The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 211

The Demon King’s castle was different from the Imperial Palace.

Unlike the lavishly decorated Imperial Palace, the Demon King’s castle had a more practical appearance.

If I had to compare it, it reminded me of a castle from a bygone era, before the current continent’s kingdoms even existed.

Passing over the moat filled with stagnant water and entering through the castle gate, a massive hall appeared.

And beneath the high ceiling, ominous figures were lined up.

Statues of demons with goat horns and black tiles. And masses of dark magic writhed as if they were alive.

Far in the distance, a sinister-looking door beckoned.

That probably led to the upper levels of the Demon King’s castle.

“Damn it…”

Carlson, standing at the true entrance to the Demon King’s castle, frowned as he gripped his sword.

Until coming here, he had been focused on the fight and hadn’t fully realized the gravity of the situation, but now he was consumed with anger at the fact that he had abandoned his comrades in the heart of enemy territory.

If he had been just a little stronger, he could have saved at least one more of the sacrificed knights.

“Carlson, I’m sorry, but there’s no time for that. If we want to save those people, we need to go up there as quickly as possible,” Raelle said, lightly tapping Carlson’s shoulder and moving forward.

Passing through the wide hall, Reina and Ghent cautiously followed behind.

“Ghent… this space is too ominous. It feels like something’s going to jump out at us.”

“Just bear with it a little longer, Reina. This is the only way to get to the Demon King’s castle.”

The entrance to the Demon King’s castle was eerily quiet.

Perhaps even the demons were finding it difficult to move around properly due to the overwhelming magic.

“Those goddamn bastards…”

Carlson couldn’t just stand still, so he followed after Raelle.

“Sir Carlson, don’t forget Commander Rain’s words. We have to go.”

“I know. Tch. Sorry, everyone. I’ll take the lead!”

Lucas was right.

Rain was still fighting the demons.

He had to move faster, even if it was just to save him.

Carlson moved forward, seething with anger.

Passing by Raelle, Carlson quickly walked towards the main door.

*Thwack!*

At that moment.

Raelle forcefully kicked Carlson in the back.

Carlson, who had been steeling himself for battle, cried out in pain and fell forward.

“Ugh, you son of a…! Raelle, what are you doing…!”

*KWAHHHHHHHHH-!*

Carlson, turning around in anger, soon fell silent.

The spot where Carlson had been standing just a moment ago was shattered to pieces.

“So, you’re the warrior of the Gaia Order [a group dedicated to protecting the natural world]? Interesting. I didn’t expect you to notice this attack.”

A demon appeared in front of the door leading to the Demon King’s castle.

Mistra, her entire body surrounded by dark magic, looked at the humans and other races with curiosity.

It was surprising that they had forced their way through the encirclement and entered the Demon King’s castle, but it was even more surprising that they had noticed her attack just now.

It was an attack that she had prepared for hours, synchronizing with the magic of the Demon King’s castle.

There was no way that a mere human could have noticed it.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You won’t be able to move from here.”

Mistra spread her magic around her body.

It didn’t take long for the entire hall to be filled with her magic.

“This magic is…”

Lucas felt goosebumps all over his body and drew his sword.

The demon in front of him was much stronger than Lucifer or Calliope.

In other words, she was a Demon King, the ruler of the demons.

“…Mistra.”

Raelle helped the fallen Carlson up and glared at Mistra.

She was an incredibly strong demon and an assassin.

She was a Demon King so powerful that it felt almost insulting to compare her to Lucifer or Calliope.

“Sir Raelle, do you know her?”

“Mistra, the Demon King.”

Raelle cautiously drew his sword.

The Demon King in front of him still had a relaxed expression on her face.

“The warrior of the Gaia Order… I see. So that’s it.”

Mistra felt Raelle’s energy and gave a chilling smile.

It was a faint clash, but she could tell.

The warrior of the Gaia Order, he was strong.

His energy was very different.

The unidentified power she had felt from Maledrakh.

An overwhelming strength that felt absolutely untouchable.

She felt the same thing from the warrior.

Now she understood why Maledrakh was wary of the warrior.

‘But… he’s weaker than Maledrakh.’

Maledrakh’s power made Mistra feel a sense of helplessness that she couldn’t resist.

But the warrior’s power was lacking in comparison.

‘Can we… defeat that monster?’

Lucas held his sword and felt Mistra’s magic.

Mistra’s immense magic made him lose his will to fight even before the battle began.

But he couldn’t think about losing.

