The Indomitable Martial King

“Hm? Something is approaching?”

Russ, who had a sensory perception far superior to Repenhardt’s, furrowed his brow and turned his head. He sensed a group approaching from another passage on the opposite side of the cave.

“Evil spirits? No, this time I can definitely feel a physical presence.”

A moment later, the rest of the party sensed it too. Repenhardt’s expression turned curious and tense.

‘N-no way. Did they not only create spirit-bound disciples but also turn them into muscle zombies at Gym Unbreakable?’

Even though it seemed far-fetched, Repenhardt couldn’t help but feel a growing distrust towards the martial sect after everything they had been through.

At that moment, a man emerged from the passage, grumbling.

“What is this place? What kind of dungeon has no artifacts and is swarming with ghosts?”

Following him, a man in black armor appeared and responded.

“Indeed. And why do those ghosts show up, scare us, and then disappear?”

Then, a woman in a robe, along with a large woman, followed with quick steps, shaking their heads.

“No, this isn’t a dungeon, right? You’ve already been told, this place is……”

The people emerging from the passage casually glanced inside the cave.

Repenhardt’s group and the newcomers locked eyes simultaneously.

In that instant, Russ’s expression stiffened. The first man to appear had a very familiar face. That man in golden armor was…

“Brother Eusus?”

“Russ! So you were here after all!”

Sillan also screamed as she recognized the large woman.

“Ah! Christine? How are you with them?”

“Ah, Sillan! We came to rescue you!”

The man in black armor looked at Repenhardt and shouted in an excited voice.

“I finally found you, Repenhardt!”

However, Repenhardt wasn’t looking at him. To be honest, he didn’t recognize who he was. His attention was entirely focused on the female mage standing behind the man in black armor.

‘Philena? How is she here?’

Philena, his childhood friend from the mage tower in his previous life. Her presence here meant…

“Could it be Teslon?”

Voices could be heard from inside the passage.

“I finally found you, Demon King Repenhardt!”

Soon, a handsome young man with black hair burst out of the passage. Repenhardt, with a tense expression, swallowed as he looked at him.

The handsome young man with black hair and the large, muscular giant glared at each other.

“Teslon!”

“Repenhardt!”

Even in their past lives, they had glared at each other like this, but now their positions were completely reversed.

The two who had finally met again across time and space simultaneously glared at each other, their enmity burning.

But that enmity quickly vanished. Both felt something different upon seeing each other.

Feeling bewildered, they spoke the same words simultaneously.

“Who are you?”

Teslon, shocked, looked at the giant, Repenhardt.

It was clearly his own face. Clearly his own body.

Despite that, Teslon couldn’t believe that this body in front of him was once his own.

“Who are you?”

Was this really Repenhardt? Was this the Demon King inhabiting his body?

“Why has my body become so scrawny?!”

Seeing the muscular giant, almost 2 meters tall, lamenting about being scrawny made Eusus and the others momentarily doubt Teslon’s sanity. But Teslon was sincere.

His once 230-centimeter tall frame had shrunk like a deflated balloon.

His once-proud biceps, as thick as an average adult woman’s waist, now barely matched the thickness of a child’s waist.

His once broad shoulders and chest had also drastically reduced in size.

Teslon cried out in frustration.

“Taking someone’s body and not even maintaining it properly!”

Repenhardt, feeling similarly, stared at Teslon, the Fist Emperor from his past life who had taken over his body.

With distinct facial features, a sharp jawline, a prominent nose, and eyes that seemed slightly upturned with a hint of sensuality, it was undoubtedly his original face. Yet, he couldn’t help but ask.

“Who are you?”

But his feelings were the exact opposite of Teslon’s.

‘Wow! Who is that handsome guy?’

The face was similar, but the body was completely different. The body that Siris from his past life had praised as being like a well-honed blade, but which was, frankly, just a skinny and dried-up little fish, had transformed remarkably.

“That, that’s my body?”

Repenhardt stammered as he asked. The once narrow shoulders, which had competed in slimness with Siris, were now broad and exuded clear masculinity. It wasn’t bulky muscle either. His body was as agile and toned as a black panther, with no excess fat, perfectly balanced, and standing at almost 185 centimeters tall.

“Huh, my body had that much potential?”

Repenhardt couldn’t help but express his admiration, which made Teslon lose his temper.

“Potential? What potential? Your body was truly awful! Do you know how hard I had to work to get it to this point?”

Teslon pointed accusingly at him, scolding him. The effort it took to train that frail body to this extent was almost as grueling as his training days under Gerard. To dismiss it as mere potential?

Of course, Repenhardt had his own grievances. He snapped back, irritated.

“And do you think your head was high-performance? Is this even a brain? It’s a hat rack! How does it take over 10 minutes to memorize a basic spell? A monkey could calculate faster than this!”

