Chapter 2263 – 2263. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
As the situation concluded, the warriors nearby rushed over.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?!”
“That mage dared to attack!”
I stared indifferently at the fussing warriors. If they had wanted to intervene, they could have done so earlier, not after the situation was over.
“I’m tired of your dawdling. This is a royal order. All of you, charge!”
“Y-Your Highness. We are the war chiefs. We must protect Your Highness and command the warriors…!”
Protect?
Those weaker than me are going to protect me? I remember none of them stepping forward when I fought Biphu just now. What makes them think I’d entrust my protection to them?
Annoyance surged within me. A fierce aura emanated, threatening the warriors. They quickly lowered their gaze.
I summoned my axe and hurled it at the head of the war chief who had dared to defy me. The axe blade pierced his skull, and lightning exploded.
*Boom!*
The war chief’s body burst, scattering in all directions. The warriors froze instantly.
“I said it was a royal order. You have two choices. Charge, or die by my hand as traitors.”
The warriors immediately turned around. They knew very well that I was the type to kill anyone I didn’t like, regardless of whether they were a war chief or not.
*Booooooo!*
The horn blared again, powerfully. The war chief and his warriors charged towards the castle.
I slowly walked towards the castle. Those who lagged behind or tried to flee were met with my axe, splitting their skulls.
The warriors gritted their teeth and charged towards the castle. The great warriors took the lead, and the war chief urged the warriors on. The war accelerated rapidly. The number of warriors dying quickly increased.
*Thump!*
The castle gate was breached. The massive gate, which had seemed like it would remain closed forever, fell backward, opening the castle.
“Finally!!”
“It’s time for plunder!”
“Thorn! You bastards! Die quietly!!”
The warriors cheered and entered.
Until now, once they entered the castle, the war was essentially over. They killed those who resisted, raped the women, and plundered homes for valuables. But this time, things were different.
“I’d rather die than become slaves to you barbarians!”
“Ompas! I offer you everything, give me strength!”
The resistance of the Thorn Kingdom’s people was fierce. Despite lacking proper weapons, using cooking utensils and wooden sticks, they resisted desperately. Normally, such resistance would be futile, but their bodies were transforming in real-time, giving the warriors a hard time.
“Did these bastards sell their souls to the devil?! They’re a disgrace to humanity! Die!!”
“Damn it! We won’t kill the women! I said we won’t kill them! Don’t transform!”
The castle quickly descended into chaos. The people of Thorn resisted to the end, and the Kairok warriors, blinded by plunder, barely listened to the war chief’s commands.
I ignored the chaos and walked down the main street. My goal was the inner castle. I would capture the king of the Thorn Kingdom and find out how to consistently obtain Lerritree.
‘Huh?’
The inner castle gate opened. Fully armed knights on horseback began to gallop down the main street. Their momentum was terrifying. Their gazes were fixed solely on me. I could feel their burning desire to kill me.
‘They don’t seem to be in a normal state. Is it the influence of Ompas or something?’
I took out five anti-tank mines from my inventory and laid them on the street. Then, I stepped back and watched the charging knights.
“For Thorn!”
“We will kill the War King!”
As they got closer, the knights shouted and increased their speed. Whether they were excited or drugged, one of the horses, in a frenzy, stepped on an anti-tank mine.
*Boom!*
About twenty knights were caught in the explosion. Black smoke billowed, and their body parts fell to the ground.
A knight, having lost his left arm, emerged from the smoke. He charged at me, his sword in his right hand. His blue aura blade shone even amidst the explosion.
I wasn’t fazed at all. I already knew of his presence through my senses.
Thunder Heaven Style (雷天流) Flying Thunder God (飛雷神).
I dodged his attack as if sliding, by a hair’s breadth, and struck his head with my axe. Already at his limit, he had no strength to block my counterattack. A pathetic end for an aura master.
I stepped over the aura master’s corpse and headed towards the royal palace at the end of the street.
“Aaaargh!”
The soldiers and knights guarding the entrance to the royal palace fell, unable to avoid the blades of my Fire Lotus Flying Daggers. I killed anyone I saw and went straight to the audience chamber.
A large, white door came into view. I kicked the ornately carved door open and entered the audience chamber.
Inside, Hyaku, the king of Thorn, sat on his throne. He looked weak, with a dying expression.
“…So, you’ve come this far.”
“What are you posturing for? You’ve lost. Tell me how to obtain Lerritree. Then, I’ll spare you and your family.”
“Lerritree! Is that why you interfered in the war of the Eastern Continent, because you coveted Lerritree?”
“Not just that.”
I approached him, holding my Fire Lotus Flying Daggers. Hyaku trembled but didn’t yield. Cutting off his limbs would help him make better choices in the future.
