A Black Shadow Over the Imperial Capital (3)

I chased the Successor of Taotie through the inner reaches of the imperial capital, running myself ragged, and yet I couldn't so much as catch a glimpse of his green hair.

He had vanished in the blink of an eye—which said everything about just how fast he truly was.

Only now, well after that first clash, could I open the Status Window I'd glimpsed before our battle and check the Main Quest. And the part that caught my eye was this:

1. The First Princess ascends as the Succubus Queen.

Succubus Queen.

So-called 'Succubus Queens' were a breed apart. An ordinary succubus might reach the rank of a High-tier or even a Supreme Demon, but an individual called a Succubus Queen was another matter entirely—at minimum a Great Demon, and more than capable of eyeing a seat among the higher orders of the hierarchy itself.

It went without saying; after all, one of the Seven Deadly Sins even now was one of these Succubus Queens.

And yet... a question nagged at me.

In Ellie and Yeon's case, the quest had only said corruption. There had been no information suggesting that a human could be outright transformed into a demon.

Just a single warning: if she falls, absolutely do not fail the quest.

But I couldn't exactly go throwing the quest on purpose just to dig up that information, so I pushed the thought aside and focused on the battle ahead.

With every preparation made for the follow-up battle against Taotie's Successor, I moved swiftly toward the chamber where the First Princess was hiding.

And so I arrived at the First Princess's room.

Her chamber had been hidden away with meticulous magic—illusions woven so that what looked like solid wall was empty space, and what looked like empty space was wall. It had given me quite a bit of trouble to find it the first time.

Of course, now—

Shhhk!

I could locate the entrance at once.

I slipped inside, breathing hard, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there was Khan—clutching his spear of mingled green and gold, his own signature colors—already charging toward me.

"What's wrong with you? What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you covered in..."

"Ah."

Only now did the blood on my light armor catch my attention. I'd taken internal injuries and coughed up a good deal of blood... and apparently quite a lot of it had sprayed.

When I explained as much, Khan's expression turned grave.

"How strong is he?"

At his question, I answered honestly.

"If you and I don't fight him together..."

"......"

"We lose. No question."

"...It's that bad?"

"I bought the Emperor some time to escape and fought him briefly—every single strike is monstrous. His offense is one thing, but his defense is ironclad too. He doesn't so much as stagger."

"Even my spear-fire couldn't cut through his mana."

"...This is going to be even harder than I thought, then."

"We give it everything we have. There's still a last resort."

And as Khan and I sized up our combined strength—

My instinct, and 'The Eyes of Heaven', raced to warn me of the danger bearing down on us both. A moment later, the wall collapsed—the wall I'd been hiding behind, shattered to rubble.

This bastard... what the hell?

"So you were here? Took me long enough to find you."

Keeping my composure, I sent a telepathic message to Ellie behind us—get the Princess to safety—then took up my fighting stance.

But there was one difference from before.

Back then, it had been only his sword-fire.

Now, the sound of a skin-crawling current coursing along my blade rang out, raw and unmistakable.

Bzzt-crack!

"Let me ask you one thing. Why are you trying to take the First Princess?"

With a sigh, the Successor of Taotie turned his gaze on me.

"Aren't you done looking pathetic? Stalling for time, are you? What happens if you actually piss me off doing that? Think you can handle it?"

"......"

"Well... I'll tell you just one thing... let's just say it's what the Four Perils' Taotie himself decreed."

Why... why would Taotie... want the First Princess...?

Before the question could even settle, a fist came hurtling at my face—I raised my sword and swung it wildly forward.

The roaring sword strike of the thunder dragon and a fist wreathed in eerie green flame collided head-on, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave that tore through everything around us.

The space around Guardian Star warped for an instant.

But the Successor of Taotie slammed fist against blade without a shred of care.

While I held him at the front, Khan searched for a way to pin the man's ankles, lending his strength to my fight.

Within that space—where the broken walls of the palace had become an ocean with no visible end—I pressed on with fierce, unrelenting strikes.

KAANG! KANG! KAGANG!!

"Authority: Taotie — Flame of Despair."

