Chapter 333: The Past (1)
Demian couldn’t tear his eyes away from the divine sword.
Though he had seen it countless times in his previous life, knowing the truth now made it feel different.
The Luin he had met was a formidable force, seemingly without limits.
Thinking that this weapon had driven such a great being to his death sent chills down his spine.
“Why did the Salvation Order betray Luin?”
The question lingered in Demian’s mind.
From what he had observed of Luin’s character, he didn’t seem like someone who would earn such deep resentment.
Yet, Luin was betrayed by the Salvation Order and completely forgotten.
“The answer must be here.”
Demian gripped the sword’s hilt once more, and the memories flowed back into him.
The scenery around him changed. Suddenly, Demian found himself standing on a beach.
The scent of the sea and the ocean breeze felt incredibly real, too vivid to be mere memories.
In the distance, he saw Luin, drenched in blood.
Luin’s condition was dire. His body was covered in wounds, with daggers embedded in his thighs and back.
It was hard to believe this was the hero who had liberated humanity.
Cough.
Luin collapsed onto the sand, coughing up blood. The hot crimson liquid stained the ground.
…
A dozen men and women stood silently, looking down at him.
“Luin, I won’t say I’m sorry.”
One of them spoke up.
He was an ordinary-looking man, but his face was strikingly handsome. Most notably, his bright golden hair shone like a brilliant topaz.
No one needed to tell Demian; he knew this man was the first emperor of the empire.
“You are too great. If things continue, everyone will worship only you. All the glory and power of the world will gather around you.”
Despite being the first to stab Luin in the back, the emperor’s voice held no trace of guilt.
“I, no, we cannot allow that. We can’t just stand by and watch.”
Luin remained silent.
He likely couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. He was barely clinging to life.
Instead, Luin’s eyes moved, scanning the members of the Salvation Order.
None of them could meet his gaze. They all averted their eyes.
Only the first emperor met Luin’s eyes, standing confidently before him.
“If you want to resent us, go ahead. I’ll accept any curse.”
The emperor raised the divine sword. Its blade gleamed a cold blue.
He didn’t strike immediately. He stood there, looking down at Luin.
Their eyes met. Demian, standing beside the emperor, also looked into Luin’s eyes.
He was shocked.
Luin’s eyes held no resentment or anger. Only a sense of regret.
Astonishingly, Luin seemed to pity the one who was about to kill him.
Demian couldn’t comprehend it. Neither could the emperor.
“What… what is that look?”
The emperor’s voice rose slightly. The once emotionless tone now trembled.
“Don’t you understand the situation? I betrayed you! I’m the one who brought them in! I’m the one who ruined everything for you!”
The first emperor shouted, his face flushed with agitation. From his voice, it seemed their roles had reversed.
“You always acted like you were some kind of god! Always pretending to be noble! Acting so high and mighty!”
The emperor finally grabbed Luin by the collar, growling at him from inches away.
“Say it! Say you hate me! That you want to kill me!”
But Luin only looked at the emperor with a bitter gaze.
In the end, it was the emperor who broke first. He roared like a beast and swung the divine sword.
With a chilling sound, blood sprayed. Luin’s head fell to the ground.
Even after killing Luin, the emperor’s rage didn’t subside. He shouted at Luin’s lifeless body.
It was only after a long while that the first emperor calmed down. Exhausted, he sank to the ground, gasping for breath.
“Adelheit, well done.”
One of the Salvation Order members spoke. It was the first holy pope, Bartoleo.
“Now that weapon has lost its master.”
The first pope picked up the weapon Luin had been holding.
“That is…”
Demian stared at the weapon in shock. Its color was different, but he recognized it. It was Erebus.
As the first pope held Erebus, all eyes turned to him, filled with greed.
“Adelheit, as promised, we’ll handle all of Luin’s belongings. No objections?”
”…Do as you wish.”
The first emperor spoke weakly. The first pope looked satisfied.
