Chapter 284
As the soul of the Sword Saint was flung away with a shriek, Seong stared at it in stunned silence.
When the Sword Saint’s own aura had been at full strength, he hadn’t even considered attempting something like that.
There had been no opening. No opportunity.
Only now, when his energy had significantly diminished, could Seong finally attempt it.
“So this was possible too...”
Still dazed, Seong looked down at his own hand.
With a painful, anguished wail, Gam’s body collapsed forward as though crumbling.
Thud.
Gam’s body fell limp to the ground.
And from it, his soul began to escape.
Not the Sword Saint’s soul—Gam’s own.
Seeing Gam’s soul, which had already been halfway out, now trying to completely escape the body that had used too much energy, Seong hastily waved his hand again, guiding Gam’s soul back into its rightful body.
If it was possible to pull out a living soul, wasn’t it also possible to return it?
He’d seen spirits in out-of-body states before but never thought to try.
But now that he had...
It seemed it was indeed possible.
“Khuk... Khuk, khuk...”
Gam coughed harshly, like someone whose breath had been trapped and suddenly released.
He still hadn’t regained consciousness.
But it seemed he was alive.
Seeing this, Seong let out a sigh of relief.
Everything from the battle to the aftermath had been chaos.
Exhausted beyond measure, Seong remained standing—
“Hoo...”
“You actually pulled it off, huh?”
Helena approached and spoke.
Seong let out a faint chuckle and nodded.
Only then did he hear the loud voice of the broadcast spirit erupting once again.
「A-Ah!!! U-Unbelievable!!! He seemed on the verge of losing from the start to the end!!! Yet he secures victory along with all his subordinates!!!」
He’d known since earlier that the broadcast spirit had been screaming about his win, but—
Between his exhaustion and Gam’s body, he was only now able to hear it.
The chat window was just as chaotic as the spirit’s shouting.
—WOOOOOAAAAHHH!!!!!
—What the hell was that at the end?!
—Was that some kind of projectile attack or something???
—There wasn’t even a skill effect?!??!?
—HE ACTUALLY WON!!!!!!!
—That comeback was absolutely insane!!!!
—Wow, he really is the Demon King!!!!!
While everyone was celebrating with cheers of joy—
Seong just stood there, watching, looking completely worn out.
Part of him wanted to just collapse right there.
But he didn’t.
He could count on one hand the times he had gone all out like this in a game.
A crushing fatigue washed over him.
Just then—
Helena looked at Seong and said,
“They’re that happy. Why don’t you give ‘em a little wave or something?”
“...Hmm.”
He’d never really been the type to enjoy that kind of thing.
But for some reason... this time, he kind of felt like doing it.
And so—
Seong raised a fist toward the broadcast screen.
「THE VICTOR!!! SEONG’S TEAM!!! HE RAISES HIS FIST IN TRIUMPH!!!!!!」
—Congrats on the win!!!
—YEAHHHHHHH THE DEMON KING IS THE DEMON KING!!!!
—Grats on the victory!!!!!
—Can’t believe he actually won this!!!!
—That was way too close!!!!!!
—That was so freaking cool LOL
—Fr fr lol
The viewers lit up the chat with heat and excitement.
And then—
Seong’s subordinates began approaching him.
Why are they coming this way?
As Seong wondered—
Helena laughed mischievously and shouted,
“Our lord just won a battle—how could we not celebrate!?”
At her words—
The subordinates rushed in and lifted Seong up.
Each shouting and yelling their own way:
“Huuh~! As if we wouldn’t!”
“We go now!”
“As if we wouldn’t!”
—Me too!
—Piiieeeeeee!
—Kyaaaaaaaa!
—Kahahahaha! That was amazing!!!
—Mumble mumble
—We’ve got our own, too!
—Praise be to our lord’s victory!!!
Lifted high into the air by his subordinates, Seong chuckled and let himself enjoy the moment of victory for a bit.
The broadcast spirit shouted some celebratory message as well, and the viewers continued spamming the chat, basking in the aftermath of triumph.
Victory against an opponent no subordinate could overcome—secured together with his followers.
A celebration of victory shared with them.
A scene overflowing with romance and thrill.
And finally, the system message appeared with its congratulations.
[You have won!]
[Congratulations!]
[All rewards may be claimed at the Cerule Spire Mage Tower.]
[As an additional reward, the Legendary-grade item 『Hero Hindel’s Sword』 has been upgraded with 『Galactic Sword Dance』.]
He had obtained everything.
8.
The capital of the Kingdom of Rieskan.
And within that capital, in a secret chamber—hidden, impenetrable, unknown to all—an enormous shock reverberated.
KWAAAAAAHH—!!!
As though something had crashed down from the heavens—
A colossal shockwave spread out.
And yet—
Strangely, nothing around it had physically changed.
The only visible result was a faint trickle of blood from the lips of a man lying in that chamber.
As he sensed it and rose—
His eyes trembled, disbelief etched deep within them.
The master of this secret room. The pride of the Kingdom of Rieskan. One of the famed Nine Heroes celebrated across the continent.
The Sword Saint—Rochein Delgard Rieskan.
The moment he awoke, he recalled what had just happened.
“I lost...?”
An incomprehensible occurrence.
Sure, he had only sent his consciousness and his body was already deteriorating—
But still, could he truly have lost?
“He returned my soul...”
The soul that had forcibly possessed a knight named Gam was effortlessly expelled and sent back here.
How could such a thing be possible?
“Souls... are beyond interference.”
