The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 258

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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 258

An open Difficult Realm, the Sword Tomb, had appeared.
It was unmistakably a Difficult Realm targeting Han Yu-sung and Kakasha.
The world watched the Difficult Realm with intrigue, and Korea attempted to intervene in it by any means necessary.
Amid such varied movements unfolding.

Crunch—!

The very architect who had created this Difficult Realm.
The Lord of the Dead could not contain her fury, grinding her teeth in rage.
She had no choice.

[To be forced into an unwanted war!]

True to her words, this Difficult Realm was not what she desired.
The Lord of the Dead had suffered tremendous losses. Considering the Lords’ War that would soon follow, she needed to recover her strength immediately.
But the Covenant had ensnared her.

[The Wanderer—I placed this shackle thinking he might change his mind, yet it has become a noose around my own neck!]

The Wanderer was unpredictable and capricious by nature.
Even more so with a madman like Geomson. Was he not a lunatic who wandered searching for something, leaving countless dimensions in ruins?
There was no telling when he might grow bored and depart elsewhere.
That was why she had bound the Covenant to force this Difficult Realm into existence. And that very Covenant applied to the Lord of the Dead herself as well.

[The blessing bestowed upon the Sword Tomb activates.]
[Countless fallen Sword Masters are resurrected as vengeful spirits.]

[Ugh! How utterly repugnant…!]

The Lord felt her power being forcibly drained away.
It was humiliating beyond measure. Unable to contain her rage, the Lord ground her teeth once more and gazed down upon the Sword Tomb infused with her blessing.
Countless vengeful spirits wielding blades were visible.
Naturally, they were no ordinary spirits.

‘Vengeful spirits of those Geomson had slain, or those who once followed him.’

Needless to say, they were specters of formidable power.
And on top of that, there were Oath-takers bound by contract to Geomson.
Geomson had invested considerable effort into this Difficult Realm. He had spoken of something taken from Han Yu-sung.
He said he absolutely had to reclaim it this time.
Perhaps that’s why Geomson had laid traps throughout this Difficult Realm.
Traps that anyone attempting to conquer the Difficult Realm would inevitably fall into.

[A stage created to kill Han Yu-sung. If I combine Geomson, his Oath-takers, and my undead, then I can kill him.]

No matter how formidable Han Yu-sung was, he wouldn’t survive.
The Lord of the Dead believed this as well.
But ironically, because of that very belief, the Lord of the Dead felt a powerful sense of foreboding.

[Geomson. Will things truly unfold as you envision?]

The Lord of the Dead herself had thought the same way before.
And every time she had such thoughts, she had failed.
She bit her lip, swallowing the rising dread that threatened to consume her.

* * *

An open-type Difficult Realm—the Sword Tomb.
The structure of this Difficult Realm itself was straightforward.
Break through the countless resurrected “Masters of the Sword” blocking the path, find the “core” hidden somewhere within the Difficult Realm, and destroy it.
The problem was that countless trials barred the way to the core.
And there was one more thing.

Clang!
“Ugh! Their numbers…!”
“Be careful! Their swordplay is nothing to dismiss just because they’re specters!”

The sheer number of “Masters of the Sword” was overwhelming.
And each one possessed exceptional skill.
Han Yu-sung perceived the Masters of the Sword rushing toward him. The one leading the charge drew back his sword arm in a wide arc.
A cold, shimmering blade aura coalesced along the blade.

Whoooosh!

Dozens of sword auras shot forth, enveloping Han Yu-sung from all directions.
Literally—blade energy descending from every side.
The sword masters who followed unleashed their techniques without hesitation.
Frozen sword auras poured down from the sky like rain, while from the front, wildly spinning blades rushed in as if to cleave through his entire body.
And from the ground itself, countless sword auras erupted like thorns.

[First, endure the endless ‘trials’ that await you.]

It was the first trial of the Sword Tomb.

