<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 92>
My hatred for fanatics stems significantly from the influence of my old master during the days of the empire.
“Always remember. You must never consort with fanatics.”
You’ll meet numerous people in your journey, amongst which some will try to use you, and some fools will just dislike you for no reason.
However, there is a type of person you should absolutely avoid.
And that would be Fanatics.
My old master detested these fanatics intensely.
“You see, those guys, with just the word ‘God,’ can negate all the phenomena of the world. They’re complete lunatics.”
“Let me teach you something funny. Human evolution, technology, history, every phenomenon that advanced the world. Conversely, wars, calamities, disasters, and every phenomenon that led to humanity’s downfall—everything is justified by adding ‘because of God’ before it.”
If it’s interpreted that God pitied humans to evolve humanity, and history was preordained by God. And even natural disasters are seen as God’s retribution.
Then everything makes sense.
What else could this universal adjective be?
“Hey? You’re telling me you’re getting along well with the priests next door? … Hold on. Let me see, where did I put my whip… You little brat! How dare you take your noble teacher’s words lightly! When did I say priests? It’s Fanatics! Fanatics, I said!”
“Let me teach you this only once. What’s the difference between a priest and a fanatic? The answer is ‘Forced Belief.'”
Priests spread belief.
Fanatics force belief.
A priest’s belief seeks peace and rest.
A fanatic’s belief enforces submission and sacrifice.
“Stripping humans of all rights they are entitled to, filling them with ‘belief’ alone—this is why it’s called Fanaticism.”
“Why on earth would you believe in such nonsense… Well, at the most desperate moments, these people throw the bait of ‘belief.’ You must know this. The pain of hunger.”
When you’re on the verge of starvation, and the churn of your organs feels like a desperate act of survival, who would refuse a single potato offered at that moment?
Fanatics come at these desperate, starving moments.
“These kinds of fanatics brainwash people with false beliefs. Understand?”
The problem starts here.
“And here’s the insane part, this false belief activates ‘Divine Power’? Does that make any sense?”
How many gods that fanatics believe in are even real?
Moreover, do they even exist?
Yet oddly enough, they somehow gain ‘Divine Power.’
Because…
“The crucial thing in Divine Power isn’t ‘God’ but ‘belief.’ See?”
This is why my teacher disliked ‘God’ and simultaneously had high regard for the potential that ‘humans’ possess.
Even if the scripture is false or the existence is unnamed and formless, if humans believe in it with desperation, belief becomes a tangible reality.
A false scripture becomes sanctified, and an unnamed existence receives a name.
But can the power that stems from false belief truly be correct? Can borrowed power based on submission and sacrifice really be holy?
The answer is clear.
No.
A belief that starts with falsehoods will inevitably end in falsehoods.
The power derived from it is also false and corrupt.
And the endpoint of this corrupt power is destruction.
So, if you can avoid them, avoid them at all costs. But if you get entangled with them unwillingly, then…
“Uproot them completely.”
Not a speck of dust, not a trace of shadow.
Erase their existence entirely.
This was what my teacher entrusted to me.
The gleam of a demon’s sword in the darkness.
Park Ki-hyuk’s demon slashes at the figure of the fanatic.
But…
Clang-!
The demon’s sword is blocked by a wall.
The fanatic, with a crazed gleam in their eyes, laughs.
“The Lord protects me! Hahahaha!”
Suddenly, the fanatic’s counterattack comes flying. Park Ki-hyuk barely dodges.
“Annoying.”
The current gate Park Ki-hyuk is in is a dungeon field. The dungeon is tightly enclosed.
In other words, it’s not suitable for long-range weapons like great swords or spears.
“Brothers!”
An immaculate symbol appears on the fanatic’s armor.
As the symbol emits light, powered by divine spells, the fanatic’s axe comes crashing down like thunder.
Kababang-!
The fanatic’s axe breaks through Park Ki-hyuk’s Auto Shield and charges forward.
Park Ki-hyuk attempts to block with his demon sword, but…
Clang!
“…?!”
The resistance he feels.
The demon sword has been caught by the dungeon’s wall.
