Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 298

Markus’s lips twisted grotesquely.

A fiery breath erupted from his body, now resembling a dragon.

It was something that even a Sword Master couldn’t easily block.

Yet, instead of defending with all his might, his opponent was focusing all the attacks on his own body.

“Could it be that he’s trying to save the people around him? If so, what an idiot. They’ll all be dead soon anyway. Hahaha!”

However, his eyes soon widened in astonishment.

Just before the fiery breath struck Cainchel’s body,

a tremendous chill erupted from Cainchel’s left hand, moving slightly faster than the breath.

Simultaneously, the fiery breath and the rapidly forming ice collided in mid-air.

The clash of heat and cold produced a massive cloud of steam. The humid air, typical of a port city, instantly turned into a visible haze.

The magma-like ground hardened, and the embers on the trees died out.

The ability to turn the surroundings into a living hell with a single breath was characteristic of a Red Dragon.

However, the power of the ice, which had partially neutralized it, was also remarkable.

‘I’m really glad I practiced concentrating cold air to rapidly freeze ingredients,’ Cainchel thought.

Blocking the fiery breath wasn’t just a reckless act.

He had concentrated the flames with *aglio e olio* [garlic and oil pasta sauce] and halved their intensity with the ice.

What remained would be handled by his 97% fire resistance.

Cainchel smiled wryly, looking at his left hand, distorted by burns.

It was an injury that would leave an unsightly scar if not treated properly right away.

But a burn on the hand was like a badge of honor for a chef.

He recalled learning how to grill steak from Gordon [likely referring to celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay]. It felt as vivid as yesterday, but it had already been almost five years.

‘Back then, I thought that if I raised my fire resistance, I could even block a dragon’s breath… and it’s actually become a reality.’

It was all possible because of the countless dishes he had made.

And he was lucky too.

If Markus had the traits of another dragon, he wouldn’t have been able to block it like this.

If it had been a poisonous breath, even if he had survived, the area would have turned into a wasteland.

“So, a dragon’s breath isn’t that big of a deal.”

Actually, it was a little too hot.

If his fire resistance had been just a bit lower, he would have become a well-done medium steak.

“H-How…? How did you survive that heat!?”

Instead of answering, Cainchel crammed what little aura he had left into his legs and waist.

The opponent was a man with the traits of numerous monsters.

Like James, he would also possess the regeneration ability of a High Troll.

If so, he would have to cut him down so much that he couldn’t regenerate.

‘Hmm… nearly 80% of my aura disappeared as a result of blocking the fiery breath. I need to subdue him as quickly as possible!’

At that moment, Gawain’s voice, connected through the jelly, was transmitted.

“Oh, I can really hear the opponent’s thoughts as vividly as if they were speaking right in front of me. Anyway, since my junior has even blocked a dragon’s breath, shouldn’t I do something too? So, leave the rest to me.”

At the same time, a terrifying storm of aura began to rage from Gawain’s entire body.

Even at the risk of becoming unable to use aura for a while.

Gawain’s Aura Blade, the strongest strike among the Ten Colors of the Aura Blade, the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Moving Strike, was activated.

On top of that, the Swift Lightning, which increased his body’s speed, was added.

Gawain’s eyes turned blood red. The blood vessels in his eyes burst due to the aura being drawn beyond its limits.

With a roar as if the heavens and earth were wailing, a series of strikes that could collapse even Mount Tai [a mountain in China, often used metaphorically for immense weight or pressure] in one blow struck Markus’s body.

Clang-! Rumble!

Kaboom-!

The power contained within was so strong that Markus’s body was sent flying.

“Cough… !”

A groan of pain erupted from Markus’s mouth as he skipped through the air like a stone on water.

He was the ‘Monster Lord,’ created by gathering only the strengths of numerous monsters. Yet, he was becoming a punching bag, unable to do anything.

Fortunately, he was able to avoid fatal injuries thanks to the dragon’s armor covering his entire body.

However, if the same series of strikes were to hit him again, he would surely die.

For the first time since the battle began, the fear of death arose in Markus’s mind.

“Damn it, how dare you, how dare you…!”

Markus’s enraged body seemed to distort, and second and third heads popped out from his shoulders.

The fear of death awakened another monster trait dormant within his body.

Gawain clicked his tongue and had to distance himself from Markus.

“Tch, give me a break. That’s a Hydra, a monster with nine heads! How are we supposed to kill that?!

The more he attacked, the stronger Markus became. At least trolls die if you remove their heads, but Hydras grow them back.

At this rate, he couldn’t be defeated unless he was annihilated in one blow, leaving not a single piece of flesh behind.”

“Kieeeeeeeek! Dieeeeeee!”

Eventually, reason disappeared from Markus’s eyes. Extreme rage turned him into a bloodthirsty monster.

The scales that had been destroyed by the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Moving Strike became even more vivid.

And the mana in the area began to fluctuate.

The dragon and Hydra traits within Markus’s body were making him even stronger.

Bang!

Markus’s kick, launched so fast it was barely visible, struck Gawain’s shoulder.

He blocked it with a sword imbued with aura, but even that shattered the bones in his wrist and dislocated his right shoulder.

“Ugh… !”

Gawain barely managed to throw himself backward, narrowly protecting himself from Markus’s continuous attacks.

But at this rate, there would be no end.

Unless he was a Grand Sword Master with near-infinite mana, wouldn’t it be impossible to defeat that thing?

Only despair could be felt.

However, Cainchel had a way to imitate it, even if only slightly.

Cainchel took out something wrapped in ice from his interdimensional pocket.

It was a pre-made, deep-frozen fried dish.

He instantly warmed it up using Flambe’s flames.

Then, a bright brown shrimp tempura with a bright red tail appeared, looking incredibly delicious.

