<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 33>
Elsewhere, as Park Ki-hyuk’s familiars were enjoying their feast on the Carnivorous Tree, at the center of the Gate, a fierce battle between the Masked Figure organization and the Galgwi-hand Orc Tribe was unfolding in full swing.
“Kk, kkeeergh!!”
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s… he suddenly collapsed.”
“Suddenly? Hey, hey, try to get up. What’s wrong?”
The Captain slapped the fallen subordinate’s cheek, but the subordinate’s condition worsened. Frothy saliva foamed from the mouth, and the eyes were so rolled back that only the whites were visible.
This won’t do.
The Captain gestured.
“Got any ‘Cocktail’? Show it if you do.”
The ‘Cocktail,’ issued only to officers as a precaution against unforeseen emergencies, was at hand. The subordinate pulled a syringe from their coat and handed it over. Without hesitation, the Captain stabbed it into the neck of the fallen subordinate.
The moment the needle hit the vein, the subordinate’s body arched like a shrimp, gasping for breath with a “huhuhk.”
Moments later, the subordinate regained consciousness.
“Nnngh, who… my vi… vi… bgh…”
But the subordinate couldn’t finish the sentence before losing consciousness again.
“Diner?” “Carnivorous Tree?” Is there a problem with the Carnivorous Tree?!
‘Then?’
The Captain roughly tore off the subordinate’s shirt. With a “riiiip,” the sound of torn fabric filled the air, and then the subordinate’s left arm was revealed.
“Huh!”
“……!!”
It was dying. The arm was black and necrotic.
The necrosis had started from the left hand and was spreading rapidly.
“d*mn! Captain! What is this…?”
“sh*t, this is bad.”
The Captain cursed and swiftly cut off the subordinate’s left shoulder.
“…Is this because the Carnivorous Tree had an issue? But why such a state? Even if the Carnivorous Tree was reverse summoned, it shouldn’t be this bad…”
“Shut up. My head’s already aching.”
Beasts, monsters, or demons—those who handle familiars like Black Sorcerers are called Demon Summoners.
Demon Summoners sometimes offer parts of their own bodies as sacrifices to control their familiars effectively. If a familiar dies or is reverse summoned, the sigil breaks, and they take damage in return.
But the damage shouldn’t be this severe, as the subordinate had mentioned.
This necrosis suggested something more than just a simple reverse summoning.
‘It was… completely destroyed.’
It wasn’t killed—it was eradicated from existence entirely.
The Captain’s suspicion was correct.
The bloated Carnivorous Tree, long nourished by stolen life force, had already been consumed by Baphomet and Asura, disappearing entirely.
But with no way of knowing this, the Captain had no choice but to misinterpret the situation.
‘…This isn’t something a regular superhuman can do.’
Though the word ‘magic’ is the same, Black Magic is entirely different in nature from the other kinds. For a regular superhuman to destroy summoned beasts this way is extremely difficult.
‘Only a Priest capable of resisting magic at a higher level could achieve this. Or…’
‘Another Black Sorcerer.’
The latter seemed more probable to the Captain.
A busy Priest wouldn’t come just to salvage some useless empathic stones. Thus, the only ones left who would know and exploit the value of this empathic stone are those in the same trade.
“Hey, didn’t the Red Circle target our workshop last time?”
“Y… that did happen. Why now?”
“Not that.”
Though one couldn’t be sure yet. It could just be suspicion.
Yes, for now…
But news soon arrived that would change the Captain’s suspicion into certainty.
“Captain! Number 21!”
“…”
Yet another subordinate had collapsed. Just like before, their left hand was progressively necrotizing in real time.
“…d*mn bastards!”
After taking care of the second Carnivorous Tree, I ran into some kids in front of the third one.
After some battle and another collapse of the Carnivorous Tree, came the familiar feeding time.
My ‘arms,’ Baphomet and Asura, greedily devoured the Carnivorous Tree.
“What is that… What are they doing?! The tree is being sucked in! The big tree!”
“Quiet down. They’re eating. Even dogs don’t disturb each other when eating. Respect some manners.”
