The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 221

If the imitation of the Outer God Surtr had a power level of 6, the power of Yggdrasil was about 3, and the power of the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven was 1. However, the outcome wasn’t simply determined by power alone.

The swordsmanship of the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven, which was based on the laws of the world, was two or even three times more efficient against beings from beyond this world.

Even though the Outer God Surtr is a high-ranking True God, the power projected across dimensions will not surpass the laws of this world.

Before Leonard’s intervention, Vulcanus, or rather the imitation of Surtr, had overwhelmingly suppressed Yggdrasil’s influence. However, an unexpected intruder had suddenly struck him from behind.

Despite Yggdrasil’s poor condition, the laws of the world always prioritized eradicating external threats. Even though Yggdrasil had been corrupted by Nidhogg's poison, she hadn’t forgotten her role, showing enough flexibility to cooperate temporarily.

With the sudden interference of the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven, Surtr’s power erupted into a frenzied rage, writhing uncontrollably.

—■■■■■■!!?!

Naturally, it was Vulcanus who had to bear the brunt of this backlash. As it collided with Yggdrasil’s power and then with the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven, Vulcanus’ form, which had barely stabilized, was breaking apart.

The only reason Vulcanus had reached a level just below a True God’s was due to Surtr’s direct intervention. Since this wasn’t the ancient era, it was impossible for a decayed Yggdrasil to channel enough power for Vulcanus to achieve divinity.

Now that Surtr’s power was becoming unstable, the state of the mimic, which had tried to achieve divinity by unconventional means, also deteriorated.

I must not clash directly with the influence of an Outer God. Even if I have the advantage in terms of elements, the sheer difference in status is too vast. I should use Yggdrasil as a shield and wear down both sides as much as possible.

Leonard wielded the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven with sharpened focus, delicately maintaining the balance between the two powers. Yggdrasil and Surtr were the same in this respect. Any Demigod Tier being that tried to join this power struggle would be shattered in seconds, if not instantly. It was like being sandwiched between two big trucks.

I can’t let my guard down. If Yggdrasil gains control over Vulcanus, we’ll still have to deal with him, even if he’s not going to be as powerful as now.

Leonard would soon lose the protection of the laws of the world, and Audrey had already lost an arm. Had the enemy been at full strength, Leonard and Audrey would’ve stood no chance.

They had to seize this opportunity. If the two entities fought over control of Vulcanus, the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven would have the chance to overturn everything.

—■■!

However, unlike Yggdrasil, Surtr was not engulfed in madness. He knew exactly what the greatest obstacle to his goal was. Taking control of Vulcanus for a moment, Surtr commanded him to swing his greatsword, even though Vulcanus was writhing in pain.

The target was, of course, Leonard’s head.

The strike lacked proper strength, making it easy to block or dodge. But despite that, Leonard couldn’t evade it. If he moved to dodge the attack, the power of the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven would disperse, and the influence of the Outer God would triumph.

Craaaash—!

However, Leonard didn’t even need to respond himself.

“To be satisfied with just one arm... How humble for an Outer God.”

Black Dragon Commander Audrey, now missing her left arm entirely, extended her glaive to block the flaming sword.

Normally, an Outer God’s power would have infiltrated her wound, preventing her from fighting until it was fully expelled. However, due to Leonard’s interference and the tug-of-war over Vulcanus’ control, the external power couldn’t settle, allowing Audrey to swiftly recover with aura circulation and rejoin the battle.

Still, the damage to her soul was significant. As a direct consequence of being hit by an Outer God’s power, even her Mindscape was left in a fragile state.

Extermination

Yet, without any signs of pain, Audrey unleashed her martial arts, shattering Vulcanus’ greatsword and right arm in the process.

“Kugh!”

The recoil made Audrey stumble backward, and she coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, but her intervention was not in vain. In fact, it was the decisive blow.

The delicate balance of power, which had barely tilted in Surtr’s favor, crumbled in an instant. Having expended too much strength to counter Audrey’s Extermination, Surtr lost the tug-of-war, and Yggdrasil’s power surged forward relentlessly, seizing the opportunity.

Crack... Crack... Crack...!

The once meticulously sculpted form of the flame giant began to distort. As Vulcanus failed to maintain his mimicry of the Outer God, the resonance weakened, and he began to revert to his original form—no longer Surtr, but Vulcanus, the Wraith King.

When the two influences reached the point of no return, Leonard made his move, extending his hand from the precipice. His goal was to eliminate both Yggdrasil and the Outer God.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

The faint remnants of the Evil-Repelling Sword of Heaven within Vulcanus responded. Instead of continuing to purge the Outer God’s influence alongside Yggdrasil, the sword’s power pierced straight into Vulcanus’ core. Neither Yggdrasil, who had been distracted by Surtr, nor the Outer God himself, who had been toying with his power, could stop it.

At the perfect moment, Leonard flipped the entire board, ensuring that both forces lost everything they had wagered.

—■■■! ■■!?

Realizing they had been played by a mere Demigod Tier being, Surtr and Yggdrasil resonated with fury; the latter was especially enraged at being wounded by a being that was like her own children. In a rare instance, the two enemies formed a temporary truce, united in their desire for revenge against Leonard, who had sought to profit from their conflict.

This was an unforeseen misstep, even for Leonard. According to his plan, Vulcanus’ core would have been destroyed, causing both forces to cancel each other out and vanish completely. But now, Leonard’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected situation.

Are they trying to take everyone down together?

The influence of Surtr and Yggdrasil, without a core to sustain them, began to expand Vulcanus’ body, which was on the verge of collapse. From ten meters, it grew rapidly to twenty meters, then thirty meters. Although there wasn’t much energy left inside, the interference of a True God was still in play, enough to unleash a devastating explosion that could obliterate everything in the vicinity.

