The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 243

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 243

“God... Oh, God.”

The Absolute Barrier vanished.

The king of Theia, in desperation, knelt down.

At this rate, the clan would be wiped out.

“Please, save us. These are the last hopes of our clan. Please, let our bloodline continue...”

The king of Theia, trembling and shedding tears, begged.

Behind him, the surviving clan members kneeled as one, pleading to the god.

“God, please have mercy...!”

“Please, let our bloodline survive!”

[What strange words you speak. Why are you your last hope?]

Despite the king and his clan’s desperate pleas, the god remained cold.

[I was once part of Theia's clan as well. Your hope is me. If I become the god of a greater planet, Theia’s name will spread even more widely across the universe. So do not worry about your bloodline ending.]

Ssssss

Dark mana wrapped around the 725 members of Theia's clan.

The god directly released his absolute power.

[Then I will take all your power as well.]

“Ugh... Aaaah!”

Boom!

The head of the king, standing at the front, exploded.

Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the explosion spread in all directions.

Except for Krugen, the manager of the Sunstone power plant, everyone was turned into bloody remains and vanished.

[Krugen. Detonate the Sunstone.]

And there was a reason why the god of Theia spared Krugen's life.

He intended to use Krugen’s authority.

“Y-You insane fool... Do you think I’ll follow such an order?!”

Krugen, gritting his teeth as he looked at the clan members who had died, resisted the command.

[Eiojaf...]

Before the cursed divine language, his resistance was futile.

The language of the god, who completely dominated Theia’s clan.

Krugen, shedding tears of blood, looked at the corpses of his clan.

Among them were his own family and his beloved partner.

Despite the fact that those more precious than his life had helplessly exploded before the god,

He could not resist the divine language.

“I understand. By the authority of the plant manager, I order the plant to detonate all mana according to the god’s command.”

Flash. Flash.

The already glowing Sunstone heated up even more.

As a result, cracks began to appear on its surface.

The massive Sunstone slowly began to disassemble, releasing the last of the light mana from within.

The Sunstone power plant, Theia’s clan's most proud creation and the energy source that supplied mana to the planet, ended in such a meaningless way.

Krugen stood on the ground he was standing on.

Seeing the sunstone power plant cracking, Krugen only wished for a quick death.

At this point, what was the point of living any longer?

He wished the stars would collide soon, ending this painful situation.

Meanwhile, the god of Theia was.

As the sunstone exploded and the final surge of energy erupted, the god appeared pleased.

Even though the entire clan had been wiped out, the god remained unfazed.

The sight of the god relishing the increase in mana was infuriating to Krugen.

He could not help but mutter in hatred.

“You’re really hoping to lose to Earth, huh? You’ll die pathetically.”

[What?]

“No matter how hard you try, how can you overcome the size of a star? In the end, you’ll be swallowed by the great star. Heh heh.”

[...Even in this situation, you still resist. I can’t let that slide.]

Krugen only left a curse after seeing the entirety of Theia’s clan die.

But the god of Theia showed no mercy.

Even Krugen’s last mutterings before death were not allowed.

Immediately, intense dark mana enveloped his body.

At first, Krugen thought his body was going to be torn apart right then and there, so he remained still without resisting.

[I know what you’re thinking. You just want to die quickly and rest, don’t you?]

[But how could I allow you, who spoke so disrespectfully to the god, to be left alone?]

Srrrrrr...

As the dark mana spreading from Krugen's body extended in all directions, he opened his mouth with an anxious expression.

“What... what are you doing...!”

[I won’t let you die easily. I’ll squeeze every last bit of mana from you.]

Chiiiiiick-!

The fragmented bodies of the clan members and pieces of sunstone gathered around Krugen.

“Gahhhhh...

Flesh and skin pierced his face.

Sunstones embedded themselves all over him.

Krugen, once famous among Theia’s clan for his good looks, now became the most grotesque of them all.

“J-Just kill me already...”

[Not yet. I need to squeeze more mana from you.]

The god of Theia took pleasure in watching the last surviving clan member’s pain.

In truth, no matter how much Krugen gathered the fragments, how much mana would it even amount to?

The very act of punishing Krugen for his insolent words, and watching him break down, was entertainment for the god.

Grrrrrr-

[The resistance from Earth is stronger... The game is over.]

Only after the stars collided and the god of Theia responded properly did the god stop the game.

Krugen, now a monster fused from various pieces, was left abandoned in the power plant as the god’s plaything.

Thus, Krugen’s existence seemed to have ended.

[And yet, you’re still alive. How unexpected.]

“It was possible because you lost to Earth as I predicted.”

One corner of the Celestial Demon God's mouth curled up.

"Thanks to absorbing the dark mana you emitted as you vanished, I was barely able to cling to life."

[Heh... It's thanks to me.]

Despite the Celestial Demon God's mocking tone, the Earth God paid it no mind and thought as it pleased.

[You worked hard to gather strength. Krugen.]

Though only a fragment of the Six Swords, the Earth God seemed confident as it believed completely in the binding power of the divine word that restrained Theia’s clan.

"Hmm...

However, Kaylen, who was listening to the conversation between the Earth God and the Celestial Demon God from the side, felt a strange sensation.

"If the Celestial Demon God is so bound by the divine word, then it should be thoroughly avoiding the Earth God..."

