The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 224

One day ago.

[Their resistance is fierce.]

The Celestial Demon God, having gained divine authority through the Earth Deity, now possessed eyes that could gaze down upon the world.

Even so, his gaze remained fixed solely on the flames of the Dragon God.

‘At this rate… it will never end…….’

The Celestial Demon God realized it clearly.

The Dragon God's flame.

It could not be completely subdued with his power alone.

‘Such persistent defiance.’

As he looked at the Dragon God's fire, the Celestial Demon God recalled the planet's tenacious will to resist submission.

From a Water Deity to a Dragon God—this planet had done everything it could to endure.

Even they were struggling so desperately to survive……

‘Our father… why did Theia have to end that way?’

The Moon.

Now, it was nothing more than a satellite endlessly orbiting this planet.

But in the past, it had been far more brilliant than it is now.

‘We should never have perished like that.’

The Moon's former self—Planet Theia.

That land, once perfectly suited for the Moon's kin to live on, was annihilated in a planetary collision that no one could stop.

‘Most of our kin vanished.’

The Celestial Demon God had merely been one of the few survivors of Theia back then.

By the time he barely clung to life, most of his kin were already gone.

‘I must turn back the era.’

To return the Moon’s kin back to the kin of Theia—to bring back that time—was the Celestial Demon God's mission.

To do that, he had to subdue the being who constantly interfered with him on this planet—the Dragon God.

‘……Not with my power alone.’

The Celestial Demon God once more organized his thoughts.

To extinguish that flame, Kaylen’s sword was essential.

Not as a final blow—but from the beginning, that sword had to be used to suppress it.

‘Kaylen.’

Kaylen, he was a peculiar existence.

No matter how special the sword he manifested was, at his core, he was still human.

A species considered the most inferior among sentient life.

‘And yet… he overcame Arashiel’s allure.’

She had lived for countless ages and had never once failed in her mission of seduction.

But this time, she had her pride trampled repeatedly by a lowly human—Kaylen.

The Celestial Demon God regarded that very highly.

‘He is a useful existence.’ But that wasn't all.

The Celestial Demon God had come to realize—

Kaylen, who analyzed the Sunstone he had bestowed.

Not only had he overcome the Dragon God—

But now, he was trying to overcome even the Celestial Demon God himself.

‘Even if he looks into the Sunstone… he still won’t reach my level…….’

Even so, the will to persevere and overcome—that was commendable in itself.

‘To think someone like this would emerge… from mere humans.’

With such overwhelming numbers, perhaps it was inevitable that one would eventually stand out.

‘At that level… he’s more than qualified to become one of the Moon’s kin.’

The Moon’s kin.

Those who possessed extreme dark mana.

From the perspective of this world below, each one was comparable to a “Demon King.”

Kaylen was worthy of being accepted among such a lineage.

‘Though it’s unfortunate to break the purity of the bloodline.’

But for the grand goal of restoring the Moon to Theia, blood purity was nothing more than a tradition to be set aside for now.

‘Everything is ready.’

The Celestial Demon God, thinking of Kaylen who had accepted the Sunstone, invited him to the prepared location.

“Very well. Let’s go.”

And the confident Kaylen accepted his invitation without fear.

“This is……”

Accepting the Celestial Demon God’s invitation and stepping through the portal, Kaylen looked around.

In the sky, numerous Sunstones floated like stars.

The land beneath his feet was a dull, lifeless gray.

‘Strange.’

This place felt more out of place than any other realm he had set foot in before.

‘More than even the Celestial Realm, the Demonic Realm, or the Spirit Realm… This truly feels like an entirely different world.’

Excluding the continent of Avelia—

Kaylen had traversed both the Celestial and Demonic Realms.

Yet this land, summoned by the Celestial Demon God through his call, felt more alien than any continent he had ever known.

‘Even the mana itself is different.’

There was the dark mana reminiscent of the Earth Deity, and alongside it, the divine power felt from the Sunstone.

The two types of mana blended together, stretching out in a strange, dissonant mix.

‘In contrast, the mana of the four elements is extremely faint.’

Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind.

The mana of these four attributes existed, but was so overwhelmed by the light and dark mana that they were barely perceptible.

“Where is this place?”

[This place… is where you will join your will with ours. This is Theia.]

To Kaylen’s question, the Celestial Demon God answered as such.

“Theia…… you say?”

Theia.

Even Kaylen knew the origin of that name well.

Before the Moon was shattered by collision—

When it had still been a complete planet—

That name had once belonged to it.

It was none other than Theia.

‘It has yet to be restored… so this is still the Moon.’

Was that why this place felt so alien?

[Correct.]

The Celestial Demon God spoke with a voice more proud than ever before.

[Theia… was a land of greatness.]

A single phrase—"land of greatness."

Though it was a simple statement, nothing more than ordinary words—

Thump.

The moment Kaylen heard it, the mana throughout his entire body began to stir.

‘Divine power……’

It was divine power that drove this transformation.

What he had gradually absorbed through the Sunstone had only been an insignificant trace within his body, but……

Upon arriving in Theia, it surged forth instantly and shook Kaylen to his core.

