The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 70

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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 70. What Are You Looking At?

I had always thought of Arvin as nothing more than a Holy Knight who unhesitatingly used criminals as bait.
In my past life and now, Arvin had lured Gluttony using criminals, after all.

‘But the moment I met him and spoke with him, I caught on to something.’

To Arvin, they were no longer mere criminals—they were residents of this Village.
On the surface, he was cold and his eyes were closed, so I couldn’t read his gaze, but it showed in his subtle tone and mannerisms.

‘Arvin probably knew those bastards would try to escape in this chaos.’

That’s why he deliberately intended to take them with him.
And if they fled, he would have let them go under the pretense that he had no choice since he needed to capture Gluttony.

‘I underestimated Arvin’s nature. I never thought he’d nearly fall before I arrived.’

Arvin possessed the strength to stand against Gluttony.
But Gluttony had cunningly exploited Arvin’s weakness and seized the advantage.
Though in a way, it was inevitable. The Five Great Calamities were always like that.

“….”

The dust and heat that had filled the area from the point-blank explosion gradually began to settle.
I quietly watched the place where Gluttony had been.

Screeeech!

Then something burst through the dust at tremendous speed. It was a mouth lined with sharp teeth.
I severed it with my flaming blade, and the mouth convulsed like a fish before vanishing.

“Kgh kgh…. Tremendous power. I nearly died in a single strike.”

The dust cleared completely, and Gluttony’s form was revealed.
A massive hole had been bored through its body—the path the point-blank explosion had carved.

Slither slither—

But the black cells stirred, and the hole began to fill in gradually.
It was regenerating.
Holy power was a force specialized against magic, so it dealt little damage to Gluttony, who possessed mana.

‘Still, that last attack definitely weakened it.’

Even for Gluttony, repairing wounds of that magnitude required considerable mana.
Knowing that, I unleashed a powerful technique while Gluttony was wary of me.

‘If it had been a direct hit, it would have died.’

Within the Five Great Calamities lay a source stone. Without destroying it, they could weaken but ultimately grow again.

“Should’ve just died. All you’d get from being hit is hungrier.”

At my words, Gluttony, now fully regenerated, opened its massive maw.

“Well, eating you lot should satisfy that well enough.”
“You might choke if you’re not careful.”
“Don’t worry. That’s never happened before.”
“Tsk, tsk. It devours everything else but can’t comprehend a single word.”

We stared at each other in silence. Two killing intents clashed in the empty air.

“Interrogator!”

Bella, who had been chasing after me, landed beside me. I rebuked her.

“You’re too slow, Bella. No wonder you’re called Turtle.”
“Ugh, I’ll be faster next time.”
“We’ll see about that.”

In truth, it was only natural she couldn’t keep up when I was running at full speed.
Even after consuming Yang Gwang-cho, Bella was ultimately a Mage. If anything, she arrived faster than I expected.
About the difference of a single shell, so to speak.

“Um… what happened to the others?”

At Arvin’s question from behind, I responded.

“I killed them.”
“Ah….”
“I gave them ample opportunity. It’s their own fault for squandering it.”
“I see…. In a way, it was inevitable….”

I glanced at Arvin’s green eyes.

“Where did you get those two eyes from?”
“Ah, well, it just happened….”

Arvin touched the corners of his eyes.
Originally, Arvin hadn’t lost his eyes—he’d lost his sight after gaining holy power. It wasn’t strange that he’d regained his vision now.
It wasn’t strange that he’d regained his vision now.

“Can you fight?”

Arvin gave no verbal answer, only nodding his head down heavily.

“I see.”

Even with his sight restored, Arvin remained hidden in the wardrobe of his past. It would take time for him to emerge from there on his own.

Boom!

At that moment, black tentacles erupted from the ground on both sides, aiming for our heads.
While we conversed, Gluttony had sent tentacles through the floor.
But I’d already sensed them approaching from some distance away.

Slash!

