Chapter 30. A Man Not in His Right Mind
Sirius led Vellid into the cave.
“Who the hell are you!?”
Thieves were bustling inside.
Though a hole somewhere must have allowed air in, the atmosphere wasn’t pleasant despite the fire lighting up the cave.
Sirius thought they needed to finish quickly and leave.
“Just a passing shadow of darkness.”
“Whack…!”
After knocking out the nearest person and taking his sword, as he hadn’t brought his own today,
“This brat…!”
“Kill him!”
Rough voices accompanied the thieves rushing in.
But Sirius did not swing his sword at them.
The first target was the fire illuminating the cave.
“Huh…!?”
In an instant, the cave plunged into darkness.
It would take time for their eyes to adjust, but not for Sirius.
Like a creature living in the dark, he unfolded the first form of the Black Shadow Stealth Swordsmanship.
“Whack!”
“Argh…!”
Screams echoed one after another.
Nevertheless, as time passed, their eyes adjusted to the darkness.
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The moment they rushed towards Sirius with determination to retaliate.
“Ugh!?”
Flash.
Suddenly, the cave lit up as bright as daylight.
Just when their eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, it now became difficult to discern their surroundings with the sudden brightness.
After Sirius swiftly severed their throats and turned his head, he saw Velled creating a shining sphere.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, it was too dark so…”
“You went through the trouble of putting out the fire, only to light it up again.”
“Ah… Was that not allowed?”
Velled scratched his head with a foolish expression.
Magic itself seemed quite convenient, but at the moment, it was a hindrance.
“Put it out.”
“….”
Velled dissipated the irksome light sphere with a dissatisfied expression, and Sirius once again began to dash through the darkness.
The thieves, unable to adapt to the situation of light and dark alternations, were left helpless.
“Let’s keep going.”
“Wait, it’s dark ahead… Ugh!”
Despite hearing Velled stumble, Sirius paid no mind and continued forward.
And then… a new space unfolded.
“….”
Torches hung on the walls, a bed laid with animal skins, and a man missing one eye seated on the bed.
With a serious expression, wielding a large greatsword.
“He, he’s Golgoat!”
Velled, who had followed Sirius, raised his voice.
“No doubt! I heard he lost his right eye when he was expelled from the alliance…”
“Velled.”
Sirius interrupted Velled’s words.
“There are likely thieves in other places besides here. Clean them up.”
“What?”
“You can light the fire.”
“….”
After a moment of hesitation, Velled immediately stepped back.
He sensed the seriousness in Sirius’s voice.
As Velled left, Golgoat slowly opened his mouth.
“Thank you for allowing me to fight one-on-one.”
Golgoat had already heard the sounds of his subordinates being massacred in an instant.
He gazed at Sirius with the eyes of a man prepared for death.
“May I ask for your name?”
“Sirius.”
After a brief reply, Sirius added immediately,
“They also call me Cheonrang.”
“Cheonrang… I see.”
Golgote nodded.
“I’ve heard rumors about Cheonranggeomdan. Some say it originated from the Alliance.”
“That’s just a fake rumor I spread.”
“Fearless, huh? Aren’t you afraid of the Alliance?”
Golgote asked, squinting his left eye.
“Even if I leave you alone for now, soon enough the Alliance will come after you to kill you.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
“What?”
“Rather than me going to the Alliance, it’s easier for them to come find me.”
“…”
To conquer this world, a confrontation with the Alliance is inevitable.
Since contacting the Alliance isn’t easy, it’s better to let them approach first.
“Surprising. Seems like we’re quite different.”
“It seems like you were expelled from the Alliance.”
“Lacked talent. My swordsmanship reached a certain level, but I couldn’t fully unleash the magic sword.”
Golgote stood up with a bitter expression.
“Still, I have confidence in my swordsmanship, Cheonrang.”
“Looking forward to it.”
They poised themselves.
After a short breath, Golgote made the first move.
“Haap…!”
A heavy preemptive strike.
The air vibrated as Golgote’s great sword approached.
From top to bottom, a simple yet destructive blow.
Sirius raised his sword to block Golgote’s attack, but immediately after, his feet sank into the ground.
“Ugh…!”
Golgote exerted more force, as if intending to crush Sirius.
One could feel the thick muscles swelling beneath his leather armor.
Sirius, with his still unrefined physique, was not yet a match for such an opponent.
In the end, Sirius drew upon his inner strength.
“Hmm!?”
Thud!
Golgote’s great sword was knocked away.
Immediately after, as if in response, Sirius swung his sword in the same trajectory as Golgote.
Golgote, with an agility that didn’t match his bulk, managed to block the sword, but this time, his feet sank into the ground.
From the much weaker Sirius, a force that surpassed him emerged.
Wide-eyed at this fact, Gogoth twisted his body.
Shifting to the side, he sent his sword slashing before attempting to strike Sirius with the broad blade of his greatsword.
However, this attack was blocked.
Sirius, too, twisted his body, taking Gogoth’s sword head-on.
