Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 218

Krrraaack!

The Chaos, having sustained a significant injury, stumbled backward. Foul-smelling blood splattered from its neck.

However, even that wasn’t a fatal blow.

“It’s regenerating, as expected.”

Like a monster composed of countless Chimera [a creature made of mixed animal parts] components, the wound on Chaos’s neck healed almost instantly.

Unlike the other Chimeras they had encountered, even the blood that had fallen to the ground was sucked back into its body.

Its regenerative power was so immense that it seemed to reverse time itself.

At this rate, even the Blood Drain tactic of whittling down the opponent’s stamina wouldn’t work.

‘Fire is definitely a weakness, but to inflict a fatal wound through that regeneration, I’d need to drop a meteor or something?’

Kainchel combined the Onion Swordsmanship with Tadakki, simultaneously creating four fireballs.

He fired them, aiming for both of Chaos’s wings.

Boom, boom, boom!

Enormous flames erupted everywhere. Even Erebus [primordial deity of darkness], wouldn’t be able to move for a while if hit by an attack of this magnitude.

But it didn’t work on Chaos.

Kkyaaaaak!

Chaos, extinguishing the fire on its wings with tremendous wind pressure, charged forward with a chilling screech.

Of course, Chaos had the initiative.

The power emanating from its body was so immense that even a Sword Master couldn’t withstand it.

What was particularly difficult to deal with was the tremendous wind pressure generated by its wings.

It wasn’t just a simple gust of wind; the ground directly hit by the shockwave cracked, and black energy writhed and surged out.

Was the previous attack a threat to Chaos as well?

It was clear that it was wary of Kainchel approaching.

At that moment, a sharper and more urgent voice than usual echoed.

“Be careful! The real danger is the tail!”

Kainchel reflexively kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.

Kukukukukung―!

And the tail, swung with the force to shatter space itself, grazed beneath Kainchel’s feet.

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower in dodging, his body would have been torn apart.

‘Tch, it seems difficult to deal with using just a sword.’

Kainchel maximized the distance between himself and Chaos, then activated Sword Energy Manipulation.

At the same time, using Onion Swordsmanship, he increased the number of Fragarachs [Kainchel’s swords] to seven.

‘Go!’

Even if he could move the swords without touching them, Kainchel was still the one controlling them.

When agility increased, it wasn’t just the body’s movements that sped up. Reaction speed also increased exponentially.

At Kainchel’s will, the seven Fragarachs were fired simultaneously.

It was literally a storm of swords…!

In a single breath, the swords struck Chaos’s body mercilessly dozens of times.

Only tattered remnants remained where the Sword Energy Manipulation, moving at near-sonic speeds, had passed.

The Chimera’s body couldn’t even keep up with the speed of regeneration.

Watching the scene from a safe distance, Morgana’s face was filled with astonishment.

“It’s completely overwhelming a Chimera with the power of a dragon…!”

She couldn’t just stand by and watch her junior struggle.

Morgana gripped her sword, determined to block the tail at all costs.

“…Full Buster Body Acceleration!”

At the same time as an aura, so white it appeared blue, bloomed around her body, she took a firm step forward.

Unlike Morgana, who was burning with motivation, Kainchel was anxious.

Even though he was overwhelming Chaos now, it was only thanks to Dracula’s blood.

More than half of the duration had already passed.

Even if it didn’t have the intelligence to use magic, a dragon’s body was close to a weapon of mass destruction in itself.

Added to that was a near-immortal regenerative ability.

He had faced many powerful enemies so far, but this was the first time he had felt even a tremor.

‘To defeat Chaos, I need a large-scale skill like Elizabeth’s Wings of Light. Wait a minute…’

Kainchel’s eyes narrowed. And he shouted to Morgana, who was struggling against Chaos’s tail.

“Continuing this war of attrition will only lead to certain defeat.”

Morgana, panting heavily, looked at Kainchel. She also sensed that the situation was dire.

Her ribs were broken in four places just from being grazed by Chaos’s tail a few times.

