The Regressed Martial God Monopolizes Everything - Chapter 23

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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 23. Clues (4)
The Ogres began their advance.
The earth trembled beneath their colossal forms. Massive demonic beasts with three-horned rhinoceros bodies and legs as long as an elephant’s, towering and terrible.
The Ogre Charge Unit broke into a charge.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
James, the commander defending the ramparts, spotted the incoming horde and gave his orders.
“Archers—concentrate all fire on the Ogre Charge Unit!”
No one could say what disaster would unfold if those massive bodies reached the Castle Gate.
The gate, already cracked from several previous battles, would collapse entirely, and the carnage that followed would be inevitable.
Bang-bang!
The concentrated volley that would have meant instant death for any ordinary Demonic Beast poured down relentlessly, yet the creatures with their thick, impenetrable hides continued their charge unbroken.
Then it happened.
Screeeee!
A single arc traced a straight line through the air.
Thunk!
A spear struck with perfect precision between the Ogre’s eyes. The moment it landed, the light of life died in the creature’s gaze.
“Kraaaahhh!”
The Ogre riding atop it tumbled from its back.
Before it could even rise, another charging creature trampled it where it lay, and it never stood again.
The one who had made that impossible spear shot was none other than James himself—commander and knight of the Fortress Wall.
A spear thrust concentrated with Mana had pierced clean through the creature’s thick hide and heavy skull.
With James’s opening strike, other knights who knew how to wield Mana began hurling their spears in rapid succession.
One.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
It was not enough to annihilate the charging Ogre riders entirely.
Would they be broken through after all?
Just as James drew his sword and prepared to leap forward to defend the Castle Gate himself—
Flash!
A crimson Magic Circle appeared in the path of the charging Ogres. From it, pillars of flame erupted in a straight line, erupting forth in a torrent.
Boom! Boom!
Boom-boom-boom!
Flare Strike.
Powerful fire magic assailed the foremost Ogres.
One Ogre toppled from its mount, while another creature’s head burned away entirely, causing the beast to veer wildly in another direction before slamming into rock.
Bang!
“T-the Magic Battalion!”
James’s expression brightened.
It was the chanting of a spell from Im Hyeon-min, the assault commander of Hanul’s forces, who had brought the Magic Battalion to bear.
Led by Im Hyeon-min, spells cast in groups of three or five began to bloom with light.
Black lines erupted wildly from the Magic Circles drawn upon the ground, splitting and tearing, while severed shadows swept across the entire area.
Shing. Shing. Shing!
Dark Blade, a cutting spell of shadow attribute, was followed by brilliant arcs of thunder crackling outward.
Chain Lightning, the signature area magic.
Chains of lightning scattered in all directions, and five Ogres were electrocuted in an instant, their bodies trembling and stiffening as current ran through them.
“Waaaaahhh!”
From within a vortex of ice came spears of cold that froze the entire surroundings, while the air grew thick and hot, compressed until it erupted into a Magnetic Boom that struck with devastating force.
Boom! Crack!
It was no accident that mages were called the flower of war.
Not only were the Ogres being torn apart by the magic, but the countless Goblins swarming nearby were also dying in its sweep.
Yet the enemy’s overwhelming numbers remained.
Ji Min-jeong began chanting another spell toward the fresh wave of attackers.
“Shadow Root.”
Crack-crack-crack!
Shadow vines erupted from the earth, wrapping around the legs of Goblins and beasts alike.
The Goblins, frozen in place, could only watch helplessly as arrows rained down upon them.
Boom-boom-boom!
Though the creatures’ overwhelming mass allowed them to avoid complete immobilization, the Demonic Beasts’ reduced speed made them ideal targets for the knights.
After successfully taking down another Ogre, James surveyed the battlefield.
‘Not bad. Not bad at all…….’
If they could just hold this line.
“Hold on just a little longer! Once the Earl arrives with the main force, he’ll turn the tide!”
The entire purpose of defending this Stronghold was to buy time for the Earl’s reinforcements.
