Volume 9 Chapter 54 Death God Vs Demon, Part Four
The twin swords and the curved sword interlock and scattering sparks.
How many times had they repeated this?
Sharla breathed deeply, forcing blood to her fingertips through movement alone.
Her vision was blurred, relying on more than just sight to track Sebas's movements.
――Fast. Agile. Deceptively straightforward, yet harboring hidden tactics.
Sebas's swordsmanship followed a pattern. Otherwise, her twin swords wouldn't move so swiftly.
But that wasn't all. His combat-honed skills steadily pushed the enemy back with subtle changes.
As proof of this, red lines were beginning to mark Sharla's body.
Time was running out.
How many seconds until she could handle her sword properly?
Noire and Cova likely shifted to maximum firepower. Their battle wouldn't last long either. The enemy, unkillable, was a lifeless monster.
"..."
She continued to swing her sword, emptying her mind.
Even though she needs to focus on the battle in front of her, old memories keep popping up in her head.
It's about the time she saw light for the first time in the icy underworld.
'Where is this?'
Souls that didn't go to the goddess or the demon god when they died fall into the underworld and fall into a deep sleep. Both humans and demons fear it, but it's not a world full of pain.
Those who come to the underworld turn into ice and slowly melt over a long time. Their souls turn into pure Aether and overflow onto the surface.
That's how Asteris has been circulating life and Aether.
So, souls that arrive here are supposed to turn into ice.
Yet, he came to the underworld emitting the warmth of life as if clad in flames.
That's why she thought about slashing him.
'Hey! What are you doing all of a sudden?'
Arrogantly, the heretic stopped Sharla's sword.
Having trained for a long time and confident in her swing, it was quite a shock.
The heretic called himself Yamamoto Yuusuke.
According to the God of the Underworld, it was because of the strong protection of the goddess that he was able to move in the underworld.
The God of the Underworld hates the goddess. The demon god also despise her.
This is because he is the primordial god who has been in Aether since ancient times. He managed animals, demons, giants, and other primordial beings.
However, everything changed when people from another world invaded.
People with tremendous power suppressed the primordial beings and rose to the top of the hierarchy, even giving birth to another goddess and demon god.
In the distant past, she heard such a story from the older sisters.
The God of the Underworld does not like to talk about it, so she doesn't even know if it's true or just a fairy tale.
Even a deity like the God of Underworld has many consorts besides Sharla. There are giants, as well as those sent by the people who revered Him in the dawn of civilization. Sharla is the last of such civilizations.
Because of his nature, when it came time for Yuusuke to return to the surface, the God of Underworld set forth a challenge: to duel with a knight revered in the underworld, promising to return him if he won.
Yuusuke was no match for his opponent.
After all, that knight was Sharla's swordmaster and the first Sword Saint. Or perhaps, the worst hero in history, Agni.
He is a hero who turned against the goddess for a reason and was cast down to the underworld as a traitor of humanity.
Unlike Yuusuke, he remained frozen like others in the underworld, yet he could move.
Despite the long passage of time, his soul remained frozen, making him an extraordinary genius capable of wielding his sword while still frozen.
At this fact, Sharla told the God of Underworld,
'It's unfair. There's no way he can win.'
The gap between Agni and Yuusuke was just that wide.
At that moment, the God of the Underworld was visibly flustered. After all, Sharla was the last consort. In the Underworld where no new life was born, Sharla was like a daughter or granddaughter to him and the other consorts.
Her affection for the cat was quite something.
However, he was a god. Once he said something, it couldn't easily be taken back.
As they exchanged words, Sharla made a bold statement.
'I understand. If Yuusuke wins, I will also go to the surface.'
After a moment of silence, a roar so loud that it shook the world echoed. It might have been a scream. It was the voice of this god. Just that alone made Yuusuke feel like he was on death's door.
Nevertheless, Sharla did not back down.
'In my homeland, there was a tradition of taking a husband. If Yuusuke wins, I will go up to the surface as his wife.'
It was a bold statement for Sharla, filled with both determination and perhaps a hint of miraculous hope.
She wanted to see the light of the surface once again. She thought about wanting to feel the warm wind next to him.
And so, a battle that neither side could afford to lose began.
The battle went as expected, one-sided.
Agni was a hero who had defeated the Demon King in the past, and at the same time, he was a man known as the Sword Saint for his outstanding sword skills.
Yuusuke, who was still developing, couldn't even make a decent attack, let alone receive an attack properly.
