I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 12 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Clash of the Titans

I FELT THE SHIFT in the air as I flew toward the palace. The unsettling mana around the capital was mostly gone now. At this point, the fanatics had either self-destructed or dried up from Unleashed Potential.

The only mana signature left was Velmeria’s, and it chilled me to the bone. I wanted to get closer to make sure it was really her, but I couldn’t. The palace plaza was now a hellscape. It used to be a beautiful place, full of stone statues and carvings, but now the only stone features left were craters carved into the earth. Other parts of the plaza were perfectly flat, and I remembered seeing them in the Beastman Nation. They must have been Urslars’ creation.

The surrounding mansions were destroyed, and the palace’s walls were crumbling. I could no longer tell where the plaza started. There was a large hole in the barrier around the palace. Its beautiful spires had fallen, and its white walls were now burnt black. 

And still, the hellscaping continued.

SHOOM!

KABOOM!

Two sets of monstrous mana slammed into each other, repulsing anyone that came near. Anyone too close to the scene would probably just disintegrate.

“Raaaaaagh!” Urslars shouted, swinging Gaia in its unleashed state. 

I thought he was going to flatten the area with gravity, but instead, he flung a giant boulder at Velmeria. The boulder crashed into a shock wave of her mana, breaking into pieces and carving more destruction. I watched as a random noble’s mansion was squashed beneath its weight.

Was I too late? Had Urslars already lost control? No, he was still lucid. The bloodred aura of Mad Ogre Form hadn’t enveloped him yet. Still, if he was fighting this hard and causing so much destruction, then his opponent must have been powerful.

Meanwhile, Velmeria didn’t seem like the woman I remembered at all. She teleported across the battlefield so quickly that I could only get a visual on her when she stopped.

She looked completely different. Although her blue hair remained the same, the rest of her body was now covered with scales the same color as her hair. Her arms, and other parts of her body, were enlarged, making her appear inhuman. As if that wasn’t enough, there were gigantic wings on her back too. They looked a lot like dragon wings, and if they worked the same way, they probably used mana to accelerate her through the sky. A reptilian eye peeked out from her disheveled hair, and yet, I didn’t sense any hostility from Velmeria herself—possibly because she was under Fanatix’s control. Still, her lack of emotion only made her even more lizard-like. 

While Urslars fought mainly with Land Magic, Velmeria used a variety of attacks. She zoomed across the battlefield blasting spells at the big man. I couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t taken to the skies, but both of them moved across the field so fast that they were invisible to the naked eye. Still, their powerful clashes were visible enough. Each attack was strong enough to destroy me. Their stray bullets blew holes in the ground, and their shock waves sent rubble flying. I could only watch from a distance, helpless to even approach.

“Burn to ashes!”

Velmeria created a miniature sun which descended slowly to the ground. It burned the air around it and boiled the earth. I could feel the heat of it, even from this distance. The stone pillar next to me started to bubble and melt. My durability began to drop, so I flew away before I turned into a puddle too.

The amount of mana in that spell made my fully charged Kanna Kamuy look like nothing. It was probably a grand Flame spell and, considering how powerful Velmeria was, I guessed it was Level 8 or 9. Either way, there’s no way I could pull that off. Even Urslars hadn’t managed to avoid the attack.

“Gaaaaaargh!”

Surprisingly, he jumped away from the miniature sun. His body was smoking, and his arms and face were covered in burns, but somehow, he survived—although I couldn’t imagine how.

Urslars manipulated gravity to escape, then turned back to the miniature sun. He swiped at it with Gaia, shrinking it, and then eliminating it completely. The powerful gravity must’ve caused the sun to implode. The only thing left was a perfectly smooth dent in the earth, perhaps fifty meters in diameter, where the ground had just evaporated. Somehow, Urslars had managed to erase the powerful spell with one swing, and now it was his turn to attack. He created a small black sphere where the miniature sun used to be. This ball was only about thirty centimeters wide, but its effects were immediate. Bits of rubble and earth all flew toward the sphere. It must’ve been emitting a powerful gravitational field.

Oh, crap!

It was so strong! And I was starting to get sucked into it. I teleported again and again to get away. The area of effect was even wider than Velmeria’s miniature sun. The sphere sucked in everything around it—parts of the palace wall, bits of ground, everything. The rubble crashed into each other, creating an expanding stone tornado while the plaza rumbled beneath their feet. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire capital felt it.

And Velmeria…? There she is!

She was on all fours, clinging to a gigantic rock as it whirled in the air. But rubble soon crashed into her rock island, throwing her away. She was overtaken by what looked like a small mountain and was pulled into the eye of the storm. The pressure from the gravity must’ve been insane.

KABOOM!

