The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 413

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Chapter 413

Since Paris Oldian’s resolve was that firm, there was no need to prod any further.

They’d handle things on their own.

Interfering more than this would just be overprotective—and an overstep of authority.

As family, as an older brother, this was as far as he would go.

A pure white cloud floating in the sky burst with a pop! and spat something out.

From afar it looked like a tiny dot, but in reality it was an enormous ghost dragon.

“For now, I don’t have the leeway to reactivate the undead, so I can’t pinpoint the exact location. That means the only lead we have is to start digging from where the elder went missing.”

“I know.”

Her voice was unusually anxious.

Isna had already shed the bear costume and pulled a black robe over herself.

Outwardly she looked composed, but the tremor in her hands revealed just how pressed she was.

“Don’t worry. The elder isn’t some ordinary person. He’ll be fine.”

“If it had only been Garlan, there wouldn’t be a problem… but looking at what that bastard is planning now…”

This wasn’t like her.

Isna never lost her composure, always judged situations with cold logic.

But now she clearly wasn’t herself.

Was it because all her predictions and plans had gone astray?

“How did it end up like this?”

“When I returned to the family, I heard Grandfather was investigating the Watchers. It’s true he looked into the Moon Watchers… but he’s never acted this rashly before. It’s like he forced his hand to deal with something urgently…”

“Guess he figured they were dangerous.”

“……”

Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon was that kind of man.

The first time I met him was when he moved immediately after hearing Saint Nadia’s revelation.

“Don’t worry. Speaking coldly, the Watchers—Garlan included—aren’t at a level where they can deal with the elder.”

“That would be true… if it were only the Watchers.”

The problem was that Garlan had begun borrowing the power of an Outer God.

If he’d prepared something using power from beyond dimensions… even the Sword Saint’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

“It’s already been quite a while since we lost contact with Grandfather.”

“Let’s search. We’ll find the answer if we look.”

We headed for the eastern forest of the Pascalia Empire—the last place the Sword Saint had gone.

It was famous as a best hot spot for archaeologists due to the abundance of underground ancient ruins.

In other words, if someone wanted to hide, the area was vast enough to make it easy.

Sword Saint Osberg wasn’t the kind of man careless enough to leave obvious traces.

That meant ordinary tracking would be pointless.

“Assemble.”

Shadows heaved, and undead poured out.

A massive ghost wolf—Muyeong—led countless wraith-type banshees as they appeared.

“Search the entire forest. Find the Sword Saint.”

—Awooooooo!!!!

With Muyeong’s long, heavy howl, the banshees scattered through the forest at tremendous speed.

Ignoring terrain and environment, specters were essentially masters of search.

Especially the undead under my command—the control of a 9th-circle necromancer made them far superior to what the world believed.

Information about the entire region flooded in almost instantly.

Certain areas were difficult for specters to enter due to special mana flows, and connections were unstable, but I could just compile that data using the Machine God’s Heart.

And then—

I found two ruins showing signs of human presence.

“Are there archaeologists investigating here?”

“The imperial archaeology department started surveying the outer ruins about a month ago.”

“Then exclude the outskirts. It’s here.”

I marked a section of her map with mana.

One thing was certain.

Garlan had no room to spare.

“The concealment is sloppy.”

“Grandfather probably attacked them. You shook up their internal structure, and right after they hastily relocated here, he struck.”

In that situation, they wouldn’t have had the time to hide things properly.

Still, what I couldn’t understand was why someone like the Sword Saint had suddenly gone after them alone.

There was room for suspicion, but we’d get our answers once we met him.

Without further thought, we headed to the destination.

Isna contacted Meryl and Rebecca, who had arrived earlier, and regrouped with them.

“Remember. Your lives come first. If it feels dangerous, retreat immediately.”

“We understand, Lady Isna.”

The two chose to infiltrate from a different direction.

Of course, it was hard not to worry about just the two of them, so I planted two powerful undead—including Muyeong—into their shadows.

Then Isna and I pushed straight ahead into the enemy’s final stronghold.

* * *

The smell of blood still lingered.

Even in a place where odors didn’t dissipate easily, for the scent to be this strong, a great deal of blood must have been spilled.

“These sword marks… they’re all Grandfather’s.”

A distorted voice.

A robe blending into darkness.

A mask concealing her face.

And finally, a single strand of hair bound by a halo of light.

Moving perfectly as the leader of the Watchers, she cut down visible enemies without mercy.

She struck so quickly that they fell without even realizing they’d been attacked.

The clean yet chilling sword marks covering the walls, floor, and ceiling were unmistakably the work of the Sword Saint.

I reached out and gathered information.

“It hasn’t been many days.”

“That’s what’s strange. If Grandfather came here and enemies still remain after days, it means…”

In other words, the Sword Saint had failed to stop them.

Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon.

Regarded as the strongest among the current stars, and called humanity’s last guardian across the continent.

If someone like him couldn’t subdue them for days, it meant their hidden trump card had worked on him.

“Damn it…”

Isna’s steps grew more frantic.

Cutting down former comrades without hesitation, she advanced quickly.

And then—

We arrived at the site of a grotesque ritual.