“That’s not a dog!”
“But they’re cuter than dogs, aren’t they?”
Mary and Jun-woo stared daggers at me as if asking, “Are you serious?” Their looks were seriously disrespectful.
Why, aren’t they cute?
I scratched my head.
“Let’s stop the nonsense. How many are left?”
“The third. For now, only one is left according to my senses.”
“Only one left? Then it must be the last one we saw.”
“I remember the location. That way will do.”
We confirmed the Carnivorous Tree was completely consumed before heading to the last one.
“So, have you had enough combat experience? Jun-woo, your eyes seem like you had a lively fight.”
“…”
“Hehe. Revenge always tastes sweet.”
I patted Jun-woo’s shoulder with a “tuk tuk” saying, “Good job.” Mary then glared at me.
“Anyway, Ki-hyuk, you’re too heartless. This was Jun-woo’s first k*ll, you know. And you’re talking about actual combat with someone who’s already shocked?”
“Really? Oguogu, our Jun-woo. Shocked?”
“Ki-hyuk!!”
“Ah, got it. Got it. Acknowledged. I lacked sensitivity. Sorry.”
It’s not wrong; the first k*ll should be taken seriously.
Even rough mercenary groups have a tradition of giving alcohol to new members after their first k*ll.
Just that the word ‘k*ll’ applies only when one human kills another.
“Isn’t it awkward to label killing ‘below human trash’ as m*rder? I think so.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“Was the expression too complex? Look, do you feel guilt when killing monsters? No, right? And what we’ve destroyed are more useless and meaningless entities than those monsters.”
I placed my hand on Mary’s head.
“Don’t needlessly carry guilt. This time and going forward—it’s the same.”
This isn’t an idle statement.
I’ve seen many people ruined by unwarranted guilt.
Was I right? Was it justified? Was there another way? Am I righteous? Do I have the right to judge their sins?
Most of the doubts paralyzing people in critical moments stem from this guilt.
“First, when facing enemies who attack you, do not hesitate. You aren’t ready for such philosophical questions yet. That will come when you’ve grown stronger and established your principles. Justice, mercy, or justifiable causes—all these are privileges of the victor. Remember that.”
“…I understand. Thanks for the advice.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. Don’t forget this in the impending combat.”
“…?”
“Wait, combat?”
“Already?”
Why would I bring this up in such a busy situation?
It’s because of that arrow flying towards us right now.
I extended my hand and caught the arrow headed for Mary.
“Twenty-three enemies. I mentioned before, didn’t I? When facing a Black Sorcerer, try to avoid magic as much as possible. And remember not to separate, alright?”
Upon hearing my advice, both of their eyes hardened.
Jun-woo drew his two swords. He had remembered my words, carrying the quick-draw longsword and the light short sword side by side.
Mary had replaced the tower shield with a buckler, ready for a satisfactory battle stance.
To those kids,
“Go.”
I gave them a push.
Jun-woo and Mary disappeared into the forest at breakneck speed.
Now, let’s see how wildly you can run.
The start of the Experience event.
The battle was more intense than expected.
When the two fresh recruits suddenly showed up, the Masked Figures initially thought this operation wouldn’t be as serious as feared.
But when they saw a lead comrade’s head severed by Han Jun-woo’s dagger without any resistance, they finally realized the gravity of the situation.
From then on, the Masked Figures moved with agility.
Of course, this was bad news for Han Jun-woo and Merhem.
They weren’t fighting individuals.
Not monsters either.
They were dealing with human beings with reason.
An organized force.
Moreover, villains who didn’t hesitate to shed bl**d.
They were facing a type of opponent they’d never encountered before, and the initial advantage quickly disappeared.
Gradually, they were placed on the defensive.
If Han Jun-woo and Merhem had initially gained an unexpected advantage, the Masked Figure group quickly recognized the crisis and cleverly restored control by effectively leveraging their numerical superiority.
Watching this early stage of the battle, Park Ki-hyuk’s evaluation was this:
“They still have a long way to go. The early lucky punch turned into a mistake. They could’ve hidden their strength and waited for a counterattack, avoiding being defensive from the start like this… Clearly, their experience in human combat is lacking.”
