Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 313

An attack from a completely unexpected location. But Sajun-ak wasn’t someone who would be taken down by something like that.

No, he didn’t even need to dodge.

The body created by Lightning God Descent was literally invincible.

Weak attacks couldn’t even pierce his skin, and even if he suffered a fatal wound, it would only be to a clone anyway.

To damage his core, his true body, one would have to obliterate the giant body, dozens of meters tall, in a single blow.

The only thing capable of that was Meteor Strike, a spell that could be called absolute magic.

“Hmph, daring to use such petty tricks in front of me…!”

Sajun-ak scoffed and waved his arm. It was such a clumsy movement that it looked like he was swatting away an annoying mosquito.

Even so, the fist, imbued with overwhelming power, slammed into the ground with a tremendous roar.

Thud, thud, thud…!

He struck, struck, and struck again.

Before long, a massive crater, dozens of meters across, had formed beneath Sajun-ak’s feet.

It looked as if he was trying to crush not only Cainchel, who had evaded his attacks without a scratch, but the entire Imperial Palace.

Even a slime homunculus wouldn’t be able to withstand that level of assault.

Yet, Sajun-ak’s attacks didn’t stop.

Each strike shook the earth, and a massive cloud of dust billowed up.

Watching this from a short distance away, Cainchel’s lips curled into a smile.

“Smiling? Let’s see how long you can last, even if you’ve been lucky enough to dodge a few times! Nine Dragons Lightning God Spear――!”

With a crackling sound, the lightning giant’s body began to convulse once more.

An attack that could shatter mountains and split the sky was about to begin.

Yet, Cainchel’s expression remained relaxed.

“You are indeed strong, Lightning Sword Emperor Sajun-ak. If we fought head-on, I’m sure we would lose one hundred times out of one hundred. But you’ve been too careless.”

“Wh-What?!”

Cainchel grinned as he looked at something scattered around Sajun-ak.

It was something that looked like it was about to explode at any moment, even though it had been coated with Aglio e Olio.

“As expected, it’s an absurd attack. But I bet you never thought it would be your undoing.”

“What is it, poison? Heh, heh heh! I’m sorry, but the Lightning God’s body is immune to all poisons, unlike my real body!”

The love-crazed Sajun-ak was smashing anything that got in his way, regardless of the consequences.

That tendency had become even more pronounced since Lightning God Descent was activated.

So, how would he react if he saw ‘tentacles’ moving with hostility before his eyes?

‘The answer is to smash them all to pieces.’

As Cainchel had predicted, Sajun-ak attacked not only the jellies but also the canned goods hidden inside.

Eventually, with a hissing sound, the cans began to release the gas they contained.

The reaction was immediate.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh! What is this nose-rotting stench…! What kind of idiot uses such poison…!”

In the Jianghu [martial arts world], the basics of poison were that it should be colorless and odorless.

If it had a strong smell, wouldn’t people leave the area before being poisoned?

Moreover, most martial artists could withstand a certain degree of poisoning through Qi [internal energy] circulation.

In other words, you had to kill them before they realized they were poisoned.

“Of course, that’s true for poison. But this isn’t poison. It’s just food with a slightly strong smell.”

“Wh-What kind of nonsense!”

“But it’s a bit of a shame. It’s something you can’t even get now, even if you tried.”

Cainchel smacked his lips as he looked at the Surströmming [fermented herring] cans.

Even opening just one would make ordinary people cover their noses because of the foul smell.

And hundreds of them had burst open at the same time. A cloud of stench had been created.

To make matters worse, Cainchel had even used Effect Amplification to multiply the stench several times over.

The Gold-Clad Guards, who couldn’t escape in time, writhed in agony.

“Ughhhhh!”

“My nose, my nose is rotting…!”

“J-Just kill me!”

‘It took a little longer than expected to burst, but this is a satisfactory result.’

In particular, Sajun-ak’s pain, who had been using electricity to stop the aging of his entire body, was beyond imagination.

“Kuh, kuh-heuk, kuh-euuuuugh!”

His Qi channels twisted, and the internal energy he had drawn to its limit lost its way and raged uncontrollably.

Unable to maintain the Lightning God form any longer, Sajun-ak coughed up blood and returned to his original appearance.

“…Hmm, was that a bit too much?”

But thanks to that, he was able to completely escape the influence of the Bewitching Fragrance.

Cainchel called for Cheong-un, whom he had evacuated to a safe distance in advance.

“He’ll be like that for about 10 minutes. When he seems to have regained some sense, feed him some Mapo Tofu canned goods.”

“…Thank you, Great Hero. By the way, what kind of food is that, that smells so terrible? This old man may not have lived for 100 years, but I’ve never encountered anything like this before.”

“This is called Surströmming. It’s a delicacy enjoyed in a country called Macedonia. I have a few left, so let me know if you want to try it.”

“…I respectfully decline.”

It was a bit too stimulating for a beginner to eat with a smile.

Cheong-un muttered as he lifted Sajun-ak, who was intoxicated by the sour herring smell.

“Oh dear, my friend… What a fuss for an old man. I wanted to play Go [a strategic board game] with you one last time before you died, but this is really good. Yes, indeed.”

With Sajun-ak, the last gatekeeper, incapacitated, the rest was a piece of cake.

“Then, esteemed guest. I will now 解除 [remove/release] the final barrier blocking the Imperial Palace.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The Imperial Palace was heavily sealed with dozens of formations and spells.

Even though Sajun-ak, transformed into the Lightning God, had rampaged so much, only the exterior was slightly damaged.

The only one who could 解除 [remove/release] it was Wang Jeok-sam, a skilled sorcerer who knew the secret passages of the Imperial Palace.

Wang Jeok-sam attached dozens of talismans to the stone wall and began to chant.

