The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 161

Leonard’s Draconic Words far overpowered the Demoniacs, and they simply died off. Shortly after, the battle in the cavern came to a close.

The monsters’ chain of command seemed to collapse, and the well-organized army incessantly assaulting the front lines was reduced to a ragtag bunch. After the untimely death of the brain Demoniac Shamos, the tongues, which were next in line, were also annihilated, so it was no surprise that they fell apart. Though the claws were also high up, their authority was only as strong as their fighting power. Most of the hide and bone Demoniacs resisted and rebelled against their orders.

Crack. A bone Demoniac charged desperately at Leonard. The boy shattered it, then lowered his sword.

The monsters’ corpses surrounded his feet, covering the ground as far as the eye could see. He couldn’t take a single step without stepping on a body. Most of them were flesh and blood Demoniacs, but there was also a good number of dead hide Demoniacs, which had dropped from the air after being attacked with magic, as well as the shattered bone Demoniacs.

They felt fear in the face of the annihilating power of Skanda’s Demon Felling Sword, but they continued to fight. They’re disgustingly persistent. Even after encountering their natural enemy for the first time, they didn’t try to retreat. The monsters were soldiers who were ready to die if their leaders willed it.

They resembled the Blood Cult in their absolute deference to their leaders. Leonard could tell that their loyalty didn’t stem from madness and brainwashing but from an instinctive adherence to such rules. Did the creatures of the Demonic Realm have a hierarchy carved into their very souls?

“Sir! It was a sweeping victory! A few people were injured, but there wasn’t a single death!” a Black Dragon Knight reported excitedly, running up to Leonard. He addressed him as if Leonard were like a high-ranking officer.

“Send the wounded to the back. The rest of us will confirm that the Demoniacs are dead and clean up the battlefield. Let us finish before the commanders return,” Leonard ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Though Leonard was more used to being treated as a subordinate than a superior, he took it in stride. His contributions to the Black Dragon Knights today had made his reputation shoot up, and understandably so. Not only was he unmatched among other Transcendent Tier fighters, but he had also shared knowledge that could completely change the way they fought.

Even teaching them a single technique had made a large difference. If they also learned a few cultivation arts, the Black Dragon Knights could become full-fledged Demoniac killers.

I wouldn’t even have to teach them anything advanced. Something like the Shaolin Vajra Art or the Daoist Righteous Art would be enough. If I try to teach them arts that require an understanding of the meridians, it might cause qi deviation.

Leonard dug through his old memories and picked out some techniques to teach the Black Dragon Knights. Even back in the Central Plains, he had seen how difficult it was to teach martial arts to Waijin and other foreigners because their cultures and values were so different. Though some Waijin knew a little bit about Buddhism, other groups knew nothing at all about Buddhism and Daoism. Because of this, there were many times where they’d misunderstood scriptures while trying to learn martial arts and either ended up damaging their acupoints or falling victim to demonic energy.

There aren’t many martial arts that are practical and focus only on ways to control qi... I may have to modify them myself.

There weren’t many sects with as much brute strength as the Kongdong Sect. Sure, there was the Nine Great Sects’ Mount Hua Sect, which was known as the prodigal son of Daoism. The Mount Hua Sect had a fellowship that existed solely for training Daoist monks. However, all the martial artists of the Kongdong Sect were brought up to kill demons and evil spirits, not just a specific group within the sect.

Though the Kongdong Sect’s founder Guang Chengzi[1] would be upset if he knew, the group had been able to fight their way up into the Nine Great Sects due to their combative nature.

“The commanders have returned!” someone shouted, making Leonard turn around. He saw two figures quickly approaching from a distance.

They’re here.

It was Audrey and Demian.

* * *

The return of the two Knight Commanders marked the true end of their mission to defend the base. Most of the Demoniacs had been slain with Skanda’s Demon Felling Sword, and the ones that didn’t die on the spot were in the process of dying, unable to heal their wounds.