“Then we must decide the ownership of Erebus. This weapon…”
At that moment, Erebus let out a terrifying wail. It was as if tens of thousands of voices screamed in unison.
Even the Salvation Order members couldn’t withstand the horrific sound. They all covered their ears.
Meanwhile, cracks began to form on Erebus’s surface, spreading from the blade to the hilt.
Soon, Erebus exploded, scattering thousands of fragments in all directions.
“W-what?”
“Erebus is disappearing!”
The Salvation Order members scrambled to grab the fragments. Only a few pieces ended up in their hands.
But most of the fragments flew far away. The members watched in dismay.
In the chaos, no one noticed.
Some of Erebus’s fragments were absorbed into the divine sword.
No one except Demian Haxen, that is.
Demian had witnessed the divine sword absorbing Erebus’s fragments.
“So that’s why Dorgo couldn’t complete Erebus in my past life.”
Despite scouring the continent, Dorgo never managed to gather all of Erebus’s fragments.
One reason was this: some of the destroyed fragments had been absorbed by the divine sword, making them impossible to find.
“Who would have thought they were hidden in the divine sword?”
In his past life, Demian had defeated the empire’s greatest swordsman and claimed the divine sword.
But nothing happened at the time. So neither Demian nor Dorgo suspected that fragments were hidden within the sword.
“The divine sword’s aura must have completely concealed the fragments.”
Just as he reached this conclusion, the first pope cried out in a terrified voice.
“Erebus… it’s destroyed…? This can’t be… How did this happen…?”
The first pope looked at his empty hands, trembling.
“It’s Luin’s curse… Luin’s hatred must have affected Erebus…!”
The first pope’s fear quickly spread to the rest of the Salvation Order. They looked at the fragments they had just grabbed with terror.
“Luin must have destroyed Erebus… as a prelude to his revenge… We have to find them… find them all and destroy them completely!”
The Salvation Order members all agreed with the first pope.
It was a pitiful sight, unworthy of their reputation.
“Fools.”
Demian clicked his tongue as he watched them.
Erebus was destroyed because of Luin’s death.
Erebus was intimately connected to Luin. So it was only natural that it would be deeply affected by its master’s demise.
“Even though they betrayed Luin, they couldn’t completely kill their fear.”
The Salvation Order members had witnessed Luin’s feats up close.
Their fear of Luin must have been immense.
“In a way, this man is remarkable. Leading a betrayal with people so afraid of Luin.”
Demian thought as he looked at the first emperor.
The first emperor, despite the commotion, continued to gaze at Luin’s body.
His face looked deeply sorrowful.
Just as Demian was about to observe the first emperor more closely, everything froze. The world around him began to blur.
“It’s time to leave.”
He felt a floating sensation, as if suspended in the sky. At the same time, Demian was pulled back to reality.
“Sir Demian, are you alright?”
Back in reality, he saw the emperor looking at him with concern.
Demian stared at the emperor’s face. It was the spitting image of the first emperor he had seen in the memories.
“You suddenly went silent, and I was worried.”
”…I was just organizing my thoughts.”
Demian replied, glancing back at the divine sword.
Inside the sword, the fragments of Erebus were hidden. Perhaps he could complete Erebus.
“Come forth, Erebus.”
Demian summoned Erebus from the mark on his wrist and brought it close to the divine sword.
As expected, nothing happened. But it was too soon to give up.
“I need to draw out the fragments sleeping within the divine sword.”
Demian had grown stronger than he was as a death knight.
His senses and energy perception were far sharper than in his past life. Thanks to this, he could detect the aura of the fragments absorbed by the divine sword.
Demian infused the sword with his magic to extract the fragments. Darkness began to flow from the sword.
The darkness seemed to find its rightful place, being absorbed into Erebus. Soon, the damaged parts of Erebus began to mend.
New metal sprouted from the broken tip of the blade. The metals intertwined, forming a perfect shape.
