The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Spring in Hometown (2)

Before his eyes lies the holy sword, ‘Summer’.

The sword that symbolizes the hero, Abel’s sword.

The sword Cain coveted in his youth, and after experiencing Abel’s death, he couldn’t tell if it was right for him to hold it again.

Faith.

Proof.

Light.

The symbol of all of these, ‘Summer’.

While the other 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉 are remarkable, none possess the fame and public recognition of ‘Summer’.

Looking back through history, the whereabouts and even the appearance of ‘Spring’ remain a mystery.

‘Autumn’ always resided either atop the Saintess’s head or within the Holy See’s vault, and ‘Winter’ perpetually battled amidst snowy fields.

Their records in history amounted to a mere line or two.

And ‘Winter’ presents such a holy sword to him.

Step━.

In a world where time stands still.

Cain walks towards the holy sword and extends his hand.

[‘Summer’ says it understands ‘Winter’s’ thoughts and will, but this is not the way.]

[‘Summer’ is…….]

Kwagagagakang━!

From the torn, black wound in the sky, a massive, pure white lightning bolt strikes down towards ‘Summer’.

【Shut up.】

[‘Summer’ glances between you and ‘Winter’ with reddened eyes.]

【Want me to shut you up for eternity?】

‘Winter’s’ words are ice-cold.

Words that threaten to crush and obliterate anything that dares to defy them. Similar to a witch’s incantation, but with a difference in scale akin to a single drop of water compared to the vast ocean.

Cain stares at the white hand emerging from the black cosmos.

‘A woman?’

He can’t shake off that impression.

He senses it subtly in her way of speaking. Moreover, the ‘Winter’ manifested before him undeniably possesses the delicate hand of a young woman.

【While such distinctions hold little meaning, you’re not entirely wrong.】

[‘Summer’ asks why she speaks to you differently than she does to me.]

Kwakang━! Kang━!

Instead of a response, another bolt of lightning descends, and ‘Summer’ immediately falls silent.

Cain lets out a bitter chuckle.

He thinks he understands why ‘Spring’, whom he encountered while unconscious, told ‘Winter’ to tone down her temper.

And he finds it pleasant.

The fact that ‘Winter’ directs her fierce protectiveness towards him makes his heart flutter.

【I’ll handle ‘Summer’ somehow, so draw it. Become the master of the holy sword in this new era.】

Cain extends his hand.

Reflected in his violet eyes is ‘Summer’, taking the form of a golden sword.

━Would you like to hold it?

Before crossing the world line.

He recalls the words of Abel, spoken atop the white cliffs of Ethelred when they reunited after a long time, as he offered the holy sword.

The holy sword he didn’t grasp that day.

And the holy sword he grasped when he pierced Abel’s heart.

When he could have simply held it in his hand.

Whooosh━.

A cold wind blows from somewhere.

Cain doesn’t grasp the sword.

He lifts his head instead.

‘Spring?’

The Apostle, Golden Dawn, constantly divides the world with his ever-shifting observations. To break it, two unchanging observers are needed.

That’s why ‘Winter’ brought ‘Summer’.

‘Autumn?’

But another sacred treasure exists in this place.

‘Autumn’, emanating a faint brown light, rests upon the Saintess’s head even now, and ‘Spring’ occasionally whispers from within his own heart.

‘Why does it refuse me?’

Yet, the sword ‘Winter’ offers him is ‘Summer’, the one that rejects him.

【……Firstly, ‘Autumn’ is too dangerous.】

‘Winter’, who had fallen silent for a moment, speaks to Cain calmly.

【And the seasons must flow from spring to winter. If we were to revert from winter, directly connected to spring, back to autumn, there’s no telling what might happen……】

‘Winter’s’ voice trails off.

It feels as though she doesn’t know the specifics, but understands that it’s something that must be avoided.

Cain keeps his head raised.

Because there’s a part she’s intentionally leaving out.

‘Spring’.

The sacred treasure whose true form remains unknown among the 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉, the one that hasn’t appeared even once throughout history.

