118. My Buff is a Drug
"First of all, we are not necromancers. We are humans from the distant future — or another world — who came here because we require Sir Ian's aid. We followed these... traces."
Hye-yong showed Ian the tokens he had been clutching tightly in his hand.
Ian looked slightly startled at first, then his expression shifted to one of interest.
—This is unmistakable. They are the tokens of the Baharf Imperial Army.
—How did you come by these?
"There are many skeletal soldiers outside. They were carrying them."
—Skeletal soldiers, you say... So the grudges of soldiers who died in that battle endured.
—You said you desire my aid?
—What kind of aid do you seek from a mere wraith with no body, dead as I am?
Ian's attitude was considerably favorable.
It was time to show him the lion head pattern as well.
"Please look at this."
—This is...
Seeing the lion head pattern token, Ian muttered in disbelief.
—A token of the Kanasen Imperial Army. Don't tell me...
"A general of the faction bearing this token has appeared and is slaughtering people."
"He boasts overwhelming strength, so we had no means to counter him."
"Thus we have come seeking Sir Ian, who we believe was the general of the opposing force."
Ian stroked his chin with a serious expression.
Seeing him like this, the thought came naturally: he was a handsome man with a composed bearing.
—Does this man they call a general take pleasure in killing swordsmen, by any chance?
"Pardon? Ah, yes, it seems so."
—And has no interest in common folk?
"Yes. If they were not a swordsman and did not strike first, he would not kill them."
Ian's eyes sharpened in an instant.
—I see. So it is that bastard.
—Then I awakened because that bastard awoke.
—To cling to me even beyond death... what a tenacious bond this is.
Hearing the story from Ian seemed like it would clarify how to handle things going forward.
"Could you tell us? What happened."
—Very well... I cannot refuse to speak of it.
Ian slowly began.
-
An era in which only the sword was revered as a true weapon.
The two mightiest empires: Baharf and Kanasen.
Baharf desired peace, but Kanasen wished to devour Baharf and stand as the sole empire on the continent.
「A monster has appeared in Kanasen!」
By the time those rumors reached even the Baharf Empire, Kanasen had already declared war.
The rumors were not false.
Hearing that the Baharf Empire's border guard had been routed in a mere ten days, even Ian, who guarded the imperial palace, could not help but be stunned.
If the enemy has a monster, then this side has no choice but to send out its own monster.
The advancing Baharf army was met by the 1st Knight Order led by Ian.
And so, upon a single battlefield.
The two met as commanders.
"Are you the monster of Kanasen?"
"Are you the Continent's Greatest Sword? You look strong."
"Yes, I am strong. Would you like to experience it?"
An unspoken pact.
The soldiers of Kanasen believed in their monster, and the soldiers of Baharf believed in Ian, called the Continent's Greatest Sword.
The preliminary bout between the commanders began.
"Why so passive?"
"Having crossed swords a few times, I think I understand. I am not yet ready to digest you."
The swordsman called the monster of Kanasen drew out his admission of defeat with many words, then fled toward his own lines.
Simultaneously, the Kanasen army retreated as well.
It was an overwhelming difference in skill.
At least, until then.
"However, word came that the monster of Kanasen was attacking the weak kingdoms nearby."
"Tch. Like a pack of barbarians."
"Should we not devise some countermeasure?"
"Sir Ian, you have not forgotten where our strength comes from, have you."
The ideology of Baharf was harmony, coexistence, and solidarity.
Its swordsmanship and mana cultivation methods were likewise founded upon the harmony of body, mind, and the posture of holding the sword.
That harmony would shatter if one swung the sword to slaughter rather than to protect one's own body.
The army of Baharf was fated to be a defensive force — an army that protects.
That was why they did not pursue Kanasen even when they retreated.
Whatever Kanasen schemed, they had no choice but to wait, solidifying their defense.
"Then I will go alone."
"What?"
Ian explained, as if pleading.
