The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 117

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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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Chapter 117. You’ll Understand Once You See.

The closer I drew to Dominion’s presence, the more pungent the scent of blood became, and the aura of Dominion permeating the air grew increasingly suffocating.

Clang! Clang!

As I neared the heart of the Forest, the sound of clashing blades reached my ears.
Beyond the trees, sunlight poured down upon a vast clearing. The moment I stepped into that space, the scene before me transformed entirely.

Thud! Thud!
Clang! Clang!

Some wielded fists while others clashed swords against one another.
Their numbers varied—pairs and groups of five fought simultaneously.
It resembled a Gladiatorial Arena, save for one crucial difference: they were all puppets dancing to Dominion’s will.
The corpses of the fallen were stacked in a single heap, forming a small Hill of the dead.

“Ah, you’ve arrived. Welcome to my kingdom.”

The creature seated upon a crude wooden Throne spoke.
Its teeth were sharp as a shark’s, its eyes slit like a reptile’s, and horns crowned its head like a diadem.
At first glance it resembled a crowned human, yet its skin was a deep indigo.

“Strong ones like you are always welcome.”

One of the Five Great Calamities, currently deemed impossible to conquer.
Dominion.

“Listen, guests have arrived—cease this spectacle for now.”

The enslaved humans continued their brutal combat regardless.

“Do not command me, human. No matter how exalted your station, there exists no being in this world who can issue orders to me.”

Dominion’s arrogance was absolute. It viewed all creatures as beneath itself.

“Soon enough, I shall add you to this arena. For now, none can match you, but if I recondition that Holy Knight from before, the spectacle would be quite entertaining.”

This Gladiatorial Arena was Dominion’s amusement.
He would watch others fight within his domain and ease his boredom through their struggles.

‘Even if I told him to stop, Dominion would never cease this spectacle.’

Rather, he would continue all the more defiantly. Such a creature required a different approach.

“Is that truly sufficient?”
“…What?”
“I merely ask whether such trivial entertainment could possibly dispel your tedium.”
“How presumptuous. That condescending gaze of yours.”
“I speak only facts. If you perceived it as contempt, that is merely the poverty of your imagination.”

Dominion glared at me, then tilted his head upward.

“Then let me hear it. I shall judge whether your wisdom can truly alleviate my ennui.”

As expected, he responded.
This Forest was currently a ‘domain’ where Dominion could exercise his power freely.
However, once this domain was established, it could not be relocated.
Certainly, those under Dominion’s control could leave, and his abilities would persist to some degree, but Dominion himself could not depart while his domain remained unfurled.

‘Thus he indulges in amusement in this manner.’

A king, yet profoundly isolated. That was Dominion.

“First, cease their fighting. Such crude combat offends me.”

I furrowed my brow as I observed those still locked in struggle.
Dominion regarded my reaction and nodded.

“I concur. Such rabble fighting is indeed beneath dignity.”

Dominion waved his hand, and those wielding fists and weapons froze, then trudged methodically toward a single point.
Fortunately, though some bore grievous wounds since my arrival, no further casualties had mounted.

“Truth be told, I myself have no desire to witness such drivel. It is merely that you humans are far too feeble.”
“I see.”

That was quite the excuse.

“Now that those unpleasant things have vanished, it is your turn to answer. Do you have a better way to alleviate my boredom than this?”
“I do. And it’s remarkably simple.”
“Oh? What might that be?”
“You and I, the two of us fighting with our lives on the line.”

Dominion’s eyebrows twitched momentarily.

“The two of us?”
“That’s right.”

Dominion stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over me.

“You are certainly the most exceptional being I have encountered. You released my power—something that has never been undone by another’s will—and faced the Holy Knight with scarcely a scratch upon you.”
“….”
“Yet that does not make you my equal. I do not lift a finger because it is not weakness that stays my hand, but inferior creatures moving on my behalf.”

His words held truth.
As I stood now, I could not defeat Dominion. In fact, no one in the Theocracy or the Empire possessed the strength to crush him.
Had he not been bound to the domain created by his master, Dominion would have already subjugated this entire Continent beneath his heel.

‘But….’

I, who had toppled Dominion in my previous life, could be certain of one thing.
It would not be I who was trampled here today—it would be him.

“You talk too much.”
“…What?”
“Regardless of what you believe, a fight between us would be far preferable to what just transpired. In short, you have no reason to refuse.”

I fixed him with a steady glare.

