The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 116

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – 116

Thomas de Torquemada (5)

Inquisitors are those who seek out and interrogate heretics – people who don’t believe in the dominant religion.

In the barbaric Middle Ages, such religious zealots were common.

They killed people based on suspicion alone, for not believing in God, even for owning cats…

Thomas de Torquemada was one of the most infamous among them.

In the chaotic Dark Ages, with little else to cling to, he fervently believed in God and relentlessly hunted people, caught up in the pervasive atmosphere of religious extremism.

Or perhaps it wasn’t *just* the atmosphere.

He possessed a natural inclination to oppress others.

He presided over religious trials in Spain, taking countless innocent lives.

Yet, he felt no remorse.

In his mind, he alone was right, and everyone else was wrong.

After countless deaths, Thomas rose to become the Grand Inquisitor.

He personally sought out and executed even more alleged witches, finding twisted joy in their demise.

‘This is God’s will! Clearly, this is God’s will!’

He believed his witch hunts were divinely ordained.

His sole purpose was to eradicate those he deemed impure heretics and establish God’s will on Earth.

Whether they were actual witches or simply innocent village girls was irrelevant.

The methods for identifying witches were absurdly simple: if they floated when thrown into water, they were deemed human; if they sank, they were witches.

If they burned to death when set ablaze, they were human; if they didn’t, they were witches.

The concept of ‘innocent’ held no weight.

People were subjected to witch trials merely for acting in ways that aroused suspicion.

With such warped principles, Thomas relentlessly pursued witches until one day, he became drenched in a witch’s blood.

Initially, he was disgusted by the filth, but soon, he noticed remarkable changes within his body.

He felt rejuvenated.

The wrinkles on his aged face diminished, and his energy surged.

This positive transformation stemmed from the mystical properties within the witch’s blood.

The witch’s blood, in itself, was a magical substance.

Realizing this, Thomas intensified his witch hunts.

Each time he was bathed in a witch’s blood, he grew stronger.

He regained his youthful vigor and even joined the secretive Templar Order [a Catholic military order].

As he hunted more and more witches, nearing transcendence, he was ultimately killed by their schemes.

‘Ah, Lord, why have you forsaken me! Why abandon your faithful servant like this!’

In his final moments, Thomas resented God.

He had dedicated his life to serving Him, yet received no salvation, causing his faith to waver.

Just as he was about to unleash his accusations, he heard God’s voice.

‘My servant, the stage for you to step onto will soon be prepared.’

A truly majestic and dignified voice.

Deeply moved by hearing God’s voice one last time, Thomas succumbed to eternal sleep, only to awaken in modern times.

The memories of the Middle Ages flooded his modern consciousness. To be precise, his soul, dormant for centuries, connected with God and recalled his past life.

“I… I have been chosen by God! I will follow in His footsteps and become a god!”

Modern life felt incredibly mundane. He was born to loving parents and enjoyed a normal upbringing.

But that wasn’t enough, especially after regaining his memories.

He yearned to relive the thrill of hunting witches, the visceral sensation he felt with his entire being.

Thus, he resumed his witch hunts.

His past as an Inquisitor and Templar made him a formidable warrior, and the modern witches, brazenly operating under the banner of the ‘Witches’ Society,’ were easy to find and eliminate.

Thomas once again grew stronger by bathing in their blood.

Having attained abilities comparable to an S-class [a ranking system for power], Thomas remained unsatisfied.

Driven by an insatiable desire for power, he sought to ascend even higher by receiving God’s divine power, leading him to seize control of the Vatican.

The holy center of Catholicism.

The residence of the Pope.

His goal was to overthrow the corrupt Catholic Church and establish a new religion dedicated to hunting witches.

But he encountered an enemy far more powerful than any he had faced before, even in his past life.

The strongest swordsman, who had claimed the title of ‘Swordmaster.’

“Typical loser, can’t admit defeat and tries to rationalize everything.”

“What incomprehensible nonsense are you spouting!”

“Typical loser, doesn’t even try to understand what I’m saying.”

Moreover, his trash-talking skills were unparalleled.

Even though he couldn’t fully grasp the meaning, the ridicule was unmistakable, rapidly eroding his mental fortitude.

Thomas, having recovered from the blood spurting from his chest, brandished his sword of light and summoned other swords of light to orbit him.

The sharp blades of light targeted the Swordmaster’s Meteor Shower attack.

“Well, there’s a saying that the more, the better. But quantity isn’t always quality.”

The swords of light hurtled toward the Meteor Shower. However, they moved only in straight lines, lacking any sophisticated control.

The movement was so predictable that the Meteor Shower advanced, easily deflecting several light swords and prolonging his life.

The tip of his sword struck the very center of Thomas’s shield, leaving his chest exposed.

“Does it regenerate even if it’s completely severed?”

With that, the Meteor Shower momentarily accelerated, slicing off one of Thomas’s arms.