His messenger had arrived four days ago. Today was the day.
They just needed to survive until nightfall.
Screeeee!
But as if to mock that very hope, a horn blast tore through the air, piercing straight through their ears.
“Ah…”
A groan escaped James’s lips.
Armored Ogres poured from the forest in the wake of the horn call.
The ones emerging now were different—Ogre Butchers, radiating an overwhelming aura that put ordinary Ogres to shame.
‘As the Earl draws closer, so too does the Ogre Lord’s vanguard…’
When they were so close to the finish, why did such a formidable force appear now?
Could they possibly hold back the Ogre Butchers—warriors said to rival the kingdom’s elite Knight Order—with the forces at hand?
But James steeled himself at once.
Somehow…
…he had to hold the Stronghold. That was his duty.
“Knights! Focus all your—wait—”
As James prepared to concentrate the knights’ full strength against the approaching Butchers, a single figure caught his eye—someone descending rapidly down the Fortress Wall.
“Jeong Hyeon-su!”
Ji Min-jeong gasped in shock at Jeong Hyeon-su’s sudden, reckless move.
But by the time she could react, Jeong Hyeon-su had already surged forward at terrifying speed, already far beyond her reach.
“Min-jeong, focus on the battle.”
Im Hyeon-min, the assault commander, was briefly startled by Jeong Hyeon-su’s impulsive action, but made no move to intervene.
“The Chairman gave an order.”
“An order?”
“To observe. That’s all.”
“But at this rate—”
“He’s throwing himself into certain death. Should the mages risk their lives to pull him out? For you?”
The words were ruthlessly pragmatic.
Jeong Hyeon-su was, by any measure, their benefactor.
But having the mages march into the thick of the Ogre Charge Unit to assist someone acting on whim was another matter entirely.
“We won’t abandon him to die. We’ll do what we can, nothing more.”
Pillars of flame erupted along the path Jeong Hyeon-su carved.
A form of support, admittedly—but only that.
Then Ji Min-jeong’s mind drifted to that night.
— If we cannot win, we merge with them or bide our time. If we truly wish to build the greatest Guild, what is enduring hardship but the price we pay?
Ji Sang-uk, having witnessed Jeong Hyeon-su directly and acknowledged his strength, had advised her to look ahead.
There was no need to make enemies. Better to keep him as an acquaintance.
But if he could be eliminated, that was the cold calculus of Guild competition.
And yet.
“I… I can’t do that.”
“Can’t? Are you saying you’ll actually help him? With your strength?”
Ji Min-jeong clenched her teeth.
“I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Still so naive.”
Even at Im Hyeon-min’s sneer, Ji Min-jeong did not waver.
Meanwhile, Jeong Hyeon-su slid down the Fortress Wall and collided with the Ogre Charge Unit.
The massive Demon-Slaying Sword he raised carved through the air itself.
Whoooosh!
An Ogre mounted on the Demonic Beast answered in kind, swinging its crude Hammer with equal ferocity.
Strength against strength. The moment when two forces collided.
Crack-crack-crack!
“—!”
Ji Min-jeong’s mouth fell open as she watched.
Jeong Hyeon-su’s Demon-Slaying Sword had cleaved the Ogre’s crown clean in two with a single blow.
Splash!
Green ichor sprayed.
It was nothing short of surreal.
“…He’s supposed to still be a Rookie. How is this…”
The Ogre’s hands still gripped the severed shaft of its Hammer, its body recoiling from the blow.
Through the split flesh and gushing green blood, Jeong Hyeon-su’s Demon-Slaying Sword emerged and cut horizontally without hesitation.
Whoosh!
There was no mistake this time either.
Im Hyeon-min was equally startled by the overwhelming battle energy—a display impossible at this rank level.
‘What is he?’
He didn’t deny Jeong Hyeon-su’s accomplishments since his debut.
It was certain that in the not-too-distant future, Jeong Hyeon-su would surpass even Im Hyeon-min himself. The Chairman had confirmed it—he was that gifted.
