Chapter 72

Chapter 72. In Search of the Demon Sword (4)

The pungent smell of blood stings the nose.

In the center of a vast cavern, shrouded in a thick crimson mist.

A blood-red sword, bound by chains, was embedded in the ground.

“It’s been a while.”

I smirked as I gazed at the blood-red sword.

When I first came here, I trembled under the overwhelming pressure emanating from the Demon Sword.

Recalling memories of my past life, I approached the sword with leisurely steps.

“How have you been?”

Clank, clank, clank!

As if greeting an old friend, I waved my hand warmly, and the sword trembled in response.

No, not just “as if” responding—it was actually responding to my words.

It was begging to be freed from this place.

‘Veskal, the Archbishop of Blood.’

The Demon Sword Veskal was created by sealing a cruel demon, who had taken countless human lives during the Devil God War 500 years ago, into a sword.

“Tch.”

I approached the chains binding the sword.

Clankclankclankclankclank!

The Demon Sword moved even more violently.

“What, you want me to free you?”

Though I couldn’t see its face or hear its voice.

I could almost picture Veskal, trapped inside the sword, desperately pleading.

“Alright. I’ll free you.”

Clank, clank…

Perhaps it didn’t expect me to agree so easily.

The Demon Sword, instead of trembling with joy, seemed to shrink back warily.

“Don’t be scared. I really will free you.”

I drew the sword at my waist and channeled magic power into it.

A gray aura enveloped the blade, and faint flames flickered like heat haze.

Though the flames were feeble compared to when I used the ‘Fire God’ state or ‘Ignition.’

‘This much is enough for now.’

I swung the sword at the chains binding the Demon Sword.

Sun Sword.

Third Form: Light Sever.

Kaaaaang!

The horizontal slash collided with the chains binding the Demon Sword.

The powerful chains that had sealed the Demon Sword for 500 years were effortlessly severed.

Krrrrrrumble!

The entire cavern shook as if an earthquake had struck.

[Hehe… Hahahahahaha!]

A maddened laughter echoed in my mind.

Not the deep voice I had heard before entering, but an unpleasant, grating voice like metal scraping against steel.

[Finally…! Finally, I’m free from this damned seal!]

A terrifying aura spread through the surrounding space.

The overwhelming surge of power made it hard to believe that this entity was trapped within a sword, devoid of a physical body.

“The cave might collapse. I get that you’re excited, but calm down a bit.”

[You…]

The sword, embedded in the center, floated into the air.

[Hehe. Thank you, human. Thanks to you, I’ve been freed from a long seal.]

Krrrrr!

The crimson mist filling the cavern gathered around the sword.

The floating sword transformed like slime, taking the form of a blood-human made of blood.

“In return.”

Amid the thick, nauseating smell of blood.

The yellow eyes formed on the blood-human’s face turned toward me.

“I shall grant you the honor of becoming my new vessel.”

Unlike before, the voice now came audibly.

A voice filled with sticky desire and murderous intent echoed in my ears.

“Ha, so predictable.”

I sighed deeply as I looked at Veskal, now a writhing mass of blood.

“Why haven’t you changed at all since back then?”

“…What? Back then?”

Confusion appeared in Veskal’s eyes.

“Back then… Could it be, you know Raynard?”

“Huh?”

“Kehehe! So that’s it! No wonder I sensed that damned bastard’s aura faintly in my domain! You’re his lackey!”

Perhaps sensing Yuren’s aura, who was probably fast asleep in the tent by now.

Veskal spewed intense killing intent toward me and shouted.

“…That’s not what I meant by ‘back then.'”

I swallowed a bitter smile and gripped my sword.

The “back then” I mentioned.

Memories of my past life flashed through my mind.

‘This guy annihilated the mercenary group I spent years with.’

After a month of searching, we found the secret space within the ruins and, following the request, unsealed the Demon Sword.

The result was total annihilation.

All the mercenaries, except me, were absorbed by Veskal, turned into mere puddles of blood.

‘Back then, I was so scared I even wet my pants.’

Erasing the embarrassing memory, I gripped my sword.

‘Well, then.’

A formidable enemy I couldn’t even dare to face in my past life.

A monster that was nothing short of a nightmare.

‘Let’s see how much I’ve changed.’

The blazing gray aura.

I poured more power into the sword I held and stomped the ground.

Kwoong!

With a heavy vibration, the surroundings stretched out.

In the blink of an eye, I reached Veskal and slashed downward.

Kaaaaang!

The clash of gray and crimson.

A fierce shockwave reverberated through the cavern.

Kakakakakak!

A fierce exchange of blows at a speed hard to follow with the eyes.

In the intense clash between gray and crimson, it was the crimson that was pushed back first.

“Kuh!”

A groan escaped Veskal’s mouth.

