Ch.122122. Seal (2)

●

Darwood Campbell was someone Elnore had seen injured quite often.

It was only natural, considering how many near-death experiences they’d faced together in the short time since they’d met.

But even so.

This current state…

“…Darwood?”

It took some time to process and accept the situation.

Recognizing that “piece of meat” as someone familiar was impossible to do with a clear mind.

“…Dar, wood?”

Her voice flowed out, filled with disbelief.

Her consciousness flickered white. Her heart raced madly.

“Apostle. Is this your doing?”

From across the way, those words reached her through her increasingly blurry consciousness.

A chilling killing intent that made her feel like insects were crawling beneath her skin emanated from the masked woman’s voice.

As if she were angry about this man’s terrible condition.

“No. I did leave three ancient gods behind, but the possibility of receiving such injuries from them—”

“Is impossible. Right. I know that, but why is this human in this state?”

“…”

“How can you fail at the one thing I entrusted to you, Tatiana?”

“…I apologize.”

And listening to that conversation, Elnore instinctively realized.

This man’s current state was because of something related to those creatures over there.

-…

-…

–…!!!!

A sinister energy surged from her heart.

Everything around her slowed down. This wasn’t just her subjective perception—it was actually happening.

She’d felt this sensation once before.

The feeling that the entire world was slowing around her, and all “control” over space was being given to her.

She took a rough breath and violently rotated that energy.

She clearly remembered using this energy before to actually “turn back time.”

Of course.

She was also aware of the risk that doing so could engulf this entire area.

As a high noble from the Empire, she would be causing tremendous damage to an important facility in a foreign country. She could be publicly condemned across the entire continent.

“…”

But even so.

Honestly, she didn’t care about any of that.

Even if others died. Even if everyone nearby got caught up in it.

Right now, she needed to save that man.

Even if she had to bear all the consequences alone!

-I hereby beseech thee.

It was then that she heard a voice pounding against her eardrums.

Grabbing hold of her reason just before it flew away, she turned her head to see the man she’d been watching carefully holding some kind of artifact in his hand while uttering those words.

He was holding one of the many ornaments attached to his body.

A small bell. Even at a glance, she could tell it was a bizarre object filled with spiritual power.

But the power emanating from it now, in sync with the man’s words…

It wasn’t just that kind of power.

-I hereby beseech thee.

And then, following that:

Those words echoed, and a subtle wave spread from the bell.

【May all be purified】

All the demonic energy that had been emanating from Elnore’s body instantly vanished.

And it didn’t end there.

The energy that had always flowed from her heart was “gone.”

As if it had never been there to begin with.

“…!”

Her eyes widened in shock.

She didn’t know exactly what was inside her, but she at least felt that it wasn’t something that could be easily “interfered with” by others.

And yet.

She could clearly perceive that all the energy she had just tried to summon had been extinguished by the words this man had uttered.

“…”

No.

To be precise, what happened to her wasn’t that kind of phenomenon.

It didn’t feel like her energy had disappeared because it was interfered with or suppressed.

It was as if the entire act of energy flowing out from her body had been “deleted.”

“That won’t do, young lady.”

Those words fell upon Elnore as she stood frozen in shock.

“Bringing out something so dangerous. I understand you want to save that guy, but if you unleash something you can’t even control, everyone here will die, you know?”

Elnore turned her trembling eyes toward the speaker with his mocking voice.

Word Spirit.

A technique where supernatural power dwells within words themselves to create phenomena.

She had heard that beyond the eastern frozen lands, the eastern territories were filled with extraordinary individuals who wielded all kinds of mysterious powers unlike the magical or divine powers commonly used on the continent.

Sorcery, Taoism, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons and the Onmyoji who controlled them.

This man must belong to one of those factions.

A sorcerer who creates all kinds of mysterious phenomena through his language. A so-called Word Spirit Master.

Elnore knew such people existed, but this ability she just witnessed…

“…True Words?”

Elnore muttered those words like a groan.

She had heard stories about it.

One of the most powerful forms of sorcery, recorded even in the Empire’s ancient texts from their numerous battles with the Dragon Gate Nation beyond the frozen lands.

Those who had reached a level where they could communicate with the “laws of the world” through their words.

Simply put.

They were people capable of limited reality manipulation.

People who could control the entire “world” around them according to their will, as long as they met the conditions for uttering the sentences.

“…”

And if that was truly the case.

This man was one of the most powerful humans on the continent.

A monster among monsters who seemed to have stepped out of legend.

Though his response, whistling flippantly at her muttering, didn’t make him look like one at all.

“You know a lot. Is it because you’re a noble lady?”

“…”

“That makes it even more confusing. It’s not even a completed vessel, just two fragments, yet you’re trying to control it freely? Isn’t that too greedy? That’s a king of hell, young lady.”

A series of snickering responses followed.

Fragment. Vessel. King of hell.

A series of incomprehensible terms flowed into her ears.

“Still, the Tristan Dukedom is quite an established vessel family, so I’m surprised you can’t resist at all. Didn’t your mother teach you how to use it?”

The words that followed were impossible to ignore.

“You, what exactly are you—!”

Elnore’s face contorted as she tried to lunge forward, but…

“-…!”

Blood immediately spurted from her mouth.

