The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 193

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Chapter 193

Karim appeared from my rear and swiftly thrust his blade toward me.

“This time, you’d better not rely on luck…”

PAANG!!!

His dagger struck precisely—but pierced only empty air, not my body.

“Huh?”

“You’re even slower on the uptake than your friend.”

KWAANG!!!

His eyes widened slowly as I came into his view.

“Karim!!!”

Assassins specialize in sharp and stealthy attacks.

But to say Karim’s attack was sharp would be generous, considering the gap in our abilities. And to call it stealthy would be odd, since this was a head-on duel.

In other words—

All of his advantages were rendered meaningless.

On top of that, I had enhanced my physical body well beyond average through the use of aura.

Even if Karim Selvon boasted stealth and speed as his strengths…

Frankly speaking, his speed was nothing compared to someone like Sullivan I faced before—or even someone just below that, like a Sword Master.

“You bastard…”

Was it because his strengths were proving ineffective?

Or was it the realization that the opponent he’d looked down on was stronger than expected?

Karim began attacking more aggressively, faster and more violently.

So this is the kind of technique assassins from the continent use?

I suppose it was efficient in its own way, but the fundamental ‘hardware’—our physical capabilities—were so different that I couldn’t even analyze it properly.

KAANG!!

“Urgh?!”

When I deflected his best move and knocked his sword away, Karim’s eyes widened.

Before he could even retreat, I hooked his leg, blocked his escape route, grabbed his face, and smashed him into the ground.

His speed was definitely fast, but for someone like me—whose physical abilities had already surpassed even Sword Master level—an Expert-class assassin’s speed wasn’t that impressive.

And the difference in technique used to subdue opponents? Not even worth comparing.

“Guhhh?!”

“So, how many times have I died now?”

“You… bastard…”

“Was that two times?”

THUD!

“GYAAAH!!!”

Even as I slammed him into the ground, he tried to fight back, moving his arm.

But I simply smashed him into the ground again, snuffing out that resistance completely.

“Damn it! Attack him!!”

Only then did Gordon shout.

Archers pulled their bowstrings again, and swordsmen drew their blades.

Aura flared up, exerting a crushing pressure on the air around them—but my eyes stayed locked on Karim, who was squirming in my grasp.

Did I have some personal grudge against these people?

Thinking about it… not really.

It wasn’t like I must kill this man!

It was simply that they were the enemy.

So I kill them.

That was about it.

Melissa respected the will of the royal family.

And the royal family said, “War is inevitable anyway, do as you wish.”

In that case—

There’s no reason to leave these people alive and let them cause trouble later.

“Where’s that Sword Master hiding?”

With those words, I wrapped my aura with circling mana, guiding it through my meridians like blood.

It rotated with the sound of a giant axis spinning at high speed, forming a massive blue magic circle that filled the sky above my head and spread across the horizon.

“Wh-what?!”

The Coral faction soldiers, who had just raised their weapons to attack, looked up at the shining sky and froze on the spot.

Each individual magic circle combined into many others, all rotating differently, gradually summoning blue ice crystals to the center of each one.

“R-r…”

Living beings instinctively recognize things that threaten them.

“RUN!!”

Gordon, who sensed the danger first, shouted in panic.

[7th Circle]

[Rain of Ice Crystals]

But shouting or running didn’t change the outcome—because I wasn’t playing around anymore.

PABABABABABANG!!!

PFFFBBTBBT!!!

Not just a rain of ordinary ice spears.

If that were all, this wouldn’t be classified as a 7th-circle spell.

The sharp ice spears froze even the surrounding air the moment they struck.

Knights who were pierced by them froze like statues, then shattered into pieces under the continued onslaught.

A small snowfield where even blood couldn't flow—everything had frozen over.

There wasn’t even visible frost left behind, but those who survived instinctively understood that approaching the shattered remains was a death sentence.

“Ah… Aaaah…”

Of course, Gordon was within the blast range.

But he alone survived, while all the others around him froze and were obliterated.

“You monster…”

That was because Coral’s Sword Master, Bachen, had arrived in the nick of time and evacuated Gordon from the danger zone.

“Sir… Sir Bachen…”

“I felt an ominous flow of mana and rushed over… I didn’t expect you to still be here…”

“Shouldn’t you have expected it?”

I asked, and he clenched his teeth.

“Fine. I’ve been looking forward to personally correcting that arrogant attitude of yours.”

He drew his sword and said to Gordon,

“Step back.”

“Sir Bachen!”

“He’s strong. Join the Four Great Families and deal with the other side first!”

“But Karim…”

Are you worried about Karim Selvon, who’s still trapped in my grip?

Then I’ll ease your worries.

I casually pulled out one of the daggers strapped to Karim Selvon’s clothing and slit his throat.

“Ghk… guh?!”

“Ka… Karim!!”

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“Feeling a little less worried now?”

“You bastard!!!”

Gordon, enraged, tried to charge at me, but Bachen wasn’t about to let that happen.

