Chapter 222
Chapter 222
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: 88. God of the Other World (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yuri continued to probe the imitation of the demon's grimoire afterward as well.
Since Cedric had sealed off the passage, he couldn't reach as far as the prince's consciousness like before, but thanks to a few pages of the original used in creating the imitation, he could at least trace faint remnants.
The demon's grimoire kept changing hands, sowing chaos throughout the world. Among them were existences Yuri recognized.
'Ten thousand years to heaven and earth! For the revival of the Heavenly Demon Cult!'
They seemed to be the previous Heavenly Demons mentioned by the Shadowless Sword.
After sealing the demon's grimoire, they had tried to absorb the demonic energy leaking from it. That was why their presences weren't vividly imprinted.
However, one person in particular left a striking trace.
He repeatedly challenged the demon's grimoire. Like Yuri, he sought to draw new power from the realm of chaos. But his foundation was ultimately the demonic arts of the cult, and unlike Yuri, who started with Heart-Soul Severing, he had his limits.
Even so, the methodology he proposed inspired Yuri.
"Hm..."
Yuri opened his eyes again after finishing one round of probing.
Books riddled with holes like they'd been eaten by bugs were visible here and there.
Every time Yuri entered one, the imitation lost its power. Now most had scattered into ashes.
"How was it?"
Hernando was waiting behind him.
"Well, not much is left."
"Hold on."
Hernando held out his palm toward Yuri as he stepped out.
"Demonic energy remains."
"Ah."
Yuri checked his body. The demonic energy he'd been exposed to while probing the imitations still clung to him.
Yuri activated Heart-Soul Severing to wash away all the harmful aura.
"I keep forgetting."
"You're the only one who can carry that on your body without a care."
Thanks to Heart-Soul Severing, Yuri was safe from the black magic's influence.
"Hernando."
"Yes."
"Cedric seems to be trying to summon a being from another realm."
Hernando nodded at Yuri's words.
"As you mentioned before."
"Yeah."
The first time he'd probed an imitation of the demon's grimoire, Yuri had vaguely sensed that a being from another realm was connected to the original.
The more he repeated the probes, the clearer it became.
"It seems there's a place where an existence that feeds on human death and despair reigns like a god. Cedric appears to be trying to summon it through human sacrifice."
"A world like that sounds just like hell."
"He might have already done it. We need to stop it quickly."
Hernando glanced back briefly.
They had planned to continue probing in Valshard until the imitations completely lost their power. But progress was faster than expected, so they wouldn't need to stay much longer.
"Your Highness. Marirose made a proposal."
"What is it?"
"If we cooperate on one thing, she'll leave Valshard and lend her strength to this battle."
"No."
"Pardon?"
"No marriage."
"That's not..."
Hernando looked at Yuri, one eyebrow twitching.
"She requested we exterminate the orcs."
"Oh, really?"
"Aren't you getting a bit arrogant from all the popularity lately?"
Yuri's face flushed slightly.
"I was just joking."
"It was spot on, though."
"What?"
"She first brought up marriage, and I refused. That's when it changed to orc extermination."
"Wait, why did you refuse?"
"Why? Surely not, Your Highness?"
The two bickered as they left Marirose's forge and headed up to the castle.
The palace servants of Valshard Castle acted as if they'd already grown accustomed, ignoring the noisy pair without a glance.
Yuri soon headed to Valshard Castle's training grounds with Hernando.
Francesco was doing handstands and push-ups.
Performing at that level without using mana proved he hadn't neglected his training.
"How's it going?"
"Progressing well. Though it ultimately depends on his will."
Francesco was remodeling his body to regain his mana. To purge the demonic energy from him and eliminate his mana repulsion, Hernando performed magical surgeries on him daily.
But the most crucial part was his own determination. Even if Hernando removed the traces of black magic, Francesco had to make the effort to fully expel it.
That effort manifested as sweat from pure physical training.
"Hm..."
Yuri smirked as he watched him.
"Want me to help a bit?"
Yuri approached Francesco, who was sweating alone on the training grounds.
Observing his body in the realm of Heart-Soul, the demonic energy concentration was much fainter than before.
"Sir Francesco. You've been working hard."
"Huff... huff..."
Francesco stopped his push-ups and stood up.
"This much is to be expected."
He still couldn't use mana, but he felt the changes in his body most acutely himself.
"Today, I'll help you with a special method."
"How?"
"Come here."
Yuri sat Francesco down and took his hand.
The energy of Heart-Soul Severing flowed into him.
"Isn't this the usual?"
Francesco wasn't particularly surprised by Yuri's actions. Lately, Yuri's role had been significant in the magical surgeries Hernando performed on him.
When Yuri injected Heart-Soul Severing energy into Francesco's body this way, it devoured the black magic energy Hernando had separated.
But this too had limits. Heart-Soul Severing was a divine art, but it was still external energy. It couldn't penetrate to the deepest parts of Francesco.
After purifying his body once, Yuri stood.
"The special method starts now. Take up your sword."
"Huh?"
"Do you know when people sweat the most?"
Yuri drew Guilty and aimed it at Francesco.
"When their life is in danger. Doing push-ups alone only makes you sweat as much as anyone else."
