The Regressed Magic Swordsman Devours the North - Chapter 22

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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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Episode 22. Geumseong Tournament (7)
Doctor Crombell’s jaw fell slack the moment he arrived at the grand mansion of the Karsen Family.
“No. What in the world is all this?”
‘No matter how prestigious the Karsen Family is, this far exceeds anything a provincial noble could possess.’
He hadn’t expected the estate to be on this scale. And there was the river flowing before the mansion—they’d called it Lumenia, hadn’t they?
The blue, mysterious mana flowing from the river poured directly into the residence, keeping the interior perpetually warm and fresh as a spring day.
Crombell found himself enchanted by the phenomenon, like a child captivated by a beautiful glass marble. Wonder filled his eyes.
‘Magnificent. Truly magnificent!’
As he crossed the river and approached the mansion, a stocky middle-aged man with thick hair came to meet him.
“Might you be Doctor Crombell?”
“Indeed.”
“Welcome, sir. I am Roman, servant to Sion Karsen. We have been expecting you. Allow me to show you to the reception hall.”
“Ah. Yes. Very well.”
Doctor Crombell followed Roman into the grand mansion of the Karsen Family. And his amazement only deepened.
A mansion vast enough to rival the Central Empire’s imperial palace. And its enormity was far from its only virtue.
Magnificent chandeliers and exquisite furnishings. Tapestries lined the corridor walls.
“Ah. Are these tapestries depicting the history of House Karsen?”
Roman answered Crombell’s question with obvious pride.
“Yes, sir. They are.”
Tapestries are woven fabrics created by interlocking threads of different colors to form images. But each one hanging on these lofty corridor walls stretched fully ten meters or more.
They lined the long hallway, chronicling House Karsen’s history from the Lumen Mythology—the gods who vanished thousands of years ago—through the family’s founding, their wars against the Demon Race at the Northern Heaven Mountain Range, and down to the present day.
A true chronicle of an entire lineage.
“Extraordinary. Truly extraordinary.”
Crombell’s praises flowed without pause. His manner was so ingenuous that he seemed to have forgotten entirely why he had come here.
Beyond the enchanted hallway, when he stepped into the estate gardens, he started again. Countless plants unseen in the north filled the sprawling grounds.
The gardens were vast, and the number of groundskeepers and servants proportionately immense.
But what truly set Crombell’s heart racing was the impossibly vast Magical Circle that wrapped around the entire mansion.
‘What kind of grand mage could possibly perform such madness?’
His heart quickened.
He wanted to examine every corner at once.
How were the Mana Stones arranged? What was the mana efficiency? Was the focus on heat retention or thermal energy generation? What was the magical formula connecting to the Lumenia River?
He could barely restrain his desire to dissect every detail.
But he was a guest here, after all.
Once in the reception hall.
Roman spoke.
“Please wait here.”
Crombell nodded and settled into the sofa. Soft. Truly soft and comfortable.
‘Ah. Now I understand why the Central Empire was so desperate to seize the north.’
Then.
Creak—
The door opened, and a tall man in a black suit entered.
Step. Step.
Military boots rang out in measured rhythm.
Golden hair that gleamed, eyes of immeasurable depth. A handsomeness unlike anything Crombell had seen before. His presence radiated an overwhelming dignity.
He smiled faintly and spoke.
“Welcome, Doctor Crombell. I am Sion Karsen.”
Crombell’s first impression of Sion was this:
“You possess truly striking looks.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
More effusive praise had nearly escaped his lips, but he held it back.
‘That’s enough. There are still unresolved matters between us.’
Crombell steadied himself. The glamour of family name, the grandeur of the mansion, the polish of appearance—that was where it ended.
True to his reputation as an eccentric, he cut through pleasantries with a sharp edge.
“That letter of yours showed considerable presumption.”
A remark that might be deemed rude on a first meeting. Yet Crombell remained unshaken, and Sion took no offense at his manner.
