The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 55

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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 55. Let’s Go North! (1)
‘Do I really have to go this far?’
Mental-type status abnormalities were detected among the South Korean Military personnel at the Front Lines.
According to Yulia’s analysis, awakening-type effects that stimulated certain emotions under specific circumstances had been applied….
⦗When I departed from the Holy Kingdom, that was the power I infused into the Holy Knights.⦘
Fear, confusion, and such.
In the [Swords Cultivation] world being consumed by the Abyss, all manner of calamities had engulfed the land.
Without mental-type buffs, one couldn’t venture beyond the safe zones.
If I’m being honest, the Corrupted Beasts could also be considered part of such phenomena.
‘The Patriot did something similar—.’
There’s a specific reason I said ‘similar.’
There exists one fatal difference between Yulia’s and the Patriot’s abilities.
The power the Patriot wielded contained unmistakably ‘negative effects.’
Extremely lethal ones at that.
‘Patriotism and military duty are one thing….’
The last element is the problem.
The Constellation’s doctrine infused into the soldiers.
[If you seek death, you shall live; if you seek life, you shall die]
Those who desire death will live, and those who desire life will die.
A famous maxim of Yi Sun-sin, who currently exists as the Patriot’s Constellation.
In a world where Jesus exists, it’s hardly unusual.
But the weight of Yi Sun-sin’s name is the problem.
‘No one questions it.’
It’s true that maxims sound noble….
But they’re only ‘maxims’ because practicing them leads to disaster.
Those who desire death will live?
It’s not something to apply carelessly at any moment.
Against foreign invaders crossing the turtle ships, it might work well enough.
‘Against calamities humans can endure, seeking death might grant life.’
However, the ‘Corrupted Beasts’ our military faces cannot be confronted with such a mindset.
Expressed in [Swords Cultivation] terms, Corrupted Beasts are remnants of the Evil God.
Even as remnants, they bear the name of a divine being.
Charge at such creatures seeking death, and you simply die.
Reality isn’t that forgiving.
“I’d like to review the combat footage.”
Still, I examined the records from the Front Lines just in case.
I am a being appointed as a Transcendent through lawful procedures, having received all authority delegated by the President.
In South Korea, nothing exists that I cannot see.
After reviewing the combat records from the Front Lines.
‘Can this even be called a battle?’
I witnessed an absurd spectacle unfold before me.
Approximately fifteen thousand members of the Awakened Unit, guided by their commanders, clashed fiercely with the corrupted beasts that had breached the South Korean Military’s firepower and descended below the 38th Parallel.
⦗A battle born of the desire to perish.⦘
Indeed, they engaged in reckless close-quarters combat against the corrupted beasts that multiplied within human bodies.
Casualties varied by engagement—as few as ten, as many as a hundred.
Remarkably low figures.
‘The survival rate is impressive.’
The reason was straightforward.
The corrupted beasts flowing across the border were not yet overwhelmingly powerful, and the South Korean Military’s valor—their reckless, unflinching slaughter of the corrupted beasts without regard for their own bodies—was truly extraordinary.
Yet the combat casualty count and the true casualty count are two different things.
What was the actual result?
‘The Decisive Corps….’
More soldiers infected by corruption than those killed in combat.
The price of engaging in mindless close-quarters combat with the corrupted beasts.
‘An excessive figure.’
There were errors in the South Korean Military’s casualty statistics.
The numbers excluded soldiers who had been infected by corruption and transformed—or were transforming—into beasts, apart from those who fell in combat.
Currently, the Awakened Unit numbered fifteen thousand, and the Decisive Corps approximately ten thousand.
The cycle of continuous reduction and replenishment continued—.
‘Unlike what is known, the South Korean Military’s casualties are quite substantial.’
Before I could move against North Korea, I summoned the Patriot.
This was a problem that demanded immediate attention.
—Ep. 19 Let’s go north!
Suddenly, because of Shin Si-woo’s advance toward the Front Lines, the Patriot maintained emergency wartime readiness.
‘This insane bastard!!!’
While the Patriot hesitated, war crept to the very threshold.
These Constellations are useless.
Every last one of them has lost their minds, already sitting around discussing strategies and holding conferences.
“Hmm, we’ll push through with bombardment and then deploy ground forces.”
“As always, we begin with bombardment.”
All the Constellations belonged to their respective Constellation factions….
“Wait, are we already formulating strategy?”
