I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life - I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life chapter 45

part 45

“Hey! What’s that?”

“Shh! Party leaders, fall back!”

With the urgent cry, particles of light flickered, signaling elimination.

“9, 9 to 1! No, now it’s 8 to 1!”

Amy swallowed her saliva.

Now, the factory was a steam-filled place where friend and foe were indistinguishable. It was as if everyone was in a personal battle. Among the students, Jian was the strongest.

“There’s a chance!”

Amy’s eyes sparkled with added vitality. She cheered, based on capitalism.

“Arcana, fight on!”

– Wasn’t she just crying earlier? What a sudden change of stance!

– The main cam is rolling LOL!!

– Win and I’ll give you a million, for real

– Too bad LOL. Wasn’t it the party host who got eliminated?

– Even better~~ 8 to 1~~

The stage is set.

The audience was fired up, eagerly opening their wallets to become fans of Arcana.

Now, only one process remained.

Amy stared at the screen, praying fervently.

‘Please win!’

Lose, and it’s to hell.

Win, and it’s to heaven.

This moment was her greatest turning point.

* * *

In a factory where nothing could be seen due to the steam, Jian’s first action was to close his eyes.

‘I can feel it.’

Then, his body became more sensitive than ever.

The mana emanating from within the enemy.

The resistance of the air with every movement.

The words uttered amidst the chaos.

There was no need to cling to the blurry sight.

Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly see the enemies’ movements.

‘I’ll eliminate them all here.’

It wasn’t just bravado. Jian became one with his surroundings, and the blind attacks of the enemies scattered into the void.

“Where are you? Party hosts, fall back!”

There were nine people guarding the factory.

With three coming from the same school, the remaining six were strangers to them. A party that had just coordinated for the first time today was bound to be disorganized.

Voices overlapped from all around.

“Don’t fall back! They’re right in front of me!”

“Gasp! Calm down, Mr. Flare! Since you’re the party host, fall back…”

“They’re right in front of me!”

In the midst of it all, an opponent who spotted Jian swung their sword. The blade grazed his clothes, leaving a slight wound.

“Caught? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

In this steam, who the opponent was or what weapon they wielded was trivial. For Jian, only one thing was important.

“Avoid attacks and slash the opponents.”

The fact that everyone except himself was an enemy worked conveniently at times like this.

“Over here!”

“Cough! Hey! Are you crazy? I almost got hit! Where the heck are you shooting?”

“Everyone, focus!”

The voice that had been calmly giving orders since earlier. Jian infused mana into his legs and stomped the ground.

Clang!

Parrying with his sword.

Jian used the recoil to slash the enemy behind him. The battle was short, but Jian rampaged like a tyrant hidden behind the curtain of steam.

But on the second floor of the factory.

Flare was quicker to judge than the other party members.

“Idiots. What’s the use of numbers? What a sight, being overwhelmed by just one person. Sigh, I wanted to save as much Mp as possible.”

The moment the battle started, she immediately climbed to the second floor using the ladder.

Then she continuously drew her bowstring, loading it with mana.

All for this moment.

“Eat this!”

Whoosh!

[Path of Fire] The arrow that Flare had spent a minute preparing was a magical device dedicated to destruction.

A mana fire arrow that exploded upon contact, sweeping the radius. It was a deadly move even for party members, but Flare didn’t care.

“If we get caught up in the enemy’s pace, we’ll all be annihilated anyway. Can’t help getting caught up a bit.”

Flare curled the corners of her mouth.

The advantage of numbers shone in times like this. It would be impossible to cast a magical device in one minute in a one-on-one, but with meat shields, it was a different story.

“No matter how monstrous, they can’t possibly block this.”

Her confidence stemmed from a unique trait she had received before the event.

Unique Trait: Conductor of Fire

Effect: The power of fire attribute magical devices is doubled.

With the already powerful [Path of Fire] receiving the trait buff, its power was unquestionable.

“Heh, you must have some decent items, right?”

Flare smiled as she looked at the [Path of Fire].

A giant flame, closer to a fireball than an arrow. As the high temperature caused the steam to evaporate, Clare could discern the identity of the invader.