“What the hell…”
Park Ki-hyuk’s eyes, for the first time, are tinged with ‘confusion.’
On the other hand, the fanatic intensifies their momentum.
“According to the Lord’s will!”
The axe surrounded by a murky divine aura.
It must be stopped.
Park Ki-hyuk blocks the axe using his handle by twisting, but due to the strange pose, his stance collapses, creating numerous openings.
The Archangel, who was looking for an opportunity while standing behind the heavily armed fanatic, wouldn’t miss this chance.
The beams of light that were previously fired as deterrents now glimmer more brilliantly.
The enhanced beams of light charge through the openings. Though Auto Shield desperately tries to intercept the ‘light beams,’ it’s not enough.
The Archangel before him was no longer the one that used to be cut cleanly with a slash of sword energy. Every one of their moves now carried an extraordinary force.
And with the added prayers from the fanatic kneeling in a corner…
“O Lord, punish the heresy.”
The hazy smoke clears up while mana disperses briefly.
Ultimately, the beams of light manage to pierce through Park Ki-Hyuk’s Auto Shield and strike his shoulder.
The white flash fills Park Ki-Hyuk’s shoulder with a burning pain.
The balance of power is broken. As if compensated for the tiresome standoff, both the fanatic and the Archangel relentlessly unleash their attacks.
They push with shields from the front and back, while divine magic of the Archangel flashes everywhere.
And so, pushed and pressed, Park Ki-hyuk is cornered into a dead end.
The cold touch on his back.
It’s a wall. There’s no way out now.
‘Shaped like a ‘G’.’
Enemies approach from both sides.
“Indeed.”
It’s troublesome.
Just the smell of divine power is beyond annoying—it’s revolting.
It’s clearly crossed the line from mere annoyance.
‘I have to admit it.’
I underestimated them. It’s natural for them to get stronger over time due to their characteristic of cannibalism, but entering here without any preparations was indeed a mistake.
What should I do now?
Park Ki-hyuk’s eyes move quickly, and his thoughts analyze the situation even faster.
And then…
When all decisions are made.
Park Ki-hyuk licks the bl**d flowing down his cheek and smirks.
“Let’s play seriously, shall we?”
Bang!
The demon sword is plunged.
A hexagram engraved on the floor.
Apocalypse. Park Ki-hyuk’s innate magic arises.
And as the Apocalypse tints with bl**d red…
It multiplies.
Dispell.
Marionette.
I disrupt the nervous system.
And finally.
Waterfall (改).
Kuuuwaangaa!!
The space collapses as a torrential downpour ensues. A relentless ‘Waterfall’ cascades like the release of a dam.
The enemies try to get out of the way of the water torrent, but the path to the left and right is blocked.
It was good while my demon sword was sealed, but now, it’s a disadvantage for them.
“Let’s… let’s pray!”
“O Lord!”
The frantic fanatics seek their god, but their bodies won’t move properly due to the ‘Marionette’ curse.
In this enclosed space, where all sides are tightly shut, the water pressure unleashed by ‘Waterfall’ is beyond what humans can withstand.
“Ma… Stop it, cough, cough!”
Rush!
Like water from a pipe, everything—magic, fanatics, archangels, anything standing—are swept away.
Boom! Boom! They collide with walls, equipment slipping from their hands, their bodies tumbling helplessly, and when they eventually regain their senses, they’ve arrived at an underground cavern.
An empty cave.
Thud, thud.
The sound of Park Ki-hyuk’s footsteps coming from the far side of the cave, shrouded in deep darkness.
The larger silhouette that gets clearer, the darker the shadow grows on the fanatic’s face.
“Brother.”
“Yes, prepared.”
The moment their figures became visible, all of them rush at once.
They nod at each other while waiting for Park Ki-hyuk.
The fanatics surround the entrance in a fan-like formation.
The Archangel flutters their wings, taking to the sky to strike at any moment.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
The tension is taut.
As my shadow cuts through the darkness and Park Ki-hyuk’s foot emerges.
The instant the fanatics and Archangels conjure divine power.
However… I have already swung the demon sword.
