Episode 103 Summary (1)
Demian stood over the remains of the cursed sword.
Could you even call it a corpse? It looked more like a shattered ceramic vase filled with ashes.
The corrosive power of Erebus had only affected the exterior. The strange contents were likely due to the sword’s influence.
After all, a body fused with a cursed sword wouldn’t retain human organs.
Just then, the aura of Erebus rapidly diminished, halting the surrounding corrosion.
“Time’s up.”
Erebus had little left, and its operational time was extremely short.
Not only that, but it took a long time to recover its power. It seemed Demian wouldn’t be able to use Erebus for a while.
“Ah.”
Erebus fell from the end of the spear with a thud. The wire holding it had corroded and snapped.
It wasn’t just the wire. The part of the spear that had touched Erebus was worn away.
“It’s useful, but this is a real headache.”
It was only thanks to Demian’s magical protection that it had lasted through the battle.
Demian was immune to the corrosion because Erebus had accepted him. Thus, objects infused with his magic also gained resistance.
He cut away the corroded part of the spear and wrapped Erebus with wire again. Finally, he dismissed the summon, turning it back into a tattoo.
Then, Demian approached the remains of the cursed sword, sifting through the ashes with his foot as if searching for something. A small stone rolled out.
A small, jagged stone.
It was the core of the cursed sword.
The cursed sword was akin to a demon’s avatar. Its core was filled with demonic power.
To dark sorcerers, the core was incredibly valuable. But to Demian, it was of little use.
“I should hand this over to the Order.”
The Order was as eager for these items as the dark sorcerers were.
Unlike the sorcerers, the Order used the core to study resistance methods against demonic power.
Delivering it would surely earn him a handsome reward.
“I was planning to visit the Order anyway, so this works out.”
Demian had earned the right to access the Order’s archives as a reward for protecting the subjugation squad from the necromancer.
He had been planning to visit the Order soon, and now he would bring the cursed sword’s core as well.
“Might as well fix this too.”
Demian examined the damaged holy sword.
The battle with the cursed sword had left the holy sword severely damaged, stripping it of its divine power.
It was a weapon he had been quite fond of, so the loss was particularly painful.
“You’ve done well. Rest for now.”
Demian carefully stored the holy sword in a pocket dimension.
The enemy was defeated, but Demian Haxen’s work was far from over.
Now it was time to really start thinking.
“How am I going to explain all this?”
Demian surveyed the area. The aftermath of the battle had left buildings in ruins.
Not just ruined, but marked with the corrosive traces of Erebus.
It was clearly no ordinary battle scene. It looked highly suspicious.
The biggest issue was how to explain that Demian had defeated Alexander Apple.
Alexander Apple, albeit temporarily, had been a high-class warrior when wielding the cursed sword.
Moreover, he had proven his strength by defeating Liam Bluegreen in front of everyone.
And yet, Demian Haxen, known as a mid-class warrior, had taken him down?
“Even I find it hard to believe.”
The Order would never let this slide, unlike the Apple Kingdom.
Whether with good intentions or bad, they would surely interrogate Demian until they got the answers they wanted.
The only saving grace was that the barrier had kept outsiders from knowing what happened inside.
“I’ll just say Alexander Apple was injured by Liam Bluegreen, which accelerated the cursed sword’s effects, leading to his downfall.”
Liam Bluegreen had landed several powerful hits on Alexander Apple during their fight.
Though they hadn’t caused significant damage, thanks to the cursed sword’s reinforcement of Alexander’s body.
So Demian planned to claim that Alexander had been severely injured internally but had hidden it well.
“It’s a bit of a stretch, but…”
It was a hastily concocted lie, but people would believe Demian Haxen.
As always, statements that defied common sense were hard to accept.
Claiming a mid-class warrior defeated a high-class one wielding a cursed sword was far less believable.
“I’ll also say the corrosion was due to the sword’s power.”
The true ability of the cursed sword was to create thorny vines, but that didn’t matter. He could just claim it had another ability.
“Time to clean up and get out of here.”
