Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Holy Sword (2)
A space where sturdy men in matching uniforms were gathered in small groups.
In the military headquarters located south of the capital Nevan , there existed a place showing bustling movement despite it being dawn for some reason.
"Lord Marbas, Asmodeus is sending subordinates again to urge us."
"I know."
"Then why are you being so leisurely? Since that place was attacked, we should quickly rush there and drive out the enemies."
Marbas, who had risen to a high position in the military through this expedition, remained silent while gazing north through the window where smoke was rising.
However, within the military headquarters, only Marbas could perceive that smoke.
A barrier that distorted vision had already been set up near the Imperial palace by magicians dispatched by Sonya Bluephil, and to see through it required tremendous power like Marbas or special eyes.
"Perhaps they're targeting somewhere else."
"Pardon?"
"Captain Pruna, you refused so stubbornly but finally accepted the contract? You must have been quite cornered. Who could it be? Archduke Quihiller? Or perhaps... That man?"
Marbas chuckled while muttering, even as his subordinates looked puzzled.
With the establishment of the contract relationship, tremendous power was flowing out through that channel.
But even so, he was delighted.
A familiar from a human Sword Master origin that most Demon Kings could never possess.
Just how much power could she demonstrate?
"Lord Marbas."
"Ah, I know. Tell Asmodeus that I'll be there soon."
A diversionary tactic that seemed too obvious.
But Marbas's instincts kept whispering that perhaps the opponent's main target might be the Imperial palace.
'If I tell Asmodeus about this fact... No, there's no particular meaning? After attacking the Imperial palace, they'll naturally have to come that way.'
He didn't know how they learned the location of the main base.
Now that they'd received a preemptive strike, Asmodeus was probably engulfed in rage fierce enough to drive her mad.
But for Marbas, this situation was rather enjoyable.
"Come, Rudian! Let's have a decisive battle for this empire!"
The safety of Captain Pruna, who had awakened as a familiar, was now secondary.
Rather, Marbas hoped that Rudian would defeat Captain Pruna at the Imperial palace and come attacking where he was.
'Truly a stage befitting the word "finale"!'
If Asmodeus heard this thought, she would surely clutch the back of his neck.
***
"It's a demon!"
"Captain Pruna has transformed into a demon!"
"Surround that person immediately! She must never be allowed near His Majesty!"
Captain Pruna Silent's transformed appearance as a familiar showed no significant difference from a demon.
Particularly, the giant energy sphere she had hurled at Rudian was sufficient performance to make them recognize the situation.
"That woman is no longer the captain we knew! Get your heads straight!"
The Imperial Guard Knights and Imperial Guards immediately surrounded Captain Pruna and took a do-or-die stance.
Their attitude of not fleeing but risking their lives in loyalty to the Imperial family was certainly worthy of being a model for all.
"Shouldn't we join them?"
Stimulated by their appearance, the Glory Knights also looked behind Rudian, wanting to slip in.
Then Rudian's clear voice echoed around them.
"Everyone step back."
FLINCH!
As soon as those words were heard, all the Imperial Guard Knights and Imperial Guards' gazes turned to Rudian.
"I'll handle that person alone. I can't let the Imperial family's loyal retainers face such a being and die meaningless deaths."
"Ru, Sir Rudian!"
"Count!"
Immediately their eyes filled with emotion.
"A fierce battle will soon unfold. You should coordinate with the Glory Knights to evacuate any survivors in the vicinity outside the Imperial palace."
"N-no! We serve His Imperial Majesty...!"
"His Imperial Majesty has comrades who share my purpose with him."
Rudian handed the Sword of Ascension to the Imperial Guard Knight who seemed most senior.
"If you're so worried, take three people with you to the Imperial palace. If you present this sword to His Majesty and explain the situation, he will surely understand."
"Y-yes, Your Excellency!"
That knight respectfully accepted the sword as if serving a commander.
With everyone withdrawing, only Rudian and Captain Pruna remained in the area.
"......"