“If I’ve caused offense, I apologize. But whether it was presumption—well, we may have to wait and see.”
Crombell cleared his throat.
Then he continued.
“I’ve heard stories about you.”
“That must have been confusing.”
“A half-measure. A failure. I don’t take kindly to hearing such talk, yet someone dares write that I’ve vanished into eccentricity. Do you understand? I didn’t come here to shake your hand. I came because I couldn’t ignore what was written in that letter.”
“Yet surely the Doctor isn’t one to be swayed by rumor?”
Sion maintained his composure throughout, and Crombell found it irksome. Not unpleasant, exactly. Just… it stuck with him.
“Of course not. No matter how much rabble prattle, they’ll never see through to the heart of an era. That’s why I came to verify it myself. I trust nothing my own eyes haven’t witnessed.”
“Welcome, then. As it happens, I have a stage prepared for you to see exactly what you need.”
“A stage?”
“Today is the finals of the Geumseong Tournament, held here in Seren, the capital of the North.”
“And you’re telling me you’ve made it to the finals?”
“Yes. The finals begin shortly. Come with me. I’ll show you who I am.”
“Ha!”
Doctor Crombell laughed outright at Sion’s unshakeable composure.
“You really are mad.”
Sion smiled gently, untroubled even by the insult, and replied in kind.
“I’ll seat you in the distinguished box.”
“Hm. Well.”
Crombell couldn’t fathom how far Sion intended to push his composure.
***
Before stepping onto the finals stage, I turned to take in the packed stands.
The Kaisus Colosseum, famous for its size, was completely full. It was the largest crowd I’d seen gather in all my time here.
Before the Regression, the Geumseong Tournament had been too distant a matter for me to give it thought.
‘I never imagined it would come to this.’
The crowd’s draw surely owed not merely to the desire to witness the finals, but largely to the two names about to meet on this stage.
Myself—Sion Karsen—and my childhood friend, Silvia Mayer.
The Mayer Family was a Famed Sword Family.
Seventeen years ago, they were all slain in an attack by an unknown force. Now only Silvia remained.
How heavy must the burden be, falling upon her shoulders as sole heir to a house left desolate?
At the time of the attack, the Mayer patriarch and matriarch entrusted Silvia to their white tiger Magical Beast and sent her to the Karsen house.
It was a parent’s desperate hope—that at least the child might live.
By the time my father learned of what had befallen the Mayer house and went to them, the attackers had already fled. No one remained alive.
My father and mother took in the orphaned girl, and from that day forward, Silvia lived in the Karsen manor.
‘When Silvia first came, she was so terribly withdrawn.’
Trauma had kept her from drawing a blade until she turned fifteen. Yet at some point, she overcame that trauma and took up the sword.
As a result, blessed with innate talent, she reached the rank of Intermediate Knight by the age of twenty-two.
I turned my gaze toward my opponent, seated in the pavilion across from me.
Silvia Mayer, Senior Knight of the Inspection Bureau, her sapphire eyes gleaming with intensity.
Her gaze was so fierce and unwavering that countless men, drawn by her beauty, would falter the moment they truly met her eyes and flee in defeat.
As a child, I had harbored affection for her while simultaneously drowning in jealousy.
She had taken up the blade late, yet still surpassed me by far. I envied her for it.
When affection and inferiority merged, a person became something quite ugly.
Ugh—
The unpleasant memory surfaced unbidden.
It was then, while lost in thought, that Midgal’s voice rang out.
“Then! Let us begin the finals of the Geumseong Tournament!”
I snapped to attention and vaulted up onto the stage, watching as Silvia ascended to meet me.
Wind stirred from somewhere, her long, deep-blue hair catching the breeze and flowing free. I looked at her face and spoke.
“It’s been a while. You’re still as beautiful as ever.”
Silvia’s expression turned bewildered in an instant. After all, I was not someone she encountered only rarely.
