Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: An Unwinnable Battle
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It was a fight that couldn't be won from the start.
"Not yet."
Seo Woo-jin knew that fact all too well.
Even so, he had given it a shot.
He wanted to test his strength.
Deep down, he also wanted to land one solid hit.
But as expected, the Shadow Sage was strong.
He didn't even seem to be going all out, yet Woo-jin was completely overwhelmed.
He couldn't land a proper blow and was barely able to block the attacks coming his way.
Since he couldn't use his Demon King's skills, it was hard to gauge the exact gap between them, but it was clear he was still lacking when it came to facing the Shadow Sage head-on.
"Still..."
He wanted to at least erase that damned shadow.
Even if it meant pushing himself a little.
To block the Dark Shadow Sword, which visibly brimmed with ridiculous magical power, he unleashed "Sky Piercing Sword."
At the same time, he activated "Twelve Sky Swords."
It was the powerful skill that had slain Gigantheanon in a single blow.
Woo-jin felt an enormous surge of mana drain from his body.
But it was manageable.
It would have been impossible before, but now he possessed mana bordering on infinite.
In terms of sheer mana quantity alone, he might even surpass the Shadow Sage.
No—he was confident he exceeded most of the Guardians.
All except one.
The Sword Sage.
The two skills, infused with unprecedented mana, clashed against the Dark Shadow Sword.
Crack—
Space warped, unable to withstand the extremely compressed force.
Zzzzap—!
Dozens of "Sky Piercing Swords" shattered in an instant, scattering like dust.
Yet the Dark Shadow Sword remained intact.
It wasn't called the Godslayer for nothing.
"Insane...!"
Woo-jin was stunned.
With that power.
With that blade.
It could probably sever even the Earth Dragon's neck.
"He threw that at me?"
He even began to suspect if Strain was truly trying to kill him.
At that moment, the "Twelve Sky Swords" embedded in the "Sky Piercing Sword" began to activate.
Twelve beams of light shot out from each sword.
Dozens, hundreds of lights spread in all directions, sketching out a cosmos.
"Ah!"
It was a breathtaking sight.
Fwoooosh—!
The cosmos embroidered in the air spun, radiating light.
Was this what the Big Bang, said to have birthed the universe, looked like?
Light and shadow.
The opposing energies collided, erupting in a blinding flash intense enough to blind.
Woo-jin quickly raised his arm to shield his eyes.
KABOOOOM—!!!
The earth-shaking impact rattled his entire body.
"Cough!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
But the droplets instantly vaporized in the extreme heat, vanishing from sight.
Peeking through narrowed eyes, he assessed the situation.
The Dark Shadow Sword, which had held a clear blade form, was gone.
It seemed it couldn't withstand the power of "Twelve Sky Swords" and had lost its shape.
Seo Woo-jin grinned.
"Blocked it!"
He'd thought it impossible, but he'd stopped Strain's attack.
"See that?"
Beaming with pride, he turned to Strain.
He could see the man's shocked expression.
"Huh?"
Something was off.
He could see Strain's face?
Only then did Woo-jin realize the shadow had vanished.
"...Ugly."
Now he understood why the man always shrouded himself in shadow.
He chuckled inwardly.
But that was as far as it went.
Even with his body far surpassing human limits, Woo-jin couldn't endure the shockwave's aftermath.
Plummeting to the ground, he lost consciousness.
His face bore a satisfied smile.
[The time draws near.]
Who was that?
It was an infinitely heavy, solemn, and dark voice.
[Prepare yourself.]
Prepare for what?
No, shouldn't it reveal who it was first?
Woo-jin addressed the voice's owner.
But no answer came as he wished.
[The shackles halted during the Light Intervals of the Three Asamkhyeya Kalpas have begun to turn anew. Brace yourself and face your destiny as fated.]
...No clue what that meant.
[The winter that never ends. The unseen light.]
The voice grew even heavier.
Finally, words Woo-jin could understand rang out.
[Lord of Demons, he who shall end the world. Your time approaches.]
Woo-jin's eyes snapped open.
"Huh? Hero!"
Rinar's shout brought him back to his senses.
"A dream?"
It had felt far too vivid for that.
The content of the words, the ominous feeling—they were all too real.
"Are you okay?"
At Rinar's worried question, Woo-jin nodded with effort.
Honestly, his head felt like it might split open, but he didn't show it.
"How much time has passed?"
The spot where he lay wasn't the battlefield against Strain.
It seemed to be one of the rooms in the city's lord's castle.
It was opulent, filled with the nobility's lavish tastes.
"About six hours. Uncle Shadow Sage said you wouldn't wake for a full day... You woke up early?"
Woo-jin gave an awkward smile under Rinar's gaze, which screamed "As expected of a hero."
"Where is he? He didn't head back to Rimartan already, did he?"
"Oh, he said he was going to dispel some magic. And clean up the surroundings while at it. Not sure what 'cleaning' means, though."
