Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

THE KENKI GATHERING

A battle was underway in one of Excalibur Academy’s training areas.

“Lightning, gouge my foes—Vil Valut!”

Magical electricity wreathed the tip of Riselia’s crimson, shining blade. Riselia, wearing her training wear, swung the Bloody Sword, searing the air.

“Hm, so the Holy Sword, this supernatural power of yours, can also conduct spells. Interesting,” the skeletal mage instructing her remarked quietly as he thrust out the staff gripped in his bony hands.

The end of the staff shone and dispelled the lightning around the blade. The skeleton was Nefisgal, the Underworld’s Archmage, one of the Three Champions of Rognas, and a servant of Leonis.

“Well, it may help you blind an enemy, should the need arise,” Nefisgal commented.

“I-I’m not done yet!” Riselia called out.

She dashed forward, closing the distance between her and the skeleton. As she ran, the young woman intoned another spell.

“Sweep over all, raging blade of gales—Jiura Kires!”

Riselia’s swipe loosed an invisible blade of compressed air.

“The Vampire Queen’s power is indeed impressive,” Nefisgal praised as he batted Riselia’s attack away. “You already possess vast reserves of mana.”

The statement wasn’t an empty compliment for his liege’s minion. As the highest rank of undead, Riselia’s latent mana potential exceeded even that of an elder lich like Nefisgal.

“However…” The skeleton wagged a bony finger. “The composition of your spells is still lacking, leaving your abundance of mana as an untapped treasure. Of course, being able to learn first-order spells after just a few days of training is impressive enough.”

Nefisgal raised his staff again, and the space around Riselia twisted in response. This was a second-order gravity spell, the Gravity Distortion Field, Divan Zo.

“Aaah…!” Riselia cried as she lost her balance and was slammed hard against the training facility’s floor. “Khhk…!”

“N-Nefisgal, try to be gentler with her…!” Leonis, who’d been leaning against the wall and watching over the session, protested in concern.

“I-I’m fine… Leo…” Riselia rose to her feet with some effort, holding up the Bloody Sword. “Please, give me more!”

“You heard her, my lord. Shall I continue?” Nefisgal turned to Leonis, who cracked a forced smile and shrugged.

Perhaps I really am being overly protective of her.

Riselia was the one who’d requested that they teach her sorcery. Indeed, vampires mostly fought by weaving spells with their vast mana reserves. And under the tutelage of Leonis and Nefisgal, two accomplished sorcerers, Riselia matured at a fast pace.

She has genuine promise. One day I shall have her lead my followers as my right hand. And speaking of minions…

Leonis thought back to the night prior. Based on the report Shary had given him earlier that day, the Demon Wolf Pack had plotted to steal weapons from the pier. But instead of arms and equipment, the containers were loaded with Voids.

But why? Leonis pondered. Why would Voids, enemies of humanity, be in a military harbor?

He’d never believed keeping Voids in captivity was possible. During the fight in the Third Assault Garden, Leonis had trapped a few in the Realm of Shadows, but they all dissipated like fog before long.

And then there’s the matter of Sakuya.

Why had she been there?

My word. It’s one answerless question after another.

Things had undoubtedly grown more complicated in the past one thousand years. Back then, might had been everything.

For the hour that followed, training continued until Riselia couldn’t keep going anymore.

“Truly, she is my lord’s minion. Her talent is as rare as it is astounding,” Nefisgal said.

“She is indeed remarkable,” Leonis agreed, nodding at the skeletal archmage’s words.

“However, her control over her mana still requires improvement,” Nefisgal continued.

“Well, I wouldn’t fault her for it. I struggled with it quite a bit when I just became an undead,” Leonis replied.

He hadn’t been especially proficient with sorcery during his time as a hero. And when he was first reborn as the Undead King by Roselia’s power, he had too much mana and simply wielded it for indiscriminate destruction.

“Lady Riselia’s greatest talents lie outside my field of expertise, so once she learns sorcery to an extent, it would be for the best for you to oversee her tutelage, my lord,” Nefisgal stated.

