The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority Chapter 90

Deserted Island Attack (2)

The forest on the deserted island, where the survival exam was taking place.

Eight demons disguised as instructors had gathered in one place.

One of them was driving a long artifact into the dirt ground, while the rest watched all around as lookouts.

"We're ready."

When the demon who finished installing the artifact reported to the leader, the leader nodded decisively.

"Then, activate it right away."

"Yes."

The demon answered quietly and infused demonic energy into the artifact.

—Shuuuuuuuk!

At that moment, light burst forth from the artifact's crimson jewel.

—Paaaah!!

Soon, a red beam shot up toward the sky.

—Chaaaaaa!!

As if red paint had been splashed onto the blue sky.

The red light spread far and wide, unfolding a giant barrier.

The once-clear sky was instantly dyed crimson.

"Good. We've succeeded."

The head demon looked up at the reddened sky and smiled in satisfaction.

"I never thought it would work so perfectly."

From infiltrating as instructors by breaking through Hisperion's strict security—to sneaking into the exam site and flawlessly deploying the barrier.

Now, the instructors and knights outside couldn't enter this place.

This deserted island was now the demons' domain.

The operation wasn't completely over, but honestly, having made it this far, the rest was virtually guaranteed success.

The head demon let out a pleased laugh.

"We skillfully slipped through their cracks."

No matter how powerful the organization, when the inside is in chaos, many gaps open up.

And given that Hisperion had faced several incidents recently, there was greater potential for lapses.

The Heavenly Sword Lord had left for an expedition, vacating the main residence, and his eldest son Theo was exiled beyond the northern border, leading to a purge of his faction in the Heavenly Sword Palace.

As a result, several large empty spaces formed within the palace, and the demons seized that opportunity to slip in with agility.

They disguised their identities, wore human masks, bribed corrupt individuals, and quietly eliminated troublesome obstacles.

"Thinking about it again, everything fell perfectly into place. That's how flawless the plan was."

At that moment—

—KWAANG!!!

A mighty surge of enhanced energy clashed with the barrier, erupting with a roar.

—KURURURURUR!!

The impact was so powerful that the entire island shook.

"Guh, kuk!?"

"Ugh!"

"W-what's that?!"

The demons recoiled at the violent shock.

"Grr...!"

The head demon's face hardened as well.

"A-Aris Hisperion...!"

She was outside, trying to break the barrier.

—KWAAAANG!!!

Another shockwave boomed shortly after.

"Guh, grr!"

"Damn! My ears are going to fall off!"

One demon said, his face pale.

"I-I don't think the barrier can hold!"

The head demon gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry."

They had already anticipated that Aris herself would show up.

"Even if she's a Grandmaster, this barrier isn't something that can be broken easily."

This barrier was an artifact directly supplied by the cult.

A demon artifact operated by demonic energy—and among those, only the very finest.

—KWAAANG!!

—KWAAAAANG!!

Yet again, the shock struck twice in quick succession.

The power striking the barrier was growing stronger.

"I-it looks like it could break at any moment!"

"Grr, grrr...!"

Under that brutal siege, even the head demon swallowed dryly.

"What, did she hide a lover on this island?! Why is she hitting with her full might like that?!"

They had expected Aris to make a move, but the strength she unleashed was far beyond their calculations.

If the barrier hadn't been there, the impact would have torn half the island apart.

To unleash that kind of enhanced energy across the shifting sea, even a Grandmaster would have to harness an incredible amount of aura, risking damage to her own body.

'No. More than that—'

With strikes at that level, if the barrier broke, the very cadets inside could get caught up in the aftershocks.

But Aris fired her enhanced energy without any regard for herself or for the aftermath that might ensue.

—KWAAAAANG!!!

"U-urgh!"

"Grrh! Leader!"

"Damn...!"

They'd assumed Aris wouldn't fire her energy properly, fearing the cadets would get caught in the blast.

It seemed they'd misjudged Aris.

"Everyone, attention! We need to hurry!"

The original plan was to have 30 minutes.

They expected even a Grandmaster, alone, would need about that much time to break through this artifact's barrier.

