240
It’s you again?
‘What is that······.’
Balhar Khan opened his mouth wide, forgetting the pain.
The apostle was strong. That was an obvious fact that needed no other modifier.
At Aaron’s words, Balhar Khan realized that the Apostle was jealousy, one of the transcendences of the firstborn.
The eldest son was also a genius, but he was overshadowed by the extraordinary presence of the swordsman.
Also, because they were blood relatives, the eldest son was in the shadow of the sword master his entire life. In order to escape from him, the eldest son received one more token.
The reason it was possible to have two tokens was because the second token I received was ‘Jealousy’. Jealousy actually worked when I had two tokens.
But jealousy continued to burn relentlessly, and soon reached a point where the eldest son could not control it.
The first eldest son took out the sign of jealousy from his body. However, he could not get rid of the jealousy once it was embedded. The first eldest son’s nature was closer to jealousy than hypocrisy.
The removed token began to suck up to the first eldest son. It was to the point where it was impossible to tell which of the two was the main body.
In the end, it seemed like jealousy got the better of me.
It was originally a sign of being separated from humanity, and even its owner ate it, so it is far beyond a spirit. That is-.
‘Is it half a body?’
Balhar Khan muttered softly.
Demi-god was a word that did not exist, but if not, there was no word to express it.
When the apostle cried out, even the air trembled with fear, and the ground shook with every step he took. He was not an exaggeration to be called a demigod, but-.
The bastard was facing him with only one sword.
············!!
The apostle let out a roar of rage. The ashes that rose in the aftermath seemed to take the form of his roar.
The presence of the apostle was so strong that even Balhar Khan, who was far away, trembled slightly.
But Aaron, who was alone in welcoming such an apostle, was calm.
Aaron remained calm the whole time. He was neither excited nor scared.
He was facing the apostle with only one sword.
‘······No, rather, I am leading it.’
Kwaaaaang! As the apostle swung his fist, a burst of air echoed around the area a beat later.
The power contained in it was so great that the scattered dust took the form of a whirlwind. The apostle’s already large fist appeared even larger.
Gulp. Balhar Khan took a step back without realizing it due to the pressure.
Aaron, the target, simply raised his sword at an angle.
The apostle’s huge fist struck the bastard’s sword, but there was no sound. The bastard received the blow at an exquisite angle, so the punch flowed naturally as the apostle had intended.
However, Aaron’s hand holding the sword was pushed back greatly, as if it was not completely offset. At that moment, when he turned the sword, the sword naturally shot towards the apostle as if the apostle had pressed it.
Another long wound appeared on the apostle’s body. The apostle let out a scream and kicked his feet as he advanced.
This time Aaron’s sword was pointed at his knee. It looked as if the apostle was stabbing his knee with the sword.
The apostle quickly bent his knees. It was hard to believe that someone of that size could perform such clever movements.
But this time, Aaron’s sword was a little faster. In the end, he tried to avoid the knee and ended up getting pierced in the instep.
‘What is that···.’
The flow of the battle was so natural that it seemed as if the Apostle and Aaron had planned it out in advance.
Aaron’s sword was one step ahead of the apostle. That wasn’t possible because of his fast reaction speed. The apostle’s speed was too fast to see and react to.
then-.
‘I know all about the apostle’s reactions. Was this the reason I watched him for three days?’
Balhar Khan let out a sigh of relief at the conclusion he had reached.
Balhar Khan thought the bastard was just sitting there sleeping. But now that he looked at it, he seemed to have been watching the battle between the Apostle and the Red Calamity, analyzing it and devising a plan to deal with it.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
The knights also watched other knights fight and planned out their countermeasures in advance.
However, knights and apostles were different.
The apostle had no reason. Unlike the knights who had habits, the apostle had no habits. He would act differently depending on his instincts in each situation.
Of course, if you analyze him in detail, you will find even more detailed habits.
For example, when the opponent is at a certain distance, in a crouching position, if the left foot is in front, attacking with the right is a simple but therefore more detailed habit.
