Episode 64 Disaster (3)
My mind is blank.
The memories of the battle with Agor were shattered into fragments.
I remember grabbing the sashimi and attacking it fiercely, but after that, the intense pain that came rushing in made my brain ache and I lost consciousness.
‘…Is he dead?’
I felt dizzy and barely managed to hold on to my slender consciousness. I felt the sensation of my body that had been forgotten in my disconnected consciousness. Then I felt the desolate wind brushing my cheek.
He’s still alive. I can tell intuitively.
Is this what it feels like to be dead and come back to life? But it’s still too early to scream in joy. I sharpened my senses a bit more and woke up. Then I felt blood flowing through my veins to every corner.
Beginning with touch, my senses of taste, smell, and hearing came back to life one after another. The hot wind that cut through my skin sharply, the spicy, dry air that touched my tongue, and the burning smell that stung my nasal passages.
However, the scenery that was visible had a cloudy grayish tint to it, perhaps because the focus was not yet on.
I instinctively breathed sensation into my hand. The taste of the knife handle was etched into my knuckles.
I sighed in relief for a moment, but then I began to wonder how I could be without excruciating pain even after the pain relief had ended. Rather than excruciating pain, my head felt refreshed as if it had been ventilated.
‘… … .’
I felt a sense of foreboding. It was similar to when the wooden sword broke during the sparring with Chloe. However, unlike that time, my mind was clearer. There was no ominous voice whispering inside me.
While lost in thought, the scenery began to gradually come into view. The vision that had seemed like an afterimage soon took on a clear shape.
“Coolook, coolook.”
I opened my eyes and looked straight ahead at the thick coughing sound that reached my ears. What came into view was the back of the swordsman.
But the left side of the swordsman was empty. His left arm was gone, down to his upper arm. Flames were burning next to his armpit. There was an unpleasant smell of burning meat.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Cough, cough. Are you coming to your senses?”
He turned his head slightly and looked up. He tried to force a smile, erasing the expression distorted by pain. Blood leaked out through his teeth and ran down his chin.
The eyes that were looking at the sword master’s missing arm wavered. The sword master spoke in a slow voice.
“Just take it easy while I recover. The situation is really bad.”
“Your Majesty, your arm.”
The inspector shrugged one shoulder and replied.
“It’s okay. Do you really need to use both hands to hold the sword? Don’t worry about it and just take care of yourself first. The situation is still hopeless.”
In the meantime, the inspector raised the corners of his mouth a little bit more as if trying to reassure me. Then he immediately turned his gaze and stared straight ahead.
Agor tilted his head and looked at the sword master and me before speaking.
“That’s strange. Old lady, you. How could a mere human cut my magic?”
The swordsman took a deep breath and did not respond. He took a stance, gripping the sword with his remaining right arm. Agor sighed and shook his head.
“Ha, this is annoying. I guess this body and I don’t get along well. It’s hard to see me struggling against that bloody lump and that old man who’s about to die.”
Then, Agor suddenly distorted his impression. When he clicked his tongue, anger spread across his eyes.
Then, the fire condensed on Agor’s forearm wrapped around him like a glove.
Then, all of a sudden, the water dries up and evaporates with a hissing sound as steam rises.
As Agor unleashed his magical power, it took physical form and wrapped itself around his body. The shoulders of the sword master behind him shook slightly.
“I don’t know what trick you’re using, old lady⎯”
Before he could finish speaking, Agor stamped his foot.
Kwakwakwang!
With a loud noise of air bursting, he came within striking distance of the swordsman in an instant and swung his arms.
My skin was chafed by the strong, artificial wind.
Although I would like to help the sword master, I cannot move my fingertips due to the backlash from the sword master’s protection.
“⎯Die.”
The fiercely burning flames aimed for the sword master’s neck. The sword master opened his eyes wide and raised his blade. A silver line slid across Aghor’s arm.
Seogeong!
The sound was sharp and the movements were concise. Movements were like dance steps.
The ultimate swordsmanship, with all unnecessary elements removed, cuts the uncuttable.
Then, one of Agor’s arms rolled across the floor. The intense heat caused the ground to melt like lava.
Agor blinked his eyes with a dumbfounded expression for a moment. Then, a bloodshot look began to form on his face.
“How dare you, you little bug!”
When Agor screamed, a frenzy broke out.
The air currents surged fiercely, and the flames that burned the floodwaters formed a huge curtain-like wall of fire.
All the moisture in the air evaporates, and your mouth becomes dry in an instant.
At that moment, the swordsman scraped the dry ground with the tip of his sword. Then, a thick cloud of dry dust rose up, and the swordsman buried himself in the dust, disappearing from sight.
“This tough little rat!”
As Agor snapped his index finger and thumb, hundreds and thousands of fire bars appeared behind his back and were immediately triggered.
Pavabababababababak!
A shower of flames rushes towards the swordsman.
Knock!
The sound of light footsteps. The hidden sword master swung his sword with a pure blue aura. The aura aimed at Agor’s vital points like a blue whip.
The fierce momentum of the sword contains the skills, talents, and experiences of a human being. The series of movements and blades performed by the sword master are materialized and projected in the realm of my imagination.
The sword that a man has worked for his entire life finally strikes Agor’s neck.
Sigh!
‘I cut it.’
But the eerie sound of skin scraping is heard simultaneously.
Crunch!
“Uh… Ugh!”
One of the many fire bars that shot up from the ground pierced the sword master’s stomach. Crackle, the sound of flesh being torn apart. The sword master kicked the ground and opened up some distance, and blood gushed out from his mouth.
The inspector slightly lowered his eyelids to check his condition, and soon his pupils shook greatly.
The abdominal cavity was hollowed out in a circular pattern. Burned by the overwhelming firepower, there was no blood or flesh seeping out.
