The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 118

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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 118. Shall I Teach You?

Dominion quickly regained his senses as Valter closed in.

“Disappear!”

He swept his hand horizontally, as if to cleave Valter’s body in two. The blade passed swiftly across Valter’s form.

“…What?”

Yet Valter’s body remained intact.
Dominion’s arm, severed at the wrist, revealed a clean cross-section, while the detached half drifted through the air.

Whoooosh!

A crimson blade of flame rose diagonally upward.
Valter had drawn and struck before Dominion’s hand could complete its arc.
Valter smiled wickedly.

“Not a bad opponent to demonstrate my disciple’s growth.”
“Tch…!”

Dominion furrowed his brow sharply and retreated to create distance.
In that instant, the severed arm regenerated. Valter wielded only ordinary mana, and without the Demonic Sword Cartanos, such wounds meant nothing.

‘Still, I cannot hand over this blade.’

I had subdued Zenolak’s consciousness within the demonic sword, but I had not destroyed the blade itself, so it had not vanished entirely.
Of course, Valter could easily suppress Zenolak’s weakened consciousness, but to kill one of the Five Great Calamities, I would ultimately need to shatter the core stone within its body.

‘There is no reason to create unnecessary variables.’

And I already knew the location of that core stone. Unlike Gluttony, Dominion’s core stone was fixed in place.

Click.

Dominion seized a blade lying on the ground. It was a prudent decision—reaching toward Valter would only result in being cut.

A soft rustling—

Navy-blue mana bloomed from Dominion’s blade. I had witnessed this sight in my previous life, so it held no shock for me.

A sharp crack!

Valter’s foot struck the ground.
A sword wreathed in flames materialized before Dominion and descended with blinding speed.

A deafening crash!

Dominion countered with his own blade, the collision erupting in a thunderous boom as the two swords locked together.

Metallic shrieking—

Yet the flaming sword was gradually forcing Dominion backward.
Though Dominion’s physical prowess did not match his mana reserves, his sheer magical output alone could overwhelm most opponents.
But it proved ineffective against Valter.
His swordsmanship, physical ability, and mana all surpassed Dominion’s.

A resonant clash!

Dominion finally gave ground beneath the relentless onslaught.
Valter offered no respite, his feet flowing smoothly as he pressed forward.

A rapid flurry of metallic strikes—

Dozens of blade strikes cascaded upon Dominion in an instant.
Like waves of flame crashing down, Dominion had no opportunity to attack—only to defend desperately.

‘So fast.’

Impossibly fast.
While I could track Dominion’s movements with my eyes, Valter’s speed exceeded what my current dynamic vision could follow.
He was like a hummingbird pursuing a flower called Dominion.
Valter’s blade seemed to bloom from every direction at once, frozen in place, while his body appeared only as a blurred afterimage.
Only the flames left traces, rendering his movements somewhat more discernible.

‘He is stronger than when I faced him in my previous life.’

In a way, it was inevitable. I had only met Valter a few months from this point in my previous life.
My physical condition would naturally be better than it was then.
Yet the fact that I had surpassed him remained unchanged.

‘That’s precisely why I can see it.’

Dominion’s movements, and Valter’s sword path.
I watched the battle unfold while recalling a memory from a certain day.

– By the way, you were tracking my movements, but how? With your current physical abilities, you shouldn’t be able to follow my sword.

It was a question Valter had posed after our first battle upon meeting.

– I don’t know. It’s just instinct.
– Instinct, you say? You’ve been blessed with remarkable talent.

Valter smiled faintly as he spoke.

– You’re certainly strong, but there are still countless beings in this world stronger than you. You acknowledge that, yes?
– Well, I suppose so. I met you today, after all.
– Tsk tsk, but there’s probably no one quite like me.
– ….
– Anyway, from now on, when you encounter someone with superior physical abilities, don’t move on instinct alone—be conscious first. Never stop thinking.
– What do you mean by that?

Valter continued.

– No matter how strong one is, the variety of movements is limited. For example, it’s impossible for a human body to throw a punch and then suddenly extend the arm backward.
– ….
– If you’ve dodged your opponent’s punch, the next attack will most likely come from their other hand or their feet.

I listened intently to Valter’s words.

– Thus, by being conscious of those possibilities and preparing for the next move before dodging, you see? It’s not just using physical ability—you use your mind to predict your opponent’s next move.
– But is there really a difference between being conscious and not being conscious?
– A tremendous difference. If you anticipate, you can react far more quickly.
– Hmm.
– Originally, this requires accumulating countless experiences, and even then it’s difficult. But since you’ve already dodged my attacks, you should certainly be capable. Would you throw a punch at me? Let me demonstrate.