But.
Still, the gap between what he showed now and what was expected was severe.
Raw strength could be attributed to talent and natural ability varying.
Yet the destructive power he displayed in combat, and above all, the uncanny sense to evade attacks and mercilessly exploit every weakness and opening—that battle instinct rang alarm bells in Im Hyeon-min’s mind.
Boom!
The power of the Heavenly Overlord Technique amplified by the Reverse Explosive Force Release.
And the Bonus Stats accumulated from climbing the Tower at SSS Rank all this time,
Not content with that alone, the relentless daily training had forged an unrealistic presence.
“He hasn’t even undergone a Promotion Match yet……”
Jeong Hyeon-su, now approaching the sixth floor and possessing everything that seemed impossible for a hunter at that level, charged forward.
He didn’t bother with Goblins. Moving several steps ahead in his vision, he drove forward through the battlefield—nothing but advance, endless advance.
Now the master of the Demon-Slaying Sword, who cut through Ogres and Demonic Beasts alike in a single stroke, stood face to face with the towering Ogre looming before him.
The elite of the Ogres.
Even before the Ogre Butchers—symbols of blood and death—Jeong Hyeon-su let out a small laugh.
“After all, it’s just mimicry, isn’t it?”
Jeong Hyeon-su had personally cut down the kings of the Ogres and the generals who backed those tyrants.
The butchers sent forth with the vanguard were merely amusing.
Grrooooar!
Sensing Jeong Hyeon-su’s Heavenly Overlord Technique, the butchers rushed forward without restraint, unleashing their full power.
Thud! Thud! Crash!
Leaving deep footprints, an Ogre Butcher leaped and brought down its massive Greatsword.
Jeong Hyeon-su swung his Demon-Slaying Sword horizontally to deflect the attack. Then another butcher, gauntlets on both hands, counterattacked.
Clang!
Jeong Hyeon-su used his sword to block the Gauntlets precisely, and his torso tilted backward.
“Watch out!”
But contrary to that precarious appearance, Jeong Hyeon-su had already dissipated the ogre’s force completely.
Instead, he seized that rotational momentum and spun once through the air.
The Shatter Heaven Technique loaded into his foot struck the ogre’s skull with tremendous force.
Crack!
The horizontal impact shattered the jawbone, and the ogre’s face caved in entirely.
Screeeech!
Another butcher immediately aimed for Jeong Hyeon-su again.
Before a fist laden with aura—the battle energy of the Ogres—Jeong Hyeon-su thrust his own fist forward.
“Damn it! The reckless bastard!”
No matter how well trained or skilled a fighter was, there were absolutes.
A head-on clash against such a powerful butcher’s might infused with that aura?
Im Hyeon-min swore without thinking.
In truth, though he’d spoken coldly in front of Ji Min-jeong, he still needed to secure Jeong Hyeon-su’s life, so he hurried to erect a wall of flame for protection, but it seemed too late.
Thunderous crash!
No—the wall of flame shattered instead.
Was an Ogre Butcher’s aura really that powerful?
Crack!
With the terrifying impact that followed, Ji Min-jeong squeezed her eyes shut.
By any measure, Jeong Hyeon-su should have been pulped.
“…What, what is this?”
At Im Hyeon-min’s bewildered voice, Ji Min-jeong opened her eyes in wonder, and her gaze widened in shock.
It wasn’t Jeong Hyeon-su who had been pulped.
A punch wreathed in black aura was buried deep in the ogre’s face.
Facing a scene they couldn’t comprehend, the observers could only gape in astonishment.
“What are you doing? Pour magic on those butchers now!”
Im Hyeon-min, the first to recover his wits, took the lead as magic rained down once more.
Naturally, centered on Jeong Hyeon-su.
To be continued ▶
The Monopolizing Return of the Martial God
Author
Cheon Ya
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries: [email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260515012
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and copying are prohibited.
Violation of this restriction may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes submissions from writers.

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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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