Their will did not move according to the Patriot’s desires.
“A sacred and noble war to reclaim North Korea, the rightful territory of South Korea.”
“I, Yulgok Yi I, have prepared a new deployment method for a hundred thousand troops.”
Led by Yi Sun-sin, all the Constellations endorsed Shin Si-woo’s intention.
Even Cheok Jun-kyung—.
“I have honed it relentlessly. With this light blade….”
He gazed upon North Korean soil with bloodshot eyes.
The North.
Perhaps it was because that place held a meaning unlike any other.
Cheok Jun-kyung’s fingertips trembled.
A hazy memory surfaced.
A past where I had borne an unwanted stigma, entangled in politics.
‘Patriot, it was a mistake I corrected thanks to you.’
Now it was a forgotten past, long since vanished.
By establishing the glorious land called the Korean Empire alongside the Patriot, my mistakes had been erased.
Yet the knots in one’s heart never completely disappear.
Cheok Jun-kyung made his declaration.
“Patriot, from this moment forward, we shall walk only the righteous path.”
The land I wished to protect.
The place where I was meant to be.
Driving out those hideous monsters that invaded us….
“Northward.”
At that fierce resolve, the Patriot nodded as well.
War is madness.
Yet it cannot be avoided.
“The Jjangkkae.”
The Jjangkkae—once called the Jurchen, a savage horde of plunderers and marauders.
In some worlds they were called barbarians, in certain eras they were called the Tang Dynasty army, and at other times they were called the Chinese Communist forces.
Even now, they continue to send forth tainted monsters, blocking the path forward for South Korea.
‘Complete extinction is the only answer.’
As the Patriot steeled his resolve.
“Patriot, Shin Si-woo says he will come to this location.”
President Lee Seok-hyun approached urgently.
“Who is coming where?”
The Patriot looked toward the Constellations with bewilderment.
The Constellations felt the same.
“H-here?”
The place where he stood was no ordinary location.
Whoooooosh————.
The distant sky above.
Twelve vessels of the Patriot Carrier Fleet protecting South Korea’s heavens.
The place where he stood was the Command Center of the flagship.
At this critical juncture before war, he had summoned the President and the highest-ranking political figures including Kang Mu-jin, as well as all the military commanders.
To place upon them the weight of the crown’s responsibility.
And now Shin Si-woo was coming here?
‘If he unleashes the Demon, the nation falls….’
All of Korea was gathered in this place.
Paranoid worries kept surfacing, yet the Patriot forced a smile and spoke.
“Come on then! Yi Sun-sin, get the coordinates and open a portal.”
“Will that be alright?”
Patriot laughed in response to Yi Sun-sin’s concern.
“That bastard’s clearly obsessed with war. It’s obvious he’s ready to feed the Demon!”
He laughed, but.
Patriot’s blood ran cold.
“We also want to reclaim North Korea as quickly as possible, don’t we?”
The fact that they called Kim Jun—the ‘Bastion of Patriotism’ who saved 170,000 Jeonju citizens—by the name ‘Swords’ made it unmistakable.
A war maniac, a lunatic, obsessed with blades.
‘There’s never a decent one among those who love weapons.’
Whoosh—.
Shin Si-woo appeared through the portal that opened in the Command Center.
Shin Si-woo, appearing alone and unaccompanied.
He swept his gaze across the surroundings, then wore a twisted smile.
Then he strode toward Patriot with long, deliberate steps.
‘Is he about to suggest we fight right now?’
His eyes blazed with killing intent.
Watching the tall man approach him with such intensity, Patriot tilted his head in confusion.
That was when.
“Stop messing with the soldiers’ minds. That’s enough.”
Suddenly, Shin Si-woo brought up a sensitive topic.
The soldiers at the Front Lines.
Ahem, cough.
From the President down to the cabinet ministers and military generals, all averted their gaze with awkward coughs.
Only Patriot met Shin Si-woo’s stare directly.
Everyone in this room knew that Patriot granted mental-type buffs to the soldiers at the Front Lines.
‘Does he think I’m brainwashing them? How dare he—what does he take me for….’
It was all for the nation.
Patriot felt a surge of emotion.
“Damn it!”
Shin Si-woo’s eyes narrowed.
Ah, was that too harsh?
“No, sorry for the curse. But those guys all know and accepted it!”
Patriot shouted.
He glared fiercely at Shin Si-woo, his eyes wide open, determined not to back down.
“They know?”
