Chapter 15

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 15

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Vishken's main castle.

Iorga, the family head's personal guard, watched Axion working through the mountain of documents piled before him.

It was a familiar sight in the Family Head's Hall. The documents before Axion contained reports on various important family affairs and missions.

Then, suddenly—

Flinch.

Axion's eyes and hands, which had been moving busily, stopped for a moment.

This was what the family head did when something caught his interest.

“Is something the matter?”

“There's news about my second son.”

“The Second Young Master?”

Axion picked up a sheet of paper. The report contained details of a mission and whether the family had confirmed its success.

“Apparently, he's completed his mission.”

“He's taken a major first step as a swordsman. His first successful mission and his first kill, isn't it?”

Allen had never killed anyone before. According to Lucas's report, he had been too softhearted to kill even the bandits and had captured them alive instead.

For a swordsman like Allen, this was undoubtedly a significant event.

But Iorga was puzzled.

‘Even so, is this really something that would interest the family head so much?’

Everyone had a first kill and a first mission.

Even if Allen was his son, the family head normally wouldn't have shown much interest in something like this.

And sure enough—

“The mission was to eliminate the leader of the Iron Shackles Society.”

Axion's interest lay in more than simply whether the mission had succeeded.

“Not to annihilate the Iron Shackles Society.”

“...Pardon?”

Flutter.

Axion tossed the report he had been reading toward the startled Iorga.

Iorga bowed his head and accepted the report Axion handed him, then began reading.

[Allen Vishken, mission successful.]

[Elimination of the Iron Shackles Society's leader completed.]

[Additional information: Annihilation of the Iron Shackles Society completed. Fifty-one dead. Believed to have been a one-sided massacre.]

Iorga's eyes trembled as he read the report.

Fifty-one people.

Killing so many people during one's first experience of taking a life was no easy feat. No matter how exceptional a swordsman might be, the first kill was difficult for anyone.

And it was believed to have been a one-sided massacre?

“It seems he's finally broken out of his shell.”

Axion was curious.

Those gentle, friendly eyes that had asked whether he had eaten.

Had the boy cut down dozens of people at once during his first kill with those same eyes?

He wanted to see what kind of ruthless resolve lay hidden behind those eyes that had always seemed so clear and innocent.

Feeling curious for the first time in a long while, Axion asked,

“Where is that boy now?”

“Judging by his last known movements, he appears to have headed toward the northern part of the Owen Kingdom.”

“He hasn't gone very far, then.”

Axion turned his attention back to the remaining documents and spoke.

“Tell him to come see me as soon as he returns. There's something I want to confirm with my second son.”

________________

Thump, thump.

It felt similar to when Allen had first discovered a fragment in the Family Head's Hall.

His heart wasn't reacting as strongly as it had back then, but there was definitely another fragment here.

‘The eleventh...’

The fragment embedded in the Galaxy Sword was the third, while the one he had just discovered was the eleventh.

That meant at least eleven fragments were scattered throughout the continents.

‘I'm lucky. This wasn't even what I came here to find.’

To obtain the third fragment, he would have to qualify as the young family head. That would be a long and difficult road.

On the other hand, obtaining the fragment here didn't seem particularly difficult.

All he had to do was get past the altar before his eyes.

‘The demons' arrival and these fragments are definitely connected. Perhaps the fragments themselves possess the power to stop the demons.’

A clue that could reveal why the demons had crossed over to the continent.

The opportunity to obtain it was right before him.

“...Master Allen! Master Allen!”

It was immediately afterward that Yusia's voice reached him.

Allen, who had been lost in thought for a moment, turned his head.

“Yes?”

“What is it? How can you be the most surprised one here, Master Allen?”

“Ah, I was just thinking about something.”

In the meantime, Mikel and Baudon had already entered the dungeon.

“I knew it! Hahahaha! A double dungeon!”

Inside the brightly illuminated dungeon, Baudon burst into laughter. His mind was filled with thoughts of treasure.