How did you memorize all of him?
‘No, even if I knew everything about him, I couldn’t analyze and deal with it at that speed.’
So, now Aaron is naturally leading the flow against the apostle.
At that moment, the apostle rushed forward, ignoring defense. It was a reckless advance. It was sloppy, but it was very threatening because of its size.
However, the center of gravity was strangely off. It was because of the scratched ankle I had gotten while trying to avoid the knee earlier. As a result, my movements were tilted-.
This time Aaron’s sword was where it was supposed to be.
·········!!
The apostle with the deep chin shook for the first time.
Balhar Khan, seeing him, was convinced. Aaron did not simply know the apostle’s habits.
That’s-.
‘···It’s hunting.’
Balhar Khan gulped as Aaron moved his sword without changing his expression.
He was like a skilled hunter who anticipated his prey’s reaction and lured it into a trap.
I was hunting the apostles.
At that moment, the apostle burst into a scream, shedding blood.
The sight was like that of a beast caught in a trap.
‘Hunting the apostles-.’
Balhar Khan shuddered as he skinned the rabbit.
***
‘next-.’
I pulled my sword and turned my foot.
The apostle’s fist swiping to the side made my ears ring loudly. It was as if a bomb had exploded right next to me.
The sense of crisis that my head could explode if I made even the slightest mistake made my hair stand on end.
That means-.
The story was that I would win as long as I didn’t make any mistakes.
‘next-.’
The sword sliced through the guy’s chin. The sticky, dirty blood that poured out stung my eyes.
The guy took a step back. He seemed to be starting to feel something was wrong. It was already too late.
‘next-.’
He moved his sword while muttering.
Instead of advancing and following the retreating guy, he simply swung his sword.
Now, the swordsmanship of the master who was accustomed to the sword was quickly displayed. Another gash was added to the guy’s nape.
‘Was this my training camp?’
I chuckled and drew my sword diagonally.
He was such a tough guy that he could use his swordsmanship to his full potential.
The guy who realized too late that it was a loss to keep his distance rushed in.
He was a very simple guy.
The guy’s fist grazed the sword that had already been drawn.
Because the competition was so fast, dozens of moves passed by in a short period of time.
Every time that happened, I would get shaken hard and the wounds on his body would increase.
He raised the corners of his mouth and lowered his sword. The guy who had been keeping a distance came running, dripping blood mixed with saliva.
‘Next is-.’
He swung his sword, muttering as if it were a habit. He fixed his gaze on the one rushing at him and raised his sword.
The guy who reached right in front of me raised both his fists. He seemed to think that my staying still was an opportunity. The guy’s swollen muscles were spurting out an unknown slime and blood. It was a truly hideous sight.
My sword was already where the guy’s fist was going to strike. Once again, it seemed like the guy had brought it upon himself.
However, this time I put in quite a bit of force-.
‘Next is-.’
I muttered as I looked at the guy’s huge, severed right fist.
It was a perfect answer, but the hand holding the sword was tattered by the bastard’s brute strength. I rolled backward without any regrets.
Kwaaaaang! The guy’s left fist created a huge hole where I had just been.
A huge crater was created by a punch.
‘What incredible strength.’
He clicked his tongue and shook his hand. The torn muscles were reattached. He held the sword firmly and took a stance.
The one-armed man was running towards me with his eyes rolled back. The ground shook as if sympathizing with his anger.
The pressure was considerable.
‘Even so, it’s just a monster.’
He muttered softly, letting out a ragged breath and cooling down the fear that had risen within him.
‘Next is-.’
It was a long time later that the guy deviated from my plan.
It was my turn to cut off his head, but he suddenly moved away. It was an unexpected move.
Even so, nothing changed. The guy’s body was already a rag. Even his once fast movements were now slower than mine.
I followed right up and cut off three of the guy’s eight right toes. His center of gravity jerked backwards significantly.
‘Next is-.’
He drew his sword against the guy’s shaking shoulder.
