The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 164

“Sword Saint of Massacre? What do you mean?”

Not only Rael but also Ghent was surprised by the Sword Saint of Massacre’s words.

It was that serious.

“What are you talking about? Weren’t you about to go slice up some demons? Isn’t that using your power?”

“It would be faster to show you than to explain.”

Swish-

The Sword Saint of Massacre lifted his clothes and exposed his chest.

Near the left side of his chest, covered with firm muscles, a demon crest was engraved.

The demonic energy that had penetrated his skin was touching his heart.

“What is this…?”

“Rael, how do you think the human race survived the Great War?”

“Well… wasn’t it because the prolonged war caused so much damage to each side that they made a truce?”

That was common knowledge known to humans, including Rael.

“No. Demons are unreasonably strong. You need a Graduate-level [referring to a specific power ranking] warrior to deal with a mid-tier demon, and more than ten mature Graduates to deal with a high-tier demon. Rael, if you’ve met a demon directly, you’ll understand.”

Even if the number of demons is small, the exchange ratio between humans and demons is too unfavorable.

Even if only one high-ranking demon appears on the battlefield, most of the human forces become useless.

“That is….”

Only then did Rael feel the strangeness.

Of course, demons were not an unreasonable enemy to Rael, but he was already recognized as one of the Four Great Powers of the continent.

Most humans have a hard time enduring demonic energy.

The fact that Gideon, the commander of the Carmen Knights, collapsed from Rael’s demonic energy was proof of that.

“If the Four Demon Kings had been properly active for just one more year, the human race would have been destroyed.”

Demons are inherently enemies that humans cannot defeat.

Their power, demonic energy, oppresses humans and eats away at their vitality just by existing.

During the Great War, the human race suffered great damage every time they encountered demons, and it was common for the area to become a land of death if a Demon King descended on the battlefield.

“I know that demons are strong enemies, and I understand that they fear you, Sword Saint of Massacre. But… that doesn’t make the truce make sense. Just because they fear one Sword Saint of Massacre, they made a truce?”

“To be precise, they feared the Inverse Heaven.”

The Sword Saint of Massacre raised his sword.

The Inverse Heaven’s sword energy blazed on his sword.

“The Sword of Massacre has five forms: Entering Heaven, Ascending Heaven, Answering Heaven, Crushing Heaven, and Inverse Heaven. The first four forms are all preparations for the Sword of Inverse Heaven.”

“What exactly is the Sword of Inverse Heaven?”

“It’s a weapon against the monsters that rule the demons beyond Alheim [the demon realm]. A sword to fight the Demon King.”

The ruler of Alheim.

The human sword that even the Demon King feared.

That is the fifth form of the Sword of Massacre, Inverse Heaven.

The Sword Saint of Massacre had to give up the Sword of Inverse Heaven to end the Great War.

“In exchange for the truce, a strong restriction was placed on my heart. The moment I unleash the power of Inverse Heaven, my life will also end. This is the peace I gained by giving up the Great War.”

“…Why did you do that? If it’s a sword that even the Demon King fears, wouldn’t it eventually reduce the damage even more to exterminate the demons, even if it causes great damage?”

“Rael, no matter how strong I am, I can’t win the war alone. I used the Sword of Massacre to inflict great damage on the Four Demon Kings, but I couldn’t win the war.”

After inflicting extreme damage on the Four Demon Kings, there was a temporary lull.

Alheim requested a truce first.

The condition was the sealing of the Sword Saint of Massacre’s power.

At that time, the Sword Saint of Massacre had to consider the situation.

It is true that the Sword of Inverse Heaven works on the Demon King, but that does not mean that all Demon Kings can be killed with one sword.

While he is targeting the Demon Kings, the front line will be devastated by other demons.

Even if the Sword Saint of Massacre kills all the Demon Kings, all of humanity, including the Carmen Empire, would have been destroyed.

That’s why the Sword Saint of Massacre made that choice.

In the peace he gained for a while, he decided to look for a swordsman who could master the Sword of Massacre.

To find another hope for humanity.

“Rael, that’s why you must become stronger.”

The Sword Saint of Massacre looked into Rael’s eyes.

A swordsman with the best talent he had finally found.

He was like hope for humanity.

“It was also fortunate for me to meet you. If I hadn’t found you, I would have hidden my secret techniques in various remote places on the continent as a last resort.”

“…Hiding secret techniques?”

“It’s called a ‘serendipitous encounter’ [a lucky and unexpected discovery]. I was thinking of hiding it in a place where only the strong can come. If you are qualified, you will be able to obtain my swordsmanship.”

“…Are you talking about places like Witch Island?”

Witch Island.

An island at the end of the continent that humans cannot easily approach.

“Yes. Witch Island was also one of the places where I would put my secret techniques. How did you know?”

‘How did I know?’

I knew because Lucas found the Sword Saint of Massacre’s swordsmanship there in the original story.

‘I’m sorry, Lucas.’

I stole the Holy Sword, and I stole another serendipitous encounter without wanting to.