Leonis nodded again. “True.”

However, most of the magic Leonis knew was from the Realm of Death. The spells possessed eerie, ostentatious incantations, and Leonis imagined Riselia wouldn’t be happy to use them.

“Then, my lord, I will be off…” With his duties concluded, Nefisgal made to return to the Realm of Shadows.

“Yes, good work.”

Before the skeletal mage could leave, Riselia, who was lying on the ground, hurriedly stood.

“Th-thank you for all your guidance!” she called, bowing her head respectfully.

As rich young ladies went, Riselia had more sportsmanship than most.

“Good work today, Miss Selia,” Leonis said as he approached and handed her a sports drink.

“Thanks, Leo,” Riselia replied, taking a seat on the floor of the training room and downing the drink.

The sight of her supple legs in her sports outfit was quite tempting.

I’m not sure if an undead should look this healthy…

Leonis sat down next to his minion. “It looks like your sorcery training is progressing well,” he remarked.

Riselia seemed doubtful. “I-it is?”

“Usually, it takes three years to learn how to handle mana and four more to pick up sorcery. By comparison, you’re advancing very quickly.”

“It feels kind of strange,” Riselia admitted, gazing down at her hands. “Using mana like this…”

“For the time being, you’re only capable of elementary magic,” Leonis explained. “But since you’re a Vampire Queen, you’ll grow to cast sorcery of up to the seventh order.”

“Order?”

“Spells are generally divided into orders. The higher one is, the more advanced its incantation becomes, and higher spells are stronger.”

“What’s the, um, highest order of spells you can cast, Leo?” Riselia asked.

“Me? Well… That’s a secret.” Leonis shook his head.

“Hmm…” Riselia stared at him fixedly and reached out with her hands.

“M-Miss Selia? Nng, h-hey, stop that…!”

Her cold fingertips tickled at his sides.

“…S-stop… Please stop that, Miss Selia! Fine, fine! The ninth order, I can cast spells up to the ninth order!” Left with no alternative, Leonis confessed.

Riselia ceased her relentless attack. “The ninth order?”

“…Yes. The ninth order is the greatest rank of sorcery,” Leonis responded as he straightened his ruffled uniform. “Anything beyond exceeds the realm of sorcery, reaching the rank of a natural cataclysm or the like. Some even call them miracles. And in case you were wondering, Nefisgal can only cast spells up to the seventh order, too.”

“Wow, Leo, you’re really skilled, then,” Riselia replied, her eyes wide with surprise.

I’m not a skilled sorcerer, I’m an all-powerful Dark Lord.

Unsurprisingly, Leonis had lied to Riselia. He could manage magic as powerful as the thirteenth order. His reincarnation spell was a twelfth-order spell, for example.

He kept magic above the tenth order reserved as a last resort against the Six Heroes or the Luminous Powers, however. Even the Undead King couldn’t weave that kind of sorcery with ease. Worse, with this child’s body, he likely wouldn’t be able to withstand the cost that came with using such incredible magic.

“One does not learn sorcery in a day. It takes consistent practice,” Leonis stated.

“Yes, understood,” Riselia answered diligently before taking another swig of her sports drink.

“By the way, Miss Selia…,” Leonis began.

“…Yes?”

“Would you mind if I got revenge for tickling me?”

Riselia considered her answer, placing a finger on her lips in a pensive gesture.

“Okay, Leo. Do you want to try to tickle me?”

“I was…joking,” Leonis said, his cheeks reddening. A teasing smile spread on Riselia’s face.

It feels like I can’t win against her for some reason.

“Ah…” Riselia spread her arms out and then paused, her expression hardening for some reason.

“Is something wrong?” Leonis inquired.

“Y-yes… Well…” Riselia brought her hands to her chest. “Leo… Do you remember the day of the Holy Light Festival…?”

Seeing her grave expression, Leonis sensed something was amiss and straightened up. The day Riselia was referring to was when the Dragon Lord Veira awakened in the underground Void laboratory and went on a rampage.

