The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 329

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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 329

The Trial of God, the Righteous-Demonic War, ended sooner than expected.
The outcome was something no one had anticipated.

[The victor of the Righteous-Demonic War has been determined.]
[The Demonic Faction is victorious. Special rewards will be granted to the victors, with additional compensation based on their contributions during this war.]
[All martial artists of the Demonic Faction receive powerful benefits! Furthermore, Lords who invested in the Demonic Faction will receive compensation proportional to their investments!]

Who could have possibly foreseen it?
That the Demonic Faction, not the Righteous Faction, would emerge victorious in the Righteous-Demonic War.
That victory sent shockwaves throughout the Murim.
And simultaneously, it bestowed immense gains upon the Blood Cult.

“Such abundant rewards….”
“These are rewards that cannot be obtained even with money.”

Red Blood Ming was astounded upon seeing the rewards granted to him.
An Eternity-grade sword and armor, potent elixirs, and even a special skill with the potential to grow to SS-rank had been bestowed upon him. It was because he had demonstrated exceptional contributions during this trial.
The Seven Evils and other Blood Cult martial artists had also obtained outstanding rewards.
Seven Evils and other martial artists of the Blood Cult also received excellent rewards.

“….”
“….”

Which faction had contributed most to the Demonic Faction’s victory in this trial?
Needless to say, it was the Blood Cult.
Needless to say, it was the Blood Cult.

‘Just recently, the prevailing opinion was that the Blood Cult had finished.’
‘Didn’t the followers abandon the Blood Cult and leave?’
“Didn’t the followers also abandon the Blood Cult and leave?”

The Cult Leader, Red Blood Ming, had failed to achieve results at the Difficult Realm opened by the Blood Demon, the Blood Dragon Auction. That had been catastrophic. Afterward, the Blood Cult declined further.
The assessment that the Blood Cult was finished spread throughout the entire Murim.
Yet these very people had led this trial to victory.
Those people led this Trial to victory.

‘How is this possible?’

Had the Blood Cult grown stronger on its own?
That couldn’t be. If they’d been capable of that, they wouldn’t have fallen in the first place.
There had to be another cause.
And there was only one cause that made sense.

“…Lord of War.”
“I’ve heard she invests heavily in her Oath-takers.”
“But to think she’d elevate the Blood Cult to this level in such a short span….”

They had always believed their only transcendent master could be the Blood Demon.
The Blood Cult had abandoned the stubborn pride it had clung to for ages, and the entire organization had entered into a contract with the Lord of War.
There was no other explanation that fit.

“War, the Lord of War….”
“Hmm….”

In that moment, the name “War” was etched into everyone’s mind.
While the Demonic Faction’s martial artists savored their victory.

“Defeat.”

The Righteous Faction, led by the Martial Arts Alliance, was engulfed in despair.
Not all the Righteous Faction’s martial artists who participated in the Trial had fallen.
They had fought the Demonic Faction with everything they had.
But the tide of battle had collapsed beyond recovery.

– All forces, we abandon the Main Base.

Je Gal Hwi, the strategist commanding the overall operation, made his decision.
Victory and defeat were already determined. To continue fighting would be nothing but throwing away their lives.
Having abandoned the Main Base, they vanished to escape the Demonic Faction.
Fortunately, the Demonic Faction did not pursue them, instead destroying the “symbol.”
They judged there was no need to push further.

– Faction Leader….

Je Gal Hwi gazed at the Faction Leader with a grim expression.
He could see all too clearly what kind of backlash this defeat in the Trial would bring, and how much the Martial Arts Alliance would be shaken in the process.
That was precisely why his heart was so heavy.
He looked up at the sky and sighed.

[My… my coins…]
[This can’t… this can’t be happening…]

The Lords watching the Battlefield were no different.
Most had predicted a Righteous Faction victory.
Except for those who had entered with the instincts of beasts, betting on an upset, everyone suffered significant losses.
They simply could not comprehend this situation.
And the Administrators felt the same way.

“…This is strange. This result should not have been possible.”
“The Demonic Faction’s win rate was absolutely low. Has an anomaly occurred? No, even if it were an anomaly, this…”

The Administrators were in a state of confusion.
The Demonic Faction winning this Trial? That wasn’t the problem. The probability was extremely low, but there was still a possibility of victory, after all.
The problem was the ‘process’.
The victory had been far too one-sided.

“Two key players from the Righteous Faction became incapacitated. That black curtain that appeared then… I feel as though I’ve seen something similar before.”
“It’s likely from the Demon Realm Trial. I’ve heard that something similar appeared there. If that’s the case, then perhaps…”
“The same individual orchestrated this.”

A player?
No, it was more likely to be a Lord.
What kind of Lord would commit such an act?

[It is not a Lord.]

Then, a voice filled with divine sanctity echoed through the void.
Upon hearing the voice, the Administrators prostrated themselves in obedience.

[The energy contained in that curtain is dark and impure. It is not a power that a Lord would wield. I suspect it may be one of the Wanderers.]
“A Wanderer, then… could it be Geomson?”
[Would it not be so?]

We’ve already confirmed that Geomson is active in the Murim.
We’ve been watching to see what he intends to do.

[I intended to observe, but who would have thought he’d interfere with two Trials? That exiled Wanderer knows no bounds…]
“…Then, what should we do?”
[Investigate the traces left in the Trial and report back to me. First, I need to understand what happened in this Trial.]

And once I’ve grasped the situation.
I’ll have to administer fitting punishment to that presumptuous Wanderer.
Punishment for violating the promised ‘rules’.

* * *

While various discussions swirled everywhere about the Righteous-Demonic Clash,
none was more bewildered than Geomson.