With a heart full of emotion, Damian gazed at Erebus.
Erebus, which had been broken for what felt like lifetimes, had finally regained its complete form.
”…Ha.”
A laugh escaped Damian’s lips before he even realized it.
Holding the hilt, he could vividly feel the transformation of Erebus.
In truth, Erebus was on the brink of completion. The fragment absorbed from the divine sword wasn’t particularly large.
Yet, that small difference had brought about a monumental change.
The completed Erebus held a power that was incomparable to its previous state.
It was now clear why the Order of Salvation had coveted Erebus so desperately.
For the first time in ages, Damian felt a childlike excitement bubbling within him. He couldn’t wait to wield the completed Erebus.
“Sir Damian, what on earth was that just now…?”
The emperor, his face a picture of astonishment, questioned Damian. Damian gave a brief nod and replied.
“I extracted a fragment that was dormant within the divine sword to complete my weapon. It doesn’t harm the divine sword, so I hope you’ll overlook it.”
“Why would I be upset with you?” the emperor said firmly. “If you needed it, I’d give you half the empire!”
“Is that so,” Damian replied, his expression a mix of relief and disbelief.
While he was glad the emperor was willing to let it slide, the reaction seemed a bit over the top.
“You think I’m joking! I’ll prove I’m serious… Wait, what’s happening now?”
The emperor pointed behind Damian, who turned around with a puzzled look.
There, floating in mid-air, was the divine sword.
Even without using his telekinetic abilities, the sword was flying, circling around Damian.
“What on earth is this?” Damian said, bewildered. The emperor spoke cautiously.
”…It seems to have taken a liking to you.”
“Excuse me?”
Damian looked at the divine sword in disbelief.
The sword paused in the air, then began to shake its hilt vigorously, as if nodding in agreement.
For Damian, this was a rather awkward situation.
While it was an honor for such a powerful weapon to accept him as its master, the divine sword was the weapon of the first emperor and a treasure of the empire.
For such a weapon to choose Damian, a knight from another country, over the empire?
It was a situation that could easily offend the emperor.
“Well, it seems you’ve got yourself another weapon,” the emperor said, his reaction completely different from what Damian had feared.
”…Take it with me?” Damian asked, incredulous.
“A legendary sword chooses its own master. Since it has chosen you, what can I do?”
“But isn’t it an imperial treasure?”
“Indeed. But if it’s related to you, Sir Damian, I don’t mind in the slightest.”
Damian scrutinized the emperor’s expression, wondering if this was some kind of test.
To his surprise, the emperor’s eyes and face were filled with nothing but sincerity.
“Well… then I’ll take it?”
The emperor nodded. Damian, still half-doubting, took the divine sword.
“I’d love to let you rest, but I need your help,” the emperor said.
“Has Pandemonium caused trouble again?” Damian asked sharply.
Though he had dealt with Vahel, Dorgo was still at large. It was possible Dorgo had been plotting while Damian was unconscious.
“No, it’s not that. I just need your opinion on something.”
“What is it?” Damian asked, puzzled. The emperor turned and gestured for him to follow.
“Come with me.”
Without understanding the situation, Damian followed the emperor, who led him to a prison within the palace.
‘The security is tight.’
Upon reaching the prison, Damian was taken aback.
From the entrance, barriers blocked magic, dark magic, and divine power. The interior was made entirely of rare metal.
Numerous spells were in place to prevent any escape.
As Damian observed these measures, they reached the deepest part of the prison.
Instead of iron bars, there was a large glass window.
It wasn’t ordinary glass; it was also made of rare metal.
“That’s why I called you,” the emperor said, pointing at the window.
Beyond the glass was a deep, well-like space. At the bottom, a woman was bound in chains.
She had a delicate frame and a beauty that could be described as enchanting.
The moment Damian saw her face, his eyes widened slightly.
Sita.
One of the four great demons created by Dorgo.