Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 837 - 650: Teacher and Student_2

Chapter 837: Chapter 650: Teacher and Student_2

Before the words even finished, the Tengu Divine Master’s fractured body darted away into the distance. His current condition was better than Roger’s, but the battle not far away with Sword Master Cold Crow was nearing its conclusion.

There would be no good outcome staying any longer.

"Pfft!"

Roger spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"You won’t have another chance!"

The injuries inflicted upon his body were too severe, but as long as he could buy some time, the Earth’s power would help him recover.

But fate was unkind. The Tengu Divine Master fled at that exact moment, and Roger’s body could no longer muster the strength to swing even a single sword.

[Alder]

Roger took a step forward, seemingly triggering something within the fabric of space—a critical key point, like the first fallen Domino. A faint sound echoed from the distance.

Soon, the sound grew dense and thunderous.

Until it landed squarely on the fleeing Tengu Divine Master.

"This power?!"

The Tengu Divine Master’s expression shifted drastically. He realized that Roger’s force didn’t strike directly at his physical form but rather targeted a hidden marking buried deep within his body.

Using that mark as a starting point, the force rippled outward in an instant across all directions!

"Did you really think I paid such a heavy price just to injure you?"

Roger sneered coldly.

"I don’t know what you obtained from the Superior Leader’s body, but as long as I destroy those markings, then your body..."

Before Roger could finish his sentence, the Tengu Divine Master let out a gut-wrenching scream.

"Noooo!"

While his main body suffered minimal damage, the escaping phantoms began to radiate dazzling light.

The lights aligned and formed into a bizarre symbol.

In the next moment, space trembled, the vivid sigil was torn apart into fragments, and simultaneously, the Tengu Divine Master’s body began to melt away like a candle.

"I have already surpassed the bounds of mortality. I can regenerate..."

But before he could finish his declaration, his entire face melted into his body, and his eyeballs split apart amidst the viscous, decaying flesh.

As his features dissolved, Roger could only see despair reflected in his remaining eyes.

He’d been too hasty.

His strength had never fully returned, and the lurking dangers within his body were unresolved; yet, he had recklessly plunged into battle after battle.

If he had just given himself more time to shore up the gaps in his power or find a solution to his body’s fragmentation,

then killing him might have been impossible unless Roger waited for him to fully integrate the Alder Sword Seal and ascend as the Dual-Pole Sword Master.

But "if" never happens.

The defeated crumble.

Roger inhaled deeply. The Earth pulsed, and a boundless stream of power flowed into his body. His peeling flesh began to regenerate at an astonishing rate.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The Tengu Divine Master’s eyeballs rolled around in the puddle of decayed flesh. Faint glimmers of light flickered within his body, and following the pattern of those glimmers, Roger sketched a rough sigil in his mind.

It seemed that, even after such catastrophic injuries, the Tengu Divine Master still had a slim chance of self-regeneration.

If Roger allowed him to recover, given enough time, he might reconstruct the sigil and resurrect himself like those Superior Leaders.

Though whether the resurrected Tengu Divine Master would still be "him" was an open question.

Sometime during this exchange, the winds at the mountaintop settled. The swirling snow carried into the sky had vanished entirely. Glancing to his side, Roger saw clear skies and crisp air.

Sunlight bathed the Earth.

The peak was silent.

His muscles began to tense gradually—Roger sensed a gaze from behind, fixed upon him.

With a sigh, he realized that while his battle had reached its intense crescendo, the fight between Sword Master Cold Crow and Higurashi Gushan had already concluded.

"Will you stop me from killing him?"

Roger asked aloud.

Having paid such a terrible price for the current situation, Roger could not—no matter what—allow the Tengu Divine Master to escape alive right in front of him.

"I didn’t interfere in your earlier fight, and I won’t interfere now."

A familiar voice answered from behind.

For just a moment, Roger’s mind associated the voice with Kensumi, but upon closer thought, he detected a steadiness, an aged gravitas and power that didn’t match Kensumi’s youthful cadence.

It appeared that the clash between him and Meiryu had not escaped Sword Master Cold Crow’s attention. What puzzled Roger, however, was why someone with the ability and reason to intervene had chosen to let everything unfold on its own.

Roger said nothing. He extended his hand, releasing a granule of force from his fingertips into the Tengu Divine Master’s body, instantly shattering the glimmering points of light within.

