REAPER SCANS
The Reincarnated Martial God Brings Down the Heavens
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Chapter 162 - Territory of the Blaze (2)
The sudden death surprised everyone.
“......”
The dogs of the Blaze grasped the situation, and before long, a massive amount of killing intent radiated from them.
Looking at them, I sent a telepathic message to Count Kaiman.
-I’m curious about something.
-What is it?
-Does the principle of survival of the fittest extend beyond the Imperial Knights in the Empire? You know, in these bloody battles.
At my question, Count Kaiman gave a meaningful smile.
-If that principle applied throughout the Empire, I wouldn’t have been confined to that stifling Imperial Palace, don’t you think?
-Fair point.
-Hahaha, what now? Everyone seems hell-bent on killing our dear prince.
-Remember this well. This time, I’m helping you. I figured I might need to step in for your cowardly subordinate.
I gestured toward Leo with my eyes.
-Are you confident? I’d love to assist, but I’m currently occupied here.
-If I were someone who’d die this easily, you wouldn’t have taken such interest in me, would you?
In response, Count Kaiman broke into a wide smile.
“Hahahahaha!”
No. He didn’t even try to hold back and burst into laughter. Perhaps his laughter sounded particularly provocative.
Swoosh!
While he laughed heartily, the dogs of the Blaze charged at me, completely abandoning their original encirclement.
Their actions showed no trace of hesitation.
‘I admit it. Emperor, you’re certainly a lunatic.’
In any other country, such a thing would be unimaginable.
Even if one of their comrades had been killed before their eyes, their opponent was an Imperial Knight.
How dare a mere knight from some household try to harm an Imperial Knight? Such actions could easily mark one as a traitor.
Only in the Empire was such madness possible.
-It’s not that the strong survive; it's just that those who survive become the strong. An Imperial Knight must be able to overcome any crisis.
Right on cue, Count Kaiman’s telepathic voice reached me.
-Those are the wise words of His Imperial Majesty himself. Isn’t he truly generous?
Standing amidst the waves of killing intent, I replied to the message.
-Sounds more like the ramblings of a madman.
-Hahaha! Watching you has my blood boiling, Your Highness. I can’t hold back any longer. It’s time for me to start here as well.
And with that, our conversation ended. Before long, Count Kaiman strode toward his opponent.
‘Nine of them.’
Fortunately, there weren’t many for me to face.
Perhaps their pride had been wounded because they’d heard that we numbered only three.
Even after extending my senses, nine appeared to be the total number they had brought.
However,
‘Every single one is elite.’
I could tell just from their eyes. They intended to finish me off in one go. This wasn’t a duel, but retribution for killing their comrade.
‘Fighting against multiple opponents, huh......’
As I contemplated, a faint smile formed on my lips.
‘......That’d work best.’
Given that this was the territory of the Blaze, there would be many who wielded fire mana.
It was customary to respect those who had mastered their innate element and learn under their wing.
‘Burning down the territory of the Blaze.’
The smile on my lips deepened at that moment.
“You’ve been grinning smugly for a while now!”
Swoosh!
Three of the nine charged at me at the same time.
One leaped from above, aiming for my head, while another thrust straight for my heart. The last one swung low, gliding along the ground as he aimed for my legs.
Meanwhile, the remaining six split into two groups of three, preparing for their next attack.
‘A decent cooperative attack.’
Indeed, this was the textbook method for a joint assault.
There were limits to the number of directions one could attack from. If too many attackers joined at once, their movements would only clash.
Their strategy was to form groups of three, ensuring I had no room to maneuver.
‘You’ve trained your dogs well, Theorg.’
Prolonging a fight against opponents like this would only put me at a disadvantage. My stamina was finite, while theirs was virtually unlimited thanks to their rotation system.
Clang!
“......!”
I deflected the attack aimed at my crown with my sword. Instead of resisting the recoil, I redirected it.
Thwack!
This allowed me to alter the trajectory of the blade aimed at my heart.
However, the expressions of the two whose attacks had failed showed no change.
There was still one sword remaining, after all.
Clang!
“What!?”
For a moment, the one holding that final sword was startled. I had kicked away his sword, and the result was shocking.
The blade should have cut through my foot, even severing it along with my shoe, yet it was deflected.
“You can...... Coat your body with mana!?”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
It was too early to be surprised.
Pshk!
“......!”
In that instant, I redirected the force of the attack aimed at my heart, driving his sword deep into the ground.
Simultaneously—
Crack! Crackle! Crack!
The earth split apart as though a massive earthquake had struck.
Cry out.
Tremble and quake.
Let that crimson fury emerge into the world.
The flame within the flame.
The foundational secret technique that ignited Theorg’s awakening into the ‘Blaze’.
‘Lava Sword, 1st Chapter: Eruption.’
Have you ever seen volcanic lava?
The red, molten liquid formed by melted rock. If you bring anything near it, flames rise instantly.
