Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 6 - Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

THE MIGHTIEST SWORDMASTER

Shardark Void Lord.

The nothingness in the form of a one-eyed swordsman brought his greatsword down on Sakuya’s head. The young girl squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for what was to come.

Yet the moment before the end, the Void Lord froze—because of something he saw behind Sakuya.

“…You. Why have you appeared here…?”

<I traced the thread of causality to glimpse this fate,> said a voice so garbled with static that it was hard to discern if it belonged to a man or a woman.

Sakuya turned around and saw a large mass of shadow that writhed formlessly.

…What?!

The voice then spoke again, as if it had read Sakuya’s heart.

<I am the future. Or perhaps past. Or perhaps causality. The emptiness. Destiny itself…>

The darkness extended a shapeless arm, touched Sakuya’s forehead, and then…

<—You who have been guided by causality. If you seek power, accept the emptiness.>

“…?!”

Oddly enough, Sakuya felt no fear, only hatred for the Void that had brought ruin to the Sakura Orchid, consumed Fuujinki, and killed her sister.

And so she accepted it.

“Ahhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“What?!”

She thought she could hear the Void Lord gasp. The six-year-old child was swallowed in a black miasma, and a katana crackling with dark lightning manifested in her hand.

“…!”

Crying out, Sakuya swung her newly formed Demon Sword at the Void Lord’s heart!

Crack…

A noise like fracturing glass sounded.

Crack… Crack, crack, crack…!

“…?!”

The Void Lord’s body—or more accurately, the space it occupied—splintered, and the one-eyed man vanished into the gap.

“…It’s time. A pity, but no doubt you already predicted this,” Shardark whispered spitefully.

His gaze was fixed not on Sakuya, who had stabbed him, but at the dark mass behind her.

“Hear me, goddess. Someday I shall reach you. I will cross all fate and all causality, so my blade will finally claim your head…!”

With that, Shardark Void Lord vanished before Sakuya’s eyes—sinking into the crack in space.

“…Ugh… Kuh!”

Caught in the throes of burning agony, Sakuya awakened. The back of her left eye throbbed faintly.

A memory…only…a memory…

Lying alone in the night, Sakuya put a hand over her left eye. The moment she’d accepted the mystic eye, an odd sensation had overcome her, as if past and future had bent backward to connect.

The sensation may have driven her to insanity had she not passed out.

…He called it the mystic eye of a Temporal Devil.

Sitting up, Sakuya slowly pulled her palm away. Her body moved effortlessly, and her injuries had mended.

No, this is…

They hadn’t healed on their own; they’d been fixed. When the mystic eye linked with her, it forcibly stitched all the wounds in her body shut.

Just what happened to me?

When Sakuya tried to stand, she was assailed by a bizarre feeling akin to vertigo. The world seemed to double or triple itself.

What’s going on… Is this eye defective…? She would’ve complained to the Dark Lord, but he was already gone. I suppose I should be grateful enough that he saved my life…

Sakuya looked at Old Town. Pillars of fire were rising from every street. Farther beyond, in the skies over the Central Garden, a bright light shone down like the sun.

Sakuya recognized it from that day nine years ago.

Raijinki’s been unleashed…

Once a god had been released, sealing it again wasn’t easy. During the attack on the Sakura Orchid, in the few hours the Void Lord spent fusing with Fuujinki, Sakuya and Setsura had to work together to shut Raijinki away. And since this wasn’t Sakura Orchid land, Sakuya didn’t think she could manage to return the deity to the Seventh Assault Garden’s Mana Furnace on her own.

“Sister…”

Had that truly been Setsura? She’d used the Mikagami style, just like Sakuya did, and had set Raijinki loose.

…Did she rise from the grave somehow?

The capital wasn’t aware of any Holy Swords that could resurrect the dead, but a Demon Sword might have possessed such a power.

But if it’s really her, what’s she after…?

Did Setsura simply desire revenge on the Void Lord, like the Kenki Gathering? Unleashing Raijinki was only the first step in their plan. The god was bait for Shardark Void Lord, the actual target.

…She had to stop them. Whether the Kenki Gathering could defeat the Void Lord didn’t matter. The resulting Stampede would claim the lives of many innocent civilians either way.

“I have to do something…”

Explosions rocked Old Town, and flames danced on the streets.

…The eighteenth platoon should be helping out there.

If so, then Old Town was in good hands. The more pressing matter was Raijinki, who had appeared above the Central Garden. The Dark Lord Zol Vadis was likely heading to confront the deity.

I’m not sure if I’ll be of any use, but…

If the Dark Lord weakened Raijinki, Sakuya had a chance at resealing the god.

