The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 327
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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 327
Han Yu-sung gazed down at the fallen Dok-go Cheon with indifferent eyes.
And moments later, a tremendous force erupted from his body.
It was a ‘Fragment’—one I had seen before when I defeated Helud.
A soft resonance echoed through the air.
Without hesitation, I extended my hand toward the Fragment.
Soon, the Fragment was absorbed into my body.
The moment it flowed through my veins and touched my heart, the transformation began.
The same change I had felt when I absorbed Helud’s Fragment.
[You have absorbed the ‘Fragment of Greed’.]
[The power contained in the Fragment adds a new effect to ‘Divine Descent’.]
[The rewards obtainable through ‘Divine Descent’ are greatly enhanced, and when defeating a ‘Transcendent’, you can obtain even more exceptional rewards.]
[When you achieve a decisive victory against a Transcendent and seize their power, you can seize even greater power.]
[This effect grows stronger the more powerful the opponent is.]
The name of the Fragment I had absorbed this time was ‘Greed’.
Needless to say, it was a fitting name for Dok-go Cheon.
He had lost his life to the greed of becoming the Faction Leader.
[The remaining power spreads throughout your entire body….]
[Your level has increased! All stats have risen!]
[Han Yu-sung (Affiliation: Earth, South Korea (B-Rank))]
· Level: 275.
· Class: Limitless Martial Arts
· Unique Ability: Divine Descent (EX)
· Martial Prowess: 580 · Indomitable Will: 520 · Magical Power: 300
· Annihilation Force: 770 · Demonic Energy: 500
The rewards from absorbing the Fragment were extraordinarily sweet.
I nodded with satisfaction as I reviewed my status window.
I was pleased with the effect of this Fragment as well.
[A trace of The Wanderer has been etched into the fragment. You can reverse-track the location of the corresponding Wanderer.]
[Will you proceed with tracking?]
Now I had even found a way to track Geomson’s location.
Soon enough, I would wage a large-scale war against Geomson anyway. If I emerged victorious there, I could obtain even stronger rewards through the fragment’s effects.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Hmm….”
I glanced briefly at my surroundings.
I sensed no presence of a Transcendent.
This space was originally a realm that no Transcendent except Geomson could perceive.
He must have intended to observe the situation while supporting Dok-go Cheon.
But Geomson had been unable to support the dying Dok-go Cheon.
Because Hwanrak’s Veil had been deployed here.
‘I timed it perfectly.’
Dok-go Cheon had ambushed the Faction Leader and activated an item.
It must have been an item received from Geomson. An item that confined those near him within a special space brimming with demonic energy.
I, who had activated Night’s Veil, seized that moment to close the distance with Dok-go Cheon, and became trapped in this space alongside the Faction Leader.
And at that very instant, I had activated Hwanrak’s Veil as well.
“That bastard Geomson must be quite flustered by now….”
He would be raging at why he couldn’t perceive what was happening.
The thought of that unbecoming expression on a celestial being made me smirk.
In any case.
“What remains is deciding what to do with this Faction Leader.”
I looked down at the Faction Leader.
A middle-aged man lying unconscious, his entire body battered and broken.
His wounds had become even more severe from being caught in Blood Heaven’s Annihilation.
If I left him as is, he would die before long.
‘He couldn’t have seen my face.’
I remained pinned to the ground, my head trampled beneath Dok-go Cheon’s heel.
The Faction Leader realized someone had arrived and tried desperately to lift his head, but before he could, he was caught in the Blood Heaven Sword Annihilation and lost consciousness.
This was intentional on my part, though….
‘It’s better to incapacitate him so he can’t interfere with the Trial.’
Of course, I could have intervened beforehand and neutralized them both.
But it was more natural for it to happen during my fight with Dok-go Cheon.
There would be no risk of exposing my existence.
That’s why I deliberately waited until the Faction Leader’s life hung by a thread.
The question now was whether to kill or spare the Faction Leader in this state.
– Cult Master. This is merely my personal opinion, but wouldn’t it be better to kill Dok-go Cheon while sparing the Faction Leader…?
