Chapter 33

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 33

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Whoosh!

Amid the rising flames.

Blood flowed across the ground before it could even congeal in the scorching heat.

From within the flames, a red-eyed demon approached, holding a sword dripping with blood.

‘Belvemos.’

The Third Demon among the Ten Great Demons.

The being who possessed the third-greatest power among all demons, excluding the Demon King.

That very Belvemos stood upon the corpses of the suicide squad.

Swordsmen and mages from the suicide squad still surrounded him.

Among them was Allen from his previous life.

‘There was simply no way to defeat him.’

Belvemos's power was overwhelming.

The sword he swung split the earth and clouds, while blood-red sword energy rained down from the sky.

Faced with the sight of him laughing like a madman as he chewed and swallowed human flesh, the suicide squad eventually chose to retreat.

They had concluded that they might all die if they stayed.

‘That sword.’

Allen remembered it clearly.

The appearance of the reddish sword Belvemos had wielded.

One reason the demon possessed such immense power was the sword in his hand.

The Demon Sword Kaglos.

A divine relic that Vishken and the Empire had searched for over many years, only for it to eventually fall into the hands of the demons.

‘Before obtaining the Demon Sword, Belvemos was the Ninth Demon. The reason he rose to the Third Demon in a single leap was the power of the Demon Sword.’

Allen did not know why Vishken wanted the Demon Sword so desperately.

But preventing it from falling into the demons' hands was more important than that.

‘This time, without fail.’

When Allen opened his eyes again, he was standing before the door to the commander's office.

Returning from his memories of the past to reality, Allen began walking again.

The lives at stake in this mission were far from few. His future comrades in the suicide squad and everyone who had resisted the demons.

He could feel the weight of their lives upon his shoulders.

__________________

Two hours later.

The squad leaders of the Flying Sword Division gathered one by one around the long round table in the division's conference room.

“Are we finally getting a mission?”

“How long has it been since all the squads gathered together?”

“About eleven years?”

“That was when the King of the North Sea had the nerve to invade our Silk Road, wasn't it?”

“What happened back then?”

“Ah, the Seventh Squad Leader wasn't around then, was he?”

“It was truly something else. See this scar? I got it back then...”

The squad leaders, gathered together for the first time in ages, noisily exchanged stories of the past.

With their busy missions, they rarely had an opportunity to gather in one place. But as the Flying Sword Division's standby period lengthened and an occasion arose for them to undertake a mission together, the squad leaders finally had a chance to meet after a very long time.

It was then.

The noisy conference room fell silent, and everyone's attention focused on one place.

Someone new had entered the room.

‘The Second Squad Leader.’

‘The Second Young Master?’

‘He really does look young.’

‘I heard he defeated his entire squad single-handedly.’

‘Seriously?’

The squad leaders exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

Allen Vishken, leader of the Second Squad.

He was a particularly difficult person for the other squad leaders to deal with.

He was young, his status was high, and his reputation was terrible. They simply couldn't figure out how they should treat him.

That was why most of the squad leaders maintained a certain distance from Allen.

Of course, some, like First Squad Leader Kasar, openly displayed their hostility.

There were also others.

“Second Squad Leader!”

Some squad leaders greeted him with a bright smile, as they did now.

“Come sit over here.”

The person calling Allen was Griden, leader of the Fifth Squad.

He was the oldest of the Flying Sword Division's squad leaders and commanded the respect of its swordsmen regardless of his performance record.

Having already met him several times, Allen approached and smiled warmly.

“Have you been well?”

“What is there to say about being well? I've never been so bored as I have been lately.”

“Seems you've been itching for some action too, Fifth Squad Leader.”

“Haha! But don't expect me to join you fellows in your training. My joints ache now that I'm getting older.”

Ever since Allen had been appointed leader of the Second Squad, the squad had become known for undergoing hellish training every day.

Grieden had personally witnessed it when he came to greet Allen, which explained his strong aversion.

“Don't say that. You're still in excellent health.”

“I appreciate you saying so.”

After exchanging greetings with Griden, Allen looked toward the seat across from him.

Coincidentally, First Squad Leader Kasar was sitting there.

“You do realize there's only three months left in our wager, don't you?”

Allen nodded at his question.

Unlike when Kasar had visited the training ground and provoked him, Allen spoke to him courteously.

“Time flies. Have you been well?”

“I've been sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Though I wonder if the Second Squad Leader can say the same.”

“I've been sleeping well too.”

The other squad leaders watched the atmosphere between the two with interest.

Everyone knew about the wager between the First and Second Squads. Of course, nobody doubted the outcome, but the problem was the Second Squad Leader's status.

The Second Young Master of Vishken.

Naturally, no one in the family believed Allen would become the young family head. Everyone assumed Lucas would take that position, and even if he didn't, they believed there was no chance Allen would.

That was why

Kasar could speak so casually to Allen.

“Our wager is one thing, but let's set aside personal feelings during the mission. Understood, Second Squad Leader?”

“Of course.”

At that moment, Allen nodded and asked,

“By the way, why are you so eager to have our deputy leader?”

Kasar flinched at Allen's question.

His eyes darted around the room. Apparently, he hadn't expected Allen to ask that here, of all places.

After a moment's hesitation, he answered.

“Deputy Leader Mary is exceptionally skilled, isn't she? It's only natural to want an outstanding swordsman.”