If she were hit directly, even a Sword Master’s steel-like body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

The chances of winning were slim. Unless a miracle happened, she wouldn’t be able to defeat Chaos. But she didn’t want to die in a gap between dimensions like this.

In the end, Morgana decided to place her last remaining hope on Kainchel.

“…What do I need to do?”

There was no time to explain the situation in detail.

Even at this moment, the duration of the Vampire transformation was rapidly decreasing.

“You can make a Blood Sword, right?”

Morgana bit her lip.

If she could land a Blood Sword Explosion, she could definitely defeat that loathsome monster.

But creating a Blood Sword alone consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.

Even if she was facing a large army in formation, it was doubtful whether she could hit the swift Chaos with it.

“If I miss…”

Only death awaited.

Could she really win in this life-or-death gamble?

Morgana bit her lip. But she had to. No, she had to do it.

Then, a voice containing completely unexpected information reached her ears.

“Remember what I did during our sparring session.”

“…!”

With that, Morgana completely understood Kainchel’s plan.

The absolute control over blood given to vampires.

Using that, it was possible to transfer the Blood Sword that Morgana created to Kainchel.

Morgana stabbed her sword into her shoulder with a determined face. Then, a tremendous amount of blood gushed out.

Before she knew it, less than 20 seconds remained of the Vampire transformation’s duration.

‘But, this should be enough.’

“Ugh…!”

Morgana, who had consumed a large amount of blood in an instant, forcibly held onto her fading consciousness.

She must not faint until she handed this over to Kainchel.

“…Take my life. And definitely…”

10 seconds, 9 seconds….

The remaining time was constantly decreasing. Kainchel reached out towards the completed Blood Sword.

Gwoooooo…!

Chaos roared, realizing that something was going strangely.

At the same time, it lunged towards Kainchel, who was about to receive the Blood Sword.

But it was already too late.

As long as the Blood Sword was made of blood, it would come under Kainchel’s control from the moment it was created.

“—I’ve definitely received it, Morgana.”

Kainchel grasped the life of the frail witch who had abandoned even her name and given up even her soul to become stronger.

The Blood Sword containing Morgana’s aura was strangely warm.

Now, Kainchel had only 3 seconds left.

It took 1 second to add his mana to the Blood Sword.

The sword, which was only about 2 meters in size, swelled up more than 10 times in an instant. It looked like it was about to explode at any moment.

It took another 1 second to chant the skill’s activation words and bring the target to be destroyed within range using it.

“…Blood Sword Explosion.”

Finally, 1 second was enough to swing it.

Kukukukukukung―――――!

In an instant, all sounds within the Abyss disappeared.

The shockwave created by the explosion of the Blood Sword, created by Morgana and swung by Kainchel, engulfed Chaos’s body.

The monster Chaos, which had grown in power by devouring countless Chimeras for hundreds, no, nearly thousands of years.

It didn’t even utter a single death cry and turned into a pile of blood.

* * *

The explosion was so great that it burned the surrounding oxygen, making it difficult to even breathe for a moment.

A whirlwind swept through as the heated air cooled.

At the same time, the body that had been strengthened by transforming into a vampire returned to that of a human.

Kainchel forced himself to stand up, trying to prevent his collapsing body from falling, and turned around.

There was Morgana, with blood streaming down from both shoulders.

“…We won.”

“Ahaha…. I guess I should call you Dragon Slayer now.”

“Asura. Make a stamina recovery dish right away, and support Lady Morgana in the meantime.”

Then, the Automaton, who had been protecting the rest of the group with its body in the corner, jumped out.

Morgana twisted her body shyly and said.

“I stopped sleeping with dolls a long time ago…”

“Help!”

But she didn’t even have the strength to support herself.

Inevitably, she had to be held in Asura’s arms without even putting up proper resistance.

Kainchel took out the cooking table that he always carried in his interdimensional pocket.

And he began to prepare Gorgon liver, the best ingredient for restoring lost blood.

Calliope’s eyes lit up.

“Gorgon liver is delicious. Kainchel, can I have some too?”

“Sorry, but this is only for Lady Morgana. I’ll make you something more delicious when we get out of here.”

