Chaptet 35 - Declaration
Demonic Sword, Shiltnaro.
She was born in an abandoned mine at the edge of the demon realm.
It was a place so deep and dark that no one's footsteps ever reached it.
For a while, she had to spend time trying to understand who she was.
But she couldn't figure anything out properly.
She only confirmed that she was born from an unidentified ore.
-SCRAPE, SCRAPE.
She instinctively refined and polished that ore.
As if only that could prove her existence.
Eventually, the ore glowed and was born as a sword.
The result pleased her, but nothing truly changed.
She was still alone, tied to the ore—no, now the object that had become a sword.
She and the sword were one.
She was the sword, and the sword was she.
She instinctively knew she needed someone to wield her.
So, she embarked on a journey, cutting down countless people who called her a monster, and only then did she meet him.
-He's just a being who kills.
He seemed empty.
She didn't know why.
She swung her blade as usual.
But this time, she couldn't kill him.
Even when cut down, he rose again.
He recovered and fought again.
And finally, he seized her.
WHOOSH.
What kind of harmony was it?
Even now, she thinks about that moment.
The moment her blurry outline became clear, and her reason solidified.
When she first saw the hidden woman's form, she fully recognized herself.
One born as a sword is destined to be held by its owner.
And he was the owner she had been searching for.
"I remember, don't I?"
Beatrice spoke to the malevolent spirit who had lost its owner and now merely wandered the streets.
"Because whenever I met him, you were always there too."
-Give him back.
"Did I kill him? How can I give him back?"
-GIVE HIM BAAAAAACK!
With a shriek, she lunged at Beatrice.
"As expected, without the Demon King, you're nothing but a runaway evil spirit."
Spirits are born from nature.
Those born from ore were also a type of spirit.
However, unlike those born from living creatures, spirits born from inanimate objects often had flaws.
This was because they inherited no will, leading to a defect in their ego.
She had no choice but to rely infinitely on the Demon King, the only one who could resonate with her.
CRASH!
The blade she swung struck the spot where Beatrice had dodged.
'She's completely lost her mind.'
Beatrice, who had retreated a few steps, turned her gaze back to her.
'Without the Demon King, she can't stabilize her power.'
The Demon King was capable of intervening in powers that resonated with his own.
It must have been his ability that kept her from rampaging.
-Kyaaaaaaaah!
She continued to charge at Beatrice.
Beatrice deliberately avoided engaging her, repeatedly escaping.
'I've got her attention for now, but what I need is time.'
She had to keep her occupied until everything was finished.
CRASH!
There was a limit to dodging.
The blade she wielded grazed Beatrice.
"Ugh?!"
Even if she was just rampaging, it was still the strongest sword that had experienced countless battlefields.
Beatrice twisted her lips, seeing faint blood seep from her grazed arm.
"Alright, if you want to rampage so much, how about I play along."
Of course, without endangering Barungenia.
Soon, the battle between her and Beatrice began.
Her re-forged blade and Beatrice's dragon armor covering her skin clashed, spewing sparks.
In the midst of the continuous roars, the fallen gargoyles rose to their feet, swallowing dryly.
This is where the Pitch-Black One intended to reside as a refuge.
We cannot tolerate such reckless rampage.
This outrageous act must be stopped immediately.
They immediately issued warnings, but contrary to their words, they could not easily step into the fray.
A clash continued where even a slight misstep could lead to complete annihilation.
Who would dare to step forward carelessly into that?
'Troublesome.'
Kardine, Clay's escort, also broke out in a cold sweat, watching the scene from afar.
'She told me not to intervene, so I should just stay put...'
Beatrice had told him never to interfere.
That she would handle it herself.
'Is she doing this to avoid breaking the demonic sword?'
But Clay was originally someone who wielded a holy sword.
Even if Golche and Rin successfully changed his constitution, whether he could control a demonic sword was unknown.
'No, he will definitely fail.'
As someone who had decided to serve Clay closely, he had no intention of doubting his actions.
But this was a different matter.
'It must be disposed of.'
A demonic sword that chose its owner was, for now, merely a risk.
'This kind of thing won't end with just one time.'
The return of the wandering sword was just the beginning of future events; thinking about the others who would flock here, refusing to acknowledge or testing Clay, made his head spin.
CLENCH.
Still, Kardine couldn't easily step forward.
It was a struggle so intense that even a slight misstep could shatter the canyon where Barungenia stood.
"Damn it..."
He could only turn his gaze to Barungenia, standing silently.
♧
How much time had passed?
Not more than a day.
CREAK.
The double doors of the secret room where Rin and Golche had entered opened.
