The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 100

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – Chapter 100

Black Divine Tree (7)

The talismans attached to the tree burned one by one, and the effectiveness of the seal gradually waned.

This meant the tree was starting to move.

Yuseongwoo immediately switched from Samjeong [a sword technique or stance] to Ilsaeng [another sword technique or stance] and grabbed Jeanne by the scruff of her neck.

“Kyaak?!”

“Hold on tight.”

Then, he tucked her under his arm the same way he always held Schuerne.

Their sizes weren’t that different, so it was a familiar feeling.

But it was unfamiliar to Jeanne, so she held onto her Ancient Tree Staff tightly, her eyes wide with surprise.

Tree roots began to lash down on him like rain.

Yuseongwoo quickened his pace, and the spot where he had been was instantly filled with tree roots.

“Hiyak!”

Jeanne, hanging under his arm, made a strange noise.

The speed suddenly increased.

It was faster than the speed he had shown when fighting Yuseongwoo. The scenery blurred past her. Jeanne struggled to regain her balance, and soon Yuseongwoo spun around the black tree and found the entrance.

“There it is.”

About six meters above, there was a single hole leading inside.

Yuseongwoo threw Ilsaeng [his sword] , sticking it about 2 meters up the wall, and then used it as a stepping stone to jump upwards.

Arriving at the entrance, Yuseongwoo put Jeanne down and said,

“It’s time to work.”

“I’m dizzy…….”

“Endure it.”

Jeanne muttered, but diligently put on her spear gear and heavy armor, then took a deep breath.

Then, she chanted a spell.

“Wavering pendulum, may the cat’s footsteps guide the way forward…….”

With her quiet murmur, long cat footprints appeared in front of them.

Above them, a small light illuminated the dark interior.

It was a witch’s magic.

It was more specialized in healing and finding things than harming someone.

Jeanne demonstrated a spell to find the way. The place they had to go, where the core of the tree was.

“You can follow those footprints.”

“That’s an interesting magic.”

Yuseongwoo took the lead, following the cat footprints, and Jeanne followed behind him.

He held Ilsaeng in one hand and spread his aura to grasp the internal structure.

The aura spreading with his steps flowed like a snake along the walls and floor, then returned to Yuseongwoo, conveying the shape.

Jeanne, feeling the shape of the aura, blinked inside her helmet.

It was truly delicate control.

Delicate control to maximize efficiency with minimal aura.

If his talent had been in magic rather than swordsmanship, he would have become a great mage.

Anyway, having grasped the internal structure to some extent, Yuseongwoo recognized that Jeanne’s magic was guiding them on the right path.

The internal structure was spiral, with numerous chambers.

As Schuerne had said, the internal structure recorded in the old Grand Lotus [likely a historical record or text] seemed to be reproduced exactly.

“It’s a trap.”

Yuseongwoo swung Ilsaeng.

Tree fragments flying from the invisible darkness collided with his sword and bounced off.

Jeanne thought that if she had been standing in front, she would have been struck directly.

Because there was no way to deflect the fragments flying at such a terrifying speed from outside her perception range.

Yuseongwoo, who had been deflecting the constantly flying fragments for a while, asked.

“Can you handle it?”

“…I’m doing okay.”

“Good.”

According to Schuerne, the inside of the black tree was filled with divinity, so most people couldn’t withstand it.

Yuseongwoo was fine.

It might have been a powerful divine tree in the past, but now it was a corrupted one.

It had lost most of its divinity, so it wasn’t enough to hinder his activities.

Jeanne wasn’t hindered by it either.

She understood divinity to some extent, so she had her own way of resisting it.

Yuseongwoo and Jeanne continued on.

The inside was dark, and all sorts of traps were lurking, but neither of them was unskilled enough to be hindered by the darkness.

Moreover, Yuseongwoo, with his excellent senses, saw through all the traps, so they were able to reach the innermost part in short order.

The innermost part was heavily guarded.

Knowing instinctively that it was a place that should not be breached, more traps and monsters than before were waiting for them.

Above the widened cavity, Jeanne raised a small light upwards.

Then, tree monsters made of tangled tree roots, similar to the ants they had seen before, revealed themselves.

Countless numbers of monsters swarmed.

“It seems like it’s time to show you my abilities. I’ll deal with them here, so you head inside. And don’t forget the medicine I gave you.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

With those words, Yuseongwoo jumped up and over the monsters.

The monsters turned to chase him, but Jeanne strongly planted her spear gear on the ground and spread her magic.

The monsters’ gazes turned to her due to the intense magic, and Yuseongwoo headed further inside without any problems.

Jeanne, left alone, began to scatter a halo in all directions.

The radiance illuminated all around.

Jeanne, shining alone in the darkness, unwrapped the flag wrapped around her spear gear and muttered.

“…Lord, your faithful servant is about to engage in holy war. Have mercy and bestow grace upon the soul of the warrior.”

The pure white flag embroidered with lilies fluttered.

Three figures embroidered on the delicate embroidery flag fluttered violently even though there was no wind, emitting a glow.

It was the moment when divine power was imbued in Jeanne.

* * *

“That cockroach has a damn long life, that pointy-eared bastard…….”

Yuseongwoo, who had gone further inside, faced Beyorgan.