Amid such bizarre deadlock, the first one to move was Han Jun-woo and Merhem.
Normally, Merhem would provide support through incantations while Jun-woo delivered the finishing blow, but realizing that this approach wouldn’t work, they completely altered their tactics.
Jun-woo threw himself into the barrage of magic like a rainstorm. Naturally, the Masked Figures concentrated their attacks on Jun-woo.
But he evaded.
Jun-woo skillfully avoided everything.
With a fluid turn, he knocked off an Ice Spear and, in a single step, escaped the Flame Burst’s range.
Targeted magic was blocked by slashes from his sword while he hid in corners to avoid area attacks.
No corners? His sword flashed, creating one.
Like a blooming rose, sometimes elegant lilies,
A beautifully dancing flower was on full display.
When the veins of Han Jun-woo, flowing with the bl**d of dancers, fully awakened, there was no attack he couldn’t evade.
This was a prime example of how powerful the ‘Sensory Control’ of the dancer family could be.
Meanwhile, Merhem was meticulously preparing.
The game-changing final blow.
By large-scale incantations,
“Binding Roots,” which used tree roots to bind the enemies, “Jaw of the Hounds,” summoning manna-powered hounds to tear into the enemies, and “Raging bl**d,” which plunged them into a frenzied state.
Three incantations combined into a large-scale linked incantation.
Moon Wolf.
Roots spread across the ground like a flood.
The Masked Figures, startled by the rushing roots coming from all sides, stumbled backward but it was a wrong choice from the start.
There was nowhere to escape.
Since trees and roots were everywhere.
When the roots touched the enemies, they transformed into the head of a wolf, revealing sharp fangs.
And the moment they were bitten by the wolf, “Raging bl**d” activated along the wounds.
“Raging bl**d,” used properly, could enhance all aspects beneficially, yet when overused, it could turn one’s enemies into frenzied beasts.
In other words, half of the enemy Masked Figures had turned into animals.
More than half of the Masked Figures fell into convulsions, losing all control, and immediately the battlefield turned into a chaos.
And among this chaos, one man shone the brightest.
Han Jun-woo.
The last dancer performs.
On a stage drenched in bl**d.
Thus, as the sword blade flashed, and the battlefield carried the sharp scent of bl**d, Han Jun-woo and Merhem were growing, bit by bit, yet unmistakably stronger.
*
Still, for now.
“…Too much. Are you okay?”
“Heavek, Heavek.”
“…Ah, it… My legs… My legs won’t move.”
As the exhausted Mary and Jun-woo collapsed onto the ground, I quickly retrieved them from the battlefield and threw them over my back.
“Good job. You were incredible, exceeding my expectations.”
It was the truth.
I had only planned to commend them if they took out five. They were fighting humans for the first time.
Look at that. They cut down eight and incapacitated two more.
Now only thirteen, about half, are standing.
How commendable.
A hundred out of a hundred.
“Take a rest. I’ll handle the rest.”
Smiling, I stepped forward.
In my sight, the ones who were watching us with caution could be seen. The sense of humiliation from being beaten by two people seemed intense; their eyes were filled with venomous intent.
I like it.
Rather, I love it.
“I’ll give you a few tips. First, you can’t escape. Don’t waste your efforts on useless attempts.”
And I thought.
Should I attack with a sword or with magic?
“Second, don’t touch my friends who are resting there. If you so much as attempt to and fail, I promise, I’ll make you beg for d*ath.”
Magic seems better.
I put away my sword and raised a magic circle.
“Third, this is more a favor than a tip.”
A magic circle engulfing the surroundings faster than the blink of an eye.
“Come at me with all your strength.”
You’re going to d*e here anyway.
Black magic? Ritual?
Use every bit of whatever life force you have left.
Only then, on your final journey, will it be less regrettable for you.
It’s fun for me too.
“Let’s start. Come on.”
The magic circle began to emit light.
Rising black flames.
Hell was opening up right here.