I scratched the back of my pocket and nodded.

– Understood.

Then I thrust my fist swiftly toward his face.
But he simply retreated at the appropriate moment, evading the blow. Even when I extended my fingers, they barely missed his forehead.

– So now you can’t use your right hand here─.

At that moment, I flicked a small pebble from my grasp with my fingers and sent it flying.

Thunk─!

It struck Valter’s forehead precisely, then rolled across the ground.
It was a pebble that had naturally fallen into my back pocket during my battle with Valter.
I laughed wickedly.

– You didn’t see that coming, did you?
– ….

Valter, rubbing his forehead, asked.

– …Do you perhaps have no lingering attachment to life?
– Well, I suppose I don’t.
– Tsk tsk, I’ve never seen a madman like you before.
– What about you?
– Tsk tsk tsk….

Now that I think about it, that was truly insane. In my previous life, I had so many attachments to living that I could never do such a thing again.

‘In any case….’

I watched the battle between Valter and Dominion.
I still cannot follow Valter’s movements. Yet his motions are dimly visible.
…Those who have not reached the summit merely gaze upon it and think, ‘How high it is.’
The view from the peak, the very temperature of that height—one cannot even dare to imagine.
And Valter is one who has reached that summit. A peak so lofty it seems to touch the heavens.

‘But….’

I had already reached that level once before.
No—I was the Sword Demon who had surpassed even that, leaving a sword mark upon the Demon God itself.
Therefore, even if I cannot see Valter’s movements in the present, I can predict them.

Clang, clang, clang!

I project my former self—the Sword Demon—onto Valter’s current form.
How would I have overwhelmed Dominion? What manner of movement would I have employed?

“….”

Then Valter’s movements begin to crystallize before my eyes.
I perceive not points, but lines. I witness not a stationary blade, but a continuous arc of swift sword strokes.

‘The flank, a horizontal slash, a parry, then a thrust.’

My thoughts accelerate as my eyes dart rapidly across the space.
My pupils track Valter’s movements. More precisely, his phantom form materializes before me, following my gaze.

‘The neck, a downward strike, a withdrawal into a spin, and then another thrust…?’

Yet the thrusting Valter does not appear. It is not that my prediction has failed—Valter has deliberately halted.
As I observe him suspended in the void, our eyes meet.

“Hmm?”

He utters a soft exclamation of admiration before charging at Dominion once more.
Valter attacks; Dominion defends without respite.
Valter continues to press his advantage, yet Dominion’s regenerative power prevents the battle from concluding swiftly.
Of course, Valter will ultimately seize victory, but I had no intention of merely standing idle and watching.

‘I must show proper respect to the Old Man.’

So I drew my sword.
With one hand, I grasped the scabbard; with the other, I held the hilt firmly.

– There exists a method to swiftly decide victory in combat with an opponent. It is a technique one may employ when the enemy cannot gauge one’s strength and reveals an opening.
– What is it?
– The Iaijutsu—the swift draw.

Recalling Valter’s words, I lowered my stance gradually.

– Of course, it doesn’t simply mean drawing a sword from its sheath. You fill the scabbard with magical power, then use the explosive force bursting from the sheath to draw and swing the blade with tremendous speed.

I poured holy power into the remaining space of the scabbard.
As the blade naturally tried to escape along with black flames, I pressed down firmly to suppress it.

– Of course, you need the strength to suppress it, and there’s the disadvantage that both the scabbard and blade will sustain significant damage.
– I see.
– But if you succeed in the draw….

Holy power condensed within, causing the scabbard to vibrate as if trembling.

– No matter how strong the enemy is, you can sever their neck in a single stroke.

I spread my legs appropriately and lowered my stance even deeper.
I used the remaining holy power to gather wind beneath my feet. I was concentrating all my techniques to burst forward.

‘The opportunity will come soon.’

Dominion was somehow enduring, but if things continued this way, he would have no choice but to create distance.
Otherwise, he would be swept up in the typhoon of sword strikes.

Crack!

Then Dominion’s blade shattered. As I predicted, he leaped backward.

“Stop him!”

At that command, the people who had been standing idle rushed at Valter.
Valter, who had been about to pursue Dominion, had no choice but to stop abruptly.

