Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 373

“Ts-tts!”

“Tsts!”

“Tsssst!!”

Caught in the sudden blaze, the oni of Mount Ōe were thrown into chaos.

No wonder—the flames Su-ho spewed weren’t a normal Mini Breath, but a holy-element breath exhaled by a sacred paladin.

So it didn’t just set the fortress and mountain ablaze; it also mowed down swathes of Oni Warriors over level 200.

[ You have slain an Oni Warrior. ]

[ You have slain an Oni Warrior. ]

[ You have slain an Oni Warrior. ]

[ You have slain an Oni Warrior. ]

[ You have slain an Oni Warrior. ]

...

Su-ho smiled in satisfaction at the shower of system notices.

Best of all—

[ You have leveled up. ]

[ All stats +1. ]

[ You have gained 1 bonus stat. ]

A level-up notification, as expected.

Since the Oni Warriors themselves were fairly high level, he’d jumped a level in one go.

He dropped the bonus stat into Strength, then exhaled several more breaths.

Just then—

Suuuaaa!

A sharp sonic rip.

It was so fast even Su-ho almost missed it.

But instinctively, his head tilted—and an invisible strike passed him by.

[ Dragon Sense activates. ]

Thanks to Dragon Sense.

Only triggers when you’re about to forget it exists.

He glanced toward the attack’s source.

Up there, alone atop the highest parapet of the fortress, an Oni Warrior stood in a drawn-blade stance.

Sharper fangs than other oni, a bulk far greater, and a lion’s mane of hair.

Shuten-doji.

Seeing him, Su-ho’s lip quirked.

“So the boss really is built different?”

Spotting Shuten-doji, Su-ho vaulted off Cheolma’s back.

“Good work, Cheolma.”

“Neigh!”

Cheolma answered with all his might—and retreated out of Shuten-doji’s line of fire.

Cavalry does beat infantry, true—but such distinctions mean little before a transcendent like Shuten-doji.

Better to dismiss Cheolma and keep him safe.

Dropping down, Su-ho hurled the Guiyeong Spear at the oni.

[ Throwing Spear activates. ]

Shriaaa!

A powerful wake.

He threw it straight and honest, dead on.

Surprisingly, Shuten-doji didn’t dodge.

Instead, he met it head-on.

Clang!

The Guiyeong Spear split in two—lengthwise.

Watching Shuten-doji cleave it like a bamboo stalk, Su-ho grinned, satisfied.

“Right. A swordsman should answer with his sword.”

Then how about this?

Having gauged the oni’s confidence, Su-ho twisted mid-fall.

He pointed his head toward the target, stepped off air, and blasted forward.

[ Leap activates. ]

With a double-jump, his body rocketed toward the oni like a missile.

Again, Shuten-doji did not evade.

If anything, his expression brightened—as if amused—while he raised his blade.

Boom!

Steel met steel, detonating in a thunderclap and blasting gales in all directions.

[ Heatstorm activates. ]

Fwoooooosh!!

The churning dust parted under a fierce hot wind.

And the result hidden within the clotted dust at last appeared.

Shuten-doji had lost.

He had definitely seen and caught Su-ho’s strike—but his strength was absurdly insufficient to stop him.

The arm holding his sword—ruined; his lower abdomen—laid open in a long, ragged cut.

— ....

Shuten-doji looked down at his wounded body.

He had no eyes, of course.

Like the other Oni Warriors, yawning sockets sat where eyes should be.

So he didn’t look pained.

Eyes are the most direct windows to emotion, after all.

Then—

Schlrp!

His wound rewound like spilled water in reverse—regenerating all at once.

Su-ho snorted.

“Regeneration’s something else. Snake’s whelp, I guess?”

— Snake’s... whelp....

At “snake’s whelp,” Shuten-doji finally spoke.

Not wrong.

Among Japan’s Three Great Evil Spirits, Shuten-doji was famed as the son of the legendary Yamata no Orochi—yes, the very evil god Su-ho had chopped down not long ago.