No matter if it were a god—
Or even the will of the world itself, which exists above gods—
No one should be able to interfere with a soul.
Even the demonic arts he’d used could only manipulate his own soul.
As proof, he had managed to slightly dislodge Gam’s soul, but that was it—he couldn’t control it.
Of course, the Sword Saint only vaguely sensed this through instinct.
He couldn’t see souls, so he didn’t understand them well.
And yet... how had that fledgling directly interfered with a soul?
“Was that why the will of the world didn’t move?”
Because Seong could return his soul on his own anyway?
His thoughts became tangled.
It didn’t make sense.
And then came another issue.
Shiver.
He looked down at his trembling hand, his pupils quivering in fear.
Was he... afraid?
Of that fledgling?
It was unbelievable.
No—it couldn’t be.
The Sword Saint tried to deny it.
But why, then?
Even with his soul struck—
The emotions he felt toward Seong at that moment remained vivid.
A boundless affection.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“...Why do I feel like I want to help that fledgling...?”
Now that he’d returned to ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) his physical body—
That emotion was fading, and he was actively trying to suppress it, allowing him to regain clarity.
However—
He feared that the feeling might rise again.
The fear that welled up within Seong came from that very emotion.
An incomprehensible phenomenon.
To be an Overlord who could manipulate souls...
“Could it be... that the previous Overlord was like that too?”
Maybe it was possible.
Only now did the actions of Overpalace start to make some sense.
If he had surrendered himself to that emotion...
“I probably would’ve ended up like that too.”
However, now that he had returned to his physical body, the overwhelming demonic energy helped him recover his reason.
It was clear.
“I need to be careful.”
Unlike before, the Sword Saint now perceived Seong as a significant threat.
As the Sword Saint attempted to rise—
Wobble.
He stumbled, unable to keep his balance.
“......”
It seemed the damage he had taken in his soul state was the main cause.
There was no known way to restore one’s soul.
He would have to wait for it to recover naturally.
He had considered finding a suitable knight and immediately hunting Seong down—
But returning in his soul state again... who could know what might happen this time?
He would need to send capable others instead.
“I must make sure he doesn’t attract Overpalace’s attention. If he enters the Kingdom of Rieskan’s territory, that’s when I’ll strike.”
How long that would take, he didn’t know.
More than anything, he wasn’t sure if he could handle it even if he found him.
But still, he would try.
If he didn’t, both the Kingdom of Rieskan and he himself were doomed.
“Seems like he noticed I made a deal with the demons.”
It was clear he needed to move quickly.
Then, suddenly—
“Hmph. Just in case... I should also get rid of that garbage of a body’s original owner.”
Thinking of Gam, the one whose body he had borrowed—
The Sword Saint left the secret chamber.
Swearing vengeance.
0.
As the final message appeared before Seong’s eyes, informing him that he could claim his victory reward at the Mage Tower—
He felt himself begin to calm.
He could finally descend.
After that wild storm had passed.
Now that the broadcast screen and spirit had disappeared—
He belatedly saw the Featherwing Knights rushing over to Gam.
Even while keeping their guard up, the moment they confirmed the Sword Saint’s aura was gone, they ran to him in tears.
And then—
“Sir Gam!!!”
“H-He’s alive!!!”
“His—his consciousness...!”
“Ugh... khhh...”
As Gam, who had been unconscious, began to groan little by little—
The Featherwing Knights wrapped around him, sobbing as they confirmed he was alive.
“Snff... It’s a relief... truly a relief.”
“Thank goodness!!!”
“Really... truly...”
Witnessing such a heartfelt reunion, Seong quietly tried to slip away with his subordinates.
He didn’t want to be a clueless third wheel and make things awkward.
Just as he was trying to make his exit—
“Um... excuse me.”
“...?”
A shield-bearing knight suddenly called out to Seong.
Caught off guard at being stopped, Seong turned around, looking a bit startled.
Was he... going to be held responsible?
Worried that might be the case, he cautiously turned back.
But it was the opposite.
“Truly... thank you so much.”
“I never imagined you’d be able to defeat the Sword Saint.”
“...Thank you. For saving our senior.”
Being thanked like that—
Seong, who had been bracing for a possible attack, now looked a bit awkward and waved his hand modestly.
“Ah, no, it’s alright. It was just a tournament, after all.”
“Still, thank you.”
“We mean it.”
“Truly.”
As one after another expressed their gratitude—
Seong looked flustered and unsure of how to respond.
Seeing his bashful side, Helena and the subordinates chuckled softly, and Seong cleared his throat in embarrassment.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“And please... be careful.”
“He’s known as a hero, but...”
“He’s a vile man...”
“Ah, yes. I know.”
Hearing their warnings about the Sword Saint, Seong nodded.
“We’ll have to go into hiding too. Our mission failed, and that’s our fate now.”
“Please be careful as well, Seong. Even as an outsider, caution is still necessary.”
Receiving their earnest warnings, Seong replied that he understood.
The knights expressed their gratitude once more, then disappeared somewhere, carrying Gam with them.
Even his own comrades spoke of him that way—
How vile must he be?
Still—
“It’s a bit disappointing.”
He’d hoped that, by squeezing the Sword Saint’s soul, he might’ve gained some of his memories or experience.
Though he did inflict pain during the process—
He hadn’t acquired any of that.
That part was genuinely disappointing.
But still.
“I did get the Galactic Sword Dance.”
He had acquired the memories and experiences of Hindel.
Wasn’t that enough?
“Alright, then. Time to go claim my next reward.”
It was time to complete another condition of the Lord of the Dead.