The Devil’s Sacred Sword (3)
Whoosh—
The corrupted knight’s steel sword, steeped in a sinister aura, swung down with force.
Clang—!
A blade cloaked in white flames deflected it, pushing forward with a shield.
Thud!
Yet, the dark energy emanating from the corrupted knight’s hand neutralized the shield’s momentum.
In an instant, the knight shoved the shield aside and thrust his sword again.
Clash!
Swords collided, blades and guards entangled in a brief struggle for dominance.
And then, moments later—
Crash—!
As the balance of power shifted, the entwined swords broke free, clashing in a flurry of strikes.
The dance of the steel sword, shrouded in ominous energy, and the white blade, blazing with holy fire, was a deadly ballet, each move targeting the other’s throat and heart.
Clang! Clang!
Strangely, the movements of the two swords mirrored each other.
It was only natural.
Lucia’s swordplay, swift and fluid, was enhanced by the power of sacred tattoos, a style originally devised by Holy Knight Barrett during his apprentice days and adapted for her.
“Traitor.”
Lucia glared at the corrupted knight, her eyes bloodshot with rage.
Betrayal and fury stormed through her mind.
In this life-or-death tug-of-war, suppressing her emotions with reason and conviction was impossible.
The fall of someone she once admired created a complex turmoil within her.
“Is this all you are?”
She shouted, her voice strained, recalling memories of her time in the Holy Knights.
Barrett had been exceptional even as a trainee.
During the notoriously grueling physical evaluations, he never failed to take first place.
While his peers struggled with the basics of swordsmanship, he single-handedly bested the apprentice instructors.
His faith was unwavering; he spent hours in the chapel after daily routines.
He helped anyone who sought him, regardless of rank or seniority.
By the time he became an apprentice knight, everyone in the order knew his name.
Some even speculated he was a candidate for the next commander.
And yet—
“Why!”
Crash!
Fourteen precise strikes pierced the fleeting moment.
Swords and shields clashed, sparks flying.
“Why did you appear before me like this?”
She knew the truth.
Barrett’s capture by the demon’s clutches, betrayed by the expedition, was not his fault; he fought with all his might.
The chains of Halman that bound his neck were a powerful relic, difficult to resist even for a commander.
“Why didn’t you run? Couldn’t you have called for help?”
Yet Lucia had to shout.
Not seeking answers, but venting her frustration.
“Why did it have to end like this? Why…!”
Why must I aim my sword at your neck?
Fwoosh!
White flames engulfed her entire blade.
The white flame of the Inquisitor, a mark of her rank.
As an Inquisitor, her duty was to purge the evil within the order.
Even if that evil was a comrade she once respected.
The white flame of the Holy Knights could only claim the head of a former ally.
Clang!
For the first time, the corrupted knight’s sword was knocked aside.
The blaze on Lucia’s sword now completely obscured its polished blade.
Clang!
A powerful strike left the corrupted knight’s chest wide open.
Lucia’s sword flashed, slicing through the sturdy armor, leaving a long scar on his chest.
Fwoosh!
White flames spread along the scar.
The flames consumed flesh and blood, reducing them to ash scattered in the air.
The corrupted sacred tattoos flared brightly, halting the flames from spreading further.
Groan.
The corrupted knight let out a low groan. He glanced at his wound, then steadied himself.
“You bastard.”
Lucia watched with eyes full of mixed emotions.
Her gaze burned like the white flames.
“Fine. Just die here.”
Crack.
As her words ended, the stone beneath her feet cracked.
Boom!
The two knights clashed once more.
Unlike the fierce duel between the knights, the battle between the demon and the warrior was one-sided.
Boom!
The demon’s dark blade shattered helplessly against Dalen’s sword as he leaped, breaking the ground.
“Argh!”
The demon was struck five or six times by the whirlwind of Dalen’s crushing sword and the shards of darkness.
Half of the demon’s body, restored with corpses, was quickly reduced to chunks of meat by the sword’s power.
“Wait, let’s negotiate… Ugh!”