Kwaaaaang! My body was pushed back by the incredible force transmitted through the sword. My arm was throbbing. If I had been even a little slower in my response, my arm would have been torn off.
I put strength into my legs to keep my balance. As the ground dug deep, my body stopped being pushed backwards.
I took a stance to prepare for the guy, but he just stayed in place.
There were wounds all over the place, and the guy with his right hand cut off was standing there, flailing around, glaring at me.
The atmosphere was ominous. The guy’s skin, which was already melting, was tangled as if something was coming out from inside.
‘Is it phase 2?’
Phew-. I spat out the blood that had gathered in my mouth and controlled my ragged breathing.
Because I was in such a tight space, my breathing was extremely rough.
Even while fighting the Red Disaster and the Grim Reaper, I never brought it out, so I’m bringing it out now-.
‘I guess you’re cornered.’
My body was sore, but I wasn’t hurt. That was my flow from the beginning until now.
At that moment, small holes appeared all over the guy. Something started coming out of the deep black holes where nothing could be seen.
It was a face. Lifeless, clearly corpse-like faces were sprouting all over the guy like tumors.
Most of the articles he had eaten were from the same people, and some of them had familiar faces.
‘The eldest son, the master of the sword.’
Two similar guys were on each shoulder of the guy. On the right shoulder was the swordsman, and on the left shoulder was the eldest son.
I expected the eldest son to be eaten, but to think that even the master of the sword would be eaten-.
The eldest son was glaring at the master of the sword with lifeless eyes, but the master of the sword was actually staring at me.
‘Master of the Sword…, it’s you again?’
Even after cutting off its head and killing it, I clicked my tongue at the annoying bastard who showed up again.
At that moment, the apostle’s huge body began to tremble.
The guy panted, sticking his tongue out. Every time he did, the expressions on his faces changed.
It wasn’t a very pleasant sight to see him glaring, grinning, and cursing. It was a piercing that only someone in hell could get.
Looking at the atmosphere, the faces that came to mind did not seem like mere decorations.
I waved my hand to the sword master, whose eyes met mine to confirm his identity, and he furrowed his brow.
‘This is getting annoying.’
He smiled bitterly and adjusted his grip on the sword.
The guy took a deep breath and kicked the ground roughly. His speed increased somewhat, but not to the point where he couldn’t react.
To confirm, I drew my sword at the approaching man. Before a scar could form, the man covered the back of my neck with his hand.
‘You read it.’
The owner of the sword on his shoulder seemed to be fluttering about something. It didn’t seem like it was a piercing for show.
The guy who ran quickly swung his fist. There was a new sense of tension in his movements. It was as if someone was teaching him.
This time, the firstborn on the bastard’s left shoulder was twitching.
‘Don’t these guys even know that training is prohibited?’
My reaction was slightly slow due to the unexpected development. Kwaaang-! My body swayed greatly from the strong impact. I gritted my teeth and braced myself with strength in my legs.
I watched the guy swing his fists in succession. The second punch was the same as the apostle’s original. I was able to deflect it diagonally.
The knights’ faces moved at the same time. There was no sound, but the sight was noisy.
‘It’s not a complete absorption. When you hear the training and move, the reaction is slow.’
This time, the first intestine on the left shoulder twitched. The movements were sharper than before, but the body movements were slightly slower.
‘When you listen to the instructions, you are slow but sharp.’
As he muttered, he swung his sword upward from below. In order to keep up with the speed of the bastard, he had to use the straight sword technique of the master swordsman-.
This time, the owner of the sword on the guy’s right shoulder opened his mouth. Then, the guy reacted half a beat late. The guy’s movements were so fast that he only managed to brush past me.
‘Does the master of the sword tell the path of the sword?’
Perhaps because he had blocked the first move, the bastard seemed to listen to the words of the sword master first. Then the eldest son. He seemed to ignore the rest of the knights.
I was not so sure, and continued to attack and defend him, even though it was dangerous.
‘That’s right.’
When the master of the sword moved his mouth, the bastard suddenly knew my sword path, and when the eldest son moved, the bastard’s posture improved.
