The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 16

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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 16. Meeting (1)
“We’re the only ones falling short of our quota.”
In the dim underground.
A gathering of Demon Worshippers was taking place.
“Despite receiving substantial support from those above.”
“Damn it!”
A sigh escaped.
I thought Demon Worshippers had finally nested in South Korea, but…
“Why isn’t anything working out?”
I tried to corrupt a B-rank mage and trigger a mass slaughter, but an unknown Transcendent appeared and killed him.
So I unleashed the Red Sea, but that Transcendent erased the sea itself.
And now he’s become South Korea’s officially recognized second Transcendent.
“Shin Si-woo—that bastard was faster at handling the Red Sea than the Patriot.”
“Strictly speaking, the Patriot didn’t handle it so much as push it back.”
“Looking at isolated battlefields alone… he’s probably a Hunter stronger than the Patriot.”
When the Patriot cleaned up the Red Sea before, it took approximately four hours.
But this new Transcendent, Shin Si-woo, cleared the Red Sea in seconds.
And with a terrifyingly immense power at that.
“We’ve essentially given the second Transcendent an unprecedented spectacular debut.”
“Everything’s going to hell―.”
Did it really cost only one Hunter’s life to unleash the Red Sea?
Of course we received backing.
Substantial backing at that.
“Should we take responsibility?”
“Those above want to create discord on this land by any means necessary. If we succeed, they’ll overlook this incident.”
Demon Worshippers.
Their ideology is remarkably simple.
1. The unawakened are vermin; the awakened are a superior species destined to dominate Earth.
2. The chaos within the Gates is the world’s natural state.
It’s an environment where the unawakened cannot survive.
3. Therefore, this world should become a superior realm where only the awakened can survive, just like inside the Gates.
“Fakes have locked the world’s true form inside the Gates and sealed our power!”
“Let’s restore the world to its natural state!!!”
The Demon Worshippers rallied their spirits.
Now that the Patriot’s absence was publicly known.
We had to do something to the fullest extent.
“Is there a good strategy?”
“Hmm…”
But a new problem had already emerged—the SSS-rank Transcendent Shin Si-woo.
Everyone was lost in thought, racking their brains―.
“Sow discord! Make the Patriot and Shin Si-woo fight each other.”
Someone had proposed an exceptionally clever scheme.
“How?”
“What if we kill the president during the inauguration ceremony? If he drops dead right in the middle of it—pfft—then given the Patriot’s personality, wouldn’t he view Shin Si-woo less favorably?”
“Ah… A second Transcendent emerges after escaping the Gate, and conveniently, the president backed by the Patriot dies?”
The scenario painted quite an appealing picture.
“Even if they’re both Transcendents, this would clearly contradict his patriotic ideology.”
The Demon Worshippers were nothing like common villains.
They operated with meticulous precision and secrecy across the globe.
So when they conspired like this, they deliberated carefully before acting.
“Given the Patriot’s temperament, he’d lose his mind and launch an all-out war.”
Up to this point, it was a reasonably sound idea.
The problem lay in execution.
“But can we actually get close enough to the Transcendent during the inauguration to kill the president?”
By any rational measure, it was impossible.
Then someone stepped forward.
“I’ll Fall.”
Everyone turned to stare at him in bewilderment.
“What’s a C-rank grunt going to do by Falling?”
C-rank Hunter Im Woo-hyuk.
He had undergone the ordeal of Kill Veil, where he had to assassinate 1,000 people.
As a result, he had acquired [Concealment].
“You all keep measuring by inferior species standards, but out there, there’s no ability quite like concealment. A C-rank grunt is—”
Im Woo-hyuk’s concealment literally erased both his physical form and his presence entirely.
It was an absurdly broken ability.
But…
“Against despair and curses inside the Gate, it’s useless. Use him as a scout and he can’t tank damage. Use him to kill massive monsters and his attack power falls short. So what exactly do you think you’ll accomplish in front of a Transcendent?”
One of the Demon Worshippers, offended by the inferior species treatment, pressed Im Woo-hyuk hard.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
“Does strength always have to mean raw power when operating outside?”
