Chapter 145

<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 145>

With a powerful leap off the ground.

I sent flying the one who charged at the old man.

Crack!

As I planted my foot on the ground,

the earth heaved up, spewing dirt into the air.

What took form in midair… was it a dragon? No, it’s a snake. A mud snake flicked its tongue.

Birds made of flames and lightning flapped their wings and flew toward me. Crackling, roaring, the heat of fire intertwined with lightning could be felt even here.

Amidst all this, water rats emerged from the ground, leaving me surrounded by all manner of animals.

I’ve heard Japanese magic or shamanism often creates the forms of animals.

Snake, birds, rats.

“Very well-rounded.”

Screech-!!

Summoning a demon, I struck the mud snake.

Though I hit it with all my strength expecting it to shatter, the fragments reassembled themselves and came flying back. Quite skilled.

I then summoned the arm of a giant to crush those bird heads. Where the giant’s palm gripped, lightning and fire exploded.

Now only the earth remained, but that was easily manageable with magic…

With me as the center, hexagrams multiplied.

Reverse Gravity

The surroundings began to float – rocks, dirt, grass… Meanwhile, the water rats were furiously kicking their legs.

It goes without saying, these spells weren’t aimed at me.

Assuming they aren’t utterly stupid, they surely know who I am by now. They should have realized long ago that they can’t stop me.

In other words, the target of this magic are the aristocrats trembling behind me. This magic is meant to k*ll them.

As this offensive lost its effectiveness, more spells came in succession. After the rats, rabbits appeared, then monkeys, dogs… Various creatures made of different attributes charged toward me.

There were far too many.

If it were just me, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Having successfully controlled ‘the giant,’ I can say with extreme confidence that magic of this level wouldn’t even leave a scratch on me, should I take it head-on with my bare hands.

However.

Right now, I must protect those who are shaking behind me.

When I turned around, a child’s eyes met mine. The child, looking no older than spring, was crying in its mother’s arms.

“Take cover behind me!”

A barrier formed in a dome shape around the gathered people as mana fragments converged.

Meanwhile, I summoned another arm of the giant.

The giant’s two arms descended, wrapping protectively around us.

“Come on.”

The ground was mercilessly pounded.

The scattered spells, in the presence of the chaotic ‘giant,’ all disappeared without exception.

Occasionally, some small remnants managed to survive my attacks, but…

“Never.”

With Dispel and Reverse Gravity, and even erecting a full-scale barrier, I completely cut off all approaches.

The mana fluctuations slowly faded away.

It seems my brother and sister have approached the main group. I thought this ambush would take much longer given its unexpectedly large scale, but they have proven to be reliable.

Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief.

It happened.

An unidentified sound caught my senses.

Ssshhhhhh-!!

A sound coming from far, far away.

Where the sound was coming from was the sky.

My gaze turned upward… and in that moment, I stared in amazement.

“Wow…”

Reasonable things rarely surprise me, but the reason I let out an exclamation of admiration this time.

A missile was coming.

Straight toward here.

“Pushing it a bit too far.”

The hexagrams converged to form a great sword.

The giant’s arm seized the great sword and…

Swung it.

Geomho-ryu Destruction

Black Hole

BOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-!!!!

“Are you…?”

Clad in pristine robes without a speck of dirt, these people surrounded Park Su-hyeok.

It was clear to anyone.

“Are you Celutis?”

“That’s correct. We are his servants.”

A man stepped forward among the priests.

“My name is Edward, humbly serving as the High Priest.”

“High Priest.”

Park Su-hyeok’s expression stiffened.

If what he knew was correct, High Priests of Celutis should be local figures chosen within their own countries.

Testing the waters slightly to confirm,

“There’s no need to ask. Your ‘thoughts’ are correct.”

“…!!”

A moment of silence.

Park Su-hyeok quickly grasped the situation.

“So you’re reading my mind.”

“It is a miracle bestowed by our Lord. How about it? Would you not come to our side? With a human of your caliber converting, you could aim not just for High Priest but even the next ‘Pope.'”

“…”

“Tsk tsk, those are harsh words to say. I was under the impression Koreans were known for their excellent manners. It seems my understanding was incorrect.”

While Edward chattered on, Park Su-hyeok’s mind was furiously racing.

It’s possible ‘Celutis’ has been involved in this Japanese incident.

This was not particularly surprising as Kim Yeon-hee had already mentioned it.

“Su-hyeok, just you know for now. This situation might have Celutis involved in it. Especially those Archangels you discovered before. You might see them again.”

If that’s the case, it’s rather a relief.

The Archangels have a history of ill relations with Park Su-hyeok.

However, the presence of a High Priest changes everything. If a High Priest, who oversees an entire region, is present in Japan, it means Celutis has been deeply involved in this matter more than imagined.

“Indeed, worthy of being called a flawless swordsman. You grasp the situation quickly. Yes, we Celutis have completely seized control of Japan.”

“…Why reveal this fact?”

“Haha? Already onto the next question? How sharp. Yes, as you think, ‘staying silent’ would be the wise choice.”

