Chapter 349

R​ead o​n K​atR​eading​Ca​fe

Everything happened in an instant.

Radiance and darkness collided.

Two swordsmen who had reached the pinnacle clashed.

Intense glares flashed, and fierce winds raged.

Sword energy that would tear anything to shreds with a mere graze lashed out in all directions.

The intention was to end it as quickly and decisively as possible. Time was of the essence. The situation had changed rapidly, to an extent that made it impossible to predict what lay ahead. 

Heaven and earth. Day and night were divided. The golden light of the commander, which had been coloring the world, vanished, and immense powers presumed to be those of a Devil God surged. 

Even without seeing it directly, it was possible to guess. Beyond that, a significant incident was unfolding.

‘…But, is it even possible!’

This woman.

A demonic beast and a swordsman who aspired to the realm of the Sword Saint.

There was no way to defeat her in such a short time.

Even Johan, one of the pinnacles of humanity and the Sword Saint of the era, would find it nearly impossible.

‘She’s clearly grown since the last time we fought. Is she really improving every day?’

The symbol of the strongest.

The knight leader’s white coat, which was never stained in any battle.

It had long been tattered.

The pure white, once free of dirt, was now a mess of dust and blood.

Each strike was heavy. It was astonishing. It was a mystery how such monstrous power could come from such a frail body where no muscles could be found. 

It was as if a giant tens of meters tall had been forcibly compressed and crammed into that slender frame. 

Every time their swords clashed, his bones seemed to shatter, and his muscles twitched as if electrocuted. He was afraid he would develop a chronic illness. 

Even though Johan was naturally strong-boned, it was clear that if this battle continued, something would break down.

‘No, chronic illness isn’t the problem… I need to worry about my life first?’

As death energy exploded, Ere charged like a rocket.

She instantly crossed the distance and brought down her demonic sword, shrouded in immense death energy.

Even though Johan swung his holy sword to counter, he was slammed into the ground at near-sonic speed.

His shoulders trembled. Feeling the weight in his grip, Johan broke into a cold sweat.

The fight was evenly matched. Johan calmly defended against Ere’s violent barrage. The defense eventually led to a counterattack. 

All movements were linked as naturally as flowing water. He softly pushed away Ere’s powerful strikes and swung a sharp slash. Neither side had anything that wasn’t fatal. If he missed a beat, it would immediately lead to a critical wound.

That’s why it was a stalemate.

Neither could gain the upper hand.

As if balanced, light and darkness were fixed.

However, as the battle continued, the composure faded from Johan’s face.

How long could he maintain this stalemate?

“A little disappointing, isn’t it? I thought you were only obsessed with the sword. To resort to such tricks.”

“You’re one to talk?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

Johan closed his mouth.

He really shouldn’t be the one saying that.

His black eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. Thick fog veiled his ankles. Despite the fierce wind, the fog did not dissipate. Or rather, even if it did, it quickly returned to its place. It wasn’t just a simple fog. It was a curse that polluted the earth.

Death energy. The aura of death was consuming the surrounding area.

It was such a dense aura that even Johan’s holy sword couldn’t purify it all at once.

Just being in this area was rotting his body from the inside out. He was protecting his body with the radiance of the holy sword, but he felt as if his lungs were burning in real-time. To Johan, or any living human, this space was death itself. He was only enduring it because he was Johan; if it were another Supernatural, they would have rotted away in seconds.

“Didn’t you have some fun too? I’m just returning the favor. How is it? Do you understand my feelings a little bit back then?”

In their previous duel, Johan had created a barrier. A barrier of radiance made of holy sword. Inside that barrier, Johan’s overall specs were enhanced by the grace of the holy sword, while Ere’s body was being purified in real-time. Even though she had evolved into a demonic beast, Ere’s essence was that of a Death Knight. For her, Johan’s barrier was extremely incompatible. She fought desperately while enduring her body being decomposed by the second.

“I recreated that barrier in my own way. How’s the completion? Is it useful enough?”

“Haha, useful? I wish it ended at the level of useful! It’s 120 out of 100! Damn it!”

Even if he tried to create the same barrier to offset it, she wouldn’t give him a chance. The barrier of radiance was as difficult to activate as it was powerful. He needed some leeway, but of course, Ere wouldn’t allow that. 

Normally, he could create it even during battle. However, this was the realm of death. All of Johan’s actions were restricted, and even the difficulty of activating the barrier had increased.

“Impressive. Honestly, impressive. But it’s the kind of impressiveness I expected.”

To form the realm of death, she had been concentrating death energy for days. Even if Johan was a holy swordsman, breathing in this space would be difficult. 

Yet, the edge of his sword hadn’t dulled at all. The sharp energy hadn’t died at all. Of course. Yes, his opponent was a Sword Saint. If he were shaken by just this much, she would be disappointed.

‘I’ve even enhanced my specs with the master’s ‘mask’. Even so… I’m not clearly gaining the upper hand.’

She had finished making all the preparations.

