58
Chapter 58
The metallic scent of blood on the battlefield. Thick plumes of dust and smoke. A scene of unimaginable devastation where the earth overturned and the heavens split.
In the midst of it, Beatrice Constantino stood, gripping a greatsword that was half white and half black.
And there I was, a total nobody, standing opposite her with my arms wide open.
The edge of Beatrice's blade trembled as it pointed toward me. I spoke with a twisted smile.
"Pledge your knight's oath to me."
The part where I used informal speech to add weight to my words was over. Now, I needed to lure her in using polite language that showed respect.
"I'll become the Lord you desire. I'm the only one who can."
"Do you not understand my words?"
Not understand? I understood them more clearly than anyone in the world.
"You're afraid."
"Of what?"
"That you'll cut down your Lord again with your own hands. That you might fall for a devil's trick once more and kill the Lord you chose."
"...."
Beatrice remained silent. It meant she agreed with me.
"...Yes, that is my greatest fear. I fear that someone like me, who doesn't know their place, might serve a Lord and bring them harm. I fear that because I cannot love my Lord as much as they love me, the Lord would sacrifice themselves in a life-or-death duel."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Beatrice pondered for a moment, then spoke as if she had reached a decision.
"Cut me."
"Oh, are you serious?"
"Prove to me that you are a Lord capable of cutting me down the moment I make a mistake. Stop talking and show me through action. Give me the certainty that you are a Lord worthy of my faith!"
"Fine! Come at me! If that's what you want, I'll show you!"
So, it comes down to this.
By now, Aru must be in the middle of summoning Lucifer and Uriel.
I have to make Beatrice my knight before they descend. That's the only way to break the contract between Lucifer and Beatrice.
Whoosh—.
The hair on my neck stood up from the eerie current. I had to overpower the source of that pressure now.
No, overpowering wasn't enough. I had to actually wound that current. I gripped the Spade Ace card in my hand.
"Just so we're clear, don't make the mistake of thinking I'll go easy on you. This is a test where your life is on the line."
I've heard of knight exams plenty of times, but a Lord exam? Now this is fresh. I actually prefer it.
I've seen 'I will only follow someone stronger than me' a few times, but 'I will only follow someone who can cut me'? There's probably no other Lord exam like this in the world.
Hmm, how should I navigate this hurdle? I'm not dismissing this as an easy task. My opponent is a Holy Knight who contracted with a devil. Even before that contract, she was called the strongest Holy Knight of the Holy Church. And me?
Just a brat who's only 109 years old. Sure, I've lived about four times longer than Beatrice, but the standards for demons and humans are different.
"How long are you going to keep talking? I'm so bored I'm starting to yawn."
"...I've rambled long enough."
Beatrice adjusted her grip on the sword and stepped forward. The earth shifted beneath her feet.
It looked like an optical illusion, but it wasn't. The power in Beatrice's single step was so immense that the ground actually caved in.
Boom-!
Gripping the sword with both hands, Beatrice charged straight at me. If I tried to clash head-on, I'd be dead for sure.
That's exactly why I clash head-on. Because Beatrice is likely expecting me to dodge. Striking where the opponent least expects it is the absolute basic of combat.
Clang-!
Diamond 5. The hardest shield in the world. This Diamond 5 card, crafted from the fang of Dragon King Endros, cannot be pierced even by Beatrice using Lucifer's power. Lucifer himself wouldn't stand a chance against the Five Kings anyway.
"You're blocking it...? What on earth are you thinking......."
Clang-!
"...! How on earth...!"
"Hahaha! I have my ways!"
I gripped the Diamond 5 card using only my index and middle fingers and pressed it against the rushing blade. Of course, I didn't press it directly head-on just to be stubborn. Diamond 5 is incredibly hard, but it doesn't absorb impact.
At an angle.
I let the edge slide off.
Just enough to tweak Beatrice's trajectory. That was the limit of my skill.
"I felt it earlier, but your combat instincts are truly impressive."
"It's a necessary virtue to survive in the harsh Demon Beast Forest!"
The deflected greatsword sailed past me. Beatrice and I crossed paths. I slashed the Diamond 5 card diagonally downward.
I poured strength into it, as if to carve through her from shoulder to waist in one go.
Thud-!
