Chapter 40

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 40

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In a space illuminated by a shaft of light.

The swordsmen of Vishken and the Empire faced each other across a sword lying abandoned on the ground.

“It's been a long time, Castle Lord.”

A middle-aged knight with his hair swept back stepped forward from among the Empire's swordsmen.

Machid Glacius, one of the Empire's Masters.

He was the Imperial commander responsible for the mission to secure the Demon Sword.

“Machid. It's been a while. I heard you've become the commander of the Imperial Eighth Knight Order.”

“I merely feel the weight of responsibility in a position I scarcely deserve.”

“You have more than enough talent. Unlike the other worthless fools in the Empire. One day, you'll rise to become the commander of the Imperial Guard.”

The Lord of Steel Castle, who had been offering such warm words of encouragement, suddenly let his eyes turn cold.

“Of course, that's assuming you return from here alive.”

At the same time, a faint aura emanated from the Lord of Steel Castle.

True to his title, the energy radiating from him was as heavy and solid as steel.

Feeling as though his shoulders were being crushed beneath its weight, Glacius sighed deeply and asked,

“Must you really go this far?”

“I wonder who should be asking that.”

The Lord of Steel Castle stepped forward threateningly.

“We have no intention of engaging in lengthy discussions. Nor do we intend to compromise. If you truly want the Demon Sword, you'll have to get past me.”

“You know, don't you? Just how dangerous this sword is.”

Having been entrusted with the Empire's mission to find the Demon Sword, Glacius also knew its secrets.

A shadow fell over his face as he looked at the Demon Sword lying on the ground.

“If the Demon Sword is unleashed upon the world, many people will die. Is that truly what Vishken wants?”

“You needn't worry. That won't happen.”

The Lord of Steel Castle snorted.

“The recovered Demon Sword will be delivered directly to the family head.”

At those words, Glacius's eyebrows twitched.

The family head, Axion Vishken.

His name had been invoked.

To the swordsmen of Vishken, Axion stood above even the Emperor of the Empire.

Even a castle lord would not casually invoke the family head's name merely as a threat.

In other words, Axion really would be the one to take possession of the Demon Sword.

Glacius fell into thought.

‘Certainly, if it's Axion Vishken...’

No matter how dangerous the Demon Sword was, he couldn't imagine it overcoming Axion, who was said to be the greatest swordsman since Vishken's first family head.

Above all,

‘There's no way we can win with our current forces.’

Although the Empire had dispatched a Master-level swordsman like himself to secure the Demon Sword, Vishken's forces were far more formidable.

The Lord of Steel Castle alone would be difficult to handle. To confront him, the Empire would have needed to dispatch one of its Seven Great Knights.

And the Flying Sword Division was here as well.

‘Was the Demon Sword really so important that they would go this far?’

He couldn't understand it.

No matter how important the Demon Sword was, mobilizing both a castle lord and the Flying Sword Division seemed excessive.

This was a force powerful enough to wage war against the Empire.

Perhaps sensing Glacius's thoughts,

The Lord of Steel Castle spoke in a considerably gentler voice.

“Do you think we want to fight the Empire? We are not the Empire's enemies. Whether a battle takes place here is entirely your decision.”

Strictly speaking, Vishken and the Empire were closer to rivals than enemies.

There was no need to deliberately shed blood.

“What will you do? If you intend to continue, I'd rather you didn't waste any more time.”

“...Understood.”

Glacius made his decision.

No matter how important the mission was, he couldn't sacrifice his subordinate knights in a battle they had no chance of winning.

“However, I would like to confirm that there is nothing wrong with the Demon Sword before leaving. It would be disastrous if the sword were to run out of control.”

“I already told you that won't happen.”

Even as he said that, the Lord of Steel Castle nodded.

It was a gesture of permission.

Once an agreement had been reached, Glacius gestured toward the knights around him.

An order to withdraw.

Several knights looked displeased with Glacius's decision.

But they could not disobey his orders.

Everyone understood that they were in a situation where victory was impossible.

And so, once all the Imperial knights had withdrawn,

Step.