The green flames coiling around him swelled larger and larger, and he began hammering down at me with force enough to snap my sword in two.

I deflected the fists, slipping past direct blows as much as I could.

Blades of wind began orbiting Guardian Star, completing their preparations to carve through the flames.

"Authority: Taotie — Falling Disaster."

A colossal fist of the same viridian flame plummeted toward me at terrible speed—but I ignored the fist as best I could and drove deep into his guard instead.

Closer than the range at which his fist could fully close—beyond close quarters, into point-blank territory. That was where I stood.

And Khan, spear raised, checked the descending fist to shield me from it.

But even against our combined assault—

Kagagagagang! KANG!

A single punch shattered every wind blade at once, and the technique crumbled to nothing.

A split second later, a right foot came flashing at my temple. There was no dodging it—I tried to absorb it with 'Dragon Scale' and my own durability.

"Kgh! Gwahah!"

The impact broke through me entirely, and I went skidding across the palace floor, rolling helplessly.

Perhaps the shock to my skull was more than my brain could bear. For a few short, endless moments, I was assailed by dizziness, nausea, and a sickening loss of direction. Every fiber of me wanted to collapse right there.

But if we fell here, we had no chance of winning.

And if either Khan or I became unable to keep fighting, the odds of defeat climbed to near certainty.

"Haah... haah...!"

I made up my mind to draw out the measure I'd sworn to keep until the very last.

Yes—I knew its weakness, the colossal drain on my mana. But this was no time to be counting costs.

"Crescent...!"

Yes, Successor!

At last, the translucent blade of Guardian Star drank in the silver of moonlight and a faint violet sheen, transforming into a blade of pale purple.

Khan had held out as long as he could—

SHRAAAK!!

—but he could not overcome the overwhelming gap in power, and could only watch as his domain was torn apart before his eyes.

Yet as if in answer, silver light burst through into the interior of the building, seeping outward until it wrapped around everything in its embrace.

The moment I felt his domain unravel, I instinctively raised my own—moonlight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flooding the interior of the palace once more—and struck beneath the gaze of the moon looking down upon us.

I swung the gleaming blade three times toward the front, attacking.

"Yes... THIS is the kind of attack I wanted!"

He was begging for stronger and stronger blows, as if he wished for his own death. Gritting my teeth, I drove my sword onward.

He moved to smash down the three blades that seemed to fly like staggered crescents—

—and naturally, no blade existed where his sword fell.

Shffk!

The price was paid at once: his own blood, drawn by my blade.

But there was no pause—the second and third blades came flying in right behind it.

WHUMM! WHUMM!

Yet even those he failed to read, swinging at empty air and leaving himself wide open. The Successor of Taotie ate the attacks clean.

I steadied my breathing, readying the next strike—and in that instant, he was upon me.

He'd been several meters away. One leap, and he closed that distance entirely?

The blade became, for an instant, a mirror reflecting Taotie's fist—and as I swung it in that state, a sword strike carrying the exact force of his own punch erupted outward, as if he were the one who had swung his fist wildly at me a moment before.

KWAAAAANG!!!!

The collision of fist against fist generated an impact more than enough to throw both me and the Successor of Taotie backward.

Moon Shadow Devours was a sword art that deflected an opponent's technique while returning it in perfect likeness. Naturally, the more powerful the technique it received, the greater the shock of answering it.

There were exactly two ways to break through this technique.

Either attack in a form the technique could not reflect—or an attack so overwhelmingly powerful that even the reflection itself could not be endured.

Short of someone at the level of a divine-ranked being, this technique simply could not be countered.

However... the mana consumption was staggering.

...That single exchange just cost me a quarter of my mana.

A week of sparring with Ellie, Yeon, and Khan had revealed the Demon-Slaying Sword's great flaw: its monstrous appetite for mana. The more I used it, the faster it drained me dry. In raw power, it outclassed any blade I'd ever wielded—but its consumption was beyond imagination.

Still, there was no other choice now.

If I wanted to live—if I wanted to force him to retreat at the very least—this choice was not optional. It was essential.

Thud-duduk! Thud-uk!

The man who had just been flattened by the full force of his own fist cleared away the rubble of the walls around him and rose, eyes fixed on me.

