The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 253

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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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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 253
Shhwaaaack—!!
The blade cleaved through empty air. Brilliant flashes erupted, and an eerie sound reverberated in all directions.
Thwip—!
Splurt—!!!
A sword wound opened across the Sword Demon’s chest, and blood sprayed everywhere.
“…!”
The Sword Demon contorted his face and widened the distance between us. Being one-armed, he couldn’t even clutch his chest.
Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. In that brief instant, I’d wrapped myself in protective energy and concentrated entirely on evasion.
Yet.
Blood continued trickling.
“….”
The blood flowing from the wound was ominous.
Despite the shallow penetration, something felt wrong.
Beyond the pain itself, the bleeding wouldn’t stop even with my protective energy wrapped around it.
‘This is.’
The Sword Demon stared at the figure who’d wounded him—the Protagonist, Bangseong-yeon—with a hardened expression.
“That repulsive radiance.”
The light with which Yoo Cheon-gil had slaughtered the Marin during the past Demon Suppression War.
That very light now enveloped the Protagonist’s hands.
Whirrrip—!!
Then, after spinning the blade several times, Bangseong-yeon clicked his tongue sharply.
“Tsk…. Too shallow.”
He spoke while clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly.
Clear dissatisfaction was written across his face.
“Stubborn bastard. If you’re going to do it, do it right. You fell just short.”
He muttered something incomprehensible before turning his gaze back to the Sword Demon.
“….”
“What’s wrong?”
Tap.
He rested the blade on his shoulder, and the Sword Demon’s eyes narrowed to slits. It was a familiar posture.
Yoo Cheon-gil.
It was identical to that monster’s mannerisms.
They called him the reincarnation of the Sword Saint—was that assessment not false after all?
‘Yet his appearance is completely different.’
From head to toe, there wasn’t a single resemblance worth mentioning.
But watching him, I kept recalling Yoo Cheon-gil.
Whether it was his manner of speech, that crazed gleam in his eyes, or.
‘His skill.’
Squeeze.
Suppressing the blood that threatened to spill, the Sword Demon spoke to Bangseong-yeon.
“How did you discover it?”
At the Sword Demon’s question, Bangseong-yeon tilted his head.
“Discover what?”
“That I cannot kill humans.”
“Ah, that.”
Tck, tck, tck.
Bangseong-yeon laughed softly. His laughter grated against the ears like fingernails scraping skin.
“How did I know? Because I could see it all.”
Whirr—! As he spun his blade once more, the Sword Demon tensed.
In that instant.
Whoosh—!!
Bangseong-yeon’s body surged directly toward the Sword Demon.
And with it.
“…Tsk.”
Watching Bangseong-yeon fly toward him, the Sword Demon ground his teeth.
His upper body lay completely exposed. He was displaying every vital point.
If I simply swung my blade, I could kill Bangseong-yeon in a single strike.
But.
Clang—!!
The Sword Demon aimed not for the vital points, but for Bangseong-yeon’s blade.
Sword strikes erupted at blinding speed once more.
Clang—! Clang clang clang—!! An unrelenting barrage of combat.
Though mere moments passed, dozens of exchanges unfolded.
Boom—!!
With a violent friction, distance opened between them again.
“…Cunning bastard.”
The moment distance separated them, the Sword Demon spoke to Bangseong-yeon.
“You are quite weak.”
“You keep complimenting me—I don’t know where to put myself.”
Bangseong-yeon chuckled. Even that laughter displeased the Sword Demon.
‘What exactly is this?’
This man seemed to have sensed my secret.
The karma that allowed me to exist in this place.
The restriction placed upon my body.
It was precisely.
‘I cannot kill humans.’
I could not kill people.
The moment I harbored the thought of killing someone—targeting their vital points or otherwise—the restriction activated.
That is why I cannot target Bangseong-yeon’s vital points.
The problem is.
‘I know exactly what that is.’
Bangseong-yeon assessed the Sword Demon’s condition and began to exploit it.
If there was a problem, that would be it.
And he wasn’t merely exploiting it either.
‘Just because I can’t target vital points doesn’t mean I can’t attack.’
Inflicting wounds was entirely possible. The restriction placed on the Sword Demon was merely not to kill his opponent, and suppression was entirely within reach.
So no matter how many vital points Bangseong-yeon exposed, if the Sword Demon simply responded accordingly, that would be the end of it.
‘This cowardly bastard…!’
But the Sword Demon could not.
The reason was simple.
Bangseong-yeon wasn’t merely exposing his vital points.
‘He’s only exposing his vital points.’
He revealed only those vital spots that could prove fatal with even a glancing touch, those he could afford to expose.
Everywhere else was devoted entirely to defense.
Knowing full well that a careless strike could mean death.
The Sword Demon could not touch those vital points, and unable to target them, he had no choice but to parry the incoming blades.
‘…A monster of a man.’
The Sword Demon, assessing this, nearly laughed despite himself.
This wasn’t something one could accomplish merely by knowing his secret.
Expose only the vital points and defend the remaining positions thoroughly.
Then attempt attacks while maintaining flawless coverage in the defended spaces?
It required perfect bodily control and a thorough grasp of the battle’s flow.
‘A man not yet twenty years old.’
At most twenty, perhaps not even past his teens.
At such an age, to execute such a counterstrategy against me?
It was absurd.
“Yoo Cheon-gil….”
Crunch.
The Sword Demon ground his teeth harder than before.
So even in death, he continues to obstruct my path.
With that realization, he gritted his teeth and swung his blade.
Clang—!!
“Hahahaha—!!! Why do you hesitate?”
Bangseong-yeon gazed at the Sword Demon with a radiant smile.
“Aren’t you weaker than before?”
“….”