The collapsing points triggered a monumental transformation.

Soundless, but from the erratic squirming of the flesh, Roger could sense the Tengu Divine Master’s suffering.

Splutch!

At last, stripped of the potential for resurrection, the Tengu Divine Master’s body disintegrated entirely, leaving behind only two cloudy eyeballs.

"Smack!"

Roger stomped forward, erasing the last remnants of the Tengu Divine Master’s existence.

No vengeance-induced joy stirred within him. An entire race had been annihilated; Everworld itself had been thrown into chaos. The weight of these sacrifices was staggering.

Lifting his head, he gazed into the distance. The clouds that had shrouded Hankawa Peak for countless years had completely dispersed. To his amazement, he found himself facing Qinglu Mountain directly.

Perhaps it was closure in its own way.

Roger quickly calmed his mind, slowly turning around—only to be met by that familiar yet strangely distant presence.

Kensumi?

Sword Master Cold Crow?

"How should I address you, Kensumi, or Teacher?"

Beside that solitary, imposing figure knelt Higurashi Gushan on one knee.

At this moment, the Twin Blades in Higurashi Gushan’s hands had shattered; the front halves had been destroyed by an immense force, while the rear halves had already fused with his Arm Bone.

Higurashi Gushan no longer resembled anything human—his current form reminded Roger of an insect.

Blood streamed down, his life’s essence pouring into his arms. The broken Twin Blades grew slowly, but Gushan’s aura grew murkier and weaker.

"You can still call me Teacher; it seems those three months left some mark in your heart."

Roger stood grounded, his injuries still mending. Not far from him, Sword Master Cold Crow showed no intention of making a move.

"It seems the Spirit Sword Project has succeeded."

The strange, conflicting aura emanating from Sword Master Cold Crow suddenly caused Roger to connect countless dots—Kensumi’s fate was already clear.

"Truth be told, among all my students, you are the most unique one."

"I once harbored great hopes for you, though none of my wildest expectations could have predicted this turn of events."

"Extreme Path Sword Master—a realm sought after for a lifetime by so many, yet elusive to nearly all."

In Sword Master Cold Crow’s eyes appeared a faint glimmer of satisfaction.

"You’ve surpassed me, just as I once surpassed him."

Sword Master Cold Crow’s gaze fell behind Roger—where the Tengu Divine Master’s remains had vanished.

Roger’s heart clenched. "Although much has happened, and I have indeed hesitated, I have never betrayed Hankawa."

Roger finally spoke.

"No explanation is necessary. That’s unimportant," Sword Master Cold Crow interrupted, his sharp gaze fixed unwaveringly on Roger.

The peak stood utterly still; even the wind had vanished. The air was chokingly heavy. Roger’s body healed swiftly, but sensing the shifting atmosphere, his muscles constricted, and his stare grew increasingly cautious.

"Those three months of teaching greatly influenced me. In my heart, I still regard you as my teacher..."

Roger spoke, but his eyes darkened with each word. Though he left certain truths unsaid, his stance was already plain.

I respect you, but that doesn’t mean I will yield.

Watching Roger’s expression, Sword Master Cold Crow burst into laughter.

"You crippled his only son in front of a father. Tell me, Roger—what would you have me do?"

Meiryu hadn’t died, but not even Sword Master Cold Crow could heal his injuries. At best, Meiryu could crawl through the remainder of his life in agony.

His confidence was shattered, his body ruined, his powers lost—this was a punishment far crueler than death for Yatagarasu Akiryu.

Both Roger and Sword Master Cold Crow knew that, though Akiryu still breathed, he was already dead.

And Sword Master Cold Crow’s words made his stance unmistakably clear.

Right and wrong no longer mattered.

Roger understood that the moment his wounds were fully healed, Sword Master Cold Crow would strike.

Yet Roger’s heart wavered.

This was not the battle he desired.

In the final instant before his body fully recovered, Roger’s figure shifted and slipped into the surrounding shadows.

Shadow’s Touch.

But the next moment, the scenery remained unchanged—he was still atop Hankawa!

"What?!"

Roger’s heart jolted. Nothing like this had ever occurred to him before.

Before he could gather himself, a gleam of sword light descended before his eyes.

And at that moment, the voice of Sword Master Cold Crow sent shivers through his soul.

"I know what you intend to do, but trust me—that holds no meaning!"