“I see.”

Allen nodded, but he did not believe Kasar's words.

It was an answer given with the people around them in mind. Allen had the feeling there was another, genuine reason.

As Allen continued his uncomfortable conversation with Kasar,

“Is everyone here?”

The door swung open, and the central figure of today's meeting entered the conference room.

The man who commanded every squad in the Flying Sword Division.

It was Lucas.

“Yes, sir!”

“There's no need for a lengthy discussion. I'll explain the operation immediately. The objective of this operation is to secure the Demon Sword.”

The mention of the Demon Sword caused a brief stir in the conference room.

“The Demon Sword?”

“Does that thing really exist?”

“I thought it was just a legend...”

The Demon Sword Kaglos was one of the famous swords mentioned in legends.

But unlike the Five Great Swords that currently existed, even Kaglos's existence remained uncertain.

For that reason, eight out of ten people claimed the Demon Sword was nothing more than a legend, like a mythical monster or divine beast.

“Nothing is certain yet. However, we currently estimate the probability of success at forty percent.”

Forty percent.

It was by no means a low probability, but several squad leaders frowned at the figure.

That was because none of the missions the Flying Sword Division had undertaken until now had ever been assessed as having a success probability below sixty percent.

“There's no need to be displeased. Whether this mission succeeds is beyond our abilities. What matters is whether the Demon Sword actually exists.”

“Ah, I see.”

“That explains it...”

Several squad leaders nodded at Lucas's explanation.

Having briefly reassured the Flying Sword Division's pride, Lucas continued his explanation.

“The operational area is Stoneville, a small rocky town between Steel Castle and the Empire. At present, swordsmen from Steel Castle are stationed there...”

The squad leaders listened carefully to the mission briefing. Fully understanding a mission was fundamental for swordsmen belonging to a division.

Allen was no exception.

However, Allen did not take all this information at face value.

He simply listened, memorized it, and made sure he understood it.

After finishing his explanation quickly, Lucas turned around.

“We'll travel through a transport gate. We'll first head to Steel Castle, where the operation is already underway, so gather your squad members in front of the Path of the Sword within two hours.”

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Each squad leader of the Flying Sword Division relayed the mission orders to their squad.

At the news that it was an important mission involving the Demon Sword, Mary's and the squad members' eyes gleamed.

“If our squad manages to secure it, couldn't we turn the tables in one stroke?”

Allen nodded at Bigra's question.

“The First Squad hasn't received any missions recently either. So that's probably true.”

“Finally, our chance!”

“Yes!”

The squad members cheered at the news of their assignment.

Meanwhile, Allen looked puzzled as he watched Mary quietly rejoice.

Why on earth did First Squad Leader Kasar want Mary so badly?

Kasar's reaction had made him curious, but now was not the time to ask about such personal matters.

“Finish your preparations and assemble in front of the Path of the Sword by 17:00. We're going through a transport gate, so if you're late, a written apology won't be enough.”

“We're even using a transport gate?”

“This really must be an important mission.”

A transport gate was a magical device that allowed people to cross vast distances quickly.

However, operating one even once consumed an enormous amount of money, and preparations took a long time, so they were rarely used except when necessary.

The fact that a transport gate had already been prepared showed just how important this mission was.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Second Squad hurried to complete its preparations.

Before the appointed time, every squad of the Flying Sword Division had assembled in front of the Path of the Sword.

At the center of the Path of the Sword.

A circular gate had been installed in the middle of the road, its interior space visibly distorted.

A transport gate connected to Steel Castle.

Lucas commanded the division in front of it.

“The First Squad will move first.”

The First Squad, led by Kasar, entered the transport gate.

Once all of them had gone through, Allen sent the Second Squad inside.

Now it was Allen's turn.

‘So Steel Castle is on the other side.’

More precisely, it would probably be an area within Steel Castle's territory close to Stoneville, the operational area.

Allen stepped into the transport gate. He had taken only a single step inside when the world seemed to turn upside down and his vision became hazy.

Allen continued walking through the hazy space.

It had been a long time since he had used a transport gate. After running away from the family, Allen had never had the financial means to use one.

He felt nauseated. Though he couldn't consciously perceive it, Allen was traveling across the world at an extremely high speed.

How long had he been walking?

Step.

His hazy vision gradually cleared. His queasy stomach also began to settle.

In the distance, he could see the sky glowing with the setting sun. He had traveled so far that even the sky here looked different from the sky over Vishken.

He had arrived on the other side of the transport gate.

After the sky, the first thing he saw was the swordsmen of the Flying Sword Division who had arrived before him.

But they weren't the only ones.

In front of a towering castle wall.

Hundreds of swordsmen stood waiting, surrounding the transport gate.

‘Steel Castle's swordsmen.’

Hundreds of swordsmen radiating an aura as hard as steel itself had taken control of the entire area.

He had heard they would be operating alongside the Flying Sword Division on this mission, and it seemed they had already completed their preparations.

And the person who led Steel Castle was none other than—

“So you've arrived too.”

Allen turned his head at the familiar voice.

He had expected they would meet again someday, but their reunion had come much sooner than he had anticipated.

“Welcome to Steel Castle.”

Saul, the Lord of Steel Castle.

The man whose relationship with Allen had begun on hostile terms was welcoming the Flying Sword Division with a broad smile.