His entire body was instantly soaked with sweat. It seemed to be an incredibly strenuous task.

After a few minutes, Wang Jeok-sam raised his head with a face that looked like he was about to faint.

“…Hoo. That’s the end of it. Now you can go inside. Keueok…….”

Thud.

With those last words, Wang Jeok-sam collapsed forward. He would need to rest for at least half a day to regain his senses.

Cainchel laid Wang Jeok-sam’s body in the shade and drew Fragarach.

“Thank you for your hard work, Master Wang.”

It was about time for the Gold-Clad Guards who had left the Imperial Palace to return.

There was no time to hesitate.

With a grim expression, Cainchel entered the Imperial Palace, where the Gumiho [nine-tailed fox] was waiting.

* * *

The place where the Gumiho was staying was easier to find than expected. It wasn’t just men working in the Imperial Palace.

Cainchel smiled at a maid trembling in the corner and asked.

“Could you tell me where the Princess is?”

“Th-Th-There….”

“Thank you. By the way, isn’t there a maid named Sang-ah in the Imperial Palace?”

“…I-I don’t know. Really. So, pl-please… J-Just spare my life….”

Of course, Cainchel had no intention of harming her.

But if he let this maid go as she was, she could be branded as an informant.

Cainchel struck the maid behind the neck, causing her to lose consciousness, and said.

“If anyone asks, say I threatened you with a knife to your throat.”

“…….”

Following the path the maid had pointed out, he arrived at the room where the Princess was staying.

Princess Daji.

A woman who had captivated the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire with her beauty alone.

As he entered the room, he felt a momentary dizziness. That’s how beautiful Daji’s appearance was.

If he had faced her without any preparation, even Cainchel would have become a prisoner of love in an instant.

Daji rolled her eyes and looked at Cainchel, as if wondering what was so strange about him.

“Oh, to think there’s a man who isn’t affected by my presence. This is truly a curious thing.”

Cainchel answered as he devoured Mapo Tofu canned goods. If he stopped even for a moment, he would be caught in the curse of lust.

“Princess Daji… Or should I call you the Nine-tailed Fox with a White Face and Golden Fur (妖狐白面金毛九尾) who made a contract with Asmodeus?”

At that, Daji’s eyes, which hadn’t moved even when facing the intruder, began to tremble violently.

“H-How do you know that?!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m swamped with orders. I don’t have time to explain leisurely.”

Asmodeus’s goal was to make the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire commit mass slaughter.

By using the countless souls gathered in that way, he could create a new gate to the Demon World.

That was something he had to stop, no matter the cost.

Cainchel drew the Evil-Slaying Sword Fragarach and approached the Gumiho.

Daji, who could use both the Gumiho’s and Asmodeus’s abilities, could bewitch even a god.

But she had no direct combat abilities.

Flustered, Daji called out the name of her bodyguard.

“Sajun-ak! What in the world are you doing! Get this rude man out of here right now!”

“I’m sorry, but he’s not coming.”

“Kueueueuk!”

“But I have one last question I want to ask. Do you know anything about a maid named Sang-ah? I’ve been looking for her since I got here, but no one seems to know her. Her sins are too great to spare her life, but at least I’ll make sure she doesn’t feel any pain.”

Then, a strange light appeared in Daji’s eyes.

Even in the face of death, she seemed to be curious about something.

“Sang-ah? Of course, I know her. But why are you looking for Sang-ah?”

“Um… She’s my master’s daughter. I need to deliver her belongings instead.”

“Ah, ahaha, ahahaha! Could it be that you’re Jeok-un’s disciple? I thought he abandoned his daughter and ran away in the night, but it seems he met an untimely end somewhere.”

“…Why do you know my master’s name?”

Then, Daji licked her blood-red lips and replied.

“It seems you already know everything, so it’s easy to explain. Have you ever heard of someone being possessed by a fox? It refers to a situation where a perfectly normal person suddenly acts like a fox. The reason why that happens is very simple. It’s because a fox has actually taken possession of that person’s body.”

“…….”

For some reason, he had a very ominous feeling.

Eliminate the Gumiho and deliver Jeok-un’s last words and belongings to Sang-ah, who was somewhere in the Imperial Palace.

That was all he had to do.

If he asked Tae-eul Seonsa, he could easily arrange a place for Sang-ah to stay.

“But with the appearance of an ordinary woman, you can’t captivate countless men. That’s why the Gumiho has nine tails. Do you understand? I am made up of a total of nine bodies.”

And Daji began to call out their names one by one.

“Jin Chae-bong, Gye Seom-wol, Jeong Gyeong-pae, Ga Chun-un, Jeok Gyeong-hong, Lee So-hwa, Sim Yo-yeon, Baek Neung-pa. I was able to obtain the essence of the peerless beauties known as the Eight Fairies, who wandered around the country. With the addition of ‘Sang-ah,’ who made the noodles that the Emperor was so fond of, Princess Daji was created.”

“……?!”

Cainchel’s hands trembled.

He had to kill her. What was in front of him was an enemy of humanity that threatened not only the Central Plains but also Britannia.

But she was also his master’s daughter.

He never imagined he would face such an ending.

“Yes, kill me. In any case, my soul will wander the nine heavens and be reborn in the body of another insignificant creature. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to fulfill my long-cherished desire to become a complete human. But I’m truly happy to see such a tragedy at the last moment! I’ll tell you this in case you’re curious. Sang-ah and I have become completely one. It’s impossible to restore her to her original state. Ah, ah, ahahaha!”

Cainchel swallowed hard.

The extermination of the Gumiho, who threatened the Central Plains.

The completion of the will left by his master, Jeok-un.

He never imagined that the two purposes of his visit to the Ming Dynasty would collide in this way.