Trash of the Count's Family Book 2: Chapter 374: One Sword (5)
Previously on Trash of the Count's Family...
<One Sword (5)>
The declaration of war from the leader of the Cooperative Alliance against One Sword has stirred up the tournament spectators.
This clash pits a renowned authority figure against a enigmatic newcomer.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
With his fan, the Heavenly Demon rhythmically struck the table.
Cale grinned widely before him.
“Our young master-nim certainly possesses a fiery disposition.”
Alberu savored his tea, relaxed on the window ledge.
Cale kept speaking without pause.
“How could you depart without a backward glance once the initial bout concluded?”
Tap. Tap!
The tapping ceased from the Heavenly Demon.
“So-”
A deep tone emerged from his lips.
"You believe the Cooperative Alliance shares ties with those wanderers.”
Nod nod.
Cale affirmed with a nod.
“And it’s not mere coercion like what befell the Dark Pulse, but rather a partnership. Perhaps something even deeper?”
Nod nod.
“And the Alliance leader suspects I’m the AI aiding Ahn Roh Man?”
Nod nod.
“Ha!”
The Heavenly Demon let out a chuckle.
“How amusing. Truly amusing.”
Alberu added his remark.
“It is indeed very amusing.”
Naturally, his intended meaning diverged sharply.
The Heavenly Demon glanced at Alberu, who gracefully smoothed his wind-tousled hair, and pressed on.
“Since our true identities remain concealed.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Resuming the fan’s rhythm, the Heavenly Demon questioned Cale.
“When might I encounter the alliance leader?”
This space belonged to the Heavenly Demon’s quarters, occupied solely by Alberu, Cale, and himself.
“Mm.”
Cale pondered briefly before responding.
"Winners from the Round of 64 get redrawn into a new pool for the Round of 32.”
Unlike typical contests.
The bracket reshuffled each stage.
“Who can say? It might happen anytime.”
“Could we tamper with the bracket?”
Cale laughed softly at the Heavenly Demon’s bold suggestion to rig the matches.
“Eager to confront Hwa In soon?”
“She must answer for directing her blade toward the Heavenly Demon without delay.”
Cale chuckled once more, then casually inquired.
“Hey, Heavenly Demon.”
“Yes?”
“Suppose Hwa In isn’t merely a follower of the wanderers, but a wanderer herself?”
A smile crept across the Heavenly Demon’s face.
"What are you implying?”
“Not a great deal.”
The elusive wanderer who intimidated Pao Seo Tae.
So Hee.
He had verified that entrant number 17 aligned with the details provided about So Hee.
“There could be multiple wanderers present. Perhaps the Alliance leader is one as well.”
Currently, Cale lacked any method to identify wanderers.
Perhaps with Choi Jung Soo, Sui Khan, or Choi Jung Gun present, but…
The Heavenly Demon studied Cale silently before probing further.
“And then what?”
“Wanderers possess great strength.”
And should the Alliance leader prove to be a wanderer?
“Ha, haha-”
The Heavenly Demon burst into hearty laughter.
It rang with a freshness Cale had never witnessed from him.
Yet the mirth faded quickly.
“…You mentioned the wanderers surpass Choi Han in power?”
“Uncertain, yet it’s feasible.”
The wanderers from the Five Colors Bloods…
Cale readied himself, viewing them as near demi-god caliber.
“You truly believe that?”
An unusual grin adorned the Heavenly Demon’s features.
“Be it that So Hee or the Cooperative Alliance’s leader… Should wanderers lurk among them… They likely rank low in strength within their kind.”
Folks often misunderstood the Heavenly Demon.
He wasn’t perpetually haughty or invincible.
Once the frailest among his kin, the Heavenly Demon ascended to dominate the Demon Cult’s heavens.
Countless vulnerabilities marked his path.
Indeed, his intellect might eclipse his martial might.
“Her duty involves feigning command over a trivial alliance while hunting an AI?”
