Ch.47Demon Knight Bernhagen (5)

Fallen Knight Bernhagen.

The family he belonged to was Schulhauser. The relic containing the demon he allegedly stole was also something the Schulhauser family had been managing for hundreds of years.

Information written in the request.

From the moment she confirmed that information.

Merlin saw through everything—what the true name of the demon Bernhagen contracted with was, what concept it governed. She couldn’t not know. The Schulhauser family was one that existed even in the era when Merlin was active.

-High-ranking demon.

-Concepts it governs: darkness, fear, blindness.

-True name: Arkand.

An ancient demon that existed hundreds of years ago, during the era when Merlin and Arthur were active. It was a demon that had been sealed by Schulhauser, who was called the warrior of the frontier at that time. Recalling information about that demon, Merlin smiled.

Arkand is a powerful demon.

She had no intention of denying that fact.

No matter how weakened it may have become after being sealed for hundreds of years, Arkand’s power is not something to be taken lightly. From the moment he uses his power, Najin can never defeat Bernhagen. If she charges in, she’ll only be brutally killed.

Within the barrier, Bernhagen possesses strength that overwhelms even the upper-middle ranks of Sword Seekers. In contrast, Najin’s body is weakened and her mana output drops.

A barrier that weakens opponents and strengthens oneself.

Within that barrier, Najin can absolutely never defeat Bernhagen.

That is an absolute gap, a rule.

Yet the reason Merlin didn’t stop Najin, the reason she let Najin choose the path of confronting Bernhagen alone was…

-Arkand’s power is complete isolation from the outside.

It was because of the nature of Arkand’s power.

-Creating a space of one’s own that no one can look into—that is Arkand’s power.

A space completely isolated from the outside.

A sealed space where neither starlight, sunlight, nor anything else can reach. Within that space, holy knights who wield swords borrowing the blessing of stars lose their light, and wizards who cast spells with the support of magic towers become utterly powerless.

That was why Arkand was infamous.

But for Najin, that barrier has an entirely different meaning. Being cut off from the outside. Being unreachable by outside gazes. Thus, an isolated space. For Najin, that means…

-No eyes watching.

-Just a demon that needs to be slain.

It meant she no longer needed to hide her power.

-Let that ancient demon know.

Merlin smiled.

Najin slowly lowered her sword.

-That their natural enemy has returned.

With a click, Najin sheathed her longsword. Then she stretched her hand toward the sky.

-That across a thousand years, your natural enemy, the one who will bring only eternal death to you, has returned.

A hand raised toward the sky.

The constellation engraved on that wrist shone.

…Let me say it again.

Within the barrier, Najin cannot defeat Bernhagen. That is an absolute gap, a rule of the barrier.

But Najin possesses it.

Something that exists above all rules. A massive variable that can overturn any gap. A brilliant light that cannot be obscured by mere darkness created by a demon.

Grip.

Najin clenched the hand she had raised.

Thirteen constellations floating in the void.

The next moment, starlight flooded the darkness.

2.

The Fallen Knight, Bernhagen, saw it.

The sight of Najin suddenly sheathing her sword. Sheathing a sword when an enemy approaches? Has she given up resisting? No, looking at her eyes, it didn’t seem like she had given up.

Those eyes still yearned for victory.

Eyes fixated on victory. Platinum eyes that hadn’t lost their light even in darkness. It was the moment Bernhagen felt something off about Najin’s eyes, which had changed from sunset-colored to platinum.

Najin stretched her hand toward the sky.

The moment the thirteen stars engraved on her wrist began to shine, starlight flooded the darkness.

Whoosh!

Even the darkness that devours light cannot hide the starlight Najin created. Because what Najin now grasps is a light that nothing can dare obscure.

Even in the deep underground where starlight doesn’t reach.

Even in demonic realms where demons run wild.

Even in Camlann, The Abyss, where stars fall.

Because it never lost its light anywhere, it was the symbol of heroes, the torch that illuminated humanity’s path forward… and also the symbol of victory—a single sword.

Grip.

