Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 5 - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

EXTERMINATION MISSION

Elfiné awoke in the morning feeling completely drained and fatigued.

Maybe it’s because of what happened yesterday.

She sat up in her bed, her black eyes turning to look out the window. After shaking her head, she brushed her hair down with her fingers. Her platoon had been requested to attend an emergency meeting today.

Elfiné took a quick shower, got dressed, and walked down to the dorm’s common room. The Holy Light Festival had only been a few days ago, and some of the decorations from Hræsvelgr dorm’s haunted café were still on the walls.

Once she took a seat by the tables, Elfiné booted up her terminal to read the latest news. Yesterday’s incident was being reported on, but it was a fairly small article. The academy likely pressured the press bureau not to make a big deal out of it.

There’s no way they’d let them release a story about how a Holy Swordsman, one of humankind’s protectors, lost control of their weapon and attacked civilians…

Even so, yesterday’s affair was too conspicuous to completely keep under wraps, and Holy Swordsmen harboring anti-nationalist sentiments weren’t entirely unheard of.

Upon having had his Demon Sword destroyed, Muselle Rhodes fell unconscious and was carried off to an Excalibur Academy medical facility. He wasn’t in critical physical condition, but his recollection of the incident seemed vague, and he remained in a state of constant panic. It was likely he would never manifest a Holy Sword again.

Did he hear the “voice of a goddess”, too…?

Muselle’s terminal had been confiscated by the administration bureau. Elfiné had managed to discreetly access it, however, searching for any signs of involvement by a Phillet Company Artificial Elemental.

Although happening upon signs that Muselle’s terminal had been used in tandem with Artificial Elementals, there was nothing to prove a connection between them and the Demon Sword.

The public article hinted that an anti-imperial terrorist faction might have pushed Muselle to commit the crime. Elfiné tapped on her monitor with a finger, closing the article and moving on to the next one. A Seventh Assault Garden aerial probe had discovered a large-scale Void Hive in an area 150 kilorels southwest of the Miasma Forest.

A Hive was what Excalibur Academy’s textbooks had dubbed a large aggregate of high-density crystals that Voids created after emerging from cracks in reality.

It wasn’t clear why Voids formed Hives. One theory supposed it was necessary for the twisted things to do so to fix their existence in this world for prolonged periods of time. Regardless, if a large Hive was left unattended for too long, it was bound to cause a Stampede.

That’s probably what the meeting is about.

Elfiné felt her breathing turn ragged. The image of what happened six months ago flashed in her mind…

“Ah, good morning, Miss Finé,” came a voice, prompting the young woman to jolt and look up.

“Good morning, Selia…”

One of Elfiné’s juniors had come down the stairs. The light spilling in from the window cast a beautiful glow on her hair.

“Oh, where’s Leo?” Elfiné asked, realizing Riselia’s roommate, Leonis, wasn’t with her.

“The room was empty when I went to wake him up. Where could he have gone?” Riselia wondered, puffing her cheeks sullenly.

“He should have been informed about the meeting. He’ll be here when it’s time,” Elfiné assured gently.

“Yes. I guess it’s not unusual for Leo to disappear…” Riselia sighed.

“Taking care of a boy must be hard work,” Elfiné remarked with a bitter smile.

“Hmm…Miss Finé, what exactly happened yesterday?” Riselia inquired while settling into an adjacent chair.

“You mean regarding Muselle Rhodes’s Holy Sword?”

“Yes. It was like…” Riselia trailed off, hesitating.

“—like a Void,” Elfiné finished.

Riselia pursed her lips tightly. Despite being called a failure, she had earnestly worked toward the day she would finally summon a Holy Sword. Her homeland had been ruined and her parents killed, thus she had sought the power to combat the Voids for years before finally awakening to the power of her own Holy Sword.

Seeing one of the weapons meant to help save humanity assume such a terrible form had undoubtedly been difficult for Riselia to accept.

“Apparently, they call that a ‘Demon Sword’…,” Elfiné said.

“A Demon Sword?” Riselia regarded the other girl with a doubtful look.

Elfiné launched into an explanation about the experiment to evolve Holy Swords, the unidentified Artificial Elemental involved in it, and of how those who’d developed Demon Sword powers reported hearing the voice of a goddess. However, she kept the Phillet Company’s possible involvement to herself. Riselia had a strong sense of justice, and Elfiné was loath to get her friend involved in her family’s infighting.