"Wait..."
Yuri suddenly swung his sword at Francesco. The killing intent was so thick that Francesco instinctively leaped back, sensing mortal threat.
"No, hold on..."
"Draw your sword."
Of course, he knew Yuri was acting.
But his body's instinctive sense of crisis moved independently of his reason.
"Wait, just a moment!"
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Unable to handle mana, he couldn't fully keep up with Yuri's movements.
Even knowing Yuri would stop before striking, facing a sword strike hurtling at his throat at tremendous speed made his instincts scream.
Sweat that barely flowed even during handstand push-ups now poured like rain.
"How's that?"
"It... it works, but..."
"Good. Let's see you survive."
Yuri had exceptional talent in handling mana. Heart-Soul Severing was a divine art that moved at his will. He was adept at unleashing and retracting killing intent.
The killing intent he generated was more threatening than others'.
Francesco's mind knew it was an act, but his body couldn't distinguish if Yuri's attack was real.
Yuri's sword sliced a few strands of Francesco's hair and cut his clothes. Yet not a single scratch marred his skin.
"Hah... hah..."
Francesco clutched his chest. Yuri pressed so relentlessly that he had no respite, forced to move nonstop. His body was already beyond its limits.
Sweat streamed down.
Alone, he would have collapsed and given up long ago, but Yuri's blade kept whipping him to rise—move if you want to live.
"Sir Francesco. If I slip, you'll really die."
"Shut up!"
Francesco dodged the attacks in every way. Rolling on the ground, dropping prone, even humiliating poses—all to survive this spar.
Guilty suddenly arced down toward Francesco's shoulder.
From his perspective, there was no escaping it.
Yuri intended to stop just before contact.
But Francesco's body, already sensing crisis, blared emergency alarms. To survive, every muscle tensed, and his brain activated dormant areas.
A white sword aura flared.
Clang.
The two swords clashed.
It was a strike the current Francesco could never react to—yet he blocked it.
"Ah..."
A faint sword aura lingered on Francesco's blade.
He hadn't fully regained his former power, but there was clear progress. Since losing his mana, he'd never manifested sword aura to this degree.
Francesco stared blankly at his sword.
The aura faded in an instant, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Yuri patted his shoulder.
"Sir Francesco. How's my training?"
"Thank you."
The earnest reply made Yuri's eyes widen.
This wasn't the Francesco who grumbled daily.
His clear eyes fixed on Yuri with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Yuri Brioll. It's thanks to you."
Seeing that upright figure, Yuri suddenly thought of someone.
Rolan Flandre—like that guy's pure gaze.
Had Holy Knight Francesco always been like this? Had losing his mana turned him pessimistic?
Yuri cleared his throat.
He didn't care for this atmosphere.
"Hmph. It wasn't really for you, Sir Francesco!"
But Francesco wore a knowing, gentle expression.
Yuri bristled.
"Don't thank me yet. I'll drag you along for orc extermination. You'll have to fight with your life on the line this time. Or die."
"You're serious?"
"O-Of course."
The warm moment had led Yuri to impulsively recruit Francesco for orc extermination.
Francesco's face crumpled.
"That expression suits you."
"You devil."
"Exactly. I'm the Black Devil."
"......"
Though the Allied Forces had subjugated Oqua and his army, the surviving orcs scattered across the plains, merging and splitting to raid at will.
Even weakened, orc strength still surpassed humans.
If Marirose left and another leader like Oqua emerged, Valshard could be in peril.
Thus, she requested a re-extermination of nearby orcs as a condition for joining the war.
"Clean up every last one, even the small fry. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"No time. Resolve it as swiftly as possible."
Yuri decided to take Francesco and a few Valshard knights, sweeping the surroundings quickly.
Valshard's knights lacked skill compared to the continent's best, but their rich experience against orcs made them reliable enough.
They looked at Yuri with shining eyes.
"We'll follow Your Highness!"
They'd fight alongside Brioll's famed genius, known only by rumors.
"Good. Just follow me. No tactics. Charge in and smash them. No large settlements like before, so no real danger. Stick to me if things get hairy."
"Yes!"
Jared, Simon, and Ginnis, who had served in the Allied Forces, felt a fresh thrill.
They'd once struggled against orcs, but now they headed out with just this small knight group.
Not just Yuri—they had grown this strong too.
"Let's go!"
The extermination squad led by Yuri tore across the plains unhindered.
The scenery whipped by. Distant trees on the horizon approached in moments, new lands rising continually.
Yuri unfurled a map marked with orc settlements.
Smaller than before, but more numerous.
Yuri planned to wipe them all out.
"Orcs breed fast. Leave them, and their numbers swell like cockroaches. Hit them now, and we're worry-free for a while."
Yuri pointed ahead. An orc settlement.
"See it?"
"Yes!"
"Charge. Kill them all. Anyone who hesitates with mercy dies by my hand."
"Yes!"
The orcs, unaware of Yuri's group, went about their daily lives—until they noticed the enemy and chaos erupted.
Yuri leaped the fence on horseback, plunging into the settlement.
An orc facing him screamed in agony.
"Akuaktar!"
That was its final word.
The orc's head flew into the sky.