Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Forte (13) - This Demon Sword Believes
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Demon Balzareth had once wasted a golden opportunity while facing a certain librarian, squandering time with all sorts of pointless chatter.
In that regard, Divana was far more capable than her comrade.
Shuuuuk!
Rose vines erupted from the floor, binding Forte's limbs tightly.
At the same moment, Divana's body lunged forward, the sword in her hand thrusting straight toward Forte's heart.
Without a hint of carelessness, she charged in from the very start with the intent to end his life.
It was undoubtedly the correct response.
But her opponent was not.
Krunch!
The vines restraining Forte were sliced clean through in an instant.
It wasn't brute force tearing them apart.
His elbows, forearms, wrists, and fingers—parts that had remained free—had wielded the sword with pure technique, severing every vine.
That absurd skill didn't stop there. The sword Forte whipped upward clashed against Divana's blade.
Divana felt an immense sense of emptiness in that instant.
Like expecting a step on the stairs only to find none. Like sitting thoughtlessly on a chair that suddenly collapses beneath you—that kind of hollow despair.
The momentum of her charge, the mana infused in her sword, was sucked away somewhere beyond her will.
Without any sense of incongruity, without a chance to resist, as if it were simply natural.
A deflection.
More precisely, a parry.
A technique so simple it seemed trivial when put into words.
Following the curve traced by Forte's sword tip, Divana's body was pulled along, and in the next moment, a fist slammed into her solar plexus.
Boooom!
It was less a "hit" and more a sensation of being utterly struck down.
The mana barrier she reflexively deployed tore like paper, her bones and organs crushed or bursting under the pressure.
A human would have a hard time surviving such damage on the spot, and even Divana—though slightly better off—was still gravely wounded.
In game terms, a single blow had vaporized an entire phase's worth of health.
Thus, Divana unleashed her power without regard for anything else.
Boom boom boom!
Mid-bounce like a kicked pebble, countless scales layered over Divana's lower body.
Her clothing fused with her skin, fluttering like fins, and her ears sharpened into points.
Siren.
One of the many races dwelling in the demon realm, possessors of voices imbued with potent "enchantment" power—she opened her mouth.
"────!"
It resembled the symphony of countless musicians pooling their strength, or the innocent laughter of spirits frolicking through the woods, or the whisper of a harlot in sheer garments on a bed of temptation.
The common thread: it shook the listener's heart and drew them inexorably toward the source of the sound.
The Siren's song, capable of luring an entire massive ship onto the rocks to sink it when used in earnest, burrowed into Forte's ears.
Divana had no doubt this was her trump card.
No matter how superior Forte's physical prowess or swordsmanship, he couldn't block sound itself, could he?
Grab.
Shattering Divana's certainty, Forte approached nonchalantly and seized her by the throat.
"Guh... ack, kgh!"
Divana's eyes widened in shock as she tried to speak, but with her neck gripped by Forte, it was impossible.
"Curious why I'm unscathed?"
Yet from her struggles alone, he seemed to grasp her intent and replied.
"Then figure it out yourself. Unlike some phantom thief, I don't have a habit of explaining my abilities in detail."
Divana's vision spun wildly.
Forte had slammed her head into the wall with all his might.
Kwaaaang!
With a terrifying impact, stars exploded before her eyes.
Her hands convulsed, blood streaming not just from her mouth but her eyes and ears as well.
When Forte released his grip, her body slumped to the floor.
"Ah... ugh, wha...?"
Divana couldn't comprehend the situation.
She might have understood if her opponent exuded overwhelming mana just by sight.
Or if she'd let her guard down and gotten stabbed in a moment of weakness.
But this was neither.
His power was smaller than hers, and she'd shown not a shred of carelessness.
Yet still, she had lost.
Without even a proper fight.
Her arms trembled as she pushed herself up, only to vomit right there.
What overflowed from her mouth wasn't mere bile or saliva, but thick blood mingled with bone fragments.
After heaving up blood several times, Divana cautiously lifted her head.
And saw.
Forte's face, silently gazing down at her.
"──."
His features, shrouded in shadow, remained unreadable.
Yet Divana felt she knew the expression he wore.
It was the gaze of one born superior.
The eye level of an innate ruler.
Even after their clash, no hatred, hostility, or disgust toward her lingered in his eyes.
He was simply waiting.
For the answer to his initial question.
Death?
Or cooperation?
If she chose the former, he'd nod curtly—"I see"—and casually crush her skull.
Then depart to resume his duties, utterly indifferent to her corpse, without a backward glance.
That indifference chilled her spine with terror.
Her death held no meaning to him.
It was no different from stepping on grass in passing, thinking "Hm? Just grass," and moving on.
In the demon world, the law of the jungle was absolute.
At least in this moment, the fear she felt toward the being before her dwarfed even that for her true master.
And so, trembling, Divana bowed her head.
"I-I'll cooperate."
《You've successfully reached an amicable agreement through dialogue. They won't bother you anymore, so rest easy.》
"Ah, okay."
Pina's bloodshot eyes darted to one corner of the room.
There knelt a young man with his hands raised, and beside him stood an ornate accessory planted upright on the floor.
It was bewildering.
'Hmm, probably not that kind of conversation.'
Though often misunderstood, the girl named Pina Valesthia wasn't actually all that dim-witted.
She simply followed others' leads more often than acting on her own whims or plans, leading to the misconception that she lived thoughtlessly.
Thus, she realized the "conversation" Forte meant wasn't the ordinary sort.
She noticed but didn't point it out.
Because she knew Forte wasn't trying to deceive her—it was just that, by the demon sword's standards, that was a conversation.
"Demon Sword, sir?"
《What is it?》
"So, um, does that mean you'll fight alongside me against that last demon now?"
《Doubtful.》
Forte denied it in a flat tone.
《They're bound by a contract. They're free to make minor decisions during operations, but outright antagonizing another demon is off-limits.》
Still, he asserted it was enough.
《Just act from now on like you've fallen for their ruse. When the last demon approaches to take you away with the 'Hero's Seal,' strike then and subjugate it.》
Divana and the youth couldn't intervene in the third demon subjugation battle, but they could remain neutral observers.
If Pina—whom they believed enthralled—ambushed them in full possession of her faculties, while their supposed ally Divana sat it out, the final demon would surely plunge into chaos.
That opening would be Pina's golden chance to take it down.
"C-Can I really do that?"
《Your opponent can't unleash their full power within Skypiercing Academy anyway. Or maybe they can, but then they'd have to weather the faculty's onslaught.》
"If it's just that much, then... yeah."
Pina nodded.
Honestly, she lacked confidence going solo, but thinking of Forte fighting alongside her made stalling for time feel doable.
"So, what should I do now?"
《Nothing major changes. Head to the dungeon, clear quests, rest on holidays. Eventually, the demon hunting that 'seal' will come to you.》
"R-Right."
《No need to worry so much. It's still early in the semester. Finding something grandiose like the Hero's Seal will take time, so relax and grow until—》
"Um, sorry to interrupt."
Forte's words cut off.
Not by Pina's doing.
The young man, whose face was a mess of bruises, spoke up as if intruding.
Sensing the sword and girl's stares, he hurriedly explained.
"D-Divana says she's received word. From the third demon."
A brief silence fell.
Pina stared at Forte wordlessly.
《Hm. Contractor, this demon sword believes you can overcome this trial handily.》
"Demon Sword, sir... can I smack you just once?"