The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 345

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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 345

The sky of Seoul came into view.
Just as I had seen it upon my return, the sky was filled with countless messages.
The messages were so densely packed that the sky itself was barely visible.
Looking at it, I recalled the message I had witnessed before.

[The Lord of War, defeated in successive battles! Fleeing alone?]
[I declare here and now. The Lord of War has been defeated before the name of Justice! All her possessions shall be subjugated beneath Justice!]

“Yes, that did happen.”
[Uuuuugh….]

Kakasha, standing beside me, let out a groan of anguish.
The Lord of War had been defeated, and Achiros had declared his victory. He had seized everything she possessed.
Strongholds, sacred relics, even Oath-takers themselves.

[A painful wound surfaces….]

Kakasha’s expression grew complicated.
The utter devastation. The Oath-takers who had died in that process came to mind.
The defeat was no one’s fault but his own—entirely his responsibility.
He should have borne the weight of that catastrophic loss and died then as well.
But Kakasha had chosen revenge instead of death.
There would be time enough to bear responsibility after vengeance was complete.

“It seems there’s not much time left now.”
[…Indeed.]

Han Yu-sung and Kakasha gazed upon the massive structure erected in Seoul.
A colossal ultra-high-rise building that resembled a fusion of a courthouse and a temple.
The Hall of Justice.

[I sense the presence of many Oath-takers within. Hmm, it appears to be a building that ordinary people cannot approach….]
“That’s likely the case. It’s a place where outsiders are strictly forbidden entry.”

Only those bound by contract with the Lord of Justice and related personnel could enter and exit that place. Unauthorized outsiders were denied access.
For Han Yu-sung as I am now, this was welcome news.

“So, what do we do from here….”

I gazed at the Hall of Justice, lost in thought.

[You weren’t planning to enter that place, were you? It won’t be easy. There are surely numerous defensive installations set up inside.]

Just as Kakasha said, the Hall of Justice had powerful defensive installations in place.
It wasn’t particularly strange.

[I myself installed all manner of defensive systems in the buildings I used as bases in the past. It’s normal for a Lord to do so.]

A building like the Hall of Justice could be attacked at any moment without it being unusual.
Or there was a considerable possibility that hostile Lords might cause trouble. The Alliance and Government tried to suppress conflicts, but there were limits.
So they plastered defensive installations everywhere to prepare for attacks.

[Are you truly planning to attack the Hall of Justice alone? I know you enjoy taking risks, but this is too….]
“Dangerous? Well, yes, it is.”

It was more than dangerous—it was nothing short of gambling.
The Hall of Justice’s interior had all manner of defensive installations, and beyond that, there would surely be countless Sworn Servants of Justice.
There would definitely be oath-takers with exceptional skill among them.
Facing them alone would be suicide.

“If I had no memory of attacking the Hall of Justice in my past life, that would be true.”
[What exactly were you doing in your past life?]

The reason this gamble was viable was my experience.
In my past life, I had been in opposition to the Sworn Servants of Justice, including Lee Su-ho, and had done all manner of things to resist them.
One of those things was destroying their stronghold.

“I know the building’s internal structure. There should be something like a massive core on the upper levels that supplies power to the entire structure. If I destroy that, I can obliterate the upper portion of the building without a trace.”
[Destroy the core, you say… Hmm, if that happens, it would be quite clean.]

The Hall of Justice was located within Seoul.
If I destroyed it carelessly, the shockwave could engulf the surrounding area. That would escalate matters, and it would be difficult to evade responsibility.
But if I could cleanly obliterate only the Hall of Justice.
I could suppress the situation to some degree.
There was only one problem, if anything.

[Is it even possible to destroy that Core? If it’s that kind of Core, it shouldn’t be easily destroyed.]
“That’s right. Back then, Achiros’s power was infused in it too. So I had prepared a special item for it….”
[Then I’ll have to use my own power.]

In my past life, I had no Lord.
But now I’m in a situation where I have a contracted Lord. If I utilize Kakasha’s power, I could burn away even Achiros’s power protecting the Core.
However, I couldn’t do it that way.

[No, that won’t do. If I do that….]
“It’s not good. It would leave unnecessary traces behind.”
[Hmm. There would definitely be traces left of my power being used.]

But with a different power.
I caused a slight ‘disturbance’ in the harmony.

[If you use the ‘Heart Sword’ you possess, things would be different.]

That was exactly right.
I didn’t need to use Kakasha’s power. Instead, I planned to use Geomson’s ‘Heart Sword’ to leave traces so faint they’d be barely perceptible.
That would plunge Achiros into great confusion.
In any case.

“Time doesn’t seem to be on our side.”

The War Covenant Members were departing to attend the Trial.
The Blood Cult in the Murim was doing the same.
If I were Achiros, I wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
It meant I didn’t have much time to spare.

“Let’s move quickly.”

I waited for deep night to fall, then donned the mask.
My body transformed into something closer to an elf than human.
Soon my transformed body melted into the darkness.

Ssssshhhhh.

Dense darkness moved toward the Hall of Justice.

* * *

The Hall of Justice—a structure built to serve Achiros.
In its upper reaches, a man of striking appearance stood alone in what had once been a place reserved only for the chosen, like Lee Su-ho.
The man’s name was Ahn Byung-un.
He gazed out the window with eyes brimming with anticipation.

“…At last, I’ve climbed to this position.”