The demon, now spilling its innards, tried to speak, but Dalen swung his sword silently.
Though not as powerful as using his domain, the crushing sword’s destructive force was formidable.
‘Even with low proficiency, the skill’s inherent power can’t be ignored.’
The crushing sword of Lafantella was a C-rank skill.
It was on par with the regenerative power of the dragon’s bloodline that had saved him from death multiple times.
After a few more strikes, the demon collapsed on the magic circle in the center of the chamber.
As with the first blow, dark entrails spilled from its torn side.
The difference now was that there were no more corpses to plug the wound.
The demon cried out in frustration.
“How can you wield both the Empire’s martial arts and the Kingdom’s sword? How did you hide such skills from the stars’ gaze?”
Dalen chuckled. The demon was cunning.
Even as it babbled, it crawled naturally toward the center of the magic circle.
To the untrained eye, it seemed like a desperate attempt to escape.
But the direction it crawled led to the sacred sword, now devoid of holy power.
Dalen leisurely stepped in its path. He spoke.
“It’s skill, you fool.”
“S-Skill? What do you—”
The demon’s words were cut short.
Dalen’s sword swung, severing the demon’s head.
Even as the demon’s body tried to regenerate its head, Dalen dropped his battered sword to the ground.
With a tightly clenched fist, he envisioned the snowy mountain within his mind.
With the sound of thunder from the mountain, he thrust his fist forward.
Boom—!
In the next moment, all that remained were sticky blood and chunks of flesh.
“Phew.”
Steam rose from his body. This was the second time he used his domain in this battle.
His stamina was barely within limits.
As his twisted arm began to heal, Dalen finally turned his attention to the two knights.
“Hmm.”
He tilted his head slightly.
Clang! Clang!
The two swords clashed fiercely. The corrupted knight still held the upper hand.
But it wasn’t like before.
The corrupted knight’s movements were less impressive than when he first fought Dalen.
Meanwhile, Lucia’s strikes had grown sharper and stronger.
The duel was almost evenly matched, though slightly in Lucia’s favor.
‘Could she have grown enough in such a short time to match the corrupted knight?’
The thought crossed his mind.
But Dalen shook his head.
Remarkably, Lucia’s abilities were indeed growing in real-time.
Yet, she was still far from matching the corrupted knight who had fought Dalen.
The duel was evenly matched because the corrupted knight wasn’t using his full strength.
‘No, to be precise, he’s holding back his power.’
Clang!
The swords clashed. Lucia staggered.
At that moment, one of the corrupted knight’s sacred tattoos dimmed.
Clang!
In the next clash, Lucia had a slight advantage.
‘He’s suppressing his power to force Lucia to grow.’
Dalen’s gaze shifted to the chain around the knight’s neck.
He recognized the item well.
‘Halman’s Chain.’
Originally a powerful relic that forced submission upon its target, it had gained dark power after corruption.
Even Dalen couldn’t resist such a corrupted relic.
Despite Barrett’s prowess as a Holy Knight, there was no escaping the darkness.
‘Yet, he’s using his last bit of will to suppress his power.’
The relic’s power was beyond his control.
But the corrupted power within the relic was a different matter.
Even in his fallen state, Barrett was using his willpower to suppress his strength, guiding Lucia’s growth.
“He’s crossed a point of no return, yet he chooses to sacrifice himself for his comrade.”
A truly noble resolve.
It was the epitome of a paladin’s spirit.
As Dalen pondered this, the battle between the two knights grew fiercer.
Clang—!
The clash of their swords no longer sounded like mere metal against metal.
Crack!
With each dazzling step, the stone slabs beneath them shattered.
Roar!
The corrupted knight, his body marred with burning scars, let out a guttural cry, his mouth twisted into a grin.
To Dalen, it seemed like a smile.
A smile born from the joy of knowing his final moments would be a sacrifice for his comrade.
And pride in the thought that his sacrifice would propel his comrade to greater heights.
Thud.
Lucia, who had been relentlessly attacking, lowered her sword.