The moment Najin clenched her hand stretched toward the sky, the flooding starlight became a sword. A sword shining alone, burning away all surrounding darkness. Bernhagen couldn’t help but recognize it.

The Star Sword, Excalibur.

The holy sword forgotten for hundreds of years was pulled into reality by a boy’s hand.

Bernhagen’s eyes trembled.

The light created by the Star Sword burned away all darkness. The barrier rippled, trying to swallow the star that rose in the darkness, but the light created by Excalibur cannot be obscured by anything.

It’s a light that even the Witch of Abyss couldn’t hide.

It’s a light that even the Dragon of Abyss couldn’t swallow.

There’s no way mere darkness created by a demon could hide Excalibur’s light. Bernhagen’s gaze trembled madly at the starlight that seemed to be burning.

‘Ex…calibur…?’

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Why is that holy sword in that boy’s hand? Wasn’t it one of the three Sword Masters who pulled out Excalibur?

An imitation, a fake, a falsehood.

It was impossible to even consider such possibilities. Burning away darkness created by a demon like this is impossible even with holy relics consecrated by The Order. Cold sweat ran down Bernhagen’s spine. The fingers gripping his sword trembled.

It was a primal fear.

Not fear felt by Bernhagen, but fear felt by the demon assimilated with his body. The ancient demon Arkand feels fear. It is the fear of a natural enemy engraved into the entire demon race.

The Star Sword, Excalibur.

That holy sword splits a demon’s mind. It burns a demon’s soul. It makes the contradiction of killing immortal demons possible.

“As long as I live.”

“There is no place for you on this land.”

Arkand remembers the sight of Arthur wielding that single sword that exists above all laws… sweeping away hundreds, thousands of demons.

“Fear this light.”

“Remember that this is not your land.”

After hundreds of years, Arthur has once again appeared in the present world. Arkand, trembling in fear, wants to flee, but there is nowhere to run. Sealed in the relic, Arkand can only escape through his contractor, Bernhagen.

Arkand feels fear.

The immortal demon feels the fear of death.

In that contradictory situation, Bernhagen faced Najin. Before the brilliantly shining Star Sword, the black aura enveloping Bernhagen’s sword burned away. The sense of omnipotence overflowing from his body also faded.

Sizzle…

The darkness that weakened Najin’s body and constrained her mana also burned away in the starlight. In the burning darkness, Najin exhaled a long breath. From the moment she summoned Excalibur, the holy sword’s blessing was strengthened.

The injuries sustained from fighting Bernhagen began to heal instantly.

Wounds closed and new flesh grew. The insides that had been turned inside out from using mana beyond her limits began to completely restore. It was a miraculous recovery power. Najin inwardly stuck out her tongue at the blessing that was incomparable to the time in the underground city.

-That’s probably because you’ve grown stronger since then.

Merlin smiled.

Since arriving in Cambria, Najin had grown. Her body had grown, and her soul had matured. Excalibur was proving that growth.

-There’s no need to drag this out.

-We don’t know how long this barrier will block Excalibur’s light.

So, Merlin said.

-You know what I’m trying to say, right?

I know.

Najin composed her breathing and took her stance.

‘End it in one strike, right?’

-Exactly.

To end someone who has contracted with an ancient demon and even wields its power in a single strike. This is impossible even for a Sword Seeker. But Najin merely slowly took her stance.

Whoosh!

A blade aura enveloped Excalibur.

Platinum particles rose above the pure white blade aura, amplified several times. What was completed was a platinum blade aura. A blade aura that historically only Arthur could wield.

“You… who are you…?”

Bernhagen stepped back.

Facing the terrified Bernhagen, Najin exhaled. What Najin is recalling now is the strongest single strike she can unleash.

There was only one technique that came to mind.

“Bernhagen.”

Najin raised her sword while bending her knee. She spoke deliberately because now she too understood the meaning of the technique she was about to unleash.

“You abandoned honor. You lost pride.”

The swordsmanship of Atanga.

The sword shown by Ivan, the knight who pursued the stars.

“Therefore, you have tarnished the name of knighthood.”

