The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 195

Whoosh.

As the hood was pulled back, the black skeletal knight, Baldrix, revealed himself.

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Unlike his devastated state when the Earth Divine Sword was forged, Baldrix had now fully restored his bones and radiated an intense dark energy.

“You’ve completely recovered.”

“Yes. It was faster than I expected.”

Given the severe damage he sustained during the sword’s creation, Johannes had anticipated that recovery would take at least a year.

But Baldrix had healed much quicker than expected.

“Well done, Baldrix.”

“Yes, Father.”

Kaylen gazed at the fully restored Baldrix.

Not only was his strength unmatched in the current era, but he also surpassed the renowned Sword Masters from a thousand years ago.

“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

As Kaylen extended his hand, Baldrix reached out and shook it.

‘Baldrix is also adept at administrative duties. I should entrust him with them.’

Though Baldrix was second only to Kaylen in martial prowess among contemporary knights, his strength meant little when their remaining enemies were divine beings.

Instead, with his experience in ruling a nation, Kaylen planned to assign him to handle Violet’s administrative work.

‘I should also verify if Violet is truly a descendant of merfolk and test her abilities...’

While Kaylen was formulating his future plans, Baldrix slowly opened his mouth.

“Father. May I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is the Celestial God truly the Celestial Demon?”

Had he heard about it from Johannes?

Although Baldrix’s skeletal face revealed no expression, his tone was serious.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“……”

At Kaylen’s firm answer, Baldrix remained silent, his face emotionless.

Shrring.

Suddenly, he drew his sword from his waist.

“B-Baldrix? What are you doing?”

Johannes called his name in confusion, his voice flustered.

But a red light gleamed in Baldrix’s eye sockets where his pupils should have been.

“Father. I seek your guidance.”

“What guidance? You’ve only just recovered!”

Johannes reacted with frustration, raising his voice.

But—

“Very well.”

Kaylen, his eyes glimmering with interest, nodded.

‘There must be a reason why Baldrix suddenly requested a duel.’

Among Kaylen’s many sons, Baldrix was the only one with true sword talent.

But he wasn’t the type to be completely obsessed with the sword.

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have competed with Caius for the position of the next emperor.

After confirming the true identity of the Celestial Demon once more, it seemed there was some connection to his sudden request for guidance.

“In that case, may I ask for one more favor?”

“Go ahead.”

“Please face me using the sword I forged.”

With the sword Baldrix had crafted?

Kaylen nodded.

“Very well.”

The Royal Training Grounds

The knights training there had all paused, sheathing their swords for the moment.

It was because Emperor Kaylen and the Death Knight who accompanied him were about to begin a sparring match.

The knights, well aware of Kaylen’s strength, focused their attention on his opponent—the Death Knight.

“That black skeleton…”

“Is that a Death Knight? His aura is overwhelming.”

“He seems even stronger than Lord Eldir.”

The Death Knight made no attempt to conceal his formidable dark energy, letting it radiate freely.

The black aura emanating from his sword was so menacing that it made even the knights present shrink back.

An absolute force that none of the knights could hope to challenge, even if they all attacked together.

‘In contrast, His Majesty’s sword…’

‘It looks too crude.’

A sword seemingly molded from clay—something even a child could shape better.

It appeared as though it would crumble with a single touch.

While all the knights knew of Kaylen’s overwhelming power, if judged solely by the swords, it seemed like Kaylen would be at a complete disadvantage.

‘That sword…’

‘It can’t be judged by its appearance.’

‘It’s filled with immense earth mana.’

Of course, the more perceptive knights sensed the true nature of Kaylen’s sword.

But even they thought it wasn’t strong enough to match the Death Knight’s weapon.

“Thank you for accepting this duel, Father.”

“Yes. It has been a long time since our last spar. Is your sword still the Mountain Sword?”

Mountain Sword.

It was the unique sword technique Baldrix had mastered in his human days.

His Aura Sword was known for its overwhelming power, crushing his opponents with sheer force.

It resembled the imposing might of a great mountain, and upon Baldrix’s request for a name, Ernstine had named it the Mountain Sword.

“Yes. The sword you once saw, Father, was a crude Aura Sword, unworthy of bearing the name of a mountain. But now…”

“Has it changed?”

“Yes, Father.”

Rumble…

The ground trembled.

The soil of the training grounds slowly began to rise into the air.

Black ripples rose from the ground.

They gathered around the Death Knight’s sword, merging with the black aura and expanding it further.

“After a thousand years… I seek your guidance once more.”

Hissss.

The expanded aura reached a length of about five meters.

It was similar in size to the Mountain Sword Baldrix had wielded when he was human a thousand years ago.

At first glance, it seemed that there had been little progress over the centuries, but—

‘The true essence of the Mountain Sword isn’t in the aura itself.’

Whoosh.

As the expanded Aura Sword slowly descended toward Kaylen, the surrounding atmosphere pressed down on him.

It wasn’t merely the aura that weighed upon Kaylen—it was an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.

Simultaneously, the gravity from the earth beneath intensified, pulling him downward.

