The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 173

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 173 66. I’ll Crush You (3)

 

“This can’t be!”

 

“What’s happening right now? Right now… could it be?”

 

“Don’t tell me that bastard, no, the hero defeated the Demon King?”

 

“This quickly?”

 

“No, time aside, even if he’s a hero, to think he could do that alone… isn’t this impossible?”

 

Countless words poured from the mouths of the Kingdom of Cairo’s officials. Lost in excitement and shock, they kept talking without properly understanding what they were saying. The area around the tent instantly transformed into a marketplace.

 

However, there was no one to stop them. The First Prince, the Second Prince, and even the high ministers who had been sick of the meaningless noise-like meetings were all staring wide-eyed at the royal palace gradually regaining its color.

 

‘How, how is this even possible?’

 

Genter Hilton’s surprise was particularly intense.

 

He was supposedly the strongest knight of the Kingdom of Cairo. That’s why he understood better than anyone how absurd the current situation was.

 

The bastard presumed to be the strongest Demon King in human history.

 

He had obtained the most perfect Demon King’s Castle in human history. And as if that wasn’t enough, he even held hostages that could absolutely not be abandoned.

 

Even if the combined knight orders of Jenas, Rhodesia, and Cairo attacked simultaneously, the chances of victory wouldn’t exceed single digits. At least, that’s what he thought.

 

‘But alone… and in less than an hour.’

 

He defeated the Demon King?

 

Was such a thing possible? Was it really something a human could do?

 

While he was having such thoughts, a voice came from beside him.

 

It was Chris McMann, one of the Sword Masters that the Kingdom of Cairo was proud of, from the Empire’s Eight Pillars. No, now it had become Seven Pillars.

 

“Perhaps Juesin bestowed legendary weapons upon the hero?”

 

Genter Hilton found himself nodding unconsciously.

 

That seemed possible. It might look like he wasn’t acknowledging another’s merit and skill, but honestly, he couldn’t believe that the hero had achieved such a feat with his power alone.

 

It was completely incomprehensible.

 

He nodded and answered.

 

“That must be it. If not weapons, then perhaps powerful divine blessing…”

 

The people around who heard Genter Hilton’s answer all nodded simultaneously. Thinking that way, this absurd result became somewhat understandable. They began discussing various things again.

 

Just how amazing were the weapons bestowed? If such things existed, why weren’t they granted to the human realm earlier?

 

Some even said that if Genter Hilton, Cairo’s First Knight, had possessed such weapons, he could have reclaimed the royal palace much faster than the hero. It was subtle flattery.

 

However, everyone actually thought that way. They believed the hero’s skills weren’t that impressive. Despite what the Knight King and Golden Dawn had said.

 

Of course, their thoughts weren’t true.

 

Lumian Calard had resolved everything with his power alone.

 

He hadn’t received help from any tools or blessings.

 

* * *

 

“What? You bastard, don’t tell me you came alone…”

 

Swoosh!

 

The Demon Gate Guard protecting the entrance to the Demon King’s Castle.

 

It was quite a strong bastard. Hard to see in typical demonic territory. It possessed such dense demonic energy that it would be difficult to face unless one was at the highest level of Sword Expert.

 

Of course, before the enraged hero, it couldn’t even serve as a single meal. The bastard’s corpse, split in half, fell to either side. Lumian entered the castle without even glancing at it.

 

“Intruder!”

 

“He came faster than expected… what? He’s alone?”

 

“He’s even young? This bastard, did he come here to commit suicide?”

 

“Huh? That face, could he be the hero…”

 

“Hahaha! Even if he’s a hero, to show himself alone in the Demon King’s Castle, he must be dying to die…”

 

Swish-

 

High demons that swarmed in an instant.

 

But they died without being able to touch even a hair of the intruding hero.

 

Lumian, who had eliminated more than ten bastards with a single sword strike, muttered quietly.

 

“I should pick up the pace.”

 

Originally, he had planned to vent his anger thoroughly while advancing to the room where the Demon King was. To release the fury burning in his chest, hotter than the sun, it seemed he needed to cause a ruckus.

