Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor: Doodle, Eyes

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Chapter 147: The Sorceress Empress (2)

‘No. It’s the same face, but that’s not Lezé.’

What should one call this?

Reincarnation?

Cloning?

Or just a simple coincidence?

No, it was definitely not a coincidence.

In the leader’s hand was the Grim Reaper, identical to the one Lezé had held.

The only difference was that it exuded a far more ominous atmosphere than when Lezé had gripped it.

‘It must be reincarnation. Unlike me, without memories of the previous life.’

A few days ago, the question Lezé had thrown at Cassandra:

Could she become a king?

The answer to that question must have been exactly what stood before them now.

On another note, he thought he understood why Grim Reaper’s Magara had started to drift away from Lezé.

A being with the same face and soul as its previous master had appeared—perhaps it simply couldn’t bear to part ways again.

「Ahhh……! I thought I would never see you again.」

As expected, Magara had appeared beside Theo, tears streaming down its face.

「You wouldn’t understand someone like me.」

Magara spoke, its gaze fixed on the face of its old master.

「But once you see that…… you’ll understand instinctively. The difference between you and that one!」

At that exact moment—

『You foolish specters of Lodbrok. Why do you attempt such futile acts?』

From the opposite side where the Resolution Squad stood, an enormous presence emerged, descending with a shroud of black darkness so vast it covered the sky.

Below it, legions of monsters, so distorted their shapes could hardly be discerned, filled the horizon.

They were the creatures of the Demonic Sea.

-What’s so futile about this?

The leader of the Resolution Squad laughed coldly, dragging Grim Reaper sharply against the ground.

Screeeech!

With a burst of frictional heat, black flames flared to life, instantly forming into the shape of a skeletal reaper wielding a death scythe.

-There are just too many targets to hunt.

Fwoooosh!

At that moment, the black flames began to swirl fiercely, spiraling upward into the sky.

The mass of flames grew larger and larger, soon taking the form of an immense black sun.

“Is that the ……?”

Theo’s eyes widened as he realized what it was.

It was a familiar technique.

Why was the absolute secret art that Granada of the Troyban family had used against Kyle appearing here?!

「So, you all call that technique by such a name?」

Theo turned to look at Magara, who scoffed.

「That thing doesn’t deserve such a trivial name. ■■■ ■■ of ■■……! Damn it. I can’t even mention it.」

Magara spat out a curse as it continued speaking.

「Yes. Whatever it is called doesn’t matter. In any case, that is your own secret technique, created by combining all of Ragnar’s swordsmanship and breathing techniques! It is swordsmanship that isn’t swordsmanship, a breathing technique that isn’t a breathing technique—a secret art that belongs to a third realm. Even the realms of magic and supernatural powers do not confine it.」

‘Troyban had Cassandra acquire the Sword Legacy, which was none other than the Black Flame Jade Sun. Granada then disguised it as his own secret art.’

「That is precisely why I cannot recognize you as my master. Watch carefully.」

By the time the black sun had grown to a size exceeding ten meters, the skeletal reaper swung its Death Scythe down forcefully.

Slash!

In an instant, the black sun was sliced diagonally, splitting and sliding apart.

And then darkness fell.

The black sun exploded.

The shattered fragments turned into blazing meteors that rained down on the heads of the monster legion.

Boom! Boom!

Kaboom!

The monsters were shattered in the explosions, and the spreading black flames consumed them entirely.

-What are you waiting for?! Go now, all of you!

-Heh heh! I was just waiting for you to say that!

-Let’s goooo!

At the commander’s rousing command, the 299 members of the Resolution Squad all charged across the plains simultaneously.

『What a cunning idea. Rather than neutralizing the poison of the Demonic Sea, you strengthened its toxicity and infused it into your aura?』

The , even as its subordinates dwindled at an alarming rate, seemed oddly entertained.

『But in the end, such a trick cannot capture the original source—me. From what I have seen of you, you are not one to be this careless.』

-Of course not. Did you really think I’d end things here?

The commander began to walk slowly in the direction of the .

With every step, monsters leaped out from somewhere to target her, only to have their heads severed by the Death Scythe swung by the skeletal reaper.

Rumble, rumble, rumble-

The ground trembled where she passed.

The earth sank, and flames surged upward.

A strange phenomenon, as though the world was being reshaped anew.

Then, iron doors began to erupt from the ground in various places.

The iron doors bore grotesque patterns of monsters tangled together chaotically.

Creak—

One by one, the doors began to open, releasing an even greater torrent of black flames.

From within, monsters even more horrifying than those of the Demonic Sea emerged, stepping into the battlefield.

Among them were not a few that bore the forms of various dragons.

『Hahaha! Is this what you call the Demonic Sea—a match for the Demonic Sea itself? Who would have thought that those claiming to protect the world would become monsters just the same!』

-Someone once said that when you face the abyss, you eventually become a monster yourself. After being entangled with you for so long, it just happened naturally.

The monsters of the Demonic Sea and the creatures of Hellfire collided.

Rumble, rumble, rumble……!