But—

—KWAAAAAAAANG!!!

"U-urgh!"

"Kraak!"

The enhanced energy's power kept growing more ferocious.

At this rate, not even fifteen minutes would last, let alone thirty.

"Everyone, focus!"

The head demon raised his voice.

"From now on, it all depends on how fast we move!"

Their objective was to kidnap the talents of the Sword Dragon Hall.

The most important targets of all were the young direct bloodline members of Hisperion.

"Only aim for the top targets! Then regroup here as quickly as possible!"

They would present the abducted targets to the cult.

The cult would buy anything of value in this world.

And those direct bloodline members possessing Hisperion's powerful blood—such value was unimaginable, truly beyond measure.

Divine blood, akin to a panacea, flowed through their veins, and every part of their bodies brimmed with the blessings of their lineage.

'If we succeed in this operation...!'

The head demon could receive an unimaginably great reward from the cult.

He would gain even stronger demonic energy, more precious artifacts, and a higher position.

'Above all, the most important target is Yuria!'

Yuria.

The darling of the Heavenly Sword, born with all the blessings of Hisperion and hailed as heaven's prodigy.

Even among Hisperion's array of geniuses, she was rumored to be a once-in-a-millennium gem.

Truly, she was a divine relic in human guise.

'Honestly, even if we lose the other targets, as long as we succeed in kidnapping Yuria...!'

Even at the very least, the head demon would be awarded Grandmaster-grade demonic energy from the cult.

With such incredible power in hand, he could spread his influence over a much broader stage.

With that power, he could plunder more treasures and abduct more prodigies for the cult...

Someday, the cult might even grant him an official rank, and he could ascend to an executive spot—enjoying a level of power that now seemed like a dream.

That was the future, and the ambition, the head demon dreamed of.

—KWAAAAAAANG!!

"From now on, split into four teams! Two per team!"

The demons quickly paired up, forming four teams in a flash.

The head demon spoke.

"I'll be Team A. Yuria is mine. And you all..."

Team B: Charlotte Hisperion!

Team C: Kargon Hisperion!

And the last, team D...

"Target Ian Greysel."

The original target had actually been Hector Goldhound.

The Goldhound family's second son, direct bloodline, who possessed the blood of the divine beast Gold Hound.

But upon preparing for this operation, they discovered Hector was gathering a bunch of instructors around him.

They hadn't figured out why, but something was clearly up, as he posted instructors like guards all around.

Therefore, they'd avoided Hector's vicinity entirely since first entering the island.

Right now, instructors were heavily concentrated around him.

'It's better this way.'

With the instructors all gathered in one spot, it made it much easier for themselves to move around.

'Ian's a pretty juicy target himself.'

The head demon had heard the rumors.

Ian, once only known as 'mana-impaired', had apparently bested Yuria in the entrance exam.

He had even manifested the proof of an Expert—an authority—during the match.

Only one person in history, as of one year ago, had reached the Expert realm at age 14.

That was Ragnar Hisperion, the Heavenly Sword Lord among the five sword families, called the greatest swordsman of old and new.

That record had been broken this year by Yuria, and not long after, Ian broke it again.

People buzzed—two heaven-sent talents, worthy of comparison to Ragnar, had appeared in the same generation!

'With talent like that, the cult will pay handsomely.'

Yet, Ian was still a slightly less desirable target than Hector.

Ian undoubtedly possessed enormous talent and potential, but that talent had yet to fully bloom.

So he was a secondary option.

Like the seed of wild ginseng.

If cultivated properly, he would gain immense value, but as a mere seed, he was nothing yet.

In the head demon's eyes, Ian was less than a year-old wild ginseng.

Amazing future value, but little present worth.

'To fetch a worthy price, I'd have to raise him myself—what a nuisance.'

Ian might have the greatest talent in history, but the cult wouldn't pay much for mere potential alone.

A pig that grows fast is only valuable after it's grown up—a child with talent alone wouldn't be bought at a high price.

'At least up to the verge of Master, I'd have to raise him before the cult would buy at a reasonable price.'