Most importantly, Audrey, who had been badly injured, wouldn’t be able to escape in time.

There’s no other choice.

Resigned to the impending destruction, Leonard steeled himself to block the explosion, accepting the inevitable consequences. Fortunately, the protection of the world’s laws was still in effect.

The figure of Xuanwu manifested behind him, lifting the Seven Star Sword, ready to suppress the explosion about to erupt.

Supersized Frost-Blade

But at that moment, a massive ice sword suddenly descended from the sky, slicing through the epicenter of the explosion and embedding itself deep into the ground.

Someone had unexpectedly intervened.

This is... Commander Grace’s power!

The significance of her presence could not be overstated. The fierce determination that had filled Leonard’s body and mind as he resolved to protect Audrey began to ease up. His grip on his jet-black sword loosened slightly, his movements becoming more fluid—just half a beat faster than Vulcanus, who had already perceived his own disadvantage.

Northern God Style

One Hit One Kill Ultimate Skill

Life and Death Sword

A burst of dark light shot from Leonard's hand, slicing through the core of the power that Grace had already weakened. The force that had been building up to an explosive level dispersed instantly.

The overwhelming anger radiating from both entities briefly sent shivers down the spines of even the Demigod Tier knights, but that was all. The presence of the Outer God Surtr disappeared first, and soon after, Yggdrasil’s gaze also faded away.

“Huff...” Leonard exhaled heavily, finally releasing the breath he had been holding.

At that moment, three commanders landed nearby. Wade looked just as he always did—calm and composed; Grace appeared a bit pale; and Uluka looked even worse than her, visibly exhausted from the battle with Thetis.

However, they had been fortunate enough to avoid any casualties. Still, they looked shocked as they saw Audrey, collapsed on the ground and with one arm missing.

“You held on well.”

Wade, usually sparing with praise, took a moment to observe the battle traces left by Vulcanus before complimenting Leonard.

Surtr’s power had been brief and minimal, yet Leonard and Audrey had faced death at least three times during that interval. Unlike Thetis, whose incomplete imitation of Charybdis had collapsed before the Outer God could intervene, Surtr’s influence had been rather difficult to overcome.

Nodding in acknowledgment of Wade’s praise, Leonard cautiously asked, “Commander Uluka... You?”

If Leonard had not seen Uluka through his Dragon Eyes, he might have assumed it was just a serious internal injury. However, it was more than that.

Uluka’s balance of essence, energy, and spirit had completely collapsed, and even his Mindscape had fractured, leaving the laws of his energy exposed to external influence. In Uluka’s current state, Leonard could subdue him in less than ten seconds.

“He overused his conceptual martial arts,” Wade explained briefly.

To begin with, Soul-Breaker was already a power that drained its user’s life force, and Uluka had gone beyond his limits to block Thetis’ final desperate attack. When Thetis realized that victory was impossible in the three-on-one battle, she self-destructed, unleashing the Spriggans bound within her, hoping to wipe out the entire battlefield along with the Mobile Fortress.

Grace, drained from using Cosmic Blade, had been unable to stop them, and Wade’s Areadbhar wasn’t suited for such an overwhelming swarm of enemies either.

“I’m fine... This is... my duty,” Uluka whispered with a faint smile, despite looking like a living corpse.

Uluka, the Green Dragon Commander, had devoted his life to the battle against the Spriggans, driven by a desire for vengeance. However, there was no doubt about the sincerity of his sense of duty.

“One enemy left,” Wade said bluntly, and everyone turned their gaze in the same direction.

Now that the remaining Wraith Kings had been reverse-summoned, Yggdrasil, the Divine Tree, was left defenseless. She was the root evil that the Order of the Green Dragon had to vanquish.

Indeed, this remnant of the God-Saying War was an evil that had to be eradicated no matter what.

Though they were worn out from the consecutive battles with formidable enemies, delaying the final battle any further would bear the risk of the Wraith Kings coming back.

“We’ll leave the Mobile Fortress here. If there’s not enough power source left, pull it back,” Wade instructed.

Uluka nodded and activated the sigils on the back of his hand. “Halt... Prioritize diverting all remaining power to the defense barrier...”

Though his voice was faint, the Mobile Fortress registered his command and focused its remaining energy on reinforcing the defense barrier. With this, the barrier would keep standing for another hour or two.

After inspecting the Mobile Fortress, Wade turned his attention to the others, specifically Audrey.

“Your arm, can it be restored?” Wade asked.

“If I go back to the family home, yes.”

“Then it’s not possible now. Return to the fortress and wait. In your current state, you’ll only be a burden,” Wade said bluntly.

Audrey didn’t flinch at his indifferent tone. She nodded, knowing that she wouldn’t be crippled for life thanks to Leonard, though it would still take months of recovery even after returning home.

Grace, though exhausted, was recovering quickly, and Leonard, saved from the brink of death, was almost back to full strength. However, Uluka seemed even more burdened than Audrey.

“Let’s go,” Wade said curtly, launching himself in the direction of Yggdrasil.

Audrey, heading back to the Mobile Fortress, pursed her lips briefly, and Grace seemed hesitant about something, although only for a moment.

Leonard couldn’t pretend not to understand the reason for their unease. No one could tell Uluka to stay behind at this point.

“...Thank you,” Uluka whispered, his voice barely above a whisper.

An iridescent trickle of blood slipped down the side of his lips. Strangely, the blood had no foul odor—in fact, it was almost fragrant.

His Innate True Qi was leaking out. Even for a Demigod Tier being, reaching this state meant death was imminent.

This was why Wade had silently allowed him to follow.

—Today, Uluka will die.