Representing the swordsmen of Vishken, the Lord of Steel Castle approached the Demon Sword.

It was the moment Vishken would finally obtain the Demon Sword it had searched for so desperately, from the previous family head's time until now.

However—

‘Something's wrong.’

Watching the Lord of Steel Castle approach the Demon Sword, Lucas felt a strange sense of unease.

‘It's too easy.’

They were going to obtain the Demon Sword they had searched for so desperately, just like that?

Alarm bells rang in Lucas's mind. His instincts as a swordsman, his ability to sense danger, were warning him.

It wasn't over yet. Something else was still waiting.

But the Lord of Steel Castle moved faster than Lucas could respond to that warning.

Swish.

The Lord of Steel Castle reached toward the Demon Sword on the ground.

The Demon Sword rested neatly inside its scabbard.

It was the moment the Lord of Steel Castle grasped it, scabbard and all.

Whoooooosh.

Demonic energy began flowing from the Demon Sword's scabbard.

The Lord of Steel Castle flinched in surprise as he held it.

The Demon Sword's demonic energy should have been sealed within the scabbard. Unless the sword was drawn, there should have been no possibility of its soul awakening.

And yet—

—Ahhhh...

A low sigh sounded beside the Lord of Steel Castle's ear.

—At last, someone worth using has arrived.

A languid madness was mixed into the voice.

The Lord of Steel Castle's eyes widened at the faint demonic energy leaking out.

For reasons he could not understand, the soul residing within the Demon Sword had awakened.

‘Kaglos?’

Naturally, the Lord of Steel Castle assumed the soul belonged to Kaglos.

The legendary demon said to have been sealed by the first family head fifteen hundred years ago.

However—

—Kaglos? Kaglos, you say... Ah, you mean that traitor to the Demonic Realm? Has that fellow become a sword now? Hahaha! How amusing.

The soul contained within the sword was not Kaglos.

Realizing that something was wrong, the Lord of Steel Castle tried to release the sword.

But for some reason, he couldn't let go of it.

The Lord of Steel Castle summoned his mana. The demonic energy pouring from the Demon Sword and his mana began struggling against each other.

The hand gripping the sword trembled violently. Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Resisting the Demon Sword's demonic energy, the Lord of Steel Castle asked,

‘If you're not Kaglos, then what are you?’

—Are you asking my name? Well, I suppose if I'm going to take your body, knowing my name might make it a little less unfair for you.

Kihihihihi!

Along with the eerie laughter, a red soul appeared before his eyes.

It looked like a demon given a round, spherical form.

Eyes and a mouth appeared on the red soul. Pitch-black pupils glared at the Lord of Steel Castle.

The demon bared its teeth in a grin and spoke.

—Bain Belvemos. That is the name of the master who will possess your body from now on.

In the distant future,

The soul of a demon destined to become one of the Ten Great Demons resided within the Demon Sword.

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Slaaash!

“...!!!”

Blood sprayed from the demonic human's severed arm.

Sacrificing his arm instead of his neck and head, the demonic human retreated and put some distance between himself and Allen.

Thud.

The severed arm fell to the ground. For a moment, a desolate wind blew between Allen and the demonic human.

The demonic human's eyes shook violently as he stared in disbelief at his severed arm lying on the ground.

There was no regret.

No, if anything, he should have considered himself fortunate.

Just now, it wouldn't have been strange if his neck had been severed instead of his arm.

“What... was that just now?”

The demonic human could sense that Allen's technique had changed.

It wasn't merely that he had become faster than before. Although his overall abilities had improved as his level of mastery advanced, the technique itself had also changed.

It was no illusion.

‘So this was why.’

Allen gripped the Demon Sword tightly.

Why did Vishken desire the Demon Sword so desperately?

At this very moment, Allen had demonstrated the answer himself.

‘To think the lost incantations of the Celestial Star Style were engraved upon the Demon Sword.’

It was a reason he had never imagined.

What Allen had witnessed was no mere illusion. It was undoubtedly a recreation of events that had taken place in the past.