Leonis had pursued Veira, leaving Riselia behind. She had met up with Arle and Sakuya, and the three girls squared off against Nefakess. Although the Void Lord lost his right arm in the battle and was forced to retreat…

“Did something happen back then?”

“…Y-yes,” Riselia conceded and, after pausing to gather some courage, parted her lips again.

“That’s terribly important! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” Leonis cried.

“I-I’m sorry! I just didn’t want to worry you before an important mission…,” Riselia replied, bowing apologetically.

While Veira had been rampaging over the Sixth Assault Garden, Riselia had fought Nefakess. During the struggle, he’d put some kind of black crystal into her chest.

“That could be terribly dangerous. Skilled sorcerers embed cursed tools into their opponents’ bodies. They can even use them to control others like puppets.” Leonis placed his hands on his waist and sighed. “You really should have been more careful… So do you feel different in any way?”

“My mana seems fine, and I can use my Holy Sword without a problem.”

Hmm… Then this isn’t a type of cursed tool that saps mana.

Leonis took a knee.

“Miss Selia, please lie down here.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry,” he urged her.

“A-all right…,” Riselia said. Although visibly confused, she did as requested.

“This might hurt a little, but bear with it.”

“H-huh?”

Her fair, toned limbs were covered in a set of two-piece training wear. With a serious expression, Leonis placed his palm over her chest.

“Leo?! Nng… Hii, mmm…  ” Riselia writhed in place ticklishly.

“Stay still. And abstain from making weird noises…”

“Nng…” Riselia bit her lip and tried to stifle her breaths.

Her breasts, covered by her sports bra, rose and fell stiffly. Leonis closed his eyes, letting mana course through his fingers. By touching near Riselia’s heart, he could peer into the mana flow of her entire body.

In humans, magic power typically gathered at the meridians, but for a Vampire Queen like Riselia, it circulated throughout her whole body.

There’s something near her heart.

Leonis strained his closed eyes, and then…he saw it. A vaguely triangular crystalline object was embedded into her heart like a wedge.

Isn’t that—?! He’d seen something very similar to this recently. Isn’t that the black crystal Zemein had?!

Leonis had taken the object from Zemein’s remains, but it hadn’t exhibited any mana.

What does this mean? Why would Nefakess implant this in Riselia…?

“Nhahhh, L-Leooo…,” Riselia groaned, her expression agonized.

“I’m sorry. Does it hurt?” Leonis asked her.

“Mmm… A little… But I’m fine…”

Evidently, Leonis’s mana stimulated the crystal digging into her heart.

Extracting it would be dangerous.

The object had already partially fused with Riselia’s body, and removing it would cause her terrible pain.

“Bear with it just a little longer. It’ll be over soon.”

“…All right.”

Leonis held Riselia’s hand with his free one. He focused on a point over her heart and channeled destructive magical power.

“Nngha?!”

Riselia’s body thrashed, her back arching, and at that very moment, the crystal digging into her heart shattered to bits. Leonis gently released his minion’s hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

It may have looked easy when Leonis did it, but destroying that crystal without damaging Riselia’s body would have been an impossible task for the average sorcerer. Nefakess had surely never anticipated there’d be someone capable of removing it.

“You should be fine now. I crushed the crystal.”

“Th-thank you…Leo,” Riselia breathed, all the tension draining from her muscles.

Leonis checked her mana one more time, just in case, but all traces of the object were gone.

Still…

Leonis gritted his teeth. Nefakess Reizaad, that bishop. Why had he planted the crystal inside Riselia? Perhaps he’d set his sights on Riselia after the encounter in the Third Assault Garden.

Well, either way…

Leonis sneered devilishly. It wouldn’t be long before that little upstart learned the true terror of a Dark Lord.

Forgiving though I may be, I have no mercy for those who lay hands on my minions.

A shrill alarm sounded, marking the end of their break time.

“Let’s get going. Sakuya booked the next time slot,” Leonis said, reaching out to Riselia and pulling her to her feet.

