Chapter 42

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 42

A cold silence settled over the Sword Graveyard.

In an instant, nearly ten swordsmen had collapsed to the ground, spilling their blood.

They were swordsmen of Steel Castle who had approached, believing their lord had regained his senses.

‘He knew I had no intention of keeping my promise, so he turned the tables and deceived me instead?’

Lucas sighed quietly and blamed himself.

“I was too careless.”

It had been his mistake to think that deception would work against a demon.

Kihihihihi.

Belvemos burst into laughter at the looks directed toward him.

He seemed genuinely delighted to have deceived someone.

However—

“What the hell is so funny?”

His grinning face suddenly turned stern, and the Lord of Steel Castle's voice emerged.

Just as everyone wondered whether his soul had returned,

“Don't you find it amusing too? You humans are every bit as dishonest as we demons.”

Another voice immediately followed from the same mouth.

“Humans are not all alike. More importantly, get the hell out of my body. How dare a worthless demon who isn't even Kaglos lay a hand on me?”

“Your body? It's mine now. Soon, not just the soul but everything will change. Your skin, your face, everything will become demonic.”

“Do you think I'll let you do as you please?”

“What an unusually noisy soul. How troublesome and tenacious.”

The two conversed through a single mouth.

Watching this, Lucas felt relieved that the Lord of Steel Castle's soul had not yet disappeared and asked,

“Castle Lord. Are you all right?”

The Lord of Steel Castle answered.

“As you can see, I'm far from all right. It feels truly wretched.”

“As you know, our situation isn't good.”

“I know.”

The Lord of Steel Castle's hand trembled.

He appeared to be trying to regain control of his body.

But realizing that it wasn't working, he frowned and spoke.

“This was my mistake. I should have listened more carefully to the Second Young Master. Then I wouldn't be experiencing this miserable feeling.”

“I was the one who moved too hastily to verify it. The fault is mine.”

“Enough. What good will assigning blame do now? It's far too late.”

The Lord of Steel Castle spoke calmly.

“If there's truly no other way, kill me.”

“C-Castle Lord!”

“You can't!”

The fiercely loyal swordsmen of Steel Castle shouted.

But Lucas spoke as though he had already anticipated that the Lord of Steel Castle would reach such a decision.

“I doubt I can manage it alone. Even if I join forces with the commander of the Eighth Knight Order over there.”

“I'll help you.”

“I know it's shameless of me to ask, but I'll be counting on you.”

“I never imagined I'd be fighting alongside you like this.”

The surrounding swordsmen looked horrified at their conversation.

The Lord of Steel Castle was discussing his own death with such composure.

And Lucas was casually asking him to help bring about that very death. Neither of them seemed to be in his right mind.

As their conversation continued,

“Wahahaha! Wahahahaha!”

Once again, Belvemos's madness filled the gorge.

“How fortunate. I've taken the body of a truly entertaining fellow. And Vishken, no less—”

Bloody tears streamed from the eyes of the Lord of Steel Castle, whose body Belvemos had possessed.

“Let's have some fun, brat.”

Demonic energy surged and intensified.

Standing at the forefront and bearing the brunt of it, Lucas spoke.

“First Squad Leader.”

“Yes? Y-yes, sir!”

“The First Squad will join the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Squads in securing the perimeter. Whatever it takes, don't let the demon escape the gorge.”

“Understood!”

“The remaining squads will eliminate the demon with me. Don't charge in first. Keep your distance and focus on creating openings. The commander of the Eighth Knight Order and I will handle the direct confrontation. That's how we'll minimize casualties.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Flying Sword Division, and Steel Castle!”

With the Lord of Steel Castle no longer in control, Lucas assumed command of the battlefield.

“From this moment onward, we begin the extermination of the demon Belvemos.”

___________________

Whoosh!

Lucas and Glacius pressed Belvemos.

The sword energy of the two Masters raged like a storm.

They fought as though they had practiced together before. Reading each other's sword paths, they coordinated their attacks and defenses without getting in each other's way.

