The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 245

Swishhhhhhhh—

The downpour was so fierce that the sound of raindrops, carried by the wind and striking the ground, resembled the sharp whistle of arrows. If they hit someone’s bare skin, they would undoubtedly leave deep bruises.

This was no ordinary storm—it was an extreme, unnatural phenomenon. For most people, it would be impossible to move in such conditions, with visibility reduced to barely a few meters ahead. But for the individuals gathered here, this was far from a hindrance.

The Golden Hind, once treated as nothing more than a toy, had now been entirely forgotten. Instead, standing before the Demigod Tier beings was Scylla, its nine heads snarling menacingly.

—■■■■■■...

Unlike mere sound waves, its utterances reverberated through the very fabric of space itself—an utterly monstrous voice. It wasn’t an attempt at communication; it was a language of rejection, denying any interaction with lower beings. The beast made no effort to hide its intent, nor did it seek to explain or justify itself.

—■■■.

The only message it delivered, clear as day, was its unyielding declaration to ravage and kill. With that, the nine heads spewed an ominous radiance.

Shiiiiiiing—!!

The light appeared only superficially. In truth, it was the materialization of raw energy, scattering like refracted rays as it tore apart spatial dimensions. It was a manifestation of destruction, defying the laws of physics—an authority that embodied the concept of ripping to shreds.

Without hesitation, the four Demigod Tier beings dispersed in different directions to avoid its reach.

Scylla’s combat style had nothing to do with the art of war—not that it needed to. The only viable response to this was fleeing at full speed, beyond the reach of its devouring power, abandoning any notion of tactical finesse.

Five Elements and Six Divinities Arts

Crimson Crow Sun

Light Burning Heat Stride: Explosion

Stone Fire Flash

Leonard, searing flames bursting from his legs, reappeared several kilometers away in an instant. Despite his supersonic, or rather, lightning-fast movement, his skin bore shallow cuts, the result of Scylla’s superior power. Having been inflicted by the authority of a higher entity, the wounds didn’t heal easily, leaving his armor and clothes damp with blood.

Narrowing his eyes, Leonard quickly assessed the situation.

...It’s not as precise as Heaven’s Annihilation, but it’s impossible to block. The range of the attack is just too vast, making hit-and-run tactics difficult. I have to rely on advanced movement art just to avoid it.

When it came to powers that interfered with conceptual realms, those of the space-time type were among the highest-ranked. Resisting with an inferior concept would be nothing more than a futile struggle. While a skill like Sky and Clouds Piercer might counteract it, the gap in sheer output was overwhelming.

Even unleashing Sky Splitting Cross Slash might only allow Leonard to barely defend himself. As for offensive countermeasures, there was no point in even trying.

“Damn it, Leonard! Are you still alive?!” The voice belonged to Demian, who had somehow made his way to Leonard’s left side.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Leonard responded, “I’m fine, Commander Demian. What about you?”

“Just a few scrapes! I deflected most of it with Mirror Blade, but this thing is going all in with brute force. No finesse, just overwhelming power!”

“The others seem unscathed as well.” Leonard glanced at Cruella and Nicholas before turning his gaze back.

Scylla had completely lost interest in the Golden Hind; it had been nothing more than a fleeting amusement. The ship’s shattered remains were already vanishing beyond the horizon, and now, Leonard and the other three had become Scylla’s true prey.

“...Thank you for your timely assistance, Commander Leonard.”

“On behalf of all Wild Hunt members, I extend my gratitude as well.”

Corbin and Drake flew in swiftly to join them.

“Let’s save the pleasantries for later,” said Leonard, his voice steady. “Even by the standards of the ancient era, that monster doesn’t seem easy to take down.”

Clicking his tongue, Leonard grimaced at Scylla’s surging pressure, its nine heads swelling ominously.

The records Leonard had seen from the Order of the White Dragon described Scylla with six heads and a lower body adorned with the heads of dogs and wolves, their howling resembling psychic attacks. However, the colossal beast before them bore little resemblance to the creature of those ancient archives.

As Demian had pointed out, this resembled the Hydra far more than Scylla.

“A mutation... or is it a fusion? Even if they belong to the same lineage, I’ve never heard of Outer Gods collaborating in this way.”

“Are you suggesting that not only Charybdis and Scylla but also the Hydra is involved?”

“We can’t confirm anything yet, but that’s my suspicion.”

Outer Gods, entities banished to other dimensions, were known to act independently, devoid of collective consciousness or camaraderie. And yet, it looked like these three Outer Gods were working together.

“...Is it Nidhogg?”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

It was not so much a deduction as it was a faint, unconscious spark of intuition—a possibility that escaped Leonard’s lips as a murmur.

Demian’s eyes widened in alarm. “You can’t mean—!”

Nidhogg was the Outer God who had mocked Leonard and Wade in the Corroded Realm Nastrond before disappearing. And now, threads of connection seemed to emerge between that incident and their current predicament.

Had an alliance of Outer Gods, each an independent tyrant, truly formed?

And then it happened.

———————————!!!