‘I'm going to be rich!’

Most double dungeons existed to conceal valuable treasures.

Baudon was already imagining himself swimming in riches.

‘Mikel gets sixty percent, I get thirty, and that brat... Well, he did save my life earlier, so ten percent should be enough. We can just pay the mage her fee and send her on her way.’

Baudon hurried toward the altar. His heart pounded at the thought that treasure might be hidden there.

The altar was quite large, covering an area of roughly sixty-six square meters. Baudon examined every corner of it.

He thought there might be some hidden mechanism or treasure.

“Nothing?”

There were no monsters, and there was no treasure.

The only things in the newly discovered dungeon were the torches illuminating the space and the altar with its enormous demon statue.

It was then.

“Is that it?”

Allen, who had followed them inside, pointed in a certain direction.

Above the altar, on top of the frightening demon statue's head.

Something was written there in small, crooked letters.

『 Only one who offers a life here may obtain the treasure. 』

After reading it, Baudon muttered in bewilderment.

“A... life?”

He hurriedly looked around.

Mikel, Allen, and Yusia.

If the words written on the altar were true, someone here would have to be killed before the treasure could be obtained.

And that included himself.

Kill or be killed.

Those had become the only two options.

Step.

It was then that Mikel stepped onto the altar.

Startled, Baudon raised his dented shield and shouted.

“D-don't come any closer!”

He was so frightened that he had even forgotten to use the respectful language he normally spoke with.

Only someone who killed another could proceed?

In Baudon's eyes, everyone here now seemed like an enemy plotting to kill him. Mikel, whom he believed to be the most skilled among them, frightened him most of all.

“Mr. Mikel.”

At that moment, Allen called out to Mikel as he climbed onto the altar.

Mikel turned his head.

A faint killing intent lingered in his eyes.

“You don't have to do that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Think carefully. What the altar demands is ‘a life,’ not a human being.”

At Allen's words, Yusia clapped her hands and exclaimed,

“That's right! If it's just a life, it doesn't have to be human. A monster outside would work, and so would an animal or even an insect.”

“Th-that's right! There's no need for us to fight each other. Let's go outside and find a monster or animal to sacrifice on the altar!”

Baudon's face brightened instantly.

Until a moment ago, he had thought Mikel was going to kill him, but now the situation had changed.

Allen looked at the demon statue above the altar.

As though enjoying the situation, the demon statue wore a delighted smile.

‘What a rotten dungeon.’

Come to think of it, the problem was incredibly simple.

After all, humans weren't the only living creatures.

But the inscription on the altar had been worded cleverly to sow discord among the companions who had traveled here together.

‘By the time they realized the truth, they'd even have to live with the guilt of killing a companion they never needed to kill.’

Having thought that far, Allen shook his head.

‘No, I suppose someone capable of feeling that guilt wouldn't have killed a companion in the first place.’

He would rather fight monsters. This dungeon seemed designed to manipulate the human heart.

Meanwhile—

“Why should I bother doing that?”

Despite Allen's explanation, Mikel did not stop.

Flash.

Whooooosh!

Having drawn his sword, he suddenly launched himself onto the altar.

Baudon, who had begun to relax, was startled and hurriedly raised his shield.

Stab.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Mikel's sword pierced through the hole in Baudon's shield. Baudon screamed as the blade ran through his abdomen.

Thanks to his quick reaction, the sword had missed his vital organs, but blood flowed from Baudon's mouth as he shouted.

“There's no need to do this! Why...?!”

“I told you not to trust him.”

Step.

Sensing someone nearby, Mikel turned his head.

Allen had already stepped onto the altar.

Mikel grinned and twisted the hand holding his sword.

Crunch.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Baudon screamed as the sword twisted inside his stomach. The pain felt as though his entire body were burning.

When Mikel pulled the sword out of Baudon's body, Baudon collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony.

But Mikel paid him no attention.

Still holding his blood-dripping sword, he turned toward Allen.