Of course, the Celestial Demon God had made an attempt.

Through the piece of the moon left in the Celestial Realm, it had warned the Earth God of the betrayal in advance.

However, Kaylen felt that the process through which the Celestial Demon God’s identity was revealed was unclear.

"By seeing the sunstone fragment, the Earth God was able to deduce the Celestial Demon God's true identity... but was all of this just a coincidence?"

Kaylen wondered if everything, including the Earth God’s fragment being entangled in his sword, and the Celestial Demon God being exposed as the power plant manager after the sunstone was shattered by the Island Moon, was just a series of accidents.

And then.

"Is it really possible to control such a powerful Celestial Demon God with just a divine word?"

Kaylen couldn’t help but have a fundamental question.

No matter how the divine word could subjugate Theia’s clan, was it really possible to bind an entity like the Celestial Demon God?

The more Kaylen thought about it...

"...No."

He didn’t think it was possible.

"I need to prepare."

Though it seemed the Celestial Demon God was under control by the Earth God’s divine word, the situation could change at any moment.

Kaylen gathered his mana in preparation for any sudden shifts.

And then.

[The power of Theia’s clan is all mine. Now, you must offer your strength to me again. ERDER.]

The Earth God confidently recited the divine word.

ERDER.

Kaylen couldn’t be sure of its exact meaning, but he could vaguely deduce that it had something to do with absorbing mana.

Shuuuu...

Then, a portion of the Celestial Demon God’s mana began to drain away.

Both light and dark mana swirled around Kaylen’s sword, attempting to make contact with the Earth God within the blade.

[Release me. Then I will be able to control the Celestial Demon God.]

Seeing the mana, the Earth God confidently suggested to Kaylen.

The once craven Earth God’s words had become brief.

"That divine word you mentioned... Does it absorb mana?"

[Yes. ERDER. It's an effective command word that sucks up all the mana of the subjugated.]

“But why is the mana that’s been released only this much?”

[What do you mean by that...?]

Whizz. Whizz.

The light and dark mana swirling around Kaylen’s sword.

At first glance, the amount seemed vast, but that was merely its outward appearance.

‘In reality, it’s not like that.’

Even though the fragment of the Earth God within the sword might have been fooled into thinking there was a large amount of mana.

Kaylen had clearly understood its deception.

“Is this all the power of your divine word...?”

And then.

The Celestial Demon God, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

“Now I’m certain.”

[What...!?]

The atmosphere had completely shifted from when the Earth God was being overwhelmingly pressured moments ago.

Perhaps noticing this, the Earth God’s panicked voice echoed from the sword.

“Earth God. You can never become an obstacle to me in the past, present, or future.”

[You... How dare you...!]

“The moment I hear your divine word from the perspective of the gods, I can now clearly understand. How it operates and the underlying principle of its creation.”

The Earth God suddenly let out a roar at the Celestial Demon God, who had changed his attitude.

“ERDER.”

When the Celestial Demon God spoke the same divine word as the Earth God, the Earth God’s voice began to break.

[Ah... Uh...]

Just like earlier, when mana had drained from the Celestial Demon God.

Now, the mana from the Earth God’s fragment within Kaylen’s golden sword began to reverse and drain away.

“Disappear. Earth God.”

As the Earth God could no longer move under the Celestial Demon God’s reversed divine word.

Kaylen sought to erase his existence himself.

[Ah, no... Why! I can overcome this, Kaylen...! Please, just spare my life!]

As Kaylen tried to erase him, the Earth God, in desperation, switched to formal speech in a last-ditch effort to survive.

“No. That doesn’t seem likely.”

[Ugh... P-please...!]

“Go.”

To block the Celestial Demon God from reversing and absorbing the Earth God, Kaylen personally wiped him out.

Seeing this, the Celestial Demon God grimaced.

“…You raised your mana. You were preparing in advance.”

“It was strange for someone like you, even with the Earth God’s divine word, to not be able to move.”

“Really, you’re a bothersome existence.”

Kaylen did not respond to those words and immediately raised his aura to its full extent.

Six Swords Path

Transcendental Realm

Moon Slayer

The moment the Celestial Demon God revealed his true form was the perfect opportunity.

The Moon-penetrating Sword.

It was time to use it now.

“You...!”

At Kaylen’s sudden attack, the Celestial Demon God’s wings tried to envelop his body.

Screech!

The Celestial Demon God’s body was completely pierced through.

“Grrk...”

The power from the Celestial Demon God’s wings faded as the sword that pierced the moon struck him.

His upper body was completely pierced through. All that remained was his head and legs.

From the Celestial Demon God’s body, pierced by the Moon-penetrating Sword, vast mana exploded in all directions.

It looked as if he was meeting his end.

But Kaylen’s expression remained stiff.

‘He escaped.’

If the Celestial Demon God had been fully struck by the Moon-penetrating Sword, there would be no head or legs left, he would have completely disappeared.

‘Is there just one more chance left...?’

The mana brought to the moon was now nearly depleted.

Kaylen, determined to end it, began to trace the Celestial Demon God’s remaining mana.

Not long after.

“Castle...?”

At the place where the Celestial Demon God’s mana had been cut off, Kaylen discovered a dark, glowing castle.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]