Ascalon's Fury and the Eyes of the Firmament

The outer crossguard of Ascalon stretched sideways, making it look like a cross at a glance. Its blade was broad, single-edged like a longsword, with the center of gravity toward the tip, giving it a heavy feel when swung. No one knew how it entered the annals of history, but in truth, this Ascalon was identical to the ordinary swords wielded by Roman infantrymen.

The sword's original owner had severed a dragon's neck with this plain blade, infusing it with history and his heroic feats until it became a true dragon-slaying sword. In other words, it hadn't started out as anything special. Unlike Excalibur, Gram, Leviathan, Arondight, or the Heavenly Punishment Sword—blades born extraordinary from the outset—this one was different. Unlike divine swords forged by higher beings, swords reborn as holy blades by human hands only sharpen for specific roles. And that sharpness could sometimes surpass even divine blades.

Ascalon was a dragon-slaying sword. When killing dragons, it became sharper and harder than any other blade.

The massive, oversized sword—ill-suited to the sky's body—sliced through the pouring ink. There were no flashy effects like Excalibur's gleaming light or Leviathan's erupting flames. No sword aura or energy cloaked it either, so it just looked like a straightforward swing. But it cut cleanly. The ink split in half with a crack, scattering in all directions to evade the sky.

Haneul glanced down briefly to see what happened to things touched by the ink. Kududuk—the grass, clouds, snow, and flames it touched all rotted away into mush. From those festering spots, bizarre creatures spawned. They resembled the monster faction from a space war game—cousins, perhaps—with grotesque looks that killed appetites on sight, writhing tentacles, and foul slime spurting everywhere. Utterly repulsive.

"Whoa, these guys could star in an eroge."

Haneul couldn't hold back her admiration. She'd planned to stay silent and methodically slay the dragon like Ascalon's owner, but after seeing that, keeping quiet was impossible.

She looked up at the Azure Dragon. It was hard to see clearly. Its body had already merged with the ink clouds.

"What the hell happened to you?"

The Azure Dragon was originally a deity governing life—the father of all newly born life in the East. But its current form was too grotesque to call it a life deity anymore. Could a god fall this far? In all her eons, Haneul had never seen such a complete reversal.

She glanced at the monsters crawling on the ground and swung her sword. They looked ready to head toward the city.

Chwaaak! Sword energy surged from the blade, severing tentacles and heads. Then she looked back at the Azure Dragon.

"Dragon-slayer."

Quaaak! Midway through the Azure Dragon's words, Haneul kicked off the air and leaped upward. She gripped Ascalon with both hands and swung with all her might. No mana adorned the blade. For slaying dragons, a pure swing sufficed. That was Ascalon.

Seogeok—with a short sound, scales hidden behind the ink clouds sheared off. The dragon twisted to dodge a follow-up swing, then soared higher to evade the third. Seogeok! It failed.

The Azure Dragon roared in fury. Ignoring it, Haneul swung once more to keep it at bay, then extended her hand forward. She reversed the inner energy flowing through her palm. Using the Soul Absorption Technique she'd stolen from someone while wandering the Central Plains.

Shwaaak—scales floating in the ink clouds were sucked toward her hand like iron filings. Haneul examined the one in her grasp. Its blue had dulled to navy, and a bulging eyeball now protruded from its smooth surface. The eye blinked. Haneul blinked back.

"Even sliced, the eye lives. Perfect souvenir."

She poked the eyeball with her index finger. It rolled wildly as if screaming, then slammed its lid shut. She pried it open and poked twice more. Pok kwak—the final stab with the sword tip made pus ooze out. Without hesitation, Haneul scooped and ate it.

"Chomp chomp chomp."

The Azure Dragon dove rapidly. Haneul let gravity pull her down too. She savored the lingering taste.

"Mmm, this deep, foul flavor. Definitely a first—the bland ones confirm it."

All the deities she'd eaten before were different, but this 'difference' veered off course. She'd felt it before when eating innate deities after human-turned ones. Haneul ruminated on the pus inside her as she swung again—this time flat with the broad side.

Kwaaaang! The Azure Dragon's snout, now at her nose, crumpled against the flat. Like a human's nasal bone shattering. Undeterred, it swiped with its 'hand'.

"Hand?"

Startled but dodging mid-air, Haneul gawked. A tentacle resembling a hand, adorned with eerie appendages—including something like what she'd lost long ago.