[Human. You overcame the Sunstone and defied the fate of becoming a slave.]

There was no higher praise in that statement.

But each time Kaylen heard that voice, the mana within him trembled under the impact.

The Moon was the Celestial Demon God’s home ground—an entirely different world.

For someone who entered through the portal the Celestial Demon God opened, Kaylen’s preparations were far too inadequate.

[Thus, I shall commend you.]

Sssk—

The Celestial Demon God stretched out his hand.

The black darkness that had been swirling around his face began to spiral.

And the gray earth beneath Kaylen’s feet began to transform in the same manner.

The trace of divine power contained in his Light Sword extended in an instant—

Even the Flame Sword and Wind Sword were dyed in radiance.

[I grant you the chance to become one of the great kin.]

The dark mana once residing in the Dark Sword submitted to the power of darkness spreading from the Moon’s soil, slipping free from Kaylen’s control.

The Water Sword and Earth Sword—

Those two attribute swords, too—

Were swiftly consumed by the Moon’s dark mana.

“What… are you… doing…?”

Once the Six Swords began to change, the next to transform was Kaylen’s body.

His body, once pushed to the limits of humanity, began to break apart from the fingertips—

In its place appeared a pale blue hand of light.

“So this is what you meant by… a chance to become one of the great kin!”

As the Six Swords transformed into blades of light and darkness—

Kaylen’s human form turned into that of a demon race, with blue skin—

The transformation happened in an instant.

From the moment Kaylen accepted the Celestial Demon God’s invitation, this had been preordained.

The moment he set foot in that realm without proper preparation, his fate was sealed.

‘I… must endure…!’

Kaylen tried to resist in his own way—

But on this land the Celestial Demon God had meticulously prepared, defying the transformation was impossible.

Ssssskkk—!

Soon, smoke rose from all over Kaylen’s body.

Thud.

And there, with his form completely altered from head to toe—

A blue-skinned man knelt on the surface of the Moon.

“……I greet the god.”

[It was easier than expected.]

Kaylen, now fully transformed into one of the Moon’s kin, bowed in submission.

However, even though the task had been completed, the Celestial Demon God looked down on Kaylen with a tone that betrayed dissatisfaction.

[Yes… it was too easy.]

This was the same Kaylen who had created a sword capable of shattering Infinity, something even he himself had never achieved.

Though human, he had cultivated his own discipline—

And had even overcome Arashiel’s allure.

That was why so much preparation had gone into turning him into one of the Moon’s kin…….

‘To think… he couldn’t even withstand the first stage……?’

The current method had only been the first stage—yet he couldn’t endure it, and already he had transformed into one of the kin.

The Celestial Demon God spoke to Kaylen.

[Answer me, my child.]

“I shall gladly do so, my God.”

[The sword that destroys Infinity—by what principle was it made manifest?]

“Infinity resided within my body for a long time……”

Without hiding anything, Kaylen explained to the Celestial Demon God the principle behind the sword.

To destroy Infinity, one ultimately had to annihilate the star itself—

Until he heard that the planet he had stayed on was formed through collision, he couldn’t place the final piece.

Eventually, by learning that this planet had been created through the fusion of binary stars, he was able to complete the transcendent Starfall.

After hearing Kaylen’s words—

Some of the Celestial Demon God’s doubts were eased.

‘So that’s how Starfall was manifested. The name is grand, but fitting.’

And—

He realized that he could not replicate Starfall himself.

Kaylen’s sword, which had fully nullified Infinity, was only possible because he had embraced and completely understood it.

That enlightenment was something wholly unique to Kaylen—something that could not be conveyed through words.

‘Perhaps with further research, it might be possible—’

But how much time it would take to wield it as perfectly as Kaylen remained unknown.

With a tool like him already available, there was no need to take the long way.

[Use Starfall to subdue the Dragon God, my kin.]

“I shall gladly obey. However……”

The demonized Kaylen—

Looked troubled as he gazed at the Six Swords floating behind his back.

“My Six Sword Path has been transformed into blades of light and darkness. Their power may no longer be the same as before.”

[Is that so. Do you have a solution?]

“There is a set of Six Swords in the capital, Alzass. If I make contact with them, I should be able to reforge my Six Sword Path.”

[Very well.]

The Celestial Demon God recalled the Six Swords in Alzass.

They had been empowered with mana stones from him, and the swords had grown rapidly.

He had invested so much—he would now have Kaylen use them to subdue the Dragon God.

[Go.]

Vmmmmm—

As the Celestial Demon God stretched out his hand—

A portal formed, one that would return him to his original planet.

“It is an honor……”

Kaylen bowed once to the Celestial Demon God—

And respectfully stepped inside.

Beyond the portal lay the garden of Six Swords, where Kaylen had once been.

He knelt down and stretched out his hand to retrieve the mana engraved into the ground.

And then—

[You’ve succeeded.]

From within the engraving of the Six Swords on the ground—

He could hear his own voice.

[By casting aside my human self… I’ve finally come to understand you. Celestial Demon God.]

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]