The indoor training facility needed to be reserved in advance, and the eighteenth platoon had booked it for today. Regina and Elfiné couldn’t use the room due to their Holy Swords’ properties, so Riselia, Leonis, and Sakuya took shifts.

“I think Sakuya opted out today,” Riselia pointed out.

“Really?”

Sakuya might skip lectures, but she wasn’t the sort to miss an independent training session.

“Yes, she said she’ll be away from the dorms for a while because of the festival…”

“Festival?”

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know… Well, there’s a self-governing section of Old Town. And every year, they have a traditional, religious enshrinement ritual.”

Each Assault Garden was divided into relocation sectors meant to accommodate refugees from places destroyed by the Voids. Old Town, a part of the Seventh Assault Garden’s second sector, was one such place. It was modeled after the Sakura Orchid’s cities.

The sixth sector’s biotope area, which was home to many demi-humans and beastmen, was another example of an area built for those displaced by Void destruction.

“Sakuya is a shrine maiden there, so each year she performs an offering dance to the Sakura Orchid’s guardian deities.”

“Sakuya is a shrine maiden?! Really?”

“Yes… Although I admit that I’m not very familiar with the Sakura Orchid’s traditions.”

Th-that’s a surprise…

Something else piqued Leonis’s curiosity, however.

“You said deities… Does the Sakura Orchid have gods?”

In Leonis’s time, the deities were the Luminous Powers, who had declared themselves creators of this world, and the Goddess of Rebellion, who rose up against them.

There were also the demi-gods who served the Luminous Powers, and Demon Gods. One such Demon God was currently slumbering in Leonis’s Realm of Shadows.

And I’d rather not awaken them, if at all possible.

It did beg the question of whether the deities of the Sakura Orchid were related to the ones Leonis knew.

I thought the legends of the Dark Lords, Luminous Powers, and Six Heroes had been forgotten, but…

Traces had survived, like fairy tales of Dark Lords who sought to bring the world to ruin.

I might want to look into the Sakura Orchid’s enshrinement ritual.

However, sending Shary there would only get him a detailed report of the festival’s best sweets.

“Umm…Leo?” Riselia’s head was lowered, and she spoke timidly.

“…?”

“Like I said, Sakuya won’t be coming today, so we still have some time.”

“Y-yeah…”

“Nnn… So…could we?” she asked, her cheeks turning rosy as she grabbed Leonis’s sleeve.

“Just a bit,” he replied. “I still have classes during the afternoon.”

“R-right. Just a bit.”

Leonis had learned to pick up on the meaning behind Riselia’s subtlest gestures. She had likely depleted much of her mana during this training session and was feeling fatigued.

Leonis offered his fingertip to her, and Riselia nibbled on it wantonly. A sweet numbness ran through the digit.

I really do become softhearted whenever my minions are involved, the Undead King mused self-depricatingly.

“Your Highness, the origin of that military vessel’s freight is still unclear.”

“I see… Thank you, Eika.”

In Old Town, a short distance away from the bustling storefronts of Fuurin Street, stood a vast estate. Sitting in its courtyard was Sakuya, practicing her sword swings as she replied to the girl kneeling next to her.

This estate belonged to Raiou, the retainer to the Sakura Orchid’s former royal house and Sakuya’s legal guardian. In preparation for the enshrinement ritual that would take place four days from now, Sakuya had been visiting frequently over the last few days.

“Your Highness, please don’t overexert yourself.”

Sakuya shrugged and looked over her shoulder. “Yes, I know.”

The girl behind her looked up at her with a slightly displeased expression. Eika was an operative of the Murakumo, a secret intelligence organization working for the royal house. Sakuya had asked Eika to investigate the Void appearance at the pier and the unidentified figure that called themselves a Dark Lord.

“I never imagined I’d run into the Voids there.”

Last night, Sakuya had scouted out the Seventh Assault Garden, trying to detect any Demon Sword users after the recent appearance of several.