The right arm, still clutching the sword of light, fell to the floor.

“Kuh-ah!”

“Typical loser, screams exaggeratedly even though it doesn’t hurt that much.”

What was so dramatic about losing an arm? It’s not uncommon to lose a limb or two in a fight.

The Meteor Shower swiftly pivoted and deflected the remaining light swords.

“Looks like one arm isn’t enough.”

He muttered and took another step forward.

He blurred past Thomas at an impossible speed.

This time, the left arm, bearing the shield, dropped to the floor.

Thomas, now armless, gritted his teeth and unleashed a barrage of light swords from above.

Amidst the rain of light, the Meteor Shower danced with his sword, deflecting every strike, and emerged unscathed, closing the distance to Thomas.

“Oh, you’ve already reattached them.”

Thomas’s arms were indeed perfectly restored.

No, the severed arms were still lying on the floor… new arms had grown in their place.

A terrifying regenerative ability.

Even a troll doesn’t possess the power to regrow a severed arm.

“More than a troll, indeed.”

The Meteor Shower, his tone ambiguous, shifted his stance, preparing to completely overwhelm Thomas.

“Do you… think I’ll just keep taking this-!! Heretic, I will kill you!”

“Typical loser… I’m too lazy to even say it now. Just be a loser.”

However, the Meteor Shower found himself unable to advance.

The divinity emanating from Thomas intensified, filling the space and pushing everything away.

He had erected a new barrier, centered on himself.

The Meteor Shower struck the barrier repeatedly with the edge of his sword.

‘It doesn’t seem easy to break…….’

The divinity seemed solely focused on defense, creating a formidable barrier.

Its strength surpassed even the barrier that had previously protected the Vatican.

The Meteor Shower clicked his tongue and concentrated his aura, channeling it into his sword to shatter the barrier.

The crimson aura intensified, heating the surrounding air.

Thomas gathered his remaining divinity within the barrier.

To overcome this situation, he had to eliminate the Swordmaster before him.

But his divinity was insufficient. The Swordmaster was skilled enough to cut through even divinity, requiring an overwhelming surge of power to defeat him.

“God, God! Are you truly abandoning me!”

Thus, Thomas prayed.

Hoping his plea would reach God and deliver him from this predicament.

And his prayer received a chilling response.

-Why would I?

“Since you have chosen me, you must also protect my life! I cannot surrender my neck to an impure heretic!”

-That seems like a valid point, but you just don’t want to die. If you survive this, will you prove your faith by taking your own life?

“Of course! I swore to live for you with the power and memories you gave me, so I will commit suicide and become a martyr!”

-That’s a lie. But… commendable. I will grant you the power you so desire.

“Ah! Thank you! Thank you! My God!”

Simultaneously, the barrier shattered.

The Meteor Shower had finally broken through from the outside.

But now, Thomas no longer feared the Meteor Shower.

A massive beam of light descended from the heavens, engulfing him and amplifying his divinity.

It was twice the amount he possessed before.

It soon transformed into overwhelming power, descending upon the earth.

The Meteor Shower muttered as he observed the scene.

“Typical loser, if he can’t handle it himself, he calls for backup.”

“Behold the true divine authority. The holiness that humans cannot comprehend has descended upon my body……”

The Meteor Shower launched a few sword strikes, testing the waters.

Thomas didn’t bother to block the crimson attacks, allowing them to strike him directly.

Thomas’s body was cleaved into pieces, but quickly reassembled.

‘Is it impossible to cut him, even with the power of my sword?’

Thomas’s current state was revealing.

A power that inspired involuntary dread.

However, the Meteor Shower had no intention of retreating.

“I have erased the concept of ‘death’ from myself. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot kill me. This is fate, and those who reject God will be purified by divine punishment.”

Thomas chanted, his eyes glowing with divine light, and levitated into the air.

Then, as before, he unleashed countless beams of light in all directions, vaporizing everything around him.

The Meteor Shower quickly sought cover behind the ruins of a building, but holes began to appear, forcing him to summon Samjeong [MC’s sword] and use it as a shield.

Fortunately, the light couldn’t penetrate Samjeong.

“What should I do about this.”

-Master Yoo Seong-woo! Are you okay? What on earth is going on?

“Thomas has awakened. It seems the god behind him has granted him divinity……”

-…Is there a way to defeat him? We evacuated the Vatican as planned, but even from here, that divinity feels incredibly strong.

“Hmm.”

The Meteor Shower paused to consider.

He *could* defeat Thomas, but it would be an arduous task.

The divinity felt weaker than the demon god he had faced in the other world, but stronger than Maynard.

He had no desire to endure such hardship, so the Meteor Shower continued the communication amidst the cacophony of searing light.

“And we need to renegotiate our contract. Dealing with a guy like that wasn’t part of the original agreement.”

-…If you just defeat him, I’ll somehow manage.