Solo Swordmaster – Chapter 130

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“S-stay back! One more step, and I’ll slit his throat!”

“Hmm…”

Limon looked at Ryu Kang-chul, the picture of a cornered criminal, his face pale, his eyes darting nervously, his voice dry and trembling.

Limon had already eliminated dozens of his clones, and since Ryu Kang-chul’s skill seemed to share memories and consciousness between the clones, it was understandable that he was on the verge of a breakdown, having experienced dozens of agonizing deaths in rapid succession.

He was even resorting to taking a hostage. It wasn’t anything new to Limon.

“Even so, what do you hope to achieve by taking him hostage?”

Limon was puzzled by the choice of hostage.

“Don’t you agree, Branch Manager Wang?”

The hostage, a middle-aged man with a mustache, Wang Ki-neung, was covered in blood, his arms severed at the elbows and shoulders, knives sticking out of his body.

He coughed up blood, then grinned and replied to Limon’s question,

“Indeed.”

“Shut up!”

Perhaps annoyed by his casual demeanor, Ryu Kang-chul yanked his hair and grazed his throat with a knife, a demonstration of his willingness to kill. But it was a futile gesture.

Neither Limon nor Wang Ki-neung seemed to care about the bleeding wound.

“You look terrible.”

“Apologies for the unsightly appearance. I managed to kill about ten of them, but I couldn’t handle any more.”

“You put up a good fight.”

“I am the head of the Shanghai Royal Family. I have to maintain some semblance of dignity.”

“I don’t think taking a hostage is very dignified.”

“You wound me.”

Ryu Kang-chul stared at the two, who were conversing calmly as if having tea, then yelled,

“Hey! Do you not see this knife?!”

“I see it perfectly.”

“Then why are you so calm?! I’ll kill him!”

“Go ahead.”

Ryu Kang-chul was speechless again.

“…Did you just tell me to kill him?”

“Yes. I don’t care.”

“You’re saying that with a hostage right in front of you?!”

“Unfortunately, Black Dragon Construction isn’t under contract with my security company. I have no obligation to protect them.”

Limon’s indifference was genuine.

Ryu Kang-chul sputtered,

“Don’t bluff! You’re just pretending not to care to save the hostage!”

“Then just kill him. What are you waiting for, murderer?”

“I…”

Ryu Kang-chul was speechless. Wang Ki-neung chuckled.

“You should have chosen your hostage more carefully.”

“…You’re laughing? He just told you to die!”

“I might as well laugh if I’m going to die anyway.”

“Why are you so resigned?! Beg for your life!”

“Now that’s a funny joke.”

Wang Ki-neung scoffed, then glanced at Limon.

“Look at his eyes, Specter. Do those look like the eyes of someone here to save anyone?”

“……”

Ryu Kang-chul fell silent.

He had looked, and he had seen. Limon’s eyes, devoid of worry, concern, or urgency, were calm and cold, a chilling golden gaze.

Ryu Kang-chul, who had seen his share of criminals and madmen in the Liberation Brigade, recognized that look.

It was the look of a killer, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to cut down both him and the hostage, someone who saw human life as nothing more than firewood.

“You would have been better off grabbing a random passerby.”

Wang Ki-neung, who had given up on being rescued the moment he saw Limon, spoke, and Ryu Kang-chul finally exploded,

“What the hell is going on?!”

It was bad enough that dozens of his clones had been wiped out in minutes, but now his last resort, the hostage situation, had backfired.

He was on the verge of tears.

“What did you expect, dog? A miracle?”

“You didn’t expect this, did you?”

“You’re one to talk.”

“That’s why I’m saying this. I’ve never regretted not being born into the White Dragon Clan more than I do now.”

“I think you’d be bored to death among those fools.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Limon chuckled, continuing his conversation with Wang Ki-neung, ignoring Ryu Kang-chul, then asked abruptly,

“So, are you done with your last words?”

“A loser has nothing to say. I couldn’t even protect myself, let alone my clan. Just give me a clean death.”

