The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 138

Divine power poured out from the Holy Sword Saint held by Rael.

The sacred power pushed back the demonic energy blooming from the cultists, enveloping Rael.

Whoong-!

[This place is full of demonic energy! If you are a hero, you should show your power now!]

The Holy Sword Saint spoke as if excited.

The time for the hero Rael’s sword to judge the heretics had come.

“… I guess so. The opportunity has finally come.”

Rael smiled, feeling the demonic energy filling the distance and the divine power emanating from the Holy Sword Saint.

Since gaining enlightenment on the Domain: 회천(回天) (Hoicheon), which translates to “Return to Heaven” [a technique that allows the user to manipulate and redirect energy], Rael had been looking for an opportunity to use it.

He needed a power that filled the space, just like now.

“He is the hero of the Gaia Order!”

“He was here after all! Surround him!”

As Rael emitted divine power, hundreds of cultists surrounded him.

It was as if they knew in advance that he would be here.

‘As expected… they knew everything.’

Rael nodded and raised his holy sword.

Normally, he would have been annoyed, but today he was genuinely glad that the enemies had appeared before him.

“회천(回天) (Hoicheon/Return to Heaven).”

Whooooong-!

Rael began to circulate the mana within his body.

The consciousness, extremely sharpened by the Predator’s Sense, awakened the power dormant in his body.

A huge, mirage-like power emanated from Rael, beginning to absorb the surrounding forces.

Not only the divine power from the Holy Sword Saint but also the demonic energy of the cultists flowed into Rael’s body.

[Huh? Huh? Why do I feel demonic energy from the hero?]!

Rael, who had accepted demonic energy to the point where even the Holy Sword Saint could feel it, unleashed all his power and deployed his domain.

Rael’s power, which dominated the surrounding space as if crushing it, surprised even the elders of the Demonic Cult who surrounded him.

“Such an absurd power! Is that the hero of the Gaia Order…?”

“시, 신교불패(神教不敗) (Sin-gyo-bul-pae), 마도천하(魔道天下) (Ma-do-cheon-ha)!” [These are battle cries. “Sin-gyo-bul-pae” translates to “The Divine Teachings are Unbeatable,” and “Ma-do-cheon-ha” means “The Demonic Path Reigns Supreme.”]

The elders of the Demonic Cult gathered their strength to resist Rael, but they were already within the domain of 회천(回天) (Hoicheon/Return to Heaven).

It was a domain that even Gideon Garcia, the strongest knight on the continent, could not resist.

There was no way the elders of the Demonic Cult could resist it.

“Tsk tsk. What would this pathetic country have done without me?”

Rael sighed and stirred up his mana.

At the same time, demonic energy began to leak from the bodies of the hundreds of cultists surrounding Rael.

“Ku, Keheok….”

“Charge before the demonic energy is purified! We must kill the hero!”

The cultists surrounding Rael were not ordinary cultists.

They were the elders of the Demonic Cult gathered to eliminate the hero of the Gaia Order.

The elders, seeing their power diminishing, judged it to be purification by divine power.

“A Gaia Order lackey like you…!”

One of the elders kicked off the ground.

Rael stared blankly at the cultist rushing at him with a beast-like roar and raised the Holy Sword Saint.

Whoong-

[Damn it! The hero is using demonic energy! Huh? Why is the divine power still there?]

The Holy Sword Saint trembled, his sword’s body shaking at the betrayal of the hero he had believed in.

However, he soon became flustered as he saw the divine power coexisting in his body.

“Hmm…”

Although it was a desperate charge by a cultist who was having his demonic energy stolen in real-time, it was not very threatening from Rael’s perspective.

Rather, what was bothering him was his body.

Kkaaaaaang-!

The cultist’s sword, which came into contact with Rael’s sword, bounced off lightly, and Rael’s sword, which did not stop, blew away one of the cultist’s arms.

“Kueueuk!”

The cultist, whose entire shoulder was blown away, staggered backward.

However, Rael’s sword, which did not miss the gap, pierced the cultist’s abdomen.

‘Unbelievable…!’

The cultist swallowed hard, looking at the hero in front of him.

He was also a warrior who had spent his entire life on the battlefield, but he could not keep up with the movements of the hero Rael at all.

“I’ve seen you a lot, but…”

Dense demonic energy that was too much for a human body to handle.

A physique larger than a human, as if he were a descendant of the giants.

Rael smiled as he looked at the cultist who could not resist.

“You’re not human, are you?”

Rael raised his sword and tore off the cloak covering the man’s face.

“Keuheuheu…”

Inside, he saw the face of a giant that Rael had seen several times.

A face similar to a human but closer to an orc or troll.

The cultist who had broken free from Rael’s domain, 회천(回天) (Hoicheon/Return to Heaven), and charged first was a giant.

“Don’t think you’ll die peacefully, human hero.”