I thought Urslars had it in the bag when the explosion happened. A small mountain exploded from inside the black sphere, scattering boulders all over the place. Most of them fell inside the noble district, but even the smaller rocks tore right through roofs and walls. If you were to get hit by one, you would be gravely wounded. They rained destruction down on the already destroyed district, while Velmeria retaliated with a Water spell—creating a gigantic eight headed water snake to attack Urslars. The heads alone were close to ten meters long, and its sheer size was enough to make it deadly. But it was destroyed by a single swing of Gaia, and droplets of water fell to the ground like a downpour. However, the snake was only there to restrict Urslars’ movements while Velmeria prepared her real attack. It was a very familiar attack too.

Kanna Kamuy…!

Velmeria’s Kanna Kamuy was nothing like mine, and I felt utter defeat as I watched her cast it. I hadn’t felt this way since Murelia, but at least back it felt like there was a chance I could catch up to her. The sense of defeat I felt this time was closer to despair. The difference in our power was too great. There was no contest.

Unlike Murelia’s restricted Kanna Kamuy, Velmeria focused on power alone. Her bolt of lightning was thicker than anything I had ever seen. The thunderbolt pierced the ground and exploded. I could feel the shock waves, even from where I was floating. This was a real grand spell. A spell that could decimate armies with a single cast. It exceeded human limits. That was the true power of Kanna Kamuy.

My existence in this world didn’t make sense, but this fight made even less. A single hit from one of them should’ve been enough to kill the other, but Urslars and Velmeria kept fighting. Their regenerative capabilities outpaced their attacks, so overtaking each other in one hit was difficult. Still, I couldn’t just stand here and wait for the fight to end. Even in the chaos of combat, I saw something that forced me to act.

Urslars’ horn is getting redder…

That was the first symptom of Mad Ogre Form. If you saw it once, you wouldn’t forget it for the rest of your life.

If this keeps up, he might go berserk before the battle is over.

The hellscape, which so far had been limited to the palace plaza, might end up spreading to the rest of the city. These two monsters could destroy whole areas with a single attack. Without restrictions, they could even destroy the whole capital.

I have to end this fight before Urslars goes berserk.

Although most of the citizens had probably evacuated already, I couldn’t let him lose control. The threat of him spreading this destruction to the outskirts of town was all too real. After watching these two titans go at it, I couldn’t count on Urslars winning the day. 

I should help him, but how…?

Both of them had too much life, and too high defense for my attacks to make any difference. The best I could do was create an opening for Urslars, but even then, I couldn’t be sure that he would beat her. And besides, how was I supposed to make an opening for him in the first place?

I’ll have to aim for Fanatix.

The mana coming out of Velmeria’s broken sword rivaled Gaia’s, so it had to be the real Fanatix. I only had to take one look at it to know it was a Godsword. No Identify required. I was strangely confident about that. Maybe it was the voice of P.A. whispering to me in my mind. Maybe it was because I’d just absorbed part of Holy Order. Either way, that broken sword was the root of all this chaos.

I need to do something about it…

That’s when I noticed something. Fanatix was getting shorter. It wasn’t as long as it was back when I arrived at the scene of this battle. Upon closer inspection, I saw that its blade was actually disintegrating. Godsword Unleash must be too strong for it. Its blade couldn’t handle all that power.

Am I even needed here? It’s only a matter of time until it self-destructs.

But Urslars might lose control before that happened, and I couldn’t afford to take that chance. 

It’s a risk, but one I’ll have to take.

If I hadn’t seen the unleashed Gaia in action before, I would’ve been scared stiff. Seeing two Godswords duking it out would traumatize just about anyone.

But even so…

What to do?

I can’t just go in there without a plan.

There was no way I could deal enough damage to Fanatix to destroy it in one hit. The best I could hope for was to land the perfect attack at the perfect time. Unleash Potential was out of the question—I couldn’t handle it the way I was. Besides, I wanted to beat Fanatix and return to Fran in one piece.

Teleport into Telekinetic Catapult?

No. Fanatix was strong enough to sense me before I got close. And besides, the A-Ranks I’d fought with Fran had managed to dodge it, and Velmeria was far beyond an A-Rank at this point.

Without Fran around, I was at a huge disadvantage. Usually, I would just teleport us to a favorable location so Fran could land the killing blow. Coordinating our attacks like that kept our openings to a minimum. But alone? I was far less powerful.

What if I grabbed it with telekinesis?

If I could hold Fanatix for even a second, then I could land a hit. And if I used telekinetic guides like a railway, that would decrease the chances of me missing. On the flip side, using all my strength on telekinesis would lower my own attack power. Telekinetic Catapult wouldn’t be the boss buster it usually was. But if I didn’t hold onto the Godsword with all I had, it would break free.

What if I used magic—huh?