However, my attack didn't land. Beatrice was a veteran warrior who had seen it all. I had attacked assuming she couldn't change her path due to the acceleration, but she held the sword with only her left hand and slapped the side of the card away with her right.
Because of that, I lost my balance, and Beatrice, after recovering her right hand, threw a straight punch. I pulled my stomach back and let the punch hit as softly as possible.
Thump-!
Then I collapsed to the ground. Clutching my stomach, I let out a loud scream.
"Agh! Oh god! I'm dying! The knight is beating up her Lord!"
Of course, the goal was to lure Beatrice into a lapse of concentration. It would be even better if I could get a few tears welling up in my eyes....
"Stop overacting. I felt nothing at the end of my fist."
...As expected of a veteran. I guess this level of acting doesn't work.
"Hehehe."
I brushed off my pants and stood up. In my sight, Beatrice had already recovered her sword and assumed a ready stance.
Though I minimized the impact of the punch, it still hurt. My stomach felt nauseous.
Now, what should I do?
Before I could ponder that question deeply, Beatrice spun rapidly and swung her sword. The target was my neck. A sharp, piercing strike without a shred of mercy.
Without time to think, I ducked my upper body. The menacing strike narrowly passed over my head. My hair fluttered in the sword wind.
But Beatrice's real intention lay in the next move.
Swish—.
"...Oh no."
Using centrifugal force, Beatrice spun her body along with the sword that had uselessly sliced the air. The greatsword, having completed a full rotation, swung toward my midsection.
My head is right there in the path, and there's not enough space to dodge.
There was no time to think. I immediately pulled out the Diamond 5 card again. I tried to place it diagonally against the greatsword once more.
A clear blunder. I should have predicted that a master of combat like Beatrice wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
Boom-!
"Gah!"
"Magician! Is this all you've got! Aren't you too weak compared to your boasting!"
The moment the card and sword met, Beatrice shifted the direction of her blade. Not side-to-side, but face-to-face.
The Diamond 5 card isn't soft compared to the sword, but my muscles are a hundred times softer than Beatrice's. Excluding the chest or butt muscles.
Overpowered by her strength, I had no choice but to let go of the card. The hardest shield in the world flew out of my grasp. From the start, the strike had been aimed at the card.
The card, freed from my grip, fluttered down to the ground. Beatrice stared at me coldly, now unarmed, and spoke.
"Now you cannot block my sword."
"You're right, I'm screwed."
Beatrice seemed to have no intention of showing mercy. Believing my only defense was gone, she raised her sword. The now-familiar black and white energy gathered around the blade. The sky was no longer blue.
"If you cannot block this attack, you will die."
"Oh."
"You shouldn't have awakened my desire. It's far too cruel to give me hope only to snatch it away like this."
"Do not give up. Once you abandon hope, all that remains is despair."
"If you cannot cut me down here, I will die. I have no wish to be a fool chasing an unattainable dream."
"Either we die together or survive together. I love it. This is truly exhilarating."
"...You're playful to the end. You have no sense of gravity."
"I'm living my second life; I might as well enjoy it."
I'd probably live joyfully even if I had three lives. That's just the kind of person I am.
"Please, block this attack and cut me down."
Whoosh—.
A thunderous strike flies toward me, imbued with a chilling aura. A sharp blade of aura, tens of meters long, soars high into the sky before plummeting down upon me.
The iron blade doesn't reach me. Instead, the edge composed of holy power and demonic energy targets me.
Resignation clouds Beatrice's eyes as she swings the sword vertically, accompanied by a sense of regret and lingering attachment. She must believe I cannot block this attack.
Originally, I wanted to lure her into a bit more of a lapse.
But I can't.
When she shows such insolent faith, I have no choice but to shatter it. Breaking someone's beliefs is my calling!
Hum—.
Purple energy blooms at my fingertips. It takes the form of telekinesis, encompassing that which has no shape.
Some claim that telekinesis can only control things with a distinct physical form. That's the common perception, but it's also wrong. Why? Because I'm about to break that rule.
"Hmm?"
The blade of energy bends. Lucifer's demonic energy and the Lord's holy power are reborn at my fingertips. The target point shifts, and Beatrice's world goes dark.
Squelch-!
"...!"