“…Okay. Calliope is smart. Calliope understood what Kainchel meant.”

Kainchel quickly grilled a delicious-looking Gorgon liver steak. He put it on a plate and handed it to Morgana.

“Please eat. You need to recover some of the lost blood first to move.”

“Ah…. Thank you. It’s a delicious-looking dish as always.”

“I once grilled meat in a dungeon, but I never thought I’d be doing the same thing in a gap between dimensions.”

Morgana ate five pieces of Gorgon liver steak in an instant.

Judging by her appetite, it didn’t seem like she had suffered any life-threatening injuries, fortunately.

Goethe looked around with an absurd expression and then collapsed on the spot.

“Haa, if I told the other writers what I saw today, they’d laugh at me and ask me what kind of ridiculous dream I had.”

Not only did he wield the power of a vampire with a human body, but he also momentarily overwhelmed a Chimera with the power of a dragon.

And although he borrowed someone else’s technique, he defeated it in one blow.

The emotion he felt at that time was closer to awe than astonishment.

“We haven’t even reached the Gate to the Demon World yet, and I don’t know how many times I’ve almost died already. Anyway, I owe Kainchel another life. I’ll never forget this favor. Ah, would you like a first edition signed copy of Werther [Goethe’s famous novel]? I found a spare one while rummaging through the warehouse the other day.”

“…Isn’t that a valuable item that only four copies exist in the world, making it difficult for even a king to obtain?”

“Hmm, was it? I sold it for drinking money, so I don’t really know.”

The first edition that Goethe wrote directly on parchment, letter by letter, was priceless among collectors.

The most popular among them was, of course, Werther. Rumor has it that even Aslan, the Emperor of Britannia, coveted it.

Kainchel smiled and replied.

“Do you happen to have any cookbooks? That would be more…”

“What?! Are you saying that a cookbook is better than the first edition written by Goethe himself?! Oh well, I don’t care. If I look for cookbooks, I’ll probably find about a hundred. I’ll give you all of them, including Werther.”

“Oh, a hundred copies?”

As befitting a great writer, the number of books Goethe possessed was comparable to that of a decent library.

It was at that moment.

A cracking sound was heard, and the space Kainchel was standing on began to collapse.

Calliope, who was munching on a honey butter sandwich, said in a low voice.

“Chaos, which could be said to be the purpose of the Abyss’s existence, has completely disappeared. So the fragments of the dimension are trying to return to where they should be.”

“…You mean we have to escape from here as quickly as possible?”

“Yeah. But don’t worry. If you use the connection to the Demon World that the witch has, you’ll be able to return to the dimension you were originally in.”

The witch’s soul goes to the hands of the contracted demon no matter where she dies.

They would use that in reverse as a guide.

“But you know how to get back, right?”

Calliope puffed out her chest with a confident expression.

It was as if she was saying to leave everything else to her.

“Leave it to me. The basic principle is Gate magic…”

As expected of a dragon skilled in magic, Calliope’s knowledge was immense.

If it were Bishop, wouldn’t he be able to have a pleasant conversation with her for months?

Jjeong-!

At that moment, the crystal hanging from the ceiling fell and split in half from the impact.

There, the now familiar hooked nose emerged.

“H, how dare you…! How daaare youuu…! The strongest Chimera that this Merlin-nim [referring to himself] created…!”

It seemed like he hadn’t even thought that he would be defeated in this way.

Kainchel chuckled and said in a provoking tone.

“Ah, you were still left. I don’t know where you are, but if you have something to say, why don’t you come and say it directly.”

“You ape who failed to evolve…! Where did you get that mouth to spout such words…!”

“Who created the Chimera that was defeated by that ape?”

“Heukkeueueueuk…! I’ll catch you right now and skin you alive! And use you as fertilizer to grow a new Chaos…!”

“Ha, that’s funny. So stop just talking and come out and do it if you can. Of course, if you have a body that can do that.”

“…!”

Before he knew it, Bishop’s consciousness was dwelling on Kainchel’s shoulder.

He told him.

What Kainchel is talking to now is not Merlin, but just the rotten dregs of the Secret Garden.