Just as I tensed my body to resume the fight—

—the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clamor around the battered palace reached my ears: shouts, screams, moans.

".....?"

I wanted to look. But if I took my eyes off him now, my head would roll for it.

As if to sate that curiosity for me, the Successor of Taotie spoke up.

"Did you know? There are... three gates spewing demons arrayed around the imperial capital right now. Naturally, demons are pouring through them as we speak."

My expression management collapsed entirely; my brow furrowed on its own.

"From what I can see... three of you are holding them back. That archer girl among them—she fights rather well. Not a shred of combat experience, and yet."

"....."

I did not rise to it. Information came first right now.

Sooner or later, I'd carve that filthy mouth open with my sword, and that would be that.

"Impressive. To think there were powerhouses who'd rank among the finest of the Divine Beasts' Successors. At this level... she'd at least be comparable to 'that woman'?"

"...That woman?"

"Ah... you don't know yet? Doesn't matter. You'll meet her soon. Though to get there... first you'll have to survive me."

FWOOSH! FWOOROOROOSH!!!

Flames of death bloomed one after another from his two hands.

Khan was still at my side, fighting, covering my assaults—but he'd absorbed and deflected so many of those blows, buying time for me, that I could see him slowly wearing down.

I gathered moonlight into my blade and swung it in swift arcs, scattering it around me.

Before I knew it, the floor at my feet had become like transparent water, reflecting my image back at me.

And then—phantoms split from my form and stepped into reality.

They bore the same sword, wore my same shape—but unlike me, they could not use my techniques. Not the concept of a clone that copied my stats in full—true illusions, able to wield nothing but the swordsmanship I carried.

But if that alone was enough to deceive his eyes and carve open an opening, nothing more was needed.

Ten phantoms formed, each hoisting a Guardian Star, concealing the true me among their ranks, weaving deception through his field of vision.

A spear charged with the furious rush of breaking waves, and blades that showed him nothing but feints.

And even at the very moment the numerous illusions clouding his vision each struck at him, he was simply—serenely—telling us his name.

"My name is Jealousy. Remember it."

"...Four Perils Manifestation. Taotie."

What—?

Before the question could even form, Jealousy stood before us wearing a shape entirely unlike before.

The monstrous demonic energy rolling off him... and a vileness that no will within me could refuse...

An aura as though one of the Four Perils had truly descended...

Black spikes jutting from his back and arms...

Green flame blazing from every corner of his body...

Could that thing... still be called human...?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Jealousy raised his fist and thrust it toward us—

—and in an instant, my vision shook.

The sword strikes forged by 'Laughing Wind Severing Moon'. The azure spear of Khan's 'Wave Prison'. Even the phantoms of my 'Flower in the Mirror, Moon on the Water'.

All of it.

Broken by that single blow.

Then, seizing both my face and Khan's in his hands, he hurled us toward a window of the palace.

CRASH!

We burst through the glass and slammed into the ramparts of the imperial capital, impaled there by the force of the throw alone.

The impact was so tremendous that neither Khan nor I could move through the agony. I had a fractured left arm, a fractured right leg.

Khan's condition was just as dire—his injuries no better than mine, if not worse.

After we fell, Jealousy did not pursue.

No doubt he'd gone... looking for the Princess.

And with absolute certainty, Ellie and Yeon would soon be plunged into crisis as well.

Just as I was about to invoke the Authority of Life, raising a domain and channeling my mana to heal every wound on both Khan's body and mine—

Khan seized my hand.

"Don't waste it on me. I... can't move anymore. It hurts just to breathe. My ribs are... shattered, I think. I probably can't fight anymore... Don't worry about me—go."

"Injuries at this level... I can manage them at my own skill. I'll use it on you just as field treatment, then go after him. Hurry. Aren't your loved ones in danger?"

It was only with Khan that I could hope to seize victory—but with him combat-incapacitated now, chasing Jealousy down was the best play. I understood the counsel behind his words, his care for my mana reserves, and at once summoned my spirit: I had to move fast, back along the escape route the Princess would have fled down before our battle began.