A green light emitted from the wand Tatiana was holding had pierced straight through her stomach.

Normally, she would have easily avoided such an attack. It was slow and weak.

But right now, she was “weakened” beyond that.

Her body felt sluggish.

Terribly fragile.

She felt weaker than even in her childhood, when she hadn’t properly trained or held a sword.

“…A vessel with its fragments sealed is barely different from an ordinary person.”

Tatiana said this as she kicked Elnore in the abdomen.

Her breath was knocked out. With her breathing cut off, Elnore tumbled across the floor.

The green beam struck her body several more times. In her arms, legs, and chest.

The curses fired like penetrating shots pierced through her entire body. In an instant, her whole body was torn to shreds.

“From the beginning, the Luminary kept saying it: resistance is futile.”

“…”

Was this why they deliberately forced her to draw out this power?

As if they had been waiting for exactly this. The moment she tried to use this power, they completely “erased” it.

“…Watch your mouth, Talker.”

“Hey now. You called a busy person to join in this childish game, boss? I had expectations since it’s the Grey Demon’s vessel, but this is so different from last time.”

Beyond the pain tearing through her entire body, she could hear them casually conversing.

“So… enough. What can I expect from someone with such a loose tongue?”

“That’s harsh. Aren’t we going to kill this woman soon anyway?”

“…Shut up.”

The Luminary sighed and turned toward Tatiana, who was subduing Elnore and bowing her head.

“Kill her and retrieve the fragments properly. We need to combine them with the final fragment in the Holy Empire.”

“As you command.”

With that response.

High Priestess Tatiana stood before her.

“Nothing personal, Tristan Duchess.”

The wand that had been spewing curses now aimed directly at her head.

“Consider it a sin to be born of a cursed bloodline. You’ve become our target because of the karma of your ancestors.”

“What are you planning to do with Darwood?”

“…Even at the very end, you worry about that man.”

Tatiana spoke with an exasperated voice.

“I can’t stand this. I don’t enjoy watching unsightly struggles.”

Another curse formed on the wand.

A death sentence. Intending to take her life right here.

There was nothing she could do.

Through her dimming vision, Elnore saw the Luminary speaking as he hoisted Darwood over his shoulder.

“What are you going to do with that walking corpse? Isn’t he already dead?”

“We can find ways to resurrect him.”

“What a twisted taste. Planning to implant some taboo when reviving the dead? Make him a slave?”

“…I’m considering it.”

She heard those words.

They were planning to do something to Darwood.

Right before her eyes.

They were trying to take away what was most precious to her.

“…Darwood.”

With her breath nearly cut off, Elnore uttered a feeble voice as she saw Darwood dangling from the Luminary’s shoulder.

“…Dar, wood.”

This couldn’t happen.

She couldn’t let them handle that man however they pleased, as they were saying.

But her body wouldn’t listen. Pinned against the wall, she couldn’t move even a finger.

As despair enveloped her entire body…

“…Wait a minute, boss.”

“What?”

“That guy, something’s strange.”

What was engraved on Darwood’s chest…

Had begun to pulsate.

Containing something that held ‘blackness’…

●

“Luminary!”

Tatiana was the first to sense the danger.

She hurriedly wove a curse with her wand that had been pointed at Elnore.

Simultaneously with a blue-green wall forming between the Luminary and Darwood, the two bodies were flung in opposite directions.

Meanwhile.

The black energy that had begun to pour from his chest was rapidly spreading to the surroundings in billowing waves.

“Luminary, are you alright!”

“…”

Tatiana cried out, but…

The Luminary’s gaze was fixed blankly on Darwood.

As if…

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“…The Seal of Fallen Heaven?”

The Luminary uttered those words in a daze.

As if…

He was witnessing something that “absolutely should not happen.”

“…No, why, why would you do such a thing.”

Almost…

“Why would you go so far for those cursed women—!”

His voice conveyed a sense of despair.

“…Shit. Get away from him!”

Then.

The Talker, all his previous flippancy gone and his voice filled with tension, screamed at the Luminary while…

He simultaneously removed several of the ornaments covering his body.

A stark contrast to when he had used only one against Elnore.

-I hereby beseech thee.

-I hereby beseech thee.

【May all be puri—】

But before the sentence could be completed…

A massive “wind” struck the Talker.

It was a phenomenon caused by a “punch” thrown by Darwood, who was kneeling on the ground, without moving from his spot.

Without any supernatural ability or energy…

It was a phenomenon created purely through physical ability.

“What the…!”

As the Talker, unable to complete his sentence, stepped back several paces…

The black energy he failed to eliminate completely gathered around Darwood’s body.

“…Hey, you’re joking.”

The Talker let out a bitter laugh as he watched.

One “truth” he remembered was flashing through his mind.

A rule that had never changed throughout the long years he had observed:

There are exactly 6 demon entities.

White, Blue, Red, Brown, Violet, and finally Grey.

Then…

What was he seeing now?

“…”

It could only be described as bizarre.

With his entire body surrounded by pitch-black energy, he looked as if he were clad in black armor from head to toe.

It was like a feeling of grotesqueness, eeriness, and unpleasantness all mixed, crushed, and kneaded together.

It was, without a doubt…

“…I’ve never heard or seen anything like a ‘Black Demon’.”

The form of a demon.

●