Chapter 289
Chapter 289
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Holders (4)
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-Wrong!!! Our power has nothing to do with black magic!
-You know that better than anyone!
-That bastard is a deceiver!!! Do not be swayed by the sinister and cunning soul of that fiend!!!
-Snap out of it!!! You're the only one who can pull your comrades out of this swamp of confusion and deception!!!
-Hey, friend, it's time for us to step in. You don't plan on just standing by while that black mage pulls tricks on your friends, do you?
Some of the unit members were already deeply eroded by the Dominion's aura, right down to their core.
The clones could read deep into their targets' psyches and whisper to them.
It was no different from the inner voice they produced themselves.
"""He's our enemy!!!"""
"""He's sowing discord among us with his vile tricks."""
"""We have to stop him."""
The unit members' eyes grew vacant.
"Enemy..."
"Vile tricks..."
"""Yes!!!"""
"""He's trying to take our swords away!!!"""
"""He's trying to divide us!!!"""
"Right... No... We can't let that happen..."
"These swords..."
"""Are the swords bestowed upon us by the Ash Lord!!!"""
"The swords bestowed upon us by the Ash Lord..."
"We must repay the Ash Lord with these swords..."
"We can't lose this power now..."
...
...
...
"But why?"
She was one who was relatively less affected by the Dominion's influence.
She murmured in anguish.
"Why is he trying to take our swords...?"
"""Because these swords bestowed by the Ash Lord hold tremendous power!!!"""
"Right... these swords are tremendous..."
"I've never seen a sword like this in my life..."
It was an undeniable fact.
The Ash Lord's unit members were all experts who had reached their own levels of mastery, with broad knowledge and experience.
They had encountered countless treasures before.
From famed swords of the Bendel style to egoswords imbued with mysterious powers.
Even combining all those experiences—
This was the first time they had seen such swords.
Mystical treasures that seemed born and existing solely for their master?
The Ash Lord's unit members couldn't help but be astonished when they realized the true nature of those swords.
Swords of Potential.
Swords of Wisdom.
Swords of Aspiration.
Swords of Vitality.
What those swords offered was precisely what they themselves needed.
They went beyond merely heeding their master's words—they seemed to perfectly grasp their deepest desires!
Though it was shameful for servants of the Ash Lord—they would gladly lay down their lives for those swords.
In that sense, those swords were supreme treasures that anyone would covet.
Therefore.
Anyone could covet those swords—
And anyone could become an enemy trying to steal them.
The Dominion's will, rooted in desire, influences thoughts and takes hold as if it were truth.
As long as they desired those swords—
Every being in the world could become their enemy.
At this point, they were fated to be swayed by the Dominion's will.
And so, right now.
The Dominion's will declared.
That he covets the swords!
"...But he's already the master of a holy sword?"
No treasure could compare to these swords!
Except for the holy sword.
Even as they were led by the Dominion's will, they unconsciously wondered.
Would even the master of a holy sword covet these swords?
The answer came immediately.
Well.
Why would he?
Not unless it was the other way around.
"In the first place, that noble holy sword wouldn't allow its master to have another sword—"
Even the unit members with vacant eyes nodded at the woman's words.
"Right..."
"What holy sword... would allow its hero to hold another sword..."
"No holy sword without such integrity or pride could exist..."
At that moment.
There were gazes fixed intently on the advancing holy sword.
From Ash unit member Danil and Reverse Heaven's Star Arisha.
What.
Why.
What.
Jallak awkwardly averted their gazes.
It was a sword, after all.
"""Snap out of it!!!"""
It was a voice trying to restore order to the chaotic atmosphere.
The Dominion's will exerted itself even more strongly within their minds.
"""Remember how his aura, amplified by the swords, carried the taint of black magic!!!"""
"""Black mage!!! That's his true nature!!!"""
"...But he's the hero?"
Even the unit members with vacant eyes nodded at the woman's words.
"Right..."
"What holy sword... would serve a black mage as its master..."
"That would no longer be a holy sword... but a demon sword..."
At that moment.
There were gazes fixed intently on the advancing holy sword.
From Ash unit member Danil and Reverse Heaven's Star Arisha.
Enough.
The holy sword pleaded.
"""Foolish!!!"""
"""Does that mean the swords are the cause?!?"""
"""The swords bestowed upon us by the Ash Lord?!?"""
The Dominion's will stimulated the fanatics' frenzied faith.
