episode_0305

Myongyeom-sword emits light.

The heat of the battlefield envelops my skin, and thanks to finally moving my body, my tension rises. I scatter the surging aether to suppress my excitement.

Whoosh—!

“Annihilate them all.”

I declare it towards the Empire’s army. The independent unit composed of mercenaries burst from the forest, drawing in mana and energy.

Waaaaaaaaa—

An intense roar assaults my ears. The voices of thousands shake even my soul. Everyone’s will is transmitted to me, and the aether resonates in response.

I gather aether in my dantian and draw my new Myongyeom-sword.

Myongyeom-sword, unsheathed.

My doppelganger, a being that emits pure white light and swallows shadows, appears.

Thump—

I lightly kick off the ground and leap, my vision instantly changing. Fading souls provide me a foothold, and I dash, tearing through the sky.

‘Lend me your strength.’

A full-fledged will extends to the world. Aether begins to gather around me. This universe, all souls who ended their lives on this battlefield, wish to help me of their own accord.

I control the battlefield’s aether. I infuse my consciousness into that pure white afterimage. The pure white sky begins to fill with pure white swords.

Each and every one is my Myongyeom-sword, and myself.

Myongyeom-sword Technique 0, Self-Portrait, activated.

Hundreds, thousands of swords flutter like snow.

Swish—Rustle—Whoosh—!

The swords falling from the sky pierce the Empire’s soldiers. The shadow soldiers summoned by the demon’s power were mostly deployed on the front lines, and the soldiers here were merely humans who possessed magical energy.

They truly possessed human lives.

‘…Sorry. I’ll finish this as quickly as possible.’

Those who, if they had been born just a little further west, might have become my soldiers. Their allegiance to Ubiet’s imperial family might have been wrong, but their souls are innocent.

My gentle sword guides them to a peaceful death.

It does not touch any other part of their bodies. Quickly, strongly, and at the same time, gently piercing their hearts. I sever them before their souls can feel pain.

Hum—Whum—

The battlefield ground and the countless Myongyeom-swords planted in the corpses glow and vibrate. Their echo is only heard by me.

Those who reached a peaceful world without even knowing they had died. Responding to the hands waved by the deceased, I sheathe my sword and absorb the aether.

The Myongyeom-sword danced to that funeral song.

* * *

The Empire’s airships, laden with bombs, altered their course and returned to the skies of the battlefield. The fleet regrouped and began preparing for a second bombing run.

“His Imperial Majesty’s orders…?”

“…Remain unchanged. Not a single word altered. Deploy and kill them all…”

“Damn it…!!”

Crash-!

The captain narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist on the table. The communications officer flinched and trembled, but he, too, felt the same frustration at the relayed imperial order.

During the first bombing, only the Kingdom’s army was at the designated drop zone. He knew that these bombs were merciless killing weapons, but at least they were directed toward the enemy. For a soldier like him, loyalty outweighed humanity.

But now the situation was different. Kingdom and Imperial troops were intertwined on the battlefield. If they deployed bombs there, it goes without saying that all soldiers would die.

He could follow the order to kill the enemy without question. But he couldn’t help but feel resistance to an order that would also kill his own allies.

No matter how different their affiliations and origins, weren’t they all citizens of the same empire? Would there be any human being who would not hesitate to point a gun at a comrade sharing the same dreams?

‘If only… the order had been to drop them in the heart of the enemy lines…!’

Even if their flight was endangered by the barrage of magical bombardment, they could have accurately targeted only the enemy. That would have been a strategy closer to winning the war.

But the captain witnessed a fellow officer who disobeyed the Emperor’s orders. Their heart was pierced by a black tentacle that erupted from the Emperor’s body, and it tore their entire body to pieces while they were still alive. The terror of that moment was indescribable.

“Commence bombardment.”

“Captain…!!”

“We can’t retreat now—!! Drop those bombs on that battlefield right now—!! Or… will you die first for disobeying orders?”

“…As ordered.”

The communications officer ordered the entire fleet to bombard. Soon, the hatches opened, and the soldiers moved the bombs with all their might.

Then it happened.

Boom—

A dull sound caused the hull to shake slightly. It was such a small sound that it would have been missed if one weren’t alert, but the captain and the first mate simultaneously looked at each other.

“Just now…”

“Didn’t you hear something…?”

He immediately opened the door to the cabin and went outside. Nothing particular caught his eye when he scanned the surroundings. In fact, the lack of anything made him even more anxious.

“…….”

Only an unsettling atmosphere lingered.

Woooosh—!!!