Once Elfiné concluded her story, Riselia brought a hand to her jaw pensively. “I think the beastmen terrorists that attacked the Hyperion referred to their powers as Demon Swords, too…,” she recalled.

Elfiné nodded. “Indeed. And nonhumans shouldn’t be able to wield the power of the planet.”

The power granted to the beastmen terrorists—the Demon Swords. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Could it have been related to the power that had transformed Muselle Rhodes’s Holy Sword into a Void-like monster?

“However, it’s not just the Demon Swords that are baffling,” Elfiné stated. “We understand precious little about Holy Swords.”

They were a miraculous power the planet had bequeathed to humans for the purpose of combating Voids. That was the official doctrine espoused by the empire and the Human Church, but was it really the truth?

“Either way, we should be careful. There’s certainly other students infected by Demon Sword power,” warned Elfiné.

Riselia bobbed her head with a nervous expression. “U-understood.”

“A pleasant morning, wouldn’t you say, Leo?”

Veira Greater Dragon stood atop a high-rise building, looking down at the Central Garden below. She was no longer in the outfit she wore yesterday, but in her original, revealing Dragon Lord getup. Her waist-length crimson hair flowed gently in the salty breeze.

“I hate mornings,” grumbled Leonis.

“Ah, right. You always did,” Veira said with a grin.

Even after being reborn in a human form, Leonis still despised the morning sun. During his reign as the Undead King, he would remain deep underground, within Necrozoa, and sleep in a stone coffin. He was tempted to cast the sixth-order spell, the Demon Night’s Curtain, and cover the sky in darkness. However, the Seventh Assault Garden used solar panels to gather energy and convert it into mana as a secondary power source. So blotting out the sky would cripple the city.

I’ll never understand why Riselia likes morning so much.

As a Vampire Queen—the highest rank of undead—Riselia could function under the sun without any debilitating effects. Still, undead weren’t supposed to like daylight.

“So why did you call me to a place like this?” Leonis asked, making his displeasure plain. He knew dragons preferred high summits, but surely Veira hadn’t called him all the way here to appreciate the view.

“I like your kingdom, Leo,” Veira stated, turning to face him. “The ice cream was really good.”

“My kingdom isn’t limited to this city,” Leonis responded. “I intend to place humankind’s greatest stronghold, the imperial capital, Camelot, under my dominion. And the other Assault Gardens, too.”

“Really? I don’t have much interest in human lands…” Veira gazed at the cloudless, blue sky spanning above them. “I think I’ll go look for the Azure Hold.”

Leonis furrowed his brow. “Didn’t the Divine Dragon destroy it?”

The Azure Hold was a dragon citadel that once floated through the sky. Just like the Undead King’s Staff of Sealed Sins, it stood as a symbol of the Dark Lords’ Armies’ might and terror. However, the Divine Dragon of the Six Heroes, Gisark, led a force of holy dragons to destroy it.

Veira shook her head. “It only crashed into the ocean. I’m sure it’s still slumbering somewhere in the depths. Along with the remains of the many dragon warriors who fought with me…”

“…So you’re doing this to mourn them.”

“Yes. And to learn more about that star,” Veira replied, glaring at something beyond the sky. “The Azure Hold has astronomical observation devices meant to assist in its flight. If I could check the records kept there, I might learn about changes to the heavens in the last one thousand years.”

“Is stars realigning truly so important?” Leonis questioned.

“Dragons can foresee the fate of the world by using the Azure Hold’s instruments. If I could examine the stars closely, I might get a handle on what’s going on.”

“…I see.”

Leonis had to admit Arakael’s words were hard to ignore.

“The world shall be reborn with the Star of Nothingness.”

Nothingness, Voids, and Holy Swords…

A gust of wind tussled Veira’s long locks before the breeze grew into a whirlwind that billowed around her. The Dragon Lord’s horns began growing longer at an alarming rate.

“I’ve heard those Void monstrosities tend to build Hives in ancient ruins. Be careful,” Leonis said.

There was a chance her long dead dragon companions had been turned to Voids, as well.

“Leo, whom do you take me for?” Veira turned around, baring her fangs at him with a ferocious expression. “If anyone is foolish enough to besmirch my castle, I shall slaughter them. And as for the one who was arrogant enough to attempt converting me into a filthy Void monster, I shall personally tear out their intestines and burn them to ashes.”

