The Trace of the Heavenly Demon
When the Heavenly Demon first appeared, every player in New World Academy screamed with excitement. Her breathtaking beauty that instinctively drew gasps of admiration. Overwhelming power no one could approach. And a romantic backstory that stirred the soul. Who wouldn’t rejoice at the arrival of a flawless raid boss with nothing missing?
But there was one thing we overlooked back then. The being called the Heavenly Demon was more perfect than we had ever imagined… She was so flawless in every way that her very perfection became the problem.
A day after she appeared. Two days. A week. A month. A year. And even longer, with no successful raids, people gradually sensed something strange about the Heavenly Demon. Eventually everyone began thinking the same thing: Could we actually defeat her? Could we truly overcome that perfect existence?
They all reached the same conclusion. It was impossible. No matter what method they tried, the Heavenly Demon could not be beaten. Naturally, people grew furious. Especially the rankers who had dominated New World Academy at the time, the various faction members, the veteran players who simply enjoyed the game, and every skilled fighter. They formed the first large-scale alliance, joining hands for the sole purpose of capturing her. After more than a hundred attempts, they barely managed to bring her down.
…Even then, it only worked because we had heavenly luck. If things had gone wrong, we might never have beaten her.
When I thought about how no one had succeeded in any additional Heavenly Demon raids before I came here, I realized just how fortunate we had been. Yet that same Heavenly Demon was standing right in front of me now.
“Who are you staring at so intently?”
The spirit beside me tilted its head curiously and followed my gaze. The moment it spotted the Heavenly Demon, its eyes widened. The smile it had worn until a second ago vanished, replaced by a troubled expression.
“Hmm, this is unfortunate, but you should probably give up on that one.”
Before I could ask why, the spirit continued on its own.
“She exists on a completely different level from the rest of us. Have you heard of her? The Heav—”
“Enough.”
The instant the Heavenly Demon’s lips parted and that single quiet word left her mouth, every spirit in the area—including the noisy ones—fell silent and began watching her nervously.
“I wish to speak with this child for a moment.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
Her influence here was absolute. All the spirits backed far away at once so they wouldn’t disturb us.
Gulp.
The Heavenly Demon walked slowly toward me, her eyes locked on mine. As the distance closed, memories of our past battles flooded back and my body began to tremble on its own.
“Do not be nervous. I only approached because I felt curious about you.”
Normally she would never have moved. She would have watched the other spirits’ squabbles from behind, just like always. But the appearance of someone who could see spirits and hear their conversations must have piqued her interest, because she had come forward herself.
“How truly fascinating. To think a human body can wield yokai power.”
I froze at her words. How could she possibly know that?
“And that is not all.”
She stepped even closer. Close enough that we might touch if either of us moved carelessly. Without giving me time to look away, the Heavenly Demon stared straight into my eyes, the corners of her mouth curving upward.
“Why do I sense my own trace on you?”
Trace?
The word triggered a rush of memories that played like a film in my mind. The first and last successful Heavenly Demon raid. The one consumable item that only I had obtained.
Trace of Defying Heaven.
An elixir of the century that raised every stat by thirty points—an item so valuable it could spark a war. I had swallowed it instantly before anyone else could covet it.
The Trace of Defying Heaven… That’s the only connection I have to her.
“Judging by your reaction, something comes to mind.”
She had read my thoughts from my expression again?! I quickly covered my face, but the information had already been exposed. The reaction came far too late.
“Explain it to me, child. How is my trace upon you?”
“That’s…”
What could I possibly say? What explanation would she accept? That I had joined an alliance to kill her, then eaten the elixir we obtained afterward? Even the truth would only make everyone call me insane.
“Ugh! This is seriously my limit!”
“It’s even harder because it’s so far away!”
“Heh heh… I’m starting to feel strained myself.”
“I’m not moving at all tomorrow…”
“You guys joined late, so put in some real effort already!”
“Do you think we’re you? We specialize in technique, not brute strength!”
“…You ignorant gorilla. We’re nothing like you.”
The Heavenly Demon glanced at the noisy group and frowned slightly.
“Tsk. It seems we are short on time.”
She turned back to me, appeared to consider something, then made an offer I never expected.
“Since I must hear your answer, child, I shall remain by your side.”
“…Pardon?”
This could hardly be called a suggestion. No, it was a unilateral declaration. An arrogant, heavy command that would accept no complaints or resistance. And the order wasn’t directed at me alone.
“Make way.”
She spoke to the spirits blocking the bloodstone’s transformation. One of them, who had been struggling to hold it back, pouted and shouted.
“Hey, cutting in line like this is a bit much… ma’am!”
“Stealing the reward…”
“Ahem. My friend, no matter how great you are, this violates all propriety…”
Everyone voiced their dissatisfaction. But this was the Heavenly Demon. She paid no attention to those who held grievances against her. If something blocked her path, she simply destroyed and removed it.
“Watch carefully. Just like this.”
The Heavenly Demon’s hand flicked forward.
In a single instant, a bursting sound rang out and the spirits in front of her were sent flying through the air as if swept away by a storm.
“Insane… What kind of power is that in spirit form…?”
“Urgh…”
“My whole body hurts.”
“Did I get hit by three… no, five strikes?”
They really did look injured, as if they had been physically struck. I wondered whether spirits could even hit one another, but the moment I remembered who had done it, the answer became obvious.
Yes… because it was the Heavenly Demon.
“Now there are no more obstacles.”
Having cleared away the spirits she called hindrances, the Heavenly Demon approached my exclusive weapon, which was now vigorously taking shape without anyone left to interfere.
“Then I will be in your care from now on.”
Her form dissolved into light and was absorbed into the weapon, vanishing completely. The surrounding spirits watched in stunned silence. I stared at my now-complete exclusive weapon—the one the Heavenly Demon had entered.
The black blade seemed to symbolize her power. It swallowed every ray of light and began devouring the space around it, proudly displaying its strength. The spirits panicked and quickly backed away. The students, too, stared this way with pure terror in their eyes.
Incredible.
The sheer pressure radiating from the sword alone was this intense.
While I stood awestruck by the weapon’s appearance and power, Garen raised his own strength to shield the students from its aura. Thanks to his quick thinking their faces relaxed slightly, but they still couldn’t completely shake off their fear. Their movements remained stiff and uneasy.
“Hmm. It seems I must withdraw all my energy.”
The Heavenly Demon must have noticed the severe reactions around us, because she began to contain her power.
Crack.
Craaaaack.
An extremely ominous sound followed. When I looked, the beautiful black blade from moments ago had vanished. In its place stood a sword covered in cracks, looking as if it would shatter at any moment.
“Hehe. This is another problem I had not anticipated.”
“H-how did this happen?”
I screamed My sword!!!! inside my head and somehow managed to ask the question calmly.
“Simply put, the sword cannot endure my power. It would probably break after being swung a few times.”
“…What happens if the weapon breaks?”
“You ask the obvious. I would return here, and you would lose the weapon.”
If the weapon broke, that was the end. The Heavenly Demon’s words made the world spin before my eyes. I had finally obtained a weapon, yet I couldn’t even use it.
“More importantly, are you all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Our conversation until now should have been inaudible to them. So to everyone else, it must have looked like you were talking to empty air all by yourself.”
…Ah.
I whipped my head around. The students were terrified of the weapon that now housed the Heavenly Demon, but they were also staring at me as if I were completely insane. Even Garen was giving me a worried look.
“Hehe. An interesting situation right from the start. I like it.”
I’m not finding any of it fun at all!
I had the distinct feeling that things had gone horribly wrong from the very beginning.