The Black Dragon Knights and the magic corps weren’t tired, and they either captured or finished off the half-dead monsters. The ones that were captured would be used as subjects for the Wickeline mages to experiment on so that the mages could discover weaknesses and other information that would be useful on the Demoniac Frontier.

“...Twenty-seven wounded, no deaths? Not a single one?” Audrey’s eyebrows shot up when she heard the casualty count.

Of course she was shocked. It would be understandable if no mages were killed because they had launched their series of attacks from the rearguard, but if no Black Dragon Knights were killed while trying to hold down the line, that would be monumental.

“Yes, ma’am!” the Seventh Captain Gilbert reported. He was actually grinning when he looked at Leonard. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d last smiled so brightly after a battle. “It’s all thanks to the instructor! He dispelled the tongue Demoniacs’ words of power and led the charge against them. If it weren’t for him, at least ten people would have died!”

If the troops had been forced to turn against each other, the only way to incapacitate the people under the control of the monsters would be to knock them out or kill them.

This was one of the reasons why the tongue Demoniacs were so chilling. It was much better to be killed by a powerful enemy than to be controlled by one and fall at the hands of an ally. The ones who killed their comrades would be left with deeply ridden trauma. If Leonard hadn’t used Draconic Words, at least several people would have been sacrificed before the troops killed all the tongue Demoniacs.

“He dispelled their words of power? How?” Demian questioned.

“I don’t know! He yelled at them to shut their mouths. That must have scared them, so they shut up! Hahaha!” Gilbert chuckled.

“...What?” Demian had been teeming with pride, but now his face fell. A moment later, Audrey seemed to reach the same conclusion, and her eyes darkened.

They knew that Leonard had awakened the unique trait of the Dragon Heart, so their thoughts naturally went to Draconic Words.

But then Zepar, the leader of the mages sent by the Wickeline family, came up to them, so the commanders couldn’t talk about it.

“Good work out there, Commander Audrey,” he commended, nodding in greeting.

“Ah, Zepar,” she said, nodding back.

“I was very shocked by how well the Black Dragon Knights fought. It has been a long time since we’ve achieved such an overwhelming victory.”

“I was shocked too. I was pleasantly surprised when I came back after defeating their leader. A new wind is blowing.”

“A new wind, you say... Indeed, I don’t believe I’ve met this fellow before.” He picked up on what she was implying and studied Leonard before turning back to the commander.

Audrey explained, “He developed a way of using aura that is effective against Demoniacs. Once we figure out the principles and structure behind it, we will share it with you as well.”

“Thank you. We will also do as much as we can with the specimens we acquired and repay you in full, especially for the tongue cadavers.”

“Mm.”

As usual, Zepar and the Wickeline mages took care of the cleanup after the battle. The Cardenas troops collected their wounded, while the two commanders took Leonard and swiftly returned to the barracks.

If it was true that he had used Draconic Words, it was something to be concerned about.

Demian set up a barrier around them with his aura so that no sound would leak out. Only then did he speak. “Leonard. Did you actually use them? Did you actually use Draconic Words?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure either,” he admitted. “As soon as I heard the tongue Demoniacs’ False Words, it felt as if something inside me was released.”

While Draconic Words were commands given by superior beings, False Words were lies that were used to trick and control one’s opponents. Not only had Leonard broken away from their influence with just his internal energy, but he also had Dragon Eyes, which allowed him to distinguish truth. The eyes, heart, and blood were the core dragon traits, so the tongue Demoniacs had been like someone trying to attack a Wudang Sect master with Taiji fist arts they learned on the streets.

“I can only say three words, so I said, ‘Shut your mouth.’ But it worked better than I thought,” Leonard added.

“Is it three words per use? Or three words per day?” Demian asked for clarification.

“I have a feeling that it’s the latter. I don’t know what power source it uses or how long it takes to recover, so I can’t say what the limits are.”

It didn’t consume mana or willpower, but he was sure that it used something he wasn’t yet conscious of. In this world, every power came at a cost.

