Ch 246
‘What in the world are you babbling about?’
Sodin, the Red Sky, looked at the dark sword in his hand as if it were a leech clinging to his body.
‘That power surge back then, you say it wasn’t the dark sword’s power but that youngster’s?’
There was no need to make an effort to retrace his memory.
That terrifying whirlpool of power was intensely imprinted on his mind.
To the point of controlling Sodin’s thoughts and actions now.
The moment Sodin focused his mind, the scene unfolded vividly in his mind as if it were happening right before his eyes.
Sandstorm.
Black flames.
A swarm of pests.
Each individual power forming the whirlpool of power clearly contained a far greater power and energy than what was visible.
Even for an Archmage who has reached the realm, it would undoubtedly be no easy feat to completely control even one of those powers.
But.
Those three powers unfolded harmoniously at the same time, forming a whirlpool of power.
And finally, the consummate swordsmanship that integrates all of it!
It wasn’t a matter of the power or realm possessed.
It wasn’t the kind of power that an existence bound by the unstable framework of the physical body could handle.
Right now, even a High Elf, who is born with magical talent comparable to a higher-ranked wizard, would have their body torn apart by overload if they tried to imitate it.
Dark Sword!
An existence that transcends the constraints of the physical body and even life, defying reason.
Such a power that defies reason would only be granted to such an existence that defies reason.
Therefore, Sodin believed without a doubt that the whirlpool of power was the dark sword’s doing.
Lisir.
He also considered the combined use of power that the youngster had demonstrated to be part of the power granted by the dark sword.
Why?
Because that was common sense.
Because that was the law of the world that he, the elder, had felt every moment of his long life.
“Dark Sword!!!”
Therefore, Sodin did not believe the dark sword’s words.
No. He didn’t believe it.
He thought it was deceiving him.
It entices people with cunning and shallow words.
That must be why it is called the Dark Sword.
“Dare you test me, Red Sky!!!”
“…!”
Momentarily.
Lisir stepped back, shielding himself with his arm.
A wizard once lauded as the pinnacle of flame.
Sodin, the Red Sky, unleashed the flame energy he had meticulously cultivated without reservation.
It was merely a fragment of will that had not yet fully taken form and power.
Nevertheless, everyone present felt the intense heat on their skin.
“Sodin!!! Please, don’t do anything foolish━”
Junggeom stopped the Seer who was desperately calling out.
The Sword Master’s hollow yet sorrowful gaze spoke volumes.
That he was no longer their comrade.
Perhaps, he had never been.
So-
“Emotional responses end here. Do you understand me? Shon.”
“…”
She wasn’t the only one shocked by her comrade’s betrayal.
The Seer, who had been exchanging glances with Junggeom, soon took on a solemn expression.
It was indeed a wise response.
Even as they suffered from the pain of their violated camaraderie, Archmage Sodin did not care at all.
Sodin unleashed his energy without reservation.
Thereby appealing to the dark sword.
Pure energy that even transcendental beings like High-Rank Spirits and High-Ranking Demons would covet.
Sodin confidently shouted.
“I’ll say it again. No!!! I’ll say it one last time!!! Dark Sword!!! I am the one truly worthy of being your master!!! I, no, only I! Can fully wield your power!!!”
-…
Thump!
Thump!
The dark sword’s pulsation intensified as if it were excited.
Fragments of the Night of the Sword.
The Archmage’s true intention was such that it captivated even the Dark Sword, which only sought and scorned swordsmen.
Sodin could feel the dark sword lending an ear to his words.
‘The Dark Sword is accepting my energy… and assimilating its energy into me…!’
The Archmage knew the fate of those who were devoured by the Dark Sword.
As the Seer had shown him the catastrophe related to it.
Nevertheless, the Archmage did not hesitate to begin assimilating himself with the Dark Sword.
That power!!!
If he could only grasp that chaotic and magnificent power, he was willing to give himself up.
“I will give you everything. No! I will give you everything in this world! So, use that power only for me! That chaotic power!!!”
The Archmage raised both hands holding the dark sword high.
Everyone present knew that posture.
The appearance of containing the whirlpool of power in the sword.
Magic Swordsman.
It was the moment when that unfathomable being fully manifested.
The Archmage’s action was a kind of proposal and a presentation of a contract.
I will allow you to manifest as that Magic Swordsman using my body!
If the Dark Sword granted the Archmage the power of Dark Magic Swordsmanship, the Archmage’s existence would immediately become subservient to the Dark Sword.
“Damn it…!”
Lisir’s party, who had been watching for an opportunity, immediately tried to step forward.