Clang!

Lucas's sword obscured Belvemos's vision.

At that moment, silvery-white energy gathered at the tip of Glacius's sword.

Imperial Golden Knight Style, Fifth Sword.

Sky-Piercing Flash.

Whooooosh!

The unleashed sword energy drove toward Belvemos's heart.

A thrust intended to pierce a single point, delivered by an Imperial Master.

Belvemos's eyes flashed, and the demonic energy of the Demon Sword intensified.

Steel Style, Third Form.

Iron Flow Wall.

Wooooong.

Sword energy rose like a wall around Belvemos's Demon Sword.

Glacius was startled by the technique.

‘The Lord of Steel Castle's technique?’

Whoooosh!

Glacius's sword energy was stopped by Iron Flow Wall.

Craaaang!

The silvery-white sword energy shattered and scattered to either side.

Instead, the overflowing power of Iron Flow Wall surged toward Glacius.

Whooooosh!

Scrrrrrape.

“Urrrrgh...”

Glacius staggered as he was driven backward, almost as though he had been sent flying.

His sword hand trembled, and the demonic energy swirling around him left him so nauseated that his stomach felt ready to turn inside out. The battle was becoming increasingly difficult.

Yet throughout all this, Lucas continued fighting Belvemos.

Whooooosh!

Lucas's sword swept toward Belvemos's waist.

Clang!

Their swords collided, scattering sword energy in every direction. The impact split a nearby boulder with a loud crack.

Clang!

The two blades collided repeatedly.

As sword energy and demonic energy clashed, red and blue sparks erupted.

Watching them, Glacius could hardly believe his eyes.

‘So this is Vishken's First Young Master.’

Unlike Glacius, Lucas appeared capable of confronting Belvemos head-on.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had no choice.

This young swordsman of Vishken was stronger than him.

He had heard the rumors.

That Vishken's First Young Master possessed extraordinary talent. That he was a genius destined to go down in history, having reached the Master level in his mid-twenties.

Still, Glacius had assumed the rumors were exaggerated, as rumors often were. How exceptional could someone so young really be?

But the Lucas he was witnessing surpassed even those rumors.

Whoosh!

Claaaang!

As Belvemos's and Lucas's swords collided, the surrounding terrain changed.

Boulders split apart, and sections of the gorge were carved away. Swift, devastating sword energy flew without pause.

It was astonishing enough that Lucas could fight Belvemos on equal terms, but that was not the entirety of his role.

Flash.

Swordsmen of the Flying Sword Division charged toward Belvemos from behind.

Whoosh—

At that moment, Lucas's sword whistled through the air.

“Fall back!”

With that shout, Lucas's figure vanished like the wind.

Celestial Star Style, First Form.

Behold.

Whooooosh!

Claaaang!

The sword energy Belvemos had unleashed toward the Flying Sword Division's swordsmen collided with Lucas's technique.

Lucas had not aimed his technique at Belvemos, but had used it to protect the other members of the Flying Sword Division.

However, as a result—

Sssst.

A streak of blood sprayed from Lucas's side.

Thanks to him, the squad members remained unharmed, but he had suffered his first wound from Belvemos's sword.

“Are you sure about this?”

Belvemos slowly waved the sword stained with Lucas's blood.

“If you keep protecting weaklings like that while fighting, you'll be the one who dies.”

“That's my concern.”

Lucas's actions and answer were unwavering.

But Glacius, watching him, felt differently.

‘This is madness.’

Protecting his subordinates while fighting a demon like that?

It was hardly efficient. If victory was the goal, he couldn't afford to concern himself with the lives of his subordinates.

Yet Lucas was doing precisely that. The number of swordsmen of Vishken, Steel Castle, and even the Empire whom he had saved had already exceeded several dozen.

It was something Glacius, who had no strength to spare, could never have done.

It was then.

Tremble.

Belvemos's hand suddenly began shaking.

It convulsed as though being pulled by someone else's will.

