Chapter 103
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 103: Explanation (1)
***
Damien looked down at the corpse of the demonic sword.
Was it even right to call it a corpse? It looked like a ceramic jar filled with ashes that had been shattered.
Only the outside was affected by Erebos’s corrosion. The fact that the contents were like that was most likely due to the influence of the demonic sword.
After all, there was no way that a flesh that had fused with a demonic sword would retain human organs.
Just then, Erebos’s aura rapidly subsided, and the surrounding area that was being eroded stopped as well.
“It seems time’s up..”
Currently, Erebos was very little recovered, resulting in an extremely short operational time.
Not only that, but the time it took to recover its strength was also very long. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to use Erebos for a while.
“Ah.”
Erebos, which was at the end of the spear, fell off. The wire that had been binding Erebos had broken due to corrosion.
It wasn’t just the wire. The parts of the spear that Erebos had touched had also worn away and disappeared.
“This ability is very useful, but this is also a pain in the ass.”
It was only because Damien had been constantly pouring mana into the pole that it had lasted during the battle.
Corrosion had no effect on corrosion because he had been recognized by Erebos. Therefore, objects infused with Damien’s mana could also have resistance to corrosion.
Damien cut off the corroded parts of the spear and wrapped Erebos in wire again. Finally, he released the summon and turned it back into a tattoo.
After that, Damien approached the corpse of the demonic sword and began to dig through the ashes with his toes as if looking for something. Then, a small pebble popped out.
A small, bumpy pebble.
It was the core of the demonic sword.
The demonic sword was no different from a fragment of the demon. That’s why the core was filled with the demonic power.
The core of the demonic sword was a very precious item to dark mages. On the other hand, it was a rather useless item to Damien.
“I guess I’ll have to hand it over to the Church.”
The next place that would be thrilled with this item after the dark mages was the Church.
Unlike the dark mages, the Church used the core to research and develop countermeasures against demonic power.
He was sure he would be able to get a big reward for bringing this.
“I was planning to visit the Church anyway, so this works out well.”
Damien had earned the right to enter the Church’s secret treasury as a reward for preventing the death of the entire crusade from the hand of Corpseplay.
That’s why he was planning to visit the Church soon. He had also planned to hand over the core of the demonic sword at that time.
“I guess I’ll have to fix this guy too.”
Damien said, looking at the damaged holy sword.
The holy sword had been severely damaged in the battle with the demonic sword, and all of its divine power had disappeared.
It had been a weapon that he had really liked, so it was inevitable that he would feel regret.
“You’ve worked hard. Rest for now.”
Damien carefully placed the holy sword into his spatial ring.
The enemy had been defeated, but Damien’s work was not yet done.
Now it was time to start thinking seriously.
“How am I going to explain all this?”
Damien looked around him. The building was in ruins from the battle.
Not only that but there were traces of Erebos’s corrosion everywhere.
To anyone looking, this was no ordinary battle scene. It was extremely suspicious.
The biggest problem was how Damien was going to explain how he had defeated Alexander Apple.
After all, Alexander Apple was a high-class knight, even temporarily, when he possessed the demonic sword.
Moreover, he had proven his strength by defeating Liam Bluegreen in front of everyone.
And now, Damien Haksen, a known middle-class swordsman, had defeated him?
“It doesn’t even make sense.”
The Church would never let this go, especially not in the Apple Kingdom.
Whether their intentions were good or bad, they would definitely interrogate Damien until they got the answers they wanted.
The only fortunate thing was that thanks to the barrier, outsiders had no idea what had happened inside.
“I guess I’ll just have to say that Liam Bluegreen injured Alexander Apple, and the curse of the demonic sword accelerated, causing him to self-destruct.”
When Liam fought Alexander, he landed several powerful attacks.
Of course, he was unable to inflict any significant damage. The demonic sword made Alexander’s body too strong.
So Damien planned to say that Alexander was actually badly injured internally, but he didn’t show it on the outside.
“It’s a bit of a stretch, though.”
Even though it was a hastily made lie, everyone would probably believe Damien Haksen.
As always, it was difficult to accept statements that went against common sense.
It was much more believable that a middle-class swordsman had defeated a high-class swordsman wielding a demonic sword.
“I’ll have to say that the traces of corrosion were also caused by the demonic sword’s ability.”