But for me, it had truly been a long time since I’d seen her. It was my first time since the Regression—of course it had.
The affection I once harbored for her had long been set aside, yet gratitude and regret remained tangled in a corner of my heart.
‘I’m sorry. For letting you die alongside the North.’
I won’t let that happen again. And I’ll help you grow stronger.
While I was alone with memory and resolve, Silvia’s voice cut sharp and clear.
“No tension in you at all. I thought you’d changed, but I was mistaken, wasn’t I?”
I smiled softly and offered an apology.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to slight you. But if you think I’m the same as before, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Ring—
Silvia drew her blade.
“Prove it with your sword.”
Seeing the sharp edge of Silvia’s blade turned toward me, something welled up inside and I laughed.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I haven’t actually let my guard down. It’s just… new feelings, that’s all.”
After apologizing to Silvia,
I looked up toward the guest seating.
I could see my brother and Doctor Crombell.
I searched for Father’s face, but……
He wasn’t there either.
Rather than disappointed, I felt a bitter ache.
And I made a small wish.
Father.
Wherever you are—even through an Artifact—I hope you’re watching over this place.
I hope you’re seeing that your son is trying to change.
From the participants’ seating, I spotted Rui, Bwindol, and Bildo watching this arena. They’d come wrapped in bandages. I wasn’t sure why they’d bothered, but anyway.
Cutting short my reverie,
I spoke.
“You said to prove it with the blade?”
“Yes.”
Shing—
I drew my sword as well.
“As much as you like.”
Midgal strode to the center and called out,
“The finals shall now begin!”
Boom!
As the drum sounded, I kicked off the ground and launched forward.
Clang!
My blade met Silvia’s. Flame Aura erupted from my sword, while Frost Aura rose from hers,
and the two auras locked in an intense struggle.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—
In that moment, I activated Mana Sense. I would gather every detail of Silvia’s fighting stance and build my path to victory upon it.
Clang!
We both gave ground slightly. But Silvia flowed like water, leaping back and then thrusting her blade forward with a sharp curve.
————Clang!
An even more powerful aura bore down on my blade. Heavy impact shot through my wrist, and a tingling sensation raced up my arm.
I tightened my grip, pouring strength into my hands as if I’d never yield.
“Haaagh!”
Fire Dragon’s Breath roared forth—and from the core that felt such terrible cold, crimson Mana erupted in a torrent.
The smooth blade gleamed scarlet in the blazing fire, shimmering vermillion. Highly condensed flame began to push back Silvia’s aura.
“……!”
Silvia’s eyes widened in shock.
Clang!
She opened the distance, and gasps burst from the crowd.
—Ooooooh!
In that instant, I traced a gentle arc through empty air.
I severed the flames blooming from my blade, and the burning aura expanded outward beyond striking range.
Whoooosh—!
The roaring wave of energy tore through the air and stretched forth.
Shoom!
In that moment, everyone watching the tournament gasped in astonishment.
The spectators, Midgal who was overseeing the bout, the nobles, the other competitors, Rui wrapped in bandages, Sid, and Doctor Crombell—all of them.
“An Aura-Expanded Sword Technique!”
Without question, Silvia was the most shocked.
Of course, as a knight of Senior Knight caliber, she countered swiftly.
Her blade flowed with liquid grace, and a crescent-shaped sword energy of pale blue split the air.
The two honed attacks collided in the void.
Boom—!
A thunderous roar rippled across the entire arena. Astonishment and cheers exploded at once.
Waaaaaaah!
Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap!
August in the Northern Heaven.
The climax of the Geumseong Tournament far exceeded everyone’s expectations, and the arena burned with intense fervor.
The Reincarnated Demon Swordmaster devours the North
Author
: Bangsim
Date of Production
: June 16, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Inc.
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: Urban Bench Building 10F, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Aces Media Inc. in accordance with the copyright holder’s contract,
and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
This e-book is protected under copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260615032

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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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