After Hyun's telepathic message reached us, we guided the First Princess straight to the escape route we'd scouted in advance.

By some mercy, the Princess—though the ground was rough, unbroken wilderness—had thrown off even her shoes and run barefoot with all her might.

Later, when we finally made it out of the imperial capital, we saw it: a faint violet glow descending over the chamber where the Princess had been staying.

Yeon and I knew at a glance what it meant.

Hyun had unleashed the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Which meant his enemy was one he could only beat by wielding that sword—a blade of staggering, monstrous power that devoured mana without mercy. Realizing this, I resolved not to waste a single second of the time Hyun had bought us: I had to put as much distance between the Princess and the palace as possible.

The Princess's escape plan was this: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pass through Crystal Territory first, and should the worst come to pass, seek asylum in the Eastern Kingdom.

Perhaps it weighed on her conscience—a princess of a nation abandoning her country to flee—for the First Princess tried to object to the plan itself.

It was Hyun who shut her mouth.

Hyun spoke to the Princess.

"Your Highness. We stand here now to risk our lives for you—to protect you."

"If His Majesty the Emperor were a colder, more calculating man than he is, he might well have handed you over to Taotie's Successor outright and secured the stability of the nation instead."

"But His Majesty cast aside every such possibility and summoned us with a 'Summons Decree'—a thing that comes but once in a lifetime."

"That means you are trusted and loved by His Majesty beyond all measure. And in a moment like this, when survival alone is barely within reach... you would oppose the plan itself?"

"...Your Highness. Listen carefully. This is a cold thing to say—but as long as you have no power of your own, you are nothing more than prey, easy to be devoured."

The coldness was unlike anything Hyun usually showed—his tone so glacial I wondered for a moment if this were even the same person. Both Yeon and I flinched, if only briefly.

But soon, the First Princess gave a small nod and answered.

"The Successor of the Azure Dragon has opened my eyes. I see it now. As long as I have no power of my own... I am nothing more than prey, easy to be devoured. It's true."

"The demands I wish to make are but an ideal—and should I press further, my fate is only to become a lump of meat devoured by a ravening beast."

"Successor of the Azure Dragon... no—Hyun. I accept your plan. So in return, you must bring me victory."

"....."

"I, too, will do as you say—preserve myself and survive to the very end. I will do what I can. So you—do what only you can do. What you, and no one else, must do."

At the Princess's words, Hyun at last knelt before her and bowed with full courtesy.

Perhaps Hyun had simply wished to test her—whether she could be trusted, whether she was the sort of person who would become an obstacle in the end.

And so time passed, bringing us to the present.

How far had the Princess walked, just as Hyun had said—in a dress so filthy no one would believe she was a princess, and on bare feet?

The descent of that vile aura upon the earth was unmistakable—so clear that even I, no Successor of the Divine Beasts, could feel it with my whole being.

My body trembled from head to toe, screaming its warning, insisting—flee this place, run, now—but I barely held it all down, and turned my gaze toward the Princess, who still hadn't fully recovered her bearings.

And the First Princess...

"...I—I'm so sorry..!"

Even under an aura vile enough to fell an ordinary person outright, she had risen with dignity—apologizing even for the state of her dress—and given everything she had to run.

We, too, made light of it and tended to her as best we could. With no spare clothes among us, there was no clear solution but to drape her in our capes.

And so we walked. And walked.

And what came to us then was none other than Hyun—drenched in blood.

"Don't worry. Most of this isn't mine. There were quite a lot of demons on the way, so I cut them down coming here."

"None of it's yours, you say?"

I caught the crack in his words at once.

".....Yeah. The enemy is... stronger than I imagined. Khan's out of commission."

What left his mouth was news of calamity beyond anything we had imagined.

The Successor of Xuanwu—famed as the strongest defense among them all—had been forced to retire. Both Yeon and I could not hide our fear.

But Hyun alone, eyes blazing wide, reached his sword out toward the darkness closing in on us.

"Ellie! Yeon! Take the Princess and run—as far as you can!"

Closer and closer, something of deepest viridian green was speeding toward us... racing at us.

At last, the thing collided with Hyun's sword—and the second battle between Hyun and Jealousy began.