Ere had put her heart and soul into today’s match.

She had analyzed, dissected, and devoured his sword.

She had prepared traps in advance to create an environment favorable to herself.

She had doped herself with the ‘Fox Mask’ to complete a state beyond perfection.

Yet, it was a stalemate.

She had definitely grown since then.

She thought that in such a favorable environment, she would definitely seize the victory.

But the reality was different. Ere felt both resentment and joy at the same time because of that fact.

It meant that she wasn’t the only one growing. Even a complete swordsman didn’t stay in the same place. Steadily. Calmly. Unchangingly. He was getting stronger. Just as she had advanced to a higher level in her fight with him, Johan had also taken their fight as nourishment.

“Good. Really good.”

A goal and a competitor.

Ere shouted as if she had discovered a rare treasure.

“There are those who are stronger than you. Many. But few stimulate me as much as you do. Show me more. Your sword! Your growth! Fascinate me even more, Johan!”

“I would have really liked to hear that from another woman!”

Even during their short conversation, flashes of light flickered.

A sword path focused solely on efficiently dismembering the opponent in front of them.

A passionate but calm, primal but rational, contradictory struggle.

Within that, Johan’s eyes were calmer than ever.

‘To consider what comes next… would be pure arrogance. She’s not someone I can face while considering what comes after.’

He had intended to save even a fraction of his strength to respond to the disaster happening over there. His judgment was wrong. He couldn’t afford to save even that ‘fraction of strength’. He couldn’t handle it without pouring out everything. Johan bit his lip hard enough to tear it.

“Hmm.”

A strange light flickered in Ere’s eyes. The atmosphere changed completely. A chill that pierced her heart brought a smile to her lips. 

Yes, this situation was too favorable for her. The current stalemate couldn’t last forever. Unless he used some trick, Johan’s defeat was certain. What means would he use? What would you show me again?

“Holy Sword, Convergence.”

The radiance converged to a single point.

The light was so dazzling that it even blurred Ere’s vision.

It wasn’t just one holy sword. Dozens, hundreds, maybe more.

He concentrated and combined a vast number of holy swords into a single holy sword.

“I’ll cleave this entire space.”

“Impressive. If you can, do it.”

The realm of death was Ere’s home ground.

Dense death energy was condensed even in the air.

Ere began to concentrate all the death energy into her demonic sword.

She would face it head-on. There was no option to evade or deflect.

Even if there was, Ere would resolutely refuse.

‘I see it. When I look at you, I get a sense of it.’

The next level.

The swordsmanship of the Mirror-like clarity.

Something she couldn’t grasp at all when training alone.

But clashing swords with the strongest swordsman made her heart throb as if by magic.

She could reach it.

If she could find a clue in this fight.

She could reach the realm of the Sword Saint.

So show me.

Everything you have.

The sword of the Mirror-like clarity!

“What’s that? That’s dangerous.”

But Ere’s wish was not fulfilled.

In the rising tension, just before the two swordsmen clashed.

Something popped out of the empty air.

“!”

Johan, who had been focusing all his attention on Ere, reacted a beat slower than usual. Nevertheless, it was a terrifying reaction speed. While keeping Ere in check, he raised his holy sword towards the opponent. 

Against any ordinary enemy, even a demonic beast or a captain, it would have been a perfect response. But the opponent was neither, which was Johan’s misfortune.

“Ugh?!”

Splurt. 

Blood gushed from Johan’s back.

His body staggered greatly.

The cause was none other than the holy sword.

The holy sword had slashed his back.

“You shouldn’t swing dangerous things around carelessly, you know? I’ll just give it back to you.”

The child with the White Cloud Mask shrugged and said. Space connection. Connecting the front and back of Johan. That was all.

“Saying you’d cleave the entire space wasn’t just bluffing, huh? The connected space is shaking. Good thing you didn’t cut yourself in half with your own sword.”

The holy sword, which had overwhelmingly concentrated radiance, had affected Murmur’s space connection, giving Johan the minimum time to react. His chest rather than his head. His instincts rather than his reason acted first. 

Countless combat experiences engraved in his body had saved Johan’s life. He had leaned forward. Thanks to that, he was able to avoid a fatal wound. Just a near-fatal wound.

“Guh?!”

She grabbed Johan’s neck as he fell.

Murmur looked at him with half-closed eyes.

She had waited for the perfect timing to ambush him.

Yet he was still alive.

It was a little insulting.

But, well.

That’s not what’s important now.

“Hello, Ereshkigal. Long time no see.”

Murmur took her eyes off Johan and turned her gaze to Ereshkigal.

A subordinate of Astaroth. But since that Astaroth had met her end, she currently had no master. In that case, the Devil God who picked her up first would be the owner.

“…Yes, it has been a while. I hope you have been well.”

Ere replied in her usual emotionless voice.

However, it was a voice tinged with slightly more emotion than usual.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Today’s author’s note is…

Well, do you need it?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Just say it!!!