I had been fighting the Red Calamity for three days, but I didn’t know it had hidden its powers. Now that I’ve confronted it, I can see why it only brought it out now.
‘The Red Calamity doesn’t handle swords.’
Plus, he seemed to realize that he absolutely could not do anything to me.
Considering the rough reaction of the guy who took out his face, it seemed like he didn’t like that ability that much.
‘Should I call Oman?’
After thinking about it for a moment, I shook my head. I was planning to save Oman as much as possible until I had to deal with Hypocrisy. I should be able to handle that guy.
The bastard’s condition wasn’t very good either. Because the article had been dealt with in advance, the bastard had nothing to eat and couldn’t recover.
It was just a little more difficult than before, but it wasn’t impossible to catch.
And there was something I had saved for this too.
‘You can just make a new estimate.’
I continued to attack and defend defensively, and checked the guy. As a result, I took damage, but I thought of it as an investment and endured it.
After doing this a few times, the estimate came out again.
‘I guess I’ll just have to aim for the master of the sword.’
After finishing the calculation, I blocked the guy’s punch without letting it slip. At the same time, I kicked the ground, and my body was pushed back with a huge impact.
He fixed his gaze on the one following him and cast a spell. A bright light rose from his forehead. The white light was so brilliant that it leaked through the gaps in his armor, and soon it changed into a dark red light.
As I thrust my sword into him, a crimson light flowed down the sword. The light flickered wildly, as if it were burning fire.
I couldn’t even define what it was. It had a sense of sacredness, and a sharpness like magic. It was not neat like an aura.
Its identity was not important.
At that moment, the apostle arrived right in front of me. I fixed my gaze on the owner of the sword on the guy’s left shoulder.
I had to attack the bastard.
The master of the sword was killed by the sword of Hendrix that I completed.
He was a master of the sword who could make swordsmanship his own just by watching and display it with even greater excellence.
Then did he understand that Hendrix’s sword had torn him apart?
I made the first strike with my heavily loaded sword. Then, as if the sword had a will of its own, it moved.
From the first point, a crooked line began to be drawn. The sword master frowned at the sight. The maggot on his eyebrow fell off with a pop. The sword master’s lifeless eyes followed the sword.
The sword master moved his mouth. The sword master muttered something, and then the apostle suddenly changed his movements.
I didn’t know the flow of my sword either, but the fist that the apostle struck was aimed right at the center. I knew it was the right answer only after I saw where the fist was headed.
‘That’s it, Master of the Sword.’
I raised the corners of my mouth. It was funny how I trusted the master of the sword. How could someone with such brilliant talent not learn the swordsmanship that would actually kill someone?
So, the moment the sword master’s mouth opened, I pulled the sword without any hesitation. The sword that had been running around freely was dragged as if it was caught by a leash.
The sword master opened his mouth again, but he could not help but follow suit slowly.
In such diagonals, a very small gap can determine the outcome.
And responding to the words was a huge gap that would leave me speechless even if I died ten times.
I stepped forward with my left foot and thrust my sword.
It was the swordsmanship of the master of the sword that told him to strike with his body, so that even Hendrix could not avoid it.
A point was drawn that was not a straight line.
It was an inevitable declaration.
The apostle’s huge fist stopped right in front of my face.
The guy’s flesh dripped off like water, and a foul smell filled the air.
‘What kind of swordsmanship-.’
With one stroke, all of the muscles in my arm were torn and tattered. With a thud, the sword, which had lost its strength, fell to the floor. I clicked my tongue at the ignorant swordsmanship and raised my head.
An apostle with a large hole in his forehead was looking down at me.
Even if he was a monster, he couldn’t be okay with that kind of tattered state and a hole in his forehead.
“Are you sick?”
I looked at him and smirked. The corners of my mouth were heavy, but they rose when I applied force.
The one that had been holding on for a while collapsed backwards. It was so big that it took a while for it to fall.
Kuung-. The surrounding ash flew up with a heavy sound.
I approached the guy with a dry cough.