Suddenly, I felt someone approaching me. They were cloaked with Stealth Skills, but their invisibility faltered slightly when they dodged a giant block of rubble. They slipped into cover behind some rubble about twenty meters away from me.

I used Eagle Eye and other Observational Skills to see who it was. Their Stealth Skills were good, but you could see through them if you knew where to look. It was a man, crouching behind the ruins, his black hair tied in a knot. He was quite handsome and donned black armor. 

He’s alive! I knew he wouldn’t die so easily!

It was Forlund. He probably wanted to know how the fight was going, despite the inherent danger of spectating. Still, something struck me as odd. Forlund didn’t have Stealth Skills the last time I Identified him, but now he blended into the shadows perfectly, like an elite scout. I Identified him again, and soon found the reason for the change: the sword in his right hand. Forlund was taking advantage of his Extra Skill, Beloved of the Sword God. It allowed him to produce magic swords and take full advantage of their skills. The sword in his right hand had Stealth Skills, and the sword in his left was the same.

Now that I thought about it, that was a very powerful ability. The skill allowed him to produce any sword to fit the situation. And he could produce over a hundred at a time. That was like having over a hundred skills! Fran and I achieved a similar effect through Skill Sharing, but still, it was nothing to scoff at. 

Should I cooperate with him? If I did, I’d have to talk to him as a sword—Doppelganger was still on cooldown. 

Forlund…

Still, the man was definitely trustworthy, and I didn’t mind revealing my identity to him. I’d seen nothing but good things from him so far. I mean, he was terrifyingly strong on the battlefield, but he was never hostile toward Fran. Maybe I was stereotyping here, but the strong and silent swordsman didn’t seem the type to spread secrets. Maybe that was why I took a liking to him. Fran had never actually talked to him, but she seemed fond of him too. Besides, this was an emergency, and I had no time to hesitate. If cooperating with Forlund increased our chances of survival, I should do it. With my mind made up, I sent him a message.

Forlund, can you hear me?

Hm? What is this voice? Who are you?

Uhh, I’m not an enemy. I’m the Black Lightning Princess’ teacher. I’m talking to you telepathically.

Are you? Very well. You don’t seem hostile, at least.

And just like that, he believed me. Still, I wasn’t going to complain. It wasn’t like we had time for a cross-examination.

There’s something I want to ask you.

What is it?

Do you have a way of defeating Velmeria—the drake girl? Any trump cards?

If Forlund already had a plan, then all I had to do was support him.

No. I don’t have enough firepower. Her powers are far beyond the realm of human comprehension.

I see.

I fought with her earlier and was forced to flee.

How are your wounds?

I almost died, but I’ll manage. How about you? Any ideas?

Some… By the way, that skill of yours, the one where you shoot out swords. Does it only work with your own equipment?

No. I do use it to control the swords I produce, but it allows me to control any sword within its range.

Telepathy, but only for swords. That might just work. It meant I could focus on holding down the enemy with Telekinesis, while Forlund launched his swords.

I was surprised by how talkative Forlund was. He’d always been a man of few words when we saw him, but inside his head, he talked as much as any other person. Maybe he just wasn’t very good at putting his thoughts into speech. Either way, I felt like I knew him a little better now.

I need your powers, Forlund. Will you help me?

All right. What do you need?

He didn’t even hesitate. What a reliable guy. I just hoped he wouldn’t be taken aback at my existence.

Let’s meet up. I’ll head to your position. Just don’t be too shocked when you see me.

I felt his confusion. I cut off comms and flew over.

“Hunh?”

Stay calm. I’m Teacher, an Intelligent Weapon.

“I see…”

Uhh…

“Very well.”

That’s it?

Forlund was convinced right away. I felt embarrassed for my smug little “Stay calm”! Couldn’t he have acted at least a little bit surprised?!

D-do you know of other Intelligent Weapons?

“No.”

Oh. I see…

Out loud, he was even less chatty than I remembered. 

We can talk in your mind as long as we’re connected. Would you prefer that?

Sure, if you want.

Everyone must tell you you’re pretty quiet.

Not everyone. Some do.

I guess most people were too afraid to point it out. Either way, he was willing to cooperate, and so I told him my plan. It was all very simple: a high-speed surprise attack that used Forlund’s powers, my skills and spells, and Dimension Gate to accelerate me further. The target was Fanatix, the sword in Velmeria’s hands. In the best-case scenario, we would destroy it. More realistically, I hoped to weaken it with Cannibalize. 

