O Hero, May You Rest in Peace
“What the hell is this?”
“Don’t touch it. In your current state, it could shatter your body.”
Even I could destroy myself if I mishandled Pector’s sword fragment right now. That’s why I planned to fuse it with the pure mana Noel was channeling into me.
“Is that seriously Pector’s… that thing?”
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“What are you planning to do with it? I get that it’s better than a holy sword for us right now, but if you screw up, we’ll both die here and no one will ever know, right?”
We’d be reduced to dust, so yes.
“Pour your mana into my mana sword. I’ll extract only the attribute from Pector’s blade and embed it here.”
“What kind of insane bullshit is this? I understand using demonic power to wield Pector’s sword, but what exactly do you think pouring my mana into it will accomplish?”
Why make it sound so complicated? What am I going to do? The answer is simple.
“Fuse them.”
“Have you completely lost your mind? What exactly are you trying to turn yourself into?”
Who knows? I don’t either. Whatever it becomes, it’ll still be better than dying to that thing right now. I’m just reusing the same method I used on Jerato, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
“I’ve done this before. Since I can’t use it myself right now, I’m borrowing your mana.”
It’s similar to what I did with Jerato. While granting the power, I’ll use Noel’s mana to suppress my demonic energy. Back then I could freely use mana. That’s not possible now, so I need Noel—who can wield sword magic—to supply it.
“Fine, let’s say we do it. What about the time it takes to endure the process?”
Endure? Will we even need to?
“We’ll do it while fighting.”
“You crazy bastard. No, wait—you’re a girl now. You crazy bitch. You want to pour mana while fighting that thing? You said it feels stronger than Pector, didn’t you? And you’re going to fight it in that half-corpse body?”
That’s exactly why I need you to pour the mana. Fill it to the brim before I get drunk on despair and demonic energy.
“Just hang onto my arm. I’ll handle the endurance myself.”
“So that’s why you showed me that form earlier.”
Obviously.
“If you don’t do it right, expect another enemy on the field.”
It requires that level of delicate control.
“You say the words ‘becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings’ in the creepiest way possible.”
“Don’t worry. If you do your part properly, there won’t be a problem.”
As long as I only use mana bullets, it’s doable. Gather them all at once and strike true. The dark mage just needs to stay out of the fight.
“Ready?”
Before Eldacrad could close in, I formed a sword on my right arm with sword magic. Then I drove the fragment of Pector’s Sword of Despair straight into it.
Crackle—!
The pure blue blade melted as Pector’s sword fused with it, turning the entire thing pitch black.
“Wow. I’m actually speechless. That bright blue sword is turning completely black.”
“Shut up and keep pouring mana in.”
Noel clung to my mana sword and flooded it with power. A heavy, numbing sensation spread through my right arm. Noel’s mana began suppressing the power of despair and the demonic energy trying to run rampant inside me.
This was where the real delicate control came in. I kept my right arm completely still, locked in place, while my left hand formed a mana bullet. Eldacrad charged toward us. Unlike before, I could actually see his movements now. It didn’t look like he could last much longer either. Controlling someone of his caliber for long would be nearly impossible.
“Grrrrraaaaaahhh…”
The corpse was producing sound. Was it breaking free from the dark mage’s control?
I gathered three or four mana bullets into one and fired.
BANG!
CRASH!
Eldacrad’s charging body froze. Not yet. I couldn’t end it here.
I created more mana bullets. Minimum mana, maximum force. Each shot carried overwhelming power to increase penetration.
“Your mana control is impressive even in the middle of this.”
“I’m a mage. Of course I can operate both hands independently.”
“He’s coming again!”
I fired another shot.
BAAAAANG!
This one must have been stronger; the stun lasted much longer.
“How long has it been?”
Hard to say. My right arm was gradually getting used to the fusion. The suppression was nearly complete, and the mana sword that had been turning black had shifted into a deep purple. The ominous aura radiating from it was exactly like Pector’s.
This should be usable.
“Yeah. It’s almost done. We’re good.”
“Wow. You fused a Heavenly King’s power into your own mana. You’re actually insane, brother. You even absorbed my mana on top of it.”
That’s life for you. If I were normal, I never would’ve done something this crazy.
I’ve always prioritized efficiency. I hate clinging to fights that are realistically unwinnable. Breaking a rock with an egg is difficult. So instead, I find a way to turn the rock into a giant egg by drawing out every ounce of power possible.
That’s how this mana sword came to be.
Pector has no flexibility. He’ll be shocked when he sees me later. While he keeps stupidly drawing his sword from its sheath every time, I’ll simply summon it through sword magic.
Right. Time to take down the hero of Ashtarte.
“I’ll finish this in one strike.”
I was getting tired of mana bullets anyway. Eldacrad had started walking forward again, enduring the barrage.
Time to make a decisive move. I had to fight eventually.
CLAAAAANG!
Pector’s sword and mine collided with a deafening crash. This time it was different. It was nothing more than a corpse swinging a blade.
With Pector’s authority, I sliced into Eldacrad.
“What? It didn’t shatter?”
My sister was still as dense as ever. No wonder she’d stormed out of the house without a second thought.
Eldacrad was already finished. The proof was the demonic energy wrapped around him slowly dissipating.
“Look closer.”
“The mana is disappearing?”
The demonic energy was being reclaimed, and the mana was vanishing along with it. Eldacrad wasn’t a living being—he was dead. He was only being controlled by the dark mage’s mana. All I had to do was turn that demonic energy into powder.
The demonic energy clinging to Eldacrad crumbled into dust and scattered into the air.