His blood-formed body, unable to withstand the impact, rippled violently like a stone thrown into water.

“Impressive… You have the skills to be arrogant!”

Staggering back, Veskal roared fiercely and twisted his body.

From his blood-formed body, long tendrils of blood stretched out.

At the ends of the tendrils, sharp, gleaming fangs.

Dozens of fangs shot toward me from all directions.

Swooshswooshswooshswooshswoosh!

Instead of dodging the fangs, I threw myself forward.

Focusing magic power into my soles, I stomped the ground roughly.

“Berald Martial Arts.”

Earth Shaker.

Krrrrrumble!

The cavern floor shattered, and a wall of rock fragments rose up.

The blood fangs shooting from all directions were swept away by the earthen wall.

“What…!”

Before Veskal’s exclamation could fully escape his mouth.

Pooooong!

My fist, filled with magic power, slammed into Veskal’s stomach.

With a sound like an exploding shell, the blood forming Veskal’s body scattered in all directions.

But only for a moment.

With a gurgling sound, the hole in Veskal’s abdomen rapidly regenerated.

“Kuh…! Attacks like this won’t work on me…!”

“Is that so?”

Well then.

What can I do?

“I’ll just keep smashing you until it works.”

Berald Martial Arts.

Sky Breaker.

Pooooong!

Veskal’s body exploded once more.

I didn’t stop there and continued to swing my fists.

Pooong! Bang! Paaaang!

“Kuh! Ugh! Krrr!”

Veskal’s body, unable to keep up with the regeneration speed, gradually shrank.

“You… you damn brat!”

Krrrr!

The writhing blood.

Veskal’s blood-formed body spread out, and the blood-red sword floated into the air.

“Die!”

The blood-wrapped Demon Sword charged at me with terrifying speed.

I pointed my sword at the oncoming Demon Sword, exuding a massive aura.

“Bloom.”

Sssssss!

With a sound like flesh burning, gray smoke erupted from every pore of my body.

The flames enveloping the blade blazed fiercely.

Sun Sword.

Seventh Form: Light Ring.

A ring of fire formed around the blade.

The ring of fire spun wildly, continuously amplifying the magic power within it.

And then.

Kwaaaaaa!

A deafening roar shook the entire cavern.

The Demon Sword, colliding with the ring of fire, was sent flying helplessly and embedded into the ground.

[Th-this can’t be…]

The voice of the Demon Sword, now devoid of its blood-formed body, echoed in my mind.

[How… how can this be possible!]

Even though he was trapped within the sword and unable to use his full power, he was once the ‘Archbishop of Blood,’ a key figure in the Devil God’s army.

He hadn’t been so utterly defeated even against Raynard, the one who sealed him in this sword. Yet now, he was overwhelmingly defeated by a brat who looked barely over twenty.

[What… what are you…?]

Veskal’s trembling blade looked at Dale.

Dale didn’t answer and simply strode toward the sword embedded in the ground.

The thick gray smoke.

The flames burning along the blade I held.

The eerie green eyes visible through the gray ash.

[St-stay away!]

Veskal, forgetting even his dignity as the ‘Archbishop of Blood,’ screamed in a pitiful manner.

Desperately twisting his body to escape Dale, but his body was trapped within the sword.

The embedded Demon Sword clattered violently, shaking intensely.

[Stay awayyyyyy!]

Ignoring the desperate screams.

I grabbed the Demon Sword embedded in the ground.

“Really. You’re as noisy as ever.”

I channeled the Primordial Flame into the sword I held.

[Kyaaaaaa! S-stop!]

The screams of agony echoed in my mind.

The Primordial Flame flowing into the Demon Sword voraciously consumed Veskal’s consciousness.

About five minutes passed.

Sssss.

The gray smoke emanating from my body gradually faded, and the flames enveloping the sword died down.

No more voices came from the Demon Sword.

After confirming that Veskal’s consciousness had completely disappeared, I lifted the blood-red, gleaming sword.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

In my past life, how much did I struggle to erase Veskal’s consciousness from this Demon Sword?

‘Back then, I really thought he was going to take over my body.’

The Blessing of Resurrection didn’t just restore physical death.

Mental death.

In other words, when my consciousness was completely eroded by mental domination, the Blessing of Resurrection could restore even that consciousness to its original state.

Using that, I fought a nearly year-long battle against Veskal’s consciousness trying to take over my body, and finally succeeded in completely erasing his consciousness from the Demon Sword.

‘But this time, I erased Veskal’s consciousness in just five minutes.’

It was a moment that truly made me realize how much I had changed from my past self.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d win this easily.”

Even though Veskal was sealed within the sword and couldn’t use his full power, I hadn’t expected to defeat him so overwhelmingly.

“Just how much stronger have I become?”

I frowned as I looked down at my body, still faintly emitting gray ash.