"Hah, hah."
"Ugh."
Inside, Rin and Golche were clinging to the doors on either side.
"I, I thought I was going to die."
Rin had been in charge of all the reagents and magic necessary to change Clay's constitution.
It was a task that consumed an enormous amount of magic power, nearly exhausting all of her energy, so a little more exertion might have truly killed her.
"Anyone would think you performed the surgery."
Golche exhaled, his voice ragged.
He was a wreck.
It wasn't just about cutting and reattaching flesh; he had to directly handle and adjust an exploding magical body, leaving him looking as if he'd been struck by dozens of lightning bolts.
No, it was worse.
The moment Golche opened the door, all the nerves in his body severed, and he could no longer move.
He would now need to spend a long time recovering.
"Still, with a masterpiece of this caliber..."
FOOTSTEPS.
A naked man walked past him, muttering.
But Rin didn't need to cover her eyes.
A white radiance enveloped his entire body.
"...You've worked hard."
Rin and Golche gazed blankly at him as he uttered those words and walked away.
"What is this?"
A sigh-like remark escaped Rin's lips.
"What have we created?"
Golche, who would normally have interjected that it was something he created, remained silent without offering a particular response.
Even he was left speechless by the result.
As he walked, the light faded.
But the sense of oppression only grew stronger.
His red eyes glinted, and his firm muscles were revealed.
The priests' brands that had been etched on him turned black.
The brands that had restrained Holy Power were now amplifying magi.
His body was committing the impudent act of drawing in Holy Power and converting it into magi.
Yet, he felt no guilt.
STEP.
Just as he took another step, someone approached him from the side.
PLOP, PLOP.
It was a slime.
The tailor of Barungenia was holding a piece of clothing with one tentacle raised high.
A completed outfit.
A black coat with a demon-patterned brooch and impressive, weighty shoulder pads.
It was an item that clearly exuded absolute power, something he would never have worn during his youth as a Hero.
"Excellent."
As he lowered his gaze and spoke, the slime's green color deepened as if invigorated.
When he stood still, the slime moved on its own.
Soon, the outfit was draped over his body.
Authority.
He experienced no confusion.
Since his purpose was clear, he simply continued walking, draped in new prestige.
CLUNK.
Barungenia's main gate opened.
♧
"Failure...!"
Nothing came out when Barungenia's main gate opened.
Kardine bit his lip, looking at the maids standing with the gate open.
If something went wrong, the maids were supposed to deliver the news.
Seeing no one standing inside the gate, something was definitely amiss.
"Where is Lord Clay!"
If the surgery went wrong, the repercussions would be uncontrollable.
'As expected, it was impossible!'
It was too rushed.
No matter how much Golche investigated Clay's body, changing the constitution of someone chosen as humanity's hero was clearly close to impossible.
'I should have stopped him...!'
Clay's will was so firm that he couldn't properly offer any opinions.
He had no fear.
There was no fear whatsoever of dying.
In contrast, the Demon King's army had so much to lose.
Without him, the Demon King's army could not be rebuilt.
"Damn it!"
Even Beatrice should have stepped in and somehow persuaded Clay, but she seemed more inclined to fulfill his wishes than the Demon King's army's.
In the midst of the continuous roars, Kardine hurriedly moved towards the maids.
"Where is Lord Clay?!"
"Lord Clay is..."
The maid he spoke to pointed her finger forward.
Not inside Barungenia, but outside.
"What?"
He hadn't seen anyone come out.
"What are you talking about! No one was at the gate except for you..."
Kardine, who was about to shout, suddenly fell silent.
'!'
The roars had ceased.
The very roars that had echoed like drumbeats just moments ago, accompanying Beatrice and Shiltnaro's struggle.
WHOOSH.
Only then did Kardine turn his head.
In the direction the maid had pointed.
There stood a man.
Black attire, and black hair.
In the atmosphere of deep darkness emanating from him, Kardine unknowingly muttered.
"Your Majesty... the Demon King?"
-Aah! Aaah!
With a shriek, Shiltnaro stopped fighting Beatrice and moved forward.
-Is it him? Is it him?
She pitifully stretched out her hand.
-Him?
But what she reached and saw was not the figure she had yearned for.
-Aaah!
A scream burst forth once more.
-Aaaaaaah!
Clutching her head, she wailed.
-Where did he go! Without him, I...!
THUD.
Suddenly, he grabbed her arm.
"I know."
When he spoke, her blurry features suddenly became clear.
"Because I brought you loss."
The black-haired woman, her madness gone, looked at him with a surprised expression.
"Even his place is now mine."
Clay declared thus.