"...Well, rather than the hero actually being a black mage, that makes more—"
"Even the Ash Lord... can't always be right..."
"You lot, what blasphemous nonsense is that...!!! Though it does make some sense..."
The fanatics partially regained their reason.
They were blind zealots—
But not empty-headed fools, were they?
"...Huh? Why did I—"
"For a moment... I thought the hero might really be a black mage..."
"This feels off... This isn't me... I wouldn't have such a foolish thought...!!!"
Light began returning to their once-vacant eyes, one by one.
"""What the damn hell!!!"""
The Dominion's will cried out in frustration and disbelief.
To have to convince them that the holy sword's master was actually a black mage.
And it wasn't even a deception to escape the situation.
If it intended to deceive them, it wouldn't have used such a ridiculous story as the hero being a black mage.
So it was maddening.
How could this be the plain truth!?
"""You!!! Reveal your true identity!!! You're no hero!!!"""
Light returned to their vacant eyes one by one.
The desperate clone resorted to its final measure.
Selection and concentration.
Abandon hosts weakly affected by the Dominion.
Instead, focus on those strongly influenced.
"""He's clearly a black mage masquerading as the hero!!!"""
"Xenon!?"
"Feyster, what in the world...!!!"
And so, some of the fanatics began moving as a single hive mind.
"He's showing his true colors! Everyone, fall back!!!"
At Hero Rishir's command, the fanatics withdrew from the hive.
The group disintegrated, leaving only nine fanatics behind.
"""I don't care what trick you used—we won't be fooled by such shallow deceptions!!! We'll rip off your mask no matter what!!!"""
The Dominion hive corners the hero.
The original goal of dominating the entire Ash unit without their knowledge had already failed—
But at least exposing that loathsome black mage's identity would drag everything into the mud!
If his true nature was revealed and proven wrong, the Dominion over the hosts would solidify, and securing more hosts would be possible!
-Damn it! Those bastards find even this annoying!!!
The holy sword's cry carried a sense of helplessness.
Demon sword hive.
In terms of raw power alone, they weren't much of a threat.
They were just a portion of the unit present here, and Rishir and Reverse Heaven's Star were included among the rest.
The outcome of a clash was clear.
That was why.
They couldn't be touched lightly.
Those now part of the Dominion were respected, devout unit members within the group.
Thus, they were more obsessed with the swords from the Ash Lord, and thus more deeply dominated.
"Danil. Are you hoping for the delightful twist that each of those greedy bastards deserves to die for their avarice?"
"Lady Arisha, please don't say that...!!! They are the ones who have devoted their entire lives to unwavering faith in the Ash Lord!!! The current Iphrien exists entirely because of them!!!
"That was worse than saying nothing. To have to subdue them without a single injury—"
-They're practically hostages!!!
As Jallak said, each one could be seen as a hostage of the demon sword.
Casualties were inevitable in a direct confrontation.
Thus, it had to be a last resort.
That was why the combative giant's descendants were stepping back in this absurd scene.
'Damn it, what the hell do we do—'
In the urgent situation, Danil's thoughts accelerated.
But it was ultimately a futile effort.
Though Danil had carried out countless missions as an elite of the unit—
Even he had no experience facing a demon sword.
An inscrutable enemy.
The fanatic couldn't fathom its methods or goals.
Finally, he had to make a decision.
"If we try to subdue them rashly, they might self-destruct! For now, we should—"
Just as everyone was retreating and the withdrawal order was about to be given.
"Hero!?"
Rishir stepped forward.
"You say I'm a black mage?"
"""Yes!!! I clearly felt the black magic aura within you!!! I don't know how you donned the hero's skin, but—"""
"Does it matter now?"
Rishir radiated light.
It was divine power.
"Ooh, as expected...!!!"
The Ash unit members nodded vigorously, as if to say of course.
A hero wielding black magic power?
Did that even make sense?
The divine power, utterly incompatible with black magic, perfectly proved the hero's 'innocence'.
"""Wh-what— what did you do!!!"""
Of course, from the Dominion's perspective, it was enough to drive it mad.
The Dominion had nothing to do with black magic power.
But this self-proclaimed hero was clearly wielding divine power.
Then where the hell did that black magic come from!?
Rishir did not indulge the Dominion's confusion.
Instead, he silently emphasized his purity.
By repeatedly manifesting divine power.
Rishir shone brightly.
"Uh...!"
"What is—"
Like a mischievous prank by a brother bursting into the room, the flashing light before their eyes restored light to some hosts' pupils.