I severed the approaching tentacles with my flaming sword, while Bella cut away the ones directed at me with her wind blade.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Gluttony didn’t relent, unleashing a torrent of tentacles bursting from its body.
I lowered my stance and commanded.

“Bella, sweep them away once.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”

Bella extended both hands. Space rippled at their tips, and a massive inferno poured forth.

Whoooosh!

The flames incinerated the approaching tentacles, and I surged forward along their edges toward Gluttony.
As I drew closer to Gluttony, the flames gradually weakened, and soon charred tentacles lashed toward my face.
Bella had grown considerably stronger, but she wasn’t yet at the level to contend with Gluttony, one of the Five Great Calamities.

Shing!

Still, thanks to her support, I had conserved enough strength to slash through them and close in on Gluttony.
I swung my sword arm back over my shoulder and thrust it forward directly at the creature.

Thunk!

A blade of flame pierced through Gluttony’s body.
Yet the creature twisted its massive maw into a grin.

“Wrong answer.”

I had aimed for the source stone, but before my blade could strike, the creature had already relocated it elsewhere within itself.

Screech!

A tentacle crowned with a gaping maw materialized above my head. I had no choice but to withdraw my sword and create distance.

‘Ordinary methods won’t bring it down easily, it seems.’

Then I had no choice but to execute the original plan.
I had hoped to avoid it since it could endanger even me, but circumstances demanded otherwise.

“Bella. I’m deploying ‘that.'”
“Understood.”

Bella nodded, her expression tense.
I pressed firmly against the ground and gathered wind beneath my feet. Then, propelled by the explosive recoil, I crossed the empty air in an instant.

‘Gale Burst.’

Boom!

As I rushed forward at tremendous speed, Gluttony retreated and unleashed its tentacles.
I skidded to a halt, scraping the ground beneath me, then advanced step by step while slashing through the tentacles that filled my vision.

Screech!

This time, tentacles came flying from both sides. But I paid them no mind and focused solely on pushing forward.
Bella was defending the flanks with her barrier since there weren’t as many tentacles coming from those directions.
The moment my vision cleared completely, I charged at Gluttony, which stood there dumbfounded.
Just as my feet touched the ground.

Crack!

A massive maw erupted from the very spot where Gluttony had been standing.
Before I could close the distance, Gluttony had hidden a portion of its body beneath the ground.
True to its reputation as one of the Five Calamities, it possessed intelligence far beyond that of ordinary monsters.

‘Tsk.’

I had been about to retrieve “it” from my possession, but I was forced to draw my blade instead.
Even I couldn’t avoid a fatal wound if I were swallowed by that mouth.

Slash!

But at that moment, something came rushing from behind with a brilliant white light and severed the gaping maw.
It was Arvin, who had somehow drawn his sword. He stared at me with wide eyes.

“Get out of here!”

But I’ve never been one to listen to others, so instead of retreating, I pulled a walnut-sized sphere from my possession.
Currently, Gluttony and I were close enough to touch with a single large stride.
I hurled the sphere directly into its gaping maw.

Whoosh!

It swallowed without any particular reaction. The moment I saw that, I grabbed Arvin by the scruff of his neck and bolted backward.

“A mana bomb?”

Gluttony tilted its head in confusion.
It is a bomb, certainly. Just not an ordinary one.

“But this is merely condensed mana—a meal for me….”

That was when it happened.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A tremendous explosion erupted, and its massive body swelled grotesquely. Purple smoke immediately backflowed from its gaping maw.
What it had consumed was a bomb condensed with deadly toxin—one Arturo had crafted specifically to kill the Viper Family Head.
The bomb contained a poison potent enough to dissolve mana itself, making it perfectly suited against Gluttony, a creature born of pure mana.

‘The only problem is that this bomb was designed to detonate from a distance.’

Gluttony’s body had absorbed the blast force, but the toxic miasma was advancing rapidly toward us.

“Bella!”
“Yes!”