He had tree roots all over his body, and he had lost the form of an elf here and there, but there was no way he wouldn’t recognize that obnoxious face.

He had clearly cut his entire body into pieces, but he was regenerating perfectly and looking at him.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have split him in half from the head.”

He twirled Ilsaeng in his hand and narrowed his eyes, examining Beyorgan.

He didn’t seem to have any reason.

Nevertheless, there was definitely hostility.

A blatant, intense hatred directed at him.

“Yu… Seongwoo.”

“Oh.”

He thought he had no reason at all, but it seemed like he had some left.

The hostility began to grow.

It took the form of magic, distorting the space.

The powerful magic pressed down on the space, creating pressure.

Whether he was drawing up all the magic and divinity of the tree, an ominous light flowed out of Beyorgan, who was fused with the tree.

“Die, you! Yuseongwoo!”

“No one who said that to me has ever actually killed me.”

If they had, he wouldn’t be here.

Yuseongwoo muttered and looked at the tree roots coming at him.

Between the tree roots, there were also many colorful spells, whether they were instinctively deployed or not.

It was fortunate that it was a slightly wider cavity; if it had been a narrow place, there would have been nowhere to escape.

Yuseongwoo kicked off the ground, twisted his body, and swung Ilsaeng.

The blade of Ilsaeng, swung violently, knocked away the approaching roots and advanced sharply.

Several roots brushed past his body, but did not inflict major wounds.

The spells exploded near him, scattering tree fragments, and he immediately deployed Aura Armor to block them.

However, he couldn’t block the impact, so he flew away and crashed into the wall.

But that was also what Yuseongwoo was aiming for.

Reaching the wall, he hit it with his palm to right himself with the reaction, and immediately swung Ilsaeng to cut off the pursuing tree roots.

Then, he bent his body, took a low stance, and assumed a drawing sword stance.

“Hoo…….”

Forward Style Swordsmanship – Petal Scattering

A small red aura erupted, pushing Yuseongwoo’s body forward.

Unlike the overbearing appearance he had shown so far, he moved forward gently, drawing a curve with Ilsaeng.

Like drawing a landscape painting with ink on Korean paper, the soft sword marked points in the air, cutting through the flying spells and advancing.

Yuseongwoo’s body also moved forward slowly but steadily.

And the moment he cut through all the flying magic and stood right in front of Beyorgan.

He could feel Beyorgan’s emotions from the closest place.

Even though he prided himself on drawing a big picture in his own way, the reality was a trivial picture drawn on a small pond where everything was ruined by one loach [a type of fish, implying a small disruption].

Beyorgan was feeling intense hatred for Yuseongwoo, who had ruined it all.

And at the same time, he understood why he had done such a thing.

“…There was no choice.”

Their parent tree, the Grand Lotus, was dying.

Then, the existence of the Ascension Church appeared before them… and forced a choice.

Whether to die with the dying Grand Lotus, or to try a new beginning with a glimmer of hope.

Beyorgan chose the latter and led his clan to Earth.

And the result was this.

From the beginning, the Ascension Church had no intention of creating proper results.

“Die!”

Beyorgan in front of him stretched out a fist swirling with all sorts of emotions.

Yuseongwoo simply dodged the fist by tilting his head and swung Ilsaeng in a circle.

Beyorgan’s outstretched arm was cut off like tofu.

Whether he didn’t feel pain, he immediately stretched out his other arm, but soon it suffered the same fate.

His arms were cut off and rolled on the floor, but blood did not come out from the cut surface.

Yuseongwoo hit Beyorgan’s face with the end of the sword handle, the sword pommel, and kicked him with a foot full of aura.

The tree roots attached to Beyorgan’s entire body fell off with a thud and crashed into the wall.

“Guo, guooooooo─!!”

But Beyorgan didn’t stop there.

He let out a scream-like roar full of resentment and raised his body.

Yuseongwoo took a long breath in response to the roar and pushed aura into the tightly held Ilsaeng.

The red aura rode Ilsaeng and rose like a haze.

“…Now, I’ll send you to your fellow clansmen. You’ve lived enough.”

A painless death.

It was the only, and best, retirement gift that Yuseongwoo could give Beyorgan.

Since it didn’t seem like he would die of natural causes even if left alone, there was no choice but to send him off himself.

As a last resort, Beyorgan spewed out thick tree roots and magic from his entire body.

The unrefined, sharp magic combined with a tiny bit of divinity scratched all around.

Traces like those scratched with fingernails were created on the walls, ceiling, and floor.

Several streaks remained on Yuseongwoo’s body, scattering drops of blood.

Even the aura to allocate to the Aura Armor was all put into the sword.

“Hoo…….”

He took a long breath and put strength into the hand holding Ilsaeng.

He endured Beyorgan’s last struggle with his bare body and unfolded the sword that would destroy the Black Divine Tree.

One Sword – Life or Death

Ilsaeng glows red.

At the same time, it cuts through the air.

The red aura takes shape and stretches out like a long whip, and soon reaches Beyorgan.

Life or Death is a sword that cuts the soul.

He didn’t know if Beyorgan’s soul was in there.

But it would be enough to cut the core inside.

And then, their small world was all dyed red.