The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 269

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – 268

Nox (11)

“Heh heh.”

Shuten-doji reached out to the severed waterfall, filling his sake cup and gulping it down.

A relaxed attitude, drinking leisurely even with an enemy before him.

The composure only the strong possess.

Yoosungwoo sensed a faint divine aura emanating from Shuten-doji.

He seemed to be concealing it, but it couldn’t escape Yoosungwoo’s detection.

“Slaughter amidst such beautiful scenery and sake… it’s simply not right, don’t you think?”

“You sent your subordinates to capture me, yet you speak so politely.”

“Oh dear, those fellows again. I sent them to welcome a guest, but it seems they were a bit too enthusiastic.”

“I already blew their heads off, so there’s no need to apologize.”

“If that’s the case… heave-ho.”

Shuten-doji set down his sake cup and rose from his seat.

That simple action gave the illusion of a mountain rising.

The overwhelming presence of Shuten-doji.

Yoosungwoo twirled his sword and asked.

“Before I slice off your head, let me ask something. Who told you I was here?”

“Curious? Have a drink, and I’ll tell you. It’s a bit lonely drinking alone, you see.”

Perhaps seeing an opportunity, Shuten-doji picked up his sake cup again and filled it with water from the waterfall.

Then, he lightly tossed it to Yoosungwoo; the sake in the cup didn’t spill, stopping gently in front of him.

Yoosungwoo took the cup and drank it in one go.

If he could get information with a cup of sake, there was no reason not to.

A sweet aroma and taste, as if it contained every fruit imaginable.

The clean feeling as it went down his throat told him this was high-quality sake.

And at the same time, an overwhelming intoxication washed over him.

For a moment, his vision spun, but he quickly regained his senses.

His internal aura instantly pushed away the intoxication.

Yoosungwoo, having emptied the cup, threw it back to Shuten-doji.

Shuten-doji, having received the cup, spun it in his hand and took another drink from the waterfall.

Just how was Shuten-doji’s liver holding up, constantly drinking that incredibly strong liquor without any reaction?

It wouldn’t be strange if it were made of steel.

“I’ll tell you. My father told me.”

“Your father is…”

“Yamata no Orochi. The great demon who once made all of Japan tremble.”

Yamata no Orochi.

The eight-headed dragon.

A famous monster in Japanese mythology.

A dragon whose heads could only be severed by a god.

Shuten-doji was the child of such a dragon, and he claimed to have heard the story from him, prompting him to send his subordinates after Yoosungwoo.

He had been expecting something like this.

He knew some people might know he was here, but it was another thing entirely for that information to reach Shuten-doji.

It would mean betraying humanity and siding with monsters.

“My father was a great demon, but now he is a Dragon God (龍神) [Ryūjin, a dragon deity] who has his name on Takamagahara [the High Celestial Plain, the residence of the gods in Shinto mythology].”

“A monster becoming a god… that’s quite something. So, Orochi told you to kill me?”

“No, quite the opposite. He’s trying to help you with what you’re trying to do. The young dragon you have with you…”

Shuten-doji drank sake again.

How much was this crazy oni [demon or ogre in Japanese folklore] going to drink?

Yet he showed no signs of being drunk…

“Kiyaa, the taste of sake drives me wild! Anyway, the one who subdued that young dragon is the god you suspect. I can’t say the name directly, but…”

“Thank you for telling me that much.”

“What for? We’ll be working together in the future, so I can give you this much.”

“Working together?”

“Yes. Your goal is also our goal.”

Shuten-doji drank sake again.

This time, a little longer than before, as if trying to savor the sake.

“Puhah─! Both my father and I have been hurt by him. I thought this was a good opportunity.”

Shuten-doji finally put down his sake cup. Then, he moved his burly body to loosen up and continued.

“Then, let’s test it out. See if your sword can reach him.”

“Who’s testing who?”

“I’m testing you.”

With those words, Shuten-doji kicked off the ground.

With just a simple leap, the waterfall behind him seemed to distort and accelerate.

In a fleeting moment, Yoosungwoo swung Ilseong towards Shuten-doji, who was approaching within striking distance.

The monster’s fist and his sword collided in the center, and shockwaves spread in all directions.

Stone fragments flew, and the nearby river water burst apart.

“I’ll show you what true supernatural power (怪力亂神) [Kairiki ranjin, superhuman strength] is!”

“Huh, that’s funny!”

Shuten-doji’s fist flew again. The continuous strikes pouring down in a fleeting moment contained the power to destroy mountains with each blow.

Yoosungwoo retreated, wielding his sword to deflect the power contained in the fist.

The impact of the deflected fist created huge craters in various places.

“Ho.”

Shuten-doji smiled and pulled back his fist. And then, a single punch (一拳) [Iken, a single punch] followed.

The fist that could break a mountain plunged down towards Yoosungwoo.

Realizing it was difficult to deflect, he raised the sword’s surface to defend.

Jjeoeoong─!!

Shuten-doji’s fist struck the waist of Ilseong, creating a huge crater behind him.

Even more gigantic than any crater he had made with his fist so far.

“Keuk…!”

“I’m getting excited!”

Kurururu…

The river water gathered into the crater created by Shuten-doji, forming a large pond.

The monster punched again, plunging Yoosungwoo into the pond, and then punched again.

