Chapter 249
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 249: Aftermath (2)
***
Damien momentarily forgot his thoughts. This was because an entirely unexpected figure stood before him.
The Imperial Supreme Sword.
The knight who reigned supreme in the empire, where master classes were piled up like mountains.
People wondered who was the strongest among the Imperial Supreme Sword, Sword Saint, Church’s Cheongyeum, and the future Sword Empress, who would one day rise to power.
Damien knew the answer, as he had fought all of them.
No matter what anyone said, the strongest human was the Imperial Supreme Sword.
Among those whom people mentioned as candidates for the strongest human, the Imperial Supreme Sword’s skills were the most outstanding. To the point of being unparalleled.
Even Damien in his days as a Death Knight had almost been defeated.
At this point in time, the only existence who could rival the Imperial Supreme Sword was the leader of Pandemonium. Even he was far inferior to the Imperial Supreme Sword.
The Imperial Supreme Sword glanced at Damien and said.
“Do you have an umbrella?”
Damien’s expression crumbled slightly at the out-of-the-blue question.
“This guy. Is that what you’re suddenly going to say?”
“It’s going to rain tomorrow. I feel that fate strongly. So I recommend you prepare in advance.”
Damien looked at the Imperial Supreme Sword with an incredulous expression.
‘No, come to think of it, this was the kind of person he was.’
To put it nicely, the Imperial Supreme Sword was always lost in his own world, or, to put it another way, he was crazy.
Those were the words he had said when he first met Damien in his previous life.
– Isn’t it hot?
– He remembered laughing awkwardly because he was so dumbfounded.
Of course, at that time, Damien was trapped inside his body, so he couldn’t show it with his actions.
“What brings you to me?”
The Imperial Supreme Sword rarely left the capital. He was confined to the imperial palace and did not do anything.
So whenever he showed up, the whole empire would be in an uproar.
‘It’s not strange since I killed Sla.’
Sla was one of the most powerful figures among the forces of Pandemonium.
It was only natural that the Imperial Supreme Sword would take an interest in Damien after such a bigwig was killed.
“Sla… yeah, Sla’s dead. It’s strange. I didn’t feel any fate for Sla to die.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword said in a dreamy tone. The Sword Saint standing beside him chuckled and said.
“Don’t think about it too much. That’s just the kind of guy he is. He talks nonsense all the time.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword was also known by the nickname of ‘Prophet’.
He often talked out of his hat, but sometimes it turned out to be true.
“Damien Haksen.”
At that moment, the Imperial Supreme Sword’s eyes gradually gained strength. His blood-red eyes stared at Damien as if they were going to pierce through him.
‘That look is exactly the same as in my previous life.’
The Imperial Supreme Sword had a natural lack of pigmentation in his body. As a result, his skin and hair were white, and his eyes were blood-red.
Many people found the Imperial Supreme Sword’s gaze unsettling.
Was it because his eyes were blood-red? No, it wasn’t. It was because when they were looked at by the Imperial Supreme Sword, they felt as if they were stripped naked.
That’s when it happened.
He closed his eyes and opened them again, and the world had changed.
Damien found himself standing under a starry night sky instead of in his room. The ground beneath his feet was covered in bright yellow flowers.
There was nothing else around them. It was just Damien and the Imperial Supreme Sword.
Suddenly, the Imperial Supreme Sword swung his sword. A breathtakingly beautiful trajectory slashed towards Damien’s neck.
Immediately afterward, the world changed again. Instead of the night sky and flower field, he saw the familiar scenery of his room.
Damien touched his neck. There was not even a scratch, let alone a cut. The Imperial Supreme Sword was also no longer holding his sword.
‘…What a tiresome prank.’
A moment ago, Damien had been in the Imperial Supreme Sword’s mental realm.
The Imperial Supreme Sword possessed strange abilities that no one else had.
One of them was the ability to pull people into his own mental world.
Damien had heard that the Imperial Supreme Sword trained his swordsmanship there and sometimes brought people in to test something.
“Your prank is a bit too much.”
At Damien’s words, Sword Saint turned to the Imperial Supreme Sword.
“Did you do that again? You scared everyone after doing it, so I told you to stop.”
“Why didn’t you stop yourself?”
The Imperial Supreme Sword ignored Sword Saint’s reprimand. Sword Saint sighed as if he had expected this.
“All restrictions disappear there. You can purely test your skills. So why didn’t you stop?”
“It’s not that I didn’t stop myself. It’s that I couldn’t. How can I stop the Imperial Supreme Sword’s sword?”
“You’re lying.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword immediately denied Damien’s words.
“I can feel it. Your skills are not at this level. So don’t hide it. Don’t deceive me.”
His blood-red eyes stared intently at Damien as he spoke.
“I came here today to see your true form.”
Damien let out a sigh he had been holding back at the Imperial Supreme Sword’s words.
This was what Damien had been most worried about when the Imperial Supreme Sword appeared before him.
As far as Damien knew, the Imperial Supreme Sword’s insight was far beyond human level.
It was the same in his Death Knight days. While fighting him, the Imperial Supreme Sword had said this:
– How long have you been like this? You’re lucky you haven’t gone mad.
– It would have been easier if you had gone mad. Then you could have accepted your changed self.
– Did you want to remain human until the end? It’s foolish but noble.
He had a bad feeling that the Imperial Supreme Sword’s insight might notice that he was hiding his true strength.
And as expected, his premonition came true.
Damien thought for a moment. It was impossible to deceive the Imperial Supreme Sword.