Red Blood Ming’s words from before we arrived echoed in my mind.
He had said it could bring greater chaos to the Martial Arts Alliance.
I agreed with that assessment.
‘I’m not entirely certain, but it seems Dok-go Cheon has his own faction within the Martial Arts Alliance.’
The Current Alliance Leader apparently had those he disliked.
The elders of the Five Great Families, if I recall correctly.
If I killed the Faction Leader here, they would seize power without any obstruction.
It would become even easier since I’d also eliminated Dok-go Cheon, who would have become the next Faction Leader.
But if I let the Faction Leader live and leave?
‘Blood vengeance would erupt within the Martial Arts Alliance.’
On the other hand, if I killed the Faction Leader here too?
The Five Great Families, having seized control of the Martial Arts Alliance, might wage war under the banner of ‘revenge against the Demonic Faction.’
Chaos would be preferable to that.
Moreover, internal strife could occur even during this Trial.
After deliberating, I quickly reached a conclusion.
“It’s better to let him live. Though I should still take what I can.”
Han Yu-sung gazed at the sword lying beside the Faction Leader.
A blade passed down through generations of the Martial Arts Alliance, or so I had heard.
They said only the Faction Leader could wield it, and it seemed to be quite a rare treasure.
Since I had saved his life, taking this much as compensation wouldn’t be unreasonable.
It would also serve well to weaken the Faction Leader’s combat strength.
‘An Eternity-grade weapon, perhaps. Not that I have any particular use for it.’
Han Yu-sung, already brimming with swords, would have no use for another.
However, the knowledge contained within the blade—passed down from previous Faction Leaders—intrigued me.
That knowledge was likely something akin to a skill. Whether the previous Faction Leaders would willingly share their knowledge with the one who stole their sword remained uncertain.
But if I could learn it, it would prove useful in its own right.
Han Yu-sung placed the sword into the Subspace.
‘The harvest is greater than expected.’
There were also items that Dok-go Cheon had possessed.
Among them were the ‘Legacy’ and Geomson’s ‘Sacred Relic’.
And one more thing.
[Fragment of Talent.]
· A fragment containing part of Dok-go Cheon’s talent ‘Sword Demon (SS)’.
A welcome item had appeared.
A ‘Fragment of Talent’ obtained as a reward from the Trial.
I wanted nothing more than to use it immediately here and now.
Unfortunately, this was not the time.
Sssssssssss….
Time had run out—Hwanrak’s Veil was gradually dissipating.
Whether because Dok-go Cheon had died or for some other reason, the Dark Space was collapsing as well.
It was time to leave.
“I can clearly picture Geomson’s rage.”
Han Yu-sung let out a quiet laugh and wrapped the Veil of Night around myself.
Then, surrendering to the collapsing darkness, I vanished without a trace.
* * *
Geomson gazed out across the vast Forest.
More precisely, at the space woven through it—a realm constructed entirely of demonic energy.
KAAAAANG!
“No, Faction Leader! The Faction Leader is trapped in there!”
“We have to save him—ugh! Damn that monster! Answer me, you Demonic Faction scum! What have you done to the Faction Leader!”
“That’s what we’d like to know! You suddenly came swarming in!”
The Forest was chaos incarnate.
The Faction Leader imprisoned within a space of demonic energy. The Poison Dragon, wounded and raging wildly. The Martial Arts Alliance warriors who had rushed to save their leader.
And the members of the Demonic Faction thrown into this pandemonium.
Everyone was drowning in confusion.
[….]
Geomson, watching this spectacle unfold, was no exception.
His eyes, rarely showing such emotion, were brimming with anxiety.
[Why? Why on earth….]
That space had been created using my power.
A realm completely severed from its surroundings—designed to kill the Faction Leader. I had conceived it based on how Helud had died.
Dok-go Cheon had used the item I gave him to trap the Faction Leader inside.
Now I only needed to watch as the Faction Leader perished within that space.
And yet.
[…Why can’t I see anything!]
I couldn’t see inside the space at all.
As if someone had deliberately blocked my view.
