The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 180

The battle with Lucifer began without warning.

The surrounding miasma pressed down on the entire space like a Sword Master’s domain [a powerful swordsman’s sphere of influence].

“Kuh…!”

Lucas slashed at the surrounding miasma, infusing his sword with mana.

He stood alongside Ghent, while Reina supported Rein from the rear.

‘…The miasma is too dense. Is this truly the Contract Demon, Lucifer?’

After several clashes, Lucas once again felt the overwhelming reality of the Demon King’s existence.

He thought he had grown accustomed to miasma by wielding the Demon Sword, but the Demon King was on a completely different level from ordinary demons.

In particular, Lucifer, the Contract Demon, was the most skilled at manipulating miasma among all the Demon Kings.

His skin prickled just from being near the miasma.

“Carlson, can you hold on?”

“…Yes. I can still manage.”

Ghent and Carlson were feeling the same oppressive force as Lucas.

Carlson, in particular, felt a sensation similar to when he faced the Demon King Calliope.

The overwhelming power and miasma of the Demon King seemed impossible to overcome.

‘If only Sir Rael were here….’

Lucas sighed inwardly and raised his sword.

If Rael were here, this difficult battle would be at least a little easier.

[Insects are putting up a useless resistance.]

At that moment.

Whoosh-!

Dense miasma surged from Lucifer’s body.

Miasma that gnawed at the souls of humans just by touching it; the Demon King’s power within was an extreme poison, incomparable to anything else.

“Everyone, focus! Don’t touch the miasma!”

Swish-!

Reina unleashed the mana of nature, opening the Astral Gate of the Spirit Realm [a portal to a realm of pure magical energy].

Mana from the Spirit Realm clashed with the miasma, and light burst forth.

“Ugh…!”

However, the power of Astral also had its limits.

No matter how powerful Reina was, she couldn’t withstand Lucifer’s miasma alone.

“Woo-oh-oh-oh!”

Red light emanated from Ghent’s axe.

Ghent, having cleaved through the miasma that had swallowed the space, charged at Lucifer.

The mana contained in Regna, the sacred artifact of the Giant race, pushed back the miasma, aiming for Lucifer’s neck.

[Is this the end, after all? What were you trying to accomplish by dragging me out with your trashy selves?]

Clang-!

However, Ghent’s axe was blocked by a wall of miasma and could not advance further.

Lucifer took a step back, his expression twisting in annoyance.

‘Tch. What a waste of time.’

Lucifer couldn’t understand it.

Humans and other races were beings who could never defeat the Demon race from birth.

It was no different from insects rushing into a fire.

‘Damn it. I shouldn’t have moved so hastily because of the Demon King’s machinations.’

He should be focusing on transferring the Emperor’s soul right now, but he was wasting time getting caught in such an obvious trap.

Lucifer frowned and spread his miasma.

He needed to quickly deal with these insects and reclaim his miasma.

[The only one I was paying attention to was the Gaia Order’s Hero. Only him…. It seems my judgment was not wrong. The rest are trash.]

Crack-! Crack-!

A wave of miasma surged from all directions.

Lucifer was weakened, but his miasma still poured out without limit.

“Ha, at times like these…”

Lucas sighed without realizing it.

If only Sir Rael were here….

Once again.

His name came to mind.

Lucifer was definitely weaker than Calliope.

And Lucas had become much stronger than when he met Calliope.

The only reason the situation was unfavorable was because of Rael’s absence.

The reason he could inflict meaningful damage on the Demon King Calliope was because Rael faced Calliope head-on, creating openings.

If he were here, they could have fought a slightly better fight.

“Damn it….”

Lucas clenched his fist.

Rael was always like that.

When the demons appeared, when the Empire’s strongest knight targeted him, and even when the Demon King appeared.

He fought for his people without taking a single step back.

‘But I….’

He graduated at the top of the Academy and was called a genius.

He was lucky enough to be grouped with strong knights and called one of the Empire’s Three Heroes, but in reality, Lucas was inferior to Rael, and even to Carlson, who had changed the Order’s swordsmanship system.

‘…How long are you going to rely on Sir Rael? Lucas!’

Intense determination blazed in Lucas’s eyes.

He would no longer hide behind Rael.

“Ah…!”

“Son of a biiiiiiiiiitch!”

But at that moment.

A rough curse erupted from beside Lucas.

“I was already annoyed that the nobles only talked about Rael, and now even the Demon King is doing it. Lucas, isn’t it a blow to our pride as the Empire’s Three Heroes to be ignored like this?”

Carlson gritted his teeth.

He was thinking the same thing as Lucas.

Even without Rael, there was no way they couldn’t defeat a demon.

“…That’s what I’m saying. Sir Carlson. I’m also a top graduate of the Empire Academy, you know.”

Carlson, enraged, drew his Divine Power Sword, and Lucas, with a faint smile, unfolded his Tai Chi Sword.

The two of them took a step forward and stood before Lucifer.

“So this is how Sir Rael felt.”

One of the Four Demon Kings.

A monster that dominates the Forbidden Alheim [a dangerous and restricted area].

The miasma emitted by that monster stimulated the souls of humans.

Fear welled up from the depths of their hearts, and facing him was so frightening that they wanted to run away immediately.

“Lucas, Rael created openings against that giant mass of flesh. There’s no reason we can’t do it.”

But Rael overcame all of that.

So there was no reason why Carlson and Lucas couldn’t do it.

“The Empire’s Three Heroes, huh? I didn’t pay much attention to anyone other than Rael… but you guys also have the blood of warriors flowing through you. You’re worthy of being called heroes.”

