Chapter 157
Chapter 157
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Swords Come Flying
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A sword came flying at him.
It was so slow, it nearly made him yawn.
'Should I just kill him?'
Seo Woo-jin was startled by the sudden thought.
'Kill him? Ban Slaine?'
He was a good man.
When everyone else ignored and despised him, Ban Slaine alone had treated him like a human being.
He had even personally taught him the sword, helping him stand on his own two feet as his master.
And now he was thinking of killing Ban Slaine?
Seo Woo-jin realized something was off about himself right now.
But it didn't feel bad.
No, it felt more like this was normal.
'Still, not right now.'
Seo Woo-jin casually dodged the slowly approaching sword as he pondered.
Even in this moment, Ban Slaine's swordsmanship impressed him.
Though the speed was too sluggish and the power pitiful...
The spirit infused in that sword path was something even Seo Woo-jin couldn't take lightly.
'Let's watch a bit more.'
He didn't quite have the feel for it yet, but a few more experiences should let him master it perfectly.
Right now, Ban Slaine's sword techniques were stacking up layer by layer in Seo Woo-jin's mind.
'But...'
Who was this guy?
He had heard Ban Slaine call him Brutal.
But names like that didn't matter to Seo Woo-jin.
'Demonic energy.'
He sensed faint traces of demonic energy from the man.
'Sloppy.'
It was so weak it made his face scrunch up.
'Still, his sword is decent.'
Surprisingly, Brutal's swordsmanship was on par with Ban Slaine's.
'Hmm...'
Seo Woo-jin's eyes sparkled.
At first, their combined assault was a mess.
Their movements didn't sync, and their timing was disastrously off.
But gradually, it began to harmonize.
If Seo Woo-jin hadn't been reborn as a being of overwhelmingly superior spirit, he never could have dodged it—the path they traced was that powerful.
Within time slowed to an agonizing crawl, Seo Woo-jin evaded them while absorbing each one.
Before, he could never have dreamed of it, but now he could 'understand' them just by watching.
Not just intellectual knowledge—he had internalized them to the point where he could execute them on the spot without issue.
How much time had passed like that?
It seemed their limits had been reached.
Sweat poured down Ban Slaine's handsome face, and Brutal's expression twisted in strain.
Their stamina and mana were running dry.
'That's enough.'
The already slow swords grew even slower—now he could dodge them with his eyes closed.
'Time to kill them.'
Murderous intent bloomed in Seo Woo-jin's heart.
Ssssh—
The surrounding air chilled in an instant.
Ban Slaine and Brutal flinched and leaped back.
They had sensed something ominous, unlike anything before.
But it was too late.
With their abilities, they could never escape Seo Woo-jin's domain.
"Die."
In that moment, Seo Woo-jin forgot even that Ban Slaine was his master.
They were nothing but flies to swat.
Seo Woo-jin's hand gripped the sword's hilt.
The instant it was drawn, that would be their end.
But...
"Hm?"
Seo Woo-jin's face hardened.
"This is..."
Only then did he look down at the sword in his grasp.
"Ka Raniel."
The hero's sword.
The blade that slew the Demon King.
The flickering purple mana it usually emanated was gone.
In its place, reacting to Seo Woo-jin's demonic energy, a brilliantly pure white holy mana flowed forth.
It was so immense it even shocked the 'Demon King' Seo Woo-jin.
"I forgot about this."
Seo Woo-jin tried to let go, but it clung like a magnet.
No, the mana surged wildly, driving out his demonic energy.
Though the demonic energy within him was equally vast, it was pushed back helplessly.
As if facing its natural predator.
Urgency crept into Seo Woo-jin's expression.
If this continued, his demonic energy might be cornered indefinitely.
'Can't have that.'
The Demon King Transformation must not end.
He couldn't go back to being that weak old Seo Woo-jin.
He refused to live scrambling to survive against vermin like them—nearly dying, fleeing, struggling.
He gathered his demonic energy with full force.
Halt—
The mana surging in like waves paused for a moment.
'If I push now...'
He could do it.
The mana's momentum was fierce, but the battlefield was his body.
He could reverse the tide anytime.
That's what Seo Woo-jin thought—and it was possible.
If only the sword approaching his eyes weren't there.
"I don't know what's happening, but now!"
Ban Slaine shouted, and Brutal responded.
Their sharp swords targeted Seo Woo-jin's throat and chest.
Lethal strikes brimming with killing intent.
But Seo Woo-jin didn't react.
Their blades clearly couldn't even scratch his skin.
Kwarrr rumble—BOOM!
Sword met flesh, mana erupted, and a massive explosion rocked the area.
Ban Slaine and Brutal's linked attack produced tremendous synergy.
The forest was swept away in an instant, reshaping the terrain.
Even a transcendent being couldn't have survived unscathed.
"Damn it!"
Brutal's curse echoed through the dust.
"Hmm..."
Ban Slaine let out a heavy groan.
Crrrack—
The swords halted.