“Bothersome creatures.”

Yet Han Yu-sung didn’t move, as if there was no need to respond.
Instead, the shadow moved.

Shhhhhhhhh—!

The shadow surged upward.
Shadows cast across the surroundings rose in unison, then converged and compressed into a single form in an instant.
That compressed shadow shot forward.

[…Hmm.]
[This is….]

It absorbed every sword aura rushing toward Han Yu-sung.
The emotionless sword masters’ faces flickered with bewilderment.
The sphere, now vastly enlarged from consuming all the blade energy, advanced at tremendous speed.
Closing the distance to the enemies in mere moments….

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted.
The spectral forms caught in the blast scattered into fragments.
It was Void—the magic of the Nox Arcana, now promoted to SS-rank.
Yet the number of enemies remained impossibly vast.
They shifted their strategy, attempting to close the distance to Han Yu-sung.

[…It vanished?]

However, Han Yu-sung was nowhere to be seen.
The specters attempted to track Han Yu-sung’s vanished form with haste.
They didn’t need to search for long.

A piercing cry tore through the air!
[Ugh…?!]

From the very heart of the specter formation.
Han Yu-sung erupted from the shadows cast by countless blades.
The swords gripped in both his hands blazed with ominous light.

Halden Style Swordsmanship, Fourth Form: Full Moon.
Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, Third Strike: Heavenly Thunder.

A torrent of sword energy infused with dense demonic force erupted outward like a violent maelstrom.
The specters attempted to counter with their own force, but it was futile.
Han Yu-sung’s sword energy cleaved through them along with their defenses.

“Now! Move!”
“Damn it, we’ve barely returned from the island…!”

The War Covenant Members surged forward as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
They pierced through the shattered specter formation, and together with the Ash Legion that rose to meet them, they swiftly eliminated the remaining specters.
Their movements and power were incomparably stronger than usual.
The reason was obvious.

[The War God effect strengthens the War Covenant Members.]
[Battlefield Command grants powerful buffs to our forces.]

The effects of the sacred relics Han Yu-sung possessed.
A chaotic melee like this was where the War Covenant Members could shine brightest.
Han Yu-sung was no exception.

A deafening explosion erupted!
[…!]

I rapidly dispatched the endless phantoms surging toward me.
True to the trial’s description, they demonstrated remarkable coordination.
Yet I evaded their attacks with ease, as if reading the trajectory of their blades.
In fact, thanks to the Geomson skill, the sword paths were laid bare before me.

“Kakasha. Where is the core located?”
[Hmmmm….]

I shattered the incoming blade and crushed the phantom’s skull.
The true objective wasn’t to contend with these creatures.
I needed to break through them, find the ‘core’ hidden beyond, and destroy it.
The problem was.

[It’s not simple. I cannot pinpoint its location at all….]

Finding the core’s location proved far more difficult than anticipated.
I expanded my senses widely, attempting to detect any ‘distortion’ in the surrounding area.
Yet even that didn’t yield results as expected.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t locate the distortions.

“There are far too many.”
[That is precisely the problem. There are not merely one or two suspicious locations.]
“We lack the time to investigate them all.”

Indeed.
This Difficult Realm contained far too many locations emanating ‘distortion.’
Easily hundreds of them. Kakasha was likely facing the same predicament.

‘They seem to have prepared knowing my abilities.’

I possess exceptional mana-sensing capabilities.
An ability born from the Dragon’s Heart. Its level is so refined that all forms of deception become meaningless before it.
Geomson and the Lord of the Dead must have recognized this.
If I possessed such an ability, their strategy was simple—render that ability ineffective.

‘Simple, yet effective. So, what should I do?’

I pondered while engaging the attacking enemies.
As if waiting for that very moment of deliberation.

[“You have defeated the ‘Master of the Sword’.”]
[“You have seized ownership of the sword that the specter possessed.”]

