The Fallen Sword Princess
“Grrrrraaaaah!”
The severed head let out a guttural scream. The body, now without direction, flailed its arms wildly in a desperate attempt to reclaim its face.
Blood dripped steadily from the stump of its neck. I watched the crimson liquid soak into the floor and took a careful step back, widening the distance.
“Hoo…”
Skipping Phase 1 was practically a gamble, even for someone like me who had played this game for years.
I had tested this glitch multiple times, but always within the game itself. There was no guarantee it would trigger in this real-world environment.
Still, the reason I took the risk and skipped straight to Phase 2 was simple.
‘My stamina drain is worse than I expected.’
The demonic energy that had blanketed the area dissipated the instant the creature’s head was severed.
The brief window between Phase 1 and Phase 2 gave players a chance to rest their characters. If you had potions, you could drink them. You could receive Elesia’s healing without restraint.
Most importantly, you didn’t have to waste mana maintaining a barrier against the demonic energy.
Even if your mana pool wasn’t low, keeping up a defensive wall during prolonged combat would eventually wear down your mental strength. And mental fatigue always bled into physical exhaustion, making it impossible to focus properly in battle.
After carving our way here, my stamina and focus were already somewhat depleted. It only made sense to recover while I still could, no matter how minor the gains.
“Wh-what the…?”
Cheon Yu-ha’s eyes widened in shock as the demon collapsed right in front of her. She had been ready to fight at any moment, so its sudden fall clearly caught her off guard.
“Looks like our junior knows more tricks than we thought. Right?”
Elesia said this while immediately moving to my side and beginning treatment. Although reaching the third realm had reduced both the power and the backlash of One Flash, the side effects still lingered. She seemed to have noticed it instantly.
As expected, her senses were sharp.
“…I only bought us a little time,” I replied.
I couldn’t exactly tell them I had glitched past Phase 1, so I kept my answer vague. The transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 only lasted until the creature regained its head. It really was just a brief moment…
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
It was more than enough time for Elesia to finish healing me. She lifted her hand from my back and gave my shoulder a light pat.
Truly worthy of the future Saint. Her healing ability was exceptional. I didn’t even need to use the potions I had prepared beforehand.
I glanced at the demon as it slowly reconstructed its head, then checked the medicinal pills I had stashed in my pocket.
If everything went according to standard strategy, I wouldn’t need them. But unexpected situations always arose. And I had a duty to prepare for them.
“That thing… it’s not dead yet, right?”
“Correct.”
“How much do you know about it?”
Cheon Yu-ha had already regained her composure and moved to stand beside me.
Her breathing was steady. Her sword grip was firm and upright. She was back to her usual self.
One of the reasons I had gambled on skipping Phase 1 was to help her calm down. Constantly resisting demonic energy could cause even the strongest person to unconsciously shrink back. The closer you stood to a demon, the heavier the pressure became.
In the game, that constant stamina drain from the demonic energy had been exhausting too.
But that was a common misconception. Demonic energy wasn’t the creature’s own power—it was borrowed from a devil. In other words, the demon that had possessed Tana Erhen wasn’t actually that strong.
Of course, it was still powerful enough to serve as a boss for the main episode… but only at the level of an early-game encounter. That was the best way to describe it.
“I don’t know everything, but I know a fair amount about that particular demon.”
“I see. Then we can share information?”
Normally she wouldn’t have bothered asking, but the situation was different now. It would be far better if everyone knew the strategy instead of just me.
I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll brief you. I’ll follow your instructions as much as possible.”
“…I can’t tell you everything. You’ll have to figure out the minor details and dodge them yourself.”
“I can handle that.”
She sounded like she had regained some confidence.
I studied Cheon Yu-ha for a moment before speaking.
“The demon currently controlling Tana’s body is named Cor.”
Right on cue, the creature reattached its head. Its appearance began changing rapidly. A sickening sound of twisting bones echoed from its massive frame.
Squelch.
The slimes scattered across the area started clinging to Cor’s body. They piled on thickly, making its form even larger. At the same time, they formed a dress reminiscent of something from old Western theater. A mask covered the scar-riddled face, and a sharp sword appeared in its hand. The hulking body gradually took on a defined shape.
Once the transformation was complete, she looked at us and muttered in a voice that sent chills down the spine.
It was a voice so raspy it made your skin crawl. Both Cheon Yu-ha and Elesia reflexively covered their ears. I did not.
As I listened to its monstrous shriek, I spoke slowly.
“She… was originally a musical actress.”
Final Academy, Chapter 1. The case of the Fallen Sword Princess was quite unusual.
Rather than focusing on Tana Erhen, the character who had been devoured, the story gave far more narrative weight to Cor, the demon that had done the devouring.
Of course, since it was directly tied to the raid strategy, it made sense that her backstory mattered. Still, the fact that the demon received more development than Tana—who could later become a heroine—was one of the questions I had never been able to answer.
No matter how many times I cleared the episode, that question remained unsolved. Because Tana’s own story was never revealed.
