episode_0097

“What a mess.”

Stepping out of the tent, I found the surroundings quickly being consumed by the flames of war.

Beastmen were invading from all directions.

And warriors were taking up their weapons to fight back against those beastmen.

Whether the beastmen had used Divine Beast Transformation beforehand upon arriving here, each one was much larger than a normal adult and threatening.

Of course, the power they possessed was also extraordinary.

However, the warriors gathered here were also renowned individuals from within the Yeom country. Despite the sudden attack, they did not easily falter and desperately fought back.

“Kill all the damned Yeom country bastards!!!”

“These criminals!!!”

Yeom country and the Beastmen Alliance.

The accumulated grudges of the two forces, built up over many years, had piled up to the point where they could no longer be resolved with mere dialogue.

Therefore, the two forces did not hesitate to plunge their swords into each other.

The surroundings were quickly consumed by the madness of the battlefield, scattering countless bloody flowers.

“I heard the stories, but this is more intense than I thought.”

“Mm….”

Baeklyeon nodded in agreement.

This place was still the central part of the encampment.

Therefore, the bloody flowers of the battlefield had not yet reached here, but that was probably only a matter of time.

The number of Beastmen Alliance forces felt around us alone was enough to make my head spin.

“Kuaaaaack!!”

“Kkeueuk!!”

In that short time, the battlefield intensified.

The Beastmen Alliance tried to engulf the formation, and the warriors tried to block the attacks of the Beastmen Alliance. As the battle intensified, the madness of the battlefield gradually became more intense, and screams of pain echoed all around.

“Well, first you guys clean up here as I said earlier. As I cautioned, don’t recklessly charge in just because you see the Red Demons.”

“Ah, I understand, young master.”

“Baekho, I’m counting on you, Lucy.”

At my words, the two nodded.

Only then did I turn my gaze to the floating island hovering a short distance away from here.

“You don’t have to call me like that to make me go.”

The fighting spirit, or murderous intent, that kept calling to me.

To answer it, I took the Sacred Sword out of my inventory and kicked off the ground.

* * *

“….”

Above the floating island near the area where the Yeom army was stationed.

From this place, where one could look down on the battlefield of the Yeom army and the Beastmen Alliance at once, a girl, the Demonic Sword Master, was looking down on the battlefield as if looking down on ants.

She was fiddling with the hilt of her beloved sword, the Blood Demon Sword, which hung at her waist.

Crack, crack

Distinctly clear red energy was swirling around her body.

That energy was above all else a clear and distinct murderous intent (殺意) and fighting spirit (鬪氣), generating a strong physical force from just the release of the energy, causing the surrounding rocks to break.

The one man she wanted to summon was but a single man.

The one existence she was waiting for was but a single existence.

What she wanted was a worthy rival with whom she could exchange blows.

Her master, like a quiet and sharply honed sword, who could rush out from the chaotic battlefield below at any moment and cut off her head.

Squeeze

The Demonic Sword Master’s hand, which had been lightly fiddling with the sword hilt, gripped it tightly.

Our eyes met.

Although we were far apart, to the point where individual people could not be distinguished, the Demonic Sword Master knew.

That he and she had made eye contact.

Feeling the murderous intent and fighting spirit I was sending, she felt that he was coming to respond to it.

…Eeeeeek!!!

Only beastmen who could fly, or warriors who had mastered the realm of aerial walking, could barely climb onto the floating island high in the sky. In other words, this place was a place where even approaching was not allowed if one did not reach a certain level.

That place….

Swae…eeeeek!

“!”

To break through that with just a simple foothold and break through directly.

Watching his figure gradually become clearer, the Demonic Sword Master drew her sword.

Fueled by her crimson energy, the Blood Demon Sword began to glow eerily with a red light.

“Indeed…, you’re interesting. You.”

“What is it now.”

【Demonic Sword Master Secret Art】

【Sword King Secret Art】

Both take similar stances.

That was only natural.

The Demonic Sword Master’s technique had its roots in the Sword King’s. It was inevitable that the two techniques would be similar.

“Earth Split.”

“Sky Split.”

An eerie and greedy red light soared into the sky.

And a pure white flash struck down, cutting through that soaring light.

Crack! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech!!!

It was different land from this place.

It was very similar to the exchange that took place in Baekdu of the Bureau.

The moment each sword collided, a deafening roar sounded as if the world was screaming. A tragedy of destruction, as if fireworks had been set off, was unfolding.

“Huu!….”

“Tch!….”

Wham!!!

An explosion, as if fireworks had been set off, occurred, and both people fell, creating distance between them.

Using the neither small nor large floating island as a stage for their duel, the two faced each other.

“It’s been prickling and annoying me to death since earlier. Can you not spread your murderous aura so much?”

“…You’ve gotten stronger. You can now fully control the sword.”

“Well, yeah. Why? Are you getting scared now?”

As I said, raising the corners of my mouth, the Demonic Sword Master gripped her sword again.

“…I’m going.”

“Come.”

Flash

She quickly disappeared.

If it were a normal person, they would have missed the Demonic Sword Master’s figure as it was, but my eyes were able to fully keep up with the Demonic Sword Master’s speed.

Clang!!!

The Blood Demon Sword and the Sacred Sword collide.