“That face… A? Somehow, it was an Arcana? Hmph, too late now.”

But it was Flare who was late.

She didn’t know about Gian’s magic device.

The magical tool Heukhyang, used by the hero in a previous life, was a sword that negated impurity. To a sword that could even cut through space, such a fireball was merely prey.

Whoosh!

“I’m glad I drank earlier.”

Gian opened his mouth as he saw the fire approaching.

“Perfect timing.”

The clash of magic devices.

For Gian, this was an opportunity to captivate the audience.

So, Gian waited as long as he could.

From noble mtl dot nete

When the fireball reached a precarious position, mana infused the sword, and a soft light swirled around it.

Swoosh!

A clean bisect.

As Heukhyang sliced through the fireball, the arrow, now devoid of flame, fell to the ground with a thud.

“Too bad.”

Gian smiled, looking up at the second floor. Heukhyang, the magic device that negated [Anti-Magic] mana.

Clare, witnessing the absurd sight of the sword cutting through fire, dropped her bow and exclaimed,

“Hey! That’s way too overpowered!!”

Flare’s face fell.

Now that all the steam had evaporated.

Flare met Gian’s smile from the first floor.

“What, what! That’s scary! You dare shoot at me? You found me?”

Flare thought.

If she were to materialize the Demon King of the fourth district from the textbooks, surely he would wear such a smile.

“It’s not normal. Better now than never!”

A chilling sensation brushed against his back. Despite their numbers, Flare didn’t feel the advantage.

“The steam has vanished!”

“The magic doesn’t work?”

“Don’t use magic, just rush them all at once!”

The team’s hopeful words seemed foolish instead.

‘Don’t they get it? We can never win. Idiots…’

Cold sweat trickled down his cheeks.

Flare, forgetting even the broadcast of the image, plotted his escape.

‘Now’s the last chance, while my party members are still here.’

But it was already too late. Gian had lowered his stance, readying his technique.

The reckless dive Gian made into the enemy’s center was for this very moment.

[Moon Blade (月劍)]

The sword emitted a clear light reminiscent of moonlight, drawing a straight line.

Originally a deadly technique that consumed vital energy, but in this virtual space, it only used Mp.

However.

Its potency was not diminished.

A straight line.

A beautifully precise semicircle.

Every opponent approaching Gian was literally split in two.

Swoosh!

The fallen party members.

Gian approaching him.

Flare, hand on his forehead, sighed with hollow eyes.

“Damn it. How do you lose 9 against 1.”

Swoosh!

With Gian’s strike, Flare too was eliminated. Items cascaded down where she stood.

“They said items wouldn’t drop, but they’ve all gone to the archer.”

The archer, fighting from the rear, was the safest. Of course, now that the party was annihilated, it was a meaningless tactic.

Alone in the factory.

Gian sheathed his sword and murmured softly, as if to prove a point.

“Kill Score.”

[Currently, Ji-en’s elimination count is 11. This ranks first among the remaining 60 participants.]

‘Yes, that would be first place.’

A natural outcome.

Ji-en had taken down every opponent alone. In a game centered around team play, he had overcome obstacles without any teammates. It was a feat that could only be showcased through Ji-en’s unparalleled prowess.

[Amy♥: We wonnnnn!! Main cam celebrationnnn!! (๑˃؂˂๑)]

[Amy♥: The illustrious Ji-en, do you know how many viewers are watching our broadcast? (~˘▾˘)~]

But it’s too early to be surprised.

Boss battles. Melee. Team play. Strategy.

Ji-en plans to fully display the skills honed in his past life during the battle survival event.

‘The next is the boss battle.’

* * *

Roars engulf the Central Stadium!

Unlike Twitchers who struggled with the steam, viewers watching through the main cam could see Ji-en’s movements in detail with the thermal imaging camera.

Ji-en’s combat was agile, seasoned, and powerful. It was enough to captivate the hearts of viewers who had been focused on Celia.

– Arcana! Arcana!

The chanting of the school’s name resounded loudly in the stands. Venon finally closed his gaping mouth upon hearing the loud cheers.

“No, it’s astonishing. To take on a factory defended by nine alone…”