"It is said the bastard infiltrates alone, kills only the swordsmen of other nations, and flees — repeating this over and over."
"He is dangerous. When we crossed swords, I had an unsettling feeling that my swordsmanship was being absorbed."
"If left unchecked, he will surely become the seed of a demon that destroys Baharf."
"If you grant permission, I will track him down and shatter his mana heart."
Having spoken to that extent, even the minister could only nod.
"Sir Ian... It cannot be helped."
The two became fugitive and pursuer.
But no matter how Ian tightened the net, the bastard slipped away leisurely, as if gaining experience with each escape, succeeding every time.
"Your swordsmanship may be the finest, but your tracking is utterly miserable."
"If you are a swordsman too, fight honorably."
"Do not worry. I, too, wish to face you more than anyone. It is simply not yet the time."
"You bastard... Your goal is not to win the war. For what purpose do you lead the charge to bring down Baharf?"
The monster of Kanasen grinned in the darkness.
"I want to see the end of the sword."
"I want to complete my sword."
"I cannot help but hone myself to the limit to face a man like you."
"When my skill reaches its peak, and I believe I have met my limit."
"That is when I will truly face you, Ian."
Sword Demon.
He was truly a ghost obsessed with the sword.
"The end of the sword, is it. Interesting..."
After that, Ian ceased pursuing the monster.
Because he realized that even if continuing the chase might act as a brake on the man, it would only prolong the suffering of the surrounding kingdoms.
An era in which only the sword was revered as a true weapon.
Taking up the sword and training mind and body meant being ready to die by another swordsman's hand at any time.
The two met again on the battlefield two years later.
"You seem far stronger than when I first saw you, Ian."
"And you... are no longer a mere boy."
Standing at the very front of their armies, they took their stances without one needing to precede the other.
"You're not going to run away miserably again, are you, monster?"
"My entire life, I have offered to a single sword. I will kill you and make the experience my own. With that, I will complete my sword... That is my only thought."
Each took one step forward.
The signal for battle.
The Kanasen army charged with a roar.
Not to be outdone, the Baharf army thrust their swords forward.
That was the trigger — the two men clashed.
Under the setting sun, the scattering droplets of blood shone an even deeper red.
-
—That is how it was.
"So... you mean you both died? By each other's swords?"
—That is correct.
Did that mean their strength in life had been nearly equal?
If it was not overwhelming, that implied a possibility of failure...
Was there perhaps another clue?
—It seems I have no choice but to face him.
The leisure had vanished from his voice, replaced by utter seriousness.
Hye-yong found himself looking into Ian's eyes.
Even though his form was translucent, he could see it clearly.
The resolve dwelling within his eyes.
—Good. I shall do it.
—I am the only one capable of facing that bastard with a sword.
—The reason I awakened, and the reason you came looking for me, must be for this.
Ian seemed to regard defeating the enemy general as something beyond simply helping them — something closer to a mission.
Arch-enemy.
Rival.
Nemesis.
Seeing his eyes confirmed the thought: there was no match for him but Ian.
Now, I had to get these two generals to meet...
—...But how? I am a ghost.
'Oh?'
—I cannot touch anything, and if I stray beyond a certain distance from here, I am pulled back to the tombstone.
—Seeing as he is going around slaughtering people, that bastard appears to have a physical body.
—How am I to catch him?
It was a question that caught him off guard, to borrow a Japanese expression.
The Virus definitely had a host in Seong Yu-ran.
What about Ian?
No matter how great a knight he was in life, now he was just a ghost.
How could they grant him a body?
'...Wouldn't possession work?'
No matter how he thought about it, that was the only way.
Then, how?
'With a buff, of course.'
[ Vessel of Possession ]
The target under this buff becomes capable of being possessed by a spirit.
If it was within the inner world, a buff with this kind of effect would surely function.
"I have made my body capable of being possessed."
—Oh?
Ian's voice filled with interest.
As Hye-yong said this, Kwon Jin-ah, who had been silently observing the situation, was so startled she sent a will transmission via Resonance.