The Demonic Sword Master’s sword energy and my sword energy intersect.

Once, twice, three times, four times, five times.

Five strikes in one breath.

Clang!!!

The sounds resonate as the five strikes collide almost without delay.

Perhaps because of that, I felt a fleeting illusion that the space had rippled for a moment, but there was no time to think deeply about it.

“Huuup!….”

The Demonic Sword Master takes a deep breath.

It was a sign.

A sign that she was giving strength to her entire body before launching a powerful attack. That extremely subtle sign. It was an instantaneous sign, but I definitely sensed it.

If I sensed it, all that was left was to respond.

【Demonic Sword Master Secret Art】

【Sword King Secret Art – Revised】

“Rampage (亂舞)”

“Continuous Split”

Piiiiiiiiing!!

Countless pure white flashes and red flashes were drawn.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!

And the pure white flashes and red flashes continued to paint the world, seemingly trying to defend each other’s territory, or seemingly coveting each other’s territory.

Pat!

And when the two people distanced themselves from each other and retreated,

Kureureureung!! Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!

The floating island, which had a decent size, exploded and shattered, and began to lose its buoyancy and fall to the ground.

Nevertheless, neither had inflicted even a single blow on the other.

‘She’s strong. Is she similar to the Demonic King? Or is this one a little more dominant?’

If we were to compare the size of the power itself, the Demonic King would be dominant.

But that girl has a skill that the Demonic King doesn’t have.

Of course, it’s not that the Demonic King is the type to fight relying only on strength. He, too, has lived for a long time, so he has the skills to match.

Also, he himself enjoys fighting, so it’s not that he lacks skill.

But this girl has even more skill than that.

‘Well, I guess it’s only natural. She grew up under the Sword King, so her sword skills are perhaps even better than mine….’

It’s simple logic.

It’s just a matter of time.

It’s been barely less than a year since I received that technique from the Sword King through cramming.

But the opponent had been taught by the Sword King a long time ago, and since then, she had been honing her own strength and increasing her skills.

That difference in skill is creating the current situation.

[Uuuuut! Let’s deploy even Stronger Energy!! Then something like that!!!]

“Calm down. That’s different from my plan.”

I calmed the Sacred Sword Makina, who was angry and panting, and looked at the Demonic Sword Master.

She, too, was riding on one of the falling floating stones that was exploding, looking at me.

There wasn’t a single gap in her during all of that.

As expected, the Sword King sure knows how to train his disciples.

“….”

“What? That dissatisfied expression? I’m fighting you to your heart’s content as you wished. You should be thanking me.”

At my question, the Demonic Sword Master closed her mouth for a moment, then frowned slightly and said.

“…Why aren’t you fighting with your full strength?”

“Why aren’t I fighting with my full strength? Do I have to say it?”

“….”

Whether she was scraped by those words or not, the Demonic Sword Master’s energy became more intense.

Beyond simply surrounding herself with energy to strengthen her body, the red energy wrapped around her entire body like some kind of Super Saiyan from a certain manga, taking on the form of armor.

In addition, the Blood Demon Sword she was holding was already emitting an eerie red light, but now it had completely changed as if she had created a sword made of red blood. No, maybe that’s the Blood Demon Sword’s true form.

“Very well…. I’ll make you show your full strength.”

“….”

I briefly turned my gaze away from the Demonic Sword Master and looked at the ground.

The battle was continuing there as well, but it seemed to have entered a lull because of the ruckus that I and the Demonic Sword Master had caused.

Perfect.

“Alright. Then I’ll show my full strength too.”

“!”

【Stronger Energy is being manifested.】

【Sacred Stronger Energy is being used.】

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!!!!

Double application.

The pure white Sacred Sword’s blade was enveloped in the blazing golden flames of dawn caused by my magical power.

And the pure white Sacred Stronger Energy was wrapped around the golden flames, increasing the blade itself by about 1.5 times.

[Ahhhhhahahhhhheeut♥♥♥♥ M, Master’s magical power is overflowing♥♥♥]

Shit.

I almost dropped the sword without realizing it.

“…You asked why I’m not fighting with my full strength, right?”

“….”

“Well, it’s a simple story. To give the audience catharsis, the simplest and most effective way is to create a crisis and overcome that crisis.”

“…Incomprehensible nonsense!….”

For the first time, a clear emotion was embedded in the Demonic Sword Master’s face, which had always been expressionless.

Was it the anger of being ignored?

Or was it humiliation?

Either way, well, it’s none of my business.

“Sword King Secret Art.”

“Demonic Sword Master Secret Art!”

I swung my sword.

A pure white flash, brilliant with golden light, draws a line in the world.

“Mountain Split.”

“Mountain Split!”

To counter it, a flash of red light flickered for an instant, but it was swept away by the waves caused by the pure white flash that was dyed golden, and it disappeared as it was, engulfing the Demonic Sword Master.

Kwakwakwakwang!!!

“Alright. I’ve got it.”

After a wave of Stronger Energy had passed.

I landed on the ground and thought, looking at the great disaster caused by the wave of Stronger Energy.

“If I use this too much, it’ll destroy nature.”

As the name suggests, I looked at the flat land that had been revealed by splitting and removing a part of the mountain and crashed to the ground.