ocean-life Chapter 338: All-Out War (3)
Chapter 338: All-Out War (3)
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Chapter 338: All-Out War (3)
Just before Ketal arrived at the Demon King’s Castle, a mighty hero had already reached the place.
His name was Alejandro, a Swordmaster of the Hero class.
He turned to the mage standing behind him and asked,
“Have you delivered the message?”
“Yes, I’ve informed the Tower Master! They should arrive soon!”
“Good. So this is... the Demon King’s Castle.”
Alejandro gazed up silently.
The castle was not particularly large, comparable in size to a regular human fortress.
But from within, he could feel an overwhelming and terrifying power.
Alejandro understood—inside that castle, demons were waiting for them.
“This is ominous. We can’t act rashly. Take defensive positions until the others arrive.”
“Yes, sir!”
They hastily arranged themselves into formation.
The Demon Lord Castle showed no response to their actions.
Alejandro frowned.
“So they’re waiting for us to make the first move. How cautious.”
“They have no choice,”
A voice suddenly responded, calm and cold.
“Our goal isn’t to kill you.”
“...!”
Alejandro instinctively drew his sword, infusing it with a flickering aura.
Without hesitation, he swung it toward the source of the voice.
An attack from a Hero-class warrior, powerful enough to rend the world itself.
Clang.
But it was effortlessly deflected.
The immense power dissipated completely.
“Well, it seems I’ll have time to deal with the early arrivals,”
The dry voice remarked lazily.
A demon swung their sword nonchalantly.
Alejandro felt a sharp, lethal force approaching his chest.
His eyes widened.
“Ack—!”
“Alejandro!”
At that moment, his allies threw themselves toward the demon in desperation.
The demon moved their sword again, as if bored.
Swish.
A single swing.
With that, their heads fell, cleanly severed.
Despite their superhuman strength, they couldn’t even respond.
But their deaths were not in vain.
It gave Alejandro just enough time to retreat.
“You... you...”
Alejandro’s eyes trembled.
The demon had been right next to him, yet he hadn’t noticed.
The demonic aura was so faint that it made detection nearly impossible.
And the display of swordsmanship—like a miracle.
There was only one being who could wield such skill.
“The Demon of the Sword... Caliste.”
The Lord of Hell who had nearly killed the Tower Master and the Sun God’s Saintess.
Alejandro chuckled bitterly.
“Well, this is quite the honor. I guess retreat isn’t an option... is it!”
Crunch.
In an instant, Alejandro’s body moved forward, closing the distance to Caliste.
Logic dictated that he should retreat, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
The reason was simple.
How could he miss the chance to fight against the pinnacle of swordsmanship?
He was a Swordmaster of the Hero class.
A man consumed by the sword.
Alejandro gripped his sword with both hands and struck downward.
There was no trace of carelessness in his movements.
He was ready to counter any action Caliste might take.
But Caliste simply raised his sword.
As the descending blade approached, Caliste swung.
Alejandro’s eyes widened.
“What?”
His sword was cut cleanly, like a rotting branch.
Caliste’s sword didn’t stop and continued its path.
Alejandro frantically tried to respond, but Caliste took a single step forward.
That single step completely neutralized Alejandro’s movements.
Death loomed.
‘What the—!’
Alejandro’s mind raced, desperately trying to figure out how to evade.
But—
Swish.
His head soared into the air.
“So that’s your weapon, then.”
“My sword.”
Caliste was the demon of the blade. His power was contained in a single sword.
“This sword, imbued with the power of severing all things, is as strong as my will.”
As long as Caliste’s will didn’t falter, neither would his sword.
Even a power that could kill everything couldn’t extinguish Caliste’s unyielding resolve.
Ketal chuckled bitterly.
“You’re still not as useful as I thought.”
[Shut up. If I had my original power, I’d snap that sword like a twig. It’s your fault for being lacking.]
The Abomination spat in annoyance.
Ketal let out a hearty laugh and withdrew his aura.
“Well, this isn’t going to be that easy, huh? Looks like I’ll have to overpower you directly.”
“Come at me.”
“Here I go!”
Ketal took a step forward.
The axe moved relentlessly, carving dozens of trajectories within a single second, aiming to rip his opponent apart.
It carried a power beyond monstrous.
Even those who prided themselves on being of hero-class strength couldn’t endure it.
Not even the defensive magic of the Tower Master could withstand it for long.
But Caliste didn’t retreat.
His sword moved smoothly, redirecting and deflecting the axe’s strikes, flowing with the torrent of overwhelming power as if untouched.
CRACKLE!
Caliste scraped his sword against the axe, dispersing its force, and turned it into a counterattack aimed at Ketal’s throat.
Ketal swung his axe to parry, but Caliste’s sword didn’t bounce away.
Instead, it clung to the axe blade like a magnet.
Ketal’s eyes widened further.
“Oh?”
He raised his arm to shake off the sword, but it wouldn’t budge.
Caliste pressed in closer, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
SCRAAAAPE!
The sword slid down the axe blade, aiming for Ketal’s hand.
“Whoops.”
Ketal let go of the axe, narrowly avoiding the slash.
The blade grazed the axe’s shaft as Ketal clenched his fist and swung it at Caliste.
Caliste lowered his posture and used the flat of his sword to block the blow.
BOOOOM!
The sheer force pushed Caliste all the way to the castle’s front gate.
With a flick of his wrist, he steadied himself.
“What monstrous strength. Even the God of Strength himself might not be able to match you.”
“Thanks for the compliment!”
Ketal grabbed his falling axe, putting strength into his shoulder.
He took a step forward and hurled it with all his might.
THOOM!
The spinning axe flew toward Caliste.
At first, Caliste prepared to dodge, but then he realized something—he was standing in front of the Demon King’s castle gate.
He couldn’t dodge; otherwise, the gate would be destroyed.
Yet blocking it head-on seemed impossible with such overwhelming power.
So, Caliste extended his sword.
CLANG.
As the spinning axe collided with the tip of the sword, Caliste twisted his body.
He slid his blade inside the axe’s trajectory and gently redirected its momentum.
Ketal’s eyes widened further.
The axe, spinning violently, changed direction, flying in a new arc.
Caliste completed his spin and thrust his sword forward again.
The redirected axe flew toward Ketal with the same ferocity as before.
Ketal extended his hand and caught the axe handle.
WHIRRR!
Unable to fully absorb the force, Ketal was pushed back.
He paused, standing still for a moment, before letting out a dry laugh.
“What... is this?”
Caliste had manipulated the flying axe’s trajectory, preserving its immense power and sending it back at its original wielder.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.
Attempting to replicate it would have been impossible.
Ketal couldn’t help but be impressed.
And at the same time, he realized:
“I won’t be able to break through you with brute strength alone.”
Sheer force wouldn’t overcome that sword.
His usual approach wouldn’t work.
He briefly considered using a spell, but an unfamiliar power against such a skilled opponent seemed unlikely to succeed.
After a moment of deliberation, Ketal looked at Caliste with an odd expression.
Depending solely on a single sword, mastering technique and skill to stand against overwhelming foes...
‘It reminds me of my old self.’
Forgotten memories resurfaced.
In that case...
“Let’s see if I can go back to the basics.”
Skill against skill.
Ketal adjusted his grip, holding his axe closer to the handle.
[Translator - Night]
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