“Alright, I’ll make it quick, so it’s easier to stitch your corpse back together later.”

“I appreciate the consideration.”

A chill ran down Ryu Kang-chul’s spine. It wasn’t just the chilling aura emanating from Limon, who had lowered his sword slightly.

It was their nonchalant acceptance of his impending death, something he couldn’t comprehend, that made him feel like he was facing a madman beyond reason.

‘…I made a mistake.’

He shouldn’t have applied logic to these lunatics. He should have stayed out of it, letting Eugene and Vellus handle things. But it was too late.

“Now, since there are no more clones to deal with…”

The reaper, his golden eyes gleaming with a dark light, had already raised his sword.

“Let’s finish this.”

Ryu Kang-chul gritted his teeth. Having died at Limon’s hands countless times, he knew he couldn’t stop this. Whether he fought, fled, or begged, Limon had decided to kill him, and all he could do was struggle in vain.

A glint of defiance appeared in his eyes.

“Fine! If you want a show, I’ll give you a show! But don’t regret it!”

Limon didn’t react to his words. Curses and threats were common from dying villains.

“Hmm?”

L
But then he narrowed his eyes, not just because of the sudden shift in Ryu Kang-chul’s demeanor, but because his Constellation Gazing Eyes, which he had been using to check for remaining clones, detected something strange.

Though they were indoors, the stars in the night sky shimmered, and one of them shone brightly on Ryu Kang-chul, like a spotlight.

‘What’s this…?

Limon acted instantly, swinging his sword at Ryu Kang-chul. It was a lightning-fast attack, a strike that would have decapitated any of the previous clones.

Clang!

But the sword didn’t connect. The starlight surrounding Ryu Kang-chul deflected the blow.

As Limon raised an eyebrow in surprise, Ryu Kang-chul tossed Wang Ki-neung aside and spoke with a twisted smile.

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In the Subterranean Dragon Palace, deep beneath the Leviathan, Vellus, locked in a fierce battle with Li Chingwei, suddenly paused and looked up.

“…That idiot.”

There was nothing but the ceiling above them, yet he looked beyond it, his face hardening.

“Using the power of ‘those above’ without permission… He’s finally gone completely mad.”

He was annoyed, but only briefly. Blocking Li Chingwei’s attack with his law book, he felt the heavy impact and his eyes turned cold. Even a fool like Ryu Kang-chul was still a Specter of the Liberation Brigade.

If he was resorting to such measures, breaking even the Brigade’s rules, the situation outside must be dire.

‘This wasn’t authorized…’

Considering Ryu Kang-chul’s transgression, his own precarious situation, and the importance of the mission, Vellus muttered,

“Very well, let’s settle this.”

He stopped dodging and stood his ground, focusing his will and activating a skill.

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“What the f***?”

Eugene, searching for Yo Ouin and the Silent Dragon Unit within the black mist, muttered involuntarily.

Despite the darkness surrounding her, she could feel a star in the distant sky flare brightly, as if exploding.

‘Why?’

She was confused, but only briefly. Before she could comprehend the situation, another star flared, even brighter than the first.

“…Comrade, you’re crazy.”

It was a forbidden power, the reason they were called Specters, a taboo that even Vellus, their commander, wasn’t supposed to use lightly. It was an act that could get them all executed for violating the Brigade’s rules.

That was why she had never considered using it.

“Taking everyone down with you.”

But with both Ryu Kang-chul and Vellus resorting to such measures, she had no choice. She couldn’t escape responsibility just by abstaining. And now that things had come to this, hesitation wasn’t her style.

“Not my preference… but sorry.”

She would have preferred a good, long fight, but a mission was a mission. Suppressing her feelings, Eugene connected with ‘those above’ and spoke,

“‘Constellation Descent XII’, Fool.”

“‘Constellation Descent V’, Judgment.”

“‘Constellation Descent III’, Berserker.”

Three voices echoed, slightly out of sync, and three brilliant stars descended from the heavens.

KABOOM!

—Roots covered the earth.

—The laws of the world twisted.

—And bloody madness erupted.

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