The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 384

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – Episode 383

Connection (3)

No further conversation was needed.

From the moment he tried to manipulate people with such a blatant trick… any possibility of negotiation with the Ascendant Church Leader evaporated.

Not that I ever intended to negotiate in the first place.

“To think you’d slice your own mother’s neck in one stroke, even if she’s a fake… you truly have no mercy.”

“…….”

In response to the Ascendant Church Leader’s words, Yoo Seong-woo remained silent. The energy radiating from him sharpened into invisible blades, tearing apart everything nearby.

The angels standing guard were unable to defend themselves and dissolved into puddles of blood.

The only ones unscathed were the Ascendant Church Leader, still calmly sipping his tea, and the archangels attending him.

Of course, even the archangels weren’t entirely unharmed. They were bleeding from numerous cuts, and it was a wonder they hadn’t collapsed.

To Yoo Seong-woo, who now eyed realms beyond even divine beings, the divinity of archangels was insignificant.

The swordsman who once risked his life to defeat a single god now stood above countless others.

At the pinnacle of the Sword World.

In that place connected to the star-filled universe, Yoo Seong-woo gripped his sword, which emitted a crimson glow.

His life-bound sword responded to his emotions, intensifying its red radiance.

“…If you refuse to cooperate, there’s nothing more to discuss. Let’s begin,” the Ascendant Church Leader said, clapping his hands. The sound of trumpets echoed loudly, not just in the Sword World, but across the entire Earth.

With the blare of trumpets, the gates of the heavens opened. Angels poured forth, attacking every nation.

A great war against Earth had begun, indiscriminately targeting humans and gods alike.

“To return everything to its original state, we must start with a blank slate. But it’s difficult to make a stained canvas white again, so if we paint it all black, it will be the same as white.”

He was spouting utter nonsense.

Yoo Seong-woo turned his gaze, assessing the situation on Earth.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and lightning strikes erupted simultaneously, threatening to obliterate the planet.

But humanity could overcome that much. Humans had grown far stronger, and with the gods now descended to Earth, they wouldn’t stand idly by.

However, that wasn’t the only problem. Gods who were thought to be allies were reciting the Ascendant Church’s doctrines and rebelling from within.

The Ascendant Church’s sleeper agents, who had remained hidden until now, began to mobilize.

It was impossible to know how long they had been preparing for this flawlessly executed war.

-Olympus is experiencing internal strife. Thanks to your warning, we managed to identify and eliminate some, but it seems we didn’t catch them all.

-This is Loki. The Vanir gods [Norse gods associated with magic, foresight and fertility] have begun to move. You were right.

-Brother, gods are swarming from the lower levels of Takamagahara [The High Celestial Plain, the heavenly realm in Japanese mythology]. It seems we have no choice but to withdraw some of the forces defending the Sword World.

Angels were attacking from the outside, and corrupted gods were attacking from within. Some of the gods defending the Sword World had to retreat to protect their own sacred domains.

It was an unavoidable decision.

The sacred grounds of their own pantheons were more important than those of others, and it was too late to realize that promising aid later would lead to such dire consequences.

Fortunately, no rebellion seemed to have erupted within the Sword World itself.

But with troops withdrawn, the defense was inevitably weakened.

Yoo Seong-woo addressed the people of the Sword World. His resolute voice resonated throughout the realm.

“Endure, endure however you can. If you are at a disadvantage, retreat and survive. Above all, do not die.”

Until he killed the Ascendant Church Leader.

Yoo Seong-woo launched himself into the air, charging towards the Ascendant Church Leader. The archangels attempted to intercept him, but…

“Get out of my way.”

With a swift twist and a single swing of his sword, Yoo Seong-woo beheaded the archangels and shattered their weapons, causing them to collapse.

Having defeated the archangels with a single blow, he immediately advanced towards the Ascendant Church Leader.

Lowering his body as if sweeping the floor, he instantly raised his sword.

A strike aimed to bisect the Ascendant Church Leader from his side to his shoulder soared through the air, but…

Clang─!!

Absurdly, with a clear, ringing sound, the sword’s trajectory was deflected.

Life’s End, blocked by an invisible barrier, sliced through empty air, tearing apart the dark storm clouds beneath them.

“You son of a bitch!”

He spat out the curse.

With that one strike, Yoo Seong-woo understood the difference between himself and the Ascendant Church Leader. The Ascendant Church Leader’s power wasn’t merely a matter of divine energy.

The speed and strength with which the barrier had formed were not simply a manifestation of raw power, but the result of constant refinement and dedicated effort.

It was the mark of a powerful individual who had not neglected self-discipline, even while plotting to overturn the heavens and the earth for an eternity.

However, Yoo Seong-woo did not yield. Even if he recognized the disparity between himself and his enemy, he would not falter.

His sword swung hundreds of times in an instant. There was no sound of cutting through the air, and the blade’s path was imperceptible.

The only evidence was the scraping sound against the Ascendant Church Leader’s barrier and the sight of the storm clouds being torn asunder.

“Other World!”

Yoo Seong-woo, having unleashed Life’s End, summoned the Other World. Gripping the Other World, imbued with the power of ‘Severance,’ with both hands, he began a whirlwind dance of swords.

The twin blades swung incessantly, unleashing Yoo Seong-woo’s martial principles and pouring forth his swordsmanship.