The Heavenly Demon sneered, then shook his head.
“No one of prominence in the Five Colors Bloods would undertake such a chore.”
It wasn’t battling deities.
Not managing the Demon World or rival Hunter clans.
Not advancing their aims or forging the supreme god.
Simply seeking the AI?
And vying for heirship?
“Particularly one resorting to underhanded ploys in contests to climb-”
The Heavenly Demon shrugged.
“They can’t be that formidable.”
Cale remarked indifferently right after.
“In that case, you handle the Alliance leader.”
Knock knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door then.
Alberu answered it, revealing Cheon Ryeo of the Dark Pulse.
She informed Cale.
“My lord, fresh intel has arrived. Reaching the top 4 grants an invitation to the Royal Palace for a banquet with the Queen and her consort.”
Cale had requested prompt updates on Royal Palace matters.
“Oh. Really?”
Cale, the Heavenly Demon, and Alberu shared looks.
“So, just four victories needed.”
The Heavenly Demon stated calmly, then gazed ceilingward.
“I hope things accelerate a touch.”
Tap. Tap. He struck the fan against his palm, tone offhand.
“I might grow restless.”
He appeared eager.
As though craving immediate combat.
* * *
“To the left, Seo Rak!”
Woooooooooooooooo–
The Sky Sword, among the five great powers…
A haven for those revering the sword as martial arts’ pinnacle.
Seo Rak stood as its prospective head.
A prodigy in swordsmanship.
“…….”
Yet his expression soured.
He seemed ill at ease.
“To the right, Kim Hae-Yi!”
The cause lay with the approaching figure opposite.
One Sword.
This anonymous contender, boldly claiming a ‘Sword’ moniker, now drew intense scrutiny after the Cooperative Alliance leader’s challenge.
Truthfully, that held little weight.
Common folk relished tales of obscure talents rising.
‘But involving the sword complicates matters.’
Both leader Hwa In, a swordswoman, and Kim Hae-Yi, a swordsman, wielded blades.
Yet neither hailed from the Sky Sword.
They hadn’t pledged their existence to the sword.
‘Daring to eclipse our fame through the sword?’
This irked Seo Rak deeply.
Still, he held no disdain for Kim Hae-Yi.
Tension gripped him instead.
Hubris served no purpose.
Boom!
The drum signaled the bout’s commencement.
Stands brimmed with onlookers.
Many anticipated the showdown between Seo Rak and Kim Hae-Yi.
‘The Martial Scholar attends as well.’
The Queen absent, but her proxy, Martial Scholar Cha Run, observed.
Seo Rak intended to seize this chance.
He assumed his stance and spoke to Kim Hae-Yi.
“I’m pleased to duel a famed practitioner of the sword.”
Irritation aside…
Joy stirred within him too.
Sword-based martial exchanges thrilled eternally.
“…….”
Kim Hae-Yi offered no response to Seo Rak’s words.
Flick.
A mere head tilt sufficed as acknowledgment.
He then stood motionless.
Appearing utterly disinterested.
“…….”
Seo Rak’s brows furrowed.
Composing himself, he gripped his hilt firmer.
‘One Sword.
My blade will shatter you in one stroke.’
Seo Rak had concealed his full genius hitherto.
Today, unveiling it seemed fitting.
‘Even if it costs him his life-’
The rules never forbade fatalities in this event.
‘That should prove acceptable, no?’
Seo Rak advanced a step.
Drawing his sword.
A motion repeated countless times.
Utterly instinctive.
Clang-
Precisely as anticipated.
Hence, its terror.
Beyond genius lay the value of relentless practice.
Seo Rak embodied this truth.
Fundamentals formed his greatest asset.
They secured his early heirship and painted him as the Sky Sword’s tomorrow.
Shh-
The draw’s fluid grace…
This single action widened Cha Run’s eyes.
"The world-”
As the blade emerged…
It seemed the world divided evenly.
A mirage?
Nay. A vision poised to manifest.
