The Holy Sword Manifests
I slipped out of the inn and immediately set my destination. 'The sturdiest building in the village is the brick village hall.' If anyone had survived, they'd have evacuated there nine times out of ten.
"Help! Uwaaaah!"
In an alley on the way to the hall, I spotted a few panicked villagers fleeing from three Monster Wolves. I charged in and swung my sword lightly.
Slice—!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and the collapsed villagers shed tears of shock and relief.
"Mercenary...! Thank you, thank you!"
"Head to the inn. I've cleared that path, so get inside, bar the door, and hide."
I gave the trembling survivors a quick once-over, then kicked off the ground again. Moments later, I arrived at the village hall. As expected, dozens of Monster Wolves had surrounded the tightly shut doors, forming layer upon layer of encirclement in a scene of utter chaos. From the second-floor windows, people were desperately fending them off by jabbing with wooden shutters, but arms had been bitten off here and there—severed limbs clutching spears littered the ground.
"The bastards are all clumped together."
Without a second's hesitation, I leaped straight into the heart of that dense pack.
Booom—!
Compressed sword energy exploded, unleashing a bloody storm across the square. Slice! Sizzle! Graaah! Boom! With overwhelming force, I shredded the wolves like paper, turning the square's dirt floor into a sticky mess of guts and blood in seconds. As their numbers thinned and village buildings came into view through the gaps...
"Kuhahaha—!"
A mad voice hit my eardrums, instantly souring my mood. Thud—thud—. The ground trembled with each footfall, radiating menace. Pushing through the Monster Wolves emerged a massive creature over two meters tall. Crimson skin, bulging pectorals ready to burst, veins popping on tree-trunk arms. Casually, it smashed the head of a Monster Wolf in its path with a pot-lid-sized fist.
Crack—!
The wolf's sturdy skull burst like a ripe apple, blood splattering everywhere. The hulking demon fixed its fiercely glowing eyes on me and grinned.
"Kuhaha! A human who knows his way around a blade in a puny village like this. What's your name?"
I flicked the dripping blood from my sword into the air and snorted.
"Why exchange names with a meat sack that's about to die?"
The demon burst into booming laughter at my reply.
"Kuhaha! Cute. Sword-slinger. Looks like you've taken down some low-grade demons. But I'm different. I'm a mid-level demon. Karnak."
He lifted his massive jaw arrogantly, looking down at me.
"Now, I'll ask again. What's your name?"
"Ask the Demon King yourself."
With that, I kicked off the ground and leaped. My blade, cloaked in dense blue sword energy, arced sharply toward him.
Bang—!
Graaang!
Karnak blocked my strike head-on with a fist wrapped in demonic energy.
Booom—!
Mana and black demonic energy clashed, sending shockwaves blasting outward. Clang! Ching! His fist and my sword collided rapidly, sparks flying. I parried his demonic energy-infused barrages, twisted my trajectory, slipped into his blind spot, and swung my sword energy.
Thud-thud! Boom!
Karnak's fist slammed into the ground, carving a huge crater, and his movements slowed for a split second. Seizing the opening, I thrust at his nape—
Crack, clang—!
The cheap steel sword couldn't withstand a mid-level demon's demonic energy and shattered. I frowned slightly and tossed the broken blade aside without regret. No sword? No problem. I channeled mana into both fists and dove into a bare-knuckle brawl.
Thwack! Crunch! Boom!
"Kuhaha! Nice!"
Karnak roared in delight, slamming heavy fists loaded with demonic energy into my gut and shoulder. The impacts echoed like siege rams battering walls. But his blows didn't even crack my bones—they just felt like a refreshing massage kneading my tensed muscles.
'Been a while... Physical demons like this would make perfect personal masseurs if I captured them.'
The hits didn't faze me, but the issue was lacking a blade to end him instantly. If he sensed something off about my freakish durability and dragged this out? Beating this tanky brute to death with my fists would take time. And if he bolted once he caught on?
'If I half-ass it and he freaks out and runs like that demon from before, it'll be a pain.'
I hated playing hide-and-seek. As I pondered how to finish him...
- Hey! You forgetting about me? Manifest me already!
Ria's irritated shout rang in my head.
"Oh, right."
I gripped the cross necklace around my neck—Ria—and manifested the Holy Sword.
Fwaaah—!