“Are you afraid you might submit to me?”
“Ha…!”

Dominion burst into hollow laughter.
It swiftly transformed into a maniacal cackle that echoed across the expanse, a sinister killing intent piercing through my very skin.

“An amusing creature, aren’t you.”

Dominion rose from the Throne.

“You think I fear you humans? Absurd. It is not I who should be revered—it is you who must tremble.”

Dominion straightened his posture with rigid dignity as he spoke.

“I shall teach you this truth with my own hands.”

In that instant, his form vanished from sight.
Before I could react, he thrust his razor-sharp fingers toward me.

Slash!

Though I twisted my body with urgency, his claws still grazed my cheek.
I immediately unleashed my Dark Flame Sword in response.
The blade extended like lightning itself. Dominion retreated, but the proximity between us left a shallow wound across his abdomen.

“….”

We regarded each other in tense silence.
Ordinarily, as befitted one of the Five Great Calamities, his regenerative prowess would have sealed my blade’s wound instantly.
But the situation unfolded in the opposite manner.

Whoosh—

Thanks to Necron’s elixir, my laceration healed swiftly, while the sword wound upon Dominion’s abdomen remained.
The Demonic Sword Cartanos’s ‘Decay’ would require considerable time before his flesh could regenerate.

“…What manner of blade is that?”
“One that will sever your neck.”

At my answer, Dominion’s lips twitched convulsively before he unleashed his fury.

“Do not presume to mock me!!”

Dominion surged forward in an instant, its fingertips thrusting toward me once more.
This time I evaded perfectly and brought my blade of black flame down upon it.
But it simply swung its arm and deflected my sword to the side.

Clang! Crash! Clang!

In the moments that followed, countless exchanges of blade and claw passed between us.
Sharp and swift. A single moment of carelessness would allow those fingers to pierce my heart.
Yet its attacks never found their mark upon me.
At best, my cheekbones or the backs of my hands were grazed, and when its claws scraped against my vestments woven from Lumen’s fabric, they merely slid across without drawing blood.

Slash!

Meanwhile, I gradually carved wounds into its flesh.
Though they were mere superficial cuts, unlike me with my regeneration, its injuries accumulated relentlessly.

‘For all its power—far greater than Gluttony’s—it lacks true combat sense.’

Perhaps it was because it had never needed to fight directly, dominating others with such ease.
Had it reached the realm of ‘Sorrow,’ it might have won through pure combat prowess. Of course, its true danger lay not in raw strength but in its dominion ability.

Whoosh!

Spotting an opening, I brought my blade down with force.
It had committed deeply to its advance, but its superior physical capabilities remained unchanged—it leaped backward and escaped the strike.

“…I concede the point.”

It ran a hand across the wounds on its body. Crimson blood seeped forth.

“Your swordsmanship is exceptional. I certainly possess the superior body, yet strangely I cannot subdue you with ease.”
“No matter how fine a blade, it means nothing in the hands of an infant.”
“Ha! Still so arrogant.”

It fixed me with a piercing gaze.

“Yet one thing is certain—my ennui has dissipated. No, now I am filled with nothing but anticipation.”
“….”
“How exquisite it would be to place one so proud and formidable beneath my heel. And what expression would you wear if I made you kill another human with that blade of yours….”

The creature bared its jagged teeth.

“You may wish for battle with me, but from the start, I and you humans are not equals. And from this moment forward, I shall make you understand the vast gulf between us.”

It extended its hand toward me.

Sssssss!

In that instant, malevolent mana surged forth from it. I watched intently and gripped the hilt of my sword.

It comes.

Its most formidable weapon.
Still, with so little holy power remaining, I had managed to diminish its mana considerably. Now I had no choice but to seize victory with what little sacred force remained.

“Submit, human.”

As those words were intoned, from the creature’s fingertips came a dark blue mana shaped like a demon’s visage, crashing toward me.

Boom!

A formidable mana that could be felt merely by sight, contempt incarnate. It seemed to embody the very concept of Dominion itself.
Should one fail to disperse it with their own power, they would become enslaved to Dominion. Valentis had fallen victim to this ability as well.

There was no escaping it, either.

Once unleashed, it would pursue relentlessly. Thus, the only way to counter it was direct confrontation.
I steadied my breathing and brought my sword down with tremendous force.

Crash!

As my black-flaming blade collided with the demon visage, a tremendous roar erupted.
For a moment, both forces seemed balanced, but then the black flames burned ever more fiercely….