“That's right. You were certainly more annoying than this bastard.”

“I feel the same way. Of all the names you could have used, you just had to choose Vishken.”

“So you knew after all?”

Allen nodded.

“The Blazing Sword Division doesn't have such crude swordsmanship. And when we hunt monsters, we make a point of targeting their vital spots.”

“...We?”

Mikel looked surprised. Yusia, who was listening to the conversation, and Baudon, who lay collapsed on the floor, reacted the same way.

Baudon in particular, who had firmly believed until now that Mikel was a swordsman from Vishken, began trembling as though having a seizure.

“D-don't tell me you're...?”

Baudon's face turned deathly pale.

The very person who had stepped forward to help him was actually a swordsman from Vishken?

‘Impossible!’

Memories of all the times he had looked down on Allen and treated him rudely flashed through Baudon's mind. Even when Allen had saved his life, Baudon had been so concerned about his share of the treasure that he hadn't offered a single word of thanks.

Thinking back, Allen's movements at the time had been anything but ordinary.

What he had mistaken for luck had actually been skill.

‘I'm dead.’

Meanwhile, Mikel's actions had allowed Allen to understand why he had dared to impersonate a swordsman of Vishken.

“You used the Vishken name because you intended to kill everyone from the beginning.”

What did impersonation matter if there were no witnesses?

From the very beginning, Mikel had never intended to let anyone leave this dungeon alive.

Mikel readily nodded at Allen's deduction.

“Nothing frightens adventurers quite like that name.”

“True. It certainly seemed that way.”

Baudon, who was lying on the floor bleeding from his abdomen, flinched.

Allen's remark about it seeming that way had been directed at him.

Baudon clasped his hands together and pleaded with Allen.

“P-please spare me, Sir Swordsman! Everything was my fault!”

“What exactly did you do wrong?”

“W-well, all of it...”

Whoosh!

It was then that Mikel's sword flew toward Baudon's neck.

A strike that seemed certain to sever his head in a single blow.

At that moment—

Celestial Star Style, First Form.

Behold.

Allen's sword shot forward like the wind.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the two swords collided.

Mikel's sword, which had been aimed at Baudon's neck, was knocked upward.

Mikel instinctively used his footwork to retreat. The tip of his sword trembled faintly.

Realizing that he had narrowly escaped death, Baudon cried out.

“Th-thank you! Thank you!”

“Didn't we agree to divide the treasure according to everyone's contributions?”

“Pardon?”

“I discovered the double dungeon, solved the secret of the altar, and saved your life twice. What do you think?”

Allen was essentially telling him to surrender his entire share.

Baudon, who had been imagining himself swimming in treasure just moments earlier, looked utterly miserable.

But he couldn't very well refuse and die here.

“O-of course, all the treasure belongs to you, Sir Swordsman.”

“Right?”

Allen smiled faintly and gestured with his chin toward the area below the altar.

“Go over there and tend to your wound. Make sure you stop the bleeding. You'll die if you lose too much blood.”

“Th-thank you!”

Baudon began crawling away with groans of pain. Yusia, who had been watching the situation cautiously, hurried over to support him.

Meanwhile, surprise appeared in Mikel's eyes as he stood a short distance from Allen.

“You're fast. Were you hiding not only your identity but your abilities as well?”

“I'm not the one with so many secrets. You are, aren't you?”

His words carried a deeper meaning.

Allen spoke as though he knew Mikel was still hiding something.

And sure enough—

“You really do know a great deal, brat.”

A grin spread across Mikel's lips.

“You're the first person to notice even this.”

Whooooo.

The energy flowing from Mikel's body gradually turned red.

It was no ordinary energy.

It was a crimson, menacing, ominous, and sinister aura.

Veins bulged across Mikel's face. His eyes turned an increasingly vivid crimson, transforming into the eyes of a wicked beast.

The man he had been moments ago and the man standing there now seemed like entirely different people.

And then—

Startled by Mikel's transformation, Yusia cried out.

“A demonic human?”