Chapter 296

As the brilliant starlight of the Galaxy Sword Dance poured down like the Milky Way.

It pierced through the dark, black sphere that was like a shadow.

The heart was pierced.

And Edian, who was holding it, crumbled and let out a monstrous scream.

“Keuheok…”

With that, as he destroyed all the demons' hearts.

The long-awaited message appeared before Seonghyun's eyes.

[You have satisfied one of the succession conditions for the Necromancer Lord!]

[Acquire weapons imbued with demonic energy. (5 / 5) (Complete)]

[Destroy the hearts of the demons, the source of demonic energy. (Complete)]

[To unlock the final condition, go to the Necromancer Lord.]

It was the message he had wanted.

But Seonghyun smacked his lips, quite disappointed.

To be honest, although he had summoned all his retainers.

Seonghyun was the only one who had dealt with them.

He wanted to try facing the three demons alone first, and when he did.

‘They're worse than the Forbiddens...’

The ones who were supposed to be the masters of demonic energy were far worse than the Forbiddens, who only wielded weapons imbued with demonic energy.

As Seonghyun smacked his lips in disappointment.

Helena approached and spoke as if in understanding.

“It's because they were low-rank demons.”

“Hmm…”

“Even mid-rank demons are quite strong. You'll probably meet them more and more as you get involved with the Sword Saint, so let's look forward to the future.”

Seonghyun, thinking he should do that, soothed his disappointment.

He looked at the message.

He had unlocked the second condition.

He thought the final condition would be unlocked as well.

But he had to go to the Necromancer Lord.

Well, he was planning to go to the Serul Magic Tower anyway.

As Seonghyun thought that and was about to return right away.

Helena spoke to Seonghyun urgently.

“Seonghyun? I think we need to go quickly.”

“...Ah.”

At Helena's words, Seonghyun also turned his head.

He could faintly feel a presence like the sun from the direction of Heptarion.

To be precise, he could see a flash of light like the sun.

A familiar yet unpleasant energy.

It was the Sword Saint's energy.

He had heard he was coming tomorrow.

He didn't even think about why he had appeared now.

The problem was that he had appeared.

“We need to get out of here.”

To avoid being discovered as much as possible, Seonghyun put all his retainers into the underworld.

Then he escaped from the barrier.

He had left in such a hurry that he couldn't do anything about the incomplete demonic weapons.

If he delayed and encountered the Sword Saint here, it would be troublesome.

Of course, he didn't think the Sword Saint would be able to do anything significant.

It was best to avoid meeting him if possible.

Thinking this, Seonghyun left the barrier as quickly as possible and headed for Heptarion.

And before he had even completely left the forest.

He held his breath as he saw something moving in the sky, flashing like the sun.

But it moved on just like that.

If he had shown even the slightest sign, he could have been discovered.

‘Phew.’

Fortunately, the light that was like the sun didn't pay any attention to Seonghyun and flew in the direction where Seonghyun had been until just a moment ago.

He doesn't think it didn't feel him.

Thinking that it just didn't care, he headed to Heptarion as quickly as possible.

Then he wondered if he should leave as soon as possible.

But Seonghyun still had something to do.

He went to Heptarion and told Taukhan that he had defeated the demons.

He advised them to live in the shantytown for a while and return to the forest only after some time had passed, then he headed to Septem Arcana, where the Serul Magic Tower was located.

‘I really thought I was going to get caught.’

He couldn't understand why he had come so early.

But anyway, he had escaped well.

Isn't that what matters.

It was a pity that he couldn't say goodbye to the Caliber Magic Tower.

But it wasn't a rare occurrence for new knights to run away.

Leaving behind the disappointed escort knight captain.

Seonghyun thought so and teleported away.

6.

The Rieskan Kingdom has a king, but there was a separate being who symbolized the sun.

And the appearance of such a Sword Saint was nothing short of a joy for the people.

As the citizens of Heptarion, who had flocked to get a glimpse of the Sword Saint who had suddenly made an appearance, cheered and threw flowers around him.

The Sword Saint walked the path silently, but he did not wave his hand with a benevolent smile.

Even if he didn't do such things, all the people were cheering for his appearance as a hero.

However, the Sword Saint had a great deal of displeasure with this kind of superficial event.

The anxious feeling still existed.

‘How annoying.’

If he had his way, he would have wanted to cut down everyone here and head to the magic tower.

But the fact that he couldn't do that made his insides burn.

As he went through the event appropriately and headed quickly to the magic tower.

He couldn't help but frown.

Although the tower master, the Archmage, and the mages had come out for his procession.

There were no familiar faces.

‘Edian.’

If he had come, the face that should have appeared was nowhere to be seen.

Was it because his displeasure was faintly showing on his face?

“...Is there anything that is making you uncomfortable?”

The tower master looked at the Sword Saint and asked, and at the tower master's words, the Sword Saint couldn't say anything significant.

Officially, Edian and the Sword Saint had no connection.

And the tower master didn't know that either.

Indeed, what tower master would be happy to know that a demon was residing in his tower.

That's why he had them stay as quietly as possible here.

Edian was not to be seen.

Therefore, the Sword Saint spoke as indirectly as possible.

“...The numbers seem to be lacking?”

“Ah, you must be referring to the fact that some mages are not present. They have gone outside to find materials to make magical weapons due to the orders they received.”