They hadn't pierced even 1mm into Seo Woo-jin's skin.
The attack had failed.
Only now did the two realize.
The being before them was utterly beyond their power.
But it wasn't entirely ineffective.
'Trouble.'
Seo Woo-jin gritted his teeth.
Their attacks hadn't landed.
Just as his eyes saw, their swords inflicted no damage.
But Ka Raniel's mana was different.
The moment Seo Woo-jin was distracted by their assault, the mana seized the opening.
'Urk!'
It surged back with torrential force.
Too late to block properly—the mana, having gained momentum, refused to stop.
As if determined not to miss this chance.
Soon the wave became a tsunami, ravaging his body.
'Ah...'
His demonic energy scattered, pushed back.
A sword forged solely to slay the Demon King.
Its mana was a perfect counter to his demonic energy.
'I'm screwed.'
The 'Demon King' Seo Woo-jin shook his head, feeling his demonic energy fade.
Soon it would all be devoured by the mana.
And the Demon King Transformation would end.
'Am I gonna die?'
Revealed as Seo Woo-jin before Ban Slaine?
No matter that he was his swordmaster, he wouldn't let it slide.
He'd sever his head without a word.
To them, the Demon King was an existence that had to be eradicated.
'Can't let that happen.'
How had he survived until now?
He'd rolled endlessly to grow strong, thrashed desperately amid monsters.
He couldn't die so pointlessly.
Especially not by his own sword, Ka Raniel...
'It's unfair.'
Seo Woo-jin raised his hand.
First, clear out the bugs in front of him.
"Get lost."
Kwachak—!
He swung, and Brutal's chest caved in as he flew back like a ragdoll.
"Kuhk!"
He didn't die, unfortunately.
But blood streamed from his nose and mouth from the heavy impact.
Now Ban Slaine.
As Seo Woo-jin's gaze turned to him, Ban Slaine swiftly dodged.
"Tch."
He considered pursuit but shook his head.
Killing them wasn't the priority now.
Seo Woo-jin stood still, observing his inner workings.
Demonic energy and mana clashing without respite.
'Calm them first.'
He couldn't stop the demonic energy from being pushed back.
But he could soothe the mana rampaging like a wild colt.
Ka Raniel's mana was in his body now—it couldn't be entirely uncontrollable.
Seo Woo-jin focused his mind, imprinting his will onto the mana.
Grind—
It rebelled, thrashing harder.
His sturdy mana circuits twisted, bones creaking out of alignment.
Without the Demon King's body, he'd have burst in a second.
Enduring the sharp pain, Seo Woo-jin projected his will even stronger.
'Obey my command.'
Little by little, but firmly.
His immense willpower began to seep in.
The mana's movements gradually slowed.
'Not bad.'
Slow, but the fact it was being dominated mattered.
Seo Woo-jin spread his willpower wider, expanding his control.
From millet seed to rice grain, to grape.
As the scale grew, the mana fell fully under his dominion.
'Go back.'
Just in case, he tried sending the mana back to Ka Raniel.
But...
"Urk!"
It resisted.
He nearly lost his hard-won grip.
'That won't work.'
The best option was out.
So, the next best.
'Achieve balance and harmony.'
He shifted the mana bit by bit, creating distance from the demonic energy.
The demonic energy, cornered to the brink, began reviving.
A deep, dark abyss stretched awake.
And it moved to reclaim its place.
Ruuuumble—
As it swelled, repulsion from the mana intensified again.
Seo Woo-jin focused on equalizing their sizes, preventing clashes.
The key was perfect balance, without bias to either.
Near impossible.
To match ceaselessly writhing energies without a hair's breadth error.
But as a transcendent being, Seo Woo-jin maintained focus without faltering for 0.1 seconds.
'Got it!'
Perfect.
Demonic energy and mana achieved complete equilibrium.
Now, harmony.
Seo Woo-jin began weaving the opposing forces together.
Kwarrr rumble—
Repulsion verging on frenzy erupted.
The metallic tang of blood rose in his throat.
Incredibly, even his body was giving way.
But Seo Woo-jin didn't stop.
He crushed them with even fiercer willpower.
The backlash didn't end once.
Like a natural cataclysm.
Mana circuits tore, muscles ruptured, bones shattered.
His mind grew hazy.
He wanted to let go and give up right then.
Endless agony worse than death.
Yet Seo Woo-jin endured.
Even as blood flowed and his body crumbled.
He poured ceaseless effort into harmonizing the clashing energies.
'Ah...'
Then, suddenly, he recalled the sword Ban Slaine had taught him.
The unity of sword and energy.
The realm that let him cleave through the towering wall of demonic energy in one stroke.
Instinctively, Seo Woo-jin guided the demonic energy and mana along the path Ban Slaine had shown.
Repulsion remained fierce, but bit by bit, ever so slightly.
With each circuit through his body, they mingled.
One loop, two, ten...
And at over a hundred loops, light burst forth.
Blindingly bright.
It was black light.