Geomho-ryu Transformation Sword Technique
Cross Saturation
The sword energy shaped in the ‘十’ character fully encompasses the air.
“Gee, gee, my shoulder.”
After wrapping up the battle, I moved towards the base camp.
Following the direction shown by the crystal ball, after passing through a few alleys, a light came into view.
I must prepare myself at about this point.
The moment I step into the light, I swiftly reach out my hand.
“Ki-hyuk… cough!”
Jin Yu-ri, stopped by my hand, is now frowning with her forehead pressed against my palm.
“You…”
“Let’s be reasonable. Be reasonable, will you?”
She doesn’t know when to stop!
After thumping her head with a fist, I passed Jin Yu-ri.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Who are you talking about? The ones you caught? Or William and the thief?”
“The ones you caught.”
“They are gathered in that tent over there.”
“How many?”
“Five.”
“Good job.”
It’s been a month since the Gate Total Reset began.
The Gate Reset began in the south and has now reached beyond Seoul to Pyongyang.
North of Pyongyang, there has always been an area dense with Gates, hence the nickname ‘Gate Concentration Zone.’
Therefore, civilian entry is strictly prohibited.
My mother and other high-ranking officials anticipated that if Celutis had infiltrated the Gates, they would be concentrated in this area.
The anticipation proved correct.
Until now, the Archangels were seen only a few at a time—sometimes one, rarely two or three—but once they entered the northern Gates, they were usually in groups of three or more, sometimes even seven or more.
They must not all have been born here.
They probably collected Archangels from Gates around the country and hid them here.
Once Celutis forsook their escape and began their active resistance, the investigative squad that had quickly advanced to the north became stuck in a standoff situation, and this is the current status.
Various thoughts crossed my mind while the tent came into view.
It’s about time I start sending her back.
“You go back.”
“Can’t I see them too?”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Still.”
Jin Yu-ri, speaking bashfully.
With eyes looking up while twisting her body, she’s quite cute.
Does she keep doing cute things because she’s gotten a taste for it lately? Her mischievous behavior has noticeably increased.
“Not yet, squirt.”
“Hey, we’re the same age. I’ve grown up too.”
“How much can you grow when you’re just as small as a mouse? Go on.”
After insisting to send Jin Yu-ri back, I entered the tent.
Immediately, the sight of people tied down and lying on the floor came into view.
They were fanatics.
“Hi there, nice to meet you.”
“…”
“Uh, silent, huh?”
“…”
“Just asking, in case you wanted—any person willing to divulge information, I’ll make sure to k*ll them without pain.”
“…”
“No takers? I see.”
As expected, the reaction is the same this time.
The captured fanatics so far have been similar. They attempt s*icide, and if that fails, they humbly accept d*ath.
Ordinarily, it wouldn’t matter—they can say or not say what they want. If I extract memories, that’s that.
But these guys are different.
“I know you guys have a strange lock planted in your heads.”
“…”
These Celutis bastards ingeniously implanted locks in their heads.
Not just metaphorically, but actual locks. Cross-shaped artifacts, shockingly combined with the central part of their brain.
Even though I’ve seen many mental constraints, it’s a rather innovative method.
The first time I saw it, I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
How could anyone create such an inhumane method? It’s astounding.
“When I saw that, I understood that the god you believe in is an awful b*stard.”
“…”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Profane! How dare you speak ill of our Lord!”
Despite not responding when threatened with their lives, once their god was disrespected, they went berserk, rolling their eyes as they lunged forward.
“You think you’re noble martyrs of some sort.”
From my perspective, it’s laughable.
“Believing in some non-existent ‘existence,’ calling it a god, and talking about martyrdom?”
“…”
“Alright. That’s enough. I didn’t come here to talk to you anyway.”
The fanatics who tried to struggle one last time, eyes wide open.
Because their bodies can’t move, I hold the face of the one immobilized by magic and make eye contact.
And for a moment, the space shatters.
The Great Demons revealed their forms in the darkness.
“I’ll watch to see if your god, whom you would d*e for, will save you.”
And the fanatics are dragged into the darkness in that manner.