There was only one chance. If he couldn’t kill her, he would die in this war.

Besides, Raelle was by their side.

The warrior who never lost.

The hero Lucas had dreamed of, who never yielded to anyone and always carried out justice.

That was Raelle.

There was no way he would lose to a Demon King.

*KWAHHHHHH-!*

A massive explosion erupted from outside.

The battle waged by the Allied Forces reminded Lucas once again of something important.

Winning against Mistra in front of him wouldn’t end the war.

The goal was Maledrakh, who was in the Demon King’s castle.

The Allied Forces were still dying.

Raelle couldn’t waste time in a place like this.

“Sir Raelle, we’ll hold this place. Sir Raelle, please go up ahead.”

“Ugh, um… I guess that would be for the best…”

Reina reluctantly nodded.

Even she thought it would be more efficient for Raelle to go.

“…Lucas, Reina. I want to, too.”

Raelle sighed and looked around.

There was only one way to the upper levels of the Demon King’s castle.

That massive door.

But Mistra was standing in front of the door.

She was determined not to move until she died.

‘There’s no other way.’

The center of the Demon King’s castle was high up.

Even a Sword Master couldn’t fly through the sky, and climbing up the walls would leave them too vulnerable.

The thick magic outside was a problem, but they could also be attacked by other demons in the meantime.

“Stop whispering and move. You don’t have much time, do you?”

Magic leaked from Mistra’s body.

It was a magic so dense that it couldn’t be compared to Lucifer or Calliope.

‘If I use the Thousand Killing Sword… I can kill her.’

Raelle was confident in his power.

It would take some time because Mistra’s power was quite strong, but the Thousand Killing Sword could definitely kill Mistra.

“It’ll be faster to just attack together and deal with her. Let’s go with the direct approach.”

“No, there’s no time. And there’s a way, so don’t worry.”

Just as Raelle drew his sword.

Ghent grabbed Raelle’s shoulder tightly.

“…Ghent?”

Raelle looked at Ghent with a sense of unease.

“Just relax and leave your body to me.”

Ghent gripped Raelle’s shoulder tightly.

He knew that Raelle’s body was incomparably stronger than that of other humans.

So Raelle could withstand… the full power of Ghent, a giant.

Ghent had that belief as he lifted Raelle up with one hand.

“Hey, hey, wait a minute. You son of a bitch. Let’s just fight together!”

“Trust me! Raelle!”

Ghent’s arm, holding Raelle, began to spin around.

The giants were a race born with stronger power than any other race on the continent.

They were monsters who could break rocks with their fingers and snap the necks of beasts with their bare hands.

Among them, Ghent, the son of the Great Warrior, was the strongest warrior of the giants.

To him, Raelle was like a moderately light axe.

Rather, the moderate weight allowed him to throw it even harder and farther.

Ghent’s muscles bulged and his veins popped out.

The goal was the center of the upper level of the Demon King’s castle, high above.

As long as he gave it his all, it wasn’t difficult to throw a single human tens of meters into the air.

“You son of a…!”

The plan and its execution happened in the blink of an eye.

Ghent, who had been holding Raelle’s shoulder, swung his arm and threw Raelle towards the top of the Demon King’s castle.

*PAAAAAANG-!*

The next moment.

A sound like a bomb exploding rang out, and the ceiling of the Demon King’s castle entrance was shattered.

Raelle flew like a baseball towards the top of the Demon King’s castle.

“…Huh?”

Mistra stared blankly at the sky.

She never imagined that they would throw the only hope of the human race in such a way.

“What kind of ignorant bastards are those…”

Mistra looked at the humans and other races with a dumbfounded expression.

To think that they would throw the warrior into that place filled with the fog of magic. She couldn’t understand what they were so confident about.

What was even more absurd was that the warrior had fallen close to the center of the Demon King’s castle, just as they had planned.

Just how strong was that giant?

‘Maledrakh may not be in danger, but… I have to stop him.’

Maledrakh had said that there was only one thing to be careful of on the continent.

The warrior of the Gaia Order.

To let that monster get close to Maledrakh…

It was a terrible mistake.

Mistra immediately turned around.

At that moment.

*SWISH-*

A light flickered in her vision.

The light smelled of the forest.

“Ugh!”

*CLANG-!*

Mistra turned around and blocked the sword aimed at her.

Already, she was holding a thin rapier in her hand.

“You bastard… did you think you could go somewhere without me, Carlson!”

Carlson’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

He was also surprised that Raelle had suddenly flown into the sky, but unexpectedly, the plan was going well.