Shuten-doji lifted his head and faced Su-ho squarely.

— First time I’ve seen your face. Where did you come from?

“Dunno. Will this answer do?”

Instead of replying, Su-ho pulled an item from his inventory and showed it.

Shuten-doji’s brow ridges seemed to split wide with shock.

Because what Su-ho revealed was none other than the “Amanomurakumo no Tsurugi.”

The sword taken from Yamata no Orochi’s tail after slaying him.

Su-ho chuckled at the honest reaction.

“Recognize it, do you?”

— You...!

“If you’re mad, come hard. Otherwise, you’ll end up like your old man.”

That lit the fuse.

[ Shuten-doji grows enraged. ]

[ Shuten-doji releases yokai power. ]

[ Shuten-doji invokes the power of a Great Evil Spirit. ]

Yokai power, unsealed!

Just like Hakumen Konmō Kyūbi ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) no Kitsune.

Simultaneously, he became a Great Evil Spirit; as the notice popped, his body began to swell.

Not only that—

His skin flushed red; his lion’s mane grew longer, lusher; not just on his brow, but across his head, five horns in total jutted forth.

Even his sword changed.

It, too, grew to match his expanding bulk.

Su-ho glanced up at the nameplate.

— Shuten-doji Lv.245

Two-forty-five.

At last, complete.

Kusanagi no Tsurugi—hailed as one of Japan’s greatest blades.

He checked its details.

[ Kusanagi no Tsurugi ]

– Rank: S+

The ascended form of Amanomurakumo no Tsurugi.

The blade that “cut grass to stop fire” has now become Kusanagi no Tsurugi—a sword that cuts fire.

Kusanagi no Tsurugi can slice any flame as if it were grass.

Among hunters in his previous life, a few blades were famed as the strongest.

Kusanagi no Tsurugi was one of them.

As Su-ho raised Kusanagi, Shuten-doji narrowed his sockets.

— What did you do to my father’s sword?

“As you see—enhanced it. With a prodigal son’s power, no less. Want a demo?”

— You accursed wretch!!

Oni or Great Evil Spirit—no one keeps their cool when you drag their parents.

Furious, Shuten-doji swung at him.

[ Shuten-doji uses Yeolhwageom. ]

Yeolhwageom was a simple fire wave.

In plain terms: a slashing strike imbued with flame.

Sure enough, a huge crescent of fire flew at Su-ho.

He laughed.

Normally he’d dodge—but now, there was no need.

He raised Kusanagi.

Then he sheathed the blade in a thin blood-skin by coating Kusanagi’s length with the Great Blood Orb’s blood.

That way, it functioned both as a blood-sword and as Kusanagi.

He decided to call it the Blood-Kusanagi.

New sword in hand, Su-ho gave the oncoming Yeolhwageom a casual sweep.

Sshhk— BOOM!!

An astonishing sight.

It was a light swing, undeniably so.

Like a kid swiping a stick he’d picked up off the street.

But the result of that casual sweep was enough to shock even the Great Evil Spirit Shuten-doji.

— How did you—my Yeolhwageom...!

“Can’t understand what your own eyes show you? Ah, right—no eyes. Anyway, thanks for the help. Your whole point here was to make Kusanagi.”

— What are you—!

“Let’s finish this.”

His face hardened.

And a storm of skill effects burst forth.

[ Weaken activates. ]

[ Rage Mode activates. ]

[ Foxfire activates. ]

[ Enhancement activates. ]

Debuffs to the enemy, buffs to the player.

Su-ho swung with everything he had.

Sshhk—

One stroke.

It carved a vast arc—and cut Shuten-doji, the fortress, and even the clouds.

[ Cloud Severance activates. ]

[ Enhancement applies. ]

[ Cloud Severance’s power increases further. ]

The notices chimed. Then—

[ You have slain Shuten-doji. ]

With a single blow, Su-ho killed Shuten-doji.