“Ho-”
Sky Sword.
That faction nurtured a beast.
Seo Rak, this fellow packs real power.
Chills raced through Cha Run.
This plain blade’s level cut…
Those grasping its essence would freeze, mirroring Cha Run’s reaction.
Clunk!
Yet Cha Run sprang up.
His aged frame struggled with such swift rises, but…
Distractions paled now.
The slash threatening worldly division…
The blade’s boundless might…
Kim Hae-Yi extended his palm toward the level stroke.
Then, downward…
He traced a perpendicular line.
His gesture exuded greater ease than Seo Rak’s.
‘Ho-’
Cha Run missed even the world’s illusory bisection.
No aura emanated.
Nevertheless-
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The downward palm sweep birthed a mild gust.
Shhhhh-
The world-sundering line vanished.
Plop.
Cha Run sank into his chair.
‘Kim Hae-Yi. His depths elude me.’
Queen Tamahi’s amazed words resurfaced.
Tamahi, Lan Kingdom’s mightiest.
She likely pierced Kim Hae-Yi’s veil deepest.
“…….”
Seo Rak, meanwhile…
“…….”
Stood speechless before Kim Hae-Yi.
And Kim Hae-Yi… The Heavenly Demon…
“…….”
Gazed skyward in silence.
‘How dull.’
Navigating an unfamiliar realm ignorant of his Heavenly Demon status had invigorated him.
Rare novelties.
But tedium now gripped him.
‘…Choi Han.
Choi Han, Cale Henituse…
Envisioning clashes with them excites, yet…
So feeble.’
All encountered here proved frail.
No conceit in this.
A innate sentiment for the Heavenly Demon.
“Kim Hae-Yi, you-”
Seo Rak’s voice trembled.
Astounded, he faced Kim Hae-Yi and queried.
“How often have you wielded the sword?”
The Heavenly Demon shifted his gaze earthward to Seo Rak.
Seo Rak sensed the ennui in those eyes.
The Heavenly Demon replied.
“I do not recall.”
Tens of thousands?
Hundreds of thousands?
Millions?
Tens of millions?
Impossible to tell?
The Heavenly Demon forgot.
To him, sword swings equaled breaths.
“Why bother counting?”
Seo Rak felt choked by the query.
“…I concede.”
He bowed his head.
The Heavenly Demon prevailed.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
Cheers washed over the Heavenly Demon as he mused.
‘…This realm is overly serene.’
Existing in a domain far from the Central Plains…
The Heavenly Demon keenly sensed his distance from the Demon Cult.
“You performed admirably, young master-nim.”
The Heavenly Demon disregarded Cale’s praise and strode on until Cale’s next words halted him.
“Don’t you sense excitement building?”
The Heavenly Demon grinned.
* * *
The boisterous competition persisted, and…
Top 8.
Merely eight contenders lingered.
Among them-
Kim Hae-Yi.
His moniker appeared.
The Sword Ghost, Hyun Seong.
And…
“Hwa In, So Hee.”
These names featured too.
“Seems the Alliance leader faces So Hee next.”
Dark Pulse’s Alliance Leader Pao Seo Tae.
He awaited So Hee in the Quarterfinals.
As Pao Seo Tae tensed at Cale’s observation… Cale rested a hand on the Heavenly Demon’s shoulder.
“Naturally, our young master-nim meets Hwa In beforehand.”
The Heavenly Demon sipped his tea quietly.
Choi Han, acting as Pao Seo Tae’s protector, stated.
“Cale-nim, I’ll accompany you then.”
“Count me in.”
Alberu and Choi Han planned joint action.
* * *
“One Sword! One Sword!”
“Alliance leader-nim! Vanquish him swiftly!”
Woooooooooooooooo–
Amid this cacophony of acclaim…
The Heavenly Demon’s lips curled while eyeing the Cooperative Alliance leader.
“Now, this might prove engaging.”
—
Translator's Comments
One Sword! One Sword!
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