The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 237

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 237

He always lived looking upward.

The god who once ruled Planet Theia, Theia, had lived his entire life that way.

Born as the lowliest among the Theian race, he had always sought to rise to the highest place.

And though everyone laughed, saying such a dream was impossible, his grand ambition was realized after hundreds of years.

King of Planet Theia.

All members of the Theian race submitted to him.

He even changed his name to Theia.

That should have been the end of the road he initially aimed for.

But Theia was not satisfied there.

A god—

An eternal and immortal being, an absolute entity with the power of creation.

He dreamed of becoming a god while still in a Theian body.

And by mobilizing all the resources of Planet Theia and using every means possible—

After thousands of years, he was finally able to become a god.

‘I thought there was nowhere left to go after that.’

Even after becoming the god of a planet, there was still a higher place to reach.

He might have been supreme on Planet Theia, but the universe was vast.

And in that vastness, Theia was no more than a speck of dust.

‘No, there's no need to compare within the universe alone.’

A massive star.

A solar system revolving around the sun.

Among the many planets within it, Theia was among the smallest.

The scale of a planet and the divine power of its god were proportional.

So among planetary gods, Theia ranked at the very bottom.

And when Theia realized this, he rejoiced.

Because there was still a higher place to ascend.

‘If there's a place above, I will ascend to it.’

A simple goal that had carried him from the lowest rank of the Theian race to where he was now.

To rise upward.

For that, Theia crashed the very land he ruled as a god—and his only foundation—

Planet Theia—into Earth.

He judged that Earth’s god, the Water God, was not a particularly powerful being, so it was worth trying.

The safety of the Theian race in the process didn’t concern him.

Under divine rule, the Theian race had once prospered more than ever.

But their god, in pursuit of his own advancement, threw them away like worn-out shoes.

Despite going so far as to collide with Earth—

‘The Water God’s true power was stronger than expected…’

Because she had poured all her divine power into stabilizing the planet, the Water God did not appear strong from the outside.

But when Theia collided with Earth, and the two planets began to merge, she revealed unexpected power.

Theia fought her for ages, but in the end, was utterly defeated.

Demoted to Earth God, he was sealed deep within the new Earth's core.

‘Her vigilance is intense. I thought the seal would never waver through the ages…’

By an outer Celestial God’s arrival, the once peaceful Planet Theia was suddenly thrown into upheaval.

The Water God, unable to suppress the Celestial God, agonized over it and transformed herself into the Dragon God.

For the sealed Earth God, this time of chaos presented a chance to regain strength.

‘The fact that the Celestial Demon God came from the moon was unexpected.’

He had thought that the moon, now a fragment of Theia, could no longer support life.

So for a being capable of pushing the Water God back to emerge from there—was definitely beyond expectation.

And when the Celestial Demon God first proposed cooperation to restore Theia—

‘I realized then that he and I could never coexist.’

The Celestial Demon God sought to restore Theia and revive the lunar race.

The Earth God, who no longer cared about a race he once ruled, aimed to conquer the larger planet, Earth.

Their goals were completely different.

That’s why, while the Celestial Demon God was still powerful, there was no way to work with him.

But what if Earth were to be destroyed?

Then everything the Earth God had done until now would amount to nothing.

‘However. He lost his power on Earth.’

The Celestial Demon God, to his credit, significantly weakened the Water God’s authority and vanished along with the Dragon God.

Thanks to the Celestial Demon God, the Earth God seized the chance to be freed from his seal.

He didn’t miss the opportunity and put his plan into motion.

‘Now. It’s all coming together.’

As he looked at the massive black gate spread open at the center of the Six Sword Garden—

The Earth God felt delight.

If this operation succeeded, he would finally be released from his seal and be able to begin the great war to take control over Earth.

‘So they couldn’t find another way after all.’

Kaylen and the Water God—

Over the past few days, they seemed to be searching for an independent route to the moon, but in the end, they couldn’t find one and resorted to using the Earth God’s gate.

‘The Water God has distributed her power among the remaining Six Swords.’

Just as the Earth God had imbued Kaylen’s Earth Sword and Shadow Sword, the Water God had dispersed her power into the remaining four swords.

She likely planned to work closely with Kaylen to ensure clear results on the moon.

‘I’ll need to send all four swords.’

With all five swords, Kaylen might actually produce results on the moon.

From the Earth God’s perspective, where seizing Earth is paramount, breaking his promise to the Celestial Demon God and sending all the swords might be the better choice…

‘But Kaylen, who wields Starfall, must be eliminated without fail.’

Kaylen’s sword, Starfall—

Even to the Earth God who sought to conquer Earth, it was a threatening weapon.

Such a variable should be removed completely this time.

[Then, I’m going in.]

[This really is the moon on the other side, right?]

[Do you doubt me?]

[How could I possibly trust you?]

[That’s disappointing. Then you should’ve found your own way to the moon—before the meteor carrying Starfall came flying your way.]

[Kgh……]

Regretting having spoken, the Water God fell silent, unable to recover even her pride.

Had there been more time, perhaps the Water God might’ve found a way to reach the moon, just as he said…

But a single week was far too short.