Yes.
Even within that radiant heat, there exists another layer of fire.
To help Theorg understand the concept of ‘the flame within the flame,’ I often brought him to those volcanoes.
“Th-The Swordsman of Lava!?”
Someone exclaimed, trying to assign me a title. A faint chuckle escaped my lips.
“Just call me the All-Rounder Knight.”
The ones remaining bore expressions of sheer shock and some instinctively retreated.
The three who had charged at me were unable to escape the sudden surge of flames. Half of their bodies had been consumed by the fire and melted away, sparing not even a bone.
“Hmm.”
In the brief lull, silence overtook the surroundings. Finding this odd, I shifted my gaze.
Because the sounds of that lunatic fighting were no longer audible.
Yet.
Fwoosh!
Contrary to my expectations, they were already locked in fierce combat. Amidst the clash of swords, flames erupted continuously.
True to his title, ‘The Swordsman of Blaze’, Breed was powerful.
In contrast—
“......?”
The swordsmanship of Count Kaiman was unexpectedly ordinary.
Given his moniker, ‘Silent Swordsman’, I had assumed he employed swift, noiseless techniques.
Silent, fast, and strong—something along these lines.
However, I was wrong.
Hum! Huuumm!
A peculiar resonance echoed faintly in my ears. The source was Count Kaiman, who wielded a shifting sword.
Watching their battle, I finally understood why Breed bore those wounds of humiliation and shame.
“......A barrier?”
Although their blades clashed, there was no sound at all.
Focusing mana into my optic nerves, I could see a translucent barrier forming around them.
‘This lunatic is a genius too, huh.’
The barrier was apparently Count Kaiman’s secret technique.
Mana flowed continuously from his sword, spreading outward. Some seeped into the ground, creating rumbling tremors.
As proof, the area within the barrier quaked as if struck by an earthquake.
They probably couldn’t hear anything except the earth’s roar inside the barrier. Sound was completely cut off.
Not just that,
Hum! Vvvhum!
Even the atmosphere distorted under the influence of mana. The world spun like a shimmering mirage.
By doing so, he even disrupted his enemy’s vision.
‘That style suits you well, Count Kaiman.’
Swordsmanship that deceives the senses.
It’s a perfect fit for someone who hides the inner lunacy of a madman behind an outwardly composed demeanor.
Still, regardless of its elegance—
‘......This will be tricky.’
I had to admit that facing him directly would be quite a nuisance.
To fight him, I would need to abandon sight and sound, relying only on touch and smell.
“Do you think you can win, kid?”
“......”
The voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned slowly.
‘Was there one more?’
It wasn’t one of the nine I had counted earlier.
A faint presence I had sensed on the rooftop had come down and was now standing behind me.
“I’ve enjoyed the show—watching your skills.”
“......”
“Did you say you were an imperial Knight? I must say, for one so young, you are extraordinary. It’s no wonder the Emperor’s system is near perfection. Monsters like you can emerge from it.”
Being reduced to a mere product of the Emperor’s system was insulting, but this reaction worked in my favor.
Until the day I left this country, it was better that my true identity remained hidden.
“You haven’t even warmed up fighting those small fries, have you?”
Shiing.
The newcomer slowly unsheathed his sword. He was a man in his late thirties at most. The fiery red hair, reminiscent of flames, irritated me immensely.
‘It’s like looking at Theorg all over again.’
But his strength was undeniable.
Since crossing the border, no opponent had triggered my instincts as strongly as him.
“Who are you?”
For the first time, facing my new adversary, I asked.
“I am the Swordsman of Embers!”
At that moment, Leo, who had been silently observing, spoke with a strained voice.
“My eyes are blessed today! The Swordsman of Embers isn’t just another run-of-the-mill knight, he’s a core member of the ‘true’ Blaze Knights.”
Noble families don’t settle for having just one knight order. The higher the status, the greater the ambition.
For instance, the Herman Duchy had seven knight orders.
The Swordsman of Embers was part of the core knight order, which was considered mainstream.
‘Though they called him a cripple and a drunkard, they’re clearly paying close attention to Zion.’
Yet as I looked at him, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.
‘I hope this serves as proof that you’re not a traitor, Zion.’
With that thought dismissed, I raised my sword, pointing it forward.
“Before we fight, let me ask you one thing. Why is your title ‘Ember’?”
He willingly answered my question.
“The embers that remain after the flames. They linger—solitary and resilient—atop the ashes of all they’ve burned. Even when there’s nothing left to consume, they persist—fierce and enduring.”
As he spoke, a grin spread across his face.
“That’s why they call me Ember.”
A faint laugh escaped my lips.
“Sure, embers mean ‘lingering flames’, but it also means ‘dying flames’, doesn’t it?”
“......!”
I tauntingly tilted my blade towards him.
“Come. Let me extinguish that ember of yours.”
* * *
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