Of course, the demonic sword’s true ability was to create thorns, but that didn’t matter. He could just say it had another ability.
“Now it’s time to clean up and leave.”
Next, Damien gathered the surrounding dark mana and stored it in his bracelet.
The high-concentration dark magic that the demonic sword possessed filled the bracelet.
Even then, there was still a lot of dark mana left. It was a pity, but he had no choice but to give up.
After collecting everything he could, Damien dispelled the barrier.
The barrier, which was full of cracks, collapsed in an instant.
***
The people who had escaped outside looked at the royal palace with a sense of unease.
The top floor of the royal palace was covered in an unknown black barrier. Damien and Alexander were trapped inside.
“Have the reinforcements not arrived yet?”
The king said in an anxious tone.
As soon as he saw Liam Bluegreen fall, the king contacted the other high-class knights of the kingdom and the Church for help.
He had used up a valuable magical tool that had been passed down through the generations of the royal family to contact them, but he did not regret it in the least.
The situation was that urgent.
“Father, Sir Damien might die at this rate!”
Oliver cried out with a worried face. The king clenched his fists in frustration.
In the king’s eyes, Damien was not only the one who had saved his son, but also a hero who had uncovered the treason.
Not only that, he was also a rare talent with both outstanding talent and skill.
He could not afford to lose such a person in such a vain way.
“Brother…….”
Michael looked at the barrier with a regretful face.
If he had been there, he would have been able to help Damien.
“You’re all worrying for nothing.”
Michael turned his head at the voice that came from beside him.
Veronica was munching on an apple that she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere.
“Why are you so relaxed? You just left my brother behind!”
“I didn’t leave him behind. He told me to go. He told me to run away with that old man.”
Veronica pointed to Liam Bluegreen, who was lying on the ground.
Liam was unconscious after receiving extensive treatment for his injuries.
“But how can you just leave him there!”
“I told you not to worry. That guy will never die.”
“How can you be so sure!”
“He promised me. He said he would never die until he died by my hand.”
Veronica said with a confident face. Michael looked at her with an incredulous expression.
“The barrier is collapsing!”
At that moment, someone shouted, and everyone looked up at the barrier.
When the barrier disappeared, only the half-destroyed building was left. The people swallowed their saliva and looked at it.
“……Brother?”
But something was strange. The only one standing was Damien. Alexander was nowhere to be seen.
Michael immediately ran towards Damien. He crossed the distance in an instant.
“Oh, Michael is it.”
Damien said, raising his hand. Michael almost burst into tears at the sight of him.
“H, how did you do it? What about Alexander Apple?”
Damien pointed to the ground. Michael’s gaze naturally followed him.
Something strange was lying on the ground. Something that resembled a human being was shattered like a ceramic.
“Surely not…….”
Michael made an expression of disbelief.
“Did you defeat Alexander Apple?”
“No, he self-destructed.”
Michael’s mouth opened wide.
Even though it was said to be self-destruction, the fact remained that Alexander Apple was dead, and Damien was alive.
“Brother! You’re amazing! Really…… This is incredibly amazing!”
“He just self-destructed. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Damien who was just a middle-class knight had managed to survive until the high-class swordsman with the demonic sword self-destructed.
If this was not a big deal, then what was?
“You’re alive after all!”
Veronica arrived shortly after. She hugged Damien from behind by the neck.
“I believed you would be alive! You promised me you wouldn’t die until I killed you…… Ow!”
Damien twists Veronica’s finger. Veronica Sanchez had no choice but to let go of her arm with a scream.
“What are you doing!”
“What the hell are you talking about? When did I say I would let you kill me?”
Just then, a group of people came up the stairs. They were the king, Oliver, the nobles, and other officials.
“This can’t be…… He’s really alive!”
“Sir Damien! I was worried!”
The king and Oliver ran over with faces that showed they couldn’t believe it.
“What exactly happened? What about Alexander?”
Damien once again pointed to the corpse without saying a word. The king was shocked when he saw Alexander Apple’s corpse.
“This…… Is this really him?”
“This is the price of using the demonic sword.”
“I see…… I’ve heard of it. They say the demonic sword leads its user to ruin.”
The king slowly knelt down in front of Alexander.
“This idiot…….”
The king couldn’t leave the place for a long time.
A gust of wind blew. The ashes scattered into the sky.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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