The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 346

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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 346

Absolute darkness engulfed the entire area, obscuring everything from view.
And then.

– Hehehehe….
– Hahahaha….

A mocking laughter echoed from somewhere, as if ridiculing an opponent.
Simultaneously, a message appeared before someone’s eyes.
A message that Ahn Byung-un and his companions could not perceive.

[Laughter emanates from the Mask of Hwanrak.]
[The Veil of Hwanrak unfolds.]

The moment the Veil of Hwanrak spread across the Deep Levels of Hall of Justice.
The Oath Keepers of Justice could only be bewildered by the situation.
They hastily formed ranks, preparing for the attack that would surely follow.
But.

“No one is attacking.”

The anticipated assault never came.
The surroundings were far too dark, and unnervingly silent.
To comprehend this situation, they would need the Lord’s aid.
Having reached that conclusion, Ahn Byung-un attempted to call upon the Lord of Justice, but.

“This is….”
“…I cannot feel the connection with the Lord.”

The impossible had occurred.
The Lord’s presence could not be felt at all.
As if someone had forcibly severed it, the connection between the Oath-takers and the Lord had been cut off entirely.
The saving grace was that they could still use the power the Lord had bestowed upon them.

‘Is this space severing the connection with the Lord?’

But was such a thing even possible?
If it were possible, it would mean another Lord had intervened.
An enemy capable of touching the Lord of Justice right now….

“…The Lord of War? No, surely not.”

Could that Lord even do something like this?
My mind grew clouded with questions. Yet none of them found answers, and I couldn’t hear the Lord’s response either.
There was only one method available to me right now.

“Ahn Byung-un, how….”
“…We have no choice but to move forward. Hm!”

Ahn Byung-un’s eyes widened sharply.
Immediately, tremendous magical power and divine force erupted from him.
The divine force granted buffs to our allies while illuminating the darkness, and the magical power transformed into powerful lightning that blanketed the ceiling.
Should enemies appear, that lightning would strike down automatically.

“Will we be alright? I don’t see any enemies.”
“We can’t remain here regardless. I’d prefer to wait until the Lord finds a solution, but….”
“The Core is the problem.”

The Oath Keepers of Justice quickly grasped the issue.
Time was not on our side. If we lingered here, the enemy would seize the opportunity to destroy the Core.
Then we would die without accomplishing anything.
Perhaps that was exactly what the enemy intended.

“We have no choice but to move before that happens. Those with detection skills—scout the surroundings as much as possible. Let’s move!”
“Yes!”

Ahn Byung-un began moving with his subordinates.
Our current forces numbered roughly one hundred fifty. Honestly, not a large number, but true to their nature as Oath Keepers of Justice, all possessed exceptional skill.
Against ordinary enemies, victory was assured.
The group advanced through the thick darkness.

‘It’s dark.’

Ahn Byung-un exhaled roughly, his thoughts churning.
Darkness so complete that he couldn’t see even an inch ahead blanketed everything around him.
He found himself doubting whether this darkness even had an end.

“Do you sense any sign of the enemy?”
“No, nothing at all….”

He attempted to detect the presence of those nearby, but it proved futile.
Not a single presence could be felt.
It felt as though only they existed in this space.

‘That can’t be right.’

The enemies couldn’t possibly be absent.
They were certainly watching this place from within the darkness.
Since he couldn’t know when they would strike, he had to move with maximum caution and readiness.
Ahn Byung-un continued forward, his grip firm on his mace.

“Hm? That is….”
“Something is visible.”

How much further had they advanced?
Beyond the darkness-shrouded space, a brilliant light appeared.
It was a light that somehow felt strangely familiar.
Ahn Byung-un quickly discerned its identity.

“It’s the radiance imbued with the Lord’s power. We’ve found it, it seems.”
“Then….”
“Wait.”

Ahn Byung-un halted his companions before they could advance.
What emitted that light was undoubtedly the ‘Core’.
It meant they had reached their objective.
The problem was that the enemy had shown no movement whatsoever while his forces reached the target.

‘Could they be aiming for this very moment?’

The moment our forces discovered the Core and let their guard down.
Perhaps that was what they were waiting for. They might have even set traps in the surrounding area.
Ahn Byung-un remained vigilant, scrutinizing every corner of his surroundings.
But there was nothing.

‘Why? Why is there nothing….’

No traps. Nothing at all.
All that remained were the defensive mechanisms near the Core itself—countless defensive installations and what looked like mechanical constructs, all destroyed and scattered about.
Beyond that, there was nothing to be seen.

“…Ahn Byung-un. What should we do?”
“….”

Ahn Byung-un summoned his magical power and scanned the area around the Core.
And the surrounding region as well. The result remained unchanged.

“Damn it, I can’t tell. We’ll hold this position. If I use my sacred artifacts, I should be able to construct a Fortress in this area. I can’t read the enemy’s movements, but with a well-constructed Fortress, we can respond to anything.”
“Yes, understood.”
“They’re moving!”

The Lord of Justice had given Ahn Byung-un sacred artifacts.
Among them, if he used the sacred artifact that constructs a Fortress using divine power, he could protect the Core without difficulty.
He withdrew several sacred artifacts from his possession.

‘I’ll need to use everything I have.’

The sacred artifacts Ahn Byung-un possessed included both those that utilized divine power and those that utilized magical power.
This was because his unique ability was exceptional.
An ability that allowed him to wield both divine power and magical power simultaneously. For this reason, the Lord of Justice had bestowed upon him two types of sacred artifacts.
These artifacts would now allow him to overcome this crisis.

