115
Chapter 115
The agitation that appeared as soon as she heard my words.
Without missing that opening, I immediately charged at her.
However....
-Clang!
A metallic sound echoed.
Sword clashed against sword.
Given that a character who was the protagonist's ally had fallen to become a slave of the Empire, there must be some circumstances behind it.
That's what I thought, so I deliberately provoked her to create an opening. But she didn't allow even that small opening.
A sword that had been forged in an instant.
It was blocking the Holy Sword.
A body that was already abnormal to begin with.
A body enhanced with the aura of the World Tree and mana on top of that.
If we're just talking about raw strength, I should have the advantage. Yet my sword never managed to reach her.
She skillfully deflects and redirects my force.
Blocking my sword with minimal force and then launching a fierce counterattack.
She even employed feints to prevent me from responding.
However, I won't go down that easily either.
A flawless feint.
It was a thoroughly crafted fake motion that took into account even muscle movement and mana flow.
[Bottom left, then right. And... an attack will come toward the heart area!]
Such things had no meaning to me whatsoever.
The human called the Weapon Master.
Trying to match technique against a woman who has mastered all weapon skills is an utterly foolish act.
So I ignore what my eyes can see.
Unable to distinguish between feints and real movements, I simply follow the instructions that reach my ears.
No matter how difficult a problem that woman presents, it doesn't matter. All I need to do is read the correct answer.
"You're... not that person."
She says so with difficulty.
It was just a story I threw out to distract her.
Seeing her force out those words even in what seems like a controlled state, she must be quite concerned about the Former Hero.
The words rise to my throat—if she has the strength to say such things on her own, she should try harder to resist the Dominance.
But if that were possible, she would have already tried it herself.
It was the Empire that completely erased information about the Hero. An entity capable of manipulating people's memories on a global scale, beyond just a nation.
Most likely, that woman was also influenced by him. In the end, it means I can't use shortcuts.
"But why on earth...."
So I should be satisfied with just having disrupted her focus. With that thought, I charged at her once again.
I swing my sword wildly.
A sword with neither logic nor technique behind it.
However, even something like that becomes powerful when swung with this kind of strength.
So it should work to some extent.
I definitely thought so, but....
That woman continues to block my sword.
She even uses it to press me instead.
Truly monstrous skill.
"Do you know my name? Why are you holding that sword?"
The woman speaks in a broken, glitchy tone.
Then, as if in agony, she grabs her head and screams.
'I'm the one who should be asking the questions here.'
What on earth happened?
Why she ended up like this. How she became a slave of the Empire. What happened to the Hero.
There are so many things I need to know, so many questions I have to ask. Yet, she's the only one firing off questions.
Seeing her suddenly burst into tears in the middle of questioning me and beg for death, it didn't seem like she would answer my questions anyway.
In the end, there was only one thing left for me to do.
"......Alright. If that's what you want. I'll grant your wish."
She was a character I was quite fond of.
She might not know me. But I know her.
What kind of personality she has, what she likes and dislikes. Even the kind of life she has lived.
A Corpse Puppet.
Not content with forcibly stealing the rest she finally deserved, it was using a human being as a mere doll.
There's a limit to how disgusting things can get.
"Don't worry, I'll make it quick and painless."
I said that and clenched my teeth.
I pour mana and the aura of the World Tree into my sword.
If I had poured power so crudely into an ordinary sword without any know-how, it would have shattered long before forming a Sword Aura.
But this is the Holy Sword.
An object that will never break as long as my will holds firm. So, even with such a foolish method, I could form a Sword Aura.
Of course.
Even with this, it still wasn't enough to deal with that woman.
But that doesn't matter.
I thrust my sword with all my might.
At the same time, hundreds, thousands of Sword Auras surged forth.
However, the direction they were headed was not toward Aria.
In other words,
"Such a cowardly move...."
I fired the Sword Auras at the First Prince.
The First Prince gritted his teeth and muttered about it being cowardly.
Attacking a helpless person on purpose.
I certainly agree with him that this is a cowardly move.
But what can you do?
This is something your family's Balzac taught me.
If you don't like it, you should have fought fair and square from the start.
"Protect me! Now!!"
The Prince shouts out in desperation.
Having been reduced to a puppet that must obey the Prince's commands, she abandoned the opening I had created from my previous strike and ran toward him.
At the same time, hundreds, thousands of Shields were forged.
It was truly an awe-inspiring sight.
But it was an opening. This time, a real opening.
Her position is fixed.
She can't leave the immobilized Prince to die.