Captain Pruna couldn't take her eyes off Rudian holding the holy sword.
Normally, she would have unleashed indiscriminate attacks filled with mockery and farewell toward the backs of the retreating knights, but she had a strong premonition that the moment she did such a thing, her head would immediately fly off.
"A holy sword... And what is that power...!"
Brilliantly shining golden radiance.
Captain Pruna had never thought that something called a holy sword would possess such power.
"That would be so. All the holy swords you've seen until now were ones that met the wrong masters."
Holy swords, divine relics that contrasted with demon swords.
Unlike demon swords that harmed humans, holy swords—except for a few special ones—mostly bestowed purely beneficial power to humans.
But separate from that, holy swords were notoriously troublesome to handle.
'Readers were clamoring to use demon swords that lend power more easily instead.'
Even Grandia, the protagonist's holy sword, required trials comparable to Leviathan's Tomb to use properly.
However, Rudian, an avid reader of , knew a trick to use this Daylight without special trials.
And when Daylight's power began to manifest in earnest through that trick...
SPLURT!
"Kiyaaaah!"
Captain Pruna was shocked to realize her left arm had been severed.
"H-how?"
Even while shocked, her remaining composure quickly told her to swing her right arm to target Rudian, who had no aerial ability.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Captain Pruna's gestures as a familiar were fast and powerful enough to shatter even aura blades instantly, but...
"What, what? Why isn't it hitting?"
Rudian stepped on the air like stairs and nimbly dodged all of Captain Pruna's attacks!
And without even landing on the ground, he approached Captain Pruna again.
SPLURT!
This time he severed her right arm.
"Ahhhhh!"
To block Rudian's approach, Captain Pruna created thousands of aura spears in the air and unleashed bombardment.
"This is impossible! This is impossible!"
But Rudian leisurely strolled through that bombardment and severed her remaining arm as well.
Captain Pruna screamed.
The power gained by selling her soul was certainly tremendous, but what use was it if that power couldn't even hit the opponent?
"Regeneration, regeneration isn't working...!"
Normally, a familiar of Captain Pruna's level would have super-regeneration ability to instantly restore severed arms.
But that was only in ordinary cases.
"When struck by a holy sword, a demon's regenerative power is as good as nonexistent."
"What are you, exactly... What are you that keeps interfering with me!"
Captain Pruna, barely floating by relying on her wings, could only curse verbally, her fighting spirit completely broken.
Though she still emanated magic power transcending humans, the match was already decided.
Rudian still looked at Captain Pruna with cold eyes.
"Holy Sword Daylight. Its other side is the Prophetic Holy Sword."
That prophecy wasn't simply about predicting specific situations in the distant future.
Situations just moments ahead, or a few seconds ahead, were also within the scope of prophecy.
"I can see it all, attacks like yours. Unless it's the demonic power that distorts prophecy, there's no way I'd be hit by such things."
Like the black spiral spear that Rigos had launched at the last moment.
The current Captain Pruna could mimic Rigos's destructive power similarly, but as a simple familiar without demonic nature, she had no qualification to participate in transcendent battles.
"If you hadn't harbored other thoughts and had trained diligently to reach Grand Master level... My head might have flown off instead."
Captain Pruna's talent had that possibility.
But Captain Pruna, despairing at the walls of Kaitel and birth, chose the path of expedients rather than overcoming through skill.
And this was the result.
"Let's end this. You must disappear so I can restore Senior Karen to normal."
"...!"
When Karen's name came up, light returned to Captain Pruna's extinguished eyes.
"Karen, right! Karen!"
Captain Pruna repeatedly shouted Karen's name.
"My successor! A child who shares the same pain as me! At least that child's future must...!"
"Are you planning to throw it into the gutter?"
Rudian cut off Captain Pruna's words and exploded in anger.
"If you truly thought of Senior Karen's future... You shouldn't have even thought of making her a familiar!"
The moment magic went berserk and Captain Pruna awakened as a familiar, Rudian felt similar magic going berserk even from deep within the imperial palace.