I should teach him the Sword of Massacre later.

“Rael, master the Sword of Massacre. The demons’ movements are suspicious. The Demon Kings who were defeated by the Sword of Inverse Heaven are moving again. Starting with Calliope, other Demon Kings will also reach out to the continent. There is not much time.”

“…What are you going to do, Sword Saint of Massacre?”

Just once, if you use your power, you will die.

Rael couldn’t even imagine the Sword Saint of Massacre’s emotions.

“They moved earlier than I expected. It’s probably because of the Oni King [a type of powerful demon] of the Special Guard. The reason I’m in the Special Guard is also because of the Oni King Yacha. I’m going to target the Demon King before she goes berserk.”

“…”

The Oni King’s barrier was weakened because of Rael.

Rael was also responsible for the demons’ suspicious movements.

Thanks to the Oni King, the demons moved earlier than in the original work, and it seemed that the war with the demons would begin before the protagonist, Lucas, became stronger.

“Rael, I will make you strong. You can perfectly master my Sword of Massacre. And you can end the war with the demons.”

Even the original Lucas cannot perfectly master the Sword of Massacre.

He only discovers and uses one of the Sword Saint of Massacre’s swordsmanship techniques.

Now Rael was walking a completely different path from the original.

“…Of course. Just teach me well.”

But I couldn’t run away.

Rael had things to protect.

*

“The fourth form of the Sword of Massacre, Crushing Heaven, is a sword that pierces a thousand stars.”

The Sword Saint of Massacre looked around and picked up a branch.

The moment Rael, who was watching the scene, blinked.

*Whizz!*

The Sword Saint of Massacre’s arm moved at a speed that Rael could not even follow.

“ …!”

The sensation of being pierced all over his body in the time it took to blink once pressed down on Rael’s body.

It felt like hundreds and thousands of branches were stabbing Rael at the same time.

Rael, who unknowingly trembled his shoulders, slowly spread his magic power throughout his body.

“What is this? What are you doing with a branch?”

“This is the fourth form of the Sword of Massacre, Crushing Heaven. If you reach the required realm, you can use it even if it’s not a sword.”

A blue starlight-like glow lingered at the end of the Sword Saint of Massacre’s branch.

The swordsmanship at a speed that transcends human perception looked like thousands of swords attacking at the same time, leaving a beautiful trajectory that seemed to draw the constellations of the night sky.

“…It doesn’t seem like it’s just a fast stab. What’s contained within the sword?”

Rael narrowed his eyes as he looked at his trembling hands.

The magic power contained in the branch was penetrating Rael’s body and causing continuous damage.

“It makes it difficult to regenerate by continuing to stimulate the body with subtle vibrations of magic power. It is a sword created to fight demons that cannot be cut with one sword using the Sword of Ascendance.”

“Subtle vibrations…? You apply that to every stab?”

“Exactly 100 times per second. That is the realm of perfectly mastering the sword of Crushing Heaven.”

“…”

Rael, who heard the staggering number of 100 times per second, opened his mouth.

Even Rael, who has surpassed the human body, finds that physically impossible.

“Sword Saint of Massacre, how do you expect me to follow that?”

“Train the sword for decades. Rael, it took me more than 10 years just to complete the sword of Crushing Heaven. If you keep training endlessly, the sword will answer.”

“You said there’s no time.”

“Hmm. Then we’ll have to find another way.”

Fortunately, the Sword Saint of Massacre seems to have a plan.

Rael waited for his next words.

“Like putting a pearl necklace on a pig [a waste of something valuable], let’s develop ‘Hoicheon’ [Rael’s unique swordsmanship realm].”

“Hoicheon… Yes. You said it would definitely help me grow more.”

“Originally, the realm of a Sword Master is like a trump card [a decisive weapon]. It allows you to overcome your limits and overcome situations that you cannot win. But Rael, your realm is not like that.”

Rael’s realm, Hoicheon, is a realm that controls the power around him.

Rather than a trump card, it is a skill closer to support.

“The reason is that the Sword of Massacre is already playing the role of a trump card.”

“…. Ah.”

Rael nodded.

Certainly, for him, the trump card was the Sword of Massacre rather than Hoicheon.

“Rael, the Hoicheon you created has innate potential. If you perfectly master Hoicheon, you can also perform the sword of Crushing Heaven, which is difficult to do with a human body.”

The realm of Hoicheon itself is a power that transcends human limitations.

Therefore, if you perfectly master Hoicheon, Rael’s body will also be able to handle Crushing Heaven.

“What should I do in a nutshell?”

“Use Hoicheon like your own body. Deploy the realm 24 hours a day.”

“…Does that make sense? No matter how I think about it, it seems difficult.”

The realm of a Sword Master is a technique imbued with the ultimate in swordsmanship.

Even Rael gets quite tired just using Hoicheon during battle.

But you want me to use it all day long?

“Of course, it doesn’t make sense.”

“…But why are you making me do it?”

“You can do it. My eyes for seeing swordsmen are not wrong.”