“Yeah, only those who pass the patriotism screening go to the Front Lines.”
All soldiers at the Front Lines were elite volunteers who had passed the ‘patriotism screening.’
In other words, they were all volunteers.
And they had been informed beforehand that ‘mental-type’ buffs would be provided at the Front Lines.
I got their consent forms and everything!
“I would never hide something like that! Our South Korean Military fights with everything we have to protect this nation!!!”
Patriot stood firm and resolute.
Yet Shin Si-woo’s expression remained disapproving.
“At least spare me the Constellation philosophy. What exactly is this ‘if you seek life you will die, if you seek death you will live’? Watching them fight, they all just rush in like moths to a flame—.”
“What?”
Patriot stared at Shin Si-woo in shock.
A moment passed.
“If you seek life, you will die. If you seek death, you will live.”
Yi Sun-sin, who had been standing quietly behind Patriot, stepped forward.
Reciting those weighty words.
“That is how I survived.”
A living legend of South Korea, wearing an aircraft carrier captain’s hat and sporting a long beard, spoke thus.
“You are a descendant of this nation. Do you dare deny my words?”
That Yi Sun-sin.
Swept his gaze across everyone gathered in the hall and spoke.
President Lee Seok-hyun bowed his head, and Chief Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin closed his eyes in prayer while gripping his axe.
The military generals likewise saluted Yi Sun-sin with reverence.
“That’s right, junior. Are you really going to deny the words of the living Constellation Yi Sun-sin?”
What could I do against Yi Sun-sin.
* * *
“The great benefactors of our homeland are Constellations! Hey, junior, no matter how strong you are, there are things you shouldn’t say!!!”
Patriot’s declaration.
In an instant, I felt like a traitor to the nation.
These were already world-class historical figures revered globally….
‘Am I really being treated like a dog for denying the wisdom of such a person?’
Everyone in this place expressed genuine respect for Yi Sun-sin.
Without any mental effect whatsoever.
“Without Yi Sun-sin, our country would be Japan right now. Don’t disrespect the great figures of our homeland!!!”
What kind of people are Constellations?
Patriot’s passionate speech poured forth.
Led by Cheok Jun-kyung, Yulgok Yi I, and Yi Sun-sin, even historical figures not yet Constellations tumbled out one after another.
“Without King Sejong, we’d all be speaking Chinese right now!! And Yu Gwan-sun the martyr….”
I acknowledge the achievements of these great figures.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t speak my mind.
South Korea’s extreme tendencies all stem from this very atmosphere.
Now that I’ve become a transcendent, I can say with certainty.
“There’s such a thing as the right tool for the right job. If you charge recklessly at corrupted monsters and the remnants of the Evil God, you’ll all just die.”
The world and the times are different.
As the saying goes, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.
I summoned the crimson Demon bound to the Aga Sword.
“What happens when the South Korean Military charges recklessly at an existence like this?”
“They’d all become food, wouldn’t they? But those creatures are your summons.”
“My point is that if something stronger than a contaminated monster descends, we’re in serious trouble.”
But honestly, this is the thing.
Dealing with a true Patriot is no simple matter.
“Stronger ones don’t even make it down because I obliterate them with precision strikes?”
“What if the Patriot weren’t here? What would you do then? Like with this Black Gate—a prolonged situation—.”
“And then you awakened right on cue and saved this nation.”
This bastard doesn’t listen to reason.
“If we assume I didn’t exist….”
“Then I’d handle it myself, wouldn’t I?”
“But if both of us disappeared, shouldn’t we at least be able to retreat?”
“If we both vanish, the nation collapses. The entire population gets slaughtered and Korea disappears from the map.”
No, he’s not wrong.
But he doesn’t listen to reason.
“Sigh….”
Director Kang Mu-jin and President Lee Seok-hyun, seated far away, both slapped their foreheads and sighed.
It seems others share my sentiment.
“And the South Korean Military fights incredibly well. You’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you?”
I admit they fight well.
But that’s not your achievement, Patriot.
“Isn’t it thanks to the martial arts texts the Sword Emperor left behind?”
“W-well, that’s true, but….”
The South Korean Military are ‘guided awakeners,’ predominantly of the ‘swordmaster’ lineage.
They awakened through training in the [Trial—Hall of Time and Space] shared by the Sword Emperor, and received instruction from the Sword Emperor himself.
This legacy continued and accumulated until the current Awakened Unit was perfected.