Ian could obviously grow much further, but if he did, the head demon would have trouble controlling him.

The head demon's level was early-stage Master.

If he tried to raise Ian and sell him, but grew him too much instead, he might just end up getting devoured himself.

'It's like raising a wild beast. Very dangerous, and hard to get much out of it.'

So the cult didn't buy kids with only talent at a high price.

Unbloomed talent was worthless, and trying to raise them was hard to control.

'It really is a hassle.'

Ian's talent in swordsmanship itself was supposedly just as great, so even at the start of the Master's path, he might be hard to handle.

'Guess I'll have to cut his tendons and meridians as soon as I catch him.'

Make sure he can never wield a sword for life.

Just force him to cultivate aura like a mindless beast and present him to the cult.

If the tendons and meridians are cut well, he can be pushed even higher safely.

"Then what about Hector?"

—KWAAAAANG!!!

"Forget him. Leave him!"

Hector was much simpler to present to the cult and get a reward for, but trying to capture him would be more risk than worth.

The average demon here was late-stage Expert.

The head demon himself was early-stage Master.

They could easily handle a few instructors, but if many gathered, that would be troublesome.

Hector's Gold Hound was tempting, but it wasn't worth having to break through a wall of instructors to get it.

—KWAAAAANG!!!

And there was no time.

The barrier could crack under Aris's enhanced energy at any moment.

—KWAAAAANG!!!

"Damn it! Isn't that bitch getting tired?!"

After firing such energy at full power, she should be exhausted, yet her tempo wasn't slowing—it was getting faster.

"L-leader! We really should hurry!"

"Yes..."

The head demon clenched his jaw, seeing the barrier already much thinner than a moment ago.

It'd barely been a minute since the barrier was raised, and it was already battered.

They really had almost no time.

"We have... less than fifteen minutes. Everyone, attention!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Secure your targets and regroup here in thirteen minutes! Got it?!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"We don't have time, so avoid combat if possible! Ignore instructors and cadets unless they try to stop you! Only fight if absolutely necessary! For everything else, use your own judgment!"

—KWAAAAANG!!!

"Move out!"

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

—PABABABAT!!

—SASASASAK!!

The commanded demons darted off in different directions.

'Now then...!'

The head demon pulled a tracker from his pocket.

It was an artifact that could track the mana stones they'd embedded in the targets' belts ahead of time.

'Yuria... She's pretty far.'

He called out to his partner.

"This way!"

"Yes, boss!"

His subordinate, whom he thought of as a younger brother, followed closely behind.

—PAAAT!

Leaping swiftly between trees, the head demon spoke.

"Think you won't fall behind?"

"Boss, honestly, after we got this far, haven't we already pretty much succeeded?"

—KWAAAAAANG!!!

"Just gotta watch out for that!"

"Yeah. That's the real problem."

He was early-stage Master level.

His "brother" was late-stage Expert.

The instructors on this island were all about late-stage Expert at most.

Even if instructors appeared en masse, the eight of them could easily tear them to shreds.

—KWAAAAAAANG!!!

"R-right! The only real threat is outside! We just watch out for her and hustle! Hurry, hurry!"

"You're right!"

Unless there's a hidden Master-rank instructor—which seemed unlikely—the operation couldn't fail.

'No one here should be stronger than me.'

Master-rank instructors among the Sword Dragon Hall's staff were a literal handful, and they'd confirmed none were here before starting the plan.

All the instructors present were officially weaker than the head demon.

So, just as his "brother" said, as long as they hurried, failure wasn't possible.

They just needed to kidnap the weaklings—those who hadn't even reached early-stage Expert—and bring them here.

—KWAAAAAAANG!!!

'That's right. The real concern is Aris outside!'

As long as they returned before that barrier broke, it would be a smashing success.

Everyone could return with their targets.

None of the instructors present should be stronger.

* * *

"......"

Ian looked up at the reddened sky.

"The Demon Cult...?"

Those bastards actually dared come here?

—KWADEUK!!

Ian instantly ripped off the belt sealing his aura.

The moment the survival exam on the deserted island ended.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Massacre the demons!

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】