‘That, too, was all part of the plan.’

Forcing them to use the gate due to a lack of time—it was all a scheme orchestrated by the Earth God and the Celestial Demon God in cooperation.

Even the Water God, who held deep suspicions toward the Earth God, had no choice but to step through this black gate.

“Water God. He’s right. We have no other way.”

[……That’s true.]

“Let’s go.”

[An excellent decision.]

In the end, Kaylen settled the dispute between them and walked steadily into the black gate.

“So we just step inside like this?”

[Yes.]

The swords needed to be split and sent across the portal.

But the Earth God didn’t mention a word of it.

There was too much mana stored in the swords, so they needed to be sent in parts.

If he brought that up now, it would only deepen their suspicions.

‘No need to explain. As long as they enter the portal, it’ll be enough.’

And just as the Earth God intended, everything unfolded accordingly.

“Understood. I’m going.”

As Kaylen stepped into the portal,

his body was sucked into the black portal and vanished.

Chiiiiik—

At the same time, the portal instantly disappeared.

The symbol of the Six Swords on the floor also began to gradually lose its mana.

With Kaylen gone—after drawing upon the full power of the Six Swords—

even the sigil itself began to fade.

‘It’s done. Kaylen’s power is rapidly weakening on the surface…’

After witnessing the entire process, the Earth God began his true work.

“This place is……”

Kaylen looked around him.

A space filled with thick darkness, reminiscent of the Abyssal Gate.

No matter how he looked at it, this place was not the moon.

Ssssss—

The darkness wrapped around his body.

No—more accurately, it wasn’t his body.

It wrapped around each of the six swords he carried.

The Earth Sword and Shadow Sword—those held by the Earth God—were immediately seized by the darkness under his direct command.

[What… are you doing?]

From the remaining four swords, where the Water God resided, intense mana burst forth, trying to break free from the dark bindings.

[Don’t get worked up. Think about it. Did you really think reaching the moon would be that easy? Especially with you, Kaylen, gathering all your mana and going together with the Water God. That’s an enormous amount of mana. No gate would withstand it—it would tear apart, you know.]

[……Then what.]

[Inside my Abyssal Gate, we’ll send one sword at a time.]

[That’s not acceptable. How are we supposed to trust you……!]

[I figured you’d say that. But what can you do? We’ve come this far.]

The Earth God answered the Water God’s protest with a sly tone.

Now that they were inside, the game was already over.

This conversation was no more than idle amusement.

[Then, let’s send them one by one.]

“Wait……!”

Chiiiiiik!

Within the dark space, a red-hued gate opened.

Kaylen’s Light Sword was the first to be sucked in.

[Shall I go next?]

Next to follow were the Earth Sword and the Shadow Sword.

In an instant, three swords were pulled into the red gate.

Kaylen’s expression hardened.

“You bastard. What are you planning……!”

But the reply didn’t come from the swords anymore.

It came from the darkness that filled this space.

[Planning? Just deciding which to send next—Water, Wind, or Flame……]

“What do you mean, deciding which to send…”

[If I send them all, the moon might collapse, no? That wouldn’t do for my home.]

“What…….”

[As expected, the Water Sword contains the strongest divine power from the Water God. Water Sword. Go.]

Whoooosh—

Thick darkness instantly coiled around the Water Sword and shoved it into the red gate.

With that, four of the Six Swords had vanished.

Kaylen’s face was completely frozen.

Seeing this, the Earth God was absolutely delighted.

[Heh heh. That expression—it’s too good for me alone. I should send you to the moon too.]

Sssss—

Darkness wrapped around Kaylen’s body.

And just as a red gate opened behind him, Kaylen was pulled into it, unable to resist.

[How easy.]

[You… So this was your true intention.]

From the remaining two swords—

the Flame Sword and Wind Sword—

the Water God spoke in a trembling voice.

The Earth God answered cheerfully.

[Of course. Seizing Earth has always been my goal, ever since the moment the stars collided. Sending you and the troublesome Kaylen to the moon—now, I can begin conquering this planet.]

[You’re sealed… You think you have the power to do that just because you sent us away?]

[You really haven’t realized how weak you’ve become, have you?]

Now that the Water God's authority has vanished to the moon, this so-called seal is nothing but a loose restraint.

The Earth God, full of confidence, said:

[I'll personally break this seal before your very eyes.]

He tried to tear apart the seal that had bound him for ages—

‘……What?’

—but the seal didn’t budge.

[What’s the matter?]

And then—

the Water God’s voice, once trembling, had completely shifted to one of amusement.

[Didn’t you say you could break the seal?]

[Th-this can’t be…….]

[Want to see something interesting?]

Chiiiiiik.

Sparks burst from the Flame Sword and Wind Sword.

The swords began to split apart.

[Th-that’s……]

From two, they became six.

But unlike earlier, where each sword matched a different elemental hue— they now all radiated with a brilliant golden light.

They looked just like the Six Swords Path.

“Thanks for sending me to the moon.”

Standing before the swords, Kaylen revealed himself again, a calm smile at his lips.

“In return… I’ll give you a true death.”

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]