The God-Possessed Swordsmanship Genius - Chapter 45

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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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Sword Genius Who Bears a Divine Spirit, Chapter 45

Not likely?
Lucas and the Gangcheol Castle Lord met each other’s eyes.
In their gazes, the same thought flickered: *Could it really be?*
Allen held out a single sword.
A plain scabbard, a plain hilt. Nothing about it stirred any energy at all; it was an unremarkable blade that could have come from any armory.
Lucas studied it and asked,

“What’s this?”
“The real Demon Sword, obviously.”

Now that he thought about it, Lucas himself had given Allen the order.
In case this was a trap, Second Squad was to track down the genuine Demon Sword on its own.
The idea had been Allen’s, but the decision had been made by Lucas, the Bigeom Corps captain.
Even so, even knowing that-

“You’re telling me this is the real Demon Sword? The one we’ve been searching for?”
“If you don’t believe me, should I draw it and show you?”

At Allen’s words, Lucas, who rarely startled at anything, flared his eyes wide.
Allen gave a sheepish grin at the sudden fierceness that crossed Lucas’s face.

“Kidding, I’m kidding.”
“Is this really the time to be joking?”

We had just been through something harrowing, and now he was pulling this kind of stunt.
The demon called Belvemos and the fake Demon Sword had only just been destroyed, moments ago.
If something like that happened twice in a row, Lucas wasn’t sure even he could handle it.

Lucas took Allen’s words with a grain of doubt.
Though Allen’s words and expression looked playful, he wouldn’t truly joke in a situation like this.
Moreover, judging by the circumstances, the fact that Allen had arrived already knowing what had happened here meant the claim couldn’t be dismissed as false.

“Either way… that really is the real Demon Sword, then?”

If that were so, Allen had earned no ordinary credit on this mission.
No, in truth, he had all but handled the enormous task of securing the Demon Sword by himself.
On top of that, he had saved the life of the Gangcheol Castle Lord, one of the Seven Pillars of the Family.
Lucas wondered whether there had ever been a squad leader in Bishuken’s history who had earned such great merit.

“Have you been living only by deceiving others? Do you really think I’d tell a lie that would be exposed right away?”
“If it’s real, be careful. You saw for yourself how dangerous that thing is.”
“Don’t worry too much. Even if this is the real Demon Sword, nothing like what just happened will occur.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a long story to explain…”

Allen grinned and plopped down onto the ground.

“Well, in any case, it means the mission was a success.”

Thud.

As if all his strength had drained away, Allen simply collapsed flat onto the ground.
Only then did Lucas take in Allen’s condition.
A pallor in his face, lips tinged violet. His hair was soaked with sweat more than once, and wounds dotted his body.
He looked like someone who had fought a deadly battle and then kept running without rest.

“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. More importantly, Bigeom Squad Two is still fighting in Stonevill.”
“Against whom?”
“I’m not certain, but it’s likely the Dark Castle. I heard from them that there’s a fake Demon Sword here as well.”

At the mention of the Dark Castle, Lucas’s expression hardened.
The Dark Castle.
Unlike Bishuken, which stood neutral, they were closer to the darkness of the continent.
The polar opposite of the Empire, which embodied the continent’s justice and order.
So they had released a fake Demon Sword on this mission.

“I think they’ll be fine, but just in case. Please look after Squad Two.”

At Allen’s request, Lucas turned his head.

“Bigeom Corps!”
“Yes!”
“Gather whoever can still move and head to Stonevill. Starting now, you’re reinforcing Squad Two.”
“Understood!”
“Allen, you…”

Just as Lucas, having issued his orders to the Bigeom Corps, was about to ask Allen what on earth had happened.

Hhk… Haah.

Perhaps he had already reached his limit, for Allen collapsed the moment he finished relaying Squad Two’s news.
His breathing sank into deep, heavy sleep.
Watching him, Lucas let out a short, breathy laugh and spoke.

“You did well, Squad Leader Two.”

* * *

Allen fell into sleep as abruptly as if he had passed out.
In that sleep, Allen dreamed.