 

However, these small fry didn’t even register. He felt no impact at all. It was like swinging his sword through empty air.

 

‘Besides, there are hostages too…’

 

He had neither the luxury to make a big scene nor to act leisurely. Having finished his thoughts, Lumian concentrated and spread his ki sense widely.

 

Though it was more difficult than usual due to the dense demonic energy, it wasn’t impossible. Information about the Demon King’s Castle’s layout entered Lumian’s mind as clearly as a map. He perfectly grasped who was where.

 

Lumian nodded and moved his body.

 

Flash!

 

Slice-

 

Slice-

 

Slash-

 

“Guk!”

 

“Kreuk”

 

“Grruuk…”

 

Invisible. Undetectable. The demons lost their lives without understanding why, killed by Lumian who was acting stealthily with determination.

 

One, two, ten, a hundred. Moving from the lower floors to the upper floors, Lumian methodically erased the demons. After about 10 minutes had passed, all demons in the Demon King’s Castle had been cleanly eliminated.

 

Except for one – the Demon King waiting on the topmost floor.

 

Of course, Lumian didn’t care. He wasn’t nervous either.

 

Drawing his Aura Sword even stronger, he opened the door to the top floor room. Then he saw dozens of hostages tied up in miserable states in the corner of the room, and far away, the face of the Demon King bastard sitting on a splendid jade throne.

 

The bastard, who had been sitting in a crooked posture with his chin propped up, stood up with an expression that said ‘not bad.’

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The strongest Demon King in history.

 

The strongest hero in history.

 

Two colossal beings met. Despite their difficult and painful situation, the hostages held their breath and watched their encounter.

 

It couldn’t help but be a tense moment.

 

Soon, a battle that would go down in history would begin. A terrifying confrontation unprecedented in history, with blood spattering and flesh tearing. Thinking this, despite their situation, they felt their blood heating up.

 

How would this fight end?

 

Would they survive? Could that young hero defeat the Demon King? Would the day come when they could gather acquaintances and tell of this time like a heroic tale?

 

While the hostages were spreading their wings of imagination like this.

 

Lumian swiftly swung his sword, and the Demon King couldn’t dodge.

 

The bastard, split in half just like the gatekeeper, let out a tremendous scream before being cleaved.

 

Kyaaaaaaaaaah!

 

Still, it was a slightly more spectacular end. Even after being split, the bastard’s body writhed and moved ominously. The soul that escaped from the flesh wailed eerily while circling in the air.

 

But that was the end. Ultimately, the fact that the Demon King had died remained unchanged.

 

The hostages silently looked at Lumian, faced with a deflating result completely different from their expectations.

 

And among those gazes was also the eyes of Cairo’s King Shumaha XVII.

 

‘Such an absurd thing…’

 

Complex thoughts gushed forth like a cornucopia.

 

How that arrogant bastard was here. How he had obtained such power even though he was a hero, whether infiltrating the Demon King’s Castle alone was a manifestation of such confidence, where exactly his loyal subordinates were and what they were doing…

 

And what remained at the end were only two things.

 

A sense of inferiority.

 

And fear.

 

Toward the hero who had become an absolute being that someone like him could never touch, he was spewing ugly and dirty emotions in streams.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Of course, Lumian Calard didn’t care about such things at all.

 

Sheathing his sword and dusting off his hands, he thought quietly.

 

‘I should quickly purify the royal palace and go back to have sex.’

 

He briefly worried ‘Hasn’t the opportunity flown away since the mood was broken?’ but for now, Lumian decided to think positively.

 

After all, hadn’t Tania also opened her heart to him? Since they were already a couple who had promised their future together, it would be safe to say there were no more obstacles.

 

He nodded and took out a crystal orb. Though he was perfectly capable alone, since Semu had sung that he would help too, he had to call him.

 

But then.

 

An unexpected turn occurred.

 

The demonic energy that had been spread throughout the Demon King’s Castle came rushing violently toward Lumian Calard as its center.