I swung the Blade of Wrath, incinerating the toxic mist, while Bella dispersed it with wind magic.
Fire and wind converged, sweeping across the front.
By the time the heat and wind subsided, the toxic miasma had been completely incinerated.

“What… is this….”

Gluttony, its entire body dissolving from the deadly toxin, forced its mouth open with difficulty.
The mana-dissolving poison was hindering its regenerative abilities.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

I let out a cold chuckle.

“Eat the wrong thing, and you’ll get indigestion.”
“Damn….”

Gluttony’s massive black cells dissolved entirely, vaporizing into nothingness.
All that remained was a small black sphere no larger than a fingernail—Gluttony’s core stone.
I stepped forward casually and crushed the core stone beneath my heel. The shattered stone crumbled to dust and scattered away.

‘If I’d let it grow any further, it would’ve been a real headache.’

Even now, I’d managed to bring it down fairly easily thanks to Arturo’s extreme toxin bomb.
Without that, I would’ve had to accept some damage myself. Of course, since Gluttony was still underdeveloped, bringing it down was inevitable either way.

“Is it… over?”

I nodded in response to Arvin’s question.

“Yes.”
“I see…”

Arvin collapsed backward. His life wasn’t in danger, but he’d sustained internal injuries.

“So, how does it feel? Getting your revenge while turning a blind eye to your own inner guilt?”
“It feels more uncomfortable than I expected. Perhaps because I didn’t defeat Gluttony with my own strength?”
“You know the real reason better than I do.”
“…I suppose you’re right.”

A bitter smile crossed Arvin’s face.

“Was I… in the right?”

Arvin, who’d never killed a single human with his own hands and was called the Holy Knights’ merciful warrior.
But contrary to what the world believed, he’d actually sacrificed criminals as bait to lure Gluttony.
And he’d done so while showing them compassion and warmth.
In a way, it was a crueler form of punishment than simply killing them.

“Honestly, I don’t give it much thought. If anything, recycling trash is admirable resourcefulness.”
“…”
“I don’t see why I should bother taking in useless trash that serves no purpose to me.”

Arvin, turning my words over in his mind, replied.

“At first, I’m sure I thought the same way you do, Interrogator. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have rebuilt this Village in the first place.”
“That’s true.”
“But I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way now…”

It wasn’t simply because his nature was kinder than mine. There was likely another, deeper reason.

“It’s because you spent years with them. Even if the affection you gave them was false, the human heart isn’t so simple.”
“….”
“Well, even if I were in the same situation as you, I doubt I’d feel that way.”

After all, I was steeped in darkness. There was no light in me to extend kindness even to criminals.
Arvin let out a soft laugh.

“Then the Interrogator must find someone like me difficult to understand.”
“Understanding isn’t necessary. What matters is respect.”

That’s why I gave those who tried to flee a chance. Without Arvin, I wouldn’t have spared them at all.

“Of course, I don’t respect idiots.”
“Haha, I see.”
“Still, your actions don’t seem to have been in vain.”

I glanced toward another direction.

“Because someone was drawn in by your false affection.”
“Pardon? What do you mean….”
“Arvin!!”

A tall man came running from that direction. Arvin’s eyes widened at the sight of him.

“Moren…?”
“Oh my, Sir Arvin! Why is such a strong Holy Knight in this condition!”

Moren looked Arvin over carefully as he lay sprawled on the ground.
Arvin turned to me with a puzzled expression.

“You said you killed them all….”
“I never said I killed them all. You regained your eyes, and now your ears have gone deaf… tsk.”

Just then, Bella thrust a twig-thin branch into my mouth. I gripped it like a sword and bit down.

“What is it, Bella?”
“It’s a medicinal herb that helps relieve fatigue. I thought you might need it.”

Bella opened her eyes wide with an innocent expression, as if she knew nothing.

“As expected, only Bella looks after me. I’d like to just hang her up somewhere and be done with it.”
“Hehe….”

I clicked my tongue and crunched down on the medicinal herbs. They genuinely helped with fatigue relief, so I decided to give them a pass.