Woo-jin nodded.
Fortunately, it seemed the Shadow Sage could dispel the "Decoy" spell on his own, even without the Sword Sage.
"Off to deal with the demonic beasts swarming in?"
Woo-jin had blocked quite a few, but plenty remained.
With Strain stepping up—someone who could even slug it out with the Earth Dragon—clearing the area shouldn't take long.
"It's probably done by now?"
According to Rinar, six hours had passed. Considering Strain's strength, most of the beasts were likely dead.
"You're awake?"
At that moment, the room's shadow rose fluidly, revealing Strain.
Woo-jin sat up from the bed with a knowing look.
The vanished shadow had returned, cloaking Strain's entire body.
Recalling the face he'd glimpsed before passing out, he nearly laughed but held it in.
"You've arrived?"
Woo-jin greeted him politely.
An unwelcome incident had occurred midway, but the man had come to resolve his mistake.
Basic courtesy was in order.
"He's stronger than me, after all."
The weak yield to the strong.
He recalled the sages' teachings for navigating the world with a bit more ease.
Being curt just because he didn't like the man could spark round two.
"I've cleaned up your mess. Quite a lot of it."
"...My apologies."
He apologized sincerely.
Two of the Guardians had joined this operation.
They'd emptied an entire major trade city and dug traps to boot.
How much budget had that cost?
Certainly more than Woo-jin could imagine.
And he'd ruined it all.
The Earth Dragon was dead and the surrounding demonic beasts cleared, so it wasn't zero results...
But that didn't excuse his blunder.
"It's fine. We did achieve a modest success, after all."
Setting everything else aside, the Earth Dragon putting an end to its long life was significant.
It wasn't the Empire's target, but it was no less dangerous.
Unlike other dragons, it reveled in destruction and served the Demon King.
Its master, the Fourth Demon King, had vanished long ago, but it had ravaged the world with massacres each time a new Demon King descended.
Its death here was nothing short of miraculous.
Dariel back in Rimartan might gripe a bit, but Strain couldn't care less.
"More importantly, you."
'Why does he keep calling me "you" like that?'
Thinking the man's personality was odd, Woo-jin eyed him.
"What was that last technique?"
"Sky Piercing Sword" and "Twelve Sky Swords."
The combination had produced enough power to block even the Godslayer Dark Shadow Sword.
Strain was surprised, and even Woo-jin hadn't expected it.
What if he'd used it on the Earth Dragon?
"Nah, no chance."
Woo-jin shook his head.
No matter how he thought about it, that monstrous beast wouldn't die from it.
It might take some damage, sure.
"At best, one wing? That's the limit."
Woo-jin didn't overestimate his abilities.
"Answer me."
As Woo-jin pondered, Strain urged him on.
"It's my skill."
He didn't reveal the names.
"A skill? You mean those bizarre techniques the heroes use."
Strain looked baffled as he spoke.
"But you..."
Woo-jin could guess the rest.
"Weren't you a D-grade 'Sword Soldier'?"
As expected, his prediction was spot on.
The lowest rank among a hundred heroes, by far.
For such a person to wield a skill that even the current Baek Shi-woo couldn't imitate—did that make sense?
"I've heard you're exceptional compared to the others. But I didn't expect this much..."
Faint though it was, admiration tinged his voice.
"I learn fast. And I've had some lucky breaks here and there."
Woo-jin shrugged.
"Ban Slane."
At the name, Strain recalled the northern old knight.
"Right. You said you learned from that Sword Ghost."
Just how great was Ban Slane's stature?
Dariel the Sword Sage thought highly of him, and now even Strain seemed to acknowledge the man.
Woo-jin wondered if Ban Slane was even more remarkable than he'd thought.
"I misjudged before."
He'd once thought reaching level 30 would put him on par with Ban Slane.
Back then, his low level had blinded him.
Looking back now, Ban Slane was a powerhouse who held his own against the Empire's Guardians.
Roughly level 90-100?
Something like that?
"Anyway, it's a decent technique. Polish it more."
It was ambiguous praise.
"There are still many flaws, but refine it, and it'll show even greater power."
Woo-jin had thought it overwhelmingly strong, but to the Shadow Sage, it was still lacking.
"Thank you."
Woo-jin bowed his head in gratitude.
"And though the original plan went awry..."
Strain hesitated briefly before speaking.
"A fitting reward will follow."
Woo-jin's eyes lit up at the word.
Reward.
Was there a more thrilling one?
"The Emperor himself will bestow a favor, so you can look forward to it."
Woo-jin forced down his rising smile.
The Emperor.
Ruler of the Empire, no?
He'd won a mere academy sparring match and received the famed sword "Rune Dea" as prize.
And now, a personal reward from the Emperor?
He couldn't help but get excited.
"So prepare to depart. We'll head to the capital once you're ready."