Burst!

The dark blue demon shattered entirely. Dominion’s pupils dilated at the sight.

“…How? I gauged your power precisely during our battle…”

To dismantle Dominion’s ability, neither swordplay nor technique would suffice—only an aura identical to its own could pierce through.
And the aura that had dwelt within the Demon moments ago barely exceeded the holy power I possessed.

‘Normally, I would have fallen to its ability, but there was one thing it never anticipated.’

The Demonic Sword Cartanos.
‘Thanks to its “Corruption” ability, I could dismantle Dominion’s power using merely half my original strength.’

“…But it matters not.”

The true problem was that Dominion’s assault did not end there.

“Surrender yourself as my servant.”

Crash!

The Demon’s visage descended upon me once more.
The magnitude was identical to before, yet having expended half my holy power, I felt a different oppressive force this time.
Still, I brought my blade down with full force.

Boom!

Through the grip of my sword hand, I felt the tremendous impact reverberating.
The Demon’s visage pressed to drive me back, but as I channeled corresponding holy power into my blade, equilibrium returned.

Crash!

For a time, blazing holy power and malevolent magic clashed in fierce tension.
Neither side yielded easily.

Shatter!

The Demon’s visage burst asunder, while my consciousness remained intact.
Dominion’s ability had fractured once again.
Yet my body was far from unscathed. A wave of exhaustion flooded through me, and I planted my blade against the ground to steady myself.
Having withstood Dominion’s assault twice, all the holy power within my body had been drained in an instant.

‘What of it, then?’

I exhale roughly, my gaze fixed upon him.
His aura remains steadfast and unyielding.
It is only natural. Even after obtaining the Sword of Sorrow, let alone the Sword of Pleasure, I cannot guarantee victory in a direct confrontation.
He possesses physical capabilities that surpass most Holy Knights, but his true strength lies in the overwhelming magical power contained within him. In human terms, he resembles a Mage wielding formidable forbidden techniques rather than a Knight.

“Haha…!”

He laughed hollowly, his eyes wide with exhilaration.

“Magnificent. Truly magnificent…! To neutralize my abilities not once, but twice! You are the strongest being I have ever encountered!”

His bewilderment had transformed into admiration. Yet I felt no joy whatsoever.

‘In my previous life, this worm would have been nothing….’

Still, I cannot deny it. With my current strength alone, I cannot defeat him.
Yet despite this, I smiled and straightened my posture with dignity.

“Tell me something I’m curious about.”
“What is it? I shall indulge your questions before making you my subordinate.”
“Do you believe yourself to be the strongest on this Continent?”

Dominion paused in contemplation before responding.

“There may exist beings superior to me in raw physical ability alone. However, there is no one who can stand above me.”

Within the domain Dominion has created, he can truly be called supreme. Here, he is both Pope and Emperor, and also a god.
But having once wandered this Continent, I could only let out a scoff.

“…Why do you laugh?”
“Because you are pathetic.”
“What?”

I spoke plainly.

“You know nothing. You are merely a frog trapped in a well, believing yourself to be king. You are neither the strongest nor anything of consequence.”
“You insolent wretch! How dare you speak so carelessly!”

Dominion’s rebuke rang out, but I dismissed it with an indifferent wave of my hand.

“Well, I’d like to tell you the truth myself, but I still need time. So I called your teacher instead.”
“…What are you talking about?”

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I drew in a deep breath and bellowed with all my might.

“Disciple!!!!!”

My thunderous voice echoed across the forest. Grass trembled in its wake, and birds that had been watching took flight in alarm.
Dominion flinched momentarily, then furrowed his brow.

“…Disciple? Surely you don’t mean the Mage who came with you?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”

In that instant, someone landed softly before me.
A towering figure with long, gangly limbs. A weathered face adorned with a thick, unkempt white beard.
The Old Man who had appeared from nowhere stood like a tree on the verge of snapping.

“Tsk tsk, finally you’ve called for me.”

It was Valter, the former Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Before departing for this place, I had summoned him using the single-use communication artifact I had given him previously.
He had come without hesitation to honor our agreement.

“This old man is your Disciple…?”

Dominion asked in bewilderment, and Valter nodded in response.

“It happened quite by accident.”
“No, more importantly—where did you come from? I’m certain only that one and the Mage entered my domain….”