However, at the same time, they realized why they couldn’t act rashly.
“Ugh━ Gulp…━”
Shelloh, the Sealed Hero.
Her body convulsed, and her glasses, precariously perched, fell to the floor.
The fiery noose that bound her body had become a serpent and burrowed into her mouth.
“I, Sodin, the Crimson Mage, swear on my soul and power━ I will leave this land peacefully after taking the Dark Sword!!! So don’t interfere!”
Two choices were given to Lisir’s party.
Give up the Sealed Hero and fight to the death with the Archmage who obtained the Dark Sword.
Let the Dark Sword and the Archmage go peacefully and save the Sealed Hero.
“Let’s just let them go!!!”
Everyone was surprised when Lisir readily shouted.
Even Sodin.
“Hey, are you out of your mind!?”
Junggeom widened his eyes and raised his voice, but Lisir didn’t care.
Shaking eyes
With a frail-looking expression, he said.
“This mansion is located in the heart of the Illathein Residential Area. If we engage in a full-scale battle here, it will cause irreparable damage. And, the Hero will lose their life as soon as it begins. I can’t let that happen.”
A smile appeared on Sodin’s lips.
He read the fear that Lisir had failed to completely hide from his attitude.
‘You coward!!! You’re afraid to face me!’
Khahahaha!
Sodin burst into laughter with satisfaction.
“Wise, Lisir! Very wise! The intelligence you showed me back then wasn’t an illusion!”
It didn’t look like he was praising a clever young man.
On the contrary, it was closer to mocking a foolish youngster.
Sodin shook his hands holding the dark sword.
As if to show that pathetic sight to the Dark Sword.
‘Dark Sword!!! Look closely!!! Is it really true that such a youngster is more suitable to be your master than I am!!!’
The assimilation had reached a certain level.
Now the Archmage and the Dark Sword could exchange opinions through their wills.
Thus, the Archmage actively belittled him where Lisir couldn’t hear.
He pointed out his flaws and presented them before the Dark Sword.
‘Please, don’t disappoint me!!! Any more hesitation, and even I can’t help but doubt your intellect!!!’
To urge the Dark Sword’s decision.
-…
Soon.
A mysterious woman appeared beside him.
The woman, who wore her long black hair down to her feet like a dress, was only visible to Sodin.
-Beast…
The woman’s atmosphere, who regarded humans as mere tools called beasts, was extremely alien.
A face that could imitate the form of a human, but not human emotions.
But━ was it just my imagination?
Sodin could glimpse a fragment of human emotion in her expression.
-Don’t act recklessly…
It was something the Dark Sword itself didn’t realize.
Right now, she was feeling an instinctive anxiety, and she was showing it on her face.
-That might not be the true form of that monster…
“Khahahaha!!!”
Sodin burst into laughter again.
As the Dark Sword’s encroachment progressed every moment.
He was increasingly losing his appearance as an Archmage.
That laughter, no matter how you looked at it, didn’t look like the Crimson Archmage who possessed sharp reason.
‘Night of the Sword, beast! That name will resound! At this point, it’s safe to say that he’s not just acknowledging that youngster but is also afraid of him!!! Dark Sword! Are you hesitating in your choice because you’re trying to curry favor with that youngster!?’
-…
✦✦✦
When Sodin provoked him sharply, the Dark Sword instead lost its emotions and regained its original alien appearance.
It gazed intently at the old man blinded by power.
The Archmage believed that he could endure the Dark Sword’s domination and maintain a normal master-sword relationship.
However.
The Dark Sword thought that wouldn’t last long.
Soon the relationship would reverse, and the Archmage would become a mere tool.
The Dark Sword, which had countless times brought down beasts who were blinded by power and overconfident, could be certain of this.
Therefore.
It was a truly desirable situation for the Dark Sword.
She herself was fully aware of that.
Yet. Why?
The woman in black turned away from Sodin and towards the opposite side.
Lisir.
A frail expression and a withdrawn posture. It was as if he was hoping for the situation to pass quickly.
But at that moment.
-…!
The woman in black’s body trembled.
“So that’s it! Dark Sword!!! I understand!!! That youngster! You want the ruin of that youngster who brought you humiliation!!! Good! As you wish, I will burn him!!!”
Meanwhile, the Archmage’s patience reached its limit.
Sodin shouted with bloodshot eyes as the Dark Sword kept staring at Lisir.
-Foolish thing… When did I ever want that…
However, Sodin felt a momentary chill in his head at the Dark Sword’s subsequent reaction.