A brief silence settled over them.
“Huh…?”
His single remark unlocked vast possibilities.
“How would you even find me with concealment active? And since I’m not killing Shin Si-woo, there won’t be any murderous intent to sense either.”
“But Transcendents are different, aren’t they? They must have detection abilities or something…”
C-rank Hunter Im Woo-hyuk.
He had solid reasoning for stepping forward.
“I’ve encountered the Patriot inside a Gate before, and he didn’t notice me—neither did Cheok Jun-kyung, the Constellation beside him.”
Of course, they had been about five meters away.
At that distance, killing the president would pose no problem whatsoever.
—Ep. 07 The Meeting.
The grounds before Cheongwadae stood wide open.
It was at the Patriot’s insistence that the President remain physically close to the people.
“We now commence the Transcendent Inauguration Ceremony for Shin Si-woo, South Korea’s SSS-Rank Hunter.”
President Lee Seok-hyun announced the beginning of the grand ceremony.
The citizens gathered in Cheongwadae Plaza erupted in applause.
Clap clap clap clap clap!!!
The sole measure by which the world gauges national power is the number of Transcendents.
I had become one of them.
The applause continued for quite some time.
Only after a considerable interval did the President begin my inauguration ceremony.
“―Protecting the people from catastrophic calamity….”
It began with a tedious speech.
I glanced subtly around my surroundings.
Despite the President’s address, every citizen gathered in the plaza before Cheongwadae had their eyes fixed upon me.
‘This isn’t some performance for show….’
I was checking the Patriot.
Initially, I hadn’t intended to take things this seriously—.
[The Throne of King Sejong]
Sitting upon this relic created by the Patriot, countless thoughts swirled through my mind.
‘Did he truly believe I would be the only Transcendent forever?’
There was but one reason I occupied this throne.
Because this was the ‘seat of the Transcendent’.
‘The Patriot isn’t my enemy, really. I’m just embarrassed by all this.’
To dispel any unnecessary hostility, I examined the WorldNet.
My intention was to gauge public opinion now that my face had been exposed to the world.
—Wow, wielding such terrifying power and becoming state-level authority.
—Compared to that reverse-faith Saint, the ferocity is manageable.
Our citizens were still marveling at the terrifying might of the 5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella.
‘A million demons might have been overkill….’
Though Iris is a sword I cherish and hold dear, there is no denying the terrifying nature of her power.
—You lunatics. Just worship Si-woo like a god. Especially you Seoul people!!!
—Is that really necessary?
—Imagine the Red Sea flooding into Seoul. Land values would simply reset.
—Then wouldn’t Seoul real estate prices drop below a billion won, just as the Patriot intended?
—That’s good then.
—Good? Are you insane?
The overall atmosphere was bright.
Most of it consisted of praise and expectations directed toward me.
It felt tremendously burdensome.
First, I faced that burden head-on.
‘It’s certainly a situation that warrants it.’
Since the execution of The Saint of Fate years ago, South Korea had undergone no significant changes.
And then I appeared.
—Look at the reverse-charged Saint!
—Finally, Shin Si-woo is making his entrance!
—He’s nothing like that woman who gambled away 300 trillion mystical coins!!!
—She’s dead, so what are we looking at.
—Looking from hell lol
The Saint was alive and well in the Presidential Bunker.
Unaware of this, the citizens were consuming her like a meme.
Honestly, there’s nothing I can say about it.
‘She even stakes her own body as collateral, so mystical coins must seem trivial to her.’
The Saint was truly obsessed with gambling.
In any case, while I was thinking such thoughts, the president’s speech ended.
Now came the time to receive the 50 billion won, the appointment letter, and so forth.
It was truly a burdensome and shameful moment.
‘This is driving me mad.’
The president attempted to approach the throne of King Sejong where I sat.
An unnecessary protocol that one must never move a Transcendent.
Unlike Patriot, I rose from my seat first.
My body, strengthened by [Blood Lord], displayed a tremendous speed incomparable to ordinary humans.
I arrived before the president’s podium in an instant.
