Episode 248: Farewell (1)
Damian stared at Sla’s lifeless body.
Thanks to his knowledge of dark magic, he could see it—the soul of Sla, vanishing with a harrowing scream.
No matter how resilient the body, once the soul is destroyed, it’s over.
What lay before him now was nothing more than an empty shell.
“It’s over.”
As the tension drained from his body, the aches from the battle began to surface.
Standing was a struggle, so Damian sank to the ground.
He closed his eyes, murmuring softly into the darkness.
“Sister…”
In his past life, Louise was the only family member who stood by him until the end.
Even when Damian was cast out from the family, she worried for him, giving him hidden money and wishing him happiness.
Yet, Damian had broken even her last request.
Becoming a death knight, he brought misery upon himself and everyone else. He ended up killing his family and letting his sister’s soul fall into Sla’s hands.
His sister had suffered long under Sla’s grasp.
“Finally… I killed her.”
Of course, this was all a story from his past life.
In the present, his sister was living a happy newlywed life.
Killing Sla wouldn’t save his sister from the past. The only one satisfied was Damian himself.
But he had no intention of stopping.
The scum who had destroyed his family’s souls in his past life, the vermin who sided with Dorgo to plunge the world into misery…
If there was even a 1% chance of the same future repeating, he couldn’t let a single one live. He intended to kill them all, erasing every trace of their souls.
“You did well too.”
Damian looked down at Dawn. He suddenly noticed that the blade was chipped.
It seemed it hadn’t fully withstood Sla’s final blow.
“You pushed yourself too hard. I’m sorry.”
A soft hum resonated from Dawn, as if to say it was fine. But of course, it wasn’t truly okay.
“I suppose it’s time to visit the Holy Order.”
He had been meaning to go anyway.
A sacred sword like Dawn grows through battle. And with each growth, it needed to be reforged to maintain its full potential.
“Rest for now.”
Damian sheathed Dawn. Just then, he sensed movement above.
A crowd of people poured through the hole in the ceiling. One of them shouted.
“Sir Damian! Are you alive? Sir Damian!”
It was Altman Bedepulite, the headmaster.
Altman rushed over with the teachers, only to recoil at the sight of Sla’s body.
“W-What is this…?”
Sla’s body, shriveled like a mummy from the destruction of her soul, was still enormous due to her original size.
Even knowing it was a corpse, the sight was overwhelming.
“It’s Sla.”
Damian spoke calmly. Altman, shocked, asked again.
“Is this really Sla?”
“If you find it hard to believe, call in an investigator. They should already know the nature of Sla’s dark magic.”
At his words, the headmaster and the other teachers exchanged uneasy glances.
Damian’s confidence left them with no choice but to believe that this was indeed the body of Sla, the infamous villainess of Pandemonium.
“To think you handled Sla alone…”
“How many in the Empire could achieve such a feat?”
“Not more than ten, surely. It’s incredible.”
The teachers looked at Damian with astonishment.
But Damian had little interest in their reactions.
“I’ll be on my way now.”
“W-Wait, where are you going?”
The headmaster asked in surprise. Damian glared at him coldly.
“Why do you ask? Are you planning to block my path again like before?”
Damian still held a grudge against the headmaster for trying to stop him earlier.
The headmaster couldn’t meet Damian’s gaze.
“N-No, of course not.”
“I’m tired and need to rest. I’ll be at my quarters, so call me when the investigators arrive.”
With that, Damian leapt over the ceiling. Outside, he saw the faces of other teachers.
Among them were two students.
Oliver Fortina and Penelope Borja.
“Are you both unharmed?”
Damian approached them, but they flinched and stepped back.
“W-Well…”
“I mean…”
It was clear they were afraid of Damian.
He didn’t take it to heart. When he found Sla, he had lost control of his emotions.
Having seen his expression then, it was no wonder they were scared.
“I’m glad you’re both safe. Get checked out and rest, just in case.”
Damian turned and headed to his quarters.
Oliver and Penelope watched his retreating figure with complicated expressions.
Less than a day later, investigators were dispatched to the academy.
They extracted dark magic from Sla’s body for examination.
”…The dark magic pattern matches. It’s definitely Sla.”
“Is this really Sla? One of the most dangerous villains, dead so easily?”
“What can we do? The body is right here. We have to believe it.”
The investigators quickly drafted a report and sent it to the imperial court.
The court was thrown into chaos upon receiving it.
“They confirm Sla died at the academy.”
“What? So Sla was really hiding at the academy?”