I had to kill something for the skill to activate, but that rule didn’t seem to apply to Fanatix. I guess destroying part of it would count. Fanatix contained all the minds it had absorbed. Its thoughts, words, and memories were all amalgamations of the people it attacked. That much I knew for sure. So my attack would hurt part of it, even kill part of it. That was enough for Cannibalize to activate. That’s exactly what happened with the replicas, so I knew it would work. Hopefully, Cannibalizing its abilities would weaken it enough for Urslars to destroy it. If things went well, it would at least speed up Fanatix’s self-destruction.

The only issue was whether or not I could handle it. Sure, I could take the pressure of Forlund’s Skill, but I was worried about what would happen to my mind when Cannibalize triggered. I also wanted to tell Urslars about the plan, but he was out of telepathy range. If I got any closer, Velmeria might detect me by then.

The other question is if we can deal enough damage.

In the end, we were up against a Godsword. Something that could survive even Urslars’ attacks.

I can’t Cannibalize it if we don’t hurt it enough.

I told Forlund the rough idea of the plan. It was kind of pathetic after all my talk about having a plan, but even the best of them needed polishing. I thought he might bail on me. Instead, Forlund immediately gave a suggestion. He was such a good guy. Not that I’d hand Fran over to him!

How about this then? he said.

But if we do that—

However—

Look—

We bounced ideas off each other until the plan was formed.

This could work, Forlund said.

You’re sure about that?

Yes. My life is a small price to pay to defeat that thing.

I’d rather you didn’t die, but don’t hold back either, okay?

Of course. You don’t have to worry about me.

This plan would take a huge toll on Forlund, but it was much better than what I came up with myself. That said, the chances of success were still low.

We’ll put a stop to this battle, said Forlund.

Yeah! Although, I should warn you about something. If anyone other than Fran equips me, they’ll die. I’m serious. Just holding me is okay, though.

Really? Very well then. I’ll be careful.

Uhh, are you sure?

About what?

Aren’t you scared of holding me?

Of course. I won’t equip you though, so there won’t be a problem. The A-Rank had nerves of steel. I should also warn you though.

Huh? About what?

About my skill, Beloved of the Sword God. It analyzes enchanted swords, so it can make copies of them. I don’t think it can reproduce you, but it should be able to analyze you—which means I might end up knowing all your secrets. And it activates automatically, so I can’t do anything about it.

I see.

Still, I was prepared for that eventuality. Even with this inconvenience, refusing his help was not an option. We needed every edge we could get.

Well, I said. If you do see anything, just don’t tell anyone.

“Of course.”

Even without Essence of Falsehood, I believed him. Such was the advantage of the good and honest man. I didn’t even really mind telling him my secrets.

We’ll attack when Urslars pins Velmeria down, I said.

Yes. We’ll put everything into that attack.

I’m counting on you.

Likewise, he said. If anything, you play the bigger role here. You have to stop that girl.

You got it. I’ll give it everything I got.

“Good.”

Forlund then produced ten swords, beginning with one named Sword of Trueshot Ambush—an enchanted sword which increased his accuracy. Next, he made swords of telekinesis and swords with the ability to manipulate the wind. Thanks to Beloved of the Sword God, he didn’t need to hold all these weapons to gain their benefits. Finally, he produced an enchanted sword which was a cut above the rest. The blade was short, but its presence was anything but. If anything, the swordbreaker had a terrible aura around it. The back of its blade looked like it was made out of an animal’s fang. If I didn’t know that I was a discarded Godsword, then it could’ve been my rival. It was that threatening.

That your trump card?

Yes. The Demon Wolf’s Jaw. The blade was made from the fang of Fenrir, the great devourer.

Fenrir…

I felt a strange familiarity when I heard that name and couldn’t help but take an interest. Was Fenrir really sealed away inside me? It was only a theory, but perhaps the great wolf did have something to do with me after all.

What is it? Forlund asked. 

Oh. Uhh, it’s nothing.

But now wasn’t the time to think about such things.

If you say so. Anyway, this sword has two abilities. First, it can weaken the barrier of anything it touches. Second, it can absorb a weapon’s durability to the point of crippling it. If anything, it only makes this sword stronger.

That sounded powerful, especially on a swordbreaker. It made for the perfect combination.

It definitely sounds promising…

I didn’t think we’d be going up against Fanatix, said Forlund. But it should still work. That said, I don’t know how much durability it will drain.

Still, we have a chance now.

Forlund nodded. “Let us advance.” 

Yes, let’s do this.

He grabbed me by the hilt and, while he didn’t try to equip me, he faltered. 

Forlund?!

“Urgh…”

A-are you okay?

Information overload…but I’ll be fine. Let’s focus on the attack.

R-right.

I was worried that he’d inadvertently triggered the goddess’ curse, but it was just the analysis. What had he seen? I hoped he’d survive the battle so I could ask him later.

Forlund sighed and readied me. His mana wrapped around me until I was lifted from his hands. It was an odd sensation, having someone else move me telekinetically.

