The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 174

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 174

The voice of the Celestial God that awakened Baldrix.

It was a divine voice that no one could possibly imitate.

A solemn command from the One True God to His creation.

The impact it carried was so overwhelming that even though Kaylen had merely heard the voice through Baldrix’s memories, it was enough to unearth long-sealed fragments of his own past.

—Hero Ernstine.

The final battle before the Demon King’s castle.

During that climactic confrontation, Marquess Lucifer of the Demon Realm had stood as the last line of defense, engaging in a relentless duel with Ernstine.

—Hero…!

—Saintess, stand back. This one is stronger than the Demon Dukes.

Lucifer was more powerful than any foe Ernstine had ever faced.

Though he didn’t wield any peculiar powers, his mastery over dark magic was flawless, allowing him to withstand even the Holy Sword’s radiance, resulting in an evenly matched battle.

After exchanging countless blows for several minutes—

—Is this all…?

Lucifer muttered cryptically as he took a step back.

Then, an enormous shift occurred. The overwhelming darkness that had enveloped him was suddenly replaced by radiant divine energy, revealing a completely different presence.

—Hero. The truth is, I am an Archangel who infiltrated the Demon Realm.

—An… Archangel?

—Yes. I am the Celestial God’s hidden sword.

—I am Lucifer, the Fourth Archangel.

—…That’s hard to believe. As far as I know, there are only three Archangels.

—That is merely what has been revealed to the mortal world. Hero, allow me to prove my identity.

From behind Lucifer, magnificent wings of pure light unfurled, flooding the battlefield with divine power.

The demons guarding the Demon King’s castle were instantly incinerated without so much as a scream.

The Saintess and the human forces who had accompanied Ernstine froze in place, their gazes vacant, bodies paralyzed by the sheer pressure of divinity.

A blinding white light consumed the Demon King’s stronghold.

Seeing that, Ernstine nodded in acknowledgment.

This was a power only an Archangel could possess.

—Indeed, no demon could ever wield such divine energy.

—Hero. The Crimson Flame Demon King is the most formidable of all Demon Kings in history. Therefore, I shall bestow my blessing upon you.

—Why not just fight alongside me?

Ernstine, witnessing Lucifer’s overwhelming power, spoke plainly.

If an Archangel fought by his side, defeating the Demon King would be effortless.

—I cannot. The Demon King must fall by the Hero’s hand…

Lucifer rejected the offer without hesitation and instead bestowed upon Ernstine the Blessing of Light.

—In the name of the Celestial God, I command you—purge all darkness, Hero.

A divine blessing far stronger than any the Saintess had ever granted him.

Yet, instead of focusing on the surge of power coursing through his body, Ernstine found himself shaken by something else—

‘…I almost fell to my knees.’

When Lucifer invoked the Celestial God’s name, his altered voice carried an irresistible force.

Even Ernstine, a Grand Swordmaster and an absolute existence in his own right, had nearly succumbed to submission.

No matter how powerful an Archangel might be—how could mere words hold such overwhelming dominion?

As Ernstine stood in shock, Lucifer spoke once more.

—And… awaken to your true nature, Ernstine.

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Awaken to your essence.

With those final words, Lucifer vanished.

Ernstine had never been able to recall that day—

At least, not until he heard the voice of the Celestial God within Baldrix’s memories.

* * *

“So that’s what happened.”

Johannes wore a grave expression after hearing the full account from Kaylen.

To command someone to realize their essence and then seal their memories?

Considering that Ernstine had already attained the rank of Grand Sword Master at the time, such a feat should have been impossible—even for an Archangel.

“No matter how I think about it, that’s beyond the capabilities of an Archangel.”

“Agreed. The voice I heard from Lucifer back then… it must have belonged to the Celestial God.”

“…No way. Are you saying Lucifer— the current White Demon King— is actually the Celestial God…?”

Johannes muttered in disbelief.

Deimos, the ruler of the Three Realms and the White Demon King.