Ahn Byung-un’s heart swelled with pride.
He was renowned among the Sworn Servants of Justice for his exceptional prowess. His unique ability was genuinely extraordinary.
And he possessed a special class on top of that.
Had he contracted with any other Lord, he would have become an Apostle without question.
But he had made his covenant with the Lord of Justice, and among her Sworn Servants, there were several talents who surpassed Ahn Byung-un.

‘Yet now, they’re all dead.’

A bitter smile played at the corners of Ahn Byung-un’s mouth.
Lee Su-ho. That wealthy man from Japan. And various other skilled warriors. They had lost their lives in the Trials, the Difficult Realms, and countless other places for diverse reasons.
But most shared a common cause: ‘Han Yu-sung.’
Regardless.

‘I have ascended to a position everyone said I could never reach.’

Ahn Byung-un felt pride in that fact.
Everyone had believed he would never become an Apostle. They had dared to judge that he wouldn’t even reach the candidate’s position.
Because a formidable rival named Lee Su-ho had existed.
Only Ahn Byung-un himself had believed it was possible.

“…The position of Apostle is now within my grasp.”

My chest swelled with emotion.
The Sworn Servants of Justice were currently preparing for war.
There was no need to speak of who the enemy was.
It was the Lord of War.
The Lord of Justice had long measured her Oath-takers against the position of Apostle. But now, with war imminent, she had no such luxury.
She had decided to elevate the most exceptional of her Sworn Servants to the rank of Apostle.

‘This is my chance to prove I surpass Lee Su-ho.’

Considering the power that the position of Apostle grants, it’s entirely possible.
If I eliminate Han Yu-sung and the rabble of the War Covenant, I can secure the Lord’s unwavering favor.
If that happens….
Ahn Byung-un laughed alone.

“My path ahead is paved with gold….”

BOOM!

In that instant.
The Hall of Justice shook violently with a tremendous explosion.
It was such an intense blast that one might mistake it for the building collapsing.
Ahn Byung-un drew his mace in alarm.

[The ‘Core’ of the Hall of Justice is under attack.]
[Hurry and protect the ‘Core’.]

“The Core? What is this….”

Ahn Byung-un tilted his head in confusion.
A core?
A central core? Did such a thing exist?
He couldn’t grasp the situation. It was something Ahn Byung-un didn’t even know existed.
In other words, it meant it had been hidden with the utmost secrecy.

“Ah, Ahn Byung-un! Are you alright!”
“I’m fine. What’s happening all of a sudden?!”
“We’re assessing the situation now!”

The Oath Keepers of Justice rushed into the room in panic.
They too were equally clueless about what was happening.
The greatest problem was not knowing where the ‘Core’ was located.
There was no way to defend it even under attack.

[“Move quickly!”]
“Y-yes, Lord!”

Then, words appeared before Ahn Byung-un and the oath-keepers’ eyes.
A message from the Lord of Justice.

[“Light shall guide you. Follow that light, and you will reach the place where the ‘Core’ resides. Slay the enemy there!”]
“Yes, my Lord!”
“It’s moving! Follow me!”

Ahn Byung-un rushed out in panic.
He still couldn’t grasp the full situation.
But one thing was certain—someone of unknown identity had attacked the Hall of Justice.
And they were targeting something called the ‘Core’.

“My Lord, I have one question… What happens if this Core is destroyed?”
[“You will all perish. And this building as well.”]
“…!”

Everyone drew a sharp breath at the unexpected answer.
Death? So the Core was something of that much importance.

[“The Core contains my divine authority and immense magical power. Should it be destroyed, those forces will be unleashed, causing catastrophic destruction. This entire building will be obliterated without a trace.”]
“Then, then…!”

Perhaps fleeing would be the better choice….
Ahn Byung-un barely swallowed the words that nearly escaped his lips.
He had realized that such an option didn’t exist in the first place.

‘This building houses vast treasures. And more importantly, the Core is under attack….’

The enemy had already reached the very threshold of the Core.
And.

[“As long as my divine authority dwells within it, the Core will not be easily destroyed. You will have sufficient time to reach it before the enemy can break it. Protect the Core with your lives if necessary. Do you understand?”]
“Yes, my Lord!”

The Lord of Justice would not abandon this building.
Such a structure was nothing less than a symbol of the Lord’s authority. The destruction of that symbol would shake the Lord’s very dignity.
And there was another matter—many Oath-takers dwelled within these walls.
An urgent evacuation order would cause tremendous chaos.

‘There’s no choice but to stop them.’

Even if it meant risking my life.
Ahn Byung-un hurried down the Corridor.
After advancing some distance, he spotted a wall that had been utterly devastated.
And beyond that wall lay a space composed entirely of light.

“This place….”

A powerful aura emanated from the expansive space.
It was a familiar aura somehow. After exchanging glances with the other Oath-takers, Ahn Byung-un was the first to step into the space.

“Call for reinforcements. We don’t know the enemy’s numbers, so we’ll need as much strength as possible. We must move with caution, but.”

This wasn’t a situation that allowed for such deliberation.
Ahn Byung-un unleashed both divine power and magical force simultaneously. The two energies that erupted at once granted him tremendous strength.

“This doesn’t seem like the time for that. I will….”

Lead the way.
The moment Ahn Byung-un spoke those words.

WHOOOOSH!

A dense darkness consumed the entire surroundings.
Ahn Byung-un, the Oath-takers beside him—all of them.
And.

– Hehehehe….
– Hahahaha….

Laughter echoed from somewhere.
A deeply unpleasant laughter, a scornful mockery of the enemy.

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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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