The owner of the sword on the guy’s shoulder had a satisfied expression. He really was a rascal.
“Let’s stop looking now.”
The sword master’s mouth moved.
Hendrix’s sword was destroyed, but his own sword was intact-. That was what it seemed to be saying.
He was truly a pest.
I clicked my tongue and stomped on it, popping it.
Just in case, I lit a fire and burned it until it turned to ash.
After burning the guy for a while, his arm came back.
I gathered up the ashes of the bastard one by one and threw them here and there.
At that moment, I felt a presence next to me.
The first one had a somewhat burdensome expression on his face. He was holding out poorly cooked rabbit meat.
The meat was burnt on the outside and red on the inside, as if it had been grilled for the first time. It was even poorly prepared, as there were hairs all over it.
At that moment, I felt a presence from above.
“Don’t roast them, just hold them and clean them. About ten of them.”
As he said that, the first one prostrated himself as if he had received the imperial command and disappeared.
I took out my water bottle, moistened my neck, and looked up.
A red disaster was coming down.
It wasn’t that the apostle came down dead.
There’s no way a noble man I know would do such a dirty thing.
I came down because I had regained some of my energy.
‘I wish it could be easy-.’
The state of the Red Calamity was still dire.
There were more than a few places where it had been torn apart by the Apostle, and its huge wings were shaking terribly. It was in a state where it wouldn’t have been strange if it collapsed at any moment.
I caught the apostle who was harassing the guy, so it was going to be a good thing-.
[I would say that no one has ever faced me twice and lived.]
The man who said that cried out harshly.
‘Then that’s right.’
I snickered, sheathed my sword, and took out my club.
The guy opened his mouth wide as if no further words were needed.
Of course, I was already running towards the guy.
Although my body was somewhat heavy due to the bickering with the apostle, I was still able to move.
As always-.
That was enough.
***
‘Rabbit··· rabbit··· rabbit···.’
Balhar Khan muttered as if he was chanting a spell.
The bastard’s ridiculous actions were still vivid in my mind, so I couldn’t focus.
To take down someone with just one sword-. It was a shocking sight for Balhar Khan, who was desperate to overcome the limitations of an imperial knight by carving one more mark.
Even the apostles were not completely without reason.
The face that appeared on his shoulder was clearly that of the eldest son and the master of the sword.
The movements the apostles made at that time were awkward, but their traces were clearly visible.
If the one who fought the red disaster even when he was irrational learned the traces of the two, then there was nothing more to say.
‘···And yet he won.’
Balhar Khan shuddered and pulled out the rabbit’s fur. The thing dripping from the bastard’s sword was similar to aura, but felt more natural.
‘What on earth does that mean?’
Balhar Khan’s head became complicated.
Kangshin was dangerous because there was a high risk of being eaten. In comparison, Aura was less dangerous. However, when you look at the imperial knights who lost their reason and became monsters, it wasn’t like that.
Kwaaaaang-! ·········!! Kwaaaaang!
A series of loud noises erupted from behind. Balhar Khan hurriedly started to groom the rabbit. Now that he was used to it, he was able to finish it much faster than before.
‘I said ten.’
Balhar Khan remembered the bastard’s orders and stood up.
Balhar Khan, seeing the man who had defeated the Apostle with only one sword, realized why he had followed the man’s orders.
It wasn’t just because of the guy’s changed mood.
He was always at the forefront when he blew up the palace, when he faced the master of the sword, and even now when he faced the demigod.
Even though each and every one of them was a great achievement, he didn’t show them off or make a fuss about them.
He was calm, as if he was just doing what he had to do.
I followed him because I knew him instinctively.
‘The King of Demons-.’
Balhar Khan shook his head, recalling the old, worn-out words.
He was not a king.
There has never been a king who has led the way like him.
The king was the one hiding behind the others.
He was more like a leader than a king. I couldn’t follow him. He was the one who took the lead, so I had no choice but to follow him.
‘···No, I thought you said that because you were the leader.’
