Chapter 63: Disaster (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: Disaster (2)
Sword Emperor Siegfried reached the source of the resonating magic power.
"Ugh."
The ominous air, which forced a harsh cough from his throat, stabbed mercilessly into his lungs.
The surging magic power was so sinister that it threatened to instantly shatter even the strongest mental fortitude.
The Sword Emperor paused for a moment and looked around. The tragedy he wanted to believe was a dream was a living hell.
As if time had temporarily stopped under the weight of a massive presence, all sounds of life had ceased. If he let his guard down for even a second, his consciousness felt like it would snap.
'...This sensation.'
It was even greater than when he had faced the 6th Corps Commander, Basmon, half a century ago. Feeling the acrid magic power eating away at his body like a wildfire, the Sword Emperor could gauge his opponent's strength without even laying eyes on them.
"...Agor."
The only demon among the Corps Commanders who wielded fire magic. Her sheer destructiveness was not something a single human could hope to handle.
Countless questions flashed through his mind, but this was no time to question a bolt from the blue.
"Whew."
The Sword Emperor exhaled a long breath and shook off his fear by firmly gripping his weapon. Clearing just one more layer of the thicket would bring him face-to-face with the enemy.
It was then that the Sword Emperor took a step toward the horrific scene.
A woman clad in dress-like red garments. Judging by the magic power she exuded, Agor must have possessed that woman's body.
For a Corps Commander-class demon to manifest, they had to sacrifice flesh to loosen the boundary between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, then possess a human body to act as a catalyst.
As a backlash, the possessed Corps Commanders could not draw out their full power, but they remained an unstoppable disaster nonetheless.
'In the end, my prediction was correct.'
Just as he let out a dry groan and was about to step forward, the Sword Emperor's gaze shifted slightly. Soon, he was lost for words.
Cadet Kang Geomma. He was staring at Agor, slowly raising his blade.
The Sword Emperor stared at him, utterly dazed.
There was no trembling in his eyes. In a situation where even he, a Seven Stars Hero, felt fear, Kang Geomma had completely erased any trace of terror.
It was not the gaze of a warrior who had given up on life. His eyes were bright and sharp. Kang Geomma was planning to cut down the enemy right now.
Agor relaxed her stiff expression for a moment and looked at Kang Geomma with interest. The curve of her lips was bewitchingly beautiful, enough to captivate anyone.
Kiiiiiiing—
The sword cry of the Sashimi echoed sorrowfully.
Whoosh!
At the same time, a brilliant halo of light flowed along the blade. Reflecting that scene, the Sword Emperor's eyes were dyed a pale blue.
A bone-chilling shiver ran down his spine. Realizing what that light was, the Sword Emperor muttered.
"...Aura."
To manifest sword energy at such a young age. Rather than jealousy as a fellow swordsman, awe welled up first.
Sparks of sword energy flew toward the enemy. The sword possessed a will, like a living thing. The pure blue aura alone sprouted a spark of life amidst the blood-red tragedy.
The Sword Emperor, who had been watching blankly, shook his head to quickly snap out of it. He had almost lost his focus. Then, he shouted Kang Geomma's name at the top of his lungs.
"Kang Geomma, stop!"
At the old man's shout, Agor and Kang Geomma's gazes turned toward him.
At the Sword Emperor's intrusion, Agor glared at him with annoyance. The succubus, who fed on the essence of life, showed little interest in an old body.
Agor turned her gaze back to Kang Geomma. Her glowing eyes gleamed fiercely, and her sinister murderous intent grew even thicker.
'Kang Geomma, not that cadet.'
He was the hope and treasure that would break the vicious cycle of humans and demons.
An unprecedented talent must not vanish in vain in a place like this.
"I will deal with her! You must escape quickly!"
The Sword Emperor shouted again as if roaring. Kang Geomma's lips twitched, but he held his tongue. Keeping his eyes fixed on the enemy, he completely drew his sword from its sheath.
Kiiiiing—
The Sashimi, imbued with will, answered with a sword cry instead. The Sword Emperor also drew his sword and kicked off the ground, but...
Swish.
Kang Geomma left an afterimage and vanished from sight.
* * *
As the human shadow stretched long, his straight figure cast forward like a film.
Boom!
A sonic boom of exploding air accompanied his brief footstep.
In an instant, Kang Geomma was right in front of Agor.
His arm slid toward the enemy, drawing an arc.
'The speed is too fast for the eyes to capture...'
The Sword Emperor blinked. In that split second, the process leading to the result was completely omitted, leaving only layers of silver trajectories stacking up. It was a sharp, unhurried movement that targeted the vital points with absolute precision.
Swish, slash!
A swift strike combining unrealistic speed and precision aimed at Agor's neck. The sound of the wind only caught up to Kang Geomma's movements after the fact.
A speed that far transcended human perception. It was no longer at a level that could be tracked by physical senses. The Sword Emperor had to rely on his Mindscape Domain to barely register the clash in his mind.
The tip of the blade reached its peak and fell, only to soar upward from the lowest point in a split second.
A heavy strike loaded with solid power and a fierce, swift slash were imbued in the two Sashimi knives.
Even before his figure could fully materialize, another shadow would appear far away, or suddenly strike from above or below.
Kang Geomma brandished his Sashimi.
'Swinging.'
Confusing the enemy with irregular movements to cause chaos.
'Thrusting.'
The essence of the Sashimi lay in the sharpness of its tip and its lightness.
'Slashing.'
A continuous flurry of attacks that no other weapon could deliver drew sharp, straight lines.
—Whoosh!
How to deal with a strong enemy, vital points, the opponent's breathing, emotional state, and the flow of attack. All of this was gathered and hammered into Kang Geomma's mind.