Scylla’s nine heads simultaneously tilted toward the sky, unleashing a power distinctly different from its earlier attacks.

Ancestor Cardenas, the first to realize the nature of the attack, warned in a voice trembling with urgency.

—It’s the Hydra’s poison! Not even True Gods can withstand it. Protect yourselves at all costs!

“It’s the Hydra’s poison! Don’t let a single drop enter your body!” Leonard shouted, his urgent warning darkening the faces of his comrades.

The situation was dire. Though information about Outer Gods was classified, certain entities were so infamous that stories of them lingered across the world anyway, unable to be contained. The Hydra, a Monstrous God of Venom, was known as one of the deadliest Outer Gods out there, feared even among its own kind.

It was Hydra’s poison that once killed the God of Heroes Heracles, forcing him to revive before he could claim victory.

Swishhhhhhh—!!

As the downpour intensified, the rain’s color shifted. What had been clear water turned an ominous deep green, laced with corrosive acid and venom. The rainfall transformed into a toxic force, corroding and devouring anything it touched.

Leonard instinctively enhanced his augmented energy shield, which was already sizzling as the first droplets made contact.

Ssssssshhh!

The noxious rain ceasselessly hammered at his augmented energy shield, slowly eroding its surface. No matter how agile or deftly one moved, it was impossible to avoid every raindrop in the downpour.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the expedition was annihilated.

—The silver lining is that this poison isn’t at its maximum potency. The Hydra has descended not in its true form, but as a fragment mixed with Scylla, reducing its authority. Even if the poison infiltrates your body, severing the affected part will save your soul.

Are you saying Scylla and Hydra are merged?

—Yes. The creature’s regeneration is mediocre, and its poison is diluted, although a being like you wouldn’t be able to deal with any of those two. The enemy knows this too, as there are no True God entities left in this era!

The creation of this suboptimal avatar, designed to combat multiple Demigod Tier opponents rather than a singular True God adversary, was proof of that realization.

As he grasped the situation, Leonard felt a chill run down his spine.

They’re not playing games... They truly intend to destroy this world?!

Though the Outer Gods had been testing the world through Rifts and Corroded Realms, they hadn’t truly gotten serious. Their attacks had been little more than casual jabs, indifferent to whether they succeeded or failed, and yet the world had repeatedly teetered on the edge of annihilation before somehow stabilizing.

The world had managed to survive thanks to the Arcadian Empire and the Three Noble Houses, but also because the Outer Gods had not been willing to deplete their resources or launch a full-scale invasion.

But Scylla, the Hydra, and Charybdis were different. Though they had clashed before, now they had united their strength. Not content with mere brute force, they had sought optimal methods to refine their existence and devise counter-strategies.

—Even now, it’s not too late.

Ancestor Cardenas was calmer now.

—Use me to slay it. Against that avatar tailored to your abilities, you can destroy it in a single strike.

...But you’ll vanish after that, won’t you?

—I followed you with that intent from the very beginning.

The fragment of Ancestor Cardenas’s soul that Leonard had absorbed at Dragon’s Head could once unleash Deification Tier powers. However, nearly a thousand years old, the remnant soul had deteriorated over time, and allowing Leonard to wield her power would inevitably lead to her complete obliteration.

For that reason, Leonard refused the Ancestor’s suggestion.

No, it’s fine. Let’s trust in the strength of your descendants for this one.

Ancestor Cardenas made no response. Or rather, Leonard raised his sword high and charged at Scylla before she could make a response.

With poison raining down from the Hydra, continuing the standoff would only worsen the situation for the expedition. To change the tide, maintaining the status quo was not enough; they needed to create a new variable.

Leonard targeted the non-existent weakness of Scylla. According to ancient records, the way to defeat the Outer God Hydra was to sever its heads and cauterize the wounds.

Southern God Style

Single Swing Sweeping Annihilation

Calamity Extinguishing Flame

Rather than compressing his Vermillion Bird Qi into a sphere, he released it in a slashing arc, extending like a crimson crescent moon. The heat was overwhelming, instantly evaporating the rain tainted with Hydra’s poison as the strike surged forward.

Though this would be just a scratch to the massive creature spanning several kilometers, the attack’s property of countering regeneration changed the dynamic of the battle entirely. The arc ripped through Scylla’s vulnerable scales and roasted flesh, embedding itself into the bone.

—■■■■■■■■?!

The wound was not fatal, not even severe—barely a scratch. Yet, it refused to heal, and that alone was enough to reignite the spirits of the Demigod Tier warriors.

Drake was the first to act. Swinging his scale-covered arm like a baton, he redirected as many raindrops as possible. His control over water allowed him to interfere with the poisoned raindrops, despite his inferior rank and power. This was only possible because the authority of Poseidon, upon which his power was based, was greater than that of the Hydra or Scylla.

“Looks like it’s not my time to take the spotlight today!”

Demian shifted his approach, focusing on supporting Leonard and the two Grand Magi rather than delivering direct blows. Using Mirror Blade, he cast illusions to throw off Scylla’s aim or distorted light to confuse its attacks.