The Dark Sword deliberately distanced itself from Sodin.
As if he were setting himself on fire and charging at him.
-Perhaps you should wake up from your fantasy… When will you finally realize… Dark Magic Swordsmanship doesn’t exist…
Sodin’s eyes almost rolled back.
Dark Magic Swordsmanship doesn’t exist.
Was that something the Dark Sword would say!?
Whoosh!
The turmoil of emotions Sodin felt had an impact, causing his energy to fluctuate wildly.
The inside of the room was instantly engulfed in flames.
“…!”
Junggeom and Caroer’s eyes gleamed.
Sodin’s turmoil. The resulting weakness!
They saw it as an opportunity to exploit his vulnerability.
“Where do you think you’re going!!!”
Sodin swung his arm.
Then, the flames surrounding the space engulfed them.
“Ugh…!”
Junggeom raised his greatsword, and Caroer deployed a magical barrier.
The fierce flames of the Archmage, who had accepted the power of the Dark Sword, possessed a power that was difficult even to block.
Even as the Archmage was losing himself, he kept his senses keenly sharpened.
Clearly, everyone thought so.
Whoosh!
Until a man kicked off the floor with a gust of wind.
The withdrawn posture was actually a crouch for a leap.
Sodin’s thoughts, dulled by emotional turmoil, took longer than usual to accept the change.
In the end, by the time Sodin sensed the anomaly, Lisir had already closed in on him.
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
Sodin was taken aback.
Therefore, he tried to unleash all his power.
The desperate struggle of the Crimson Archmage, containing his full power, was more than enough to turn the unsuspecting man into charcoal.
Just as the Archmage’s flames were about to engulf the man-
A strong spiritual energy conveyed a specific message to everyone present.
-If you help me now, I’ll do my best to restrain the overuse of ‘Dark Magic Swordsmanship’!
For a moment, they wondered if it was the Dark Sword’s will.
It wasn’t.
It was a proposal made by a human to the Dark Sword.
It happened simultaneously.
“!!!”
The dark filth spewed by the dark-colored sword-
Its unique energy covered the Archmage’s face like a helmet.
The Archmage’s flames, intending to perform the phenomenon of ‘ignition’ with his thoughts!
It was the moment when its presence was about to weaken significantly.
-…!
The woman in black clutched her chest.
It was the aftermath of the ‘Dark Magic Swordsmanship’ that had been performed earlier.
The Dark Sword couldn’t handle the ‘Dark Magic Swordsmanship’ and collapsed.
In the end, the Dark Sword’s action only created a momentary opening for the Crimson Archmage.
Junggeom’s eyes widened as he watched that moment of fierce battle from beyond the flames.
‘Dangerous!’
If this continued, the Crimson Archmage’s flames would engulf him along with Lisir’s surprise attack.
Yes, that was certainly the case.
‘Wait, that’s-‘
Junggeom doubted his own eyes and ears.
Shaaaaaang-
A sound like a glass vibrating.
A purple afterimage drawn in mid-air.
The Holy Sword of the Seal.
The divine power of that sword was sealing the Crimson Archmage’s flames.
‘Shelloh, did she awaken!?’
Junggeom thought so.
Only its master could wield the power of the Holy Sword.
“Stop!”
The Crimson Archmage swung his burning hand━ the Dark Sword in his hand━ towards the man.
Slash!
The Dark Sword floated in the air.
The Archmage’s arm holding it had been cut off.
“Stop!!!!!”
The Crimson Archmage spewed flames as red as blood from his eyes and mouth.
His flames covered Lisir’s sword and arm.
To prevent it from harming him!
Lisir lowered his left hand holding the sword.
At the same time, he extends his empty right hand forward.
Click.
The Dark Sword, which had floated in the air, settled into his hand as if it were being sucked in.
Slash!
It was the sound of cutting through fire.
The flames that had engulfed the place subsided instantly.
The Crimson Archmage collapsed powerlessly to the floor.
“Whew.”
The man swung his left hand.
Thus, he brushed off the flames from the sword.
Then he swung his right hand.
Thus, he brushed off the blood from the sword.
Junggeom smiled happily at the magnificent sight of the young swordsman.
“…What?”
But, that smile quickly hardens.
Junggeom leaned forward, straining his eyes.
Lisir’s usual sword was still hanging at his waist.
‘Then, the sword Lisir just wielded was-‘
Junggeom’s gaze moved slowly.
Soon, he muttered in a trembling voice.
“How did that get there…”
The man was holding both the Dark Sword and the Holy Sword at the same time.
✦✦✦
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