A sword to punish those who have lost honor and pride.

Facing Bernhagen, who stood at the exact opposite end of the knight Najin envisioned in her mind, she declared:

“I am Najin. Descendant of Ivan, Knight of Atanga.”

Though not yet a knight.

Though not yet possessing honor.

Najin had come to understand what pride is.

“I will cut you down.”

That was enough.

As reason and justification to wield the sword of Atanga.

The declaration to cut him down.

Najin, holding the Star Sword, took the stance of Atanga and recited the precepts of Atanga. It is the oldest precept proclaimed by the one called the King of Knights, Arthur.

Slay demons.

Punish those who tarnish the name of knighthood.

The precept declared by Arthur was pronounced again through the mouth of his successor after hundreds of years. Before that declaration, Bernhagen realized. That he could never escape.

There is nowhere left to retreat.

Bernhagen finally chose. With a monstrous roar, Bernhagen charged toward Najin. The strengthened demonic body was still powerful. With each step he took, the ground shook and darkness rippled.

Boom!

Striking the ground, Bernhagen swung his greatsword horizontally. His pride and symbol-like technique. The strongest single strike he could demonstrate. Bernhagen unleashed the sword that could split even a giant troll in one strike.

Wind pressure followed the swinging sword.

The darkness-wrapped sword accelerated.

Truly Bernhagen’s strongest strike. A strike containing his everything. Najin had no intention of deflecting, avoiding, or blocking that strike midway.

She would break everything head-on.

Because that was the sword of Atanga, the sword of Ivan.

The moment Bernhagen’s greatsword reached maximum speed, Najin’s sword moved. Bernhagen couldn’t understand that movement. Najin’s sword advanced, trailing starlight.

Slice.

What echoed was a quiet cutting sound.

The greatsword Bernhagen had swung was sliced with a sound. Najin cut through the greatsword that had reached maximum speed far too easily. Not stopping there, Najin’s sword dug into Bernhagen’s side.

The Star Sword cuts through darkness.

The Holy Sword cuts down demons.

The sword that dug into Bernhagen’s left side emerged after cutting through his right shoulder. There was not the slightest resistance to that sword strike. The resistance of the demon’s body was simply meaningless before Excalibur.

It was perfect Atanga swordsmanship that overwhelmed by shattering the opponent’s technique head-on. Najin bisected the demon in a single strike.

Starlight surged along the trajectory cut by Excalibur. The surging light burned the demon’s soul and mind, annihilating its existence. The ancient demon Arkand, which had dwelled in Bernhagen’s body, turned to ashes.

Thud.

Bernhagen’s upper body tilted along the cut surface. He met his death without even being able to scream. Bernhagen’s corpse fell to the ground with a thud. Beyond it, Najin saw.

The long sword mark engraved on the ground.

As if cutting through the greatsword and slicing Bernhagen wasn’t enough, the sword Najin swung had left a long mark on the ground.

Looking at that mark, Najin sheathed her sword.

With the death of Bernhagen who had been wielding the power, the barrier began to fade and the darkness started to dissipate. Najin felt a slight regret as she stored Excalibur. Excalibur, transformed into starlight, was sucked into the constellation engraved on her wrist.

“Haaah…”

Just as Najin was catching her breath and containing the thrill of battle.

“Enter…! Enter now!”

Noisy voices were heard from outside the barrier. The barrier, which was disappearing due to Bernhagen’s death, was shattered from the outside with a crash. Thus, someone stepped into the interior of the barrier, shattering it.

Knights in armor, formed in ranks.

What was engraved on their armor was the emblem of Atanga. To save the brave young man who was dueling with the Fallen Knight, they had jumped into the demon’s barrier with their bare bodies.

“Protect the young man! Form ranks and press… Bernhagen…?”

The words of Argo, the Knight of Atanga who was giving instructions at the forefront, didn’t continue to the end. Because he discovered the bisected corpse of Bernhagen and Najin standing unharmed.

Whoosh.

Soon the barrier completely collapsed and sunlight shone down. An awkward silence hung in the bright sunlight pouring down.