Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Mitra
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* * *
"Why is he grinning in his sleep?"
"Probably having a naughty dream."
The God of Music and the God of Painting peered down at Cheon-ho, who was asleep with Mitra cradled in his arms, exchanging a few words.
The center of the basin.
Nearly an hour had passed since the battle ended. Rather than withdrawing immediately, the God of the Army had set up camp in the basin. Though the time was short, the battle's intensity had been extreme, leaving a significant number of wounded and everyone with their stamina, divine power, and mana nearly depleted.
"It's all over."
"At least we won."
"We should focus on defense."
Kamael, Muto, and Carlos, who had arrived late on a carrier, wandered near the basin, while Chris kept watch around the perimeter with Raguel.
And one more. The God of Purification, the key figure in this battle, was once again making an unexpected presence felt.
"I am the God of Purification."
Staring at the sky with dignified poise, the God of Purification wasn't just striking a pose.
He was truly playing a major role.
The curse of the God of Curse.
Though he had been obliterated by the power of the five goddesses, he wasn't called the God of Curse for nothing. In the moment of his death, he had unleashed a mighty curse across the entire basin.
But the God of Purification was here.
With his purifying power, he cleansed the wicked curse, ensuring no one suffered any harm.
"He's at the peak of nascent divinity now."
"Yeah, yeah."
Even if the God of Purification was the natural counter to the God of Curse, achieving such a feat now was thanks to briefly attuning to Evnail's divine essence.
For the God of Purification, a direct descendant of the Goddess of the Sun Aiter, the Goddess of War Evnail was like an aunt, making it easier for him to accept her power than for other gods.
"Of course, he nearly died in the process."
"Moderation is key, moderation."
The God of Music and the God of Painting nodded in agreement before turning toward Lucille.
Having absorbed Evnail's power and advanced to a 3rd Rank Angel, she stood beside the God of Healing's banner, swinging the Sword of Healing.
The God of Music spoke again as dozens of patients were simultaneously pierced by the red healing swords raining down like a storm from the sky.
"No matter how many times I see it, that healing looks more like an attack."
"Yeah."
After murmuring to each other, the two goddesses turned back toward Cheon-ho—or more precisely, toward Mitra nestled in his arms.
The Holy Sword Mitra.
Now, having absorbed Evnail's divine essence, it was no exaggeration to call it the strongest holy sword in the Labyrinth World, bearing the power of all five goddesses.
Though its form had changed slightly, the God of Healing's goal had essentially been achieved.
"Sister, she's probably busy, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's gotta be it. Looks like the Plague God crashed the party again."
The God of Painting forced a smile in response to the God of Music's question.
The reason was simple. Over an hour had passed since the battle ended, and despite repeated requests for a response.
The God of Healing had not replied.
No answer came from the depths.
The Demon Sword Mitra clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms. Not satisfied, she let out a small sign of her discomfort.
[Uh....]
Amid the mix of slight irritation, restlessness, and various other feelings in her groan, Cheon-ho stopped smiling and responded.
"You're amazing, you're beautiful. Utterly captivating. Ah, ahhh. My Torment Force is surging~."
[Do you think I'm an idiot?]
The Demon Sword Mitra snapped, but surprisingly, she didn't seem angry. If anything, she seemed pleased.
Cheon-ho flashed a fatherly smile at her struggling to suppress her rising lips.
"I may not know everything else, but you're definitely cute."
[Hmph.]
Her flushed face and triumphant huff only made her cuter, but instead of teasing more, Cheon-ho changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's continue. Besides the increased comprehension, what other changes are there?"
At Cheon-ho's question, the Demon Sword Mitra looked a bit disappointed but quickly straightened up and answered.
[Like I said earlier, overall abilities have risen... Oh, attributes? Or properties?]
"Attributes?"
[Yeah, the Dragon Sword has dragon-slaying and god-slaying attributes.]
"Dragon-slaying?"
[Yeah, Dragon Slayer. Why the face?]
The Demon Sword Mitra blinked, asking if something was wrong, and Cheon-ho shook his head.
"No, just... God-slaying I get, but dragon-slaying sounds kinda off."
[It does, doesn't it?]
As if realizing it anew, the Demon Sword Mitra clapped her hands and started muttering to herself.
[Dragon-slaying, dragon-slaying, dragony.]
Yeah, it was weird.
Concluding as much, the Demon Sword Mitra looked satisfied, and Cheon-ho stifled another laugh before continuing.
"Anyway, god-slaying and dragon-slaying..."
Why did the Dragon Sword—his sword—have those attributes?
The Demon Sword Mitra explained matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious.
[Like I said, the Dragon Sword has your bones and Mother's in it. It originally only had dragon-slaying power, but adding yours gave it god-slaying too.]
"The blood of the Yaksha God King, huh."
[Yeah, but the dragon-slaying is stronger. If you face dragons ahead, definitely pull me out. Got it?]
"When I meet a dragon."
[Yeah, it's a promise.]
The Demon Sword Mitra extended her pinky, smiling happily.
Watching her, Cheon-ho thought.
'Is she really split personality?'
That's why she insisted on being called that way.
But since she denied it, there was no need to pry. Besides, creating clones like this made little difference whether it was split or not.