It was a dish made by carefully frying shrimp, with the head removed and the shell peeled, coated in breadcrumbs.

‘Alright, shall we have a taste?’

Taking a large bite of the shrimp tempura, he could taste the savory flavor of the crispy batter.

To that was added the rich juice of fresh shrimp flowing from the thick flesh.

‘Whoever fried this is really good.’

He moved the remaining half of the shrimp tempura into his mouth, praising himself inappropriately for the situation.

Then, the batter that crumbled crisply in his mouth and the chewy shrimp disappeared into his stomach.

He let out a pleasant sigh after eating all the way to the tail, which he would normally have left behind.

“Hoo… then, shall we go?”

Cainchel was able to replenish some of the aura he had consumed by eating the food.

But he couldn’t just eat food whenever he wanted during a battle.

It was only possible because of the very slight opening that Gawain had created.

“But while shrimp is nice, isn’t this what a Britanian should have?”

Cainchel gripped Durendal [a legendary sword] with both hands and activated the Onion Swordsmanship.

In addition, he used Fragarach [another legendary sword] to cast the Flying Sword Technique.

Markus’s body, which had completely transformed into a heteromorphic creature, was being maintained by the power of the demon duke, ‘Monster Lord.’

So, Fragarach, which destroys demons, would surely be able to defeat him.

Cainchel first used Brilliant Road to find the optimal sword path.

The blades of Durendal, which had increased to seven, began to flow along the brilliantly shining path.

He used it to forcibly twist open the opponent’s defense.

‘Then, this is the end!’

At the same time, the seven Fragarachs, which had increased in number, were fired at Markus’s body like shooting stars.

Markus, who possessed the traits of numerous monsters, instinctively felt it.

“N-No way…! This attack is…!”

The brilliant light shining before his eyes was the nemesis of demons.

But it was too late to avoid it. So, he took a breath, thinking of at least offsetting it.

“Not so fast!”

The Onion Swordsmanship unfolded from Cainchel’s hand cut off Markus’s neck, preventing him from unleashing a breath.

A new head would surely sprout in less than a second, but that was enough.

Eventually, the brilliant light of Fragarach struck Markus’s entire body.

“…Gua! …Ah, ah… Aaaaaah…!”

Thanks to the combined regeneration of the High Troll and Hydra, Markus’s body was able to maintain its form for a very short time.

But that soon reached its limit.

The heteromorphic body, with the characteristics of numerous monsters added, began to turn to dust and crumble.

It was the insignificant end of the agent of the demon duke Andras, the Monster Lord Markus.

However, Markus left behind a curse until the last moment of his life.

“Kkeuik, kkieeek… Kkeuheek… Kehehe… Success… With this… My subordinates… Under my command… Kkeo, keoheok… Will be ordered to annihilate… In Auckland… As companions to death…”

At the same time, the eyes of all the monsters in Auckland turned red.

The switch left by the Monster Lord Markus at his last moment had been activated.

* * *

A soldier on guard duty at the Auckland Fortress doubted his eyes.

So many monsters were advancing towards somewhere that the horizon was dyed black.

The number was nearly thousands.

It was astonishing that so many monsters were inhabiting Auckland.

Moreover, they were clearly flocking towards the city. They looked so orderly that it seemed as if they were moving under someone’s command.

The soldier hurriedly ran to the bell on the fortress and rang it.

“Emergency…! It’s an emergency! Monster attack! All troops prepare for battle immediately!”

A Twin Head Ogre holding a large tree like a club was at the forefront of the monster army.

It seemed like the city gate would be smashed in one blow if it was swung around.

Of course, they could somehow block it by taking advantage of the fortress.

But the real problem was something else. There were things flying in the sky among the monsters.

Moreover, the number was quite large.

Wyverns, griffons, and even manticores.

Most of them were rare species that one might only see once in their lifetime.

The soldiers who saw the house-sized rocks they were holding sighed.

“Damn it, at this rate, the fortress is meaningless!?”

Soon, rocks would fall like rain from the sky. And the fortress would be the focus of attacks from monsters with tremendous strength.

The soldiers defending Auckland Castle would be reduced to a meal.

And if the city gate was breached, countless towns and cities would all be in danger.

They had to fight to buy them time to evacuate.

But how?

In order to deal with flying monsters, they needed ballistae [large, powerful crossbows] capable of anti-air attacks.

But most of the soldiers who could handle them had been dispatched to the Eastern Canyon. It would take at least two days for them to return.

That was enough time for the entire Auckland to be devastated. It was literally a desperate situation.

Soon, the monster army would reach Auckland Castle. Even if they fought to the death, they wouldn’t even be able to buy a little time.

“Kuh…”

It was at that moment.

A green wave that popped out from somewhere covered the monster army.

The eyes of the soldier who had climbed onto the fortress widened.

It was orcs.

Hundreds of orc warriors armed with armor, swords, and axes were cutting through the wave of monsters.

“S-Surely the orcs aren’t fighting for us… Why on earth…”

Hearing this, hot tears flowed from the soldier’s eyes. Until now, orcs had been nothing more than slaves. Occasionally, strong warriors would be used as cowboys.

Those orcs were holding swords and axes for humans.

Talmus, who was at the head of the warriors, shouted in a tremendous voice.

“From now on, we will annihilate the monsters in front of us!”

“Ooh! Woo! Woo!”

“This is by no means fighting for humans! It is only to show the Argon region the power we have for the independence of the Orcs! Germa Krash! Raise your swords, great warriors!”

Watching the valiant *mosup* [Korean: 모습, meaning figure or appearance] of the orc warriors fighting the monsters,

The soldiers of the Auckland Fortress were speechless.

At the same time, a storm raged from Karak’s axe, who was following Talmus.