Then, Ghent grinned and stood beside them.

The Giant race couldn’t be left out of this battle of warriors.

“Please, stop talking nonsense and focus!”

Reina shouted as she fought against the miasma.

She couldn’t understand why those crazy bastards were acting like that in the middle of a fight.

[Even if you guys band together, aren’t you just trash without the Hero? Are you perhaps believing that the Hero will come to help you? Unfortunately, the Hero is fighting against the troops I have hidden away. It’s enough time for you to die.]

“You’re an idiot. I’m not believing *in* Rael. I’m not doubting him.”

[…What nonsense are you spouting? Human, have you finally gone insane? You’ve held out quite long.]

“Cut the crap. Besides, we’re not done yet! We can’t always hide behind Rael!”

Carlson’s Divine Power Sword stabbed towards Lucifer.

Lucifer took a step back, startled by the sharp Divine Power, and began to spread his miasma again.

Ghent followed suit, and Reina reopened the gate to the Spirit Realm.

“…”

And Lucas looked down at his sword.

‘It’s not enough.’

They couldn’t win like this.

This wasn’t an Academy class.

They couldn’t defeat the Demon King with just spirit and momentum.

That’s why.

‘I need to become stronger.’

Divine Power erupted from Lucas’s sword.

Lucas slowly raised his sword and closed his eyes.

“Lucas?!”

Carlson looked at Lucas in surprise.

He was amazed that Divine Power was coming from Lucas’s sword, but only for a moment.

He looked so relaxed that he didn’t seem to think he was facing the Demon King.

[You insect! Die!]

Lucifer didn’t miss the opportunity.

He called them insects, but they were definitely strong insects among humans and other races.

He had to deal with these annoying insects when he could.

“Lucas!”

Carlson shouted and rushed towards Lucas when he saw Lucifer’s attack.

And Lucifer’s dense miasma poured down on his head.

“Ah…”

Lucas opened his eyes and looked at everything.

It was as if time was flowing slowly, and Carlson and the miasma were slowly approaching him.

‘So this is what a Sword Master feels like.’

He began to see things he hadn’t seen before he realized it.

Lucas’s sword, which hadn’t had enough time to fully bloom, forcibly awakened in front of the Demon King.

‘This is the Domain [a swordsman’s ultimate technique].’

With the return of his vision, a powerful sword aura flashed from Lucas’s sword.

Lucas’s sword, which had swept away the surrounding miasma in an instant, resonated through space.

A tremendous roar covered the surroundings, and the air vibrated.

[What is that… ?]

Lucifer also flinched for a moment at the sight he had never seen before.

That was definitely not a power that an insect could produce.

“…”

Lucas’s eyes shone brightly.

Holding the hilt of his sword, Lucas raised his chin and looked at Lucifer.

“I, too, am inspired by Sir Rael….”

The realm a swordsman reaches when he reaches the limit of his sword, the realm where he can perfectly control his power.

Domain.

“Celestial Dance of Extremes.”

Lucas’s sword, which had deployed the Domain, began to dance.

*

After the National Foundation Day banquet.

유리 [Yuri] went to the Imperial Palace to meet the Emperor.

Step. Step.

유리 looked around as she entered the Emperor’s reception room.

Her father, who had said he would be waiting here, was nowhere to be seen.

“That’s strange. Isabel. Isn’t this the right room?”

“Yes. In the first place, this is the only reception room that His Majesty uses.”

A large reception room used only by the Emperor.

유리 worried about her father and went inside.

The Emperor, who had seemed fine, had not shown his face at the banquet due to health problems.

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t see Rael, Ghent, or Reina. Where did they all go?’

She greeted the nobles and searched the banquet hall, but she couldn’t see any of them.

Could it be that they were enjoying the banquet without her?

‘Reina and Ghent disappeared because they had work to do, so that can’t be it….’

유리 walked into the reception room with those thoughts.

At the end of the room, which was so large that it didn’t seem like a reception room, a man was sitting.

“오라버니 [Older brother/term of endearment for a male relative or close friend] Damian?”

Damian, who would have gone to see her father before 유리.

He was sitting at the end of the reception room with his head bowed.

“…”

유리 felt an inexplicable sense of unease as she looked at Damian, who did not respond to her call.

유리 slowly approached Damian and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Thud-

At the same time, Damian, who had been maintaining his posture, collapsed to the floor.

유리 took a step back without realizing it when she saw his distorted face and wide eyes.

“Wh, why… is Damian…?”

Damian had always tormented her, but she had never imagined such a futile death.

유리 calmed her pounding heart and looked around.

“Is anyone there?! Isabel!”

Even though Damian was dead, the Imperial Palace was too quiet.

유리 turned around urgently and headed for the door of the reception room.

“Yo, Your Highness 유리엘 [Yuriel]!”

At that moment, Isabel’s figure appeared as she rushed through the door.

“Isabe…!”

유리 looked at Isabel with a look of joy.

She could feel a little relieved if she was there.

Crack-

But at that moment.

Dark miasma engulfed Isabel’s body.

“…. Ah?”

유리 stared blankly at Isabel, who was covered in miasma, and then looked at the man approaching from behind her.

“유리엘 [Yuriel]. So you were here.”

Second Prince Simon von Grandia.

A maid was covered in miasma right next to him, and Damian was lying behind 유리.

But he walked towards 유리 as if he didn’t care about anything.

“…오라버니 [Older brother/term of endearment for a male relative or close friend] Simon?”

Thump- Thump-

유리’s heart began to beat rapidly.