She seemed to have realized the corrupted knight’s intentions, albeit a moment too late.
“You bastard…”
Blood trickled from her bitten lip.
The divine tattoos that had been radiating light began to dim.
The once-blinding brilliance faded, replaced by a gentle, pure white glow.
Though the light was softer, the pressure it exuded was twice as intense.
Growl.
Facing the grinning corrupted knight, Lucia slowly raised her sword.
Her shield in front, the sword angled beside it.
The divine tattoos around her eyes glowed for the first time.
Taking a deep breath, she launched herself forward.
Swoosh!
Like an arrow of light, she flew past the corrupted knight.
He did not resist.
He neither raised his sword nor moved to evade.
Clink.
The chains around his neck fell to the ground, lifeless.
The purple aura of the chains flickered and vanished.
“Hah…”
The paladin, clarity returning to his eyes, let out a light sigh, his divine tattoos regaining their pure light.
He seemed to want to say something, his lips moving slightly.
And then.
Whoosh—
Flames erupted from the scar that ran from his shoulder to his hip, consuming him entirely.
He turned to ash without a single groan.
All that remained were his tattered armor, sword, and the darkened chains.
The novice knight, having fulfilled her duty by condemning the corrupted knight, couldn’t bring herself to look back at the relics, her head bowed low.
“Stupid girl… why couldn’t you say anything else at the end…”
A whisper escaped from beneath her drooping golden hair.
“It must have been a welcome sight.”
Dalen, who had been silently watching, spoke in a calm tone.
“Sometimes, a friend’s curse is a greater farewell gift than a thousand flowery words.”
”······.”
There was no response.
But the slight tremble of the paladin’s shoulders was answer enough.
”······.”
A profound silence settled over the cavern.
Beneath the long, flowing golden hair.
Clear droplets fell, one by one.
“Barrett has met his end.”
On a balcony adorned with ornate decorations, a knight gazing at the sky spoke.
“Golakop is dead too.”
Beside him, an old woman in a hood added.
“I have no interest in such fools. He was merely a pawn.”
“Heh heh heh. Calling a demon a fool, that’s quite the audacity for the vice-captain of the Paladin Order.”
“You’d do well to watch your tongue.”
The knight glared with piercing eyes, but the old woman continued to chuckle.
“Shouldn’t you be the one being careful? If it gets out that the vice-captain of the Paladin Order is stargazing, consorting with a witch, and using a demon to corrupt a promising knight and a holy sword—”
“That’s why I said to watch your mouth.”
Whoosh—
The knight raised his hand, and a bluish-white aura extended from his fingertips, slowly tightening around the old woman’s neck.
In that moment, her yellow eyes gleamed beneath the hood, and a sinister wind swirled within the balcony.
The bluish-white aura and the sinister wind entwined around their bodies.
Their eyes met, and a tense silence ensued.
It was the old woman who first conceded.
“Heh, this old woman has a loose tongue. Give me a break. I’ve helped you so much with your affairs.”
The sinister wind dissipated as if it had never been. The knight also withdrew his aura and lowered his hand. He spoke.
“Don’t think of wagging that filthy tongue in front of me. It’s all for your own vile schemes.”
“Tch.”
The old woman grumbled as she walked to the edge of the balcony.
Standing naturally on the railing, she spoke.
“I’ve informed the mother in the cave. She’ll welcome you whenever you visit. As always, send the payment to the cabin.”
“I’ll verify it myself before sending the payment.”
“Suit yourself.”
With a swift motion, the old woman dropped from the balcony. As she disappeared from view, the knight turned his gaze skyward.
“Even with the heavens in such turmoil, the plan to corrupt a single holy sword has failed.”
He slowly caressed the hilt of the sword at his waist.
“With the fallen knight I painstakingly prepared now defeated, there’s only one place left for me to go.”
After gazing at the sky a bit longer, the knight turned and walked into the building.
On the now-empty balcony.
A sudden breeze carried away the faint ashes left on the ground.