Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 43
>Chapter Title: A Great Technique
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“No, it just... sort of happened...”
[Still, that's no excuse..!]
I soothed the fuming demon sword while pressing down on my bleeding forearm. The pressure only made the blood gush out more forcefully.
The demon sword fell silent for a moment, lapping up the blood like someone carefully sipping water from a glass filled to the brim.
[...From now on, you must feed me blood at least once a day!]
Once its belly was somewhat full, the demon sword reverted to its usual tone. I gave a noncommittal "alright" and then spoke.
“I have a match coming up soon, so eat your fill.”
[Hmph, you only come to me when you need something.]
“Don't want any more blood?”
The moment I slightly lifted the demon sword from my wrist, it began to tremble like a baby having its bottle snatched away.
[Ah..! It's not that I don't want it! Hey, contractor! The wound is healing!]
As the wound began to close in an instant, the demon sword vibrated wildly. When I pressed it against the injury again, it quietly resumed absorbing the blood.
A sense of peace washed over me, like I'd just given a pacifier to a whining baby.
Just as I was thinking that.
*Knock, knock.*
Someone was knocking on the door. There was only one person it could be right now.
“Oh—Iris, I'll be right out.”
After saying that, I spoke to the demon sword.
“I'll feed you again later, so go back inside.”
[...Ughhh...]
The demon sword whined as it hastily lapped up the last drops of blood, but at my urging, it turned into a ball of light and slipped back into the back of my hand.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!*
The heavy knocking sounded again, and I reflexively blurted out, "Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!" Perhaps because I was alone now, the wound healed quickly.
The blood that had dripped just before it healed had stained the sink, so I rinsed it away with cold water. Finally, I washed my hands with soap, scrubbing all the way up to my wrist where the wound had been, before opening the door and stepping out.
Iris stood there with her fist raised, her eyes wide. She seemed startled by the door suddenly opening.
“Sorry, did you need to use the bathroom? Go on in.”
I stepped out of the bathroom and moved to the side. Iris mirrored me, taking a step to the side as well. When I moved again, she followed suit.
I paused, seeing that Iris had no intention of entering the bathroom. She then approached me and started sniffing.
“...Don't smell it.”
“Hmm?”
“Smell of... blood.”
Her words sent a shiver down my spine.
*She smelled that even with the door closed... Iris has a good nose.*
Breaking into a cold sweat, I made a mental note to be more careful in the future and said.
“Nah, why would I smell like blood? I just used the bathroom.”
Iris narrowed her eyes, looking up at me, before nodding in acceptance. I thought to myself that washing my hands with soap was a good call and headed to the living room with her.
***
A few days later, the day of the pre-announced match arrived. Having feasted on blood every day, the demon sword was in better condition than ever.
[Khuhuhu, all shall bow before my great power!]
As the demon sword let out a gleeful laugh, the blade hummed, and a sinister aura spread out from it. A terrifying energy that could drive people mad began to dominate the surrounding space.
*Smack.*
[Ouch!]
“Tsk, stop emitting weird things and behave.”
I smacked the blade of the troublemaking demon sword, and the dark red aura was sucked back into it.
[How dare you strike this body!]
“After this match, I won't have a reason to use a sword for a while... Hmmm...”
[O-On second thought, it was my mistake.]
The demon sword's voice instantly became docile. Its attitude made me wonder.
*Is it that delicious?*
If the demon sword just wanted blood, it wouldn't need to be this submissive. It could just fly off somewhere and get blood whenever it was summoned.
Of course, we're linked by a contract, so it would eventually have to return to me, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for it to get blood by other means.
In other words, the fact that the demon sword was being so meek and obedient meant my blood was just that delicious. The way it muttered about how tasty it was every time it drank also supported this idea.
*It didn't taste like much to me.*
Seeing how much it enjoyed it, I got curious and licked a drop myself, but it just tasted like regular blood.
*Maybe I could start a business selling my blood later?*
I imagined selling my blood to vampires, which led to an image of me being captured and raised like livestock. Then, the fantasy shifted to being domesticated by a beautiful vampire, and I snapped back to reality at the sound of clanking chains.