Corbin, the Light Dragon Commander, followed suit. Though his Shadow Dive was not entirely immune to Scylla’s power, entering and exiting its attack range expanded his evasion capabilities. He focused on dodging and assisting allies in avoiding attacks, all while protecting himself.

“O hero of the Volsunga Saga! Wielder of the blade that felled Fafnir! Deliverer of peace through victory! Slayer of the avaricious dragon!”

“O warrior who comes with thunder! Vanquisher of the world-encircling serpent! Smite the serpent that bites its own tail with lightning and a hammer of iron!”

Finally, the supreme spell incantations summoned legends—one a great hero with dragon-slaying lore, the other a Nordic God. These supreme spells, taxing even for a Class 9 Grand Magus, manifested almost simultaneously.

“Siegfried’s greatsword, Balmung!”

“Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir!”

At that moment, a sword recreated from the legend of the great hero Siegfried cleaved through the storm clouds, evaporating the toxic rain as it descended vertically. The fiery blade, nearly a hundred meters long, was so formidable that even Scylla flinched. The creature tried to sink back into the sea to avoid significant damage, but...

Rumbleeeee...!!

With a deafening roar, a hammer of lightning struck Scylla’s body. The shockwave raised massive waves, crashing to the ocean floor and rebounding upward, hurling the enormous creature into the air. It was an attack worthy of Thor, the mightiest Martial God and Thunder God of the Aesir pantheon.

Dazed, two of Scylla’s heads were severed by Balmung, and Leonard followed up with his strike.

Southern God Style

Single-Point Breakthrough Strike

Fiery Scarlet Point

While effective, Calamity Extinguishing Flame was not enough to vanquish such a massive foe in one blow, so Leonard charged again, thrusting his sword into one of Scylla’s heads, the blade bursting out the back.

The lingering flames of Fiery Scarlet Point incinerated the brain, leaving a wound that its regenerative ability, weakened by fire, could not heal.

In an instant, Scylla lost three heads. As it recovered its senses and retaliated, opening its jaws wide—

A chill ran down Leonard’s spine. The Demigods braced themselves, suppressing the chills and goosebumps crawling across their skin, readying themselves to withstand the devastation about to erupt from Scylla’s six heads.

Even a single hit would mean severe injury or fatality—if they were particularly unfortunate, instant death was not out of the question.

—■■?!

Then, the rain pouring from the sky suddenly reversed, surging upward. Scylla, poised to attack, blinked its twelve eyes in confusion. This wasn’t Drake’s doing.

It was the wind. The realization dawned on the Demigod Tier warriors, bringing faint smiles to their lips.

“You’re a little late,” Leonard remarked.

—I came as fast as I could, benefactor.

The Wind Spirit King, Boreas, had returned with the Zaratan, the colossal sea turtle. On its deck, the Golden Dragon knights quickly assumed formation, shielding the crew from the oppressive aura of the Outer God.

Despite some losses from the earlier battle against the Leviathan, the expedition’s full strength had finally assembled. Naturally, all eyes turned to Leonard as he gave a brief, almost nonchalant smile.

“Everyone,” he began, raising his sword.

The multicolored energy of the One Origin Five Elements Cultivation Method swirled around him like a cloak.

“Our mission is to subdue the Outer God Scylla. Assume battle formations.”

There was no need for any verbal responses. Instead, the resolute determination of those gathered ignited, warming the frigid air with their collective fighting spirit.

Facing half of Cardenas’s full strength, even Scylla’s manifestation hesitated, the colossal creature weighing the odds. But no matter how sly or cunning, a True God would never turn its back on lesser beings, even when the odds seemed unfavorable.

—■■■■■■■■■!!!!

Scylla unleashed its power. The combined authority of its shreddin ability and Hydra’s venom created a devastating fusion. The very act of tearing inflicted wounds that poisoned the afflicted, sealing their doom.

Scylla fired six beams of light from its gaping maws. Each one shredded everything in its path and spread poison with every impact, detonating with explosive force.

In response, the Zaratan surged forward, shielded by the formation of the Golden Dragon Knights, their unified barrier meeting the beams head-on.

Creakkkk!!

Even with two Eighteen Arhat Formations absorbing and redirecting the energy, the ship staggered under the strain, its timbers creaking ominously. All thirty-six Golden Dragon knights coughed up blood, struggling to endure the fierce assault. After all, Scylla’s attack was significantly deadlier than that of Charybdis, carrying greater lethality and divinity.

Yet they held on. The ship did not crumble, and no one succumbed to the poison. The barrier endured.

Only the Golden Dragon Knights could have pulled it off, their unity and skill placing them on the threshold of the Demigod Tier.

—Now it begins.

Ancestor Cardenas’s voice carried weight. Up until now, the expedition had merely stalled. Now, the true battle—the hunt—was about to begin.

“...Let’s go!”

A deafening roar erupted from Leonard’s Dragon Heart as it recharged its nearly depleted energy core, surging back to life. His consciousness, entering the realm of unity, surged greatly.

Ancestor Cardenas watched them in their struggle from the depths of Leonard’s subconscious, where he himself could not reach. A faint, approving smile strayed on her face.