Demon of War (4)
I'd asked her something like that once before.
"The holy sword, you mean?"
"Yeah, the Stigmata, right? Don't you fairies have one bestowed by the goddess?"
"Hmm... it's a bit different. The Stigmata itself was indeed granted by the goddess, but the sword that manifests from it is essentially an artifact shaped by the user's talents. We can't deny that it's a miracle from the goddess, but unlike a holy sword, it doesn't come with obligations. Holy swords vanish once their duty—to subjugate the Demon King—is fulfilled. The Stigmata, on the other hand, is more like the authority of the fairies themselves."
"Unexpected. I thought it was straight-up a holy sword from the goddess."
"Its output might be lower than a holy sword, but without the restrictions, you could call it a prototype."
But in the end, the Stigmata was just a provision from the goddess for the fairies.
It fell short of a holy sword, which was forged for a specific purpose, in every way.
Aser smiled faintly and continued.
"That said, we do have a holy sword of our own."
"...Really?"
"Yes. If the Stigmata can be called the prototype of holy swords, then the original—the first holy sword—is in our possession."
"I'd love to see it if the chance arises."
"Hehe, it's a shame I can't show it to you, but for me, it's better that way."
That meant Rischel was at peace.
───
Radiant.
Watching the starlight illuminate the night sky, Yeon Je-seong thought it without realizing.
What else could be worthy of the title holy sword if not this?
The sword in Aser's hand was emanating a sacred aura in all directions.
"The holy sword of starlight, Excalibur."
Aser murmured softly, then stepped forward forcefully and raised her sword high.
"It symbolizes..."
She lifted it to its limit, then swung.
"Hope, and miracles."
■■■■■──!!
At that, starlight joined the light clashing with the crimson-black dragon.
"Guh...! I won't yield...!"
"Haaah──!"
■■■■■──!!
The pure white light gradually took on a golden hue, gaining strength until it shoved the ferocious dragon back in one blow, soaring high into the sky.
"Like this...! You think I'll fall like this...!"
The crimson-black dragon shattered, and as it faced the golden light, it spread its arms wide, taking the blow with its body.
"Raaagh──!"
Kwaaang──!
In that instant.
The Demon of War, desperately enduring the light with every ounce of remaining power, spotted a navy-blue aura mixed in among the beams and screamed hysterically.
"Yeon Je-seong...!"
At the same time, Yeon Je-seong, assuming his stance, reflected in its eyes.
"Time to end this."
Yeon Body Technique, Form 7.
"Graaaah──!!"
"A final gift for you, demon."
【Sleet】
"Guhk...!!"
As Yeon Je-seong's hand moved, the auras hidden within the golden light shot toward it all at once.
The sharply propelled auras slammed into the body it was barely holding together, drawing blood as the Demon of War swallowed a scream.
"Like this... I won't crumble like this...?!"
The Demon of War endured the unexpected assault with stubborn willpower, but when it sensed a familiar energy missing from its inflated body, its eyes widened.
'My... my internal energy isn't moving...?!'
"N-No way...!"
Unable to control its internal energy, it glared down at Yeon Je-seong, its face twisting as it roared.
"Yeon Je-seong, you bastaaard──!!"
With its brief scream as its internal energy was sealed, a brilliant strike engulfed it.
■■■■■──!
"Gaaaaah...!"
The blow infused with the holy sword's power burned its flesh, its screams echoing through the crumbling body.
"The Demon King's army... one of the Four Heavenly Kings... me... dying in a place like this...!"
Soon even its screams were swallowed by the roar, and the demonic energy exposed to the overwhelming sanctity began to dissipate rapidly.
"...!!"
'If I'm to die here, then...!'
At the same time, it detonated the last of its authority, exploding the corpses it had been controlling all at once.
'I'll take all of Rischel with me!'
As the Demon of War, aiming for mutual destruction, was perfectly erased by Aser's strike, light particles rained down from the sky.
"Whew."
"Good work."
Aser stared at the empty space where the Demon of War had been for a moment, let out a quiet sigh, and sheathed her sword. Yeon Je-seong approached her.
"The other Heavenly King..."
"Already escaped."
Yeon Je-seong shook his head at Aser's question about the Demon of Death's whereabouts.
"It seems it swapped places with a clone while we were distracted by the Demon of War for a moment."
It had even poured most of its energy into the clone, making it hard to detect.
'How much power did it invest for the clone to rival the main body...'
Its escape was sincere enough to earn respect.
Even if the main body and clone had been together, he might have mistaken the main for the clone.
It had even cleanly erased its trail using its weakened energy, leaving no way to pursue.
"Sorry. I should've kept eyes on it."
"No, it's hard to track it in this chaos."
Besides, you'd clashed with two Heavenly Kings, so it's no surprise.
"If anything, I'm glad we took down the Demon of War."
"Thanks for saying that."
Still, letting the Demon of Death escape left a debt—and considerable regret.
───
"Now that we've dealt with the enemy commander, all that's left is mopping up the remnants."
Aser pulled her sword from the ground and said that, then glanced at the surrounding corpses as she sensed the energy.
"This is...?"
"...It won't go down clean to the end."
Yeon Je-seong, surveying the corpses with her, scowled deeply.
"Making the corpses go berserk."
The sky was turning red from the energy pouring from the red-eyed corpses.
An ominous aura continuously emanated from the rampaging corpses, hinting at how much power was about to erupt.