Kuuuuung!

Ahn Byung-un unleashed an enormous surge of divine power.
That divine power quickly took form, accumulating one by one near the Core before transforming into a Fortress.
He summoned his allies to gather within.

“Don’t scatter. The Fortress will grant you a protective barrier. Even if we move, never leave the Fortress under any circumstances.”

The Oath Keepers of Justice nodded in acknowledgment.
Ahn Byung-un surveyed the Fortress taking shape and organized his thoughts.
What was the enemy’s intention? What must be done from this moment forward?
First and foremost, the most critical matter was—

‘Finding the enemy….’

In that instant, Ahn Byung-un’s thoughts froze.
An overwhelming force had descended upon him.
A transcendent power so immense that he dared not even breathe—it seized his consciousness entirely.
Ahn Byung-un spun around in panic.
What met his eyes was a solitary figure standing alone in the darkness.

Krrrrrrrr!

His face was obscured. His body, equally so.
Yet one thing was unmistakable—he was utterly ordinary, bearing no distinguishing marks.
Sensing the danger, the Lightning Beast shrieked and plunged toward the man.
But it was meaningless.

Whoooooosh!

“Ugh, kgh…?!”

The overwhelming force emanating from the man erased everything in its path.
A grayish-white aura that seemed to devour even the surrounding darkness itself.
Ahn Byung-un, seized by instinctive dread, attempted to respond.

Kraaaaaaaaah!

By the time awareness came, it was already too late.
No—he perceived nothing at all. Something incomprehensible descended upon Ahn Byung-un, something beyond cognition or reaction.
In a single stroke, it cleaved through him and the Oath Keepers of Justice alike.
And the Fortress he had constructed as well.

Craaaaaack!

And beyond that, even the ‘Core’ itself.
The world split apart with a sharp, cutting sound.
The space shrouded in darkness tore open, leaving behind an enormous wound.
Simultaneously, countless blades erupted, sweeping away every enemy in the vicinity.

“Krraaaaaaagh!”
“Ugh, ahhhhh…!”

There was nothing to be done against such overwhelming power.
The defensive barrier he had raised tore like tissue paper, and the Fortress vanished without a trace.
The other Oath-takers of Justice fared no better.
Ahn Byung-un’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘How on earth…!’

I couldn’t see it.
That man wasn’t even holding a sword, and I saw no motion of him swinging one.
Yet somehow, how could he unleash such an attack?
A slash that no human should be capable of creating.
Ahn Byung-un’s body crumbled as he fell.

“Ugh, cough!”

Blood poured from Ahn Byung-un’s mouth.
He understood instinctively. That he was dead.
Wounds of this magnitude could not be healed without the aid of a Lord.
No, beyond that even.

“The Core….”

Beyond his dimming vision, the Core came into view.
Split pathetically in half, with immense magical power and the authority of a Lord erupting violently from the gap between the halves.
The two forces began to intermingle rapidly.
They writhed precariously, as if about to explode at any moment.

“My… Lord….”

Ahn Byung-un’s life ended there.
The same fate befell the other Oath Keepers of Justice.
They struggled desperately until their final moments, trying to discern the identity of their killer.
But that was an impossible task.

[So this is the ‘Mad Sword’…]

The architect of this entire situation.
Han Yu-sung brushed the blood from his hands and moved forward.

[There is no other human who wields the power of a Transcendent. No, even looking at all the Players, it would be the same.]
“We can discuss trivial matters later.”

This was not the time for such talk.
Han Yu-sung quickly recovered the items his enemies possessed, then examined the state of the Core.
It could explode at any moment.

“I have approximately three minutes.”
[Can you manage it?]
“More than enough.”

The 【Veil of Hwanrak】 that had blanketed the surroundings slowly dissipated.
Han Yu-sung’s form melted into the darkness.

“Achiros should be satisfied with this gift.”

* * *

Lord of Justice Achiros stared at the veil before him.
The veil that had consumed the building’s Core and the Oath Keepers of Justice. He felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu emanating from it.
But that was not what mattered now.

[…A sudden attack, and this veil as well.]

Someone had orchestrated all of this.
The suspects that came to mind were the Lord of War and Han Yu-sung. But he had only suspicions; he could find no concrete evidence that they were responsible.
He would find nothing until that veil disappeared.

‘I sent my full strength. If it’s them…’

I could achieve victory.
That’s what Achiros believed, but he couldn’t be certain.
So he attempted to unleash his power and shatter the veil before him.
But the veil possessed far greater durability than he had anticipated.

‘Destroying it isn’t impossible.’

But I won’t be able to destroy it in time.
Achiros ground his teeth. Given how things had unfolded, I had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
The possibility that my allies might fail.
If that happened, I would need to evacuate our forces from inside the building.

‘With war on the horizon, I cannot afford to lose our strength.’

I didn’t want to entertain thoughts of failure.
But I had to prepare for the worst. With that judgment made, Achiros had been preparing to evacuate his allies the moment he saw the veil.
However, even that would require time.
Considering the power dwelling in the Core, I should be able to endure that much.
The instant I thought that—

Whoooooosh!

The veil that had covered the Core vanished.
But for Achiros, this was absolutely unwelcome news.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.

[This is…]

What entered Achiros’s field of vision was a multitude of fallen allies.
The Core, grotesquely split in half.
And—

Booooom!

[…!]

Overwhelming destruction.
Brilliant light flooded Achiros’s vision completely.
The upper levels of the Hall of Justice were consumed by the catastrophic devastation.

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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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