Valter had been following us the entire time.
The reason he remained undetected was because Valter had concealed his presence.
My ability to control my aura was comparable to his, or perhaps one tier above, but the sheer volume of power he possessed allowed him to suppress his presence almost entirely.
After all, compressing naturally radiating energy required proportional strength.
If I were a grape, he was dust suspended in the air.

‘Still, I couldn’t have him act immediately.’

Valter’s current condition was such that he couldn’t afford to overexert himself. That’s why I had weakened Dominion’s power first, to spare him the burden.

“So, Master, should I be the one to face that bastard?”

Valter ignored Dominion’s question and asked me instead.

“Yes.”
“Then leave it to me.”

Valter turned his head and gazed quietly at Dominion.
Dominion’s eyebrows twitched as he met that gaze in silence.

“You, who will soon die on your own, dare challenge me? Are you jesting?”
“I don’t care for jokes with my enemies.”
“Haha!”

Dominion laughed as though it were absurd.

“Yes. Because you’re an old man like that, even I failed to notice.”

Dominion watched Valter’s leisurely approach with contempt.
He still had no idea who stood before him.

“Still, it seems certain that you are his disciple. It should be quite entertaining to watch him kill his own student.”

Dominion extended his hand toward Valter, who drew ever closer.

“Surrender, inferior human who knows not your place.”

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

In the next instant, a dark blue demon surged forth from his fingertips.
It was far larger and far more potent than those he had unleashed upon me.
Though the figure before him was an old man, Dominion did not lower his guard. Perhaps there was some hidden scheme at play.
Indeed, a judgment worthy of one of the Five Great Calamities.

“….”

Yet Valter simply continued forward without any apparent strategy.
Suddenly, a question I had asked him in my previous life came to mind.

– How are you so strong? At first glance, you’re just a slightly powerful old man.
– Tsk tsk, constantly flaunting one’s abilities is foolish. Simply concealing your strength can lull an opponent into carelessness.
– …You don’t seem to need such tactics.
– True, but it does make victory easier. There could be someone stronger than me, after all.

Of course, before Ludian and I, no human possessed such power.

– While we’re at it, I’ll teach you how to conceal your strength as well. This method of hiding your presence will also help you evade the Theocracy’s notice.

After his instruction, the Theocracy’s agents found me far less frequently.
It was no exaggeration to say that half of my current techniques came from him.

Crash!

And now he was stepping before one of the Five Great Calamities.
Dominion had always subdued opponents through overwhelming magical power.
None could resist Dominion’s magic, and they became mere playthings, manipulated until death claimed them.

‘But…’

Valter and I were different.
During my time as the Sword Demon, I had already defeated Dominion once, and while Valter was meeting Dominion for the first time, such trivial matters meant nothing to him.
To stand before Valter was to be trampled beneath his wrath alone.

‘Witness with your own eyes.’

The true strongest on the Ordeval Continent.
An existence that transcended the fragile limits of humanity and reached toward the heavens themselves.

‘And understand.’

How you were nothing but a frog in a well. How insignificant you truly were before him.
The moment Valter and the Demon drew close.

Boom!

Valter’s aura, which had seemed dormant, erupted outward in a violent explosion.
The Dominion’s power, which had appeared ready to swallow Valter whole, scattered like dust the instant it touched the surging torrent of Valter’s magic.

Kuguguguguguuu!

The ground trembled beneath the aura Valter radiated, and the bark of the trees quivered in response.
The killing intent of Dominion that had pervaded the atmosphere was swept away in an instant, and only the subtle wrath of young Valter’s magical power filled the interior of the Forest.
He was a calamity unto himself.
Within this Forest’s domain, Dominion was an absolute sovereign, yet Valter had already deposed the Emperor of the Empire single-handedly.

“…What?”

Dominion’s voice emerged hollow, overwhelmed by the oppressive presence.
A colossal dragon that did not fit the dimensions of the well loomed over him.

“How is this?”

As those quiet words reached my ears, Valter’s physical form vanished—or so it appeared.
In the next instant, he stood directly before Dominion. His towering frame cast a shadow over the creature as he gazed down.

“A mere demon, you say…”

The strongest man on the Continent—one who could not be governed even by the Theocracy and the Empire—posed a question to the frog in the well.

“Can you dominate me?”

Witnessing this spectacle, I gripped my sword tightly.
Valter’s role was merely to counter Dominion’s abilities.
In my past life and in this one, severing Dominion’s neck was my burden alone.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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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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