Next, Demian gathered the dark energy around him and stored it in a bracelet.
The high concentration of dark energy from the cursed sword filled the bracelet.
Even then, there was still a lot of energy left. Regrettably, he had to leave it behind.
After collecting everything he needed, Demian dispelled the barrier.
The barrier, riddled with cracks, collapsed in an instant.
Outside, those who had fled watched the castle with bated breath.
The top floor of the castle was shrouded in an unknown black barrier. Inside, Demian Haxen was trapped with Alexander Apple.
“Hasn’t reinforcements arrived yet?”
The king asked urgently.
The moment Liam Bluegreen fell, the king had requested help from the kingdom’s other high-class warriors and the Order.
He had used a precious magical artifact passed down through the royal family to send the message, but it was worth it given the dire situation.
“Father, at this rate, Sir Demian might die!”
Oliver Apple shouted with a worried expression. The king clenched his fists in frustration.
To the king, Demian Haxen was not only the one who had saved his son but also a hero who had uncovered a conspiracy.
Moreover, he was a rare talent with exceptional skills.
Losing such a person in vain was unthinkable.
“Demian…”
Michael Ryanbloom looked at the barrier with a pained expression.
If only he had been there, he might have been able to help Demian.
“You’re all worrying for nothing.”
A voice from the side made Michael turn his head sharply.
Veronica Sanchez was munching on an apple she had produced from who knows where.
“How can you be so calm? You left him behind!”
“I didn’t leave him. He told me to take this guy and run.”
Veronica pointed to Liam Bluegreen, who lay unconscious on the ground, too injured to be treated.
“Still, how could you just leave him?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing to worry about. That guy won’t die.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he promised me. He said he wouldn’t die until I killed him myself.”
Veronica spoke with absolute confidence, and Michael looked at her incredulously.
“The barrier is collapsing!”
At that moment, someone shouted, and everyone turned to look at the barrier.
As it disappeared, only the half-destroyed building remained. People swallowed nervously as they watched.
“Demian?”
But something was off. Only Demian Haxen was standing there. Alexander Apple was nowhere to be seen.
Michael immediately sprinted towards Demian, covering the distance in an instant.
“Oh, Michael.”
Demian raised a hand in greeting. Michael nearly burst into tears at the sight.
“W-what happened? Where’s Alexander Apple?”
Demian pointed to the ground. Michael’s gaze followed naturally.
Something strange lay on the ground. Something that resembled a person, shattered like a ceramic.
“No way…”
Michael’s expression was one of disbelief.
“Did you defeat Alexander Apple?”
“Not exactly. He kind of self-destructed.”
Michael’s jaw dropped.
Even if Demian called it self-destruction, the fact remained that Alexander Apple was dead, and Demian was alive.
“Demian! You’re incredible! This is… unbelievably amazing!”
“I’m telling you, he self-destructed. It’s not that impressive.”
To withstand a high-class warrior wielding a cursed sword until he self-destructed was no small feat.
If that wasn’t impressive, what was?
“I knew you’d survive!”
Veronica Sanchez arrived next, wrapping her arms around Demian’s neck from behind.
“I knew you’d be alive! You promised you wouldn’t die until I killed you… Aah!”
Demian twisted Veronica’s fingers, forcing her to release him with a yelp.
“What are you doing?”
“When did I ever say I’d let you kill me?”
Demian replied incredulously. Just then, a group of people ascended the stairs.
It was the king, Oliver Apple, and several nobles.
“This is unbelievable… you’re really alive!”
“Sir Demian! We were worried!”
The king and Oliver Apple rushed over, their faces filled with disbelief.
“What on earth happened? Where is Alexander?”
Once again, Demian silently pointed to the corpse. The king flinched at the sight of Alexander Apple’s lifeless body.
“Is this… really him?”
“The price of wielding the cursed sword.”
“I see… I’ve heard of it. The cursed sword leads its bearer to ruin.”
Slowly, the king knelt before Alexander Apple.
“You foolish boy…”
For a long time, the king remained there, unable to move.
A breeze swept through, scattering black ashes into the sky.