His face contorted. He never imagined receiving such an assessment from this mere speck of blood.
‘No matter.’
No matter that his right arm was severed and he’d become a one-sword wielder, bound by restrictions that allowed him to display only thirty percent of his true power.
This makes no sense whatsoever.
The Sword Demon’s gaze sweeps across the battlefield. The fighting continued, yet.
‘I’m being pushed back.’
My power gradually diminishes before my eyes.
It can’t be helped. From the start, my intervention in this battle was only to kill Jegal Jin and leave.
To accomplish this, I dispersed my strength, and as expected, only two Daeju-level warriors remain at Jegal Jin’s side.
If there were any anomalies.
‘One is missing.’
The spy planted by Pacheongung. I heard there was definitely a Daeju-level martial artist there.
‘Was that one dealt with?’
Originally, with my appearance, the Daeju should have severed Jegal Jin’s neck.
Then, exploiting the chaos of that moment, I was meant to slaughter everyone else.
‘But nothing.’
Something had clearly gone wrong somewhere.
Screeeech—!!
The Sword Demon exerts force.
The energies collide once more, yet.
Clang—!!
From the rebounding force, the Sword Demon realizes something.
‘This man.’
Bangseong-yeon’s strength grows with each passing moment. Whether from inexhaustible reserves or not, both his speed and the force behind his blade intensify.
‘What in the world…’
An absurd opponent indeed. In that moment of bewilderment.
Whoooosh—!!
“…!”
The blade grazes the Sword Demon’s cheek. A moment slower and his throat would have been severed.
“So close.”
Bangseong-yeon genuinely regrets it, smacking his lips.
“There won’t be a third chance.”
He charges forward again with a wide grin.
The Sword Demon barely evades the relentless assault, glancing behind him.
‘Dangerous.’
I assess rationally. With two Daeju-level warriors present, completing my mission with my current strength is impossible.
But can I kill Bangseong-yeon or Jegal Jin?
That too remains uncertain.
From the start, Bangseong-yeon’s strength exceeded my expectations.
And the disappearance of the spy I planted there is also an unforeseen complication.
Dragging this out further serves no purpose.
‘…I have no choice.’
My martial pride shatters. To be thwarted like this by a mere blood-soaked wretch before me is unbearable.
In my prime, I would have cleaved such a body in a single stroke—how pathetic that I cannot.
One thing.
‘What matters.’
All is for Heaven’s sake, so such pride means nothing.
With that judgment made, sparks ignited in the Sword Demon’s eyes.
‘Even if a restriction binds me.’
Even with this cursed restriction in place.
‘One strike is possible.’
Even if I perish, I can drag someone with me.
The Sword Demon immediately identified his target’s location.
At that moment, Bangseong-yeon’s blade descended once more.
The sword, wrapped in radiant light, fell in the form of night itself.
“Hah!”
Seeing this, the Sword Demon unleashed all his power in a single strike.
Clang—!!
He poured an enormous surge of energy into one devastating blow.
Ting—!
With a piercing sound, Bangseong-yeon’s blade shot upward.
A vital point lay exposed. If I ignore the restriction now, I could pierce Bangseong-yeon’s heart.
But.
Boom—!!
The Sword Demon chose differently.
With all his might, he drove toward someone else.
“Master Strategist—!!”
“Protect the Master Strategist!”
Toward Jegal Jin. Those guarding him moved urgently, but.
They could not withstand the Sword Demon’s full power.
Crash, crash—!!
Thud—!
He deflected their defensive blades in one breath. Two strikes he parried, but one pierced his shoulder.
It did not matter. Not now.
‘I will sever his neck.’
Killing Jegal Jin—the Sword Demon had set this as his objective.
Thus, he closed in and thrust his blade forward, when.
‘What is this?’
The Sword Demon felt puzzlement.
Jegal Jin’s expression was utterly expressionless.
Those eyes—as if he had known this would happen.
That calm and serene demeanor shook the Sword Demon’s resolve.
What is this unease? Why does he regard me with such an expression?
I cannot comprehend it, yet I cannot stop.
My decision was already made, and there was no option to turn back.
The Sword Demon’s blade tears through space itself.
In the instant a violet sword force rushes forward, targeting Jegal Jin’s throat—
“Whoooosh!!!”
Something suddenly appears and blocks the Sword Demon’s blade.
“–!”
A young man of massive build. It was Heuk Taedo, Peng Dojun.
Peng Dojun positions himself before the Sword Demon and receives the blade head-on.
Clang—!!
“Cough!!!”
Peng Dojun, struck by the impact, spits blood and is sent flying backward.
As he rolls across the ground several times and the Sword Demon’s advance halts—
“Well done.”
A voice comes from behind. The Sword Demon turns around.
“A man should have such spirit. Don’t you agree?”
It was Bangseong-yeon. He wore the same expression as Jegal Jin.
As if he had known all along that I would choose this path.
That certainty was written all over his face.
‘…Ah.’
Only then did the Sword Demon understand.
It had been a trap from the beginning.
‘When did it start?’
When had they laid this trap?
Though curious about this, the Sword Demon could never arrive at the answer.
Swoosh—!!
With the flash of light that follows, the Sword Demon’s neck is severed.
Thud! Thump-thump-thump!
The Sword Demon’s head, severed by the Moonlight Sword Technique, rolls across the floor.
Spurt—!!
Blood erupts as the Sword Demon’s weathered body collapses to its knees.
“…Phew.”
Bangseong-yeon exhales deeply, gazing at the floor drenched in blood.
Then he sheathes his sword at his waist.
“Ah, refreshing indeed.”
He wipes his brow with evident satisfaction.
His face was covered in the Sword Demon’s blood, yet his expression radiated a crisp clarity that belied it.

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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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