Forlund pulled his right hand back and opened his fingers, as if he were going to execute a palm strike. By now, I was floating over his right hand. He extended his left in front of him, as though to guide the path of my blade. Meanwhile, I Transmogrified into a rounder shape, cutting down on my wind resistance. Speed and spin were my top priorities, and I focused my energy on the tip of my blade, sharpening it. When I was done, I looked like a rapier without a hilt or guard. I’d tested this form out on the elephantman, so now it was pretty much perfect. But my transformation didn’t stop there. Just when I thought it was over, Transmogrify activated again.

Wh-what?!

The area where my hilt used to be transformed into a cross. It was made of two silver blocks with the shape of an angel etched into it. I had never seen something like this before. Why had that happened? As I pondered this, something inside me said, “Worry not.” It wasn’t a voice exactly, but I could feel something reassuring me. Whatever it was, it was on my side. Both the cross and that presence must have come from Holy Order, reacting to Fanatix.

All right, good to see we’re on the same page. Let’s do this together.

“Are you all right, Teacher?”

Don’t worry. I’m fine.

“I see. I’m prepared on my side.”

Got it.

Forlund was rubbing off on me. I felt connected to him somehow, and I wondered if that had something to do with Beloved of the God Sword. Maybe it allowed him to connect better with swords or something.

I watched with consternation as Urslars’ aura grew redder and redder, waiting for our opening.

No…not yet…

“……”

Bracing was taking a huge toll on Forlund. The veins under his forehead pulsed and his hands tightened. But the man in black gritted his teeth and endured it. And he would continue to endure it until we achieved victory. Suddenly, he reminded me of Fran. 

We watched and waited until our opportunity finally came. One of Urslars’ attacks finally knocked Velmeria to the ground and, when she tried to get up, his gravitational pressure pinned her back down.

This was our first and final chance.

Now! I shouted.

“Here goes, Teacher!”

Forlund’s palm exploded with mana, rocketing me through the air.

Ooooooh!

I opened a Dimension Gate into the air above Velmeria, although not directly above her. I needed to adjust for acceleration, after all.

I went faster and faster, picking up the speed I would need to damage Fanatix. I used Flame spells, Wind spells, Thunder spells, Timespace spells, Flame Control, Air Control, everything in my arsenal to accelerate even more. I even took advantage of the Gravity Pressure as I approached.

Harder. Faster.

Weight Inflation, Vibrofang, even Dark and Light Elemental Blades. Dark was effective against an opponent’s psyche, so it might give me the edge to trigger Cannibalize, while Light was even more advantageous. One look at Velmeria told me that she had high resistances against the four basic elements and their compounds. But Light was a rare enough element that it might get through her defenses. And that wasn’t all.

I mimicked Fanatix’s Mana Thruster to further increase my speed.

At times, it felt like I was losing control. I was using all these skills and spells on top of being pushed by telekinesis. Typically, I would’ve been thrown off course in an instant, but the telekinetic rail—which was more like a pipe at this point—kept me on the path. My durability dropped drastically from the recoil, but that was all part of the plan. Forlund was putting his life on the line, so it was the least I could do.

Raaaaah!

Velmeria saw me and was about to react…but she couldn’t.

Forlund was right behind her.

The instant he launched me, I had opened another Dimension Gate so he could ambush her. Even if she managed to react to my attack, she wouldn’t have time to avoid him too. It was too small a chance to even be called an opening, but Forlund didn’t waste it. He got to work on holding her down immediately—thrusting his swordbreaker forward and catching Fanatix in its teeth. 

Under normal circumstances, Velmeria would have broken free easily, but Urslars’ gravity field was pinning her down, and it would take more than a swing to break free of the Demon Wolf’s Jaw—especially when Forlund was putting his life on the line to hold her.

“Gaaaaah!”

“You’re not getting away!”

Velmeria struggled against him, but it was too late.

Oaaaaaaah!

By now, I was a speeding bullet. I pierced right through Fanatix, straight into Forlund’s sword and arm. His swordbreaker drained Fanatix’s durability while Holy Order’s energy covered me, neutralizing the mad sword’s mana. Between them, they whittled down the Godsword’s defenses to nothing.

Forlund was thrown back by the attack, spraying blood in the air. He had a smile on his lips when our eyes met, but unfortunately, I didn’t have time to check up on him.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGGGH!

Someone was screaming. Maybe me. Maybe Fanatix. Maybe both of us. The influx of mana was too great.

Crap! Crap, crap, crap!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRGH!

So much mana!

It’s hot!

I’m burning up!

I’m burning up from the inside!

The fire is splitting me open!

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

I’m going to throw up!

It felt like a swarm of bugs were crawling under my skin, into my head, within my insides. It felt like my mind was being molded into something different. Suddenly, I was terrified.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Help! Someone help me! Please!