That said, if you asked whether Cor’s backstory was compelling, the answer was no. It was painfully ordinary. A fairly famous musical actress suffers a terrible accident that leaves half her face covered in scars. Unable to continue performing, she dies. That was it.
It wasn’t a bad story by any means—just a common, everyday tragedy. Nothing worth criticizing…
‘The problem was that they built up expectations around Tana’s story and then gave us this instead.’
They had focused all the players’ anticipation on Tana, only to deliver nothing about her. At the very least, Cor’s story should have been strong enough to fill that void. But it wasn’t. And so, over time, she was forgotten.
Just another ordinary boss you had to get through.
Enough personal thoughts.
It was time to focus on the enemy before us.
“Don’t ruin my stage!”
The most noticeable change upon entering Phase 2 was, of course, the patterns. I had skipped Phase 1, so I couldn’t say for sure, but most of its attacks had been single-target. There were occasional area-of-effect moves, but they were easy to counter.
Phase 2 was different.
Ziiiing—
The slimes attached to Cor’s body began vibrating in unison as the demon stood still, gathering demonic energy. After collecting it for a certain amount of time…
“Aaaaaah~!”
It would release the accumulated energy across the entire theater, dealing damage to everyone inside.
“Aaaargh!”
“Damn, that’s one thick voice!”
Both Cheon Yu-ha and Elesia grimaced while covering their ears. Since this wasn’t a simple scream but an actual attack, blocking your ears did nothing.
I drew my sword and advanced. Just because it attacked with sound didn’t mean Cor was a long-range fighter.
There was a reason her title was the Fallen Sword Princess.
Clang!
Cor blocked my swing. At the same time, still gripping Tana’s sword, she began to dance. It was the sword dance Tana had displayed before being consumed. Blackened demonic energy coiled around her blade. It was far denser than when I had first seen it. Probably because time had passed.
I didn’t expect to break through that sword alone. Even if I blocked it, landing a meaningful blow would be difficult. And even if I took the risk and dealt damage, this raid had a time limit. Knowing there was a Phase 3, we couldn’t afford to waste too much time here. In short, this was going to be a very tough fight.
‘If I were alone, that is.’
Slash.
While I held Cor’s sword at bay, Cheon Yu-ha struck at the back of its head. No matter how much of a demon it was, it was still using Tana’s body. That meant only two arms. And only one of them held a sword. There was no way to block the attack.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!”
“Ugh, my ears are gonna burst.”
The solid hit triggered an immediate scream. Cor’s gaze snapped toward Cheon Yu-ha. It charged straight at her.
This was the pattern that appeared after taking a clean hit. The demon would recklessly rush the character who had damaged it and swing its sword wildly. Because it was driven by emotion, there were no refined techniques—just crude, frenzied slashes. But those slashes were delivered at speeds beyond human capability, making them extremely difficult to dodge.
Of course, that didn’t apply to Cheon Yu-ha.
Whoosh. Whoooosh. Whoosh. Clang!
Her eyes tracked every movement of Cor’s blade. If she could dodge the refined sword dance, there was no way she would fail against these reckless swings.
And then—
Boom!
“Just beat it until it’s on the verge of death. It’ll come out on its own.”
A fist wrapped in holy power slammed into Cor’s stomach. The demonic energy protecting its body scattered from Elesia’s strike. The direct blow sent the creature crashing into the wall.
As expected of the Saint. No one was better at dealing with demons than her.
Since holy power had the property of expelling demonic energy, Elesia would never be overwhelmed. Of course, if a demon or devil that shouldn’t appear in this scenario showed up, that might change… but that obviously wasn’t going to happen.
She was also the one most free from the influence of demonic energy. Still, her primary role was healer. She only joined the direct fight when a clear opening appeared. Most of the combat was handled by me and Cheon Yu-ha.
The swordsmanship she had learned from the Sword Saint, while not yet at a high level of mastery, was steadily carving into Cor’s flesh.
Elesia’s fists were also landing solid damage.
The problem was me. Aside from One Flash, my attacks couldn’t easily penetrate Cor’s demonic energy. Most of her sword dance was aimed at me, but the real issue was my lack of raw power.
I was supposed to be the damage dealer, yet here I was playing tank. While I blocked most of her attacks, Cheon Yu-ha and Elesia poured on the damage. Whenever my strength faltered, Elesia would heal me.
Thud!
“If only that one thing hadn’t happened…”
Spouting a line I had heard many times before, Cor’s body collapsed. It was the phrase that signaled the end of Phase 2.
There was still plenty of time left, and both of them had sufficient stamina. Yet an inexplicable sense of unease crept over me. Could all the variables I had accumulated really end with just a change in Tana’s contract timing?
As if waiting for that very anxiety, Tana’s body became wrapped in demonic energy.
My eyes widened. An overwhelming surge of demonic energy—far denser than anything before—poured out. The world turned pitch black, and the theater shattered into pieces.
Destroying an entire world while emitting even thicker demonic energy.
That was unmistakably the sign of a Descent.