He already possesses ‘Spring’, so he fails to understand why he needs ‘Summer’.

Crackle━.

[‘Spring’ whispers that ‘Winter’ seems to care a lot about you because it’s talking more than usual.]

A message appears abruptly.

He didn’t notice earlier due to the urgency of the situation, but unlike the messages from other sacred treasures, ‘Spring’s’ message flickers as if on the verge of disappearing.

[‘Spring’ says it’s impossible for it to function like the others because it’s already dead.]

Cain’s eyes widen.

The concept of a sacred treasure dying, as opposed to a living being, is beyond his comprehension.

[‘Spring’ chuckles, asking what’s so surprising as if it had expected this reaction.]

He supposes it makes sense.

‘Spring’ is different from the others.

It was the first to speak to him, even manifesting once, but it always remained within him.

[‘Spring’ leaves a final message, stating that spring fading and summer arriving is the natural order.]

It’s the natural flow, the order of things.

【The best course of action now is to draw ‘Summer’ and become its master.】

‘Winter’s’ gentle words.

She’s being sincere.

This is the best she can offer, and it’s clear that ‘Summer’ also believes this to be the right path.

However.

[‘Summer’ bites its lower lip and looks at you.]

Cain stares down at the holy sword.

A pure heart.

He can’t discern who this holy sword desires as its master. Therefore, he doesn’t want to trample its will.

【Cain, I understand your kind heart. But even after observing all possible fates, there’s only one path to victory.】

Cain grits his teeth.

He knows he’s being hypocritical. However, he can’t help but feel this way in front of the 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉, who crossed the world line alongside him.

‘I won’t let Abel wield it again.’

He knows the culprit isn’t the Holy See but the Commons, but they are everywhere.

In that case, Airian is safer than the Holy See, where he knows nothing, and Abel must not wield the holy sword.

“No, brother.”

In a world where time stands still.

In a moment where only Cain and the sacred treasures can move.

【Preposterous!】

Amidst ‘Winter’s’ cry of shock.

[‘Summer’ blinks its big eyes in disbelief.]

Cutting through ‘Summer’s’ astonishment.

Step.

It’s Abel.

His brown eyes are gone.

Just as Golden Dawn’s eyes were dyed gold, Abel’s left eye is now silver.

“This time, I won’t simply watch your back, brother.”

“Abel!”

“You said I possess the greatest talent on the continent, didn’t you?”

Abel stands beside Cain.

He places his hand on Cain’s, which is frozen in the air, and grasps ‘Summer’.

“Then wouldn’t it make sense for me to wield the holy sword?”

【N━━━━】

『’Winter’s’ manifestation……terminated.』

Before ‘Winter’ can finish, a message overflowing with a metallic texture, 『Four Seasons』, appears.

It instantly erases ‘Winter’s’ hand and seals the hole in the sky.

[‘Winter’ shouts that this fate was never meant to be in this world line.]

As if to obscure Winter’s message, 『Four Seasons』 begins to speak.

『Registering new owner of ‘Summer’, ‘Abel Ethelred’……Failed.』

『Error Report 1: The owner of the Holy Sword, ‘Summer’, ‘Hero’, exists.』

『Error Report 2: Simultaneous existence of ‘Summer’ of Four Seasons and the Holy Sword, ‘Summer’.』

『Emergency situation……Activated.』

『Detecting ‘Hero’ factor within ‘Abel Ethelred’.』

Shwaaaaaaaa━.

At that moment, the frozen world resumes its movement, and Abel, with his one silver eye, raises the holy sword.

Blink━.

Cain stares at Abel’s back.

『’Hero’ factor……confirmed.』

『Registering ‘Abel Ethelred’ as the new owner of ‘Summer’……Limited approval.』

Ardvark.

Fwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa━!

A brilliant beam of light erupts from ‘Summer’, engulfing Abel. Simultaneously, all the wounds covering his body disappear.

The blazing holy sword, as if freshly drawn from the sun in the sky, shines brilliantly in Abel’s hand.

Final Form.

Edmund, watching from afar, smiles.

