TL Notes: 

Hi, hope you are well! I'm trying to make this easier to read and get rid of the plethora of character nicknames and titles. Note the following things that I will be using later in the text:

Mageomhu instead of Demon Sword Queen;
Sword Demon (Gumma)!

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Chapter 443: Distortion (1)

Crack.

As the dust settled, I looked at Mageomhu (Demon Sword Queen) with wide eyes.

Spark.

Mageomhu, her gaze fierce, was generating lightning energy as she stared at the shattered wall.

The presence of that lightning energy felt ominous. There wasn’t any direct damage yet, but the difference in magnitude was palpable.

Vvvrrrm—!

The pillars supporting the hall began to tremble subtly.

It was due to the overwhelming presence of Mageomhu.

“Grrr…”
“Khugh…”
“Hnn…”

One by one, those oppressed by her presence began to kneel. Even the resilient Black Flame Squad couldn’t hold out for long.

Barely managing to endure, I scrutinized Mageomhu.

‘What’s going on? Why is she acting like this?’

I couldn’t understand.

It was already strange enough that she suddenly lashed out at Sword Demon (Gumma), but to become so enraged—

What on earth is she doing?

Just as I was reeling from Mageomhu’s unexpected behavior—

Boom!

A fierce explosion came from the wall where Sword Demon had been thrown. An even more intense aura of murderous intent flooded out, far surpassing what I’d sensed earlier.

This wretched woman—!!

Through the dust, something launched forward with a ferocious roar. It was a sword strike imbued with magi.

Swish! Boom!

As it clashed with Mageomhu’s swing, a sonic boom erupted, blasting the surroundings.

The shockwave from the magi made my body shake slightly; the power behind it was no small feat.

I braced myself against the impact.

As I gathered myself, I saw him returning from the distance with a distorted expression. It was Sword Demon.

Grrrk-!

Grinding his teeth, he began to release his rage from head to toe.

Magi spiraled up from the sword in his grip, climbing from his shoulders up to the ceiling, radiating murderous intent as it did.

“You wretched woman, you must truly wish to die.”

“…”

Mageomhu said nothing in response to his enraged words.

Watching her reaction, I got the sense she didn’t even want to engage with him in conversation.

“Damn wench, do you think being by the High Lord’s side makes you anything special?”

Hm.

Listening to Sword Demon’s sneer, I felt compelled to question it internally—a fundamental question.

‘Why is this bastard acting so high and mighty?’

It made no sense to me that Sword Demon would speak so boldly to Mageomhu. Objectively speaking, while Sword Demon wasn’t a weak martial artist—he held a high position within the Demonic Sect—but compared to Mageomhu, he didn’t quite measure up.

Sword Demon had always harbored a strange resentment toward Mageomhu, though.

‘Well, it goes both ways.’

If there was anyone within the Demonic Sect who could stand Sword Demon, it was probably only those in the Guilty Sword Squad.

In any case, it was undeniable that these two had an extraordinary level of animosity toward each other.

“Did you earn your position thanks to some fluttering skirts? Seems you don’t know your place.”

“…”

Vrrm.

Mageomhu’s reaction came, a faint hum emanating from her sword.

Sword Demon smirked at the sight.

“Fine then. If I take you down here, I’ll take that position myself.”

Position?

By position, was he talking about the role of vice-commander of the Black Flame Squad?

Could he have wanted that?

Thinking back, he had complained to me several times, questioning why she was the vice-commander while he was leading the Guilty Sword Squad.

Every time he brought it up, I found it too bothersome to answer and drove him away with a beating.

So that’s why he despises her?

I hadn’t given it much thought then, but maybe that’s why he felt that way.

The reason he wasn’t given the vice-commander role…

There were no official reasons preventing Mageomhu from leading the Guilty Sword Squad or Sword Demon from being vice-commander of the Black Flame Squad.

In terms of martial skill alone, there wouldn’t have been much impact.

The reason I gave the vice-commander position to Mageomhu was simple.

She’s stronger.