“Oh no! You mustn’t ascend just yet, Arvin!”
“It’s only a minor injury, so a rough treatment should suffice. I can see clearly now.”
“Huff, huff! That’s truly fortunate! But to think you possessed such beautiful eyes! I, Moren, am utterly astounded!”

As Moren made a fuss, Arvin smiled faintly.

“Moren.”
“Yes, speak freely, Arvin!”
“I apologize.”

Moren tilted his head in confusion.

“Apologize for what?”
“You’ll understand now, Moren. I didn’t keep you all here to reform you—I placed you in this Village to draw out Gluttony.”
“….”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time.”

Arvin averted his gaze. Moren, who had been standing dumbly, laughed.

“Haha! Why would you apologize to us criminals?”
“What?”
“We’ve only survived this long because of you, Arvin. So you have no reason to apologize to us.”
“But I mocked you all and deceived you with false words.”
“Perhaps that was true at first. But we’ve glimpsed your sincerity many times.”

Moren continued.

“Do you know why not a single criminal has left this Village all this time?”
“Because they know I’d hunt them down if they fled….”
“No. They were ultimately moved by you, Arvin. You laughed at my jokes, noticed the hidden talents in others, and helped them live with dignity.”

Moren gazed into his eyes.

“You are a kind person, Arvin. You simply didn’t realize it because your eyes were closed all this time.”

I popped a medicinal herb into my mouth and interjected.

“This bastard’s been mocking me for not noticing him all this time. He definitely snuck some bread and ate it too.”
“….”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me. I chewed the medicinal herb in my mouth and asked Moren.

“What are you looking at? Want me to make you repent?”

Then Arvin burst into laughter.

“The Interrogator is more entertaining than I expected.”
“I hear that often.”

In my past life, even the Demon God found me amusing. So there was no being in this world who could resist my smile.
If all else failed, I could always draw my blade.

“By the way, thank you for seeing me that way, Moren.”
“I was merely stating the facts.”
“Still, others might feel differently. Perhaps it would be easier for them that way.”
“Arvin….”

As Moren’s expression grew sorrowful, Arvin slowly raised his upper body and offered a gentle smile.

“Arvin! Interrogator!”

Just then, mercenaries from elsewhere came rushing over and looked around before asking.

“Did you take down Gluttony?”

Arvin answered.

“Yes. The Interrogator and the Deacon defeated it over there. Without them, I would surely be dead.”
“Ah, thank goodness. We could barely breathe just facing it….”
“I’m sorry about the other mercenaries. I was too weak to protect them.”
“Don’t worry about that. Those men died pursuing one of the Five Great Calamities, so they had no regrets. If they’d been afraid of death, they wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“I see. Then I will remember them.”
“Yes. That will be enough for them.”

The mercenaries lifted the corners of their mouths, yet the sorrow etched around their eyes remained indelible.
Arvin laughed bitterly and asked.

“Were there any survivors among the residents?”
“No. There were only bloodstains scattered throughout, but no survivors. However, whether they fled or fell to Gluttony, we couldn’t quite….”
“So in the end, Moren is the only resident who survived….”

Arvin fell into contemplation for a moment. His eyes betrayed a hope that they had managed to escape instead.
Arvin turned to face me.

“Interrogator.”
“What is it.”
“As you said, I will take full responsibility for my actions. After all, my eyes have been opened because of you.”

Arvin wiped the corners of his eyes.

“And I will absolutely protect your secret.”

Since Arvin was a Holy Knight, he must have discovered that I wielded sacred power.
I had no intention of revealing it now, so I had planned to pull him aside later for a serious conversation, but it seemed there was no need.

“Then handle the report as you see fit.”
“Yes, take care of yourself.”

Arvin and Moren bowed their heads in gratitude. I chuckled softly and turned to leave with Bella.

“Watch the path ahead of you carefully.”

I could no longer see what lay before you.
What remained was solely Arvin’s burden to bear.

(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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