They felt a sense of wrongness at their own position of interrogating the hero under the Dominion's will.
The hero emits holy light, so he can't be a black mage.
That line of logic struck even the Dominion's will with overwhelming force.
"""St-stop...!!!"""
The Dominion's advancing hive halted abruptly.
And even stepped back.
It was now experiencing the same emotions others had felt toward the demon sword.
It was natural.
Rishir had already experienced demon swords multiple times and understood their ways and nature—
The Dominion did not.
"""A-ah, my— my...!!!"""
My hosts.
The ones it had painstakingly gathered were slipping away before its eyes.
The remaining hosts shook their heads in unison.
It's too dangerous now.
If they lost more hosts—
If they lost power—
It might disrupt the plan.
The Dominion had to make a decision.
"""...!!!"
The hosts collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.
The Dominion was reclaiming its power from the hosts.
However, the act was like harvesting unripe fruit.
"Hah...! Hah...!!!"
"It h-hurts—"
"No strength in my body—...!"
The hosts, who should have willingly yielded their power, were resisting.
The harvest was incomplete.
The hosts, who should have transferred all their power and become empty shells, were alive and feeling the terror of death.
The Dominion felt not just emptiness but loathing—
But now was not the time for idle sentiment.
'While they're confused—'
The Dominion sought to buy time, taking advantage of the others' distress over the freed hosts' conditions.
With their comrades' powers nearly gone and wandering on the brink of death, they surely wouldn't act rashly.
"Everyone, calm down!!! They were dominated by the demon sword, but this level means they're practically unharmed!!!
At that moment, the hero shouted.
Those dominated by demon swords usually meet the end of 'mutation'.
In that sense, their state of mere 'injury' was the best possible outcome.
"For now, let's pursue it!!!"
Four clones present.
Excluding the one bound in Rishir's hand, the rest were slithering away across the floor.
"""Th-this... nightmare...!!!"
At this point, the Dominion had only one thought.
The plan doesn't matter.
First, escape that thing!
The swords flew through the air.
Rishir and the pursuers followed.
Rishir pursued the demon sword slicing through the air alongside the Ash unit members.
"The Ash Lord's abode has a place like this...!?"
Upon arriving, the Ash unit members couldn't hide their shock.
The underground prison cell, meant to hold sinners marked by the Ash Lord, was rife with ominous traces.
The Dominion.
It was the altar secretly prepared by the hosts.
At its center, a sword was embedded.
The Dominion's sword.
It had originally lost its ego due to the seal, acting on instinct alone.
But perhaps due to the intense contact with the hero.
It had now regained consciousness.
Its true reason for existence and purpose.
Now, the unidentified ritual it had unconsciously prepared under instinct had become its sole purpose in life.
It had to attempt it, even if it failed.
The opportunity was now.
The Dominion's airborne clones were absorbed into the main body.
Then, the colorless sword began emitting an ominous glow.
Along with the magic circle drawn around it.
Instinctual warning.
The giant's descendant stepped forward without hesitation to destroy the ritual site.
Just as that massive fist was about to shatter the altar.
Boom!
The ground shook.
A dark knight erupted from the earth, sending the giant's massive body flying.
It was a pure exertion of force, devoid of technique or intellect.
Yet, as everyone shuddered before that overwhelming power.
-Ahh... Scabbard... Accept us as is your duty...!!!
The Dominion murmured in ecstasy.
Then, the dark knight—
The scabbard began moving to accept the demon sword.
It knelt, following that pull.
Like a knight swearing fealty.
Offering itself willingly to the other.
Thus, the scabbard stood before the demon sword.
The situation the Dominion had so desperately desired unfolded.
-Kyaahahahaha!!!
But the Dominion began raging.
-What the hell!!! What the fuck is this now!!!
The scabbard had approached not itself, but the hero.
"..."
Rishir, wary of it, was just as confused.
"Huh? Wait—"
At that moment—
"Aha!"
Rishir understood.
"...Hero?"
The Ash unit members didn't understand.
They sought an explanation from the hero.
"Simple!"
The hero spoke excitedly.
Simple, for subduing that mighty dark knight!
The fanatics' eyes gleamed vividly even in the underground prison's darkness.
"What—"
They leaned in eagerly to hear the hero's words.
What mysterious ability or tactic had subdued the dark knight!
"I have one more!"
One.
And then two.
A calculation even without intellect.
"...Aha?"
Too simple.