Genius Blacksmith's Game

A little while ago.

[You sense a power that annihilates all evil!]

The Papal Palace was thrown into an uproar, and Pope Carsel, the 11th Pope, couldn’t believe it.

A power that can annihilate all evil? What in the...

The Ares Church and the Calamity Church had clashed for a long time.

You could say the Ares Church’s goal was to drive all evil out of this world.

And then this holy story reached them.

A power that annihilates all evil.

A few days later, the Papal Palace heard that demon Gremory had been sealed.

At that time, the sharp-witted Nell quietly spread a rumor that the power to annihilate all evil had come from Hyunsoo’s fingertips.

“Master Blacksmith Hyun restored Babylon, they say.”

“What!?”

Babylon.

A sword forged when some god, seeking to annihilate evil, gave an infinitesimal amount of a divine mineral and commissioned a blacksmith to make it.

Unfortunately, the blacksmith’s skill had been lacking, and the power to annihilate evil had fallen short of expectations.

Worse, it was Babylon that had been thrown into hellfire and completely melted away.

“How much damage did the power to annihilate evil deal to evil?”

“Eighty percent, sir.”

“HUUUUH!”

Pope Carsel ended up sucking in a sharp breath.

How could a single sword, regardless of what evil it faced, shave off 80% of its HP?

Of course, it might have been possible only because Babylon had existed as a foundation, but he still couldn’t believe it.

“...I need to get closer.”

From the start, Hyunsoo was someone who had received the Saint’s Blessing, someone walking the Holy Lord’s Path.

Those who walk the Holy Lord’s Path naturally end up in friendly relations with the Ares Church.

But Carsel felt he had to get closer than that.

“Can we not obtain Babylon?”

If the Ares Church had Babylon, the Ares Church—always the one being pushed back—could aim for a reversal.

“...Babylon has already left the Master Blacksmith’s hands and gone into someone else’s, sir.”

As expected.

“Aria.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Carsel believed it.

“One day, a second Babylon will appear in this world.”

“...!?”

Saint Aria briefly wondered if that was even possible, then nodded.

It was possible.

The Master Blacksmith was someone who had taken something “pathetic” and made it into something “astonishing” through restoration alone.

“The second Babylon must be ours. No matter what it takes, we have to get closer to him!”

Aria had once visited a housewarming and earned goodwill.

“Do you have no intention of going to another housewarming?”

“......”

Saint Aria remembered the look Carsel had worn back then—a look that said, Is that really necessary?

His expression now was clearly different.

...I can’t believe it.

Of course, she felt the same emotion.

For the Ares Church to be in a position where we have to work to get close to someone...

It made her realize again.

Just how enormous the power was, of someone who could uniquely craft artifacts no one else could hold.

Carsel also realized how absurd it was to suggest “go to another housewarming.”

“...Is there no way? A way to get closer to the Master Blacksmith.”

The Pope of the Ares Church was a powerbroker with authority on par with an imperial emperor.

Of course, even so, there were rules: he must not casually intervene in wars between kingdoms.

For His Holiness to be searching for a way to get close to someone...

No clear method came to mind.

The Ares Church strove to appear clean.

They couldn’t send bribes under the excuse of “gifts,” and they couldn’t even move troops at will.

Then—

SCREEEEE—!

A hawk swooped down at high speed.

Seeing it, the Pope’s eyes went wide.

“Th-this chance...”

The contents written in the letter.

It said Saint Aria’s help was needed.

Was Saint Aria someone who could be moved at a whim if someone called?

No.

And even if they wanted to get closer, could they send her without justification?

No.

But this letter had perfect justification.

[...The enemies are presumed to be using demonic power. Therefore, we wish to borrow the holy relic Sain Sword.]

[I will not forget this kindness.]

That justification was that humans had taken demonic power into themselves.

Good bears the mission of annihilating evil.

And the one who had sold the Sain Sword here was Hyunsoo.

“Saint Aria, take the holy relic Sain Sword and join the Master Blacksmith immediately. Do not forget that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!!”

“......”

Aria was bewildered.

A man called the Pope had veins bulging in his eyes as he shoved her out the door.

As Aria was about to hurry to pack the holy relic Sain Sword, Pope Carsel spoke.

“You must, you must deliver those words!”

“...Understood.”

And so Saint Aria headed to where Hyunsoo was.

*****

Warmth flowed from the Sain Sword in his hands after so long.

[A strong holy power flows.]

The Sain Sword, Saint’s aura, Saint Aria’s buff.

Through them, an ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) immense holy power beyond description boiled through his body.

It was true that those who had changed from human into complete demonkin had become even stronger.

But that was exactly why it was good.

Because once they became demonkin, the damage they take increased by over 100%, and their defense against evil also rose sharply.

Yeah. The crisis had become an opportunity.

And Aria was the best healer.

She was holding steady behind Hyunsoo.

Like hell I’m going to punch through the wall alone.

Just as he was staring at the enemy—

Aria spoke with an awkward expression.

“Hyunsoo.”

“Yes.”

“His Holiness asked me to pass along a message.”

The Pope?

The Pope was different from Aria.

The emperor of doctrine who led the entire Ares Church.

Maybe his influence was even greater than Sword Emperor Bolond of the Parion Empire.

“‘For something done for a friend, I do not wish to be repaid’... that is what he said.”

Hyunsoo’s expression filled with surprise.

The first time he met the Pope, he’d thought this:

What kind of life does someone that high live?

He’d felt the same kind of awe you felt looking at the chairman of a major conglomerate, or the top figure in politics and business.

But not anymore.

The Pope was reaching out first, wanting to become a friend.

And that wasn’t the only thing that felt new.