At those slightly barbed words.

Although it was annoying.

The Sword Saint also replied appropriately, as if he understood.

“...I see.”

That means Edian is in a laboratory outside.

Is he simply working hard on making demonic weapons?

It seemed he could understand it that way and just leave.

But for some reason, the Sword Saint felt a sense of urgency.

Therefore.

“Everyone is working hard.”

“Hahaha, it is all thanks to your care, Sword Saint-nim. However, the mages have not been able to rest much lately, so I am thinking of reducing the number of orders for the time being.”

“...”

Although it was a bit unpleasant.

No matter how much he was the hero of the Rieskan Kingdom, the Sword Saint could not just ignore what the tower master was saying so openly.

He could have also rejected that opinion.

But the Sword Saint, who was in a hurry, nodded as if he understood.

“So be it.”

“Hahaha, thank you.”

At those words, the Archmage, Serena, had a strange light in her eyes, as if wondering what was going on.

If that was true, she would be able to get some rest.

The Sword Saint, regardless, spoke to leave the magic tower quickly.

“Everyone, keep up the good work.”

Saying so, he came out of the magic tower.

As the Sword Saint came out, he could hear cheers from behind.

But now was not the time to care about such things.

The Sword Saint, who had come outside, looked around.

He knew he had to go to the lord right away, but looking at the attendants who revered him, he spoke immediately.

“I will be leaving for a moment.”

At those words, one of the Sword Saint's disciples, who could be called the leader of the attendants, bowed his head and said.

“I will take care of it well.”

“Alright.”

With those words, the Sword Saint disappeared from the spot like light, and the sun-like presence momentarily disappeared, then flew away as if shot somewhere.

However, he was so stealthy and swift that no one could notice him.

And the Sword Saint, while flying quickly, did not forget to search his surroundings as well.

Because Edian might be around.

While flying so fast.

He felt a certain energy in the forest.

It was a stronger energy than he had thought.

But it was well contained, so it was hard to grasp its characteristics.

Even so, compared to him, it was like a firefly, and above all, it was the energy of an outsider.

He didn't need to care about some outsider.

Ignoring it, he flew quickly towards the forest.

He was faster than anything else, but why?

Was it just anxiousness?

The Sword Saint reached a certain point.

And as soon as he felt like he was passing through a barrier, the scenery changed as if it had been transformed into a desolate place.

A land where the trees were withered and dyed in an ashen color.

It was a place riddled with demonic energy.

However.

‘...There was a battle.’

Even though he was looking down from a dizzying height.

He could clearly see the traces.

How could there have been a battle here?

It was not easy to break through this barrier unless the demons allowed it.

Who on earth could invade this place?

While he couldn't understand.

The Sword Saint slowly descended to the ground to find out the truth.

But even after he came down to the ground, he couldn't feel any presence.

If he had emitted such a presence, Edian should have come right away.

He doesn't come.

And he couldn't feel any presence either.

‘...To have died within the barrier.’

Edian and the other two demons died within the barrier where their hearts were?

Can such a strong person come here?

He thought so.

A being who forcibly invades the barrier and kills the demons.

To do that, one must be able to detect the demons above all else.

A strong person who meets those three conditions appeared here?

He couldn't understand it because it should have been possible only for someone who had reached the level of a transcendent being like himself.

Even he himself could barely come here because it was the Rieskan Kingdom.

Could another transcendent being set foot in his territory?

‘...Impossible.’

But isn't the scene unfolding before his eyes explaining just that?

As the Sword Saint entered the stone chamber with a displeased look.

Weapons brimming with demonic energy were scattered about.

But they weren't yet emitting the aura of demonic weapons, as if they were unfinished.

Unfinished demonic weapons.

And the stone chamber, completely empty of anyone.

After seeing all that, he came outside.

He belatedly examined the traces of the battle.

It wasn't a one-hit kill.

Seeing that there were quite a few traces left.

It's not a transcendent being like him.

‘...How dare they.’

To ruin his plan so fearlessly.

While he was fuming.

The Sword Saint could see one of the traces.

And as soon as he saw it, his two eyes trembled as if he couldn't understand.

An aura, embedded like a faint, shining starlight.

Even if he wanted to not know, he couldn't not know. Looking at that aura, his eyes trembled violently as he muttered.

“The... Galaxy Sword Dance?”

The traces of the sword art he had searched for so long were left there intact.

He couldn't comprehend how this had happened.

They had surely kept the Hero secured.

And yet someone wielding the Galaxy Sword Dance had appeared?

While he stood there dazed at the incomprehensible scene, he recalled the outsider he had sensed on the way here and shot back into the air, but the outsider’s presence he had felt in the forest had already vanished.

‘Could it be?’

Did they sense him and flee?

An outsider who wielded the Galaxy Sword Dance. If he could capture them somehow, he could raise them as a rival to that brat of Over Palace.

His failure to scrutinize the signature of that aura had been his mistake.

‘I can’t find them.’

For now, more than the master of Over Palace, there was something he had to find first.

‘Find the wielder of the Galaxy Sword Dance.’

The one who inherited Hindel’s power.

With that person alone, might they not be the key to toppling Over Palace.

Lost in that thought, the Sword Saint even forgot that his plan had collapsed, and formed a new one.

He never imagined that the wielder of the Galaxy Sword Dance and the master of Over Palace were one and the same.