Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Holy Sword (1)
"Die! Just die, Elvin Kepler!"
In the depths of the Imperial palace. In the front courtyard of the emperor's audience hall, two men and women were fiercely crossing swords.
"How long are you going to keep only defending? Show me your skills! Show me again those skills that pushed me so hard at the academy!"
"......"
Elvin grimaced at the shock coursing through his entire body while steadily defending against Karen's sword.
'Honestly, going on the offensive would be reckless.'
Originally, the difference in skill between the two wasn't that great.
It could practically be said that it depended on their condition that day.
However, while the current Karen had obtained tremendous magic from somewhere, Elvin had to bear the handicap of having his supernatural abilities sealed and having to avoid dealing fatal blows.
No matter how much Elvin had grown rapidly in a short period under Kaitel's guidance, launching an offensive now would be suicide.
Elvin struggled to raise his sword-wielding arm and opened his mouth.
"Karen, I've always wanted to apologize to you."
"Don't spout nonsense in the middle of battle!"
"No, I'm serious. My attempt to become Master Kaitel's disciple was solely due to my family's orders. If it hadn't been for that, I would have gladly supported you as a friend, not as a competitor."
CRACK!
Elvin's confession only sounded like words that further fanned Karen's anger.
"What's the point of saying such things now? Your precious family ruined my life, so what right do you, as a member of that family, have to say such things!"
Karen's sword became even more ferocious.
"...Ugh!"
Even while struggling to parry and deflect, Elvin continued to speak to Karen.
"I know I have no right to say these things, but... I enjoyed competing with you."
"What...?"
"Because I liked you, and because I enjoyed competing with you so much, I wanted to defeat you even more. I wanted to win fairly and stand by your side."
"......"
Karen's attack stopped for a moment.
Elvin pleaded with Karen with a forlorn expression.
"Even though I created this situation through my mistake, I want to make amends somehow. Please, I hope you'll give me just one more chance."
"Don't be ridiculous...."
"Karen."
"Don't be ridiculous! Why are you saying such things now, why! Why are you spouting such bullshit now when everything is over!"
"It's not bullshit! I really...!"
"If you're so sorry, then give me your life! That's the only way you can apologize to me!"
Before they knew it, tears were welling up in both their eyes.
It wasn't the expression someone harboring malice would make at all, yet they were still swinging their swords at each other with their lives on the line.
Elvin said,
"I can give you my life readily. But as long as it's certain that you're walking the wrong path, I can't give you my neck without turning you back."
"You hypocrite! Captain Pruna is the only one who ever looked out for me! Don't you dare wag that tongue of yours!"
"I'm serious. No matter how much Captain Pruna Silent cares for you, she's going to try to sell your soul to the demons. Isn't that sword proof of it!"
Elvin pointed at Karen's sword, which had been subtly emitting demonic energy, and shouted.
Demon sword.
A demonic creature that grants power in exchange for the owner's life or soul.
Elvin had once asked Rudian, the only and strongest demon sword user he knew, about demon swords.
-Are there cases where demon swords grant power without any price? Are you insane, senior?
-Ah, no. When I see you handling that sword, it seems far removed from the common sense I knew.
-Well, it might seem that way. But I didn't make a contract with this guy without any price either. I went through quite a lot of hardship to obtain this guy, and even now I'm suffering from fairly powerful mental attacks. Ah, shut up for a bit!
After briefly snapping at someone, Rudian continued.
-Whew, whew.... First, let me tell you about demon swords, senior. Demon swords are originally crafted with the intent to devour humans from the very beginning. Granting power without a price... Then that would be a holy sword, not a demon sword, right?
-Listen carefully. If there's a demon sword user around, avoid combat if possible, and if you're forced to fight, you must separate the demon sword from its user. It would be even better if you could destroy it. Me? Hehehe, do you think you could handle me wielding this thing, senior?
"Mmm...!"
Elvin's recollection ended with the last image of that damned junior rushing at him with an evil smile.
Elvin came to his senses and looked at Karen's hand.
An unidentifiable demon sword.
Even though Karen must know that sword is a demon sword, the fact that she won't let go of it suggested she was likely being deceived by someone into using it.
That someone was probably Captain Pruna Silent.
"Karen, that sword will never help you. You're being deceived by Captain Pruna!"
"Captain Pruna deceiving me? Ha!"
"Why won't you believe me? What you're holding is a demon sword! You know the essence of demon swords too!"
At Elvin's cry, Karen's expression wavered for a moment.
In fact, she too had been unable to shake off a trace of doubt when she was forced to accept the sword.
"No! Captain Pruna would never deceive me. Even if that were true... I...!"
"Don't be fooled by that woman's honeyed words! That woman only approached you to exploit your confusion!"
"N-no. Absolutely, absolutely...! Aaaahhh!"
Karen, who had been unable to speak properly due to tangled thoughts, was suddenly swept away by the demonic energy when dozens of times more demonic energy than usual burst forth from her sword.
"K-Karen?"
"Ahhh! Aaaahhh!"
A storm of demonic energy massive enough to swallow a person whole.
Elvin tried to urgently approach Karen, but the demonic energy was so fierce that even a proper approach was difficult.
"This is trouble...."