Splash.

A ground where blood had pooled.
Severed heads and arms rolled across the floor. Blood spilling from countless bodies soaked his feet.
In the very heart of a battlefield where countless people were dying.
Allen remembered this place.

‘Belvemos.’

The subjugation of Belvemos, one of the Three Demons.
It had been an operation where the swordsmen and mages of the Death Squad joined forces.
Among the corpses lying on the ground, he caught sight of familiar faces.
Among them was Renard, who had aged far more than he had now.

Chwaak!

Belvemos was still slaughtering his comrades.
Someone screamed for everyone to run. As if he had been waiting for that very word, another man, trembling with terror, turned and fled.
In the middle of a battlefield swallowed by fear.
The comrades of the Death Squad began to flee from Belvemos.

‘So many have died.’

Allen’s gaze drifted to Belvemos, who stood atop the bodies. In one hand, the demon clutched a human head, its features warped beyond recognition.
How many had died by that creature’s hand that day?
The sky turned red with the mana bleeding from the creature. Grinning, he chased after the fleeing humans.

It was only a dream, but it brought back the memories clearly.
What the so-called Ten Great Demons had really been.
The Belvemos he had met on this mission was nothing like the Belvemos Allen had known.
Having failed to revive properly, it was a pathetic thing, far from even the Three Demons, let alone the lower ranks of the Ten Great Demons.

That was when it happened.

Swoosh…

The sky changed. So did the landscape below.
The land made of blood vanished, and a desolate forest took its place.
Within that forest stood graves, built from rocks and stones.

“Ah……”

Allen remembered this place.
A place he could never forget, one he must never forget.
These were the graves for the people who had died in the fight against Belvemos.

Crunch.

Hesitating for a moment, Allen walked up to the graves.
Unsure of what to say first, the first words Allen finally spoke were these.

“……Belvemos is dead.”

In this moment, Allen had returned to being the Allen of his past life, the one who had fought against the demons.

“I wasn’t the one who brought that guy down, the one you all knew. I don’t have that kind of strength.”

Not knowing how to explain it, Allen simply spoke honestly.
It was a dream anyway, so what did it matter, he thought.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve come back from the past. I met Belvemos in the distant past, and I was able to kill him early. You know that, right? Even if I don’t look like it, I came from a very prestigious family.”

Of course, the dead said nothing.
Yet Allen spoke as though they had answered him while still alive.
Allen let out a deep sigh.

“I know. Just one of them, that’s all.”

Only one of the Ten Great Demons.
Nine more still remained.
Beyond them, there were countless other powerful demons.
Above all, the Demon King.
That one was the greatest problem of all.

“Still, isn’t every journey made one step at a time? For now, please just tell me I did well.”

Right after saying that, Allen fell silent for a while.
Words he should say came to mind, but his lips wouldn’t easily part.
And then, after a long silence that lingered for some time.

“To my shame, I was the last one to die. Without realizing it, I must have held back.”

Allen bowed his head toward the graves.

“I’m sorry.”

Standing before them, I was reminded of the final battle.
The fight in the pouring rain.
Ironically, of everyone, I was the last survivor standing.
Why was that?
I wasn’t even the strongest among them.

At first, I dressed it up with grand words like fate, and I even wondered if it was simply chance, but in the end, only one thing remained.

Guilt.

Allen was ashamed that he had been the last to die.

“I suppose I lived the longest because I was the weakest. Looking back now, I think I was nothing but a burden to all of you.”

Allen bit down hard on his lip.

“So… from now on, I’ll do better.”

Allen lifted his head.
He could feel the dream slowly fading.
The grave before him vanished, then the forest. A sensation of floating came over his body.
The time to wake was drawing near.

“It was good to see you all. If you can, show yourselves alive next time. Even in a dream, I’d be happier that way.”

Allen, struggling to find the right words for a final farewell, spoke.

“Well then, I’m off to go catch another one.”

For some reason, it felt as though his comrades in the grave were waving at him.