Then it might be better to show him everything.
Moreover, Damien himself wanted to fight the Imperial Supreme Sword properly.
After all, the man before him was a person who had threatened him even in his previous life.
“If you wish, I will show you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the world changed again. The starry sky and flower field spread out before his eyes.
Before he could even admire the breathtaking scenery, a sword attack struck.
Damien raised his sword and blocked it. The Imperial Supreme Sword’s sword attack was blocked just below his neck.
Then, a smile finally appeared on the Imperial Supreme Sword’s lips.
“Yes, that’s it. Show me your trueself.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword put away his sword. And then he swung it towards Damien again. Damien immediately responded.
Dozens of clashes of swordsmanship that were too fast to be seen collided.
The Imperial Supreme Sword’s swordsmanship was not flashy. It was not fast. It was not even powerful.
It was ordinary, quiet. It was even monotonous.
But it was strangely difficult to block. If he lost focus for even a moment, the sword would be at his throat before he knew it.
Suddenly, the Imperial Supreme Sword disappeared. At the same time, the night sky began to be stained with the trajectory of swords.
Thousands? Tens of thousands?
Countless swordsmanship attacks poured in. It was not just about tearing Damien apart, but about turning him into dust.
Despite the horrific sight, Damien was not surprised.
If he had been Damien in reality, he would not have been able to deal with this technique.
However, in the mental realm, the limitations of the physical body and mana were lifted. Damien could fully display his full strength.
Damien’s sword moved.
He deflected the incoming swordsmanship. He smashed it. He cut it off.
The storm of swordsmanship that was trying to engulf Damien came to a halt. It couldn’t get close to Damien and started to be pushed back.
The moment some space was created, Damien’s body spun. He swung his sword wide.
Darkness exploded.
Dark swordsmanship cut through the storm. The trajectory of the swords was instantly erased.
Thanks to this, a path was created. He could see the figure of the Imperial Supreme Sword standing far away.
The Imperial Supreme Sword was staring at Damien with a surprised expression.
“This can’t be…”
Damien immediately kicked the ground. At the same time, he swung his sword.
A long line of swordsmanship slit the Imperial Supreme Sword’s throat.
***
As soon as he slit the Imperial Supreme Sword’s throat, Damien returned to reality.
“I lost.”
Sword Saint’s mouth dropped open at the words of the Imperial Supreme Sword.
It was true that the Imperial Supreme Sword had once been Damien’s most difficult opponent.
However, Damien had already surpassed the Imperial Supreme Sword. He had absorbed his techniques and realm and risen to a higher level.
So now, the Imperial Supreme Sword was no match for Damien.
“It’s amazing. Your swordsmanship mixes various techniques. It’s like fighting hundreds of people at the same time.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword said with a dreamy expression.
“But the foundation was one. You created the techniques based on that.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword stared at Damien and asked.
“Damien Haksen, you were a Dark Knight.”
At those words, Sword Saint’s eyes widened. Sword Saint scolded the Imperial Supreme Sword.
“That’s nonsense… How can Damien be a Dark Knight?”
The Imperial Supreme Sword did not respond to Sword Saint’s words this time either. Sword Saint looked like he was going to explode.
“But there is no malice. He is full of hatred and anger, but it is not directed at us. In the first place, his destiny is not directed at us.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword closed his eyes for a moment. As if he was thinking about something.
“…I’m glad I came to see you. Thanks to that, everything is clear.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword continued speaking with his eyes closed.
“Damien Haksen, I can feel destiny. But at some point, the fate of the world took a big turn. I don’t know the cause or the reason. I can only know that it has twisted.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword opened his eyes again. His blood-red eyes were directed at Damien.
“Damien Haksen, your action of killing Sla was also a departure from the predetermined fate. But paradoxically, thanks to you killing Sla, the twist was somewhat resolved. Thanks to that, I was able to read the flow for a while.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword stopped talking for a moment. And then he said in an unshakeable tone.
“Damien Haksen, I will die soon.”
***
“What do you mean?”
Damien couldn’t help but ask back. The Imperial Supreme Sword was not a man who would die so quickly.
Even during the War of Destruction, he had survived to the end and led the imperial army. It wasn’t until much later that he lost his life to Damien.
“Yes, I was not meant to die. But fate twisted. Everything changed. I will die soon.”
It was a nonsensical statement. But he couldn’t just ignore it.
The Imperial Supreme Sword’s prophecies were eerily accurate.
“I am not afraid of death. But I am afraid of the world that has changed because of it. The future that will be ruined by my death makes me so anxious that I can’t bear it. That’s why I came to you.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword continued speaking at length.
“Damien Haksen, soon your nemesis will regain his former self. However, that’s not a big problem. That much of a twist won’t be able to do anything to you. The problem is what comes next.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword’s voice darkened slightly.
“A bigger twist is coming. It’s so big that I can’t see anything. With my abilities, it’s impossible to even fathom what that twist is.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword spoke firmly.
“So be prepared. Become stronger than you are now. Prepare for the new disaster that is about to come.”
The Imperial Supreme Sword reached into his pocket. And he took something out.
What the Imperial Supreme Sword took out was a shard of sword.
It was quite large and had a broken edge. Blades were attached to both sides.
The moment he saw it, Damien’s eyes widened.
“Originally, I was looking for a way to get rid of this. But this time, I could feel it. Its destiny is linked to yours.”
A fragment of Erebos.
The Imperial Supreme Sword held it out and said.
“I hope this will help you on your way.”
[PR/N- Author is really cooking something very big.]
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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