“You fool!! What do you think you’re doing, falling for his provocation now?! Don’t you get it yet? None of you are capable of defeating him!”

Gordon, his bloodshot eyes glaring at me, ground his teeth and fled the scene in a panic.

Seeing this, I turned to the knights guarding the entrance to the rift behind me and said:

“Stay in position. I’ll wrap this up quickly.”

“L-Lord… just what are you…?”

It seemed even the knights found my existence hard to comprehend.

But Bachen wasn’t the type of man to wait around and explain.

In an instant, his sword was coated with Aura, and he charged.

In response, I snapped my fingers.

With a crack, the air in front of me shattered, and a crimson sword came crashing down from the rift, embedding itself into the earth.

The Demon Sword, Elekstra.

It was a sword I had received when I entered into a false engagement with Isna of Mielephon.

Yet, I still held onto it.

It was the hardest sword I had ever seen, and with that hardness came unmatched sharpness—truly a treasured blade.

And with it, an overwhelming aura of malice.

Gripping the hilt, which was halfway buried into the ground, I slowly pulled it out.

Bachen’s expression hardened as he sensed the malevolence emanating from it.

“A cursed sword… Don’t tell me… your power comes from that sword?”

I had shown him this blade once before.

He was likely jumping to convenient conclusions...

But I didn’t care.

Spinning the sword, a heavy and chilling sensation wrapped around my palm.

[Nameless Sword]

[Delayed Technique – One-Horned Flash Slash]

Despite the grand name, it's just a technique that momentarily accelerates my physical and cognitive abilities during a counterattack—specifically timed when the opponent is most off guard.

In other words, it could be used offensively as well, though at a cost of great fatigue.

In that brief moment, Bachen’s eyes widened as he realized I was suddenly right in front of him.

A little too late to react.

KAAAAANG!!!

A heavy metallic clang echoed as something shattered, and Bachen’s body was thrown back.

“Sword Masters these days sure are lucky with their gear.”

Bachen, a Sword Master, clenched his teeth as he felt his hand trembling.

From just that first clash, the artifact protecting his body had already shattered.

What the hell is that sword?

A boy not even in his twenties should not be capable of wielding such force.

A genius?

No, the depth of his power went beyond what a genius could possess.

That meant the source of this strength wasn’t just Leon Cascadia, but that cursed sword as well.

At a glance, anyone could see that the sword was no ordinary blade, thick with malevolent energy.

Even surrounded by Aura Blade, his own sword had already chipped against it.

That’s how dense and sharp the cursed blade was.

As a swordsman, Bachen felt the urge to covet it—but he kept his composure.

Fighting him head-on with equal force wasn’t impossible, but weakening him by stealing the sword would be the smarter choice.

KAANG!! KANG!!

Whether Leon knew of Bachen’s intentions or not, he kept swinging his sword at him with a calm, unreadable expression.

Each strike was deadly.

Several times, Bachen barely escaped death by a hair’s breadth.

He realized Leon was testing something against him.

“You bastard…!”

“Mind if I ask something?”

Swords clashed in an instant.

Bachen gripped his blade with both hands to withstand it, yet Leon, wielding his sword with just one hand, felt as heavy as a mountain.

Another sign of that cursed blade’s power.

The aura oozing from the sword had become even thicker.

An archaeologist once told him long ago:

Cursed swords often bestow incredible power to their wielders.

But they also tend to drive them mad under the influence of that very power.

“What rank are you in Coral?”

Leon asked calmly.

Bachen grit his teeth—this was his chance.

He started drawing out his aura, preparing to release it in one burst.

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Coral has quite a few Sword Masters, I hear. I’d like to know what level they’re at.”

“You think I’d tell you?”

“It doesn’t really matter. Sword Masters are all the same anyway.”

That arrogant tone—as if Sword Masters were beneath his notice.

And he dares act this high and mighty, all because of that sword?

Bachen felt like he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw that smug expression twisted in pain.

So, he baited Leon with something else.

“While you’re busy playing around here, do you think your little sister is safe?”

Bachen spat out blood with a chilling smirk.

“What?”

Got him.

He steadily accelerated his aura.

“Don’t you find it strange? Not a single person from the Four Great Houses of the Eastern Continent has shown up here.”

“True. Your houses do seem more capable.”

“By now, they’ve likely slaughtered everyone in your Bata faction. Your dear sister’s head is probably already rolling.”

Of course, if Leon abandoned this place, Melissa Cascadia would be at risk.

Which meant he couldn’t just leave.

He’d want to deal with Bachen quickly and rejoin the fight.

Naturally, Bachen wasn’t planning on being taken down so easily.

The more impatient Leon got, the better his chances.

“The Four Great Houses of the Eastern Continent are entire clans trained in martial arts—from the main bloodline down to disciples and servants.”

That’s why swordsmen from the East were said to be stronger than those from the Central or Western Continents.

Countless challengers, with only the apex predator surviving—a true survival of the fittest.

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