* * *

Allen woke from the dream and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the ceiling of the infirmary. He had no idea how much time had passed.
Just as he had barely opened his eyes.

“So you’re awake?”

A voice reached him from Lucas, who was sitting a short distance from the bed.
Lucas was reading a book with no cover. It seemed he had been waiting here all along for Allen to wake.
Allen asked,

“What about Squad Two?”
“The first thing you do after waking is worry about your subordinates? Look at you, becoming the model squad leader.”
“So they’re safe, then.”

At Lucas’s reply, Allen let out a breath of relief.
If something had gone wrong with Squad Two, his brother would never have answered like that.

“A few have minor injuries, but nobody’s seriously hurt. Everyone’s fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
“And it seems Squad Two captured one of the enemy on your orders. Looks like a swordsman from the Dark Castle, and they plan to send him back to the family for interrogation.”
“I was worried, but they all did well.”
“Worried, my foot. Your condition was the real problem. How did you manage to get here in that state?”

Lucas, who had checked on Allen’s condition after he collapsed, was startled.
Allen was nearly exhausted. On top of that, his body was covered in small wounds from sword qi.
To have run from Stonevill to the Tomb of Swords without stopping, in that condition.

“Thanks to me, you didn’t arrive late, right? This is the time to just say thanks.”
“It certainly was thanks to you, I’ll give you that…”

Lucas knitted his brows and asked.

“Since we’re on the subject, what were you thinking pulling a stunt like that? You could have ended up swallowed by the Demon Sword.”

On this mission, Allen had accomplished something enormous.
Not only had he identified the real Demon Sword on his own, he had also pulled the Bigeom Corps and Gangcheol Castle Lord out of the trap set by the fake Demon Sword.
Still, if he looked at the process rather than the outcome, Lucas’s blood ran cold even now.
What if Allen had been devoured by the Demon Sword instead of the Gangcheol Castle Lord?
In that case, he might have had to take his own brother’s head with his own hands.

“It wasn’t something I did without thinking.”
“You had grounds for it?”
“Yeah.”

Allen was ready to explain.
But then.

“Fine, then.”
“Huh?”

Allen was thrown off by how easily Lucas seemed willing to let it go.

“You’re not going to ask? Why I did it? I’m pretty sure you said we’d talk later before I passed out.”
“I got a rough report. That you fought the demon man in Stonevill and used the Demon Sword to do it.”

Lucas let out a long sigh.
A flood of words churned behind his lips.
Why would you do something so dangerous? That it had been a gamble with your life on the line.
But as captain of the Bigeom Corps, he ultimately chose these words instead.

“Well done, Squad Leader Two. And thank you. Your skill and judgment saved the Bigeom Corps and the Gangcheol Castle, and made this mission a success.”

At Lucas’s praise, Allen grinned.
A word of praise and a thank-you.
Empty courtesies, really, but hearing them from his brother made him happier than he had been in ages.
He had always been the one standing in the shadow of the family, and now, as a squad leader of the Bigeom Corps, he had successfully completed a mission.

“Don’t mention it, Captain.”
“Already getting cocky?”
“If not now, when am I supposed to get cocky? Cut me some slack.”

Allen shrugged playfully and glanced around.

“Where’s the Demon Sword, anyway? I went to all that trouble to get it, and I don’t see it.”
“It’s in its sheath, under guard. We’re heading back to the main castle through the transit gate at noon today. It’s already been two days since you collapsed.”

At Lucas’s answer, Allen’s face fell with disappointment.
The situation had been so urgent that he hadn’t had much chance to talk with the Demon Sword. Unlike the others, Allen had been able to converse with it without having his soul taken.

‘Well, there’ll be another chance.’

And if there wasn’t one, he planned to make one.
The Demon Sword, Kagros.
He had so many questions for it.

“Are you feeling any better?”

At Lucas’s question, Allen nodded and rolled his shoulders back with a wide, deliberate sweep.

“I’m perfectly fine.”
“You seem full of energy, so come with me for a bit.”

Lucas closed the book he had been reading and rose from his seat.

“Gangcheol Castle Lord wants to see you.”

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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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