“Holy Sword… Activate!” Sakuya reached her hand out and summoned her Holy Sword.

If I use Raikirimaru’s acceleration power, I can get there in time…

Then, the young woman saw her face reflected in the katana’s polished blade. Her left eye gave off an amber glow.

“This is…!”

Once again, a sense of vertigo washed over her. Three disparate images of the world were overlapping, and a flood of information poured into her mind.

“Kuh, aaah… Guh…!”

Feeling as if the nerves in her left eye might burst, Sakuya gripped her head.

What was…that…?

As she clenched her teeth from the pain, Sakuya steadied her breathing. When she opened her eye, the overlaid world was one.

This is a mystic eye of time… Did I just gaze into the possibilities of the future…?

A mystic eye that allowed one to peer into possible outcomes. And Sakuya had just witnessed one potential branch. In it, she glimpsed the devastation brought by the Voids—and at its center was a girl in white.

“…Sister…!”

Kzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

A gigantic figure hurled spears of lightning that pierced the Central Garden’s high-rise buildings. The lights in the city went out, accompanied by rolling thunder.

“So it’s a devil,” remarked Leonis. He was on a rooftop, seated on Blackas’s back.

For it to be worshipped as a god, it had to be an incredibly powerful demon.

“It must have served the Luminous Powers and been degraded to a local god of the land when it lost its masters,” Leonis concluded.

“Do we destroy it?” Blackas asked.

“Hm…” Leonis contemplated the question.

With his seal undone, Raijinki was on a rampage. And since it had been used to provide energy for the Mana Furnace, its divinity as a guardian deity had likely diminished. Still, if it wasn’t brought under control, its destruction would extend beyond the Central Garden and reach Excalibur Academy.

Leonis sneered beneath his mask. “Defeating a mere devil will be easy, but it’s the heart of the Mana Furnace. I’d rather not destroy it outright.”

He had plans to build a mobile fortress for his Dark Lords’ Armies, one that would match humanity’s Assault Gardens. Necrozoa’s Death Hold had been stationary, and honestly, he’d always envied Veira’s Azure Hold and Azra-Ael’s Otherworldly Castle.

“You might want to reconsider, Lord Magnus,” Blackas cautioned.

“What?”

The black wolf turned his head up. “Look at that.”

—Crack… Crack… Crack…!

Fissures began forming in the sky around Raijinki.

“…So the Voids are already coming.”

Based on what Sakuya had told Leonis, the Kenki Gathering wanted to use Raijinki to get the attention of the Void Lord who had destroyed their home. Leonis had hoped to trap the deity in the Realm of Shadows before that happened, but…

“We have no choice. We must destroy the Sakura Orchid god before the Voids emerge,” Leonis declared, dismounting Blackas.

He then tapped the bottom of the Staff of Sealed Sins on the floor.

“Perish, minion of the gods—Meld Gaiez!”

The tenth-order destruction spell activated, and a blast of intense darkness swallowed the lightning devil.

“…Hmph, pathetic.”

“Lord Magnus!” Blackas called out sharply.

A bolt lanced from the smoke of the explosion, racing toward Leonis.

“…Rua Meires!” Leonis reflexively thrust his hand forward and chanted another spell.

A force field manifested in front of his palm, deflecting the lightning bolt.

“Tch. If I had my proper amount of mana, that spell would have slain it at once,” Leonis remarked bitterly.

In this troublesome human body, his power was roughly a third of what it had been.

“Very well, I’ll simply destroy you with my next attack…!” Leonis said, and he began to incite a second Meld Gaiez, this time using the Staff of Sealed Sins to boost the magic’s power. “Perish!”

Booooooooooooooooooom!

A deafening blast rang out as a dark flash once again shook the sky. Even a devil couldn’t have survived that.

“…I might have done wrong by Sakuya.”

Although he’d had no other option, he was still killing the Sakura Orchid’s guardian.

—Crack…

A tear formed at the epicenter of the explosion.

Crack, crack, crack…!

It ate into the space Raijinki occupied as something began creeping out of it.

“What is that…?!” Blackas growled.

It was…a single arm. A human limb burst out of the emptiness and grabbed Raijinki by the neck.

“Lord Magnus…!”

“I know…!”

Sensing the encroaching danger, Leonis struck.

“Vira Zuo, Sharianos, Al Gu Belzelga!” He fired a series of eighth-order spells, each of them of a different elemental affinity.

Boooooom…!

The spells hit their target directly, yet…

“…It did nothing…?!” Leonis gritted his teeth.

The arm thrust out of the tear in space wasn’t injured one bit.

Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Raijinki let out a pained howl as the hand tightened around its neck…and then its massive, lightning-clad form was dragged into the tear.

“Lord Magnus… It approaches…!” Blackas warned.

The Sakura Orchid’s god had vanished, and the crack where it once was grew larger. And then, something new appeared, emerging from the tear in space.

“…Ooh… Ohhhhhhhhh         !”

It looked as if the lower portion of a gigantic animal had been stitched to the upper body of a human. The half-beast monster had eight arms and eight legs, golden shining hair, and pale, handsome, chiseled features.

“It can’t be…!” Leonis breathed in disbelief, standing motionless.

He recognized the upper half of the creature.

“…So you, too… Even you have been reduced to a Void.”

He should have considered that possibility. Both the Archsage Arakael Degradios and the Holy Woman Tearis Resurrectia had become Voids, so the fact this one was the same should not have been a surprise.

It was the strongest among the Six Heroes, the Swordmaster—Shardark Shin Ignis.

“…This will be the seventh time we’ve met in battle, master,” Leonis whispered, his hand still tight on the Staff of Sealed Sins.

“Hrahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Riselia cried as she charged ahead.

She jumped, releasing the mana she’d gathered in her legs to go higher. The Bloody Sword glinted red as it plunged down on the Voids.

One of the giant’s arms was sent flying.

“—                 !”

The Void let out a frenzied howl and thrashed about, easily crushing two shadow wolves biting into its leg underfoot. Its attack hurled a powerful surge of air at Riselia, and the young woman had to drop down to dodge it.

“Blood Chain!”

Infusing her own blood with mana, Riselia hurled it around another one of the Void’s arms. After taking a breath, she struck with her Holy Sword, delivering a horizontal slash that flashed in the dark.

However, it still wasn’t enough to kill the monstrous creature.

…It’s tough. More so than an ogre class…

Typically, only an entire platoon working together could reliably defeat Voids of this level. Only Sakuya or the highest-ranking seniors at the academy could beat an opponent like this alone.

I have to at least make sure it doesn’t hurt anyone.

Riselia was the only one around to defend the civilians in the shelter. This wasn’t like six years ago. She had the power to do something now.

The Void swung its massive arm down with all the strength it could muster. It split the ground, sending blocks of construction material flying every which way.

“Pierce through all, dark lightning—Ivi Ire!”

Riselia jumped away and hurled a spell she’d only recently learned. This was going to be a prolonged battle, so her best bet was to whittle away at her opponent with hit-and-away tactics.

…I have to protect the shelter on my own until the platoons from the academy get here.

The gigantic Void brought up an arm and howled.

“—Huh?!” Riselia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Particles of light gathered in the Void’s hand, forming a massive battle-ax.

“The Void just created a weapon?!”

A Void capable of conjuring an armament. Excalibur Academy had no records of anything like it. And what’s more, it almost looked like…

Like a Holy Sword…!

No, it couldn’t have been. Holy Swords didn’t give off that oily vapor. However, Riselia recalled encountering something similar recently.

Liat’s Demon Sword…!

The Void with the ax rushed toward her.

It’s quick!

It closed the distance in the blink of an eye and struck with its weapon. Riselia tried to deflect it with the Bloody Sword, but…

“…Kuh, aaah…!”

The sheer force of her opponent’s blow sent her flying back. The Void gave chase, attacking with a horizontal sweep. The blade of the ax burned in red, firing a wave of flames that rushed over Riselia.

Riselia swiftly thrust the Bloody Sword into the ground, covering her entire body with blades of blood that glinted crimson.

When the young woman emerged, she was wearing the True Ancestor’s Dress, a legend-class item given to her by Leonis. Riselia’s silvery hair shone with mana as she thrust out her left hand. A magic circle formed at her palm.

“I’ll blow you away—Di Farga!”

This was the most potent second-order spell Riselia could use at present. A scarlet flash erupted, canceling out the wave of flames. However, the Void didn’t stop its advance.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Riselia’s entire body glowed brightly with mana.

Gripping the Bloody Sword with both hands, she blocked the incoming ax.

“…Back…off!”

Her arms went numb. The True Ancestor’s Dress came with a price. Although it significantly bolstered the wearer’s physical prowess, it consumed a great deal of mana in exchange. In other words, she had to defeat this Void quickly, or she would undoubtedly lose.

This is no normal Void…! Riselia bit her lip, just barely avoiding its flurry swings.

The giant Void moved like a masterful warrior.

“Hyahhhhhhhhh!” After evading the Void’s many attacks, Riselia lunged at its flank.

“Bloom like a brilliant flower—Blood Vein!”