He had conquered the Middle Realm while possessing a demon king’s body, and even successfully invaded the Celestial Realm—

And now, the claim that he was the Celestial God all along?

“That… that doesn’t make sense. If he were the Celestial God, why would he try to destroy the Celestial Realm? Wouldn’t it be easier to rule the Demon Realm as the Celestial God instead?”

“I don’t believe the White Demon King is the Celestial God either. But there’s something else that bothers me.”

“What is it?”

“Saint Pope Benedict and the people of Sanctuary… They all share an unusual trait—

Their hair. It’s black, just like the demons, and it emanates traces of dark mana.”

“…Hmm. Yeah, that always struck me as odd.”

Back when Ernstine was still studying magic, he recalled seeing the Saint Pope smile as he examined the dragon scales that had appeared on the Emperor’s nape.

If Ernstine truly carried the mark of a dragon, the proper response would have been to warn him or take countermeasures.

Yet, throughout the years, the Saint Pope had chosen to simply observe—

Almost as if he had been waiting for something.

‘Lucifer told me to realize my essence. The Saint Pope smiled upon seeing the dragon scales. It’s as if… they were both hoping I would awaken as the Dragon God.’

And if that was truly their intent—

Then they had succeeded.

Ernstine had abandoned the Six Sword Path and chosen the Six Demons Path instead.

And beyond that, he had decided to become the Dragon God.

‘And at the final moment… The Celestial God awakened Baldrix, making him flee with the Mana Suit.

The Six Sword Path was contained within that suit.

If I, the Dragon God, had absorbed it… I would have become complete.

The Celestial God had no issue awakening the Dragon God—

But He refused to allow me to become whole.’

‘Perhaps, if I had reached completion, even the Celestial God would have struggled to handle me.’

After all, the Celestial God had barely managed to subdue him when he was incomplete.

If the Dragon God had been in his perfect form, the outcome might have been reversed.

‘Still, all of this is just speculation.’

Even after recovering his lost memories thanks to the Celestial God’s voice, it was still only a hypothesis.

To turn this theory into something concrete, he needed proof.

“I need to find Sanctuary’s location.”

“Sanctuary…? Are you planning to confront the Saint Pope?”

“Yes. I can’t afford to clash with the Geysir Empire while leaving Sanctuary’s forces at my back.

Now that I know the truth about the past, I need to hear what they have to say.”

Sanctuary itself wasn’t a significant military threat, but the Saint Pope, Benedict, held too many answers.

“Johannes. Do you have any idea where Sanctuary might be?”

“Hmm…”

Johannes simply shrugged at Kaylen’s question.

“They’ve hidden it so well that even I gave up looking. It’d be great if we had a lead, though.”

“A lead, huh…”

Kaylen drew the Holy Sword Astella from the Light Sword of the Six Sword Path.

"Astella, do you have any idea where your replica is located?"

[Hmm… I can sense a part of myself in the north. More precisely… in the sky.]

The sanctuary where the replica of the Holy Sword Astella was embedded.

Though the Holy Sword couldn't pinpoint the exact location of its replica, it could at least detect the general direction.

"The northern sky… that's too broad," Kaylen muttered.

Johannes let out a deep sigh but nodded.

"Still, it's better than having no clue about its direction or altitude. I'll try to locate it."

"I appreciate it."

"Alright. Let's leave it at that for now… Can you hear out Baldrix’s request?"

Baldrix’s request.

Kaylen already had a guess.

In his final moments, within the depths of his memories…

Ernstine had been certain of his return.

—Forge a sword.

He had asked Baldrix to craft a sword for him.

"Father."

Creak. Creak.

Baldrix's skeletal fingers scraped against the floor as he slowly shifted his body backward.

A torso with only upper limbs remaining—no legs.

His bones were mismatched in size.

Some were fully developed, like those of an adult, while others were as small as a child's.

A powerful undead knight.

