his disappointment and turned to ascend the stairs.
Fiery letters materialized before his eyes.
Needless to say, they were a message from the Lord of War.

[It seems the ‘core’ of this Trial Island lies at the end of the Labyrinth. Find it. And once you do, use the scroll to destroy it.]
“The core? What on earth is that…?”
[There is no time to waste. Move swiftly!]

The message cut off abruptly, as if the Lord of War had said all that needed saying.
The situation was clearly urgent.
Left alone, Chu Gyu-il stared at the Labyrinth entrance and blinked. But only for a moment.

“Regardless of what it is, I just need to conquer it, right?”

A greedy smile spread across Chu Gyu-il’s lips.
I’d been agonized with doubt, wondering if I should give up and turn back.
There was no longer any need for that.

“That’s precisely my specialty.”

Chu Gyu-il stamped the ground as though he’d been waiting for this very moment.

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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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