They’ve taken over a country, not some minor state but Japan.

If they kept growing quietly, it would lead to rapid expansion, so why reveal their presence and put themselves in danger?

Edward, having read Park Su-hyeok’s thoughts, smirked meaningfully.

“We are ‘Celutis,’ you unbeliever.”

They don’t chase after profit.

They aren’t bound by common sense.

Neither justice, ethics, nor morality.

“Before the calling of our Lord, all worldly notions are worthless. Remember this, unbeliever.”

Lost in euphoria, Edward raised his arms high to the sky.

“Everything will be according to His will!”

Flap!!

Wings unfolded.

One after another, they began to rise into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the sky behind Edward was filled with Archangels.

*

“Ga-toooo!!”

Boooooom-!

The Prime Minister burst in, roughly grabbing Ga-to by the collar.

“You son of a b*tch, you deceived me!!”

“Hmm, Prime Minister. Why such sudden behavior? In what way have I deceived you?”

“You, you…!”

“Give it some thought. I have never spoken falsehoods.”

The first meeting between the Prime Minister and Ga-to was at a local inn.

It was a place the Prime Minister visited when troubled, and there he enjoyed hot springs with Ga-to, discussing various matters, deciding to walk the same path.

“The Prime Minister expressed concerns to me about the tyranny of aristocrats. So what did I say? ‘I will recover the aristocrats’ power,’ did I not promise?”

“Tsk tsk! This is not the method I wanted!!”

“My, please settle down. I even added, ‘This may be a slightly aggressive method. Is it okay?’ at which time the Prime Minister drank his sake saying, ‘If they’ve sinned, they deserve punishment.'”

“You! Y-youu!!”

“I delivered the punishment as the Prime Minister wished. In truth, my desire was greater, but regardless, we’ve punished our common enemy, keeping our promise.”

“Celutis!! Why didn’t you mention you were a fanatic!”

“You never asked, did you?”

“Is that even called speech, you son of a b*tch!!”

Now, the situation in Japan has grown uncontrollably large.

The aristocrats have been wiped out, and the negotiation site has resulted in an assassination of the leadership.

They even deployed the army and fired missiles.

It’s over.

The relationship between the Cabinet and the aristocracy now cannot be repaired.

Until one side or the other is erased, this fight will not end.

Even if it were only this much, it’s already hell, yet they’ve revealed their identity directly as ‘Celutis.’

As a result, the Cabinet and Celutis have been perceived as co-conspirators.

“Heeek! Heeeek…!!”

Having lost his senses, the Prime Minister couldn’t produce words.

Though he had much to say, anger had overwhelmed him, causing curses to escape before words.

Ga-to gently smiled at the Prime Minister, whose cheeks trembled.

“Prime Minister, whether this comforts you or not, you never had a choice from the start.”

“Huh, what…!!”

“Whatever decision you made, the situation wouldn’t have changed.”

Ga-to softly pried the Prime Minister’s hands off.

“We’ve already completed our preparations. Most of the legislators the Prime Minister knows well are people from our side.”

“…!!”

“The ever-loyal advisor Nakamoto is one of ours, and your personal secretary, Tetsuya, was a person placed by us.”

“Wha…what…??”

Both individuals Ga-to mentioned had been standing by the Prime Minister’s side for over 20 years. Back when the Prime Minister was more widely known as “Noda Taiyo.”

Just thinking about it sent a chill down the Prime Minister’s spine.

“Honestly, you’ve influenced me even before I became Prime Minister….”

“Your understanding isn’t complete enough yet. Who do you think made Noda Prime Minister?”

Ga-to’s smile deepened.

“Had you not taken my hand back then, the Prime Minister wouldn’t be in this position.”

“…!!”

To have his glorious life be a puppet of someone else’s was too much to believe. The Prime Minister collapsed, his face drained of color.

Caressing the exposed head of the seated Prime Minister, Ga-to said benevolently.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll always be on the side of the Prime Minister.”

“….”

“Still, since the shock is profound, I’ll ‘erase’ the Prime Minister’s shock.”

“…?!”

The Prime Minister tried to turn around, thinking it was nonsense, but…

His body wouldn’t move.

Paralyzed, he could not budge at all.

His eyes trembled.

What is this? Clearly, the Ga-to he knew was not a superhuman. Didn’t they conduct unofficial mana checks on him multiple times? If Ga-to had mana, the alarm in the Prime Minister’s possession would have vibrated.

Then how…

“I see the puzzled look in your eyes. This is the ‘miracle’ given by the person I serve. Soon, the Prime Minister will also receive this grace.”

At that moment, the door opened, and a figure entered.

A woman bathed in an inverse cross-shaped halo, dazzling. Ga-to’s master and the one who ruled Celutis.

The fake guardian spirit, ‘Archangel,’ had arrived.

“Ga-to.”

“Act as you wish.”

The Archangel passed by Ga-to and stood before the Prime Minister.

Holding the inverse cross pendant, she embedded it into his skull.

“Guh guh guh guh!!”

Everything shall be according to your will.

Ga-to watched the Prime Minister thrashing his body, smiling brightly.