Woodudeudeuk-

At the same time as Rael confirmed his face, the giant’s body began to swell.

Rael, sensing something strange, immediately cut off the man’s neck, but the body of the cultist, who had already sacrificed his life, did not stop expanding.

Koong-. Koong-.

It was the same as the cultist whose body exploded when the terror first started.

The giant’s body was gradually swelling, trying to explode with demonic energy at that moment.

Hwaaaaaak-

A tremendous divine power covered Rael’s body.

It was a sacred and reverent power comparable to that of the Holy Sword.

“Mr. Rael!”

A familiar voice was heard from behind Rael.

“You’ve arrived, Holy Maiden.”

The Holy Maiden Cecilia and the Holy Knights had arrived at the scene of the terror.

They were late because they were chasing after Rael, who had rushed out first, but as soon as they arrived, the Holy Knights began to emit divine power and overwhelm the cultists.

“In the name of Gaia!”

“Gaia’s justice to the heretics!”

The cultists, who had their power taken away in Rael’s domain, were helplessly collapsing under the Holy Knights’ charge.

The same was true of the elders of the Demonic Cult.

The elders who had their demonic energy taken away by Rael were no different from ordinary cultists.

“Mr. Rael! You’ve worked hard. To think that none of the nobles were killed, you’re really amazing!”

Cecilia smiled as she watched the scene.

Even though the terror occurred in District 2, there was not a single victim, and this was all thanks to Rael.

“Holy Maiden. Are there terrors happening in other places as well?”

“Yes. It’s a simultaneous terror. The Holy Knights and Inquisitors have moved mainly in the upper districts, so don’t worry too much.”

Rael nodded at Cecilia’s words.

Then, he looked at the Holy Knights around him.

‘They’re quite far away.’

Rael felt the energy of 회천(回天) (Hoicheon/Return to Heaven) remaining in his body.

Even after suppressing the cultists, his domain was still deployed.

Now, he could quickly undo the Holy Maiden’s brainwashing.

‘The progress of things is faster than I thought. There’s no time to probe anymore.’

The Demonic Cult’s terror was faster than Rael had expected.

Gideon Garcia.

That bastard was crazier than he thought.

To deal with such a guy, Rael could no longer stand still.

“…Holy Maiden. I think my body has been affected by demonic energy. Could you take a look at me for a moment?”

“Yes? Really?”

Cecilia approached Rael without any suspicion.

Then, she poured divine power into Rael’s body and tilted her head.

“Eung? Mr. Rael. There’s nothing wrong…”

“Please bear with me for a moment.”

“Ah, eugh?!”

Tak-

Rael immediately tripped Cecilia, knocking her down to the floor.

Immediately after, he poured the power of 회천(回天) (Hoicheon/Return to Heaven) into her body.

‘Found it.’

The foreign divine power superimposed on Cecilia’s divine power.

Rael began to forcibly extract that power.

“Ah, aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

Cecilia writhed, emitting the same painful groans as before.

However, Rael did not stop manipulating his mana.

“Holy Maiden! Yo, Hero. What are you doing!”

The Holy Knights, who arrived after hearing the Holy Maiden’s voice, drew their swords as if flustered.

“Ah, aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The Holy Maiden was groaning with a painful expression, and she seemed like she would die if they didn’t stop him immediately.

“I am purifying the demonic energy dwelling in the Holy Maiden’s body! Do not approach!”

However, Rael said firmly.

The divine power emanating from his holy sword added credibility to his words.

“De, demonic energy…?”

The Holy Knights looked back and forth between Rael and Cecilia, wondering what to do.

They had clearly received orders from Commander Marco to protect the Holy Maiden above all else, but having seen the power of the hero Rael on the scene, they could not disobey the hero’s words.

He was the strongest of the Gaia Order, who had suppressed the Demonic Cult with divine power alone.

‘Almost done.’

Rael placed his hand on Cecilia’s back and separated the foreign divine power.

Then, he absorbed all that power into his body.

“Ah, eugh…?”

At the same time as the absorption of divine power ended, Cecilia, who had been writhing in pain, slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around in confusion and blinked as she looked at Rael.

“Mr. Rael. What is this…?”

“I have purified the demonic energy dwelling in the Holy Maiden’s body. Is your memory intact?”

“Demonic energy…? Eugh….”

Cecilia felt a headache and grabbed her head.

The aftermath of forcibly undoing the brainwashing was stirring up her memories.

However, even in the midst of that, a single thought came to her mind first.

“Mr. Rael. The commoners. We have to save the commoners. There are terrors in every district of the Empire….”

Rael smiled at Cecilia’s words.

Finally, her mind was intact.

The good Holy Maiden who believes in and loves people has returned.

“Don’t worry about other places. Holy Maiden. The response is already over.”

Rael smiled.

*

‘Damn it. Unbelievable….’

Edmund, the representative of the Vanessa Kingdom delegation and an elder of the Demonic Cult.

