The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 319

Hercules

Herkules is a veteran warrior.

He strangled the Nemean lion, whom no one could kill, and subdued Cerberus, the guardian of hell.

He beheaded the Hydra, and there are countless heroic tales praising him.

All of these contributed to Hercules’ divine status and amplified his power.

Therefore, Hercules, in legend, is virtually unbeatable. Defeat is not part of his mythology.

However, as he continued to fight Yoo Seong-woo, the certainty of victory began to waver in his mind.

‘Why?’ he wondered.

He *should* win.

He *should* be able to defeat any god. Even the supreme god of another mythology.

However, for some reason…

He couldn’t clearly envision ‘winning’ against this spirited man before him.

He couldn’t picture it.

Herkules thought as he swung his club.

*Will this club even reach him?*

No, it wouldn’t.

It hadn’t so far. Yoo Seong-woo read, avoided, and deflected the trajectory of his club with uncanny movements.

A thin blade, barely the size of his forearm.

A sword that looked like it would snap in half with any force, yet he wielded it freely, putting Herkules on the defensive.

Yoo Seong-woo’s sword was constantly approaching. It seemed short, but that was deceptive.

His sword could lengthen, shorten, and even bend like a snake.

He had faced many swordsmen, but never one like this.

Herkules swung his club again. Faster than anyone else in this slowed-down world.

The club tore through the air, about to smash into Yoo Seong-woo’s midsection.

Yoo Seong-woo’s eyes tracked the club. He jumped, using the club itself as a springboard to avoid the attack, then aimed his sword at the hand gripping the weapon.

Herkules released his grip, spun around, and attempted a backhanded blow.

But Yoo Seong-woo dodged that too, leaning back, then lightly leaping away to create distance, catching his Ilsaeng [his sword] in his hand as he landed.

“Is this all there is to the great hero of Greek mythology? If this is the end, it doesn’t seem like much.”

“…”

Herkules couldn’t answer, listening to Yoo Seong-woo’s taunt.

He had made a mistake from the start.

He had fallen for a simple joke, letting psychological warfare cloud his judgment, arrogantly assuming Yoo Seong-woo was weaker.

But Yoo Seong-woo was not someone to be underestimated.

He was skilled at concealing his strength and presence, a giant killer who had defeated many stronger opponents.

“Judging by your silence, are you finally feeling a sense of crisis?”

“I apologize for looking down on you. But the result will not change!”

Herkules roared.

A warrior’s cry that echoed through the heavens and earth. An intense roar that seemed to resonate with the very soul, and he launched himself forward.

The ground exploded as if a bomb had detonated, the earth upturned by the sonic boom following the swinging club.

“Are you just going to run away like a rat!”

Herkules shouted at Yoo Seong-woo, who was retreating.

It was a challenge to stand and fight, but Yoo Seong-woo simply nodded and moved out of the club’s path.

Then, he leaped high into the air, gripped his sword firmly, and descended, showcasing his brilliant swordsmanship.

First Sword – Life or Death.

The red blade shone even brighter.

Following that, the red light extending from the blade took the form of thorny vines.

Yoo Seong-woo placed his left hand on the blade, drawing blood, and the blood-soaked blade covered the light that resembled thorny vines with crimson.

Instantly completed: a blood whip densely packed with thorns.

First Sword – Life or Death, Blood Imprint.

He swung his sword as if wielding a whip.

Yoo Seong-woo, creating a whirlwind of blood in the air, pulled the sword towards him and thrust it out, turning the whirlwind into an awl aimed at Hercules.

“Something like this!”

Gritting his teeth, Herkules gripped the club with both hands, preparing to meet the attack head-on, swinging it upwards from below, channeling his divinity.

The end of the swung club collided with the whirlwind.

The whirlwind, upon impact, expanded, trying to engulf Hercules.

Herkules tried to withstand it, but he gritted his teeth as the whirlwind grazed his body.

*It inflicts direct damage to the soul?*

This was dangerous.

An extremely dangerous attack.

If he were swallowed by the whirlwind, his soul would surely be torn to shreds.

But he couldn’t escape.

The pressure of the whirlwind against the club was immense.

To escape, he would have to sacrifice an arm.

Therefore, Hercules made a choice worthy of a great hero.

The choice of a hero who never backs down.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!”

And he succeeded in deflecting the whirlwind.

He endured the minor attacks with his body, enduring the tearing at his soul.

Herkules glared at Yoo Seong-woo, who landed on the ground, panting.

It was a powerful attack.

Powerful enough to be considered a finishing move.

“That last attack must have been your finishing move. Is there anything else you can do now?”

Herkules said confidently. The wounds inflicted by Life or Death were slow to heal, leaving him looking somewhat battered, but…

Yoo Seong-woo tilted his head, questioning his words.

Then he smiled and said.

“…Yes, that *was* my finishing move. I’m too tired to even hold a sword now.”