“Anyway, let’s set aside the Constellations’ ideology.”
“But—.”
Preventing the future where the South Korean Military would be forced to commit suicide is important work.
The moment we touch North Korea, something lurking there might invade South Korean territory.
The horrifying entities I witnessed in [Sword Cultivation].
These are things they could never know.
There’s no point explaining it to them.
“I’ll simply proceed as I’ve decided.”
I don’t want to argue further.
What can they do if that’s what I say?
* * *
The Patriot agreed to follow my will as the second Transcendent, and the war continued accordingly.
‘He’s surprisingly accommodating, I’ll admit.’
As a transcendent being, I possessed such authority, or so I proposed—that we patriots take turns establishing rules together.
I offered excellent suggestions in abundance.
That’s right.
I prevented the South Korean soldiers from taking their own lives.
And then I arrived near the 38th Parallel immediately after.
Several weeks ahead of the original schedule.
‘I had assumed a month, but when striking truly wicked bastards, it’s proper to strike faster than planned.’
I would conduct every war ahead of schedule, favor surprise attacks whenever possible, and not hesitate to commit assassination even during armistice negotiations.
Just as I commanded all the Swords to do.
The enemies we face are abominations that must never be treated with ‘humanity.’
This must be remembered.
Ssssshhhhh————.
Darkness appeared before my eyes.
A pitch-black void with zero visibility, blanketing North Korea like fog.
Gazing upon that darkness, the Patriot spoke.
“Earlier than planned, but it’s not bad.”
“Will you and Cheok Jun-kyung be alright with just the two of you?”
Surprisingly, the Patriot was not hiding inside the aircraft carrier.
He intended to cross to the ground with me.
“Junior, I’m not that much of a coward.”
“Well, I trust you.”
In any case, he too was undoubtedly a formidable transcendent being.
And from my perspective, having a strong ally at my side was always welcome.
It spoke to how perilous our destination truly was.
‘Land covered in demonic corruption.’
North Korea was a demonic realm.
An unobservable darkness.
Yet we had prepared forces that far exceeded expectations.
“Junior, let me show you my true power. Yield the first strike to your senior!”
The Patriot declared.
I had the same intention, so I nodded lightly in agreement.
Shhhhhhhhh———.
Invisible, yet unmistakably felt.
Twelve aircraft carriers drifting in the distant sky.
Yi Sun-sin’s authority, perfectly merged with the heavens, protected the sky.
The senses of the Swords dwelling within me conveyed the presence of the invisible carriers with crystalline clarity.
“Let’s start with a light greeting.”
Whoooooooosh————!!!
Suddenly, the sky trembled.
No sound, no warning, no sign whatsoever.
The sky felt as though it were tearing apart.
Tens of thousands of bombers descended upon North Korean airspace.
Screeeech—.
The unobserved darkness split open.
And moments later, shells gleaming with iridescent brilliance emerged from within that fractured darkness.
Lined in dense rows across the heavens.
———.
Though the territory stretched across a breadth that human eyes could scarcely fathom.
Bombs cascaded from the sky, tearing asunder every shadow above.
The sight of ordnance falling in perfect formation toward the earth was nothing short of magnificent.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
A peculiar sound echoed.
In a way, it was almost endearing.
Yet the moment that brief sound ceased, what followed was a thunderous detonation.
“I’ve sent every unmanned drone bomber that’s been circulating throughout the nation for the past 24 hours straight toward North Korea!”
All the bombers that had been drifting across South Korean territory, clearing danger zones, now advanced toward North Korea.
A sight I had never witnessed directly before my transcendence.
I beheld the true power of the Patriot.
‘So this is… the Patriot.’
The transcendent who had guided South Korea alone.
This was the Patriot’s genuine strength.
Truly, it was overwhelming violence.
BOOOOOOOOM———!!!
A tremor indistinguishable from an earthquake.
And vision tinted a searing yellow.
Massive mushroom clouds bloomed within the unobserved darkness that had once been North Korea.
Kyiiiiiek——!
Horrific screams reverberated across all of North Korea.
Sounds that could not be called human.
Truly, they were chilling.
“Let’s go.”
I gazed upon the North Korean land swept by the bombardment.
From the earth illuminated by the bombing, colossal and grotesque monsters poured forth toward us.
It was like a tidal wave composed of corrupted beasts.
“Let’s advance.”
We would push against that tide, heading toward the deepest reaches of North Korea.

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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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