The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 132

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 132

Paaaat!

As radiant light burst from the Holy Sword, Shadowwill made a swift decision.

‘I’ll give up on taking control!’

If the power of the Holy Sword were to be added to the one already toying with him, he might be erased completely.

Shadowwill slipped out of Kaylen’s body.

At that moment, Kaylen’s Dark Sword immediately activated.

“You’re not leaving that easily.”

A sword of darkness rose from the human’s back.

It absorbed Shadowwill’s shadow at a terrifying speed.

A portion of the shadow had already been devoured by the Dark Sword, making it impossible to control.

‘Kuh…! What is this power…?!’

Fighting inside Kaylen’s body was suicidal.

Realizing this once again, Shadowwill focused entirely on escaping.

Srrrrrk.

Srrrkkkk…

The shadow seeped out of Kaylen’s body.

It wavered, its power visibly weakened.

[Ku, kuuh…]

But as the moonlight shone down, the weakened Shadow Fiend instantly recovered.

A vortex of black light swirled around him.

The Shadow Fiend’s form reshaped into a humanoid shadow.

Regaining composure at the rapid restoration of his body, Shadowwill smirked.

[Human, if we had met in the daylight, this would have been troublesome.]

Night had fallen, and the moon had risen.

With the blessing of the Crimson Moon, all demons could rapidly regenerate.

This authority applied equally to Shadowwill, a noble of the Demon Realm.

Moreover, the stronger the demon, the greater the blessing of the moon.

‘As expected… things get annoying at night.’

Even Black Skull, who had once taken over the royal capital, refused to die and kept regenerating…

Giants and Slime Fiends that had invaded Viltre Fortress before had only been easy to subdue because the sun was up.

Now, however, the Shadow Fiend was fully under the blessing of the moon, making him a formidable opponent.

On top of that, he had already suffered greatly at Kaylen’s hands, so he remained vigilant.

[Oh, Crimson Moon. I, Shadowwill, Viscount of the Demon Realm, beseech you. Grant me the Authority of Enhancement.]

The moonlight illuminating the castle gathered toward Shadowwill.

His shadow swelled exponentially.

Startled by the overwhelming force, the guards threw down their weapons and fled.

Even the Saintess watched with a pale face.

‘That’s a viscount of the Demon Realm…? At this level, he could rival a marquis from before. No, he might even be stronger.’

The power of a demon under the Crimson Moon’s blessing was beyond imagination.

Theresia, who had followed the Demon King Subjugation War a thousand years ago and witnessed countless demons, had never seen a mere viscount exude such immense dark energy.

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“Astella.”

Watching the scene, Kaylen reached for the Holy Sword.

Amidst the crimson moonlight, the Holy Sword Astella, burning pure white, flew into Kaylen’s grasp.

Clack.

“It’s been a while.”

[Master. Master. My Master.]

[Finally, finally, we meet…!]

The voice of the Holy Sword Astella rang out, overflowing with joy.

But soon, the emotions in its voice turned ice-cold.

[Huh…? This is strange. Master, there’s no way Master Ernstine could be this weak…]

“Astella.”

[That perfect aura… The Six Swords that encompassed sky and earth, light and darkness… Compared to before, it feels so faint. And why are there only four of the Six Swords left? What happened? Master—no, what the hell happened to you?!]

Astella unleashed a storm of complaints.

At first, it spoke politely, but by the end, its words grew noticeably blunt.

This was the true nature of the Holy Sword Astella.

The primordial Sun Sword never served anyone as its master…

Rather, it sought to be the master of the hero itself—an exalted Holy Sword.

The only exception was the Grand Swordmaster Ernstine, to whom it had once submitted.

But now that he no longer displayed his former strength, its true personality surfaced.

‘What a troublesome thing.’

Kaylen glanced at the Holy Sword and spoke casually.

“Astella. Your origin is the sun.”

[Nope, not listening~! Unless you meet my standards, I refuse to recognize my origin.]

Astella outright rejected Kaylen’s words, resisting stubbornly.

But Kaylen remained unfazed.

“You say no, but your body is being honest.”

Despite the sword’s will, its blade gleamed brilliantly.

[W-Wait…! What’s happening to my body?!]

Astella’s voice suddenly wavered in embarrassment as it desperately tried to suppress the power surging from within.

Kaylen furrowed his brows.

Once again, he needed to give it the right justification to unleash its power.

“Astella, do you want to be captured by the Demon Realm?”