Multiple auras tangled together, their origins indecipherable, forming a barrier that blocked me.
I tried to force my way through, channeling my power to pierce the obstruction.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACK!
[Ugh…!]
It wasn’t as simple as I’d hoped.
It wasn’t ‘impossible’. With enough force and a little time, I could break through that aura one way or another.
The problem was that this was God’s Trial, and I was The Wanderer.
There were limits to how much I could intervene in the Trial.
‘If I exceed those limits, there will be interference.’
The Gods or their minions would notice Geomson’s presence.
If that happened, things would become far more troublesome. Knowing this, I had deliberately created this space using an item as a vessel.
In the end, there was only one thing Geomson could do.
[…I have no choice but to wait for Dok-go Cheon to escape on his own.]
Wait for the Oath-taker to achieve his objective and emerge.
The conditions were set.
The Faction Leader had been wounded by Dok-go Cheon’s surprise attack. The demonic energy consuming his body would prevent him from moving properly.
Moreover, this space was infused with Geomson’s power. With the aid of that power, Dok-go Cheon should be able to defeat the Faction Leader with ease.
Even if something unexpected occurred.
‘I should be able to handle it without issue.’
That’s what I thought.
Even as an inexplicable unease lingered in the corner of my mind.
Time passed swiftly, and the dark space began to crack open.
Seeing this, the warriors of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Demonic Faction instantly ceased their fighting.
“…Wait, the space is splitting apart!”
“The Faction Leader! First, confirm if the Faction Leader is safe! Hurry!”
As all eyes converged, the space vanished.
And the figures trapped within were revealed.
“This, this is….”
“…The Faction Leader and Dok-go Cheon? Wait, why is Dok-go Cheon…?”
“H-hold on! Dok-go Cheon is dead! What in the…!”
The Faction Leader’s body was covered in wounds.
And there was Dok-go Cheon, sliced apart and dead in a gruesome state.
The martial artists of the Martial Arts Alliance gasped at the unbelievable sight.
Only the Faction Leader should have been trapped in the Dark Space, so why was Dok-go Cheon here? And why was he dead in such a horrific manner?
They hurriedly checked the Faction Leader’s condition.
“No matter how I look at it, these wounds seem to be from Dok-go Cheon….”
“Could it be that Dok-go Cheon planned all of this? Was it Dok-go Cheon who ambushed the Faction Leader and trapped him in the Dark Space?”
“What else could we possibly think?”
It was absurd.
They wanted to deny it, but they couldn’t.
Because they were all aware of the internal conflicts occurring within the Martial Arts Alliance.
“…He was aiming for the position of Faction Leader.”
“If that’s the case, the Five Great Families must be behind this….”
The faces of those who reached that conclusion hardened.
It was already widely known which faction Dok-go Cheon belonged to within the Martial Arts Alliance and which powers supported him.
There was no way the Five Great Families weren’t involved in this.
“Those madmen, how could they do this to the Faction Leader in the Trial!”
“Wait! The Demonic Faction is attacking! This isn’t the time for this!”
“…Retreat! Fall back! We have no choice but to consult with the general!”
The Demonic Faction, seeing this situation as an opportunity, began their assault.
The Martial Arts Alliance, overwhelmed, hastily retrieved their Faction Leader and fled.
The Demonic Faction also wasn’t in a position to pursue them relentlessly.
“Leave the Martial Arts Alliance! Defeating that monster is our priority!”
“The monster’s life is hanging by a thread! Concentrate your attacks!”
“You traitors, once that monster dies, you’re next…!”
The hope of victory.
The martial artists of the Demonic Faction fought on, consumed by rage.
Red Blood Ming, who had been watching the battle, subtly turned his head.
Upon seeing those eyes gleaming in the darkness, a faint smile crossed his lips.
“I can’t let this opportunity slip away. Let’s move!”
“Yes, Faction Leader!”
An opportunity created by Han Yu-sung that would never come again.
This chance would lead the Demonic Faction to victory in the Trial.
Red Blood Ming believed this as he kicked off the ground.
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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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