“Why do you think he’s called Pector of Despair? Everything he touches turns to powder.”
I’d realized it during our last battle. Pector’s authority was far stronger than I’d imagined. And he’d kindly handed me a weapon containing that very power.
“Even the mana?”
“That’s not mana. It’s demonic energy. Something on that level turns to powder easily.”
There were many ways to resurrect corpses, but this one had been raised through black magic. Once the demonic energy was stripped away, the mana that had been forcibly drawn from the dead body would disappear too.
“What’s the actual principle behind it?”
“I don’t know. One thing is certain—it turns the concept itself into powder. Whatever the wielder desires. That’s why you’re not dying even though you’re standing right next to this sword.”
Each of the Four Heavenly Kings possesses an authority granted by the Demon King. I don’t know the exact mechanics.
“So you’re Olivia of Despair now.”
“Want me to break you for real?”
She was treating me like one of the Heavenly Kings.
Rumble—!
“Guaaaaaaaaagh!”
CLANG!
The mana Noel had poured in was more than enough. At this rate, I could keep fighting for a long time.
I needed to finish Eldacrad quickly and find the dark mage. With the demonic energy gone, his strength had bottomed out.
“Graaaaaagh!”
“Noel! Now that the demonic energy is stripped, this is our chance! The chest!”
“Got it!”
Squelch!
I drove the mana sword into the caved-in solar plexus that had been crushed by the mana bullets. It sank in far easier than expected. The dark mage had clearly poured tremendous effort into this corpse.
“Grrr… Guaaaagh… Graaaaaaaaagh!”
As expected of Pector’s sword. The performance was flawless.
It was time to end this tiresome battle.
“Even if the core is different, you are still a descendant of Ashtarte. Now, please rest in peace.”
“Guaaaaaaaaagh!”
Eldacrad swung at me and Noel, who were still clinging to his chest. He staggered violently for a long moment before his legs finally gave out.
THUD!
Eldacrad collapsed.
“Did we get him?”
Yeah. That’s what I thought—until a woman’s shadow rose before us.
A silver-haired woman dressed like a saint. However, the nun’s habit she wore bore neither a cross emblem nor a cross necklace.
The fallen saint who had abandoned her faith in the goddess.
Fallen Saint Berna.
“I came because I sensed an unpleasant aura, but to think it was Ashtarte—not Pector—who possessed such power.”
No wonder something had felt off. To infiltrate the mausoleum, one would need the strength of a Heavenly King. If this woman was here, the situation had just become far more troublesome.
Everything she did was repulsive.
A woman who possessed the Authority of Corruption. A being that preyed on people’s weaknesses and twisted them into loyal puppets.
But right now, I could afford to be a little rude.
“This is a gift one of your colleagues gave me.”
I shook the mana sword infused with Pector’s power. Berna’s face twisted in disgust.
“That fool is of no use to the Demon King or to us. Are you perhaps lovers with Pector?”
“!!”
Me? With that guy? Was she insane?
I’d rather remain single for the rest of my life. I had zero intention of marrying one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings.
“No way… Brother.”
The way my sister was looking at me was full of suspicion.
“No? Me? Why? Why the hell would I get into a relationship with one of the Demon Army’s Heavenly Kings? Stop talking nonsense and focus on preparing to break up with the hero.”
Me dating Pector? The world would laugh itself to death.
“If you truly were lovers, I might have considered sparing you. But to dare stab our lord with a blade? Then there’s no reason to let you live.”
Who was the one who caused all this in the first place?
“I feel like I’m desecrating a corpse too. Since your granddaughter’s hand killed your grandfather again, maybe I should rip out some of your hair and make a god out of it?”
Since we’d come this far, we had to capture her.
“Insolent fool! I’ll turn you into something like our lord. Wouldn’t it be lovely if the two of you stayed by my side?”
Nauseating demonic energy began condensing around Berna. She still had this much power left?
“Well done. It’s not like you can fight anymore, yet you’re provoking a Heavenly King?”
“Then should I kneel and apologize?”
I answered Noel’s question in a sour tone. In my life, I would never kneel before the likes of the Demon Army.
“Prepare yourselves. Huh?”
But Berna, who had been stretching out her right hand to cast black magic, suddenly froze.
“Brother. That bitch is acting weird.”
“Perfect.”
BANG!
I fired the mana bullet I’d prepared in that opening, striking her square in the chest. Berna’s body jerked to a halt before she staggered back several steps.
“Khk! Even in that state, you—! Just wait! I will definitely return!”
Berna muttered something strange toward Eldacrad, glared at us for a long moment, then vanished.
Damn it. That was too shallow. I should have captured her right then. Since I couldn’t kill her, I should have at least taken her prisoner. Even if it meant pushing myself, I should have stabbed her with the sword.
It looked like Noel had used some kind of magic?
“What the hell just happened?”
“Brother, you used restraint magic back there?”
“I didn’t. I thought you did.”
Apparently not Noel either.
“Then who stopped her?”
“That.”
Clank.
An ominous sound made me turn my head. The fallen Eldacrad was rising once more. Looking closely, a scrap of cloth from the clothes Berna had been wearing was caught on his foot. Could it be? Had he stepped on Berna’s clothing and stopped?
“Fuck. That damn woman ran away, so why is Eldacrad—”
“Wait. I don’t sense any hostility. Brother, hold on a second.”
Eldacrad approached me. Slowly. Overwhelmingly. It was completely different from the dying figure he had been moments ago.
“Brother!?”
Eldacrad placed his hand on my head. In that instant, a massive flood of memories poured into my mind.
They were Eldacrad’s memories.