A sudden explosion reached his ears. The captain immediately looked out the window. A burning airship was reflected in his eyes.

“That, that’s what…!!”

Unintelligible. He didn’t detect any incoming enemy attacks. A new weapon? No, then it would have been detected by the magic radar. Magical tools use mana and always leave residual waves.

He immediately checked the radar. Nothing was visible. The magic barrier protecting the entire fleet was intact. There was no sign of magic bullets or thrown magical tools approaching.

“What the… First Mate!”

“Yes, yes…!! There are no malfunctions… Could this be…a malfunction of the machinery or the bombs…?”

“You idiot, would we load equipment that hasn’t finished inspection onto airships deployed in combat?!”

That’s right. Whether it was guns, bombs, or engines, everything would have been constantly checked according to Duke Darius’s orders. The only things that hadn’t been inspected were… people.

People? Then it was an inside job? A rebellion? The fact that a subordinate had launched a rebellion was more shocking to the captain than the sinking of one airship.

“C-Captain…!! Contact from the fleet next to the exploded airship… gulp-”

“What is it…!”

“Contact lost—”

Woooosh—!!

A second airship exploded and was engulfed in flames. The airship, having lost its lift, crashed and disrupted the formation.

“Again… contact lost again…!! Contact from the reporting fleet is continuously being lost…!!”

“What, what did they say?!”

“That… a demon appeared on board… that’s all…”

A demon? The captain was dumbfounded. Didn’t our Emperor already have demons under his command? Was it the Emperor’s doing? Was he intending to use all the fleets as moths to a flame?

A next communication faintly reached the captain’s confused ears. He snatched the communications officer’s handset and held it to his ear.

“What’s happening!!”

「Ugh… ugh… I, I don’t want to die…!! It’s a demon!! That’s a demon…!! How, how can it be in that form… aaaack—」

“Hey, answer me…!! Answer me!!”

Fwoosh-

With the terrifying sound of something sharp tearing through the flesh of a person, a third airship exploded.

Woooosh—

The captain could only think that something was wrong. And he had absolutely no idea what it was. The work of a god, no, a demon. As the dying soldier said, this was something that could only be done by a demon.

The exploding airships were getting closer. Approaching. The demon was approaching.

The captain huddled in the cabin, burying his head and curling up his whole body. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die like this.

After the airship next to him exploded, he opened his eyes wide. A small person’s hand emerged from the hatch.

“Aaaaaaaaaa—!!”

And then, a small girl appeared. She was wearing a maid outfit that clung to her body, and her brown hair was neatly arranged with a lace headband. She looked hypnotically beautiful and lovely.

Except for the blade in her blood-soaked hand.

Whoosh-

The girl disappeared and reappeared next to a soldier close to the hatch. The soldier fell down, spurting blood. The girl’s form disappeared again.

Fwoosh- Fwoosh- Slash—

Death was approaching him. When he came to his senses, the first mate’s head rolled before him.

He slowly raised his head. Death stared at him. The inside of the ship spun, and soon, scarlet flames engulfed the world.

* * *

「Yuri-yang is retreating. Apparently, she single-handedly annihilated seven airships.」

“It’s eight. Another one just went down.”

A burning airship tears through the sky and falls. Before it could engulf the Kingdom’s forces, the knights intercepted and the Court Mage Corps deployed a magical barrier.

‘…She’s trying too hard.’

I don’t necessarily think Yuri likes people. She shows kindness only to me, those near me, and those who benefit my reputation.

Yuri doesn’t care about any other human beings. It could rather be considered mercy. She’s the type who doesn’t worry about the world as long as I’m happy.

She’s not a maniac who enjoys killing either. Even if she were, I would have accepted her, but Yuri herself doesn’t want that. That, too, is for my reputation.

Yuri’s dedication to her mission beyond what’s expected conveyed something significant to me.

I want to save Eve.

Yuri loved Eve as much as I did. Was it because she was her second friend? I’ve known since before that she didn’t treat her as a mere classmate or adventure companion.

Currently, there is little force that could go up against Eve. Even those forces each have their responsibilities and therefore cannot leave their positions. In a battlefield where the fate of a continent hangs in the balance, it is impossible to act according to personal desires.

Except for me.

That’s why Yuri is doing her best. She’s going beyond her duties to allow me to save Eve.

It also felt like a kind of demonstration. As if to say that, since she’s trying so hard, I should absolutely save Eve.

The urgency of the situation came across perfectly.

I held the Myongyeom-sword and stared at Ubiet’s new Emperor, who reigned over millions of soldiers.

Eve is right there.