Agni's sword struck Yuusuke numerous times.
There was no blood. There was no death. Because this was the underworld.
Instead, Agni's sword cut through the soul. The swordsmanship honed in the underworld engraved wounds even deeper inside the body, continuing to inflict pain like a curse without healing.
If this continues, the soul will lose its form and disappear.
Once, Sharla had asked Agni for help, too. Even with just a scratch, it made her crazy. It wasn't just the pain. It was an irresistible fear of being touched in places one should not be touched.
That's why it was no wonder that Yuusuke could stand up.
For an ordinary person, they would have disappeared long ago.
But no matter how many wounds he took, his eyes didn't close. He kept seeing something beyond.
She admired that gaze.
She couldn't help but wish to be seen with those eyes.
With a loud clang, Sebas' dual swords struck at just the right moment, and Sharla tumbled to the ground again and again.
Her white skin stained with blood and sand.
How did Yuusuke manage to defeat Agni?
If it wasn't with superior skills, then what decided the outcome?
Sharla, with her consciousness fading in and out, remembered the past as she got back up.
* * *
Up above, a roar echoed through the sky.
"Your movement is getting slower and slower!"
"Just being fast is not enough, it lacks elegance!"
Cova attacks Noire, who is riding a snake. His arms act like whips, spears, and storms as he assaults her.
Penetrating magic, stealing magic power, and strengthening himself, Cova is a natural enemy for magicians. Moreover, physical attacks don't do much damage to him.
'Märchenmine (Young Maiden's Love)' dodges Cova's attacks with unbelievable speed and delicate movements, but even that has its limits.
And finally, the devil's arm grabs Noire's neck.
"Guuahh—"
"I finally caught you. You're lovely, but it was futile to resist."
His arm becomes a chain and ties up the snake's head.
Even as this happens, the arms continue to devour Noire's magic power.
It's settled.
Inside the black feathers, Cova opens his mouth and laughs.
"――What are you laughing at?"
"What?"
Noire grabs hold of Cova's arm. Of course, magic power is drained from it too. What Noire was doing was practically a suicide mission.
But Noire's hand held tight with the strength of a vice grip, and 'Märchenmine' also clung to the chain.
It was as if they were saying they would never let go.
"If you want my magic power that badly, I'll give you as much as you want. My magic power is my love. Try and see if you can handle it."
"That's nonsense!"
Cova tried to break Noire's neck by pushing down on his arm, but his fingers couldn't move.
An immense pink flame surged from Noire, engulfing both Cova and Noire.
Her magic power overflowed as soon as it was consumed.
Even though Cova should have been growing stronger, her magic power poured out with even more force, overpowering him.
It was an unbelievable phenomenon. It far surpassed the amount of magic power an individual could possess.
This is 'Märchenmine'. The ultimate stimulation of emotions. The pinnacle of magic called the power of feelings.
Noire and the snake forcibly reverse the power dynamics.
"Fallllll!!"
"Ugh, ahhh!!"
A cherry blossom-colored meteorite fell on the castle town, involving Cova.
The shockwave knocked down the streets, causing the cobblestones to fly into the air.
In the midst of that, Cova stood up. Burned by flames, slammed into the ground, yet still unscathed.
"You've done it, huh!! What a thrill!!"
He readied his arms.
Although the swirling dust clouded his vision, it didn't matter. He swung his arms, intending to carve out most of this space.
"What...?"
Cova, who had intended that, momentarily stopped moving at the sight of the person who appeared in front of him.
It wasn't Noire standing there.
It was Sharla, covered in wounds.
"We have bad compatibility with each other, so I'll leave it to you."
And before Sebas stood Noire.
Noire didn't slam Cova into the ground to attack him, but to close the distance between them.
And Noire gained body reinforcement equal to Yusuke's through 'Tonari (Side by Side)'. It was pseudo, and only for a moment, but her love mimicked even his techniques.
Sharla's 'Soul Harvest' and Noire's fist were poised.
Why was Yusuke able to overcome the trial? There was no logical explanation. Simply put, no one could shatter his feelings.
That's all there was to it.
"——"
Sharla and Noire breathed in sync.
Though this heart was unfathomably deep, let's vow that it remains as clear as the moonlight reaches.
'Sakura Star Fist'
'Origin Severing'
The cherry blossom petals scattered fist shattered the magic cast upon Sebas, while the lapis lazuli flash severed Cova's soul in two.
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