Mageomhu was simply stronger—that was it.

In terms of manageability, Sword Demon would’ve been easier, but the decision was made solely based on strength.

It seemed Sword Demon hadn’t accepted that fact.

Click.

Sword Demon straightened his sword.

Then—

Whiz-!

“Huh?!”

Mageomhu grabbed me by the back of the neck and threw me backward.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Slice-!

Sword Demon’s sword slashed right where I had just been. I widened my eyes in realization.

That bastard?

Sword Demon seemed determined to deal with me first before targeting Mageomhu.

I barely noticed his speed; it was blindingly fast.

Mageomhu intercepted his sword, while Sword Demon’s expression revealed a hint of disappointment.

In an instant, lightning surged from Mageomhu’s sword.

Crackle-!

While the space wasn’t small, it felt too confined for two high-level martial artists to be fighting.

Amid the whirlwind of lightning energy, I swallowed hard.

The lightning split into what looked like thousands of branches, dominating the surroundings without causing any damage.

No harm to the surroundings.

Astonishingly, neither the walls nor the Black Flame Squad members suffered any impact.

Even in the midst of combat, she controlled her lightning so precisely.

“Guh…gah…!”
“Vice-Commander…save…! Ghaa!”

The Black Flame Squad was safe, but the members of the Guilty Sword Squad were not. Mageomhu unleashed her lightning energy without a care for those men.

Sword Demon, watching this with an uninterested look, turned his gaze away from them.

He only had eyes for Mageomhu.

Rumble—!

Magi coalesced at the tip of Sword Demon’s sword, soon wrapping around his body.

While the lightning was fierce and violent, it couldn’t pierce through Sword Demon’s magang energy.

This was proof that Sword Demon wasn’t weak either.

Sword Demon moved.

Crash!

With a slight leap, the ground beneath him dented, reverberating.

He’s fast.

I can’t even see it.

Clang!

In a flash, Sword Demon appeared right before Mageomhu. She also drew her sword, blocking his attack.

Watching, I became certain.

I can’t hold up.

Against either of them, I wouldn’t last even a second.

Boom! Boom!

The clash between the lightning and demonic sword emitted thunderous sounds, as though the swords themselves were roaring.

The impact of such a thin blade was hard to believe.

Creak.

“…!”

The force even pushed me back.

Unable to follow their movements fully, I was still affected.

All I could see was the flicker of sparks and traces of sword marks left in the air from the clashes.

Those traces were incredibly extravagant and chaotic.

This brief exchange revealed just how many sword techniques had passed between them.

Crack-!

Lightning struck from the ceiling.

Slash! Boom!

One of the pillars was cut clean by an unknown sword strike.

This is dangerous.

I looked around nervously.

It was clear this situation was precarious. At this rate, the hall might collapse, and everyone inside could be killed.

What should I do?

I didn’t care if others died, but my safety was at stake. As I racked my brain on how to handle these madmen—

Clang!

A spark flew, and the two figures broke apart, distancing themselves.

I thought the fight had ended and examined the situation.

“…?!”

I couldn’t help but gasp.

Contrary to my expectation that Sword Demon would be the one injured, he looked unharmed. Instead, it was Mageomhu—

Her arm is injured…

Blood was dripping from the hand holding her sword.

How could this be?

Mageomhu seemed aware of her condition, frowning slightly. The blood indicated it wasn’t a superficial wound.

He chuckled.

Sword Demon grinned, seemingly having confirmed something.

“So, it’s true.”

With a wicked smirk, he raised the tip of his sword, directing it at me while looking at Mageomhu.

“You seem to value him.”

What?

Before I could fully grasp what he was saying—

Mageomhu remained silent, without denying his words.

“He must be important if you’d sacrifice an arm to protect him.”

“…!”

At those words, I began to understand the situation.

That bastard.

Throughout the exchange, Sword Demon had repeatedly aimed for me. And Mageomhu, blocking his strikes, had sustained an injury.

Otherwise, there was no way she would’ve been wounded so easily by Sword Demon.