The magic contained in the fist swung in the air, an intangible force also called demonic power (妖力) [Yōryoku, demonic energy], became a flail and exploded the pond.

“Surely this isn’t the end! Don’t disappoint me!”

The demonic power gathered in Shuten-doji’s hands flew and plunged into the pond.

Explosions occurred several times, causing all the river water that had filled the crater to be spewed out.

A pillar of water soared, revealing the end of the crater, where Yoosungwoo stood holding his sword with both hands.

His sharp gaze and voice pierced Shuten-doji.

“I know guys like you well. Constantly fighting to prove your worth…”.

He had fought this type countless times.

So much that it made him want to vomit.

Yoosungwoo swung his sword at Shuten-doji, who was floating in the air.

A red flash flickered, splitting the world in half.

Shuten-doji quickly gathered demonic power in both hands to block the sword strike, but that alone was not enough.

Yoosungwoo’s sword light cut through Shuten-doji’s demonic power, leaving a long scar on his body.

“Keok!”

“And you’re also the type who only believes in your innate divine power.”

With Yoosungwoo’s words, another sword strike plunged in.

Before he knew it, his sword, which had reached behind Shuten-doji, fell straight down from above.

This time, the situation was reversed.

He defended by raising both arms, but Yoosungwoo’s sword cut through the leather and muscles, reaching the bone.

However, he couldn’t even split the bone, so Shuten-doji, who received the impact as it was, was thrown to the ground, creating a crater.

Dust soared, clouding the vision.

But only for a moment.

A figure soared out of the dust like a cannonball.

“Euhahahahaha─!!”

It was Shuten-doji, holding a tattered fist.

Even while scattering his blood everywhere, he didn’t stop his charge.

As he clenched his fist tightly, the blood that had been flowing from the cut stopped.

And with that, a powerful strike followed.

Yoosungwoo held out Ilseong with both hands. Not the sword’s blade, but the handle part.

He deflected Shuten-doji’s fist upwards with the pommel at the end of the handle, and then swung the sword down into his open chest.

Shuten-doji’s other hand hammered the sword’s blade to defend, but the sword’s blade dug halfway into his fist, tearing through the flesh.

“This is nothing!”

Shuten-doji, boasting tremendous toughness, swung his fist with the sword still stuck in his hand.

Yoosungwoo let go of the sword without hesitation and bent his body.

At the same time as Shuten-doji’s fist brushed past his hair, his fist plunged into Shuten-doji’s abdomen.

“Keueup!”

The fist that had been plunged in twisted upwards, striking his chin, and his elbow slammed down on his collarbone.

Even in the midst of that, Shuten-doji also plunged his fist into Yoosungwoo.

“Keuk!”

The two who had been hit fell in different directions and landed at the same time.

Shuten-doji pulled out the sword stuck in his fist and threw it to the ground.

“Are you really human?”

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”

“Of course, it’s a compliment. Then, shall we put the jokes aside and get serious?”

With those words, Shuten-doji took a stance and drew out his power.

The power emanating from Shuten-doji, who had taken a stance, was truly explosive.

Like a volcano erupting, the power gathered at one point exploded at once, distorting the surrounding space.

“Has he revealed his true colors?”

Even the divine aura he had been hiding faintly flowed out.

Yoosungwoo summoned Ilseong, put strength into his hand, and drew out the divine aura within his body.

The divine aura that had been stacked on the sword.

It had become even greater than in the past, to the point where it could cut down a lower-level god with a single blow.

“You’re not the small deity of the Seongsin Battle of the Korean Peninsula for nothing! Well then, I’m going!”

And then, a vibration followed.

The entire Abyss began to shake according to Shuten-doji’s will.

However, the two did not collide. Before they both made a move, Shuten-doji withdrew his energy first.

Then, he raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Ah, why are you doing this when it’s at its best? Ao! Please be moderate!”

“……”

“I’m really pissed off……”

Shuten-doji ruffled his hair and continued.

“I think this is enough. You’ve proven your qualifications, so how about having a constructive conversation now?”

With those words, Shuten-doji reached out his hand, and a sake cup flew from afar.

He scooped up the sake that had pooled on the floor, drank a cup, and continued.

“Now, let’s talk about how to cut through the rough seas and storms.”

***

The people waiting in front of the Abyss did not end up fighting the oni [demon].

Even after Nagi’s spell was 解除 [kaijo, released or canceled], the Abyss remained calm.

It was gradually increasing in size, and only dimensional waves that could not be measured by machines flowed out.

And finally, the Abyss distorted, and a figure popped out from within.

“Attack!”

As soon as something popped out, the Japanese divers poured out long-range attacks towards the Abyss.

However, the colorful magic and spells were 消滅 [shōmetsu, extinguished or disappeared] by a red flash.

“What is this…!”

“What popped out?!”.

And soon, people were able to see the person who had popped out of the Abyss.

It was Yoosungwoo, standing on the Dotonbori River and lightly swinging his sword.

“Master!”

At the same time as he returned Ilseong to its sheath, the Abyss lying on the river contracted and disappeared.

What that meant was…

“…Ho, a 1st-class Black Gate alone?”

“No way……”

Among the Japanese divers, there were only those who had heard rumors about Yoosungwoo, but no one had directly confirmed his skills.

At best, it was only Yasaka Tower Lord Nagi.

Yoosungwoo jumped from the water onto the bridge and said.

“Koyuki, I’m going to see Inari.”