“Of course. My apologies, Veira. That was unbecoming of me to say.”

Nothing was more discourteous to show a Dark Lord than concern.

My overprotective minion’s influence must be rubbing off on me, Leonis mused wryly.

Two dragon wings sprouted out of Veira’s back. “I’d love to have a serious battle next time we meet, Leo,” she stated.

Leonis scoffed, an indomitable smirk on his lips. “As would I. Next time, I should fight you with your power restored.”

“Make sure to raise that vampire minion of yours well. She shows promise. Few could snap at me like that, after all.”

“Your suggestion is duly noted, but uncalled for.”

Flame danced over Veira’s crimson locks, rapidly enveloping her entire body. The fire burned bright, becoming a burning pillar that extended to the heavens. A moment later, a gigantic, crimson dragon took flight overhead.

The strongest life-form in the world, the sovereign of all dragons, and one of the mighty Dark Lords. The demonic tyrant of the dragons, Veira Greater Dragon, soared through the air in all her majesty.

“…You really are most beautiful in this form, Veira.”

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Spreading her gigantic wings, the Dragon Lord bellowed. As the siren of the city’s defense system blared, Veira circled over the Seventh Assault Garden.

It was a hectic couple of days, but I think your absence will be sorely felt.

Leonis watched Veira’s form shrink as she flew into the horizon.

“…She really does come and go like a storm.”

The shadow at Leonis’s feet rippled slightly, and a petite girl peeked out of it. She pinched at the hem of Leonis’s trousers sheepishly.

“What are you doing, Shary?”

“M-my apologies, my lord. It’s just that you were…erm, together with the Dragon Lord.” Shary looked around cautiously, keeping herself submerged in Leonis’s shadow except for her face.

I guess I can’t blame her…

Shary had borne witness to the violence Veira had wrought one thousand years ago. With an army of dragons at her beck and call, she had razed entire countries. Any opponent she believed worthy, she challenged, whether they were an enemy, a god, or another Dark Lord. The Dragon Lord was a living calamity that brought ruin to places merely by passing over them.

I suppose all the other Dark Lords were like that.

“The Dragon Lord won’t be coming back, will she?” Shary asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry. She’s departed in search of the Azure Hold’s remains.”

“Is that so…?” Shary sighed with relief and slipped out of Leonis’s shadow.

Leonis regarded Shary’s attire with confusion. “Hmm? What’s with that getup?”

She wasn’t dressed in her usual maid’s garb. The design of her outfit resembled her typical uniform in some respects, but was the color of young leaves and had a distinct foreign feel to it.

“Oh, you noticed, my lord?” Shary beamed happily.

“I think anyone would.”

“No, my lord, you can be quite dense at times…,” Shary stated bluntly and pointed at one of the city squares below them. “I got it in that block over there. It’s an autonomous area populated by survivors of the Sakura Orchid.”

“The Sakura Orchid. Sakuya’s homeland.”

As Leonis thought on it, he realized Shary’s clothes resembled Sakuya’s modified uniform. The section of the city it had come from was a self-governing region of the Seventh Assault Garden. It must have been like the sixth sector, where the demi-humans and elves lived.

“My maid uniform may appear conspicuous, so I thought I’d acquire some clothes that don’t stand out as much,” Shary explained.

She gave a small twirl to show off, the long hems of the garment dancing through the air.

“…It does suit you, I suppose,” Leonis observed frankly.

“M-my lord, such kind words are wasted on me!” Shary hung her head, her face turning red. “Oh, I brought you a gift!”

Leonis raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

Shary produced three skewers with sleek colorful spheres stuck on them.

“What are these?” Leonis inquired.

“They are a type of sweet called a dango, my lord,” Shary explained.

“Oh.”

“Please, have one.” Shary eagerly offered Leonis one of the skewers.

Leonis accepted it and took a bite. “Mm. It’s got a springy texture, like a doughnut,” he remarked.

“I felt the same way!” came Shary’s earnest reply.

As Leonis tried to swallow the dango, it got stuck in his throat. The Undead King coughed and started tapping his chest.

“Have some tea, my lord,” Shary said, offering him a cup.

“Oh, thank you.” Leonis accepted the drink and washed down the dango. “So why were you investigating the Sakura Orchid?” he asked his minion.