It was the remnant of a twenty-year career spent wielding only Sashimi knives, engraved into his very skin.
The talent of the blade that had led him to become the nation's best swordsman. On top of that, the Blessing of the Sword God was added.
His lack of real combat was compensated by his decades of experience holding the knife, and his fully bloomed senses were tempered by the Blessing of the Sword God, infinitely expanding the realm of his talent.
Slash!
A sharp beam of light cut through the air. Because of the tremendous speed, it looked like a straight bolt of lightning.
"Oh, not bad. You've surpassed human limits, haven't you?"
Agor, who had vanished from sight, was suddenly standing behind Kang Geomma. The ground beneath her feet instantly rotted away.
Agor struck down with her sticky claws.
Boom!
The sheer shockwave of the impact distorted the air and gouged deep craters into the ground.
Without showing any panic, Kang Geomma twisted the trajectory of his sword. The aura-coated blade was quiet yet fierce. A celadon-colored energy was tangled like a thread at the tip of the blade.
"To be able to use aura so freely at such a young age... it's really a waste to leave you as a human."
Agor chuckled and deflected the attacks with her bare hands. Blood seeped from the shallow cuts left by the blade. With a face full of sadistic pleasure, she sensed and blocked the continuous flurry.
Along with the scattered sounds of tearing air, the surrounding scenery collapsed helplessly. In the gap between attack and counterattack, the boundary between life and death grew faint.
Clash-clash-clash-clash!
The more she did, the more fiercely Kang Geomma poured out his blades. As his arms and shoulders moved, space itself rippled like waves.
A succession of hard-to-catch, rapid strikes. Every movement was as precise as a machine, executed with absolute purpose. The sharp sword strikes whipped up a gale of blades.
Boom!
Before the lingering sound of the previous attack could even fade, multiple blades flew at the enemy like birds of prey.
Agor deflected the curving trajectories of the blade. Her relaxed expression peeled away, replaced by a tense, rigid look.
'He's getting faster.'
Agor took short, shallow breaths. At first, she had planned to just play along, but now she was struggling just to block the blades. Every time she tried to strike, the cold steel ruthlessly cut into her vision, forcing her back.
Soon, Agor's blood dripped onto the ground. The moment she was cut, new flesh greedily sprouted to heal the wound. Yet, Agor frowned.
"I really can't get used to red blood. It makes me feel like I've become human. If only it weren't for that clause from seven hundred years ago... This is truly unpleasant and disgusting."
Agor's shadow flickered, instantly reappearing at Kang Geomma's feet. Then, her claws, sticky with blood, lunged toward his neck.
Just before the claws could graze his skin, Kang Geomma spun his body to dodge the attack and thrust. Only his black hair swayed slowly in the wind. It was a movement that extracted maximum speed with minimal motion.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The fierce clash of red and white stacked up, taking on a distinct shape.
All of this happened in the span of barely five seconds.
"...N-No."
The Sword Emperor rubbed his wide eyes and stammered. The swordsmanship Kang Geomma was displaying had completely broken free from the shackles of humanity.
The blade, imbued with the absolute will to slash, rushed at the enemy while dragging its aura. As if cutting through space itself, clean, artificial cuts were left in the thick dust.
The Sword Emperor could not move his feet. He couldn't even follow the speed with his eyes. On top of that, the sword energy Kang Geomma scattered brooked no outside intervention.
He could only narrow his eyes, desperately trying to grasp and record the trajectory of the blade. His pupils darted so rapidly they shook left and right like an earthquake.
Whoosh.
As the steel blades swept through the air, the friction sent sparks flying. A burning smell lingered at the tip of his nose.
'...But.'
As the fierce battle dragged on, the balance of the fight began to tilt toward Agor.
Perhaps because he had reached his limit, Kang Geomma's eyes gradually grew cloudy. His fierce strikes slowed down noticeably. Blood from his ruptured capillaries flowed down his cheeks like tears.
His breathing was ragged, and when he exhaled, white breath leaked through his teeth despite it being early summer. It was proof that his body temperature had risen to an abnormally high level.
Due to his movements defying the laws of physics, his blood boiled like lava, and his body heat rose to an extreme degree.
"Ah..."
Agor let out a sultry moan, her face flushed with pleasure. As steam rose from her shallow cuts, they healed cleanly.
"It's really a waste to leave you as a human. That flame-like fighting spirit that burns your own body is so captivating. You're a bit rude, but at your age, you have more potential than the child chosen as 'That Person's' vessel. But—"
She smiled faintly. Then, spreading one hand, Agor continued in a whisper.
"—Our little playtime ends here. I've almost fully adapted to this body now."
Agor took a short breath. Instantly, the wind reversed its flow. The magic power gathering in her hand began to take shape.
"Let's test if you are indeed the child who will fulfill our wish, my dear."
"Get out of the way, Kang Geomma!"
Realizing the situation, the Sword Emperor threw himself toward Kang Geomma without hesitation.
Glancing at him, Agor smiled sinisterly and chanted softly.
"Flama."
The moment the chant ended, a searing hot wind blew, making it impossible to even open one's eyes, and a massive wall of fire erupted.
A crackling roar that seemed to scorch the eardrums echoed. The surrounding life and the lush greenery of the forest instantly turned to ashes. Thick black smoke choked their lungs.
Even if it was the simplest fire-attribute magic, when cast by a Corps Commander-class demon, its power was on an entirely different level.
Behind Agor, the blazing inferno flickered its flames like a snake's tongue.
Against the backdrop of the crimson flames, Agor winked playfully.
"You can withstand this much, right?"
Kang Geomma glared at Agor, his face contorted. Perhaps unable to move anymore, his body staggered.
At that sight, Agor let out a sinister sneer like an evil deity. The moment she straightened her fingers—
Whoosh!