"What? Did you switch to an eroge worldview? Wait, was Busker City an eroge setting? Huh? Kinda feels like it? Holy crap, so 'governing life' meant that life? Dude's a guy. Like a hentai god. Oh! Then I got the virgin ending from the start? Nice! I'm a pro. Cool. So am I the evil hentai goddess?"

What was 'Yas' or 'eroge'? The Azure Dragon caught half her words but knew it was mockery.

Its eyes bloodshot, the Azure Dragon charged. Haneul backflipped, swinging casually—but its massive size ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meant scales flew with each strike. So she kept swinging. Swing, dodge, thrust, swing, smack, parry, block, swing, slash, uppercut, smash down... Felt like two hours of nonstop swordplay. Maybe more. Twilight had given way to pitch-black night.

She collected every fallen scale—sucked, bit, licked, pocketed, or tossed into subspace. Poked and burst every eyeball, confirming pus extraction restored them (less beautiful, but usable). Drank all the pus. The more she drank, the clearer its embedded authority became. Addictively foul and mood-boosting—like a drug, though she'd never tried one.

Smacking her lips, Haneul swung again.

'That old man did this all day. How'd he not get bored?'

Ascalon's owner had fought nonstop for twelve days and nights. Haneul had watched without helping, as ordered—and he'd fought steadily, tirelessly, masterfully. She could swing for twelve days too. Just didn't want to from boredom. Baek Hye-seo once said she seemed to have severe ADHD; the description fit. Hard to focus, always fidgety. Back in Bifrost, she'd cut in line, sparking a brawl that escalated to Ragnarok—all over skipping ahead. Hilarious in hindsight. She'd drawn Durandal then, swung too hard...

"Huh?"

Recalling 'swung too hard,' her real swing felt the same. Snapping back, she saw a crimson sword gleam erupting from her vision. In the darkened world of night and ink clouds, Ascalon's light burned redder and hotter than the midday sun.

Haneul swallowed and yelled at the Azure Dragon.

"Gah, dodge!! You can't block that!!"

Its face twisted. It had planned to dodge. But you can't block it? No god had ever dismissed it so. Never once. A mere mortal's gall. Pride wounded, it decided to block the eerie gleam. Ink clouds swelled, spewing thicker sludge—no, birthing monsters outright. Air touched by ink reborn as life? Droplets morphed into eroge horrors mid-fall... but didn't charge the gleam. They hurled themselves into the Azure Dragon's maw.

Local time stretched like taffy... It chewed and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swallowed the horde. As Haneul stared in confusion, its jaws gaped wide. Dragon breath was its signature azure gust—but no blue glow now. Just roiling black pus. Momentum suggested it could obliterate Haneul and the range. Prideful gods wrecked their lairs for less.

With a roar, the breath erupted. The crimson gleam cleaved the clouds. Haneul screamed endlessly.

"Noooo!!!"

———.

Silence fell, as if sound vanished. The world had stopped; no sound could exist.

"Huh?"

Blinking from her scream, Haneul eyed the Azure Dragon. Its breath vaporized by the gleam, neck half-severed—frozen in panicked shock. No mistaking it: time dominion.

'Like the Clock Grandpa? Lower tier? Hard to say.'

Haneul tilted her head, sheathing Ascalon. Time would resume, and it'd die. No position shift, fate twist, or meddling would save it. She'd decreed it. Only tasks left: extract deity, scales, heart.

Done with the dragon, Haneul waved away ink clouds and gazed summitward. Eyes met.

Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye. Eye to eye, and eyes again. Countless eyes studded the sky. Every 'star' was an eye. Even the full moon blinked. Haneul connected them into constellations, spelled words, stared down... then turned to the largest: the moon's eye.

It spoke.

The words made sense but felt awkward—like a being ignorant of 'language' forcing it to convey intent.

Haneul glanced at the distant city—frozen too, eyes blinking above its night sky.

"Know any friends with weird colors?"

The sky's eyes swirled.

"Yeah. Spill. Got a friend who slathers on weird colors? Might be dead now."

Same as the color in the Central Plains—but closer to a concept than a mere deity. Some gods embodied concepts, but this ambiguous one was new. They'd existed since Haneul wandered other worlds—maybe longer. Rooted in the Central Plains, corrupting righteousness and chivalry, igniting martial arts, rotting Nangong's sky. She'd hunted it through endless kalpas, reincarnations unchanging her madness or sanity.

"Finally found you."

A grating voice like scraping iron. Looking up, the night sky felt blindingly bright. Master's departure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠night was pitch-black—why so luminous now? The eyes? The moon?

"Me?"

No need for deep thought. Darkness loomed soon.

"Sky."

The sky's light faded.