Demon Swords were the inverse of Holy Swords, which were a power granted by the planet. During a Hive Extermination mission a few days ago, three of Sakuya’s upperclassmen, including Liat, were contaminated by Demon Swords and went berserk.

And it didn’t end there. While it hadn’t been made public information, multiple Holy Sword users had been corrupted by Demon Swords in the last few months.

Sakuya was gathering the power of other Demon Swords. By feeding their power to her own Demon Sword, Yamichidori, she could take in their abilities. As a cost, or perhaps as a side effect, she could now sense the presence of Voids.

This was why Sakuya had rushed to the pier, where she’d encountered the elf girl.

Those were definitely Voids last night.

Yet they hadn’t come out of tears in space like most of their kind did. Those monsters had emerged from freight containers.

An imperial warship smuggled Voids into the city, hidden in crates…?

It was baffling.

Maybe the army collected Void specimens for research purposes?

Sakuya had never heard of a successful attempt at capturing Voids. The army had snared a few weaker ones, but they all disappeared into cracks in space.

And then there was the matter of the masked figure who had appeared in the middle of the battle…

“What about the so-called Dark Lord?” Sakuya asked the Murakumo operative.

“My apologies. I ordered Kuroyuki and Reigetsu to look into it, but they’ve yet to turn up anything.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I doubt it’d be easy to catch that figure.”

“However…,” Eika continued, looking up. “I’m not sure if there’s any direct correlation, but there’s been a change in the demi-human anti-imperial organizations’ activities over the last couple of weeks.”

“The terrorist cell that branched off from the capital’s extremist group?”

Some time ago, insurgents called the Sovereign Wolves had hijacked the imperial royal family’s ship, the Hyperion. However, a group of Holy Swordsmen on board (including Sakuya) interfered with their plan. Their leader, Bastea Colossuf, died in the incident, and the Sovereign Wolves were scattered.

Recently, it seemed they had gathered under someone else, who had rallied them once again.

“And you think this new leader of theirs is this so-called Dark Lord controlling the Seventh Assault Garden from the shadows?”

“Yes. It’s only conjecture, but…”

“I see,” Sakuya said, placing a finger on her pale lips as she recalled the Dark Lord’s visage.

Massive Voids of A rank required a platoon-sized force to eliminate, and this Dark Lord had done so on his own. His power was overwhelming. Such strength was only possible with a Holy Sword…or a Demon Sword. Regardless, why would anyone with that level of might waste their time leading petty terrorists…?

But just then, the birdsong in the courtyard stopped.

“…?!”

Sakuya wheeled around as a heavy presence manifested in the nearby thicket.

“Who’s there?!” Eika demanded, drawing a dagger from her sleeve and throwing it at the intruder.

The knife scattered a few leaves but didn’t find purchase.

“The Murakumo is a far cry from its glory days.” A voice spoke from atop a maple tree. “To think you’d allow me to enter this estate. Shameful.”

Standing on a branch was a tall figure completely covered in black armor.

…Is that an anti-Void protect suit?!

Sakuya glared at the figure, her hand reaching for the grip of her katana.

“You…!” Eika growled at the figure as she reached into her sleeve to hurl another knife.

“Eika, wait.” Sakuya stopped her.

“Your Highness…?”

Calmly, Sakuya questioned, “You’re from the Kenki Gathering, aren’t you?”

“Indeed, Princess Sakuya,” a mechanically modified voice replied as the helmet’s eyes glowed red.

“The Kenki Gathering?!” Eika raised her voice in surprise. “But why would you come here…?!”

The Kenki Gathering was an armed group that had served the Sakura Orchid’s royal family for two centuries. While the Murakumo mainly was in charge of intelligence and espionage, the Kenki Gathering were the guards proper.

After the Sakura Orchid was destroyed by the Voids nine years ago, the Kenki Gathering became a group of wandering mercenaries seeking revenge for their fallen homeland. They traveled the world, fighting and slaying Voids wherever they could.

People would often liken Holy Swordsmen from the Sakura Orchid to berserkers, a comparison based on the Sakura Orchid’s traditional combat style, which paid no heed to the fear of death.