Invisible sword strikes enveloped the Ascendant Church Leader, but he remained standing, merely maintaining his barrier.

“Black Death, Six Paths!”

He summoned two more swords.

After launching the Other World into the air to attack the Ascendant Church Leader, he seized the hilts of Black Death and Six Paths and collided their powers.

A massive vortex formed around him.

Black and white, yin and yang intertwined, drawing a Taijitu [The symbol of Taoism, representing the balance of opposing forces].

The aura of death emanating from Black Death and the opposing aura of creation flowing from Six Paths refused to mix, as if repelling each other, and threatened to consume everything around them.

Yoo Seong-woo forcibly merged the two powers, shaping them into a sphere, and hurled the violently unstable black and white sphere directly at the Ascendant Church Leader.

The black and white sphere exploded upon contact with the Ascendant Church Leader’s barrier.

Black and white clouds, capable of overturning the universe, formed a spiral, tearing the world apart. Nevertheless, the Ascendant Church Leader, standing at the center of the storm, remained unharmed. He merely flicked his finger to deflect the explosion and said,

“I have grasped the full extent of your power. Eight swords. Eight worlds… none of them will reach me. Wouldn’t it be better to cooperate now? A world of white, a world of order where only righteousness exists. Isn’t that the true celestial sphere?”

“I said it’s just a load of bullshit.”

Yoo Seong-woo, taking a short breath, charged again. He kicked off the air, emitting a red aura and light from his entire body.

In response to his attack, the Ascendant Church Leader, as if deciding to meet it head-on this time, released his barrier and extended his hand.

Light erupted from the Ascendant Church Leader’s hand. It was not merely a light to blind the eyes, but the primordial light that burned everything.

The moment he faced the light, a verse from the Bible flashed through his mind.

The verse that God spoke, ‘Let there be light (Fiat lux)’ in the beginning, and light was created.

What the Ascendant Church Leader had unleashed was that very primordial light, filling the sky, which had been filled with black, with brilliant iridescent light.

It was a light engulfing the Earth. There was no escape.

Yoo Seong-woo, bathed in the light, felt a searing pain. Was this how a monster in a cave would feel when it first emerged into the sunlight after a lifetime in darkness?

Was this how a vampire would feel under the warm sun?

However, he did not scream. Swallowing the sound that threatened to erupt, he unleashed his divine power to resist the light.

As the primordial light washed over his body in what felt like countless eons, pure white steam rose from Yoo Seong-woo’s form.

Seeing his body seemingly burned to a crisp, the Ascendant Church Leader turned away, as if he had lost interest.

However, the moment he turned, the corpse-like form quietly, slowly began to move.

A hand rose. Black Death and Six Paths, though scorched by the primordial light, had not melted, and their blades remained razor-sharp.

Yoo Seong-woo quietly took a step. The swords, sensing his will, remained silent, and he finally took two steps, crossing and swinging the swords in both hands.

A silent, death-like strike enveloped the Ascendant Church Leader.

The darkness of Black Death, the light of Six Paths.

The death of the Demon God Sword, the creation of the Blazing Flame Divine Sword.

The two most perfect sword strikes, honed to their extreme by Yoo Seong-woo’s will, unleashed their power at a single point.

Black and white, death and birth, harmonized and unfolded a new world. The Ascendant Church Leader belatedly raised a barrier in response to the unexpected, silent attack. However, the strike had already pierced the barrier and wounded him.

A massive explosion tore away one of the Ascendant Church Leader’s arms. However, the severed arm and the aftermath of the explosion vanished in an instant, as if time had been reversed.

The Ascendant Church Leader looked at Yoo Seong-woo, displaying displeasure for the first time.

Standing in the air, he shook his head, releasing Black Death and Six Paths, and his appearance reverted from a burned corpse to his human form.

However, the burned clothes did not return. Naked, as if he had just returned from the Other World to Earth, he said without a hint of embarrassment,

“Try it one more time.”

“What?”

“That light thing you shot earlier. Try it one more time, you son of a bitch.”

The Ascendant Church Leader found Yoo Seong-woo’s words arrogant. What could he possibly do, even if he unleashed the primordial light again, when he couldn’t even react?

He smiled wryly and extended his hand once more.

At the same time, a brilliant iridescent light erupted again. The primordial light meant to incinerate Yoo Seong-woo poured down upon him.

At that moment, in a fleeting instant.

Yoo Seong-woo held his sword, his eyes closed.

Holding Life’s End, a crimson sword mirroring his own light, he executed a flawless overhead slash from top to bottom.

Seeing this, the Ascendant Church Leader sneered. To cut light with a sword.

Was that even possible?

But he soon realized that it was.

The primordial light was split in half and scattered. That was what the Ascendant Church Leader had overlooked.

Until now, Yoo Seong-woo had never been struck twice by a technique he had witnessed once. His talent, a culmination of countless efforts and experiences.

The eyes of a swordsman who pierced through everything. A secret that allowed him to grasp the form and structure of swordsmanship simply by observing it.

That was what had greatly contributed to creating the current Yoo Seong-woo.

Therefore, Yoo Seong-woo cut the light.

He intuitively understood how the primordial light was structured and how it exerted its power, and he severed its central flow with his sword.

Cutting through the light, even splitting the clouds on the ground in half again, he rested his sword on his shoulder and spat,

“Try it again. Oh, are you going to show me a resurrection show if you die?”