“It was because I bade her to, Lord Magnus,” replied a low voice.

A pair of golden eyes peered at Leonis from his shadow and a black wolf emerged.

“Blackas? What is the meaning of this?”

“The Sakura Orchid’s people are quite interesting,” Blackas explained. “Some among them can wield a mysterious power that is neither sorcery nor Holy Sword.”

“Oh? That does sound interesting.”

One thousand years ago, there existed a people who possessed a unique ability dubbed Sagecraft. They had served the Lord of Rage.

“Do all from the Sakura Orchid have this power?” Leonis questioned.

“It’s too early to know for certain,” Blackas admitted. “But that blue-haired girl’s physical prowess may be related to that ability. And the populace of the Sakura Orchid appear to keep different traditions from the rest of the Integrated Empire. Perhaps they will be our key to learning more about why so much history seems to have been wiped away.”

If the current empire was behind the legends of the Dark Lords and Six Heroes being erased from history, then those missing accounts might have survived among the Sakura Orchid’s people.

“…I see. Continue your research, then. And if you find any who look like they might be of use for the Dark Lords’ Armies, find a way to recruit them,” instructed Leonis.

“Understood,” Blackas answered.

Shary bowed her head respectfully. “It will be done, my lord.”

Suddenly, Riselia’s voice began to crackle out of Leonis’s terminal. “…Leo, where are you? The meeting’s about to start.”

“I made your favorite for breakfast, kid. Omelet rice  ,” Regina’s voice cheerfully added.

“…S-sorry, I’ll be right there,” Leonis replied hurriedly, and he used the shadow corridors to return to the dorm.

“…I’m sorry I’m late,” Leonis apologized as he walked through the front door of the dorm.

“Where were you, Leo? I was worried sick,” his overprotective minion scolded.

Plates of breakfast food lined the table in the common room. The rest of the eighteenth platoon were already seated.

“Well, Veira told me she’s returning to her homeland, so I went to see her off,” Leonis told the others.

“Really?” Riselia said, clearly surprised. “That’s…very sudden…”

“I don’t think she ever intended to remain for very long,” Leonis hastily replied.

“But she left the city all by herself?”

“She’s a very free-spirited sort of person. I’ve no doubt she’ll be fine.”

“I—I see…” Riselia furrowed her brow, evidently still a little concerned. “If she’s Leo’s friend, I guess it’s all right,” she whispered to herself, apparently content with that vague explanation.

Leonis was surprised to see her expression looked rather wistful at the prospect of Veira’s departure. Perhaps that match in the pool had brought the two together, if only a bit.

Veira seemed to acknowledge Riselia’s strength, too…

“For now, just take a seat, kid. Your breakfast is getting cold,” Regina urged him.

Leonis complied, sitting in front of a plate of fluffy omelet rice with a large lump of butter on it, crispy toast, bacon, salad, and arugula. The omelet rice was done to the point of artistic perfection, making it clear that Regina was the one who had prepared the meal today.

Curiously, Leonis’s omelet rice also had a little flag planted in it.

“I don’t need this. Please stop treating me like a child,” the Dark Lord insisted, grumpily pulling the tiny thing out before digging into his omelet rice.

The eighteenth platoon began their emergency meeting over breakfast.

“So this is about the Hive extermination mission?” Leonis asked.

“Yes. We’re to destroy a force of dormant Voids before they hatch. The location is roughly a hundred and fifty kilorels to the southwest, near the Miasma Forest. There’s a chance that this Hive spans a fairly large distance.”

As Riselia spoke, she tapped the map on her terminal to indicate the place. A location known as the Forest of Death…

That’s where Necrozoa’s ruins are! Leonis thought, his eyes widening in surprise.

The Dark Lords’ Armies final bastion was a massive underground labyrinth composed of thirteen strata. Death Hold, Leonis’s personal fortress, sat on the surface, along with a temple devoted to the goddess Roselia Ishtaris. The ground around Necrozoa was enveloped with a noxious haze, rendering the place a land of death.

Such had been the case one thousand years ago, anyhow. Death Hold fell to the human alliance and the Six Heroes. In the time since, a thick forest had swallowed the remains.

“That’s near where we found you, Leo,” Riselia remarked.

Pensively, Regina added, “When we investigated the ruins, we ran into multiple large Voids, but there weren’t signs of a sizeable Hive forming yet.”

