The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns
Chapter 253

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 253

A hammer in hand.

The Spirit weapon Utopia swung through the air, creating a massive shockwave.

They had restricted aura and mana.

But they hadn’t managed to suppress the spirit energy—used to wield a Spirit Blade.

"He's doing something! Stop him!!!"

A man shouted, swinging his aura blade in a strike that looked as if it would cut me down in an instant.

But just before his sword could reach me, the space between us warped, and in a flash, the scenery around us completely changed.

Three of the remaining sword masters, realizing the danger, swiftly escaped the range of the zone, but the one caught inside was consumed instantly by Utopia’s domain.

It seems even master-class fighters aren't so easily taken down.

Though not all the enemies were trapped, this was good enough for now.

The man caught inside looked at me with wide eyes, startled by the now-barren landscape.

"What is this…?"

“Just something to keep you from running away.”

I spoke calmly and began walking toward him.

He tried to retaliate somehow, but—

“Ugh?!”

He stumbled, grimacing.

“What is this...?”

“Feels weird, right? Like your body’s moving on its own.”

Utopia, still in hand, scattered shimmering light.

Back when I used it to train academy cadets, injuries from monster battles were avoided.

Instead, they experienced a tingling sensation as if electrocuted.

In other words, those caught within the domain could be affected in certain ways.

It wasn’t strong enough to inflict critical damage, but it could easily twist the sensory perception of the two sword masters, the dozens of mages, spellcasters, expert-level knights, and archers all caught within range.

Of course, that required a massive amount of spirit energy—but the debuff I had received didn’t affect spirit energy consumption at all.

Now that I think about it, even if my necromantic mana was suppressed, the undead I already had stored within the shadows weren’t being wiped out.

They might regenerate slowly, but…

Their numbers weren’t lacking, so it didn’t matter.

I hurled Utopia, the hammer I held, into subspace while staring at the sword master who still radiated killing intent toward me despite his distorted senses.

“None of this changes anything. You're going to die here today. You dared to stand in the path of His Majesty, who bears divine blood. That crime will not go unpunished.”

Even within this illusionary space, the interference of aura and mana aimed directly at me still lingered.

Meaning Utopia’s power hadn’t fully matured yet.

Perhaps, if they were truly master-class, they could eventually break through this domain and escape.

But that’s only if I left them alone.

Hands in my pocket, I asked:

"Wondering why I created this illusion space?"

“What?”

“So you wouldn’t run.”

At my command, my shadow quivered violently and surged upward, forming a massive shadow wolf easily over five meters tall.

The first named wraith-class undead—Muyeong—had already grown to possess strength rivaling that of a master.

Then came a horde of Forest Wendigos and Wyverns.

“Undead?! You… you’re a necromancer?!”

“Among other things.”

Sword master?

I know they’re strong.

But I wonder how long they’ll last in here.

“Get them.”

At my command, the massive horde of undead I’d claimed from the earlier Stampede Gate incident surged forward like warriors on a stimulant.

By the time Utopia's domain had completed its purpose and slowly faded—

The corpses of two master-class powerhouses and a large number of expert-level knights and mages were strewn across the ground.

Most of the supply convoy was incinerated, and the Eastern Continent’s forces, who had wisely retreated when the domain activated, had already fallen back.

—Kzzz… Leon. Can you hear me?

“I hear you.”

—What the hell did you say to the Holy Kingdom and the Elven Forest?

What?

I frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean? I only sent Baril to the front line.”

The Shadow Dragon Baril is, in truth, my strongest undead.

He was particularly effective against large groups thanks to his overwhelming brutality.

I sent him as a precaution in case the frontlines started to crumble.

—As soon as the siege began, the Holy Kingdom's Holy Knight Assault Division came from the left, and from the right, the Elven archers appeared and wiped out all of Coral’s forces.

These guys went ahead and did something I never asked for.

Honestly, neither the Holy Kingdom nor the Elven Forest were on good terms with Coral to begin with.

The Elves were furious after discovering Coral’s attempted scheme against them.

And the Holy Kingdom, which worships a god?

Well, the Coral Kingdom claims its royal bloodline is descended from a god.

A theocratic monarchy.

The problem is that this “divine status” was mainly used to centralize power—so from the Holy Kingdom’s perspective, they likely saw it as a heretical cult.

Because of that, Holy Kingdom priests rarely ever set foot in Coral territory.

And now Coral was in a tight spot.

“How long has it been since the siege began, and still no progress?!”

I do know that after the dragon corps incident, the Bata Kingdom reinforced its fortresses.

Plus, Coral’s main forces hadn't even departed yet.

It wasn’t like we expected them to win instantly.

But the original plan did anticipate either capturing the fortress or at least dealing a crippling blow.

Instead, they lost half their forces and retreated.

Crash!!

“Useless fools!!”

The Coral King, furious, couldn't hide his rage.