With that, Yoo Seong-woo dropped Ilsaeng to the floor.

He squatted down, making it obvious he was struggling.

Herkules, fueled by the battle, believed Yoo Seong-woo’s act and charged forward, even discarding his club.

“Then die!”

“A guy who was fine suddenly became a muscle brain,” Yoo Seong-woo muttered.

As Hercules approached, Yoo Seong-woo picked up Ilsaeng and resumed his stance.

Herkules had not yet exerted his full strength.

Nor had Yoo Seong-woo.

He was curious to see how far he had to push Hercules to reveal his true power.

The great hero of Greek mythology.

This level of trickery was necessary to deal with Hercules.

As Yoo Seong-woo raised his sword, Hercules’ eyes widened.

His face a mask of disbelief, he took one step, then two, then covered his vitals with both arms in defense.

Yoo Seong-woo’s sword followed.

Taking a step, he drew a semicircle, striking upwards from below.

A beautiful, perfect semicircle was etched in the air, cutting into Hercules.

Moon Extinction Sword.

Half Moon.

What unfolded was a swordsmanship created to cut the moon, modeled after its shape.

Of course, he couldn’t actually cut the moon with a sword.

The creator of this swordsmanship had risen to the position of Sword Master with it, training many students.

*But in the end, I killed him.*

However, his swordsmanship lived on, eventually becoming a sword that could slay gods.

Yoo Seong-woo shook the blood from his sword and surveyed the scene.

Herkules stood with his face shielded by his arms.

And on the ground behind him, a long, deep sword mark.

Even more gigantic than the furrows Hercules had carved with his club.

Then, blood gushed from Hercules’ arm like a fountain.

A large wound had been inflicted on Hercules’ body, a body that should have been indestructible and impervious to swords.

It was cut so deeply that bone was exposed.

But Yoo Seong-woo wasn’t satisfied; he had aimed to sever the arm completely.

“It was a little shallow.”

“You bastard…”

Herkules’ arms drooped. Not only the muscles but also the nerves had been severed by the previous blow.

Herkules spoke with a complicated expression, as if his very soul had been damaged.

“This is the first time I’ve felt like this in thousands of years. What’s your name?”

“You don’t ask the enemy’s name in war.”

“That’s true.”

Herkules realized that what he had been doing was not a ‘fight’.

This was war.

A simple war where they had to kill each other.

Herkules smiled at Yoo Seong-woo’s words and raised his half-severed arms.

The muscles, nerves, and blood vessels were all neatly cut, but Hercules stubbornly raised both arms and unleashed his divinity.

The severed arms began to regenerate, becoming even stronger than before.

Tremendous regeneration and strengthening.

Yoo Seong-woo was dumbfounded and chuckled.

“You’re no different from a troll.”

“It’s a shame to compare me to those things. I’ll show you even more amazing things now.”

The atmosphere around Hercules shifted.

As if he was finally getting serious, he took a deep breath and picked up the club he had discarded.

He gripped the club tightly and swung it a few times.

Then, the shape of the club transformed into a long staff.

Herkules spun the staff around a few times and slammed it hard on the floor.

The ground rumbled with a dull thud.

Herkules, having planted the staff, spread his arms and declared.

“I am Hercules, son of God and a great hero. I have completed the twelve labors and ascended to divinity, dedicating myself to Olympus until now.”

“…I am Yoo Seong-woo, owner of the Sword Realm and a Sword Master.”

“I heard you well.”

Herkules smiled again and began to spread his divinity in all directions.

He began to manifest his world. The unique world of the great hero, Hercules.

The divinity began to fill the plains, drawing upon Hercules’ heroic tales.

Herkules’ heroic tales are arguably the most famous in Greek mythology.

Considering the popularity of Greek mythological figures, Hercules is undoubtedly in the top five.

His actions in Greek mythology were extraordinary.

Many heroes appear in Greek mythology, but none have achieved as much as Hercules.

Jason, Achilles, Odysseus… None achieved the same level of accomplishment as the ‘great hero’ Hercules.

He supported the sky in place of Atlas, strangled the Nemean lion, beheaded the Hydra, and subdued Cerberus with his bare hands.

The wielder of power that even the gods feared.

That was the great hero Hercules. In the end, he met a tragic death, but…

Such a death only made Hercules’ legend more sublime.

“Are you finally taking it out?”

“I only show this to those strong enough to earn my respect.”

What kind of world would such a great hero create?

He was a man who tended to solve everything with brute strength…

“I’ll show you. My world.”

Herkules pulled the staff from the ground and spun it.

The divinity shifted its flow in response to the staff’s movement, gradually engulfing the plains and changing the environment.

The meadow transformed into a plateau, the blue sky into a sunset landscape.

A desolate world.

The essence of Hercules, worn down by his endless labors.

Yoo Seong-woo smirked as he looked at this world.