I’m breaking! Falling apart…!

Gaaaargh…

CRASH!

The sound of something breaking.

What was th—

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Something black poured out from inside me.

Hot. Cold. Hurt. Pain. The blackness covered everything in sight, consuming it. But somehow, I knew it was a part of me. Part of what made me myself. 

Eat.

Aaaargh…!

Eat.

The black thing was talking.

Aaaagh…?

Eat. Eat!

What…? Gaaaaah!

Eat?

Eat! Devour everything!

Devour…everything…?

This thing wasn’t me, but it was part of me.

Who are you? What are you?

But it ignored me. Instead, it kept ordering me to satisfy its appetite.

That’s when I remembered something. At the end of my fight against the elephantman, I’d heard a strange voice. This must be the same thing. That voice had finally come to the surface.

Heed my call! Offer thyself to me! Yield thyself to me!

Its voice rang in my mind—black, malicious, and repulsive.

Devour everything! Heaven and earth, gods and demons, man and beast, everything!

The voice was dripping with violent hunger. It wanted to devour, consume, eat. To eat flesh, drink blood, swallow the earth, bite the heavens. For some reason, I knew it could do it all.

Urgh!

Rage surged through me.

You want me…to eat it all?

Yes! Devour everything!

How dare you! You want me to eat everything?! Eat people?! Fran?! Out of the question! I’ll protect her from everything, even myself if I have to! If you want to get to her, you’ll have to kill me first!

I didn’t know what I was thinking. I couldn’t tell which thoughts were mine and which weren’t.

Eat!

Aaaaaaaaaah!

EAT!

AAAARGH! SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP!

Rage chased away the pain and disgust.

Obey me! Why won’t you obey?!

I said, SHUT UP!

…!

Somehow, the voice fell completely silent. 

Although the creature wasn’t gone, I knew it was startled by my resistance. Having lost most of its strength, it retreated back inside me.

I guess I’m safe…for now.

That’s when a shrill voice started talking, grating at my ears. 

Hee hee hee! We were wondering what could’ve possibly eaten us up! You’re something else, aren’t you?

No!

I knew who this voice was. What it was. After all, we were both discarded Godswords. 

Fanatix?

Hee hee! Your guess is as good as ours! We are us! But if you say that’s who we are, then maybe it’s true! But boy, you’re keeping one hell of a pet inside you!

Every time Fanatix spoke, its voice changed. Male, then female. Young, then old.

Fanatix was inside of me now. I probably consumed it when Cannibalize activated, but the pain had kept me from noticing. This was the first time I recognized something that I Cannibalized, and the realization made me sick.

Hurk…!

Ga ha ha ha! You used to be human, didn’t you? My deepest condolences!

Wh-what…?

You’ll break one day! Man’s not supposed to live inside a sword! You’ll break just like us! We guarantee it!

No, I won’t!

You can’t help it! We looked inside you, you see? And you are definitely losing it! I bet you’ll end up killing your user!

No! Stop talking!

Ga ha ha! Ugh! What the…?!

As Fanatix laughed, it suddenly started choking. 

What the hell is this?!

It sounded afraid now, as if it found something it wasn’t expecting inside of me. The P.A., the remnant of Cherubim, was using Holy Order’s powers to absorb Fanatix’s mind.

Why would something like this be here…?! And this disgusting power…Holy Order! What is it doing here?! Aaah, we get it! You absorbed its power from that shard! I should destroy you—eeeeeek!

Fanatix shrieked in pain.

Stop it! You can’t eat us! We’re supposed to eat you! You won’t get rid of us! Not like thiiiiiiiis!

As the voice faded into oblivion, the nausea disappeared too. Eventually, there wasn’t a trace of either one.

Is it over?

No one answered. I thought P.A. might start talking to me, but she remained silent. Still, her presence was stronger now. Absorbing Fanatix and Holy Order, along with all their powers, seemed to strengthen her. If I kept using Cannibalize, maybe she would come back. 

For now, though, I should probably worry about myself. When I came to, I was in quite the state. My blade was cracked and falling apart, and I recovered even more slowly than when I fought Aschtner with the Divine element. But at least I was recovering. My durability was going up instead of down. Still, I barely survived that encounter…

But never mind me. What happened to Velmeria?!

I scanned the area. Had she finally stopped rampaging?

Where is she…? There!

Velmeria was lying on the ground. Her body had returned to its humanoid shape, and I could make out the faint rise and fall of her chest. She was alive, but barely. All that overwhelming mana had left her body. Her left arm had exploded along with Fanatix, while the whole right half of her body was torn to shreds. At least the bleeding had stopped, and her body was regenerating itself. With the correct medical attention, she should survive.