[Ah. R-Right… This is all for my sake, isn’t it? If I don’t recognize my origin, my weak master might lose and get taken away, huh? Well, I guess there’s no choice. Just this once~ I’ll permit the invocation of my origin, Master.]

As if it had been waiting for this moment, Astella unleashed a torrential stream of words.

And then, it radiated a white light incomparably brighter than before.

Inside the castle, where the moonlight had converged around Shadowwill, everything was shrouded in darkness—except for where Kaylen stood. That space alone shone like midday.

[The power of the Holy Sword… Impressive.]

Shadowwill, who had greatly expanded his body, spoke in a voice filled with caution.

The Holy Sword Astella.

Just days ago, when he had fought and subdued it alone, it had not been this strong.

But now, its presence was completely different.

‘I must be thorough.’

In terms of sheer mana quantity, he held the advantage under the support of the Crimson Moon.

However, that human possessed an unusual ability.

Remaining on high alert, Shadowwill spread his power wide.

[Shadow Hole.]

Rumble—

The ground of the training yard was instantly swallowed by shadows, sinking into a deep abyss.

“Ugh…! Divine Shield!”

As Kaylen, Shadowwill, and the Saintess all fell into the shadow pit, Theresia urgently cast a holy protection spell.

As they plummeted dozens of meters and landed on the ground, Shadowwill spoke in a delighted voice.

[Heh… Welcome to the Shadow Realm.]

Now that they had fallen into this pit, they were as good as dead.

[First, let’s deal with the weakest one.]

Shadowwill pointed at the Saintess.

Thud. Thud.

Theresia, who had cast a protective barrier, bounced off the ground like a rubber ball.

“Ah…!”

Shhhhh—

From all directions, shadowy hands extended, aiming to restrain her as she was flung into the air.

“Not so fast.”

Slash!

Kaylen struck like lightning, swinging his sword and unleashing a burst of radiant light.

The shadowy hands reaching for Theresia were instantly incinerated, vanishing without a trace.

[Urgh…]

“L-Lord Kaylen, thank you.”

[Kaylen? Kaylen, you say? Wasn’t the Master’s name Ernstine?]

As the Holy Sword flickered with light, Kaylen responded in a low, subdued voice.

“I told you to be quiet during a fight.”

[Yes… I mean, okay…]

What the—he’s right, though. Master.

Muttering to itself, the Holy Sword fell silent.

Kaylen then unleashed waves of luminous aura in all directions, as if testing the sword’s power.

The radiant energy radiating from the Holy Sword tore countless holes through the Shadow Hole.

[Urgh…!]

Shadowwill involuntarily let out a groan.

Even with the blessing of the moonlight… even after dragging them into the Shadow Hole… why was he so powerless against this attack?

“Hm. I can’t draw out as much power as before. You’ve regressed over the past thousand years too, it seems.”

[That’s only because you got weaker!]

Regressed?

Rumble!

Brilliant white lightning erupted from the Holy Sword, melting away the Shadow Hole.

Shadowwill was utterly dumbfounded.

[Hngh… This bastard…!]

When he had pulled them into the Shadow Hole, he had been certain of victory.

But now, it was as if the prey had willingly entered his stomach—only to tear it apart from the inside.

How was this possible?

Even with the Holy Sword’s power, he should still hold an overwhelming advantage in dark mana…

[Shadow Bind!]

But he wasn’t just standing idly by.

He extended his shadows in a desperate attempt to strike back.

Sling.

Yet, with a single movement from Astella, the rising shadows were all cleanly severed.

[T-This is impossible…! I’ve even received the power of enhancement…!]

“The Count of the Demon Realm… No, you were a Viscount, weren’t you?”

[Urgh…!]

“Your mana is certainly remarkable. With your level of dark mana, you could even reach the rank of a Marquis—or higher. If you go all out, you might even be able to replicate the power of your ancestor, Shadowbane.”

[Y-Yeah… My mana isn’t something that should be confined to a mere Viscount…!]

“But what’s the use of having immense mana? You can’t control it at all.”

Chiik!

The aura emitted by the Holy Sword burned through the shadows effortlessly.

The shadow walls kept catching fire, regenerating, and then burning again in an endless cycle.

“Even if you unleash your power at full capacity, at most, you’d reach the rank of a Count. Compared to the mana strengthened by the Moon’s Blessing, you have no idea how to wield your strength—this is the result.”

[Aaaah!!]

“Still, your regenerative ability is remarkable. The Moon’s Blessing itself is certainly powerful.”