“It would be more appropriate for me to go―.”
“I find this more convenient.”
The entire world was watching me.
Journalists were broadcasting this scene in real-time using WorldNet.
In other words, I had just ignored one of the protocols Patriot had established before 45 million South Korean citizens.
The president seemed to understand my intention and nodded slightly before continuing.
“You who have saved Seoul from the crimson sea of blood―.”
And so on and so forth.
The explanation concluded.
Whoosh!
[50,000,000,000 won has been deposited.]
As the president tapped the empty air before me, an enormous figure appeared in my vision.
’50 billion won.’
A substantial sum with which one could purchase several buildings in Yeouido.
Yet my heart remained unmoved.
My true objective lay elsewhere.
Whoosh―.
The President pulled out a rectangular box.
Then he handed it to me.
I opened it and drew out the bracelet inside.
Clink——!
A circular ring-shaped bracelet crossed in an X formation.
A crude, solid mystery bracelet crafted from 1kg of mystery.
—That’s not a mystery?
—They made a bracelet out of mystery?
—Not even donating it to the nation, but that….
Negative public opinion erupted in an instant.
It was an opinion born from a world where mystery equaled survival….
This too was a culture created because Patriot had been bringing [mysteries] to the nation every time he destroyed a Gate.
Whoosh—.
I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.
The moment I put on the mystery, the sensation of connection with [Aga Sword] intensified dramatically.
‘It feels like I could draw it right here.’
Since I couldn’t suddenly unsheathe the sword here, I waited calmly for the ceremony to conclude.
The President personally affixed several medals while offering various words of congratulation.
I offered the customary thanks and tried to return to my seat.
All I wanted was to leave this place quickly and see Aga Sword.
But….
‘Something feels off.’
Similar to killing intent, yet something stickier permeated the air.
To be precise, from behind the President.
Already several steps away from him, yet that presence felt as though it was approaching the President.
‘Just a hunch—’
Merely my imagination.
But….
“Could I, who has reached the pinnacle of the sword, misread my senses?”
Suddenly, a cutscene from when I played Reinhardt Euclid flashed through my mind.
At that time, Reinhardt was at the point where he had begun his training journey, slaying Demon Worshippers hidden throughout the world.
‘Demon Worshippers.’
I grasped the source of this ominous sensation.
If Reinhardt Euclid were beside me, he could easily verify this, but currently he is conversing with the 2nd Sword.
All of this flashed through my mind in an instant.
And my conclusion was this.
Shing—.
I drew my sword.
I moved directly toward the President.
[Aga Sword] did not emanate omnipotence in my grasp.
However, the insights, skills, and traits dwelling within me still exist in my body.
“W-what in the—.”
The President’s expression shifts to one of shock.
There’s no time for a leisurely explanation here.
I swing my sword toward him.
Something catches on the empty air.
Splurt—!!!
An arm wielding a dagger suddenly materializes from the void.
“Gasp—.”
The President flinches in alarm and ducks, but upon seeing the arm that appeared in thin air, he nods as if understanding the situation.
The situation isn’t over yet.
I smoothly push him backward and step forward.
Thud—.
The arm falls to the floor.
Blood drips along the clean severed edge, but the body the arm is attached to remains invisible.
‘Insane bastards.’
I immediately understand what’s happening.
They must have corrupted some Hunter classified as a low-tier [Assassin] to pull off this stunt.
‘The goal is to make the Patriot turn against me…’
Of all times, the President—who enjoys the Patriot’s favor—dies right when I’ve become Transcendent.
A transparent, shallow ploy.
I calmly survey my surroundings.
I haven’t caught the culprit yet.
‘Where are they.’
The presence becomes hazy after I sever the arm.
I focus my mind on that sticky sensation again.
I try my best, but it’s not working as smoothly as I’d hoped.
I don’t want to let this corrupted one slip away.
That’s when it happened.
Whoooosh——!!!
The Aga Sword absorbs the blood smeared on its blade.
Blood of a Demon Worshipper.
The hazy presence becomes clear once more.