“Ugh, ugh.”
The sword master opened his lips several times and let out a groan of pain. Soon his knees touched the ground and the light in his eyes began to slowly fade.
Agor slowly walked towards him, his arsenic dripping down his cheeks. His severed arm had healed without a scratch, and was now attached.
The gap between humans and demons wasn’t just the difference in the power they used. At that moment, Agor cast a mental spell that shook the sword master’s vision.
“shit!”
I bit my lower lip. My front teeth dug into it and blood flowed out. My body couldn’t move. Agor glanced at me from the corner of his eye and then turned his gaze back to the sword master.
“Old lady, you’re amazing for a human. But what can’t be done can’t be done. No matter how hard a bug bites, it’s still a bug.”
The inspector stared at Agor, holding his breath. He snickered and retorted Agor’s words.
“That’s scary.”
“…what?”
Agor’s eyebrows curved gently. The sword master spoke while regulating his fading breath.
“I don’t know exactly why you came here from beyond the demon realm. But I can see it. There’s clear fear in your eyes.”
“Ha, how ridiculous. You’re acting so smug because you’re a little in sync with the rhythm. Hey, bug. Just because you got lucky and cut off an arm doesn’t mean you and I are on the same level.”
“haha.”
At those words, the sword master let out a low laugh, and Agor’s lips twisted.
The swordsman raised his head slightly and looked straight into Agor’s eyes. His golden eyes were shining brightly.
“Old lady, you, those eyes… Aaron, that guy’s descendant?”
Agor, with his eyes narrowed, tilted his head and asked coldly. The sword master simply smiled and continued speaking.
“That’s funny.”
“…What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s funny to hear a monster that’s been alive for over a thousand years call you an old woman. My old colleague, the old woman, is like a fresh-faced fairy in front of you, yes.”
The speaking swordsman’s breathing became ragged. A strand of hair stuck to his cheek.
But instead of falling, he buried the blade in the ground and slowly got up, using it as a cane.
“The demons are definitely stronger than us humans. To the point of absurdity. That’s the fact that when I was younger, I used to resent this world. It’s a hopeless law that there are walls that can’t be overcome no matter how hard you try. However… at this age, I’ve finally come to realize something.”
The swordsman straightened his back while holding the hilt of his sword with his right hand. He then looked at me with both eyes and smiled faintly. At that gaze, goosebumps ran down my entire body for no reason.
“Agor, you should know that too. Humans develop and progress with each passing day. That is what the Demons fear the most, and the reason they are always trying to invade the human world.”
The swordsman pulled out the blade he had stuck in the ground and aimed it at his enemy. The color drained from Agor’s face as he grew more and more angry. Then, as if he was in disbelief, he shook his head and let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha, I really can’t listen to you. I thought a dying mother would leave some grand will, but is that really all she says? Anyway, you guys are really old-fashioned, whether it be seven hundred years ago or now.”
As he spoke, Agor stopped walking. As the tip of the bastard’s foot pointed towards me, confusion quickly spread across the sword master’s face.
“Your opponent is me!”
“What are you saying, you idiot who’s dying? I have no intention of dealing with a corpse like you. Since I’m here in the real world, I want to play with young kids.”
Agor snorted and replied indifferently.
“Are you turning your back on the enemy right now?! That guy is just a cadet!”
“Hey, Aaron’s bloodline. Are you measuring me with human standards? I thought you were smart, but you’re just a senile old man.”
The swordsman who had been shouting loudly charged forward with his sword in hand.
However, Agor has already reached my eyes. As he chants some incantation, the mental magic that extends out binds my body.
“No! Ganggeomma, run away!”
With one arm missing and a hole in his stomach, the swordsman’s steps were noticeably slower. Agor glanced at him with a cold gaze and whispered in my ear.
“I don’t agree with that old man, but looking at you, I can see that humans are evolving creatures. Your body looks useful, so I’ll take it, kid.”
“… … .”
The background sound of Agor’s dark taunts and the swordmaster’s earnest cries mingled together lingered in my ears.
Agor gently stroked my head with his outstretched hand, and then out of nowhere he kissed my forehead.
“This is my last gift.”
Then he put his hand on my forehead and began to wreak havoc on my mind with the magical power he emitted.
“Hehehehe, your body will be used for the wishes of our demon tribe. Don’t hold back too much, and I’ll see you in hell, Ganggeomma.”
After saying that, the noisy background noise suddenly stopped.
Paat!
[Unauthorized intrusion from outside has been detected.]
For a moment, a blank sheet of paper appeared in my mind, like a white shadow.
Beep beep
[Unauthorized external intrusion is detected and the system automatically deploys a defense program.]
At that moment, a sharp, monosyllabic alarm sound and a heartless woman’s voice resonated repeatedly in my brain.
[Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred!]
[※※An unexpected error occurred.※※]
[The user’s level is still too low for the program to work.]
[The worldline is still too low level for the program to work.]
[Location – Code. A temporary increase in rank is possible with Yggdrasil’s catalyst.]
[The program uses suppression power to realign and synchronize world lines.]
Jiiing⎯
[The conditions as 【? ? ?】 have been met.]
A feeling of gradual mental confusion and a tremendous sense of helplessness that attacks one’s reason.
[Forces the level of all of the user’s protections to be increased and manifested.]
[The God of Painlessness and the God of Regeneration are manifested simultaneously.]
[The God of Transition uses two protections to stop the suffering and tearing of the world line.]
[Considering the load of the world line, the manifestation time is limited to 60 seconds.]
Jiiing⎯
An intoxication of unfathomable depth.
And then suddenly something was cut off.
[The Sword God’s protection is removed.]
* * *
+++++++++++++++
《Please look down.》