Urslars was on the other side of her. He was also lying on the ground, but only because his mana was exhausted. He wasn’t wounded. 

Urslars?

“Teacher? That you?”

Tired as he was, he could still talk.

You’re not going to go berserk, are you?

“All thanks to you…”

We had avoided the worst. I just hoped my temporary partner was okay.

Forlund!

He was lying some distance away, and I used what little energy I had left to fly over to him. It was a struggle, and my hilt kept hitting the ground. 

Oh no…

Forlund was a mess, to put it lightly. The flesh down the right side of his body had been cleaved away from his collarbone to his ribs, exposing the organs and bones beneath. His left arm was blown to pieces, and there was nothing left from the elbow down. The ground beneath him was dark and damp with blood.

“Urgh…”

But he was still alive. His left lung was still taking in air, and his heart was beating faintly. Cannibalizing Fanatix had replenished my mana, so I quickly rushed to heal him.

Forlund! Forlund!

“I’m…all right.”

The worst was over. Forlund got to his feet and the bleeding slowing down to a trickle. If he was going in excruciating pain, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he summoned a few more swords to aid his recovery. They probably came with Healing and Regenerative Skills. I guess he was prepared for this near-death scenario.

I’m glad to see you’re okay.

Yes. I got to talk to a departed friend of mine.

I guess the life left him enough that he went to the other side at some point. If our angles had been even slightly different, I could have killed him. Velmeria too. They were both very lucky.

As I was talking to Forlund, Urslars got up and went to Velmeria’s side. Gaia was still in its unleashed state.

Urslars, wait! You don’t have to kill her! She’s no longer a threat!

“Wasn’t planning to. Watch.”

The big man meant what he said. I didn’t feel any murderous intent from him, so I waited and watched. Urslars raised Gaia over Velmeria.

“Smile of the Land.” 

Warm mana poured out of Gaia, embracing Velmeria. Her wound-stricken body was healed, and her complexion improved. Whatever that was, it was stronger than a Greater Heal. Gaia wasn’t just a weapon of mass destruction. It could heal as well as harm. I guess that meant that Urslars had some way to heal himself when he went berserk.

“Uhh…”

“You all right, young lady?”

“Where…am I…?”

Velmeria was herself again. Her mind was intact, so it hadn’t been assimilated into Fanatix. The Godsword must have released all the minds it held captive when it was destroyed. I guess Fanatix didn’t have the ability to fully assimilate the minds it absorbed. If it did, it wouldn’t need to drug its victims.

“Looks like you don’t remember much of what happened,” Urslars said. “That’s all right. Just sleep for now.”

“Ah…”

Velmeria quickly fell back to sleep. Although she survived, the experience had put a huge amount of stress on her mind and body. Even asleep, she still looked distressed. Whatever she was dreaming about, it wasn’t good.

Urslars, can your Healing spell fix drug withdrawal?

“Withdrawal? I don’t think so. It just heals wounds.”

So, how did Velmeria wake up? She should be in withdrawal by now.

After all, that’s exactly what Garrus was going through. And, since they were both given the same drugs, Velmeria’s revival seemed strange. 

A dwarf friend of mine is still unconscious after being poisoned by drugs.

“Uh-huh. I think it’s because he had more of it over a longer period of time.”

I see.

Garrus was kept under for a long time. Meanwhile, Velmeria had a huge dose all at once, which was probably why she wasn’t going through withdrawal. The drug hadn’t had a chance to accumulate.

“You guys saved the day,” Urslars said, bowing his head. “Thank you.” 

His body was covered with wounds, and although they’d stopped bleeding, they hadn’t started to heal. I guess his mana and life force were just too spent for that. Even worse, the Mad Ogre state seemed to have progressed even further. I couldn’t even imagine how much stress that put on his mind. 

“She was tough,” he said. “I wouldn’t have made it without you two.”

We could say the same. Things look bad now, but it would’ve been worse if you weren’t around.

Around us, the plaza looked more like the remains of an ancient, ruined city than the present-day capital of Granzell. Half of the noble district was leveled, and its mansions reduced to little more than rubble. What’s more, half of the beautiful palace—the hallmark of the capital—had been destroyed too. The common districts and the slums hadn’t escaped unscathed either, as the fanatic soldiers’ self-destruction made sure of that. This might’ve been the greatest calamity to ever hit the capital.

Still, we wouldn’t have defeated Fanatix without you.

“Indeed,” Forlund said.

“I guess we’re even, then.” Urslars sighed, scratching his head. “Still, I think we fought a little too hard. We should leave the country while we still can.”

Huh? What are you doing?

Urslars put Gaia back in its sheath, walked over to Velmeria, and lifted her over his shoulder.

“I’m taking this young lady with me.”