*Woooooah!*
From outside, I could hear the announcer shouting about me, mixed with the roar of an expectant crowd. *The people are full of energy today, too,* I thought as I stepped out.
*Shriiiik, clank.*
The gate on the opposite side opened, and out walked a green-skinned orc. Not just one, but five orcs, armed with a greatsword, a bow, a staff, and a shield.
Two of the orcs held swords, one of which was shaped like a saw. Orcs were monsters with the intelligence of a three-to-five-year-old, so they didn't charge in immediately.
An arrow flew from a distance, and the orc with the shield advanced at the front. The shaman holding the staff cackled, "Kehek, kehihik," as a black magical orb formed at the tip of its staff.
[My opponents are just five orcs? This won't even be a warm-up.]
The demon sword muttered in a dry, disappointed tone. I raised my sword as I watched the orcs stomp toward me.
*Swish—.*
I swung the sword from bottom left to top right. It wasn't a particularly powerful swing. Just a light motion, as if drawing a line in the air.
*Splurch.*
The orcs' bodies split along the line I had drawn. The charging orcs' lower halves kept running forward before tumbling to the ground, while their upper bodies fell backward.
They died without even realizing it.
The fight didn't even last a minute. For a moment, silence fell over the arena.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
The crowd erupted, thrilled by the fight that could only be described as overwhelming. Just as I thought it was over and turned to leave...
“It would be a shame to end it here, wouldn't it? So we've prepared something special!”
*Shriiiik, shriiiik, shriiiik! K-thunk! Thunk! K-thuuunk!*
Iron cages of various sizes, meant for different monsters, rose upward with a cacophony of noise. From behind them, all sorts of monsters poured out.
Dozens of enormous monsters flooded the arena, and the crowd's roar grew so loud it seemed to shake the very ground of the arena.
“Will our new star be able to overcome this trial?!”
*Kieeeek! Ggueeeek!*
The monsters that emerged attacked and even ate each other, but all their eyes were fixed on me.
[Just a swarm of insignificant insects. Not a single one worth a proper fight. Tsk...]
The demon sword clicked its tongue, seemingly unimpressed by the monsters' strength.
[However—...with so many of them, it will be difficult to deal with them all at once.]
Among the monsters were some as tall as me. A horizontal slash through the air would have a hard time hitting the shorter ones.
Of course, swinging the sword multiple times would solve the problem, but the demon sword didn't seem to want to do that.
[Hahaha, it can't be helped. This time, I shall permit you to use a great technique.]
“A great technique?”
[Indeed.]
The demon sword grinned as it extended its blade.
[Lower your stance and hold the sword at an angle.]
“Like this?”
As I roughly assumed the stance the demon sword described, it began to glow a dark red.
[Now, swing the sword!]
I swung the sword, which was shimmering with a dark red light as if it had gathered immense power, in a rough upward arc. Then, I heard the demon sword's voice.
[‘Blood Wave!’]
*What? Isn't the wielder usually the one who shouts the spell name?*
The silly thought crossed my mind just as the dark red energy gathered on the blade shot forward. The energy, which I expected to slice through the approaching monsters, instead seeped into the ground.
The ordinary dirt floor was instantly stained, turning into a sea of blood. A massive wave rose from the bloody sea and began to swallow all the charging monsters.
*Chiiik, chwaaaak—.*
The sound of something melting mixed with the sound of monster bodies being torn to pieces, creating a horrific noise. The no-longer-living creatures were instantly swallowed by the red wave, vanishing without a trace.
“Oh, isn't this from that thing? The...”
I muttered the name of a certain work, and the demon sword, which had been preening, yelped in surprise.
[This is a technique I developed myself!]
I shut my mouth at its startled reaction, like a creator whose copyright had just been infringed upon. It was certainly possible that in this world, the demon sword held the copyright.
“Do you have any other techniques besides this one?”
[Huhuhut, of course I do. This great body has—...]
I let its usual repertoire about barely sealing some Lord Dragon or whatever go in one ear and out the other as I glanced toward the announcer.
The announcer wore a completely bewildered expression, as if he'd never imagined things would turn out this way.