“Oh no, this has become troublesome.”

It would be far too easy for Valter to cut them down. But if he charged forward like this, they would certainly be swept away.
So now it was my turn.

‘Here it comes.’

A chance to sever Dominion’s neck in one swift motion.

Thwack!

I burst the wind gathered at my feet and drove myself forward across the ground. Still without drawing my blade, I rushed through the empty air.

Hummmmm—

The sword vibrated fiercely, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow.
Currently, Dominion stood directly in my path of charge, with the controlled ones positioned behind.
Should I hesitate even slightly, or should my attack fail, Dominion would burrow into their ranks and hide.
The casualties would only multiply then.

– Don’t waver.

But my blade and my gaze remain steady.

– I must harbor absolute certainty that this single strike will sever the enemy’s neck.

Though I employ this technique for the first time in this life, I wielded it dozens of times during my days as Sword Demon.
Save for the occasions when Valter instructed me, I had never once failed with this technique.

– Only then can I….

And so I was certain.

– Sever the enemy’s neck.

Dominion’s neck awaited at the tip of this blade.
I reached Dominion in an instant. Dominion’s eyes widened as he turned to face me.
But it was already too late.

Whoooosh!

As I released the tension in my grip on the hilt, the blade erupted from its scabbard in a burst of black flames.
Now my task was simple: guide this blade toward Dominion’s neck.

Whirrrr!

Black flames trace along the sword’s path. That blade advances toward Dominion with grace and without hesitation.
This technique bears no grandiose name.
It is merely a straightforward art—drawing the sword with concentrated power and severing the enemy’s neck in one clean motion.
Yet its force was as devastating as a single meteor shower.

‘Flash Draw.’

Whoooooooosh—!

Black flames scatter like a fan’s spread, brilliant and chaotic. Dominion’s neck is cleaved in the torrent.
A lightning-fast single strike, piercing through a thread-thin gap, executed with devastating speed.
Even Dominion, one of the Five Great Calamities, could not withstand it.

“…What?”

Only then did Dominion comprehend what had transpired. But his head was already floating skyward.
No matter how extraordinary his regenerative prowess, there was no way to restore himself immediately after suffering a Demonic Sword’s blow.

Thud—

Dominion’s head rolls across the ground.
Yet those afflicted by Dominion’s power still charged toward us. Dominion had not yet truly died.
I stood towering before his severed head.

“How dare you…!”

Dominion glared up at me, his voice sharp.

“How dare you look down upon me!!”

Dominion had always gazed down upon all other beings. Until now, none had ever dared to look down upon him.
Not until I and Valter arrived.

“How does it feel? Being devoured in your own well?”
“Silence! I am the king who reigns supreme over all species!”

I sneered and raised the flaming blade once more.

“For a king, you are remarkably weak.”

Perhaps it was because he was a frog king.

Thwack!

The blade’s tip pierced through Dominion’s brow, shattering the source stone that lay in its path.
His eyes bulged wide before his body crumbled to dust and vanished.

Thud, thud, thud—

The people who had been rushing toward us collapsed like marionettes with cut strings. The distance between them was sufficient to spare them from being crushed beneath one another.

“Phew….”

Only then did I sheathe my blade and catch my breath.
Despite using the Fang Draw, the sword bore not a single scratch. The Demonic Sword Cartanos would not break from something so trivial.

‘It has been quite some time since I’ve engaged in such an intense battle.’

In my previous life, I fought mediocre opponents often enough, but now that I’ve grown far too quickly, I’ve always overwhelmed my enemies without exception.
Still, I’d prefer to avoid such grueling encounters in the future. I will grow stronger yet and trample my foes beneath my feet.
For now, well—I had no choice but to kill one of the Five Great Calamities, something I couldn’t have handled otherwise at this stage.

“You….”

It was then that Valter spoke. His eyes rippled with profound shock.

“How did you….”

The Fang Draw was a technique Valter had pioneered.
Though it appeared deceptively simple on the surface, mastering it required vast experience and profound secrets.
To witness such a technique performed before his very eyes—he could only be astonished.

‘Only he and Tom, whom he took as his disciple, know of this technique.’

Yet he had surely taught it to me.
Though the events I experienced with Valter during my regression have vanished from this world, the memories and techniques remain etched within my mind.
The reason I stand as a strong one now is undoubtedly thanks to that.
So even if fate has twisted and our meeting has changed….

“Why would I teach you?”

You remain, even now, my temperamental master.

(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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