The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 269

Southern God Style

Cutter of All Things

Sky and Clouds Piercer

Leonard charged, swinging his sword in a diagonal motion.

The shockwave could have torn through several kilometers, but instead, it compressed, surging forward in a concentrated burst. Leonard’s opponent wasn’t particularly big, so sacrificing range for power was the smart choice.

What mattered most was imbuing enough destructive power to inflict significant damage and being fast enough to actually land his attack.

Booooom—!

Belial blocked Sky and Clouds Piercer, using a palm strike with one left hand and punching with the other. He wouldn’t have been able to completely offset the impact with just one strike, but his second strike managed to deflect Leonard’s attack.

Belial surged forward. Now, it was his turn to attack.

It seemed the strength in his legs had also increased substantially, given he was just as fast as before despite the extra weight of his two new arms.

Did all his physical abilities increase? He has two whole new arms, but his coordination and balance aren’t the slightest bit off. He moves like he’s always had four arms!

Though he saw the attack coming, Leonard failed to respond perfectly. Belial hit him with a barrage of thirty punches, his fists moving so fast that they were a mere blur to the naked eye.

Leonard was forced to take a few steps back. He swung, stabbed, deflected, thrust, and blocked.

It almost seemed like Belial was swinging his fists at random, but his attacks were actually flawless. If Leonard weren’t already close to becoming one with his sword, he would have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of punches, both he and his sword pummeled into the ground.

Reading Belial’s next move, Leonard imbued his sword with energy, getting ready to defend. Having realized how easily Belial could respond to his attacks, he decided that staying on the defensive would be the smarter choice, especially given his harmony with the sword.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

This was a fundamental principle in martial arts, but it went even further when one achieved this level of mastery—they essentially gained foresight.

However, the future wasn’t fixed. If one variable changed, so did everything else. If the attacker was forced to suddenly change strategy, that gave the defender the opportunity to respond accordingly—unless, of course, it was all just a feint.

Thus, Leonard’s defensive stance put him two steps ahead—Belial had to reveal his cards first, and Leonard would have the leeway to predict his actions.

For the martial artists at the Central Plains, being three steps behind meant certain death. In fact, the number three was deeply significant to them, given their Three Aspects, three dantians, and so on. In a way, it was their magic number.

Unfortunately, Leonard was only two steps ahead for now. Still, it was enough to protect him from Belial’s flurry of punches.

It’s not a bad idea to keep him busy like this. Once the Golden Dragon Knights finish off the other heart Demoniac, we’ll have two squads in the Eighteen Arhat Formation. That would guarantee us victory.

Belial had absorbed most of the energy released by the thousands of massacred monsters, but his enemies were too many and too powerful; sheer strength wouldn’t cut it. In order to stand a chance against all of them, he would need clones of himself, not just extra arms.

“...■■■■.”

Belial suddenly stopped and retreated several hundred meters. If he were trying to escape, Leonard would have immediately given chase, but that wasn’t his plan.

Crack...! Crack, crack...!

Leonard was shocked by the transformation taking place within Belial.

“How is that possible?!”

He wouldn’t have been surprised if his bones and muscles had strengthened a bit. After all, Belial was built just like a human, and Leonard had just watched him sprout two new arms, so it was well within the realm of possibility.

But his Dragon Eyes showed him something else.

Deep inside Belial’s hardened muscles, there was something that was intimately familiar yet completely out of place—pathways. From the eight extraordinary meridians that extended from the crown of his head to the twelve main meridians that stretched across his limbs, he had them all.

Any martial artist would recognize them. Somehow, a Demoniac had meridians in his body.

They were indistinguishable from the ones the 108 Heroes[1] would have had. As soon as his meridians and pathways finished forming, he used both minor and major circulation to absorb and condense the abundance of energy.

And then, his fists were blanketed with dark red light.

“...Energy.”

Belial channeled it far too clumsily for it to be called proper augmented energy, but that wasn’t the problem here. Belial himself was. In the same way weapons were far more destructive in the hands of an ogre rather than a human, Belial was even more dangerous now.

His combat prowess was already at the Demigod Tier, and now, his newfound abilities took him to the next level, like a tiger growing wings.

Leonard had to kill him here. He couldn’t let him escape. With his jet-black sword gripped firmly in his right hand, he pointed at Belial with his left, unleashing a wave of killing intent.

Heavenly Nature Sword Art

The Second Nature

One-Finger Zen

He shot a ray of light with the same cutting power that had pierced Yggdrasil’s defenses, aiming straight for Belial’s head. His opponent gave it a brief glance and punched, trying to break off the attack.

But that was a big mistake. Naturally, Belial couldn’t have known about the relic’s unbelievable powers.

Mimong tore through the crimson energy and Belial’s fist, shredding his flesh all the way up to the elbow.