“Hmm, this is….”
[“Come to think of it, there was a mechanic like this.”]

A sword materialized directly before Han Yu-sung.
The description of the Sword Tomb had mentioned a core mechanic.
Defeating enemies would grant swords, and destroying other ‘Masters of the Sword’ would allow their blades to be absorbed and strengthened, or so it had stated.
Han Yu-sung was not the only one to receive a sword.

“What is this?”
“Hey, Han Yu-sung! I can take this sword, right?!”
“…A sword that grows stronger the more enemies you defeat. I quite like it.”

The War Covenant Members had also been granted swords.
A solid mechanic. We’ll face countless enemies ahead, and each time we do, the swords will grow stronger.
That would make combat considerably easier.
But that wasn’t all.

[“Continue strengthening your sword.”]
[“A sword empowered by absorbing countless blades will guide you—one who has lost your way—toward the path you must walk…”]

Remarkably, the sword even possessed a navigation function.
As if it had been prepared with knowledge of Han Yu-sung’s very concerns.

“Oh, wait. The sword’s performance is… quite impressive?”
“So it becomes even better if we keep absorbing other swords, right?”
“Naturally. Ha, I can’t even wield a sword and fight with my feet instead, yet my stats are rising? It seems the effect applies just from holding it.”

Moreover, the performance was exceptional.
The War Covenant Members were satisfied after a brief inspection.
An excellent mechanic.
One that was remarkably player-friendly, at that.

“….”
[“…”]

Han Yu-sung and Kakasha locked eyes with each other.
One was a player who had endured countless Difficult Realms and Trials.
The other was a Lord who had created countless Difficult Realms.
Because of this, they understood far too well.

[This is suspicious. Far too suspicious…!]
“It doesn’t just stink—it reeks of rot and decay.”

There was no way a Difficult Realm could be this player-friendly.
Above all, this Difficult Realm was an ‘open-ended Realm.’ It was created with a single purpose: to kill Han Yu-sung and the War Covenant Members.
A Realm like that would offer such a favorable mechanism?

“Is there some kind of trap hidden in this sword?”
[Hmmmm…. I have examined it myself, but I sense nothing. That’s what makes it even more suspicious. It shouldn’t be like this.]

This Difficult Realm did not grant much time.
To solve the Realm within that timeframe, I needed to find a path quickly, and the only way to do that was to use this sword.
Should I swallow what looks like obvious poison to anyone’s eyes?
Or should I somehow find another way?

A soft shimmer rippled through the air.

“Hm?”

At that moment, the Eye of Omniscience appeared behind my back.
And a message materialized before my eyes.

[The Eye of Omniscience has fully charged the necessary power.]
[Once more, you may use the power contained within the iris to track the item you truly desire.]

This was an effect I had used before to locate artifacts. Enough time had passed since then, and with all the coins I had invested, it seemed the power had fully recharged.
I gazed silently at the Eye of Omniscience.
Suddenly, a method came to mind.

“…There’s a saying: you’ve got nothing to lose.”
[Our thoughts align. I was considering the same thing.]

The Sword Tomb contains a core.
But is there any guarantee that core is an ‘item’?
If it truly is an item, I can shatter every trap this Difficult Realm has laid. If not, I’ll simply swallow my disappointment and find another way.

“A transaction with nothing to lose,” I murmured.

I opened my palm.
The Eye of Omniscience rose above my outstretched hand.

“Find the ‘core’ of this Difficult Realm.”

Would the item’s effect truly activate?
Kakasha and I waited for the Eye of Omniscience to move.

Whoooooosh!

As if answering our anticipation itself,
the Eternity Item, the Eye of Omniscience, blazed with brilliant light.

[Difficult Realm, 【Sword Tomb】.]
[Guiding to the location of this realm’s core, ‘Geomson’s Blade’.]

“Found it.”

A smile played across my lips as I read the message.
It was a message more welcome than anything.

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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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