The Grand Mausoleum where Leonis had sealed himself was deep within the underground labyrinth. He’d placed obfuscating spells to prevent the place from being ransacked by adventurers and grave robbers. Their power must have waned with time, however, allowing Riselia to venture as deep as she had and discover Leonis in magical stasis.

“I think that’s probably the biggest reason they ordered our platoon to assist with this mission,” Elfiné said. “We already have a sense for the area’s topography.”

“Compared to exploring a place we have no data on, the fact you were there once before makes a big difference,” Sakuya added, pushing away the green peas that had been added onto her omelet rice.

“You won’t grow if you’re picky with your food, Sakuya,” Regina chided casually.

“…Tsk!” Sakuya clicked her tongue in frustration. “The kid isn’t eating his peas, either!”

“Well, Leo is still a boy, you can’t blame him,” Elfiné answered, moving the peas Leonis had been avoiding onto her plate.

“You’re spoiling him too much, Miss Finé,” Riselia said. “Leo, you need to eat your veggies.”

“I think you spoil him pretty often, too, Lady Selia…,” Regina quipped in a low tone.

“F-fine,” Leonis huffed and shoveled the little green things back to his plate. He then dropped his gaze to Riselia’s terminal and the map displayed on it. The collection of red dots over the chart indicated the likely location of the Void Hive. It appeared sizable, with Death Hold as its center.

Going back home to Necrozoa, eh? I doubt there’s much left there, though.

The Undead King’s old base of operations had been lost a millennium ago. He’d already moved any hero-class artifacts kept there to the Realm of Shadows’ treasure vault. There weren’t likely to be any bones left worthy of reanimating. Such was why Leonis had prioritized investigating things on the Seventh Assault Garden rather than return there.

However, he couldn’t overlook Voids infesting his stronghold, even if the place was little more than rubble now. Many undead had fought and died at Necrozoa; it was a place that deserved reverence.

It’s a good chance to sweep my stronghold clean of those pests. I’ll destroy them so thoroughly not even ashes will remain.

While Leonis entertained that wicked notion, Riselia explained the size of the unit that would be participating in the operation and the composition of their forces.

“—and that about sums it up for the briefing. Any questions?” asked Riselia, looking around the platoon’s members. “We’ll be part of a company-sized force. I know it’s an extermination mission, but that’s a pretty large formation.”

“Made up of elites with high grades, no less,” Regina chimed in.

“Yes. Liat Guinness, the Blazing Lion from the fifth platoon, will have command of the operation,” Riselia continued with a nod. “I won’t call it excessive force, but we’ll make for a pretty robust unit.” The argent-haired girl then faced Elfiné. “Miss Finé, you’ll handle backup in the relay base—”

“No, I want to participate in this operation on the site,” Elfiné interjected.

“Huh?” Riselia looked at her, her eyes wide with surprise. Regina and Sakuya made similar expressions. Visibly concerned, Riselia gently protested, “But, Miss Finé…”

The older girl shook her head with a faint smile on her face. “Don’t worry. It’s about time I returned to the front lines. There’s some information you can only gather directly from the field, and if I don’t participate in battle, my sense for combat won’t return. I think that’s the only way I’ll ever restore my Eye of the Witch’s full abilities.” There was clear, resolute light to her black eyes.

The lost power of her Holy Sword…

Elfiné’s Eye of the Witch possessed outstanding radar capabilities, but she once told Leonis that this wasn’t the true power of her Holy Sword. Six months ago, two of her comrades had died while investigating a Void Hive. Elfiné’s Holy Sword had lost its strength following that event.

Meeting Elfiné’s gaze, Riselia responded, “Understood. We’ll have you accompany us this time.”

“Ugh… Ha… Aaah, aaah… Nngh…!”

Another terrible awakening. His body felt heavy and damp from cold sweat.

More dreams of that day.

He revisited it continually in his nightmares, and the regret never faded. After his platoon dissolved following his failure to protect them, he spent every waking moment fighting Voids—his idea of a fitting punishment. He worked to evolve his Holy Sword and acquire more power.

Then, one day, he started hearing that voice in his head.

The goddess.

“We’re ready to set out, Captain!”

“Yeah, I’ll be right over.”

Extinguishing the black, malformed flames he’d produced in the palm of his hand, the man rose to his feet.