"Still kinda surprising, though. Mom... no, Mother is definitely the Dragon God Queen."
[Well, queen and goddess of dragons, so strong against them?]
"Oh, that's a solid theory."
[Hmph.]
Pleased by the praise, the Demon Sword Mitra crossed her arms and huffed.
[Oh, and the dragon blood inside you got stronger too. You should be able to use dragon power to some extent now. You already used Dragon Fear instinctively as the Sun God, right?]
True. His roar carried the Dragon Fear that instinctively instilled fear.
"No way I'm breathing dragon breath from my mouth now."
[Uh... maybe?]
The Demon Sword Mitra answered uncertainly, and Cheon-ho briefly imagined himself doing it.
"Hmm."
Not bad?
Especially using his mouth in combat appealed to him. Variable tactics possible.
Though breathing dragon breath in human form wouldn't look great.
'I'll practice later.'
Preparation was everything.
Better safe than sorry.
Nodding to himself, Cheon-ho asked the Demon Sword Mitra again.
"Mitra, ultimate form still locked?"
[Yeah, but absorbing more of Evnail's essence should unlock it.]
Its appearance was already near-ultimate anyway.
Just needed to fill the core.
"The Hero's ultimate is still out too..."
[This time, my growth was huge. You just leveled up. Deeper levels might boost your tier enough.]
Plausible. He'd undergone big changes entering the mid-layers before.
"Exciting."
[Mm, me too.]
The Demon Sword Mitra nodded, cheeks faintly blushing for some reason.
[Oh, and, and! About wielding Evnail's essence. Tough for just us, but with Lucille's help, we can manage somewhat.]
"Like this time?"
[Yeah, she got some of Evnail's essence too. Combining Hero, Angel, and holy sword to wield divine power. Hmm, sounds cool.]
Definitely more high-energy as a demon sword than holy sword.
Cheon-ho fanned the flames a bit as she clenched her fists excitedly.
"No worries even in the depths then."
[Trust me.]
She pounded her chest confidently, but it was brief. Soon, her expression turned serious.
[Still, those guys today were no joke. That otherworldly divinity too.]
The otherworldly beings summoned by the God of Curse.
As she said, borrowing otherworldly power wasn't exclusive to benevolent gods.
"God-slaying felt less effective, right?"
[Yeah, something about them... If we fight again, brute force might be better. Not strong divine power like the God of Curse, but tough bodies, fast speed, raw strength... physically tough foes.]
Cheon-ho agreed.
And clashes with otherworldly divinities were probably inevitable.
"We'll get stronger, so it'll be fine."
[Yeah! Me too!]
They reassured each other with resolute expressions.
And a few seconds later.
The Demon Sword Mitra suddenly squirmed, glancing at Cheon-ho. Not because the conversation broke.
[Um, you know...]
"Yeah?"
[That... promise, remember?]
Pouting her lips, she asked, and Cheon-ho tilted his head before recalling.
"Ah."
Arm pillow.
On reflection, it was the Demon Sword Mitra who'd demanded it, not the Holy Sword.
"Uh, sure... anytime."
Coughing awkwardly, Cheon-ho lay down stiffly.
Extending his arm sideways for the pillow felt blatantly embarrassing.
But the awkwardness and embarrassment were his alone.
[Hehehe.]
Giggling like a child, the Demon Sword Mitra quickly lay beside him and pillowed her head on his arm.
And a few more seconds.
Suddenly, the Demon Sword Mitra's expression darkened.
"Mitra?"
Looking at her profile, Cheon-ho asked, but she made a tearful face without turning. Instead, she stared at the sky.
[Horns.]
"Horns?"
[Can't lie on my side because of the horns.]
Right. The side-facing horns prevented turning her head.
[Am I doomed to sleep only on my back or stomach forever?]
Her voice carried moisture. She was already on the verge of tears.
"L-Let's practice. Removing the horns. Mother could do it."
Truthfully, transforming to Holy Sword Mitra would work, but she was over there sleeping, and this was Demon Sword Mitra.
'Confusing, so confusing.'
Anyway, he needed to comfort her.
Cheon-ho began special training with the Demon Sword Mitra to remove her horns.
* * *
"He's groaning."
"Having a nightmare maybe?"
"Looks like he's in his own world."
"Yeah."
"Should we wake him?"
"He's smiling too, so let's leave him."
Having settled it simply, the God of Music and the God of Painting turned their gazes forward. The God of the Army and Lucille stood facing each other.
"Lucille, still no response?"
"Yes, even though this place is practically a sanctuary..."
Behind Lucille stood the God of Healing's banner, surrounded by a magic circle formed from the Hero's furniture.
As she said, this spot was no different from the God of Healing's sanctuary.
A place where her partial descent would be easy.
Yet not even her voice reached them.
As Lucille's face turned on the brink of tears, the God of the Army patted her shoulder with a smiling face.
"It's not a big deal. If she's in battle or preoccupied elsewhere, contact gets hard. Don't worry too much. She'll reply soon. You can still sense her presence, right?"
At least it was fortunate they could sense the God of Healing's existence.
As her apostle, Lucille was always connected to the God of Healing, no matter where. She could feel her.
"Yes."
Lucille answered softly, steeling herself.
The God of the Cavalry, who had been watching their exchange from the side, furrowed his brow and asked.