[Urgh… Fine, I admit it. Your power… My own strength isn’t enough to withstand it.]

Srrrrrk.

Shadowwill’s massive body was absorbed into the shadow walls.

The walls thickened further.

Shadowwill’s voice echoed throughout the pit.

[But you won’t be able to maintain that power forever… Until your mana runs dry, I will endure, no matter how many wounds I sustain. In the end, my objective will be fulfilled…!]

If he couldn’t defeat them, then he would wear them down inside the Shadow Hole!

No matter how many times the walls were broken and shattered, he believed that the final victory would be his.

With that determination, Shadowwill strengthened the Shadow Hole.

“So you’re placing your faith in the Moon’s Blessing.”

[That’s right. You colonial livestock… You are bound by an inherent limitation—subjugation. The rulers of this world are us, the demons. Unless you can cut down the moon, we will remain eternal and immortal on this land.]

“Immortal, huh. That’s what made things so troublesome. Even those Black Skulls—eliminating them was difficult as long as they had the Moon’s Blessing.”

Even after completing the Four Swords, he had been unable to annihilate Black Skull César, who had been hiding within the Lily Palace.

It wasn’t because César was strong.

It was solely because the Moon’s Blessing allowed him to regenerate.

The Moon’s irritating blessing, shining down upon the colonies.

Without a way to counter it, independence for the Borderlands was nothing but a distant dream.

“I can’t cut down the moon just yet… But there’s another way.”

[What…?]

“I just have to steal its light.”

Whoosh.

Bringing the blazing Holy Sword Astella to his lips, Kaylen whispered.

“O Child of the Sun, Astella—you understand, don’t you?”

[W-What are you saying…?!]

“The moonlight exists only because of the sun.”

[…]

“Therefore, the moon’s radiance is naturally beneath the sun.”

[Y-Yes…!]

“That’s right. It’s all your light.”

[Understood!]

At Kaylen’s words, the blade of the Holy Sword Astella turned crimson.

And in response, the blessing of the Red Moon began to shift toward Astella.

As the Moon’s Blessing flowed like a current, Shadowwill shouted in a panicked voice.

[W-What is this…?! You’re redirecting the Moon’s Blessing?!]

“Moonlight manipulation. That, too, is a power of the Sun Sword.”

[Impossible…! That can’t be! The blessing comes directly from the headquarters! There’s no way—!]

Kaylen let out a smirk.

Of course, he wouldn’t believe it.

Who would have expected that the Holy Sword he had once suppressed so easily would have such an ability?

But—

The Sun Sword Astella had existed since the dawn of humanity.

The sword itself remained oblivious, never realizing its own potential…

Yet the power hidden within it was immeasurable.

[Ugh… Ughh…]

The thickness of the shadow walls thinned, their strength weakening.

Shadowwill felt the power that had been reinforcing him fading away, unable to accept the reality before him.

[Kh… Heh, heh. No… This can’t be. How could a Holy Sword possibly steal the Moon’s Blessing…?!]

“You’ll understand once you feel it.”

Chiik!

Lightning struck from the Holy Sword.

In an instant, the shadow walls melted away.

Up to this point, it was the same as before.

‘It… It’s not regenerating…!’

Once the walls were torn apart, they did not restore themselves.

“More importantly… You’ve absorbed an awful lot of Corrupted Mana.”

Srrrng.

Behind Kaylen, the Dark Sword surged to life, expanding in size.

“In that case, I should make proper use of it.”

Sixfold Sword Style

Second Blade—Heaven Reversal

The Holy Sword pointed toward the sky.

The Dark Sword aimed toward the ground.

As the two blades slowly rotated clockwise, swapping positions—

Shadowwill felt his own body flicker.

[W-What… is this…?]

“Shadows—become light.”

Flash!

The inside of the Shadow Hole was filled with dazzling radiance.

The Holy Sword was engulfed in darkness, while the Dark Sword shone brilliantly white.

The complete reversal of light and darkness—Second Blade: Heaven Reversal.

Shadows, which originate from light yet are inherently darkness, could not withstand this power.

As Shadowwill gazed at his now-radiant body—

He recalled the stories of his ancestors, those who had fallen in the Borderlands.

The legend that spoke of shadows turning into light and vanishing.

Back then, he had believed it was simply a tale of warriors cutting them down with a hero’s sword.

But now, he understood.

[You… You’re… a Hero…]

With those final words—

Shadowwill, Viscount of the Demon Realm, became light and disappeared.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]