The two glared at each other, seething with anger. The others watched in bewilderment, unsure of what was happening. Sillan muttered, voicing everyone’s confusion.

“What’s this? Are they old friends from back home?”

At that moment, Teslon and Repenhardt simultaneously regained their composure. The shock of seeing their own bodies had momentarily diminished their hostility, but this was not the time for friendly chatter.

“Hmm…”

Teslon groaned as he drew the longsword from his waist. In a low voice, he mustered his fighting spirit and spoke.

“Finally, we meet again, Demon King Repenhardt!”

“No, dropping your voice to sound cool at this point…”

Philena, standing beside them, interrupted with a deflating comment, but Teslon deliberately ignored her. Changing his tone to a more solemn one, he shouted with gravity.

“I cannot allow the continent to be engulfed in flames of war again! Here and now, I will destroy you and restore justice!”

* * *

As Teslon drew his sword, his comrades also readied themselves for battle. Russ, who recognized Eusus, and Siris, who knew about their past lives, had already prepared for combat, but Tassid and Sillan, unable to grasp the situation, could only look around in confusion.

Sillan asked Repenhardt, “What’s going on, Mr. Repen? Do you know them?”

Repenhardt quickly replied, “They’re enemies! I’ll explain later!”

Though puzzled, Sillan steeled her expression and prepared to offer her prayers. Tassid also drew his divine sword, glaring at the opponents. In the vast cavern, the two groups stared each other down, entering a standoff.

Repenhardt suddenly asked, “How did you know we were here?”

Teslon responded with a wry smile, “You left traces in Santara Village.”

Teslon’s group, tracking Repenhardt’s trail to the Setellad Mountains, had searched the nearby mountain villages for information. In the process, they found traces in Santara Village. They had been disappointed to hear that Repenhardt had already left after exploring Dungeon Kelte.

Out of desperation, they had asked the innkeeper if they knew anything about Repenhardt’s next destination. Surprisingly, the innkeeper had known his whereabouts. Although the innkeeper only mentioned the vicinity of Bart Mountain, Teslon had immediately understood.

“I figured you were going to find the gift left by our master.”

He, too, had received that gift from Gerard in his past life. It had been an exhilarating experience. He could beat up his enemies without any restraint, enjoy the thrill, and there were over a hundred of them. It was a superb training session where he could rampage for an entire day and night.

“It was just like our master to give such a gift. I was so grateful for his heartfelt intentions.”

He still vividly remembered how he had fervently beaten the ghosts and then received the actual “gift” afterward.

Seeing Teslon’s sentimental expression, Repenhardt looked nauseated. It became clear to him once again that Teslon was truly a worthy successor of Gym Unbreakable.

‘I’m so glad I didn’t end up like that. Truly, I’m thankful.’

Teslon pointed his longsword at Repenhardt, smiling coldly.

“Ultimately, fate has led me to stand before you. It’s time to end all the nightmares, Demon King Repenhardt!”

Repenhardt smirked, raising his fist.

“The dumb guy has learned to talk well. Guess you’re making good use of my clever brain, huh?”

You’re right; let’s adjust that term. Here is the revised translation:

—

Cold stares clashed in the air. Killing intent rose like a mirage, swirling between them. The tension was so thick it felt like the air might burst at any moment.

“Repenhardt…”

“Teslon…”

The two who had crossed the bounds of time glared at their destined opponent, calling each other’s names.

Repenhardt clenched his fist tightly. Though he had been momentarily shocked by the drastic change in his body, it allowed him to realize one crucial fact once more.

‘That’s no longer my body.’

He had once wondered if he could harm his own body if he ever encountered and had to fight Teslon.

But that worry vanished now.

Everything had changed. The future he knew was no longer. He was reborn anew, and he deeply realized that this body he now inhabited was the only one that truly belonged to him.

Buzzzz!

A golden aura surged from Repenhardt’s entire body like flames. He filled both hands with aura and shouted.

“I was already annoyed. I’ll use this opportunity to eliminate you once and for all!”

* * *

“Hyaaah!”

With a loud kiai, Repenhardt kicked off the ground and charged. Teslon, wielding his sword, leaped to the side to evade the attack. The missed punch tore through the air, creating a vortex. Amid the swirling winds, Stefan, the man in black armor, yelled with bloodshot eyes.

“Repenhardt!”

Drawing his black greatsword, Stefan rushed toward Repenhardt’s side. At that moment, Tassid stepped in, holding his sword upright.

“Do not interfere with my benefactor’s battle!”

Clang!

Tassid’s sword and the black greatsword clashed in mid-air, sending sparks flying. Stefan screamed in fury.

“How dare an orc block my path!”