He laughed and threw his sword, as if he was using a name that sounded like a gangster. The sword flew quickly and pierced the fleeing rabbit.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
‘There are seven left.’
Balhar Khan carefully skinned the rabbit with a very serious expression on his face.
It was the captain’s order.
***
Knock knock!
Selena stared at Hans, who was coughing.
Hans was a man whose next move was unpredictable. I thought it might bother me, but it wasn’t easy because he was a prophet.
The guy’s behavior was similar to Selena’s. He was also for Aaron, just like Selena. However, there was a crucial difference in the basis.
Unlike Selena, who created the situation purely for Aaron’s happiness, the guy simply cooperated because he expected Aaron’s choice in a dramatic situation.
The reason why the seeds from the North were brought to Cassidy is probably an extension of that. When Aaron returns, three seeds will be gathered in Cassidy.
“Aaron went to the red plague.”
The man spoke to himself and nodded, as if he had heard the answer. It was the typical speech of prophets.
Selena, who had lived a long life, had met a prophet other than him.
The prophets did not live long, for most of them either stabbed themselves in the neck or fell off a cliff before they could come to their senses.
No prophet has ever lived as long as he has.
“for a moment.”
At that moment, Baron Fullfoot intervened from the side. Selena stared at Fullfoot.
Fullfoot was an important person that Aaron had prepared in case of any failure. It was the part that Selena was putting the most effort into.
“So Hans, you are the Gray Tower Lord?”
The voice of Pulpouts asking that question sounded somewhat uncomfortable.
“Yes, that’s what happened.”
Pulpouts licked his lips at Hans’ answer. Pulpouts seemed to think for a moment and then spoke slowly.
“······Does this have anything to do with the underwear you stole from our daughter?”
“You could say that.”
“oh my god···.”
Pulpouts’s brow furrowed at Hans’ ambiguous answer. Selena nodded at Pulpouts, who was looking at her as if seeking an answer.
Pulpouts covered his face with his hands.
Selena turned her gaze back to Hans. Selena didn’t usually ask questions. Asking questions meant giving the other person the initiative, so she didn’t bring him up first unless it was work-related.
However, this was a very necessary question.
“Where are the seeds of the South?”
All the seeds from the North, East, and West were gathered. However, there was no information about the seeds from the South until now.
If Selena, the former head of the Central Administration, didn’t know, then there was only one person who knew him at the moment.
“Oh, you didn’t know.”
Hans smiled weakly when asked the question.
Hans, who had been licking his lips for a moment, turned his gaze. Selena, who turned her head to follow him, opened her eyes wide.
In the place where Hans’ gaze was fixed, Joanna was sitting eating cake.
Selena was surprised, firstly, that Joanna was still there, and secondly, that the person Hans had pointed out was Joanna.
Selena’s mind suddenly became complicated. Selena knew quite a bit about Joanna.
I knew how great her martial arts were when she was a knight of the temple. But she was a seed of the South-.
‘Then all the seeds will be gathered in Cassidy···.’
Joanna squinted slightly at the focused gaze and looked back slightly, following the gaze.
There was nothing after that. Joanna ate the cake with her head turned away as if nothing had happened.
That’s the seed of the South-. Selena’s head was spinning. If Vivian was there, what could Joanna not do?
Then Hans opened his mouth.
“Is this your cake? I’ll have some too- Oh, I understand.”
Joanna didn’t even look up, but Hans, who answered on his own, turned his gaze to Selena.
It was a nasty prank.
“Where did we leave off? Ah, the seed of the South. Selena, don’t you know?”
Selena furrowed her brows for a moment at Hans’s subsequent words.
Selena knew nothing about Southern Seeds. Despite doing a lot of research when planning, she had not found any information on Southern Seeds.
But, you know that-.
Then, Hans slowly opened his mouth.
“Where was Aaron’s clan?”
The corners of Hans’ mouth went up deeply.
Selena sighed softly, as if one of her tangled knots had been untied.
at that time-.
Ugh-.
Joanna trimmed it a little.