He gnashed his teeth as he watched the terrors that had occurred throughout the Empire.

‘To think that he handled half of the elders who infiltrated the Empire by himself… what kind of absurd power is that?’

The hero of the Gaia Order, who was the Demonic Cult’s top priority for elimination.

He had heard the news that that monster had single-handedly suppressed hundreds of elders.

‘In this case, I have to make achievements too. For the Demonic Cult…!’

He was not afraid to die for the Demonic Cult, but he could not die without showing the power of the Demonic Cult to the Gaia Order.

Edmund went out into the street with that thought.

Then, a monster appeared in front of him.

“You rat-like Demonic Cult bastards! As a senior of the Murim [a community of martial artists], I cannot stand idly by your evil deeds. In the name of Hwasan [a famous martial arts sect], I will not leave a single one of you alive!”

Koong-!

The monster who rose to the position of Jeongcheon Alliance Leader [leader of a righteous martial arts alliance] with only his skills.

Jeongcheon Alliance Leader, Mucheon.

His domain unfolded in front of the Demonic Cult.

“Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique. First Sword. 태산압정(泰山壓頂) (Tae-san-ap-jeong/Mount Tai Pressing Down) [a powerful sword technique].”

“Wa, wait a moment!”

A sword that could crush Mount Tai fell on Edmund’s head.

The same was true in other districts.

The Rein Knights, Lucas, Carlson, the Elves, and the Blue Magic Tower.

They used all the connections Rael could mobilize to fill the gaps in the Kamen Knights.

“…Lucas.”

“Yes, Lord Carlson.”

Carlson planted his sword on the ground and bowed.

It was the most difficult battle since fighting the black magicians to protect the orphanage.

Then and now, it was Rael’s request.

“From now on, let’s not listen to Rael’s requests.”

“…Haa. But didn’t we save people anyway?”

“Tsk. I’m just kidding. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Haha. Yes.”

Lucas sighed and looked at the sky.

Hundreds of Demonic Cult members were lying around the two of them.

Everything was Rael’s request.

“Lord Carlson. Isn’t it amazing? How did Lord Rael predict their attack?”

“I don’t know. Didn’t he receive another revelation?”

“…..Is that so?”

Lucas thought of Rael.

The chaotic Empire. And the increasingly frequent attacks of the demons.

In the midst of that, the hero of the Gaia Order, Lord Rael, was shining brighter and brighter.

‘Lord Rael. The position of hero is yours after all.’

Lucas smiled as he thought of Rael.

For some reason, it felt like a great wind would blow through the Empire with him at the forefront.

*

The orphanage in District 4.

The Empire’s Three Heroes gathered in that place, which the Rein Knights were taking turns guarding.

It was immediately after the end of the Demonic Cult’s terror.

“Hyungnim [an honorific term for older brother or respected senior]. How did you predict the Demonic Cult’s terror? The Demonic Cult members appeared exactly where you said they would. The Rein Knights, as well as the Elves, also encountered the Demonic Cult, didn’t they?”

Carlson was the first to speak among the three.

They had successfully prevented the terror throughout the capital as Rael had said, but he did not know how he had done it.

“I’m also curious, Lord Rael.”

“Hyungnim. Did you receive another revelation?”

“It’s not a revelation… everyone gather around.”

Rael looked around.

Lucas and Carlson.

These two were people who could unconditionally trust Rael’s words.

He would have to tell the other nobles about Gideon, but he was going to tell these two the truth first.

“The Kamen Knights. The Demonic Cult appeared in the places where they had vacated for training. Moreover, more than half of the Demonic Cult’s elders appeared in the places I was patrolling. Isn’t that strange?”

The Demonic Cult’s terror was not a random terror.

It was a planned movement that targeted precise gaps.

“Lord Rael. What does that mean?”

“The one who knows all the vacancies of the Kamen Knights and can grasp all the movements of the hero and the Holy Maiden. Gideon Garcia. I suspect that bastard.”

“Gideon Garcia…! Isn’t that the bastard who targeted Lord Rael!”

Carlson clenched his fist tightly.

“Yes. The evidence is being investigated, but… I’m telling you guys first. Lucas, what do you think?”

“Lord Rael is right. He is suspicious, but we cannot immediately publicize him. We trust Lord Rael, but it is not easy to politically push the commander of the Kamen Knights.”

Lucas said with a serious face.

He knew the world of nobles to some extent.

“I’m gathering data through Bacchus. Moreover, I can also get the cooperation of the Holy Maiden. If the fact that the Demonic Cult filled every place he ordered comes out as evidence and the Holy Maiden and I push him…”

At that time. Rael turned his head sharply.

He felt a presence at the front gate of the orphanage.

“Who is it!”

At the same time as Rael drew his sword.

A man walked in through the front gate.

“……Lord Rael. I have something to tell you.”

“…?”

Who is this guy?

Rael blinked as he looked at the approaching man.