Yet, his skeletal structure was far from that of a mere Death Knight.

"I… have awaited this moment."

Turning his entire disjointed body with effort, Baldrix faced Kaylen directly.

Though he was nothing more than a skeleton and had no facial expressions, Kaylen could somehow feel a sense of relief emanating from him.

"This… is for you."

Swish…

From Baldrix’s hands, the earth began to rise.

The mound of dirt completely engulfing his hands soon took form.

"This is…"

A crude sword.

Even a child molding clay with their bare hands would have shaped something more refined than this.

To Kaylen, who had wielded countless legendary blades, this earthen sword was utterly unremarkable.

Yet, when he saw it, he was struck speechless.

"......"

From the crude blade, an immense amount of earth mana radiated.

Mana forcibly condensed and compressed over and over—until the very essence of the earth's power was embedded within it.

Though its form was laughable, the power it contained was real.

"As per my duty… I have forged a sword. Though its shape is lacking…"

Baldrix lifted his arms, and the sword rose with them.

"I have infused it with as much earth mana as possible… to be worthy of the Six Swords."

The final request of Ernstine—to forge a sword.

Baldrix had fully understood the meaning behind those brief words.

"A sword worthy of the Six Swords… has been forged."

The Holy Sword Astella, housed within the Light Sword.

The Dragon Flame of Kaina, contained within the Fire Sword—both its form and power befitting a divine blade.

Yet, the crude earthen sword that Baldrix had forged…

Its shape was far too rough to be called a divine sword.

Though the mana within it could not rival that of a Holy Sword, it was in no way inferior to the Dragon Flame.

"This is truly an exceptional sword, Baldrix… How in the world did you manage to forge this?"

"Look at his bones. Don't they seem… small to you?"

Johannes pointed at Baldrix's skeletal frame as he spoke.

"This nameless continent is a land where earth mana is densely concentrated. The creatures that lived here had an exceptional affinity for earth mana. Even long after their deaths, traces of that mana remained in their bones."

"Then… that means…"

"That's right. Baldrix discarded his own bones and replaced them with those of the creatures from this land. All to complete that sword."

He had taken the bones of another race, grafting them onto himself.

Drawing upon the earth’s power, he had pounded away at the forge for centuries.

Again and again, the borrowed bones had crumbled away.

His own undead frame had been reduced to ruins.

But Baldrix had never wavered.

If it meant fulfilling his father’s final command, none of it mattered.

He had long since lost track of time, forging endlessly in the darkness.

‘…You’ve suffered so much.’

Kaylen took the crude earthen sword, his expression heavy.

Had he truly toiled away for centuries in this suffocating prison?

All because of Ernstine’s final request?

Even if this was a magnificent sword… the thought of it ached in his chest.

"Please… grant this sword a name."

"Let it bear your name."

"Are you saying…"

"Baldrix. This sword of the earth shall be named after you."

Clack, clack.

Baldrix clattered his jawbone together, as if overjoyed.

"It is an honor, Father… Then, at last, I may rest."

Perhaps because he had finally handed over the earthen sword, the very thing he had forged as an undead for his entire existence…

Baldrix’s will to continue living began to fade.

Plop. Plop.

The bones of other races, fused to his own, started falling away one by one.

Fragments of his forearms and ribs crumbled to the ground.

At this rate, the rest he had long sought would soon come.

Though as an undead, he could continue to exist…

With no will to hold him together, Baldrix's body was slowly collapsing.

Kaylen watched in silence before speaking in a calm voice.

"Baldrix. I understand your desire to rest. But… don’t you want to know who was behind all of this?"

"……That is…"

"As your father, I would respect your wish for peace. But if there are still questions left unanswered—if there is lingering regret—then you may choose to stay a little longer."

At Kaylen’s words, Baldrix lowered his head deeply.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then, slowly, his head rose once more.

"……Understood. I will remain… a little longer."

A faint red light flickered within his hollow eye sockets.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]