Chapter 383
This time, the strike landed closer to the neck, right at the shoulder. Had he not reflexively twisted his neck, he would have lost his life.
The Sword King’s face hardened as he realized this was no accident.
“I am a scion of the Maier family, the true masters of the sword. And yet, my uncle, who claims to be the head of the family, resorts to using something as trivial as the Sword’s Veil? Pathetic.”
To call the Sword’s Veil—a rare and powerful domain of control—merely a ‘trick’ was an insult.
“Behold. This is the true swordsmanship of the Maier family.”
A transparent domain spread around Evan.
It didn’t radiate overwhelming energy.
After all, Evan’s current capacity was just below the 8-star level, so the energy within the domain matched that.
But the significance of this domain was on an entirely different level.
The Sword Master.
The power to embody all sword techniques within a single sword.
This was the new domain Evan had acquired.
‘Thanks to Christian.’
In his previous life, when Evan reached the upper 8-star level, the domain he obtained was the Starry Heaven Sword—a power that infused the sword with the energy of the stars.
Without any major upheaval, he would have likely gained a similar domain this time.
But while studying the Starry Heaven Sword, Evan had a realization.
‘This level won’t do.’
The Starry Heaven Sword was undoubtedly a formidable domain, but it wasn’t enough.
He needed something unique.
Something absolute.
Just like Christian had achieved—an unrivaled power.
“Why not give up the blessing of the Constellation?”
The ‘Sword Star’ blessing Evan had received was the foundation of his swordsmanship.
It was risky—he could have lost all his skills—but he followed the advice without hesitation.
Because he trusted Christian.
Forcing his potential to awaken was a gamble.
As Christian had warned, it was incredibly dangerous.
Yet, at every moment standing on the edge of life and death, reflecting on his swordsmanship, a path began to emerge.
His sword already contained everything.
All that was left was to become the perfect master of the sword.
Flashing brightly, Evan expanded his domain.
Within this space, he could truly become the master of the sword.
“Evan, you bastard! You may have gained some insight, but it won’t help you!”
The Sword King gritted his teeth and unleashed his full power.
His sword strikes were far more intense than before, like a raging storm.
“Pathetic.”
Evan coldly observed the onslaught.
He was the master of ten thousand swords.
He could see through every ounce of sword intent in his opponent’s attack.
It was shallow and transparent.
With a smooth motion, Evan drew his sword.
A straight, simple strike.
Compared to the Sword King’s storm of blades, it seemed insignificant.
But the sword intent within it was incomparable.
“One sword to sever the world.”
The sword intent of ‘One Sword, One World’ imbued Evan’s blade, cleaving through the Sword King’s attack in an instant.
“Ugh!”
The Sword King staggered, blood spilling from his mouth.
Evan wasn’t unscathed either.
Though the Sword Master’s power allowed him to control all sword intent, using sword techniques beyond his current level caused backlash.
The ‘One Sword, One World’ technique was beyond Evan’s current capacity, twisting his insides.
‘I can endure this.’
At that moment, Christian’s image flashed before him.
The world called Christian a monster, a miracle worker who could perform wonders with a touch.
But Evan knew the truth.
How desperately Christian had struggled to achieve all that.
He couldn’t lose.
Flashing again, Evan broke through the Sword King’s counterattack.
His insides twisted once more, but he endured.
Then—
Shing!
The Sword King’s left arm flew off into the air.
An unbelievable sight.
Fear flickered in the Sword King’s eyes.
“P-please… spare me…”
Such a pitiful plea from the head of a renowned sword family was unimaginable.
‘I don’t care about grudges anymore.’
He had long since overcome such petty emotions.
And that was thanks to Christian.
‘If I spare him, he’ll be a constant thorn in Christian’s side.’
With that thought, all hesitation vanished.
Thrust!
Evan’s sword pierced the Sword King’s chest.
“Ugh… ugh…”
That was the end.
The fall of the Sword King, a giant of the Union.
At the same time, it marked the birth of a new giant.
“S-Sword Emperor…”
Someone swallowed nervously and muttered.
Evan’s recent display reminded them of his father—the previous head of the sword family and the Union’s greatest swordsman, the Sword Emperor.
Having defeated the Sword King with his sword, Evan could now be called the new Union’s greatest swordsman.
“This isn’t over yet.”
Evan shifted his gaze.
Toward the pale-faced elders.
The corrupt ones who had conspired with the Sword King to cause this chaos.
“Everyone, come forward. As the new head of the sword family, I will judge the crimes you have committed.”
A declaration that the sword family was being reborn.
Meanwhile, on a shallow hill overlooking the duel site, three figures were conversing.
“Could it be the Sword King would lose?”
“Yes. If this continues, all our plans for the Holy Assembly will be ruined.”
The Holy Assembly.
These were the Saint Sovereigns!
More precisely, two of them.
The 9-star Lower-ranked Shadow King.
And the 9-star Advancing Prophet.
The Shadow King was expected, but the Prophet—known as the Union’s sage—being part of the Assembly was unexpected.
The Prophet hadn’t joined out of greed.
“The will of the Constellations must be fulfilled,” the Prophet lamented.
He was the one who read the will of the Constellations.
It was their will that had led him to join the Assembly.