Confidence was contained in the Sword Saint of Massacre’s eyes.

The continent’s best sword, the Sword Saint of Massacre.

He believed in the possibility of humans and believed that a genius who could handle his sword would emerge.

The result was Rael.

”…. Aren’t you just saying that because you couldn’t find anyone else besides me?”

“…”

The Sword Saint of Massacre turned his head.

The blue sky was brighter than ever today.

*

“They say that if your head is not good, your body suffers… Yeah. Sss. Let’s suffer a little.”

Rael walked through the streets of the capital with Hoicheon deployed.

This kind of ignorant training method is far from Rael, who is a high school graduate elite, but it was not Rael’s fault that his teacher’s academic background was low.

‘Still, the effect will be outstanding.’

In a way, it’s similar to building muscles.

Just as muscles become stronger in the process of tearing and regenerating, if you overwork your body like this, your body will adapt even if you don’t want to die.

[Isn’t that the Exorcist Hero over there? Huh?! He just looked this way?]

[You idiot, he must have misseen because the distance is so far.]

[I, is that so?]

Rael sighed as he looked at the two women talking about him in the distance.

It felt like his senses had become sharper as he accepted the power around him while deploying Hoicheon.

I can hear all those sounds even if I don’t want to.

“The purpose of visiting the Imperial Palace is…. Yo, Hero!”

A soldier guarding the Imperial Palace, who was yawning, straightened his posture.

Rael continued, showing a familiar reaction.

“Gaia-Men [a greeting]. I came to see the Second Princess.”

“I’ll tell you, so go right in! Gaia-Men!”

Rael stepped into the magnificent Imperial Palace.

As the place where the most noble emperor of the Carmen Empire lives, many knights were guarding the Imperial Palace.

Everyone seemed busy because of the upcoming National Foundation Day.

‘If you think about it, is this the first time I’ve entered the Imperial Palace?’

It was a place I couldn’t even imagine when I was the captain of the guard, and I haven’t been to the Imperial Palace since I became a hero.

‘Tsk, I have to visit the Order [religious organization] once I return from Arconia….’

It’s not easy to run into Cheonma [powerful antagonist figure].

I don’t know what that person is hiding either.

‘Haa, the emperor in the Imperial Palace is also unstable… Why are these bastards like this?.’

The emperor of the Carmen Empire, Leopold von Grandia.

He has demonic energy.

‘The two biggest powers in the empire are masterminds. Is there such a messed-up country?’

I’m curious how the name of the Thousand-Year Empire came about.

Rael felt a headache and entered the Imperial Palace.

“The Exorcist Hero, Sir Rael, is entering!”

People’s attention was still focused on him, but fortunately, Rael is now in a fairly high position.

“Yo, it’s the Hero! The Hero is here! Gaia-Men!”

“Did you come to see the Second Princess? I heard that you are a friend of Princess Yuriel….”

The things that happened in Arconia spread to the empire, and the name value of the Exorcist Hero became incredibly high.

Rael passed people’s voices and headed to the pre-arranged reception room.

“Mr. Rael!”

When I entered the reception room, Yuri, who was sitting in her seat, jumped up and greeted Rael.

Rael smiled and greeted her in return for the enthusiastic welcome.

“Ms. Yuri, long time no see. It seems like you’re busy preparing for the National Foundation Day. You don’t look good.”

“Don’t worry about me. Are you okay, Mr. Rael? I was so surprised to hear that you ran into the Demon King in Arconia.”

Yuri sighed in relief.

I heard you were okay, but I felt even more relieved when I actually saw you.

“I’m glad you returned safely, Sir Rael.”

“Isabel, you’re suffering too.”

Isabel bowed her head lightly.

Rael has now surpassed his previous status, so he was not angry at all at the informal speech.

“But is it because you ran into the Demon King? Mr. Rael’s atmosphere has changed.”

“Ah… yes. Well, yes, I had a good experience.”

Maybe it’s because I keep deploying Hoicheon.

Even now, my body was screaming from squeezing out magic power.

Rael, who had roughly exchanged greetings, brought up the main point.

“I heard that the National Foundation Day will start soon… What do the royals do at the National Foundation Day?”

The National Foundation Day is a festival to commemorate the empire’s first emperor, but Rael had also heard something else about it.

The news was that the next emperor would be decided at this National Foundation Day.

“Maybe my father… His Majesty the Emperor will name the heir to the throne.”

“The heir to the throne….”

“Yes. Why?”

Yuri tilted her head and met Rael’s eyes.

Rael turned his head without realizing it at the pure eyes.

‘It’s about time for the original Second Princess to show her true colors….’

A strong premonition came.

The Second Princess, Yuriel von Grandia, who ascends to the throne with overwhelming force.

It seemed that her true self would soon be revealed at this National Foundation Day.

“…It’s nothing, Ms. Yuri.”

“Hehe. Ah, would you like a cup of tea? Isabel has prepared some good tea this time.”

Rael still didn’t know what kind of incident would change her.