Chapter 53
Chapter 53
You mean, a magnet?" Leaning back against a wooden pillar, I listened intently to the Heavenly Demon. She explained that meditating here would allow me to draw in the energy of wood. "Indeed, that wondrous ore that draws iron to itself. 'Twas from this that I took inspiration." I had been vague on what the realm of the Heart Sword entailed, but magnets? I tilted my head in puzzlement. "The hearts of people can draw each other in the same way." "...
I'm not sure I follow." "To escape this forest of Head's Ignorance, one must know the way, as I said. That means we can rely on those outside." 'Like a compass.' If that worked, it would neutralize the Demon King's power that made it so hard to tell directions, like sinking into a quagmire. I nodded. "At its core, the Heart Sword is the realm where heart and blade become one, young man." As she spoke, the White Magnolia drew a sword from her waist. It was an ordinary black blade. "One imprints their inner image upon the world and cleaves with it. However..." Apart from its black hue, it showed no particular oddities. Was she going to demonstrate something with it? I wondered lightly. "...
All that remained to me was time. Isn't that far too simple?" The White Magnolia gently closed her eyes and continued with a sorrowful expression. She had been trapped here in Head's Ignorance for far too long. "Though the magnolia wilts and fades, I shall never forget you." The moment the White Magnolia recited those words, something unbelievable happened before my eyes. Thud. A sound rang out, and a sword fell from the sky. A white blade landed right at the White Magnolia's feet—completely opposite to the black one she'd just shown. "Where did this sword suddenly come from...?" "'Tis simple. Forge a sword within the heart and draw it forth. A blade to stand against the Demon King. Doesn't it seem familiar?" "You mean... everything you said about the importance of will was leading to this?" I stared at her in stunned bewilderment, and the Heavenly Demon, sensing the shift in my emotions through her helmet, smiled faintly. "Kuhahaha! Yes, the 'fake holy sword,' young man!" "...
How is this even possible?"
"That only a god-forged sword can slay a Demon King? What nonsense upon reflection!"
The White Magnolia burst into laughter. This weapon truly rivaled any artifact claimed to be god-made. Magnolia patterns were etched into the blade, "You can harm the Demon King with this?"
"Indeed. The human heart is the most vital and potent force. What do those who belittle human creations as 'masterpieces' truly know?"
A faint blue ripple gleamed along the blade. A Heart Sword forged while thinking of Dennis, perhaps. Now I understood.
"Imagine a single blade within your heart and cleave through the power with it, young man."
"By thinking of someone else...?"
"Yes, and it shall become the one sword that neither breaks nor yields to the Demon King. Your personal weapon to cleave the impure world."
Truly worthy of the Ten Heroes' number two. Awe welled up in me. While others risked their lives without a holy sword. An artificial holy sword, no less.
"Impressive. I never would have thought of this..."
"Even now, you wield an iron sword, young man. Or like when you first met me, you steal another's holy sword. How foolish."
"..."
"The Heart Sword will guide your path and aid you in severing the Demon King's power."
She let out a deep sigh and fixed her brown eyes on me sternly.
"Your inner demon has retreated for now. Forge it. Your own Heart Sword."
The Heavenly Demon signaled for me to close my eyes and meditate. A sword that connects human hearts—what remained for me? Ah, the Nameless Saintess. I recalled a distant memory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
💬 Guild Chat
— Northern Duchess Husband
Hey, Saintess fetish.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Why, pillar husband?
— Northern Duchess Husband
You going for the Saintess route in the sequel too? I'm not one to talk, but try some other routes. Except the Northern Duchess route. "The Northern Duchess isn't even on my radar." I stopped mid-sip of my energy drink. My friend knew I was a die-hard who'd only ever played the Saintess route since the original game. He had every right to say that. "... I'll handle it myself, man." As I went to type a reply, I spotted some horrific word combos.
— NTR Knight
Agreed. They've added harem and NTR routes, so do those. Damn it. Who the hell invited that creep into the guild? My grip tightened, crushing the can.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Yep~ Gonna blitz the Demon King again, rise to glory, and live happily with the Saintess~ I fought to suppress the boiling rage inside. Just put up with it once. Black Heart had added those routes, after all. "Ah, this pisses me off." Plenty of people enjoyed the game that way. Calling it weird would make me the weirdo for sticking to the Saintess route. It was a male-oriented game at heart.
— NTR Knight
It's a doomed character anyway, so NTR...
— Northern Duchess Husband
.... You're crossing the line.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Ah, fuck. My hand flew to the mouse cursor. Letting this slide would make me a total pushover. Insult me all you want, but touch my Saintess? No way.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[NTR Knight has been expelled from the guild.]
— Northern Duchess Husband
You madman! Kicking him from the guild entirely?! Having a creep like that in my guild was the real issue to begin with. You pillar husband.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Give up. I can overlook a lot, but not that. You'd have spammed 1v1 duels to keep any guy talking smack about your duchess from playing too. "Good thing I'm the guild master. Cutting trash like that immediately is the way to go." Finally, some relief. Was I too famous in the community now? Never expected total opposite concept weirdos to pop up.
— Northern Duchess Husband
I shouldn't have said anything... Anyway, this Demon King strat is brutal. With a lighter heart, I glanced back at the chat.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Took me forever to clear phase 1 too. How you holding up? Magic Hat was notoriously tough compared to other Demon Kings. You needed your whole party, and it had four phases.
— Northern Duchess Husband
I've got our duchess parked up north while I try.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Does that work?
— Northern Duchess Husband
It does? But the Nameless Saintess is a side character, so no exploits like that. No need to stress yourself out over it. "..." In Knight Heart, Head could sit out fights, but in this sequel, even her non-combat role meant she had to join the fray. "... That's why I keep her safe as best I can. My Saintess." Even decked out in endgame gear, watching her get obliterated by the Demon King's minions' attacks without retaliation broke my heart. I honed my controls even more.
— Pure Love Black Knight
I do it 'cause I love her. You went nuts riding trains across the country hunting Easter eggs too. We were all the same. One was the official route, the other a fan-made sideline, but same deal.
— Northern Duchess Husband
Only 'cause datamining and guide vids dropped. Your waifu's got zilch like that, you know. We were players who cherished our game characters more than anyone.
— Pure Love Black Knight
I'm the guy who shelled out real cash for a limited shop statue of the Saintess 'cause I love her that much? That's pure love. Take notes.
— Northern Duchess Husband
You absolute lunatic... Not my business, but ease up on the gaming. You've been online over 12 hours straight.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Actually, swung by the ER once. I'd already gotten an IV drip and everything. They told me to rest, but for me, gaming was rest.
— Northern Duchess Husband
?! You wanna see our guild disband? You psycho. Die to gaming and I ain't showing at your funeral.
— Pure Love Black Knight
Got it. I ain't dying. Can't make the Saintess cry blood tears. Feels like I'm close, so a bit more then bed.
— Northern Duchess Husband
Good luck then... Hang in there, Pure Love Black Knight.
— Pure Love Black Knight