“What did you come here for?!” Eika demanded. “You already parted ways with the royal family!”

“I came to warn you,” the voice replied briefly. “The Voids approach. The Seventh Assault Garden will become a battlefield.”

“What?” Sakuya was bewildered for a moment, and then her eyes widened in realization. “Don’t tell me you were the ones who smuggled the Voids into the city?”

The figure did not answer. Whether that was denial or affirmation, none could say.

“Answer me. Depending on what you say, I might not allow you to leave this place,” Sakuya declared, allowing a surge of electricity to run over Raikirimaru’s blade.

“As the orphaned child of the royal house, we wish for you to take part in this fight, Princess Sakuya,” the figure replied.

“Join your battle? Explain yourself…”

“I am only here to report our return to you, Princess Sakuya. I cannot reveal our plans here, with these bothersome flies buzzing about.” The man in the protector suit laughed with a shrill voice. “I will speak to you again when you are alone, Princess Sakuya.”

The figure then leaped away from the tree and faded like a shadow in the dark.

“Wait!” Eika made to go after him, but he was already gone.

This was a member of the Kenki Gathering, after all. He must have had an escape route planned well ahead of time.

“The Seventh Assault Garden will become a battlefield…?” Sakuya whispered the figure’s words again and bit her lip.

Voids are coming. That much is clear.

Undoubtedly, this was related to the Void attack on the pier.

I have to stop this from happening…

The Kenki Gathering—a group of demons, possessed by a maddened urge for vengeance toward the Voids. They were going to bring something terrible upon this city.

But what do I do…?!

And as that urgent question filled her heart, a particular image flashed in Sakuya’s mind.

The Seventh Assault Garden had a massive, uninhabited float attached to the fourth industrial area. While the enormous city supported over one million people, a fourth of it was still undeveloped compared to the scale planned initially for the Assault Garden project. At one point, this section of the fourth industrial area was going to be an urban zone, and it still had many laminated structures.

Gathered in an underground space beneath those structures were some forty silhouettes. They were a very unusual group, for all of them were wearing anti-Void suits. One was speaking to someone through a communicator.

“That’s right. The cargo you sent us is all gone.”

“This won’t get in the way of completing the plan, right?” another figure inquired.

“Those were just sent as an experiment,” an encrypted voice answered through the communicator. “You people are the crux of this plan.”

“We’re grateful for your help, but we don’t need those things,” Uzan, the leader of the Kenki Gathering, said bitterly.

The man was regarded as the strongest Holy Swordsman in the Sakura Orchid.

But that’s a thing of the past now. He scowled unpleasantly beneath his helmet.

To take revenge on the Voids that had ruined his homeland, he’d thrown himself into combat. He’d sacrificed everything to slay his nemesis—that Void Lord.

And now he was on the cusp of making that wish come true.

“Lord Phillet, we will do as we please from now on.”

“Of course, go ahead. This is your revenge, after all,” the voice on the other side of the transmission replied with a laugh.

Uzan’s comrades—the Kenki Gathering—totaled thirty-seven members. Each was resolved to make a sacrifice that would claim their own lives and those of the Seventh Assault Garden’s civilians.

And when our long-awaited wish comes true, we will all surely fall to hell.

In ninety-eight hours’ time, a Stampede would destroy the city. That future was already set in stone.

Hopefully, Princess Sakuya will agree to join our side…

But then, abruptly, the sounds of footsteps could be heard echoing through the abandoned building.

“…?!”

In response, the members of the Kenki Gathering all kneeled as one, including Uzan. The sounds of the approaching figure were the only thing that disturbed the gloomy silence. A young woman approached, clad in a pure white outfit. Her long, waist-length blue hair wavered with each step.

“Princess Setsura…!”

“The time has come,” the girl stated, her voice as clear as the chiming of a bell. “The Kenki Gathering will strike down our sworn foe—Shardark Void Lord.”

The Kenki Gathering raised their voices in a war cry.