The clash was so overwhelming that it felt as though the world itself might collapse into ruin.

And before anyone noticed, the commander, standing before the , raised her head.

Though her figure was tiny compared to the Sovereign, whose massive size seemed to blot out the sky, her presence didn’t appear to pale in comparison.

『What will you show me next?』

The looked at the one who had fought against him for so long, with an air of curiosity.

He was thoroughly enjoying this moment.

His longtime adversary had crafted techniques solely for the purpose of destroying the Demonic Sea, aiming exclusively to capture him.

In part, he could guess what ■■■ was thinking.

To defeat the , one had to become the .

He was deeply intrigued by how this small opponent had perceived him all this time,

how she had interpreted him,

and what method she might use to create another greater than himself.

He couldn’t help but be curious.

-Here it is.

Fwoosh!

The black flames of Hellfire swirled all at once, wrapping around the commander. Rising skyward like a tornado, they soon took on a new form.

And what was revealed next……

[The vision was forcibly terminated.]

The foresight ended, and reality returned.

Faintly, Magara’s voice echoed in Theo’s mind before vanishing.

「You called it the , did you? In any case, you cannot liken my master’s secret art to such a ridiculous name. So abandon the foolish thought of restoring my master’s Sword Legacy. What belongs to him is his alone.」

The ghosts hurriedly gathered around Theo.

-What did you see?

-Did you see it? Did you?

-Do you think the Sword Legacy can be restored?

-Say something, anything!

The incessant chatter of the ghosts made Theo’s head throb unbearably.

He raised a hand to calm them and began to organize his thoughts.

‘Granada’s Black Flame Jade Sun is certainly no match for the Sword Legacy.’

Though Theo had never directly witnessed Granada’s secret art, he had heard enough about it over time.

It was by no means enough to stand against the .

Above all, the fact that Granada was defeated by Kyle was proof of that.

‘For Granada, merely mimicking the Sword Legacy was likely the best he could manage. From the beginning, Ragnar and Troyban pursued entirely different philosophies of swordsmanship, and he had no understanding of the foundation that comprised the Sword Legacy.’

But Theo was different.

Not only was he well-versed in Ragnar’s various sword techniques, but he also created entirely new swordsmanship based on them.

And most importantly:

‘I learned from those who understood the master of the Sword Legacy better than anyone else.’

Theo looked at the 299 ghosts, who were watching him with anxious eyes.

“Restoration seems possible.”

-What?

-Could it be… is that true?!

The ghosts were visibly excited.

After all, even they had half-given up on the possibility of restoring the Sword Legacy.

Theo nodded.

“Yes. I don’t know how long it will take, but I see the path. It’s all thanks to you elders.”

Theo’s and had been reconstructed with the help of the ghosts, forming a framework entirely devoted to the Sword Legacy.

Whether the phenomena upon fully restoring the Sword Legacy would exactly mirror the commander’s version was uncertain.

However, Theo was confident that its power and direction would not differ significantly.

Above all:

‘It aligns with the Dragon Flash I’ve been pursuing. In fact, my horizons have expanded.’

Perhaps it was thanks to the Sword Sphere, but contrary to Magara’s bold declarations, Theo had gained far more inspiration.

So it was possible.

-Finally… finally, we can raise our master’s tomb.

Drip!

Tears streamed down the face of the ghost standing at the front, followed by a cascade of sobbing from the others.

-Hey, why are you crying like that at your age? Disgusting!

-Says the one crying the most!

-T-This is just dust in my eyes! That’s all!

-Dust? For a ghost?

Theo turned his gaze toward the stone grave.

Under the light streaming from the ceiling, tulips swayed gently in the breeze.

-Tulips are no ordinary flowers. Long ago, they were blessed by the god of flowers, transforming into what you see now.

-Even in death, the heads that turned toward Winterer became flowers, their bodies became the black stems that supported them, and their praying hands and feet became the leaves and roots that remained here.

Ode’s words resurfaced in Theo’s mind.

Theo thought that the tulip on the stone grave bore a strong resemblance to the commander.

The flower resembled the bold eyes that once looked up at the ,

the black stem was akin to the Grim Reaper that had cut down monsters,

the leaves evoked the hands that wielded the black flames, and the roots seemed like the feet that tread over the remains of slain monsters.

‘Yes. This can never be handed over to Troyban.’

The secret art created to capture the —how could he let it fall into the hands of Troyban, who had allied with the ?

It was at that moment Theo resolved firmly.

“It hasn’t been fully protected yet.”

Breaking the lingering silence left by the vision, Cassandra spoke once more.

It seemed the possession by the Sorceress Empress had yet to be lifted.

“Their claws are still waiting for an opportunity to seize the Sword Legacy.”

Theo immediately raised his head, thinking this might be another prophecy.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The Mausoleum trembled faintly.

Though it was unclear how the location had been discovered, another attack was beginning.

However,

“No. Even so, they won’t take anything.”

Clench!

Theo’s grip tightened firmly around Drake’s blade in his hand.

A fiery determination glimmered on his face.

“Because I won’t let them.”