Thud!
The resounding clash echoed within the cave.
From that echo, Gogoth’s new form emerged.
A continuous rain of attacks from above. Sirius either absorbed or deflected it all while displaying his swordsmanship.
With each clash, the cave reverberated, and torches flickered.
At first glance, it seemed like a tense stalemate in the battle, but the reality was different.
Gogoth was growing weary, while Sirius showed no signs of faltering.
If there was one disadvantage for Sirius… it was that the blade he had taken from the guards earlier was on the verge of breaking.
Of course, if he used the blade, it would be Gogoth’s blade that would break, but Sirius refrained from using it.
A pure sword fight, a duel of swordsmanship.
As time passed, Gogoth’s swordsmanship revealed more openings, which Sirius skillfully exploited.
“Huup!”
Gogoth unleashed a lightning-fast strike as if to settle the fight.
It was a powerful attack filled with swordsmanship. Among all the attacks so far, this one was the sharpest.
An attack that seemed willing to die after executing it, a sword of “mutual destruction.”
Therefore, Sirius decided not to hold back.
“Black Shadow Escaping the Nameless Sword Technique, Third Form: Tangbiin.”
Dodging the greatsword coming down diagonally with just upper body movement, he drew two trajectories.
Like the front paws of a raven subduing prey, the trajectories extended and left two sword marks.
“Argh, ugh….”
Gogoth’s body fell backward.
Blood began to flow from the two fatal wounds.
“Gogoth.”
Looking down at the defeated man, Sirius spoke.
“Who taught you swordsmanship?”
At that question, Gogoth faintly smiled.
“Watching my swordsmanship without using magic swords, was that the reason?”
“Not just that.”
“Oh?”
“Competing in swordsmanship is enjoyable in itself.”
Hearing Sirius’s words, Gogoth also wore a look of understanding.
Despite being prepared for death since his subordinates were massacred in an instant, the battle against Sirius was enjoyable for Gogoth as well.
“My master is a figure known as the Sword Emperor in the Alliance.”
“Sword Emperor….”
“A mage-swordsman of the Ninth Circle. All the swordsmen in the Alliance can be considered disciples of the Sword Emperor.”
It’s the 9th Circle.
The enemies Sirius has faced so far were at most around the 7th Circle.
Although it’s just a difference of two ranks, the wall of the 9th Circle is said to be toweringly high as of recent hearsay.
Sirius found it difficult to easily imagine how much power the 9th Circle might possess.
“Is the Swordmaster the strongest in the Alliance?”
“Well, he’s the one who reached the pinnacle in swordsmanship.”
Sirius remembered the Swordmaster’s name.
Having sparred with Golgot for a while, he could roughly guess what kind of swordsmanship the Swordmaster possessed.
Adding the magic power of the 9th Circle to this… it would be difficult for Sirius to deal with it with his current strength.
That was why he needed to increase his skills and regain the power of the Bai-Mu-Rang from the Thousand Waves Unmatched.
“Then… Sirius.”
Golgot’s breath was gradually fading.
“Thank you for allowing me to swing the sword freely without any grudges… at the end.”
That was it.
After briefly gazing at Golgot’s face as he drew his last breath, Sirius turned his back.
Golgot must have wanted to dominate the world with a sword like Kalstein.
But being unable to use a magical sword, he would likely have been hunted down by other Black Guilds or the Albriam family if he tried to act like Kalstein.
So, he could only lead a band of thieves hidden in caves.
‘The Alliance…’
Seeing Golgot being banished, it seemed like an organization that valued strength.
But its true nature was still not fully understood.
Despite trying to gather information every time they wiped out small Black Guilds, there was no significant gain.
Kalstein or Valkain might have known something… but they were already dead.
“S-Sirius.”
At that moment, a voice came from behind.
Belled was panting, looking this way.
“I’ve taken care of the remaining riffraff. But… do you really plan to fight the Alliance?”
“It depends on how they approach.”
“…!”
The outcome of the relationship with the Alliance is still uncertain.
There is a high likelihood of conflict, but there is also a possibility that it may not come to that.
If they are beyond redemption, they may resort to decisive actions, but if communication is possible, they may explore other paths.
In any case, it’s difficult to predict what will happen at this point.
So, all they can do is strengthen themselves and wait until contacted by the Alliance.
“Ha… This is unbelievable.”
He’s out of his mind.
Belled thought that to himself.
Even the most formidable Black Guilds are hesitant about the Alliance.
Belled may not know exactly what kind of organization the Alliance is, but he knows well enough that it’s not a force to be trifled with like the small-time thugs in the northeast back alleys.
However… Belled felt his heart racing.
“Speaking of alliances…”
“Do you happen to know anything about alliances?”
“No, not really.”
A smile crept up at the corner of Velid’s mouth.
“It does seem like troubled times are approaching.”
“…?”
“In chaotic worlds, opportunities tend to arise. Well, not bad.”
…”
He’s out of his mind.
Watching Velid mutter to himself, Sirius thought silently.