“...Dammit. If you really did use Draconic Words, this is serious,” Demian muttered to himself.

Audrey nodded in agreement. “If the Golden Dragon finds out, they will send out an order to reassign him as soon as tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if four commanders try to veto; they’ll still go through with it.”

“We’ll have to keep this under wraps. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like the others have caught on,” Demian added.

“Indeed, this is the first time this power has been witnessed in the family’s history. They may think that it is simply an unfamiliar technique, like Demon’s Bane.” Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Leonard had no clue what they were talking about. The commanders turned to look at him with serious faces.

“If possible, don’t use Draconic Words when others are watching. There may not be many people who recognize it on the spot, but if rumors start, we won’t be able to stop them,” Demian warned.

“If anyone sees it, report it to me or Demian. We will do as much as we can,” Audrey advised.

Leonard wasn’t sure what was going on or why they had to go to such lengths to hide that he could use Draconic Words. “Is there a reason why I can’t be transferred to the Order of the Golden Dragon? It seems like the two of you are against it.”

“Um.”

“Well.”

They had been preparing themselves for this question, but they were quiet, unable to find a simple way to put it.

The Order of the Golden Dragon was a special group, even among the Seven Great Orders. No one was allowed to know what it truly was, except for the commanders. They couldn’t tell Leonard everything, but if they didn’t have a plan for how they would keep this incident hidden, there would be consequences.

“...The Order of the Golden Dragon is a group that exists for the purpose of succeeding the current head of the Cardenas family,” Audrey began.

“Ma’am!” Demian exclaimed, shocked. He tried to stop her, but Audrey coolly calmed him down.

She then said, “I will only say what I am allowed to, so you can guess why you cannot be transferred to them.”

Leonard listened closely.

“Their mission is very simple. It is to bring about the return of Ancestor Cardenas in our current age. To bring back the great hero who built this country along with the founding emperor.”

“Return? Not replace? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s exactly as it sounds. How much do you know about Arcadia’s founding myths?” she asked.

“After the God-Slaying War, the dragons took their place and ruled the whole world as tyrants. The founding emperor won over the founders of the Three Noble Houses, and they overthrew the dragons together...”

“You’re not wrong. Then, have you ever thought about why there is dragon blood running through the Cardenas bloodlines?”

Leonard thought for a moment. Unless their ancestor violated a dragon after capturing one as a prisoner of war, he couldn’t think of any other natural way it would have happened.

Audrey seemed to read his mind. “Before you say anything, it wasn’t through violent means.”

He flinched and peeked up at her. Audrey showed him a knowing look, then revealed the secret.

“Everyone from the Three Noble Houses has non-human blood flowing through their veins. Or, it may be more accurate to say that they have human blood mixed into their bloodline. The founders of the Cardenas, Wickeline, and Jehoia families were never human.”

“...It can’t be.” Leonard jolted, the realization hitting him like a bolt of lightning.

Audrey nodded, confirming his suspicions.

This was the Arcadian Empire’s greatest secret.

“The founding emperor Ragna had three wives. None of them were women, and they were all members of different races.”

“Ancestor Cardenas... was a dragon?”

Audrey nodded again. “The Wickeline family’s ancestor was a high elf, and the Jehoia family’s was a dvergr.”

High elves and dvergrs were the greatest of the elves and dwarves. When the World Tree died, high elves stopped being born, while the blood of the blacksmith god flowing through the dvergrs’ veins weakened over time.

But that was a story for another time.

Right now, they were talking about Ancestor Cardenas.

“Though she was born a dragon, she loved the sword and martial arts and admired mortals, whose lives were as bright yet short as a flame.”

Emperor Ragna and the swordswoman Empress Cardenas ended the rule of the dragons. For the price of killing her kin, she was made into a human and lost the ability to return to her original form. She went on to become a greatly revered hero, and founded the House of Cardenas.

1. A Taoist deity. ☜