Rebecca, who had been quietly observing the situation, looked back and forth between Karen and somewhere else with a serious expression.
"It seems like things have erupted in both here and there?"
"There...?"
"Yes, there."
Where Rebecca pointed with her finger, a storm of black demonic energy was already noisily swirling in the sky.
"Wh-when did that happen?"
"That direction should be where Rudian is, oh no...!"
Rebecca looked beyond with a regretful expression.
Even now, she wanted to abandon this place and rush there, but this was a place Rudian had earnestly entrusted to her, believing in her.
To rush there, she first had to resolve the situation here.
'First, I need to do something about that troublesome woman.'
Rebecca glared at Karen, who was engulfed in demonic energy, with quiet anger.
***
The demonic energy lifted, and Captain Pruna, who had been slumped over, was now standing upright with dignity and laughing.
"Ahahahaha!"
"......"
Captain Pruna's characteristic sky-blue hair had somehow turned black and flowed down to her waist, and her two pupils had also turned pitch black, giving a strong impression of being a demon.
Her slightly wrinkled skin had completely smoothed out, giving her a rejuvenated appearance.
The most decisive change in her transformation was the pair of horns that sprouted from her forehead like Gude Belstad.
It was truly an overwhelming presence that brought to mind the word empress.
'...Much stronger than the Demon Kings who are under restrictions.'
It wasn't just the intimidating presence; right now she possessed power far beyond human limits, comparable to a quasi-transcendent.
"This is it...!"
Captain Pruna clenched and unclenched her fists with great joy.
"This power! The absolute power I've desired all my life!"
"So, are you satisfied?"
At Rudian's quiet question, Captain Pruna shouted joyfully in a high-pitched voice.
"Satisfied! Very satisfied! With this, I could kill Kaitel in an instant? No, even Archduke Quihiller!"
Captain Pruna immediately changed her expression and glared at Rudian as she spoke.
"And you too."
"......"
Rudian gazed silently at Captain Pruna.
In Rudian's gaze, there wasn't a single trace of fear, disturbance, or dread.
Pity.
Nothing but pitiful sympathy for one who had sold everything for a purpose.
"What's with that insolent look?"
Captain Pruna scowled viciously at Rudian's pitying gaze.
Rudian slowly opened his mouth.
"You sold everything human about yourself just to gain that level of power? Even knowing your soul would fall to the demon realm and suffer eternally?"
"That level? That level, you say? This power?"
Zzzzzing!
An enormous energy sphere began forming above Captain Pruna's hand.
She screamed irritably and hurled the sphere at Rudian.
"What part of this power is 'that level'!"
The casually thrown energy sphere directly hit Rudian.
-Aegis of Athena activated.
BAAAANG!
Adi's ultimate spell activated faster than the sphere could make direct contact.
Fortunately, Captain Pruna's attack was only loud but didn't spread to the surroundings, being safely absorbed by Aegis of Athena's barrier.
However, conversely, this also proved that Captain Pruna's strike just now couldn't be blocked without damage unless it was that level of grand magic.
Adi narrowed his eyes and cautioned Rudian.
-Master, less than half of your magic remains now. Please refrain from provoking the opponent.
'It's not provocation. I genuinely think that way.'
-...Not everyone in the world can easily obtain great power like Master, you know? Still, that level is strong power that humans can hardly obtain.
'No, that really is trivial power.'
Rudian looked directly at Captain Pruna with sunken eyes.
Certainly, the magnitude of power itself would be on par with Caslay.
However.
"No matter how strong it is, power that can be easily countered is indeed trivial."
"What... Do you mean by that?"
Rather than answer that question, Rudian posed a question instead.
"Captain Pruna Silent, you're probably stronger now than your master Marbas. But do you know what the difference is between you now and Marbas?"
"......?"
Captain Pruna frowned and kept her mouth shut.
It seemed like mere rhetoric to buy time, but having awakened as a vassal and risen in existential rank, she sensed that Rudian's question wasn't just casually thrown out.
When Captain Pruna, who had been pondering, didn't open her mouth, Rudian slowly raised his hand upward and said:
"The answer is that unlike Marbas... You as a vassal are excessively vulnerable to your 'natural enemy.'"
"Natural enemy?"
"Captain Pruna Silent, I'm truly grateful to you. Thanks to you so blatantly performing 'evil,' the plan I had has become very easy to execute."
Captain Pruna's vassal awakening, executed as a last resort, took place in full view of all the royalty, nobility, officials, and soldiers within the imperial palace.
Even now, many eyes are focused on this battlefield.
Therefore, the existence called demons, which had only been speculated about in darkness until now, would now officially surface.
"By executing you, the Morian Empire will be reborn as the center of this continent that stands against the demons."
"Kyahahaha! Execute me? With just that level of power? Pow… Er...?"
Captain Pruna, who had been laughing hysterically, gradually changed her expression when she saw Rudian drawing a sword from subspace.
Zzzzzing!
While the appearance of Ascension of Morian, the emperor's sword, was certainly surprising, the identity of the sword Rudian had just drawn was truly an unexpected checkmate.
"Here I come, Captain Pruna Silent."
Rudian drew a sword that held a completely different radiance than Diablo and infused it with magic.
"Holy Sword Daylight, activate."