“I never expected both the Holy Kingdom and the Elven Forest to send troops. The last intel said they were busy reinforcing their own lands…”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Crash!!

Throwing his golden goblet, the King caught his breath and glared at an elderly man sipping tea quietly nearby.

“I heard the supply convoy was completely wiped out too. Didn’t the Sichuan and Namgung clans promise to capture that damned pest?”

Sichuan Clan and Namgung Clan.

The noble houses of the Eastern Continent aren’t just ordinary aristocratic families.

The two families within the White Tiger territory are enormous in scale—more like confederations of dozens of households rather than a single lineage.

“Speak up!! You boasted so confidently!!”

“That brat was hiding far more than what Coral’s intelligence had informed us. It's unfortunate, truly.”

It was a blatant attempt to shift blame.

‘That damned old geezer…’

The king clenched his fist so tightly that veins bulged from his skin.

He had led the vanguard during the full-scale war to claim a piece of Bata, but the stalemate had only led to constant political pressure from the Eastern Continent.

And now, the convoy supposedly protected by them had been utterly obliterated.

Trust between the parties was gradually eroding.

After all, they were never bound by loyalty—just mutual interest.

There were two goals in this alliance.

First: the territory of Bata.

And second, just as the nation was considering halting the war after losing a squad of Dragon Fang Soldiers on the border, another piece of news came in:

A massive mythril mine had been discovered in the lands of Cascadia.

It was even said that the site contained deposits of the rare and legendary orichalcum.

Orichalcum!

A resource so rare that Cascadia was thought to be the only place in the world where natural orichalcum could be mined.

And yet… a failure?

Even after deploying far stronger forces than before?

The Dragon Fang Soldiers were no longer usable—they had lost the warhorn that could command them to the enemy.

“Don’t worry. Even if they flail around now, once our weapon is complete, even a dozen Swordmasters won’t stand a chance.”

The old man stroked his beard in a leisurely manner, and the king remained silent.

The involvement of the Holy Kingdom and the Elves had been an unexpected turn of events—but at least the Empire hadn’t joined in.

And with growing unrest in the Pinas Archipelago, located on the western edge of the Central Continent, the Empire was in no position to intervene carelessly.

“Speaking of which… what is that monster? Where did you even get something like that?”

“Do you remember the boy ‘Ma Cheon’ we brought in from the Sichuan family some time ago?”

“You’re saying that thing is him?”

“Yes. Ma Cheon was a partial failure. But the weapon was a success. Although it can no longer maintain a human form.”

A monster crafted through the combined efforts of the two great families—capable of tearing through even a dozen Swordmasters.

Even the king couldn’t deny it.

He had witnessed the power of the weapon when it briefly awakened—and the sheer force it exuded had made his skin tingle.

“It must be completed as soon as possible.”

“Worry not. Once it’s complete, even Osberg, the Sword Saint of the Pascalia Empire, won’t be able to stop it.”

The old man chuckled and stood from his seat.

“The one wreaking havoc on this land—we’ll take care of him.”

“That was the agreement from the beginning.”

“Frankly, we never expected Coral’s intelligence network to be so incompetent. But worry not. We now understand the extent of his power. We’ll deploy the assassination squads of the two families, the elder council—our main force—and use this opportunity to test the weapon.”

“I’ve heard some troubling rumors about that brat. Can you really defeat him?”

“The assassination squads are experts at killing. And with the secret weapon deployed, no matter how talented he may be, he’ll be overwhelmed.”

There once was a powerful prodigy called the New Dragon in the Eastern Continent.

But even he had been slaughtered—helplessly—by the combined might of dozens of assassins and the secret weapon.

King of Coral narrowed his eyes.

They spoke confidently for people who had already sent four Master-level fighters only to see them flee.

Still—he had also underestimated the opponent.

Leaving him alone was far too dangerous.

“You better bring good news. Either capture him… or bring me his head.”

“Of course.”

With a strange movement, the old man vanished as if he had never been there.

Left alone, King Coral let out a short breath.

Yes.

There’s no need to rush.

No matter how powerful he is, there’s a limit.

He’s still human—not some monster wearing human skin.

This time, he won’t survive.

Or so he believed.

The failure to break through Bata’s border fortress didn’t matter.

Once they sever the head of that meddling brat causing chaos behind their lines, they could simply push forward.

Meanwhile, at the same time—

Leon was facing an unexpected individual.

“The bioweapon that Coral and the Eastern Continent’s noble houses are preparing—it’s based on a core we provided. Originally, it was impossible to control, but someone unexpectedly managed to solve that problem.”

“Then I should rip you all to shreds.”

“W-wait!!! We don’t intend to fight you right now! We came to share information—how to take down that monster! And to tell you who gave them the technology to complete the bioweapon!!”

A cultist and Leon.

Two forces that should’ve been at each other’s throats on sight—yet they were meeting.

And this was something the King of Coral did not know.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]