“What will you do after I surrender?”
“Naturally, the Thorn Kingdom will disappear, and it will be unified under Kairok. Continental unification. Peace will continue.”
“As a duke of the Western Continent, you must know how barbaric and uncivilized Kairok is. Kairok’s warrior culture will hinder the development of the Eastern Continent. Is that your goal? To hinder the development of the Eastern Continent?”
“We’ll colonize the Eastern Continent. There’s no plan beyond that, though?”
As long as I could suck the honey from the Eastern Continent, I didn’t care what happened to it. He tilted his head at the word ‘colonize.’ The concept of colonization didn’t exist in this world yet.
“I don’t understand what you mean… but I know it’s not a good intention.”
Hyaku looked at the ceiling and floor alternately with dying eyes, then said quietly.
“Ompas. He is the center of Kairok. If he dies, Kairok’s morale will fall, and the Kairok warriors will start a civil war over the position of War King. Please kill him for Thorn.”
“A king who doesn’t even think of fighting himself, but clings to a spirit.”
I openly mocked him. Hyaku closed his eyes and didn’t respond.
-It shall be done.
My steps halted. It appeared in the space between me and Hyaku.
It was fire. It was also water and rock. It was human, beast, and insect. It was everything in this world.
I frowned. I couldn’t determine anything. My eyes hurt from looking at it. Unrelated things were changing rapidly. It was distracting. Looking at it made me annoyed.
[The Heavenly Eye (天眼) is opened.]
Now I could see what it was.
‘An amorphous being. Because it is nothing, it can be anything. Is that it?’
There were quite a few odd things about it to call it a spirit of this world. It felt more like a demon than a spirit.
I could perceive it. Then I could fight it. I surrounded my Fire Lotus Flying Daggers with blue aura.
-You saw through me? You are an excellent warrior and a great sage.
“A great sage? That’s right. My intelligence is quite outstanding.”
-Hmm? Your tone sounds foolish. Are you not a sage?
“You bastard. Are you making fun of me?!”
I approached and swung my sword. Ompas flew upwards, dodging the blade.
It was a good sign. Dodging meant it was dangerous. If my attack posed no danger, it wouldn’t have dodged.
‘It can’t ignore an aura blade, even if it ignores everything else.’
*Zzzzt.*
Lightning flared from the center of my left hand. I swung my left hand, scattering lightning towards Ompas. Ompas didn’t dodge. It calmly accepted the current. The blue current passed through Ompas, as if nothing was there.
“What is this?”
-I am the spirit of everything in this world. Lightning is also a part of me. It doesn’t make sense for me to be harmed by myself, does it?
“Is there no aura blade in everything in this world?”
-That is special. It is the expression of will using mana as a material by masters who have reached the extreme. In a very broad sense, it can also be called a spirit.
[I use Flash (刹那). Remaining stacks: 11]
I closed the distance in an instant and swung my sword. Ompas floated upwards as if it knew everything, dodging the blade.
I opened my left hand. *Zzzzt!* Lightning surged from the center of my palm, then compressed, rotated, and amplified.
Thunder Heaven Style (雷天流) Ten Thousand Thunders (卍雷).
Lightning was fired towards Ompas. Ompas didn’t dodge, as if it was natural. That was its mistake. The essence of Ten Thousand Thunders was mana. There was no reason why my will couldn’t be contained in the mana I used.
-Aaaargh!
Ompas, electrocuted, screamed and fell.
‘Things are ending easier than I thought.’
I swung my Fire Lotus Flying Daggers at the falling Ompas.
Ompas’s form suddenly changed. From an amorphous shape, it transformed into a middle-aged man. He wore leather armor and held shining swords in both hands. Swords covered in aura blades. The swords pierced my openings precisely.
[I use Flash (刹那). Remaining stacks: 10]
I retreated using Flying Thunder God.
“Too bad.”
The man clicked his tongue and adjusted his stance. He held the swords in both hands, raised them to shoulder level, and pointed the tips at me.
“Who are you?”
“You know. I am Ompas.”
“Your tone, form, and presence have all changed completely. Is that your ability?”
“Among the abilities I possess, there aren’t many that directly involve combat. The most efficient one is becoming the form of a human I contracted with.”
Ompas lowered his stance. He bent his knees, put strength in his ankles, and then charged like a rocket.
His sword came from below my waist. I raised my sword to block his attack.
*Clang!*
Ompas, bounced back, turned his body and charged again as before. I chuckled.
“You fight like a beast.”
“This body was called Wolf Sword Jeff.”
“More like a dog, not a wolf.”
“All those who called me a dog are dead. I’ll cut your neck off like them.”
Ompas growled.
But what a pity. I had already grasped his fighting style.
