The Tyrant's Sword
As I stepped into the basement, a massive underground cavern opened up before me.
It seemed it wasn't called a temple for nothing. The place was a labyrinthine mess of tunnels, and it looked like it would take an eternity to clear if I tried to do it the proper way.
So, I just did this.
Thud, thud-thud.
CRASH.
──!
I plowed forward, smashing everything in my path with my fists.
Then, a booming, reverberating voice echoed through the chamber.
So this was Vallak. What a joke. The guy who ordered Logan to send me to the slums to have me killed was acting like he was the victim.
I kindly raised my middle finger at him.
With that, a synthetic chimera—a high-grade monster—appeared.
Kyahhhh-!
It was huge. It felt like it filled the entire space. Just looking at its build, it was no ordinary opponent.
He was right. It looked like a named boss-tier monster that would jump out of the story. Well, I had skipped the story, but Vallak himself was a villain who appeared in the latter half of the game.
Grrrrrrr.
The chimera glared at me with venomous eyes. A moment later, it stopped posturing and lunged.
An ordinary knight would have died here without even being able to react. Even a decent powerhouse, someone at the level of a Swordmaster, would have had to choose evasion over counterattack given its speed and power.
Of course, I took it head-on.
“Hmph.”
-?!
I put a little strength into it and—THUD!—I lightly struck the nose of the chimera as it came at me with its maw wide open.
It took that?
The chimera’s skull caved in slightly, but it didn't die. As expected, he had reason to be confident. Its durability was indeed impressive.
Still, I had gauged its limits.
I clenched my fist. I put a little more power into it than usual. As if sensing instinctive terror, the chimera’s pupils began to tremble.
“It’s your misfortune to have met the wrong master. In your next life, be born as an ordinary beast, not a monster like this.”
SPLAT! I crushed its skull with my fist. Acidic blood splattered everywhere. The robe I was wearing as a disguise melted away.
“If a monster like this were released on the surface, it would have caused quite a bit of damage.”
I clicked my tongue.
Vallak’s voice trembled as he spoke.
Rumble- Monsters that looked like they had been crafted with the black mage’s blood and sweat came swarming in.
I furrowed my brow.
“One who walks the path of magic has given up on moving forward himself.”
“A mage of your level should know better than anyone. Do you really think you can reach the summit on a path of escape?”
It’s common for black mages to create monsters like chimeras. But that is merely a byproduct of black magic, which uses souls as a medium. The monster itself should never be the goal.
“A fallen mage, are you?”
I know plenty. There’s a black mage among the sub-male leads, after all. And besides, I have Elizabeth by my side now.
At Vallak’s command, the monsters lunged.
“There are quite a lot of them.”
Just releasing the monsters here would be enough to conquer a decent-sized kingdom. Even if he was a has-been, his level was still exceptional.
I indifferently began to smash every single one I saw.
I killed them without pause. Instead of moving forward, I stood my ground and waited. I had to wipe out the seeds of these monsters here. If I missed one, who knew what kind of trouble it would cause?
Vallak, who had been shouting boldly at first, eventually went silent.
...
As time passed and I showed no signs of fatigue, popping heads as soon as they appeared, he seemed to have grown weary.
Grrr-
Finally, after smashing the skull of the very last chimera, I said, “Shall we start moving again?”
I ignored his exhausted voice and moved on.
And finally, I saw the massive door where he was holed up. The door was covered in a complex, tangled barrier.
“A barrier, huh?”
CRACK. I tore it apart with my hands. The voice coming from behind the door cut off abruptly.
When I opened the door and entered, Vallak was clutching his hair and glaring at me.
“......You madman. Even a Swordmaster couldn't do something like this. Even the most formidable powerhouses should have withered away and died in my maze.”
His eyes shone with a manic light. The crazed black mage cackled.
“There is only one person capable of such a thing.”
“Huh.”
Did he finally realize?
When I let out a dry laugh, he had a seizure.
“......You lunatic! The Emperor of the Empire came all the way here in person? Have you lost your mind!!”
“Since you committed such acts, isn't that why you stayed here instead of running away like a coward?”
Vallak gritted his teeth.
“You were aiming for me from the start...... Why? You and I have no grudge between us. Besides, you aren't exactly someone who hates black mages!”
“That’s true.”
If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made Elizabeth my proxy.
However.
“I may not hate black mages, but there is no reason not to hate a black mage who deserves to be hated.”
He was a guy who would only cause harm if left alive. Even if he weren't a black mage, I would have come to kill him if he were just an ordinary mage. I only came quickly because Hecate gave me the information.
“......Hecate! Has our goddess finally forsaken me!”
Quick-witted as he was, his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Ah, ah! Hecate, Hecate! That witch!”
Goddess or witch, pick one. Either way, the fact that Hecate had abandoned him seemed to be quite a shock.
Vallak, who had been clutching his hair for a long time, shouted at me.
“You madman! If you kill me here, my subordinates I released outside will instantly turn into monsters and turn this country into a living hell! Are you fine with that!”
Is this his last struggle?
I answered indifferently.
“Do it.”
“What?”
“I said do it.”
“Ughhh......!”
Vallak’s face turned red. He was a black mage, but if he had followed the orthodox mage tree, he would have long since earned the title of Archmage and been sitting pretty. He must have had immense pride and self-esteem. He had probably never received such an insult in his life.
“Don’t you regret this!”
He activated his magic. It looked like a type that activated a curse. Vallak’s expression showed fear, ecstasy, and anger toward me.
And then, despair washed over his face.
“W-what? Why is no one responding?”
Why, you ask?
Earlier, Vallak had said:
That’s right. I came in here alone. I didn't bring Lily, who could dispel curses, into the basement. Vallak didn't understand the meaning of that. He might have seen me as someone who cherishes women, or he might have understood it as me not bringing her because I didn't trust her.
Either way. Thanks to his misunderstanding, Lily had been steadily popping the heads of his minions and returned to me through my shadow.
“......”
Vallak’s face went blank. Even if he survived me, everything he had prepared had become useless overnight.
Perhaps realizing that fact, his face twisted hideously.
“You, I will never forgive you!”
Vallak chanted a spell. His body began to change.
“Instead of an insufficient sacrifice, I will offer myself as the sacrifice, just to kill you!”
An ominous and gloomy energy filled his workshop. Soon, the human Vallak disappeared. Having sacrificed himself, he appeared as a being made of black mist, exuding ominous magic, as if he had sublimated into a kind of spiritual entity.
Vallak burst into manic laughter.
“You look hideous.”
Lily frowned.
My weakness?
He lunged at me. I watched him indifferently, then raised my hand.
“Lily.”
“Yes.”
Lily placed a sword in my hand. It was nothing special—a standard iron sword of the Imperial Knights.
“Too bad.”
If he hadn't hesitated, I would have cut him properly.
“It seems you are mistaken about something.”
Lily smirked.
Why does everyone think I’m just ignorantly strong? I really don’t get it.
I held the sword at an angle.