And the next moment,

“You deranged old man—”

Belvemos's bewildered voice emerged.

Whoosh!

The Demon Sword flew from his hand.

Tracing a red arc through the air, it sailed backward.

Thunk.

The Demon Sword embedded itself in a boulder far from the Lord of Steel Castle.

It was a fleeting opening created by the remaining will of the Lord of Steel Castle while the demon's soul possessed him.

However—

“...That was pointless.”

Belvemos still remained firmly within the Lord of Steel Castle's body.

“Did you think letting go of the sword would drive me out? Haven't I already shown you that's not how it works?”

Just as he said, Belvemos had already released the Demon Sword once before.

It had been when he deceived Lucas and cut down the swordsmen of Steel Castle.

But no matter how far the sword was separated from him, Belvemos's soul remained.

However—

“First Young Master!”

The next moment, the Lord of Steel Castle's furious voice erupted.

“Why did you hesitate again? How many opportunities have I given you? Why!”

He spoke as though Lucas possessed the ability to sever his head.

Glacius found that difficult to believe, but when he glanced toward Lucas,

“Didn't you say to do it only if there was truly no other way?”

Lucas sighed deeply and rubbed the stiffness from the back of his neck.

“I'm still looking for a way.”

He truly was still trying to save the Lord of Steel Castle.

Glacius was shocked.

‘That wasn't even his full strength?’

What Lucas had already displayed was clearly beyond Glacius's own abilities.

But his surprise was short-lived.

“Hahahahaha!”

Belvemos's laughter thundered throughout the gorge.

He picked up a random sword lying on the ground instead of retrieving the Demon Sword.

As though the Demon Sword, without his soul residing in it, was nothing more than an empty shell.

“This fellow is right. Why are you hesitating so much? If you don't kill him, you'll be the one who dies.”

“Shut your mouth, demon!”

The Lord of Steel Castle shouted angrily.

“Aren't you ashamed that you can fight no better than this with my body?”

“It can't be helped. I'm still digesting you slowly.”

Belvemos was devoting his strength to suppressing the Lord of Steel Castle's movements and putting his soul to sleep.

Because of that, he was currently weaker than both his original self and the Lord of Steel Castle.

“Now, make your decision. Will you kill this fellow? Or will you die in his place?”

“Didn't I tell you earlier? That's my concern.”

“Don't pretend to be strong. You know it too, don't you? There isn't much time left.”

As though Belvemos had struck a nerve, Lucas frowned.

Just as Belvemos had said, Lucas could clearly feel it.

‘He's growing stronger.’

When Belvemos had first taken possession of the Lord of Steel Castle's body, he hadn't been nearly this powerful.

But as time passed, Belvemos grew steadily stronger. The Lord of Steel Castle's soul was gradually weakening.

He had even begun using the Lord of Steel Castle's swordsmanship, as though he himself had become the castle lord.

‘He's still in the process of being resurrected.’

What kind of monster would emerge if that creature fully revived?

Perhaps this very moment was their last opportunity to kill the demon before them.

‘Losing the Lord of Steel Castle here would be a tremendous loss, but...’

The castle lords were pillars supporting Vishken. Apart from the family head and the supreme commander, they possessed the greatest strength and influence.

Naturally, losing even one of them could prove devastating to the family.

That was why Lucas had tried to save him by any means possible, regardless of his personal feelings.

But—

“Is there really no other way?”

Lucas sighed deeply.

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a solution.

Whoooooosh.

Mana rose from Lucas's body.

The sword energy gathering around his blade grew more distinct. In an instant, Lucas's mana drove back Belvemos's demonic energy, and his presence filled the gorge.

“It seems there's no other choice.”

Lucas made up his mind.

“I'll just have to kill him.”

It was then.

“Waaaaait a minute!”

A voice rang out from the far end of the gorge.

Startled by the familiar voice, Lucas turned his head.

Far in the distance,

His younger brother was running toward him from so far away that he looked no bigger than a speck.