Mana filled the Bloody Sword, its edge emanating crimson light. Countless blades of blood manifested to shred the Void.

…I’ll overwhelm it this way!

Her True Ancestor’s Dress fluttering, Riselia drove another blow deep into the Void’s core. However…

“—                 !”

The Void howled and brought its ax down again. Intense flames surged toward Riselia. As a member of the undead, Riselia was exceedingly weak to fire. Even her status as a Vampire Queen did not free her from that weakness.

“…!”

She forcibly avoided the attack by propelling herself away with mana. Scorching tongues licked at the air before her. If the blaze spread, she’d have nowhere to run.

No good!

Just as it seemed the flames were about to consume Riselia—

A streak cut across the battlefield.

Boooooooom!

An explosion blew sediment and rubble into the air, stopping the fire.

“…!”

Looking up, Riselia saw a brightly glowing Eye of the Witch orb floating overhead.

“Miss Finé!”

“I’ll cover for you, Selia!”

The orb rotated and fired another flash of light at the Void. The searing beam struck the monster on the arm gripping the ax.

Now’s my chance!

Riselia rushed through the rising smoke. She channeled her Vampire Queen mana into the Bloody Sword and—

“Blood Blade!”

All of her power released at once. A storm of red swords swirled around the giant Void’s body. Its massive form finally toppled over with a loud thud.

“Haah, haah, haah… You saved me back there, Miss Finé,” Riselia thanked her, catching her breath.

“I never thought I’d see Voids using Demon Swords…” Elfiné remarked.

Crack…!

The sound of shattering glass filled the area.

“…?!” Riselia looked up.

A massive fissure ran through the skies above the Seventh Assault Garden.

“Such an immense fracture in reality!”

Riselia had seen one that large only once before. It had been six years ago, right before the Stampede that destroyed the Third Assault Garden…

“—                 !”

And suddenly, the Void they’d just felled opened its eyes and screamed.

“…It’s still alive?!”

Riselia immediately held up her Holy Sword, but the Void simply jumped away and landed atop a nearby building. It then began sprinting for the Central Garden.

“Selia, all the Voids in Old Town have started toward the same place,” Elfiné said.

“What? Why?!”

“I don’t know, either. But something’s definitely happening in the Central Garden…”

Riselia suddenly felt her heart thumping ominously. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Miss Finé, I’m going to the Central Garden!”

“Huh? Selia, wait…!”

But Riselia had already left.

Shardark Void Lord, the Swordmaster of the Six Heroes, had emerged from the tear in reality. He had devoured the Sakura Orchid’s deity, Fuujinki, and merged with one of the Dark Lords, Dizolf Zoa, the Lord of Rage. After transforming so many times, he looked completely different than he had nine years ago. All that remained of his original body was his face, and even that was incomplete. One of his eyes had been crushed and was missing.

And now this monster had absorbed the other Sakura Orchid deity into himself. Standing atop a nearby laminated building was Setsura, patiently waiting for the Void Lord to completely emerge.

She took out a triangular black crystal from her white garb’s sleeve. This was a Trapezohedron—a shard of the goddess had that perished one thousand years ago. On its own, it was nothing but a stone without any mana.

But should it be placed in a compatible vessel, it could become a receptacle for the goddess’s soul.

Setsura’s role was to beckon Shardark of the Six Heroes and turn him into a vessel for the goddess. The Kenki Gathering—or rather, their Demon Swords—were to be the sacrifice for her.

However, the plan had veered off course. Shardark was locked in combat with someone, that masked man she had fought earlier.

A wielder of sorcery, an ancient art said to have gone extinct centuries ago.

During their clash, he’d loosed one powerful spell after another. Nefakess had warned Setsura that someone capable of destroying the Archsage Arakael was hiding in the Seventh Assault Garden…

Either way, now that those two monsters were locked in battle, she couldn’t so much as approach them. Thus, her only recourse was to wait with the shard of the goddess in hand.

However, she soon detected someone approaching from behind.

“Sister…”

Setsura turned around. A girl in priestess attire stood before her, Holy Sword at the ready. It was Sakuya Sieglinde, her younger sibling. Changed as they both were, each girl bore a striking resemblance to the other.

“—I was under the impression you were too injured to move,” Setsura commented.

“I struck a deal,” Sakuya replied.

“A deal?”

Whatever the answer, Sakuya was content not to give it. She only raised her Holy Sword.

Setsura decided to inquire about something else. “How did you know where I was?”

“I saw it,” Sakuya replied.

“…?”

Sakuya lifted her bangs, revealing her left eye, which was now an amber shade.

“That eye—” Setsura said.

Before she could finish, however, Sakuya disappeared in a flash of lightning.