Countless sword marks scarred the surroundings, and the aftertaste of destruction filled the air.

“This is it. The place where the elder fought seriously.”

Isna slowly approached the bizarre pattern drawn at the center of the chamber.

Her fist clenched tightly.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s clear Grandfather fell into a trap. The damaged magic circle still carries power beyond expectation.”

Should we consider the possibility of hostages?

Isna’s fist trembled, as if she was thinking the same.

“More importantly… I feel a familiar presence. Split up, Isna.”

“What?”

“Nyarlathotep is here.”

Since it’s come to this, I’ll kill both Garlan and Nyarlathotep here.

“You find the elder first. The undead are searching the area—if he’s alive, they’ll locate him.”

Normally she would have refused my suggestion, but this time she nodded.

“Please… take care of it.”

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“Yeah.”

Isna left.

The moment the interference was gone, I tore open subspace with a swipe through the air.

I thrust my hand inside and pulled out the crimson demon sword—Elekstra.

“This damn sword… I’ve used it forever.”

I used to treat blades like consumables, slapping numbers on them, but this one was so sturdy I’d grown attached to it.

Then I drew the sword from its sheath and aimed at a blank wall opposite the direction Isna had gone.

Crack!!

The instant the blade’s tip emerged, dozens of slashes appeared across the solid wall, and it collapsed.

“If you’re going to hide something, do it properly.”

I stepped inside.

As if they’d been waiting, attacks poured out of the darkness toward me.

If they knew they couldn’t beat me yet still tried to stop me, there was only one reason.

They’re stalling for time.

* * *

Arrows shot toward Leon split apart midair with a sharp crack!

The bizarre thing was that Leon hadn’t moved at all.

It was as if an invisible giant sword was roaming around, cutting everything down.

But the Avengers knew.

That was the frightening part of Leon Cascadia.

Within his restrained movements lay razor-sharp fangs.

He hadn’t created an invisible blade wandering around—

he’d simply cut everything at an unseen speed.

“Monster bastard…”

Under normal circumstances, more elaborate traps and greater numbers would have been needed to stop him.

But internal strife had erupted among the Avengers, and the resulting bloodshed had drastically reduced their numbers.

‘Fall back little by little and just stall. He’s confident in his skills—he’ll chase us calmly. Until the ritual succeeds. Even if you have to burn your life, stop him.’

Coincidence or not, this was after the Sword Saint had recklessly attacked and been subdued with Nyarlathotep’s power.

If time passed and they completed a powerful being using him as the host, there’d be no problem.

They kept harassing and luring him into traps with that thought—

but at some point, Leon stopped walking.

“Hard to keep playing along with you guys.”

Sensing danger in Leon’s bored tone, the Avengers tried to retreat immediately.

Thud!!!

But black arms burst out of their shadows and bound their bodies.

“Son of a—”

Slash!!!

Their screams never rang out.

Their heads flew almost simultaneously.

Stall for time.

That had been their final order.

But in the end, they failed.

And—

The moment Leon stepped inside, a man in a black suit and black top hat stood at the center of the vast chamber to greet him.

“It’s been a while, Leon Cascadia.”

“Heard you’ve been busy cleaning up cultists.”

“Oh, at first, yes. I eliminated those who ruined my plans after being deceived by you. But thanks to you, I also found an unexpected solution.”

Within Nyarlathotep’s black face, a white grin made of light curled upward.

“Thanks to you, the plan that was ruined could be completed. I should thank you first.”

“Bullshit.”

“They were gathering power they couldn’t handle. It seems there were beings in the ancient history of the Lazarus Continent even I hadn’t anticipated.”

He gestured.

Nearby space warped as if melting, and something began walking out.

Seeing it, emotion vanished from Leon’s face.

“The body of Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon is truly remarkable. Honestly, if I’d been a bit less prepared, I might not have been able to subdue him.”

“…Is the elder still alive?”

What emerged was the Sword Saint—whites of his eyes gone, standing hollow as if his mind had been erased.

“Well, you’ll have to check for yourself. Though considering human sentiment, I wonder if you’re capable of it.”

Leon closed his eyes.

Then slowly opened them.

Shing…

“What—”

Slash!!!

A sharp sound rang out.

The Sword Saint’s head split the air.

“…Do you not have a human heart?”

Nyarlathotep looked genuinely bewildered.

Leon pointed the tip of his sword at him.

“Hmm. Has absorbing so many Shoggoths made your mind unstable? That would make sense.”

He spoke with absolute confidence that he wouldn’t be struck.

But when Leon’s next slash severed his arm—

shock spread across Nyarlathotep’s white-lit face in the black void.

He’d realized something was terribly wrong with his body.

“What is this…? Isn’t this our power? How are you handling it so perfectly—”

“Your power? Yeah, it’s nice. And one more thing.”

Leon paused, then smirked.

“Don’t wag your tongue. You think I’m some clueless chump just because the outside looks similar?”

“How could you possibly—”

Nyarlathotep didn’t know.

—That thing’s fake. It’s disgusting, so I’ll tell you.

Lucifer’s casual remark had already planted the seed of doubt,

and Leon had already confirmed it.

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