Carlson knew what he had to do as a Holy Knight.

He couldn’t let those demons interfere with Raelle any longer.

Divine power bloomed on Carlson’s sword.

It wasn’t just a simple Divine Power Sword Aura.

It was a sword created by refining and overlapping Divine Power Sword Auras, the Holy Fire Sword.

“This is…?”

Mistra felt her body getting hotter and hotter.

Her body shouldn’t be in a state where it would be pained by such divine power, but her body was reacting.

“I wanted to try out the new technique I learned anyway. I trained hard with Raelle.”

“You’re completely insane. Do you think bugs without the warrior can beat me?”

Mistra spread her magic.

The humans and other races were instantly enveloped in Mistra’s magic.

In the first place, Mistra had only cared about the warrior, and had never cared about them.

From her point of view, it was an absurd situation where insignificant bugs were sincerely attacking her.

“…Well. We’ll have to see who’s stronger.”

*SWOOSH-*

Lucas’s Holy Sword was aimed at Mistra.

[Oh, to face the Demon King without the warrior! Raelle! Take me with you!]

*WHOOSH- WHOOSH-*

Saint cried out, but no one listened to Saint’s words.

Limitless Heavenly Way.

Lucas’s domain unfolded, pushing back the magic even just a little.

Reina and Ghent stood behind him.

“Let’s go. Lucas, this time, let’s finish this first and go help Raelle.”

“Yes. It’s my last request.”

Lucas gave a faint smile and glared at Mistra.

The opponent was the strongest enemy he had ever met.

He would fight with the intention of winning, but even if he lost, it didn’t matter.

Their role was to buy time.

Our fate will be decided by the warrior, Raelle.

* * *

*KWAHHHHHH-!*

The wall of the Demon King’s castle was destroyed, and dust rose.

Raelle, who had entered the upper level of the Demon King’s castle in an unintentional way, felt a headache and got up.

“Ah, ah… damn it. My head.”

He felt like he had become a cannonball.

That crazy giant bastard didn’t even have a proper conversation and just threw people.

“Let’s talk after this is over, Ghent. Haa…”

Raelle stood up and brushed the dust off his body.

Surely the giants had been solving problems in this way.

That’s probably why the chief was like that.

“He’s disgustingly strong. Tch.”

What was annoying in the meantime was that things had unexpectedly gone well.

Raelle regained his sense of spinning head and looked ahead.

A jet-black, massive door was visible.

He could feel it even without touching the door.

The immense power and magic inside.

It was stronger than the seal of the Demon King.

He had reached the center of the Demon King’s castle.

“… Haa.”

Raelle carefully placed his hand on the door.

The appearance of the door looked similar to the door of the audience chamber in the Imperial Palace.

Maledrakh would be inside, like an emperor waiting for his vassals.

He had come all the way here.

Raelle swallowed, looking at his trembling hand with tension.

“…”

Raelle blinked, looking at his hand.

He didn’t know his hand was trembling until he saw it with his own eyes.

His body was unconsciously feeling fear.

The power of the Demon King Maledrakh was that strong.

The immense energy felt even outside the door was eroding Raelle’s senses.

“Shit. It’s a good thing no one’s here.”

If he showed such a lack of confidence, his divine power would be drastically reduced.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure.

With his current power, Raelle could easily defeat the Demon Kings Lucifer or Calliope.

Even Mistra, whom he had seen a little while ago, would be able to win, although it would be difficult.

But what about Maledrakh?

The power he wielded was beyond Raelle’s imagination.

Maledrakh’s magic single-handedly reversed the tide of the war. He had destroyed all of the Allied Forces’ strategies, and in the end, Raelle had to enter the Demon King’s castle.

Moreover, Raelle didn’t have another chance.

This was the first and last chance.

If he lost to that monster, the continent would be destroyed as it was.

“…I’m just having useless thoughts.”

Raelle shook his head.

Nothing would change even if he worried about this.

People were still dying outside.

Now that he had come this far, he couldn’t stop.

Raelle stopped worrying and pushed the door.

*SQUEAK-*

Until he opened the door and went inside.

Raelle didn’t let his guard down for even a moment.

“…”

The interior of the audience chamber was filled with a fog-like magic.

The magic obscured Raelle’s vision and burrowed into his senses, distorting them.

However, Raelle’s vision was clear from beginning to end.

The jet-black obsidian throne at the end of the audience chamber.

A massive demon was sitting on it.