[…]

The outcome of the Trial mattered little.
Dok-go Cheon had failed to kill the Faction Leader and lost his life instead.
That fact was what left him bewildered.

[How, exactly?]

It was an inevitable question.
I had created a situation where the Faction Leader couldn’t win. I had rendered him unable to use his strength, and I had crafted a Battlefield where Dok-go Cheon could overwhelm him.
Yet Dok-go Cheon had not emerged victorious.
Defeated by the Faction Leader? That couldn’t be.

[…Then there must have been a third party whose identity remains unknown.]

That was the only explanation that fit.
Dok-go Cheon’s death, the Faction Leader rendered combat-ineffective, the Demonic Faction’s victory.
Someone’s interference was felt in all of this.

Crunch!

Geomson ground his teeth, unable to contain his fury.

[A Lord, then. Or perhaps The Wanderer. Whichever it is, I will find them. And when I do….]

I will have my revenge.
Geomson made that vow and returned to his domain.
The damage he’d sustained in this affair was catastrophic.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the path to his goal was slipping further and further away.
While countless others lamented the results of the Trial,

[Life is all about that one decisive moment!]

Kakasha was cheering wildly in the Sanctuary.
It was because of the coins. She had invested an enormous sum into the Demonic Faction, betting against the odds, and the payoff had been staggering.
The coins that had come into her possession numbered in the tens of millions.
On top of that, she’d apparently obtained other things that could be used in the Sanctuary as well.

[Gambling is the best! I want to spend my whole life just gambling!]
“….”

A sigh escaped involuntarily.
With the lucrative Difficult Realms, the cash flow should be smooth enough.
Yet it seemed she needed even more coins.

[…Why are you looking at me with those eyes?]
“You know. What I’m thinking.”
[Hmph! You must think me greedy. I won’t deny it! It’s not wrong, after all! But no matter how many coins one has….]

Kakasha puffed out her chest and launched into a lengthy speech.
I chose to ignore it lightly.
In any case.

[I should invest some of what I’ve gained into the Murim side. According to Red Blood Ming, the Righteous Faction will be severely shaken by this incident, so if I invest in the Blood Cult, I could see substantial returns.]
“The Martial Arts Alliance, huh. Well, not that it really matters what happens to them.”

With Dok-go Cheon dead and the Faction Leader gravely wounded,
I was curious about which direction the Martial Arts Alliance would take.

[And for a while, we’ll need to be cautious. Since anomalies have occurred in two of the Trials, there will be those who grow suspicious.]
“The Gods and the Administrators, you mean.”
[Hmm. We must consider the possibility that they’ll dig into the traces we’ve left behind. If they discover something in those traces….]
“Both you and I will find ourselves in considerable danger.”

Kakasha nodded solemnly.
The Demon Realm and the Murim—we’ve interfered in the Trials opening across two worlds and caused chaos.
We’ve essentially destroyed the system itself.
There’s no way the Gods would overlook this.

[Personally, I suspect we’ll be discovered eventually. We need to think carefully about how to respond when that time comes.]
“That’s true. But there’s something more pressing right now.”
[Yes, what’s more pressing is Geomson. I’ve completely grasped where his stronghold is located. If you wish it, I believe I could open a path to that place at any time….]
“Is it possible?”
[It’s not impossible. Among the Lords, when special opportunities arise, they sometimes launch surprise attacks on each other’s Sanctuaries without a formal duel.]

It’s not a common occurrence.
Extremely rare, in fact. And the risks are substantial.

[If the surprise attack succeeds, my Sanctuary, my domain, and Geomson’s domain will collide. From that point, we’ll fight to occupy each other’s territories. Needless to say….]
“It would be all-out war, resulting in massive casualties.”
[Precisely. And if we lose, we’ll be driven to near ruin. We’ll lose our Sanctuary.]

It’s different from when we win a formal duel and advance into the Sanctuary.
In that scenario, we gradually wear down the enemy’s forces while our side gains advantage, allowing us to fight with relative superiority even within the Sanctuary.
But if we launch a surprise attack like this….

“We’d be fighting Geomson at full strength.”
[Hmm…. The one fortunate thing is that he doesn’t maintain many Oath-takers. And among those he does have, the ones he cherished have already fallen by your hand. This could be our opportunity.]

Geomson doesn’t maintain a large number of Oath-takers.
He only contracts with those possessing talent that meets his exacting standards, so inevitably, his contracted Oath-takers are few.
And now that small number has been reduced further.
It was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to miss.

[But we mustn’t let our guard down. There are still Oath-takers remaining, and they possess considerable strength.]
“Yes, I understand.”

To prepare for any contingency, I needed more power.
Fortunately, I had obtained something from this trial.
Han Yu-sung retrieved an item he had acquired from Dok-go Cheon.
It was a ‘Legacy’ of the Nameless Heavenly Demon.

[The Nameless Record has recognized a new Legacy.]
[The Nameless Record and the Legacy are resonating.]

The Nameless Record, having sensed the Legacy’s presence, began to emit demonic energy.
It was a sight I had witnessed countless times before.
Soon enough, I would be able to master the skills recorded in the Nameless Record.
And in that moment.

[You have collected a sufficient number of ‘Legacies’.]
[A special opportunity is granted to the one who possesses the Fragments.]
[A door opens.]

A message appeared that was entirely different from what I had anticipated.
The Nameless Record unleashed a torrent of demonic energy.
That energy gathered before Han Yu-sung, forming a ‘door’ leading to an unknown destination.
Beyond it, only thick darkness was visible.

“…What is this now?”

Han Yu-sung stared at the door, tilting his head in bewilderment.

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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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