Though it was incomparably smaller power than Captain Pruna's rampage, it was sufficient power to consume one person.
Rudian was certain that the subject of that rampage was Karen and its cause was Captain Pruna.
"Damn, I'm glad I sent Rebecca. Otherwise, it would have been truly disastrous!"
"N-no. I did nothing wrong! I sincerely wanted to give that child a shining future...!"
"You gave poison to such a person. So now disappear from her life."
"Nooooo!"
With a single scream, Captain Pruna's magic began rampaging madly.
Not controlling power but simply releasing it—meaningless rampage.
Rudian raised Daylight's power to maximum to suppress that force.
WHOOSH!
At that moment, tremendous divine power appeared centered on Rudian and began spreading widely.
The divine power devoured the magic as it was and grew larger, eventually invading Captain Pruna's direct domain and scattering golden divine power throughout the Imperial palace.
"Ahhhhh! It hurts! It's agonizing!"
Captain Pruna tried to push back the divine power by releasing magic, but Daylight's light, now perfectly activated, was power that Captain Pruna without demonic nature could never handle.
"Rudian! Rudian Belstad! If only you weren't here...!"
Captain Pruna made a final desperate attempt, creating a blade from blood flowing from her wounds and chose mutual destruction with Rudian.
But...
SLASH!
Even that method was seen through by Rudian with Daylight's power, who flew up into the air and severed Captain Pruna's neck.
"Ah..."
The moment her neck separated from her body, Captain Pruna finally sensed her end.
"Karen... My lord..."
In her final moment, a panorama flashed through her mind.
Captain Pruna quietly closed her eyes, uttering the name of one man etched in her memory at the last.
"Kaitel..."
CRUMBLE!
***
Captain Pruna's body scattered like powder and disappeared, just like when monsters from the Tower of Trials vanished.
As soon as Rudian confirmed that Captain Pruna had completely disappeared, he withdrew Daylight's power and collapsed in place.
'Phew, divine power is too hard to handle...'
Unlike demonic power that was violent but subtly kind, divine power was like a benevolent but demanding lady.
Still, at least it didn't take lifespan as payment like Diablo... Right?
Then, a familiar voice flowed from behind Rudian.
"It was like a spectacle of light cutting through darkness. Magnificent."
"Lord Kaitel."
The one who appeared behind Rudian was none other than Kaitel von Delphione, the current Sword Master and the Viscount known to have gone to attack the demons' main base.
"I thought you were a lion cub, but you were actually a dragon hiding its claws. When exactly were you concealing such power?"
"Hahaha, I wasn't concealing it. It's entirely thanks to the power of this sword you lent me."
Even at Rudian's modest protest, Kaitel's expression didn't change.
"...You're treating my eyes too much like knotholes. Your true skill is already at a level where even I would find it difficult to calculate odds of victory. Rather than having improved your skills in the meantime, wouldn't it be more realistic to say you were hiding your abilities?"
"......"
Actually, in this crazy world, the former is often realistic too.
...I'd like to tell him that.
"Well, interpret it as you will. What's important isn't that, but that we're allies in the same boat, isn't it?"
"Heh, right. That's what matters most."
Kaitel slowly knelt on one knee at the place where Captain Pruna had disappeared and began offering some kind of prayer.
...Was it reminiscence about the past, or a prayer for the soul of one who was once a rival?
Either way didn't particularly matter.
What was important was that the fight with Captain Pruna was over, and the fact that other demons hadn't attacked yet meant Sonya was doing her job well.
Now everything depended on Elvin and Rebecca, who had entered the emperor's audience chamber.
"Sigh, what kind of hardship is this for someone else's romance?"
Rudian, sitting on the broken debris, pouted and grumbled.
He wanted to curse Elvin with nearly 50 years of being single across past and present lives, but since things could go wrong and Elvin might really be single for life, he kept his grumbling internal.
'Please, Rebecca.'
He could only hope that Rebecca, deployed as his secret ace, would fulfill her role.