A dazzling burst of light, and the Holy Sword appeared in my hand. Last time I'd seen it, its edge was so chipped it deserved to be called trash, but thanks to the resonance energy from Marina, it now looked like a weathered but serviceable blade.
"....!"
Karnak's onslaught halted abruptly. He stared blankly not at the sword's shabby form, but at the holy power emanating from it. Some primal instinct screamed danger—his arrogant face paled in an instant.
"Die, human!!"
Overcoming his instinctive fear, Karnak rolled his eyes back and bellowed. Gathering every scrap of demonic energy into his fists, he charged at full power. I took a light breath and unleashed the secret technique I'd taught Mari. No need for full strength—just 20% of my true power.
Compressed holy power surged along the blade, boiling over explosively. I swung the Holy Sword at the onrushing demon giant in one fluid motion.
Fwaaaaaah—!
A massive golden flash engulfed the square in white light, perfectly swallowing Karnak's bulk.
"Guh, aaah....!"
Struck directly by the Holy Sword's holy power, Karnak couldn't even finish his death scream. Sizzle—! His thick demonic energy evaporated on contact with the light. Flesh, bones, the whole massive corpse—gone. All that remained was a handful of ashes scattering in the wind.
Total annihilation.
Right after Karnak crumbled to drifting ash...
Fwaat—
The Holy Sword's radiant glow faded like a lie. The majestic blade reverted in seconds to a bladeless hilt.
- Ah, I'm drained.....
Ria's weary voice echoed in my mind as the sword shifted back to cross necklace form and dropped against my chest.
[Residual Energy: 2.5%]
The pathetic number floating before my eyes furrowed my brow.
'Hey. It dropped 10% after just a few swings? You scamming me?'
- It's real...! Manifesting costs 10% alone. Ugh, suddenly so limp. Quit nagging and find someone to resonate with quick. I'm dying here.....
Time to bail. Screeech—. With the threat gone, the village hall doors creaked open, and the hidden residents emerged cautiously one by one.
"Hic, sob...."
"Daddyyy...."
Horrified wails erupted here and there at the gruesome square. The village men who'd fought the wolves were mostly torn apart and dead; survivors were mostly women and kids.
I gathered a few families and headed toward the inn to search for any stragglers—and check on sis. But at the inn's ruins, I clicked my tongue.
"....Damn."
The aftershocks from my clash with Karnak had been too much; the sturdy two-story building had collapsed into half-rubble.
I brought the survivors to the hall and laid the wounded in whatever intact homes remained. The village was half-destroyed, men mostly dead. Logically, they should abandon it for the next town over. But the residents' eyes said otherwise.
"Our men gave their lives to protect this place. How can we abandon it?"
"Exactly. We'll rebuild with whoever's left."
"Got it. Do what you want."
Did they know? If not for that Den punk, this wouldn't have happened. If I'd been here, only a few guards might've died. Hiding my regret, I returned to the inn rubble to grab sis and our stuff.
Sis's back looked so small as she stared blankly at the debris. Her home of over ten years, her late husband's sole legacy—reduced to ashes overnight. No wonder.
I nudged a fallen pillar with my foot and tossed out casually, "Sis. Inn's gone, so come to the capital with me."
She gazed silently at the inn's spot for a long moment. Then her eyes shifted to me. In this dangerous world, I was her only reliance.
"....Okay."
A thrill surged as she nodded slowly. The last chain snapped—she was mine alone now.
We rummaged the rubble for intact clothes, money pouch, and usable gear, then headed for the village gate. As we prepared to leave, villagers swarmed, clinging to my clothes.
"M-mercenary sir! Please don't go!"
"Stay just a few days to protect us? Please! We're begging!"
Some even knelt, but I drew a cold line.
"Sorry, got places to be."
To the despairing crowd, I jerked my chin at the square and alleys.
"Instead, I'm leaving all those Monster Wolf corpses. Skin 'em, sell any magic stones to merchants—plenty left over for rebuilding."
"Ah, aaaah....!"
"And I killed the demon, so no more packs nearby. Even if stragglers come, one or two at most. You can handle 'em if you don't panic."
Their eyes widened at my "gift," then tears of gratitude flowed. Dozens of Monster Wolf byproducts would more than rebuild this backwater.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you, mercenary!"
They bowed repeatedly behind me as I strode lightly out of Subu Village.