“Unbelievable… How could such a villain be at the academy?”
“It seems we need to investigate other institutions as well. Who knows if Pandemonium’s influence has spread?”
The imperial officials took the situation very seriously.
The academy was the cradle of the Empire’s future. That such a place had been tainted by Pandemonium was unacceptable.
No other institution could be assumed safe. Even if it meant turning the Empire upside down, a thorough investigation was necessary.
“More importantly, this knight, Damian Haxen. Did he really face Sla alone?”
“The testimonies of students and teachers are consistent. It’s certain.”
“Unbelievable. Wasn’t Sla one of the most formidable monsters of Pandemonium?”
“How many knights died to Sla? And Damian Haxen faced her alone…”
The officials had not thought highly of Damian Haxen.
How could they like someone who broke the traditions of the Helian Tournament?
But if this knight had killed Sla, the narrative changed.
“Considering the atrocities that wretched woman committed, it’s satisfying.”
“Over hundreds of thousands of imperial citizens fell victim to that villainess.”
“Were many knights lost? Did we lose many talents?”
The harm Sla inflicted on the Empire was immeasurable.
There wasn’t a noble in the Empire who didn’t curse her name.
“I hear he went to the academy specifically to find Sla.”
“And we criticized Damian Haxen without knowing that.”
“Well, this is… I don’t know how to apologize.”
While the officials were busy discussing Damian Haxen and Sla, the Emperor was deep in thought.
“To have slain Sla…”
The Emperor couldn’t help but be impressed.
For decades, the Empire had pursued Sla without even catching a glimpse of her.
Not only had Damian found such a monster alone, but he had also defeated her single-handedly.
“What an extraordinary achievement…”
Such a feat was unprecedented in the Empire’s history.
“Wait a moment.”
Suddenly, the Emperor realized something.
“Now we can support him without reservation, can’t we?”
While the investigation was underway, Damian rested in his quarters.
“I’ll need at least a week to recover.”
To keep up with Sla’s speed, he had pushed his combined martial arts and starburst elixir to their limits.
Using both mana techniques greatly enhanced his physical abilities and mana output, but it also took a heavy toll on his body.
“Facing an opponent like Sla is still too much.”
Damian didn’t view his victory as a reason for complacency.
Sla had been “relatively” easier to handle. He had the advantage in terms of compatibility.
Sla’s most potent weapon was her pheromones.
Most knights fell under her spell, becoming her slaves. Even those who resisted were often hindered by her pheromones during battle.
But Damian was immune to her pheromones. His ability to control his body was that advanced.
“Her physical prowess was terrifying, but her moves were simple.”
Sla’s speed and destructive power were unmatched, but her lack of martial arts training made her attacks predictable.
This allowed Damian to anticipate and counter all her moves.
“A Weapon Master won’t be so easy.”
A Weapon Master was a master-class warrior who had overcome countless barriers.
They were technically complete and could create endless variables with their magic swords.
“To face a Weapon Master, I need to become stronger.”
Damian thought of the dragon heart stored in his subspace.
It wasn’t enough. He needed an elixir to further enhance his abilities.
“If possible, I should acquire more fragments of Erebus.”
If the power of Erebus grew stronger, it could turn the tide in a battle against a Weapon Master.
“Where else can I find more fragments…”
Demian was deep in thought when he heard a knock at the door.
He got up and opened it, only to be met with an unexpected visitor.
“Master?”
Standing there was the Sword Saint himself.
Without a word, the Sword Saint pulled Demian into a bear hug and laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha! You crazy kid! I never thought you’d actually take down Sla!”
The Sword Saint held Demian tightly, his joy evident, and only released him after a long moment.
“How did someone as busy as you find the time to come here?”
“When I heard Sla was dead, how could I just sit still? I rushed over immediately! I’ve got so many questions for you, I could burst!”
He patted Demian’s back with enthusiasm.
“But who is that behind you?” Demian asked, noticing the figure standing just behind the Sword Saint. The man was cloaked in a black robe, his face and head obscured.
“Oh, this fellow here…” The Sword Saint hesitated, a hint of awkwardness crossing his face.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man said, removing his hood.
The first thing that caught Demian’s eye was the man’s hair, a striking silver that seemed spun from moonlight.
But it wasn’t just the hair that was unusual. His skin was a pure, unblemished white, devoid of any color.
“My name is Eos,” the man said, his blood-red eyes locking onto Demian’s.
“Some call me the Empire’s Greatest Sword.”