If that's the case, then there was only one thing left for me to do.
The Holy Sword resonates with my will and trembles.
I renewed the resolution I had made back then.
The resolve to lose nothing.
The foolish oath to reach the end without giving up anything.
The Holy Sword had grown turbid.
But my heart remained the same.
I knew I was the kind of person who could sacrifice someone to save the people I cherish.
I recognized that I wasn't generous enough to spare someone who betrayed me and begged for forgiveness.
However.
Despite that, I still wished for it.
To lose nothing.
For none of my people to be hurt.
Even if I have to sacrifice something,
To be able to protect those I love.
That's why....
[Holy Sword...
Shine.
Filled with this resolve.
So that I can keep the oath I once made.
Draw]
I swung my sword with all my might.
In that moment, the woman's figure caught my eye.
Her arm, which had been trying to counter my attack, stopped unnaturally, as if broken.
"...I'm sorry."
With those final words, the light consumed everything.
A radiance so bright it threatened to blind me.
The Holy Sword dyed the world in its own color.
*****
Why on earth....
Why on earth did things end up like this?
The First Prince contorted his face hideously and gritted his teeth. He had no other choice.
It was obvious who would win.
A Sword Master and an Archmage. Plus, the comrade of the Former Hero, that monstrous woman.
The top powerhouses of the Empire had gathered here.
And the opponent?
A rookie Hero lacking experience, an unnamed comrade, and a worthless Elf legion.
So they certainly should have won.
That should have been the obvious outcome.
The Hero, whose mana wasn't even that impressive, had grown at an absurdly abnormal rate over the past four days.
The unnamed comrade was strong enough to rival a Sword Master if they combined their strength.
Even the Elves were full of vigor, as if the World Tree was right next to them.
There is a limit to how nonsensical things can get.
An absurdity so extreme that his past self wouldn't have believed it if told.
But still.
The events unfolding before his eyes were an undeniable reality.
The Corpse Puppet, whose limiters had been released at the risk of breaking down. It was now devastatingly ruined to the point where it could no longer fight.
Even with the Barrier created by squeezing out every ounce of strength, and the Corpse Puppet blocking the attacks with its body.
Right now, he was so battered that it wouldn't be strange if he dropped dead at any moment.
The life force absorbed by devouring dozens of geniuses.
If not for that, he would have been reduced to ashes long ago.
The Hero who had unleashed that earlier strike seemed to have expended considerable strength, as he was barely keeping himself upright using his sword as a crutch.
Karl's support was also out of the question.
A white-haired girl and a blue-haired Knight.
With those Elves swarming around them on top of that.
The power bestowed upon him by his father.
He seemed to be trying to use the Pendant to somehow turn the tables, but.
As if reading the future itself, Karl gave him no time to grasp the Pendant and recite the Prayer.
He was already exhausted as it was.
If things continued like this, it was painfully obvious who would claim victory.
In other words....
Defeat.
He had been defeated.
Whether the enemy had used abnormal measures, resorted to cowardly tactics, or achieved something utterly impossible.
None of that mattered anymore.
Because the only thing that mattered was the result.
On the battlefield, nothing mattered except victory and defeat.
The ending that awaited him was all too clear now.
The Bloodlust pouring out from that man.
No matter how he tried to negotiate, no matter what words he used, the outcome wouldn't change in the slightest.
His revenge would be carried out.
A gruesome end surely awaited him.
If that was the case....
Then he might as well....
"......."
The Prince stared intently at his Pendant.
His body was already broken. Even if he were to receive the power of His Majesty the Emperor... the Demon God.
Far from getting revenge, his body would shatter first.
Still, there was one way.
This Pendant was connected to his father.
If he gathered all of his Mana and even his life force to momentarily link their minds.
He might be able to summon his father.
The cost would be his own life, of course.
But if his father descended while they had also exhausted considerable strength, the annihilation of those bastards would be certain.
If he was going to die either way, he should at least make them pay.
Even he valued his own life, so he had hesitated for a long time. But knowing this was the best option available.
The First Prince gritted his teeth and began constructing a Spell Formula.
No, he tried to construct one.
"......!"
A sudden look of delight spread across the First Prince's face.
Had the gods not abandoned him after all? At the very moment he was about to sacrifice his life, fortune had come knocking.
"I knew I could count on you. You've come to save me at just the right time."
Cardinal Dominic.
And his brethren had arrived.
With absolutely murderous expressions on their faces, armed not only with Maces but all sorts of Holy Relics.
The First Prince smiled as he watched them approach.
...It was time to raise the banner of counterattack.