“I suspected it when you went out of your way to protect him. So, what exactly is he to you?”

“…”

“Is he a hidden son? That’s unlikely, considering he’s not even close to your age.”

Spinning his sword with a mocking tone, his voice oozed with sadistic delight.

Meanwhile, the air around him grew heavier with murderous intent, as magi seeped from Sword Demon’s feet, gradually enveloping the hall.

“Whatever he is, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you now have a weakness.”

Rumble—!

Sword Demon’s purple eyes gleamed, and black smoke began to seep from his mouth. I felt a cold sweat at the sight.

That power was reserved for those who’d reached a certain rank among demonic beings.

In other words, Sword Demon genuinely intended to kill Mageomhu.

Slightly frowning, Mageomhu seemed to realize this as well.

Watching her, I wondered—

Why isn’t she drawing Noe-a?

Mageomhu’s beloved weapon, Noe-a, was renowned as one of the Five Legendary Swords of the Middle Lands.

Mageomhu was absurdly strong on her own, but with Noe-a in hand, she was on a different level.

If she’d drawn Noe-a from the start, Sword Demon would have been no match for her.

But despite knowing this better than anyone, she still hadn’t drawn Noe-a.

Even now, she was drawing more lightning energy, but she hadn’t changed her sword.

Should I intervene?

I clenched and unclenched my fists in frustration.

The situation was turning bizarre.

I looked at Mageomhu.

It wasn’t just the absence of Noe-a that puzzled me.

Why is she…

Strange things kept happening. From when Sword Demon tried to ambush me, to when Mageomhu got angry, defending me—

It felt as if she were protecting me.

…Could it be?

Had she somehow realized who I was?

No, that’s impossible.

I dismissed the thought immediately. It was too absurd.

My face had changed, and I’d deliberately sealed away my Gu Flame to erase any trace of my identity.

There was no way Mageomhu could recognize me; even if she suspected, it would be too far-fetched to believe.

Then why?

I couldn’t figure it out. This lack of understanding only deepened the mystery.

Why on earth was she doing this for me?

As various questions raced through my mind—

“Now then.”

Sword Demon tilted his head, ready to move again.

“Let’s bring this to an end.”

Hearing his murderous tone, I prepared to summon my inner energy.

This wasn’t the time to hide my flame.

Even if it meant risking myself, I couldn’t let Mageomhu die here.

Damn it.

Sword Demon pointed his sword at Mageomhu and leaped again.

Just as I gathered my energy in my core—

“I’ll slice you to pieces—!”

Boom!

Sword Demon’s head suddenly slammed into the wall, as though something had smashed him into it.

“What…?”

The sound was unlike when Mageomhu had shoved him earlier.

Crack, crack, crack—!

Thick cracks spread across the wall in a wide area. That wasn’t all.

The murderous aura that Sword Demon had unleashed slowly began to vanish, as though something were tearing it apart.

Crunch…crunch.

Seeing this, I gasped, yet I became certain of one thing.

No, it’s not being torn away.

To others, it might appear that way, but I knew better.

It wasn’t tearing; it was burning away.

A dark, ominous flame began consuming Sword Demon’s aura completely.

Ding.

“…!”

I turned to see Mageomhu’s sword snap and fall to the ground with a crisp, clear sound.

Someone had broken her sword.

Staring at the broken half lying on the ground—

“I have a question.”

A dry, heavy voice came from afar, drawing my gaze.

A feeling much darker than the murderous intent from Sword Demon now filled that space.

The source of the voice had, at some point, grabbed Sword Demon’s face, pinning him to the wall.

From the tip of the man’s foot, flames spread out as if ready to devour everything nearby at any moment.

The air stilled.

Heat surrounded the area.

Ignoring the trembling Sword Demon pinned against the wall, the man’s violet eyes turned toward me.

Under his gaze, I couldn’t help but shudder.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

As the man’s voice reached me—

Whoosh!

A dark flame erupted from his entire body, filling the hall.