"We have to stop it!"
"Wait."
As Aser grasped the situation and moved to rush forward, Yeon Je-seong grabbed her shoulder and stopped her coldly.
"Why?! If that energy rampages unchecked, not just here— all of Rischel is in danger!"
"Your Majesty! Master!"
Right then, Gawain and the Knights of the Round Table rushing from afar.
The corpses pulling the battle line had stopped, it seemed they'd subjugated Death's army.
"Sir Gawain! Everyone...!"
"We've repelled all the demons invading Rischel, but what the hell is...?"
"The Demon of War dropped a bomb at the end."
"A bomb, you say..."
Modred grasped the implication and looked darkly at the corpses.
At the same time, Kay, who had been watching silently, raised his sword.
"If that's the problem, just slice 'em up!"
"No, that would make the energy detonate immediately."
Yeon Je-seong caught the blazing sword barehanded and turned to Aser.
"Aser, any way to contain it?"
"...It's tough. To push back rampaging energy, you'd need overwhelming power to erase it in one go, but for something that size..."
"Trying it recklessly on a gamble is too dangerous. Touch it wrong, and it could blow right away."
Agravain added, and after a moment's thought, Yeon Je-seong looked up at the berserk mass.
'Impressive.'
Tinged faintly green from the authority of death, the sphere collided dense energies like nuclear fusion, unleashing even greater power.
If that much energy erupted, Rischel would surely vanish from the map.
The berserk mass before them brimmed with tremendous power, impossible not to think so.
And then, slipping on his gauntlets again, he stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
"Impossible! It'll overwhelm you and explode!"
The Knights of the Round Table protested Yeon Je-seong's declaration in unison.
"No mere human can handle that!"
"Even if you took down the Demon of War, this is..."
"No, precisely because you defeated a Heavenly King, it's impossible! You're out of strength!"
Assuming he'd expended as much as Aser, the knights' reactions were fierce.
"Let me do it instead!"
"No. This isn't something your power can handle."
"Then if we all combine our—"
"Clashing different powers on it would just make it more sensitive."
Unaligned forces would generate repulsion regardless, making it ill-suited against a mass of backlash like this.
"But...!"
"Enough."
He cut off Aser's desperate pleas and drew aura from his entire body.
"It's fine."
"......"
"I've got plenty left."
At once, aura surged from his body with sky-piercing momentum.
"I-Impossible..."
"Still that much left?"
"My god..."
Aser and the Round Table, witnessing it up close, were stunned speechless.
After facing two demons on par with Heavenly Kings, this much power remained.
Aser, at a loss for words in shock, startled as he assumed his stance and grabbed him.
"W-Wait! It's dangerous!"
"Staying put just lets it blow. No other way? Then bet on the highest odds."
"But facing that much power, you'll...!"
"I've steeled for some strain."
If there were sacred power to purify it, that'd be different, but Aser—the only one here with a holy sword—had depleted hers in the fight.
'So, brute force it is.'
"King of the Realm Fist, 5x."
Kwaduduk─!
A red aura exploded from Yeon Je-seong's body, accompanied by a chilling sound from his frame.
"Je-seong...!"
Ignoring Aser's call, he gathered his aura further.
"Yeon Body Technique, Secret Art."
Suuu──
In that moment, everything froze.
The knights' clamor.
Floating dust in the air.
Even the berserk mass in the sky.
In this place where time itself was frozen, only Yeon Je-seong moved as usual.
Maintaining strange breathing, he leaped high into the sky, gripped the aura in his fist tightly, and compressed it fiercely.
Floating the compressed aura before his fist, he took stance midair.
Stopping his breath, pulling his arm back to the limit, he thrust—
"【Winter Rain】."
Thukwaaaang──!
The aura flew as a single projectile, instantly obliterating the berserk mass.
───!!
With that, time resumed, and Yeon Je-seong landed on the ground.
And shortly after.
"Wha-what...!?"
"The berserk mass...!"
"It's gone...?"
The knights, staring in shock at the distant Yeon Je-seong, looked up at where the mass had been.
Perfectly pierced through the center, leaking energy, it gradually lost form and vanished from the world.
"Success, luckily."
"Whoo..."
Woooaaah──!
They watched in disbelief, then erupted in cheers, hugging each other at his casual words.
"He did it...!"
"Who'd have thought he'd pull it off...!"
"How'd he do it? Nobody saw?!"
With the berserk mass gone, the fully expended corpses collapsed at once.
As the finally freed bodies hit the ground, the knights' faces grew solemn at the deaths of comrades they'd defended the line with.
"...This isn't the time to celebrate. The war isn't over yet."
"Yes, we'll recover our fallen comrades' bodies."
Yeon Je-seong, watching them bitterly, glanced behind Aser at that moment.
"...!"
"...?!"
Kwajik─!
A massive monster shattered the air and appeared.
The cat-like beast withdrew claws bloodied from Aser's abdomen and licked them.
"Y-You...!"
Aser couldn't hide her trembling eyes at the monster before her.
How could she not know it?
"Why... why are you here...!"
The monster from mythic times, sealed by the previous queen's sacrifice.
Rischel's worst nightmare, inflicting the greatest damage in history.
The trigger that led the goddess to bless the fairies.
Fairy Eater.
■■■■■■■■■───!!
"Kas...pal...rug...!"
Cough─!
Aser spat blood from her mouth and glared at it.