〔 Captain. What do you mean? Are you saying you will accept the soul of this Ian person into your body? 〕
〔 Yes. For now, that seems to be the only way. 〕
〔 Isn't he ultimately an aberration too? Is he a trustworthy being in the first place? 〕
〔 You said it earlier. If an aberration possesses abnormally powerful strength, there is a clear method to counter it. 〕
〔 That method is... 〕
〔 Yes. Just as Seong Yu-ran is being encroached upon and controlled by an aberration, we too will accept this spirit into a body and fight. 〕
'Will that really work?'
She was slightly doubtful, but it was obvious Hye-yong knew far more about aberrations than she did.
Kwon Jin-ah decided to trust the captain she followed.
"Now, hurry and possess me."
—Ah, you say possess, but...
—I do not know how.
—This is my first time being a ghost...
'Hm.'
Well, of course.
He might not know how to perform possession.
'Then what? A method to accept this soul into my body...'
Soul absorption?
Absorption seemed a bit off.
Then, union?
'Oh?'
Possession... union?
Lining up those words triggered a memory.
An anime I watched on TV when I was young...
The title was definitely Spirit King.
In that show, they also accepted spirits into their bodies to fight like this.
Later on, it changed to overlaying spirits onto weapons, but anyway.
The image of that possession was still vividly etched in my mind, even after more than ten years.
'...Shall I try it?'
The key to creating a buff with Buff Custom was the image.
Based on the clear image in my head, I created one buff.
[ Spirit Orb Mode ]
Creates an airflow on the palm that sucks in nearby spirits, converting them into orb mode.
I wasn't sure if it would work, but I decided to try.
'Spirit Orb Mode!'
Shwoooooop!
—Oh? It feels as though something is trying to draw me in.
—I am uncertain whether I can simply let go and go willingly.
"I am the one doing this."
—Then I can be at ease.
Shwoooooooosh!
Ian's form distorted and was sucked into Hye-yong's palm.
'This is fucking awesome. I can definitely feel his presence.'
Just like the image he had drawn in his head, Ian, now in orb mode, regarded Hye-yong.
—What now?
Naturally, Possession Union.
Hye-yong erased the Vessel of Possession buff he had cast on himself and created a new one.
[ Possession Union ]
Allows the spirit in orb mode to be inserted into the body.
And then immediately...
'Possession Union!'
He shoved the orb-shaped Ian into his chest.
'Oh, whoa. Th-this feels weird.'
In an instant, he felt his body go weightless as his consciousness seemed to be pushed downward.
Soon, the body began attempting to move, regardless of Hye-yong's will.
'It feels like the moment I allow it, he can move.'
Ian was clearly the one trying to move.
Hye-yong allowed Ian to move his body.
"Did it work?"
Ian was looking down at Hye-yong's palms.
Hye-yong was looking at everything alongside him as well.
A sharing of consciousness.
Two souls in one body.
[ Possession Union is in effect. ]
[ Stats increase based on the spirit's abilities. ]
[ All movements are corrected based on the spirit's abilities. ]
Power surged through his entire body.
He could literally feel all his motions being corrected.
'It worked... with this!!'
With this buff, he might be able to face the Virus.
【 The possession seems to have succeeded. 】
Being in the Possession Union state, he could converse with Ian through will alone, just like using Resonance.
"C-Captain. Are you alright? It sounds like someone else's voice is overlapping with yours."
While Ian held the greater share of control in moving the body, Hye-yong could also express his will if he tried.
"Yes. The possession seems to have been a success."
"To think such a thing was possible..."
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed fascinating, and Kwon Jin-ah could not take her eyes off Hye-yong.
"Then... Ugh."
Let's go face the aberration.
That was what he was trying to say.
"Urk."
A sudden headache crashed over him.
[ Possession Union is becoming unstable! ]
[ Possession Union will be released soon. ]
A system message indicating that Possession Union was being released.
Something seemed to be going wrong.