How many can I cut down?

He was curious.

Just like how the way others treated him had changed, he wondered how much he could cut down now.

He was certain.

I’m strong right now.

He didn’t doubt it.

With a shaken expression, Sun raised a sword.

It was true Aria’s appearance had thrown them off, but even so, she was just one person.

“Kill them!”

And the wall was overflowing with demonkin knights and soldiers.

Before the first knight could even reach Hyunsoo—

The Sain Sword unleashed its power.

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

[Holy Light]

[It deals 640% damage to evil or undead and extends up to a 15m radius.]

A massive wave of light swept through a 15m radius.

At Hyunsoo’s level range, 640% damage was beyond common sense.

Those caught in the light collapsed to the ground, reduced to the 모습 of skeletons.

[They are purified.]

Those who should have turned to ashes did not vanish.

In an instant, the number that fell reached 400.

As the bewildered enemy charged again—

“Tiger energy.”

KRAHHHHHHHHH—!

A tiger’s roar that weakened the enemy rang out in all directions.

And Hyunsoo intended to run straight into the audience chamber.

Following the tiger energy, enemies in every direction were heavily weakened.

SHIIING—!

With a single stroke, he purified one soldier.

The speed—he couldn’t compare it to when he swung the Twin Dragon Sword.

The Twin Dragon Sword had the advantage of being swung faster than an ordinary greatsword, but it still couldn’t match a longsword.

Hyunsoo held the Sain Sword, swinging it twice in the time the Twin Dragon Sword swung once.

And against evil, its damage was on par with the Twin Dragon Sword.

He cut like a madman, again and again, his coat tails snapping.

At the same time, the telekinetic force that erupted the moment hundreds rushed him at once—

Lifted them high into the sky.

“W-wait?”

“T-telekinesis?”

They were slammed into the ground from 20 meters up.

“Gah!”

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

[They are purified.]

Then twenty demonkin knights blocked Hyunsoo’s straight path forward.

Their level—480.

But level-480 knights were inferior to a level-400 legend.

“Ghost Step.”

THUNK—!

In a single second, those twenty knights were purified by his thirty-two movements.

“Stop him!”

With Sun’s splitting shout, layered and layered enemy ranks formed a wall in front of Hyunsoo as he neared the audience chamber.

Arrows poured in by the dozens.

He blocked them, knocked them aside, took some with his body—

And as he was about to bite his lip, Aria’s healing settled onto him.

He drove power into both legs, planting a massive force into the ground.

SHIIING—!

A rapid swap from the Sain Sword to the Twin Dragon Sword.

“Pull.”

TWANG—!

He yanked in 400 demonkin soldiers and knights blocking his way.

“One Strike, Two Halves.”

SHIIING—!

He cleaved the 400 in one stroke. White light spilled from the gaps between the split bodies as they were purified.

“Hold the line!”

In front of the gate.

Enemies trained for a long time now stacked themselves, again and again, only to block Hyunsoo.

But Hyunsoo didn’t stop running.

All sound began to shut out.

To him—fully immersed in battle—one notification reached him.

[You fall into Trance.]

“Th-that crazy...!”

“He’s going to break through this number!?”

But Hyunsoo, sunk into extreme immersion, had no fear.

Now he believed he was strong—and he had the power to match.

As Hyunsoo charged, the necklace flashed.

“Fenrir.”

“...!?”

“...!?”

“...!?”

“Charge.”

A gigantic shadow cast over the sky.

BOOOOM—!

The king of all wolves descended violently.

An 11-meter-tall ash-gray wolf burst past Hyunsoo, declaring that no one could stop the path ahead of him.

KUKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG—!

With that massive body doing nothing but trampling forward, all 2,000 soldiers blocking the way were purified.

In the gap, only intermittent sounds spilled from fallen soldiers’ mouths.

Captain Sun, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, gathered the knights and blocked the path once more.

Now just that place.

Forgetting the screams he could hear, Hyunsoo ran, and his Twin Dragon Sword roared up with surging power.

The aura flowing from that sword was comparable to a sword king.

“Sword Frenzy.”

Dozens of blades fired from the sword, mercilessly carving Sun and the knights to pieces.

Sun felt that an absurd amount of damage was pouring in.

Was it Hyunsoo’s pure strength?

No.

Because they had become evil, it was power added on top of what he already had.

But even if you weren’t a fool, you could tell.

Even if it was based on holy power, if the man himself wasn’t strong, it would amount to nothing.

Sun looked around.

Knights who had protected the Kingdom of Enya through long centuries.

Those who had believed they were stronger after becoming demonkin.

Among them, 132—those especially weak—were purified and fell.

Sun, kneeling, saw it too.

Hyunsoo was passing them by.

Like that, tens of thousands of Enya soldiers, thousands of knights, Captain Sun—strong and hardened—

All of them watched Hyunsoo pass through them, unable to close their mouths.

They remembered only yesterday.

Relying solely on the power of the Blood King and his massive army, they had mocked “him” as weak, a coward, nothing but a lord.

They overturned that belief and carved in a new understanding.

That he was an existence so immense they had no right to mock.

*****

[You break free from Trance.]

FWOOSH—!

Hearing returned.

Even while running, Hyunsoo was curious.

How strong am I right now.

“Ugh...”

“Monster...”

Hyunsoo looked back and saw the path he’d come through.

His heart hammered.

He’d been certain, but seeing the result with his own eyes made it even more astonishing.

And that unfamiliar notification called Trance spat out another message.

[You were in Trance for 11 minutes 31 seconds.]

That notice produced a result and told him how many he had purified in those eleven minutes.

[A total of 3,701 have been purified.]