The battle between Hecate, the first family head, and a demon.

And within it, the incantations of the Celestial Star Style left behind by Hecate himself.

—You bastard, you really are of Vishken's bloodline. What rotten luck.

Faint anger colored the voice of Kaglos, the Demon Sword.

It sounded as though he was displeased with the situation.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Allen asked,

‘Were you the demon who fought the first family head?’

—You saw that?

Kaglos snorted in response to Allen's question.

—That's right. I once fought Hecate when he was young.

‘When he was young?’

—Back when we were both still inexperienced youngsters. Him and me alike.

‘...Inexperienced youngsters?’

Allen let out a disbelieving laugh.

Inexperienced?

Even now, the image of the first family head wielding the Celestial Star Style amid the sea of flames in the Demonic Realm remained vivid in Allen's eyes.

The sight of him moving through the air and unleashing the Celestial Star Style against Kaglos, a demon comparable to the Ten Great Demons, had been nothing short of awe-inspiring.

And that had been when he was still inexperienced?

—Since you call him the first family head, quite some time must have passed since then. How much time has gone by? Who is the current family head?

‘Hold on.’

Allen set aside Kaglos's questions.

The demonic human, who had lost an arm, had regained his composure and was pointing his sword at Allen again.

‘I'll satisfy your curiosity later. It looks like we'll be seeing plenty of each other from now on anyway.’

The demonic human had lost an arm.

Blood continued pouring from both his chest wound and his severed arm. By all rights, he should have lost consciousness and collapsed long ago.

Yet the murderous intent in his eyes still had not faded.

‘I'll think about it later.’

Allen sheathed the Demon Sword and drew Griffin.

He judged that a sword he was accustomed to using would serve him better for now.

And at the same time—

Flash!

Allen kicked off the ground and closed the distance to the demonic human.

“You dare, you little brat!”

Sword energy surged around the demonic human's blade.

Amid the ferociously sweeping sword energy, Allen's figure rushed forward like the wind as he executed the Hundred Lotus Steps.

Celestial Star Style, First Form.

Behold.

Whooooosh!

A streak of wind grazed the demonic human's shoulder.

The demonic human's reactions had clearly slowed. In contrast, Allen's sword had grown faster.

Whoosh!

Behold was unleashed again in quick succession.

Forced to defend himself with only one arm, the demonic human was driven backward. Nevertheless, he did not lose his momentum.

His eyes suggested he was preparing something.

Sure enough.

“...Ha.”

As Allen unleashed consecutive techniques and closed the distance, the demonic human smiled.

At that moment—

Squirm.

Crack, crack.

Black veins bulged across the demonic human's body. The gaping wound on his chest rapidly healed along the swollen veins.

His remaining arm swelled unnaturally. Black veins rose along it, and the entire arm turned pitch-black.

“I acknowledge you, young Vishken.”

He was no longer merely emitting demonic energy.

Half human, half monster.

Something caught between the two.

“Consider it an honor to witness this form...”

At that moment—

Crash.

The sound of a wave came from somewhere.

It cut off the demonic human's words.

The demonic human sensed something strange.

He could accept the fact that his voice had suddenly stopped.

But what was truly strange was the feeling that the world was gradually tilting.

‘...Huh?’

“What honor?”

The demonic human's eyes widened.

Before he knew it, black blood stained the tip of Griffin in Allen's hand.

“We called that ‘Demonic Beast Transformation.’ A grand name for a cheap trick that burns away your life in exchange for power.”

Riiip.

The demonic human's split body actually began to tilt diagonally.

Celestial Star Style, Third Form, Surge.

Allen's technique had sliced diagonally through the demonic human's body.

“The weakness of Demonic Beast Transformation is the brief opening immediately after the veins swell. A technique that costs your life and has a weakness on top of that. Only an idiot would use it right in front of an opponent.”

“Vish... ken...”

The demonic human forced out a few words as his body tilted.

In his final moments, the last thing he saw was Allen looking at him as though he were pathetic.

“It seems you chose the wrong master for someone of your abilities.”