Hold on a second! Why?

But Forlund seemed to agree with him. “It’s for the sake of the kingdom.” 

I still didn’t understand. 

“This battle has ruined a good chunk of the capital,” Urslars explained. “And I had a good deal to do with it. But arresting me won’t help fix it.”

Between him and Forlund, I soon began to understand. Urslars’ very existence too much for any country to deal with. The government might hold him responsible for the destruction, but that created its own set of problems. The death penalty was out of the question. Mad Ogre Form would trigger if it sensed that Urslars’ life was in danger, and the same went for suicide. 

They couldn’t enslave him for the same reason. Even if Urslars could hold back, I doubted the government would want a ticking time bomb on their hands. And what a time bomb he was. If he exploded, he could wipe several cities off the map with ease. Any politician who wanted to take that risk was either stupid, suicidal, or both.

What about sending him to fight enemy states? No, that would only enemy of the Adventurer’s Guild. After all, the guild didn’t participate in wars, and wouldn’t appreciate anyone conscripting one of their S-Ranks. They would either have to crush the kingdom involved or risk losing face.

It was difficult to pin the blame on Urslars to begin with. This whole incident was caused by Marquis Aschtner’s coup. A lot of adventurers lost their lives, and the government had failed to see it coming. Depending on your point of view, Urslars had saved the kingdom by defeating Aschtner’s trump card. So, if the government tried to blame Urslars, the Adventurer’s Guild would come to his aid, and the kingdom would be at a stark disadvantage in the conflict that would follow.

Granzell’s neighbors would also be paying attention to what happened here. They would know Urslars possessed a Godsword and might suspect Granzell of wanting to use it for themselves. Of course, Granzell could demand the Godsword in exchange for damages, or just take Gaia after putting Urslars to death. Despite how unlikely those scenarios were, the possibility alone would cause diplomatic problems.

Neither could they say that Urslars was a hero who saved the country from Marquis Aschtner’s plot without giving the impression that Granzell was trying to keep an S-Rank to itself. Their neighbors might even begin to suspect that Granzell was plotting something—that they were keeping a superweapon around for a reason—and that would be the worst scenario of all. 

Urslars was untouchable, and a problematic character for any politician to deal with. The best anyone could do was avoid him entirely. Even the Beast King left him to his own devices.

The only course left was for him to leave Granzell, and for the country to issue a deportation notice. Any kingdom would do the same to the adventurer nicknamed Friendly Fire, and Friendly Fire didn’t mind wandering the world as a result.

Anyone else would have been enslaved or sentenced to death, but Urslars’ situation was unique. However, the same could not be said of Velmeria. Even if she was the count’s illegitimate daughter, that wouldn’t help her much. After all, she was also the one responsible for most of the damage. The government would do whatever it could to bring her to justice. But honestly? I didn’t think she was to blame for any of this. The people here might disagree, but I felt nothing but sympathy for her. She got dragged into a forty-year plot by a Godsword and a marquis against her will. Anyone would have struggled to escape their influence. So, in the end, I felt oddly at peace with the idea of Urslars taking her away.

Take care of her.

“Don’t worry,” Urslars smiled. “I won’t do anything bad. I have a sinking feeling that this might be fate.”

I really wish Fran could see her before you leave.

“We’re on a tight schedule, so that probably won’t happen. But we’ll see each other again.”

Fran would be disappointed when she woke up.

Where are you headed?

“I was originally headed to Goldicia to track down Theraclede. That’s the perfect place for her to lay low, and we can make a living killing monsters there.”

Theraclede’s in Goldicia?

“Chances are he is, yeah.”

Goldicia was always looking for powerful warriors to take care of the S-Threat monsters prowling about the continent. They didn’t care about your past there, which made it the world’s safest haven for criminals. But Urslars’ friend was in charge of things there, and there were a lot of drakes and halflings around too. It was the best place for Velmeria right now.

I see.

“We’ll be going, then,” said Urslars. “If I stick around any longer, the guards might come for me.”

Yeah.

“Teacher.” Urslars nodded. “Forlund.” 

“Farewell,” Forlund said.

Be seeing you.

Urlsars left quickly, though not at full speed. He would’ve made quite the picturesque escape if he weren’t carrying Velmeria on his shoulder. The gates were on the other side of town, but I was sure the S-Rank adventurer would figure something out. I had known he was strong before, but today had really driven it home. Urslars was monstrous. From where I was, the titan’s powers were ridiculous.

So, what will you do now, Forlund?

“I will report to the guildmaster.”

I see. I’ll come with you. Actually, I’d appreciate it if you would take me along. Don’t want people to think I’m some kind of flying sword.

“Very well.”

His wounds were mostly healed, so Forlund put me on his back and walked toward the gravity-flattened palace.