‘This is why the strike isn’t fast… but the opponent can’t escape the Mountain Sword.’

With the sword, the air, and the earth itself pressing down, it felt exactly as Kaylen had described—like being trapped beneath a massive mountain, unable to move.

‘He’s certainly improved compared to before.’

A thousand years ago, it was only the aura and atmosphere that restrained him.

But now, even the earth supported Baldrix.

If his opponent wasn’t Kaylen, they would have been crushed by the surrounding pressure long before the sword struck.

Moreover—

‘He’s controlling his strength well. The surrounding knights seem unaffected.’

In the past, when Baldrix had unleashed the Mountain Sword, the surroundings were devastated.

But now, his strike targeted only Kaylen with precision.

‘He spent centuries forging his sword, unable to fully train in his swordsmanship…’

Despite replacing his bones with gnome-crafted ones and dedicating himself to forging, the Mountain Sword had clearly evolved.

Kaylen found it admirable.

Had Baldrix spent that time training his sword instead of forging, his progress might have been even greater.

With that thought, Kaylen spoke.

“Then I shall grant you my guidance.”

The crude clay sword awakened with Baldrix’s mana.

For a brief moment, a yellow aura shimmered from the sword.

“Ah…”

The trembling earth instantly calmed.

The crushing atmosphere returned to stillness.

Baldrix’s crude-looking sword turned the Mountain Sword’s restraint into nothingness in an instant.

No matter how crude its form, this was undoubtedly a sword worthy of being considered a divine blade.

“As expected.”

Baldrix muttered quietly as he witnessed the power of the sword bearing his name.

Though his skeletal face revealed nothing, the movement of his jawbone suggested a smile.

With the pressure from all directions dissipated, only Baldrix’s sword strike remained.

As befitting a Sword Master, the force was immense, but the speed was slow.

Now that the surrounding pressure had vanished, even a high-ranking Sword Expert could evade the attack.

It was safe to say that the Mountain Sword had been completely nullified.

“Please, continue until the end.”

“Alright.”

However, Baldrix did not stop.

And Kaylen responded in kind.

The dark Aura Sword, brimming with intense energy, clashed with the crude Earth Sword.

‘I don’t know exactly what’s going on...

‘But no matter how crude that Earth Sword looks, His Majesty is wielding it.’

‘It will soon trigger a fierce collision.’

The knights anticipated the imminent clash of Aura Swords.

Pssssss—

A deflating sound came from Kaylen’s Earth Sword.

The shape of the sword wavered for a moment.

‘No way!?’

And at that instant—

Swoosh.

Baldrix’s Aura Sword passed cleanly through Kaylen’s Earth Sword.

Without encountering any resistance.

Like a blade piercing through soft earth, the black Aura Sword drove forward.

For the first time since the duel began, confusion flickered in Kaylen’s eyes.

“What… what just happened?”

With a light tap, Kaylen blocked the aura with his finger instead of his sword, gazing at Baldrix with a puzzled expression.

No matter how powerful Baldrix's aura was,

It shouldn’t be able to pierce a sword that stood among the ranks of divine swords.

It was an incomprehensible situation.

“Just as I thought…”

But the Death Knight, who had pierced through the Earth Sword, withdrew his sword and nodded as if he had expected this outcome.

“Father. Do you remember the question I asked earlier?”

“About the identity of the Celestial God?”

“Yes.”

“What about it...?”

“Where was it that saved Uncle?”

Kaylen’s expression hardened at those words.

The place that had saved the once-dead Johannes—

Was the Celestial Realm.

It was back when the Celestial Demon was still regarded as a Celestial God.

“I’ve always had one lingering question. Why did they specifically choose to revive Uncle as an undead in the Celestial Realm? Because he possessed dark magic, I too had no choice but to survive as a Death Knight.”

“Yes… it wasn’t like the Celestial Realm. Reviving Johannes as a Lich, using dark magic, was certainly unusual for the Celestial Realm.”

“And along with that question, I experienced something strange when I reconstructed my body this time.”

Baldrix stared straight at his Earth Sword and said,

“When I focus my mind, even if just for a moment… I can stop the functioning of the Earth Sword Baldrix.”

“What…?”

Was that the reason why the Earth Sword Baldrix had halted when the swords clashed earlier?

“Father, I am a Death Knight. Though I seem to have free will now, in the end, I am still an undead, bound to obey my master's commands.”

“……”

“That applies to Uncle as well. Therefore...”

Baldrix pointed to himself and said,

“I believe it would be right to eliminate me and Uncle before we become a threat.”

Despite having only recently been resurrected—

Baldrix urged to be cut down.

Hearing his son’s loyal words, Kaylen shook his head.

“There’s no need for that.”

“But...”

“Baldrix. Try stopping the sword’s function again.”

“Yes.”

Baldrix faithfully followed Kaylen’s command and attempted to halt the Earth Sword Baldrix just like before.

However—

“Huh…?”

Unlike before, the Earth Sword Baldrix held firm without the slightest tremor, maintaining its proper form.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]