The moment I exert my telekinesis, Beatrice's aura flips 180 degrees and pierces through her own abdomen. Due to the sudden reversal of blood flow, blood pours from Beatrice's mouth.
"Keh, cough...!"
Swoosh—.
The sword energy vanishes. But the evidence remains, carved into Beatrice's pierced stomach.
Beatrice collapses to one knee. Holding her greatsword in a reverse grip, she leans on the blade embedded in the ground. Her complexion turns pale.
I walk toward Beatrice with steady steps. Toward the woman struggling not to collapse. Then, I crouch down right in front of her and speak with glee.
"Is that enough now?"
"Huff, huff... Wh-what in the...!"
"Huh? You're asking how I did it? No way I'm telling you that! It's a trade secret!"
"...."
"But if I had to say, shall we call it magic? You should be grateful, Dame Beatrice! If I had pulled out the Joker Card, there wouldn't be a trace of you left by now!"
"Was... losing the card also intentional...?"
"Because that's the only way you would have launched an attack with all your might! Hahaha!"
Beatrice's head drops on its own. She shouldn't die just from a hole in her stomach. Why is she acting like this?
Ah, could it be 'that'?
"I... lost."
"Ahaha."
"You are my true Lord."
Beatrice's hand slips from the sword embedded in the ground. Trembling violently, she struggled to maintain her posture. She let her left hand drop to the earth and bent her right arm at a right angle, holding it horizontally.
The investiture.
It was time to honor the traditions of the knights.
Clang—
I gripped the greatsword and pulled it out. Thrusting the heavy weapon, which was almost too much to hold steady, before Beatrice's eyes, I declared solemnly.
"To whom does your loyalty belong?"
"To my Lord, *cough*. It belongs to my Lord."
"For what purpose is your honor?"
"To ensure the Lord's name is never tarnished. Ugh...."
With a pale complexion, Beatrice managed to answer the questions, biting her lip hard to stop the blood from leaking out unseemly.
"What does your blade strive to achieve?"
"My blade...."
Beatrice fell into a brief silence. Her gaze dimmed. It was time to settle the regrets and memories of the past.
"...My, blade."
Life returned to her brown eyes. The noose that had been tightening around her neck snapped. In a voice full of longing, Beatrice spoke firmly.
"It is to cut down any enemies who dare oppose my new Lord."
Though she lacked strength due to the hole in her stomach.
Her will was present. A very firm will. One who had reclaimed hope, desire, and longing now pledged loyalty to me.
"Very well."
"...."
"You are now my knight, the sword that follows my will."
"...."
"Beatrice Constantino. I appoint you as the knight of me, Oscar Lucifer."
"...Lucifer?"
Beatrice, who had been listening in silence with her head bowed, looked up. Now my knight, she looked at me with doubt, questioning the last word I spoke.
I did not answer. Instead, I forced the fading Beatrice onto my back.
"Lucifer? You—no, my Lord, what on earth did you just...?"
Beatrice fired off questions like a machine gun and struggled, but it was futile. A human with blood pouring from a hole in their gut has no strength. Even if that human had reached the realm of an Absolute Strong One.
Step—.
I walked forward without hesitation, carrying Beatrice on my back.
Toward the warehouse, where Aru should have completed the summoning of Lucifer by now.
"Wait, wait! My Lord! What did you just say! What do you mean by Lu, Lucifer...!"
"Ahaha, it's no use complaining to me. I was simply born this way. So, go ask our ancestor yourself."
"Ancestor...?"
"Now then, shall I enter?"
Screech—.
I flung open the door of the warehouse, which had miraculously survived the storm of blades. Beatrice's eyes widened like saucers. Inside, Aru barked happily at me, and the gaze of a black-winged devil locked onto Beatrice and me as we entered.
"Woof woof? Young Demon, you're here! I did everything you told me to do!"
"Finally, can I see the face of the arrogant summoner who dared force me, Lucifer, to endure such a patient wait? Yes, let's see just how great this fellow is... Contractor?"
"...! Lu, Lucifer!! Why are you there... *cough*!"
"Ahahaha, it seems most of the leads for the show have gathered. And Aru! You did great! You really are the best wolf in the world! I'll give you something tasty later!"
It was time to begin the Triangular Confrontation of Causality.