Abel is following the same path.

The same path he walked. He charges towards Cain’s distant figure.

Claíomh Solais.

A piercing golden stab!

Like a wave of flames.

Like summer pushing away spring.

He begins to shatter Golden Dawn in an instant.

Golden Dawn, startled by Abel’s sudden appearance, soon smiles and his eyes gleam.

Daydreaming.

At that moment, Cain also smiles.

‘This is it.’

The world splits in two.

One where Golden Dawn is pierced through the heart by Abel’s Claíomh Solais and dies, and the other where he narrowly avoids the sword.

And Cain sees Golden Dawn, caught between these two observed futures, shift his body towards the latter.

When he observed the two worlds and moved to the advantageous one, Abel and Cain, who had already become constant observers, could see both worlds at the same time.

Smirk━.

He sees Abel turning back and smiling at him.

Thud━.

He kicks off the ground in an instant.

He dashes towards Golden Dawn, who manipulates time and space at will, traversing the momentary world.

Cross Strike.

Kyrie Eleison.

“What the……?!”

He slams a grand cross-shaped slash into Golden Dawn’s chest, who cries out in shock.

Clatterererererere━.

The armor of teeth he created crumbles. Blood spurts from the gaps, and Golden Dawn collapses to the ground, gritting his teeth.

“How?!”

“I hear that a lot.”

Cain grins.

The two brothers share the same smile.

Then, Golden Dawn blinks and shouts towards Abel.

“Thee who shall not be named! Is this the future you have ordained?!”

“I am no such person.”

Step━.

Abel steps forward with his left foot and raises the holy sword.

It’s the stance of Ardvark.

“If you keep spouting nonsense to my brother.”

Cain also steps forward with his left foot, raising the black Agweska.

Golden Dawn runs a hand through his mane-like hair and smiles chillingly.

“If you think you can win just because you’ve broken free from the Daydream…….”

“Behind you.”

Ardvark.

Final Form.

Claíomh Solais.

While Golden Dawn is distracted by Abel’s appearance.

Edmund, who had been patiently waiting for an opportunity from behind, stabs the back of Golden Dawn’s head with his broken sword.

“Father’s gonna be pissed.”

It’s the sword of Ethelred, the sword of life, overflowing with true aura that only a true Sword Master can wield.

‘The lethality is the same.’

And there’s another sword, stabbing between the breaths of words, precise and cunning.

Thud━.

Abel-style Ardvark.

Airget-lam.

Simultaneously, Abel thrusts ‘Summer’ towards Golden Dawn’s heart with incredible speed.

Creeeeeeeeeak━!!

He begins to gnash his teeth.

Pure white teeth fall like rain.

And then, spears of teeth sprout like seeds!

He roars in fury and grabs a spear.

“I shall punish all those who deceive thee who shall not be named!”

A forest of teeth blooms.

Countless witches’ mouths spew curses, and within it, as Golden Dawn brandishes his spear.

Cain lowers his stance and grips Agweska.

He sees it.

The path of the sword.

Following in the footsteps of the nameless predecessors he saw from the cliff, Cain swings his sword.

Dark Sky.

Rhapsody.

Golden Dawn, struck simultaneously by the three Ethelreds.

Thud, thud, thud━.

However, though his armor of teeth crumbles, he remains unharmed.

As he stands tall, like an immortal monster, with cold eyes.

Cain speaks.

“Didn’t I tell you? The sword of Ethelred strikes twice.”

“……!”

True Final Form.

Ard Rí.

Thump━.

Edmund’s broken sword pierces through the back of Golden Dawn’s head.

Abel-style Ardvark.

Airgead-lámh.

Abel’s reversing ‘Summer’ writhes like a serpent in the sky, piercing straight through his heart.

━God, have mercy on us.

Cross Strike.

Kyrie Eleison.

Cain’s cross shines brilliantly.

A single ray of light, born from human hope amidst the suffocating darkness.

[World Line Fixation: ▲ 24.9%]

[0.1% remaining until ‘Summer’s Radiance’.]

They killed Golden Dawn.

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