Just like that, Belial had lost one of his arms in the blink of an eye, the attack completely throwing off his balance. He had been using one side to attack and one side to defend, but now he was left open.

And of course, Leonard wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

Northern God Style

One Hit One Kill Ultimate Skill

Life and Death Sword

Leonard’s jet-black sword morphed into the Seven Star Sword, the blade extending tens of meters. The mass of his weapon didn’t change, but its reach and its speed skyrocketed.

Then, he brought it crashing down, and naturally, Belial raised his right fists to intercept the attack.

Booooom—!

Two flashes of red light met Leonard’s sword, the two forces clashing over and over. But somehow, Belial met him with the same strength. It should have been impossible for Creation Realm-level augmented energy to overpower Profound Realm martial arts, but Leonard didn’t bat an eye.

He had expected this.

His sword cleaved Belial’s arms off, leaving him with only one left. He then swiftly circled to Belial’s left, imbuing his sword with even more power.

His opponent possessed tremendous physical strength, even more so than other Heart Demoniacs. Thus, killing him without mind martial arts would be almost impossible.

Leonard couldn’t just stick to his typical attacks. Both sword energy and augmented sword energy wrapped around his blade.

Eastern God Style

Mountain-Severing Judgment

Lightning and Wind Cleaving Slash: Stack

His sword vibrated and spun at top speed, releasing a storm with an enraged roar.

If Leonard didn’t maintain tight control over the energy, it would cause an explosion, but the technique had enough power to break through Belial’s durable body. Since he didn’t know how to create augmented energy shields yet, this attack would inflict major damage, if not outright kill him.

Sensing the danger, the monster raised his remaining fist, bracing for the attack. He may have lost a significant portion of his fighting power, but even one punch could be deadly, overflowing with speed, strength, and energy.

...I can see it.

But Leonard dodged effortlessly.

He hadn’t relied on the foresight granted by his harmony with the sword. It was a taxing ability, one he couldn’t use repeatedly. After using it when he attacked with the Life and Death Sword, the burden would be too much.

No, he didn’t need something so excessive to see the punch coming.

The way he channels energy is too clumsy. Or rather, amateurish. It’s only been a few minutes since he started doing it, after all.

Belial could beat him in a contest of raw physical strength, but he’d had far too little time to learn how to properly harmonize his body and energy to match Leonard in martial arts.

In murim, the martial artists’ expertise in cultivation, their eight extraordinary vessels, and the twelve main meridians were the results of a thousand years of research. Unlike the knights of this world, blessed with wealth and enhanced physical prowess, those martial artists had no choice but to seek out and accumulate such wisdom.

No matter how freakishly strong Heart Demoniacs were, and no matter how talented Belial was, he couldn’t acquire even a fraction of that knowledge in the short time he had.

Swoooo—!

With enough power to crush mountains, Leonard severed his last arm.

The arm cut off by Mimong had grown back, and so had the other two, but now Belial was left with three again. Blood as black as tar spurted from his fresh wound.

This was it—both of them felt it. This was the moment that would decide the battle.

Vicious Fist Fury

Belial’s technique was too primal and simplistic to be called a proper conceptual martial art, but Leonard sensed from the bloodlust and destructive power blazing from his three fists that it was based on the Life and Death Sword of the Northern God Style.

Even as an opponent, Leonard was the perfect teacher. If he didn’t kill Belial here, he just might become a Celestial Demon.

“I won’t let that happen,” Leonard proclaimed. He couldn’t let that happen. “You’re dead.”

It wasn’t a threat or a challenge. It was simply a statement of fact, something he was certain of even without the power of foresight.

Belial stepped forward in defiance, and Leonard pointed his sword to the sky. With this stance, he was declaring that he would put an end to this.

One Origin Five Elements Divine Sword

Twin Deities, One Sword Style

Taiji Phaseless Slash

Belial appreciated his fighting spirit. The monster kicked off the ground like a meteor, causing multiple sonic booms and shaking the ground.

With that momentum, he could topple a whole mountain, but Leonard stood calmly in place. Then he swung. His sword moved like a brush on a canvas, erasing everything before it into nothingness.

He slashed downward through Belial’s shoulders, and one by one, the crimson flashes flickered out. With his three arms gone again, Belial tried to ball his remaining hand into a fist, but it had only regrown to the stump of his wrist.

“■, ■■...!”

His blazing eyes met Leonard’s. They were different species, and they didn’t speak the same language, but there was an undeniable connection between them, a sort of mutual understanding.

“You may have been more dangerous if you’d only fought as a monster, not as a martial artist. Nevertheless, this was fun. You fought well,” the victor praised.

“...■■■■■.”

Perhaps Belial understood. Perhaps he didn’t. Regardless, he faded into complete nothingness, leaving no trace behind.

And those were the final moments of the extremely dangerous Named Demoniac.

1. Legendary martial artists from the Chinese classical novel Water Margin. ☜