 

“Uh, uwaaaah!”

 

“Kyaaaaa!”

 

The hostages screamed in shock at the sudden storm of demonic energy. They hugged each other tightly, straining with all their might to avoid being swept away.

 

There was someone who couldn’t manage to do so.

 

It was Shumaha XVII.

 

Splat!

 

Lumian made a bewildered expression as he watched the man whose head had burst like a ripe watermelon being smashed. Even if he had gone senile, he was like a comrade who had fought alongside him to defeat countless demons in his previous life, yet he had died so futilely.

 

However, there was no time to indulge in such sentiments.

 

A dark voice echoed in Lumian’s mind.

 

– You’re strong indeed, Hero. I can’t possibly match you with my power. I acknowledge it. To think that I, the son of the Demon God, would say such weak words. You really are an amazing fellow.

 

“…Sekaros?”

 

Lumian muttered.

 

Actually, he had found it strange. The subordinate he had defeated was certainly stronger than the Previous Demon King, but the difference wasn’t that great. In fact, it was natural that a Demon King with a proper Demon King’s Castle would be much stronger than one who had made a territorial declaration in a human body.

 

‘That bastard Sekaros, now I see he was sending subordinates to test the waters.’

 

Lumian’s expression became serious. However, it soon relaxed.

 

As that subordinate had said, he now had confidence that he could win against anyone from the Demon Realm who invaded the Human Realm. If that was the case, the continent’s peace would be maintained regardless of whether that bastard lived or died.

 

Of course, it would become a problem after his own death, but that was a matter for the distant future, so some solution would emerge. He could even train disciples.

 

Having finished his thoughts, Lumian answered with a relaxed face.

 

“Were you too scared to come directly?”

 

– That’s right. I was scared. To think you’d return with such tremendous growth right at the timing when I was about to invade the Human Realm. It was absurd.

 

“Then don’t do useless things and live well in the Demon Realm. Why send an innocent subordinate to his death?”

 

– I know your weakness.

 

“…?”

 

Sekaros suddenly brought up a new topic.

 

Lumian’s eyes narrowed.

 

He had no choice. While there had been many demons who had clashed with him in direct confrontations of strength, there hadn’t been a single one who spoke of his weaknesses like this. His curiosity felt like it would pierce through his head and shoot up to the sky.

 

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the subordinate continued his explanation with an unpleasant laugh.

 

– The materials that Previous Demon King bastard had collected turned out to be quite useful. To think that the continent’s respected Hero is an incarnation of lust, yet still a virgin who has never done it even once, and was even a eunuch in his previous life… How truly pitiful. I know well enough how important that is to humans.

 

“Ha. Are you thinking of using a honey trap? Go ahead and try to your heart’s content. No matter how long my years of starvation have been, I would never fall for the temptations of demon bastards…”

 

– Ah, I have no such intention either. Though I don’t want to acknowledge an enemy, your mental strength certainly seems solid. I can feel a firm will that wouldn’t budge against most temptations.

 

Despite the unexpected praise, Lumian didn’t relax his expression.

 

Not only was the subordinate’s unpleasant tone of speech bothersome, but the strange energy he had been feeling from his own body since earlier kept grating on his nerves.

 

Just then, Sekaros spoke about that very thing.

 

– However, no matter how upright one’s will may be… you can’t simply eliminate the desire itself that exists in your heart. That’s exactly what the curse I’ve cast is.

 

“Curse?”

 

– That’s right. The demonic energy of the Demon King’s Castle, the souls of sacrifices filled with hatred, Father’s great authority… and on top of that, I mixed in the desire that continuously springs forth from your heart. Unless you cut off your lust, which is the medium of this curse, this curse will be maintained for eternity. Kuhuhuhuhuh…

 

An ominous laughter echoed in his mind. Accordingly, Lumian’s face hardened stiffly.

 

It didn’t feel like he was simply bluffing. Something truly, truly dangerous was binding his body. Anxiety filled his chest completely.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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