“Originally, we planned to use the people of the Opalma Kingdom as sacrifices to open the Glass Lake Gate, but now that the sword family has fallen into their hands, that’s impossible.”
A scene appeared of Evan ruthlessly cutting down the elders who had allied with the Assembly.
A grave mistake.
No one here had expected Evan to defeat the Sword King.
“Any news from the Fairy King of the Mirror Ice Palace?”
The last member of the four-person Assembly.
The other, the Tower Lord, had already died at Chris’s hands.
“The Fairy King follows the will of the Constellations separately.”
“That’s troublesome.”
The Prophet frowned and turned his gaze.
A figure cloaked in a robe marked with a sinister demon symbol stood nearby.
An Apostle of the Mystic Mage.
‘Why would the Constellations command us to ally with the Mystic Mage’s minions?’
He didn’t understand, but it was an order he had to follow.
“What are the Mystic Mage’s plans?”
“We must open the Glass Lake Gate as scheduled.”
A melodious voice spoke.
Beneath the robe, a jawline was faintly visible.
Though only the lower face was seen, it was clear the figure was strikingly beautiful.
Except for a scar running diagonally across the face.
“The plan has been disrupted. How can you say that? It’s impossible for us alone to offer the people of Opalma as sacrifices.”
“We can offer other sacrifices.”
“…Other sacrifices?”
The Apostle nodded knowingly.
“Exactly. The two of you.”
“…What?”
“If you, the Saint Sovereigns, are offered as sacrifices, the gate will open.”
The Shadow King and the Prophet’s faces stiffened.
“How dare you!”
Flashing, they drew power and moved away from the Apostle.
But—
“What is this?”
Their bodies stiffened.
A complex magic circle of demonic design spread out.
A high-level spell trap, pre-laid to bind even the Saint Sovereigns.
“You planned this from the start?”
“Don’t be too disappointed. This isn’t our will.”
The Apostle smiled with crimson lips.
An unbelievable truth spilled out.
“The Constellations you serve—they have handed you over to us as sacrifices.”
“What nonsense!”
“If you don’t believe me, confirm it with the Constellations yourselves. Oh, but you probably can’t contact them anymore.”
Confusion washed over the Shadow King and the Prophet’s faces.
“W-why?”
Their connection to the Constellations had truly been severed.
The blessings once granted had vanished like lies.
“Please accept your fate joyfully, as sacrifices for the Constellations.”
“Sh-shut up!”
Unable to accept reality, the Shadow King and the Prophet roared and summoned their power.
Though the blessings were gone, 9-star power was still formidable.
But—
“Heh heh, excellent. That’s the spirit. I can’t wait to hear what screams you’ll make.”
A mad laughter echoed.
The robe covering the figure’s face was blown aside by the wind, revealing a stunning visage.
A scar slashed across the face.
“Please give me your most agonizing screams. So I can enjoy myself before I hear the screams of my beloved Christian.”
The first son of the Dark Mage, and the infamous Blood Shadow Demon King from his previous life.
Sherard had returned as an Apostle of the Mystic Mage.
Evan had achieved a perfect victory.
“Woooo! Long live the sword family!”
“Long live Master Evan! Long live the new head! Long live the Little Sword Emperor!”
The sword family’s knights cheered loudly, shouting Evan’s name.
Evan shook his head at their cheers and said,
“I’m not the one who deserves your praise. It’s the hero.”
“!!”
“The one who supported me through adversity, who gave me the strength to stand, who made me this strong—it’s the hero.”
‘…Don’t say that! You crazy fool!’
Chris’s face twisted in frustration, but it was too late.
The knights from the renowned swordsmanship family caught sight of Chris and quickly shifted their focus, raising their voices once more.
“Wooooah!! Long live the Hero!!”
“Long live the Hero! Long live the Head of the Family!”
Chris sighed, about to raise his hand in acknowledgment, but then suddenly hesitated.
‘What’s going on?’
A chilling sense of dread crept down his spine.
This wasn’t just a simple feeling.
His hairs stood on end, and his fingertips trembled faintly.
Something terrible was happening.
“…What is this?”
Evan’s expression stiffened, as if he felt the same unease.
The others noticed their reactions and tilted their heads in confusion.
But only for a moment.
“…Why is the sky like that?”
“Gray? What’s going on? There aren’t any clouds.”
The atmosphere darkened.
It was a strange sight.
The sky, once clear and cloudless, had turned a dull gray.
‘It’s the erosion phenomenon where Gehenna and reality overlap!!’
Chris gritted his teeth.
‘The Gate of the Glass Lake has opened!’
It was clear the gate had been opened by some other means.
‘It’s not too late yet. The erosion is still in its early stages. We have to go and stop it now.’
But there was a problem.
Creak. Creak.
A horrifying laughter echoed through the hall.
“Demons!!!”
Demons began appearing here and there.
Though it was still early and their numbers weren’t overwhelming, the real problem was that high-ranking demons were among them.
‘Damn.’
Chris bit his lip tightly, when an unexpected voice rang out.
“Leave this to us.”
“!!”
It was Aiden, the Shining Star of the Round Table they had met at the training grounds.
And he wasn’t alone.
William the Shield, along with other heads of the Round Table families, stepped forward, gathering their strength.
“We’ll handle these demon scum.”
“Hero, please focus on capturing the mastermind behind this chaos.”