‘The direction is…’
Behind the President—toward Kang Mu-jin, the Chief Prosecutor and father of Kang Seol-ah.
I dash forward with urgency.
The strike lands true.
Splurt!!!
In my haste, blood sprays onto Kang Seol-ah’s father.
But…
“I never thought it would actually be used for that.”
Even as a head erupted before my eyes, Kang Mu-jin, the chief prosecutor, merely gazed at me with an unmoved expression, his eyes drifting to the bracelet hanging from my wrist.
The President was like that, and Kang Mu-jin was like that too.
The powerful figures of this nation possessed hearts of remarkable steel.
‘Are there any others nearby?’
I expanded my perception just to be certain.
No more of that viscous aura could be felt.
Instead, I observed citizens maintaining their composure even as chaos erupted all around them.
Just as Seol-ah had drawn her pistol against a fallen B-rank mage, nearly half our nation’s people could remain composed in the face of ordinary crises.
It was thanks to the periodic emergency response drills included in the Patriot Special Law.
“D-did a Transcendent kill a Transcendent?”
“Transcendent, my foot! That’s straight out of the Mexican cartel playbook.”
“An assassination attempt on the President using a pseudo-Gate for concealment…”
The incident of a B-rank Hunter exerting power in reality was buried beneath the Red Sea crisis.
Still, those who needed to know suspected it was terrorism involving a [Mobile Pseudo-Gate] and moved on.
I believed it was not yet the right time to officially reveal the Demon Worshippers.
But…
‘Something feels wrong.’
I believed that in times like these, one must create a public enemy and strike decisively.
The world was chaotic enough to warrant it.
“Excuse me, may I use the microphone?”
I made my way toward the podium where the President stood.
Then I grasped the microphone and spoke.
“The Hunter who just died is a Demon Worshipper.”
Based on the Demon Worshippers I had observed in [Sword Cultivation], I proceeded to explain what they were.
It was the moment I faced the world as a Transcendent.
* * *
Reinhardt gazed at the sky alongside the golden-haired Saint.
The only entertainment visible in the Sword World.
The life of the Sword Master.
“Because he desires it, we are able to witness such magnificent sights.”
The Sword Master’s appearance as seen in the Sword World was truly befitting of an unparalleled ruler of all under heaven.
Seated upon a golden throne, standing above all others, receiving the world’s accolades.
“Did you see? The Sword Master is a true savior.”
At that moment, an assassin targeted the one called President, and the Sword Master drew the Aga Sword to strike down the concealed assassin.
As a result, someone who should have died lived.
Yet despite witnessing such a feat―.
“Does he have a lover?”
The Saint regarded the Sword Master with a skeptical gaze.
“Hmm―.”
Reinhardt Euclid recalled a woman close to Shin Si-woo.
“There is a peerless beauty I have known for over five years. A woman whose elegance rivals yours.”
“Is that so? I heard she had a lover―.”
“The Sword Master and she are merely friends.”
“Even those chaste pilgrims and virtuous knights of honor—if you keep them together for five years, they end up bearing children and building a household. How is such a thing possible?”
The Saint posed her question, and Reinhardt Euclid answered with a hearty laugh.
“God has remained constant throughout the thousands upon thousands of iterations of our world.”
“Thousands upon thousands?”
The Saint tilted her head in confusion.
All she remembered was the first iteration.
The Reinhardt Euclid who appeared after her witnessed the end of the world in a single moment.
“Without our knowledge, our world has repeated through countless ages, and based on all those experiences, the form of a savior barely completed exists here—in this sword.”
The Sword World.
Swords divided into territories.
Information about things she had never understood before was revealed.
And yet, The Saint―.
“Throughout those tens of thousands of worlds, the Sword Master was alone as well….”
“Yes.”
The 2nd Sword, Yulia Lanestia, who had erected a distant wall against the Sword Master—Shin Si-woo.
The wall in her heart crumbled slightly.
‘He did not ask me to do the impossible.’
No.
She had simply been weak.
The Saint’s lifeless eyes regained their luster.
“I wish to meet the Sword Master.”

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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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