episode_0102

A cave in the back of a mountain range that runs through the Eastern Continent.

The magic that was creeping out of the cave took the lives of all living things that came close.

The most unusual place in refreshing nature.

Fortunately, the Magi did not go out for more than a certain amount of time and stayed only in the cave.

That is, until the dragons started running rampant.

“Seeueueup… ! Phew… ! Sooo… ! Phew… ! I was waiting desperately.”

With the inhalation, the mountain’s essence was sucked into the cave, and with the exhalation, thick magical energy came out.

Therion, a demon with a large body comparable to that of a bear.

Although he did not have the horns and wings that symbolized the authority of the demons, he had a strong body instead.

Therion’s sweat, which flowed from the muscles all over his body, instantly turned into steam.

The steam mixed with the demonic energy he exhaled created a demonic fog that low-class creatures could not live in.

“Time to get out of this damn cave.”

Therion had been training in the lotus position in the deepest part of the cave.

If an event that shook heaven and earth had not occurred, I would have stayed in the cave for several decades more.

However, Therion was not a free demon.

Therion also had a mission more important than personal greed or goals, so he stood up.

Despite having a massive body, it is flexible and light enough to move without making any sound.

It was proven to be an entity outside of common sense to the extent that it caused contradictions in natural phenomena.

“For the devil… … !”

It was that moment.

The area around the cave began to change rapidly.

The once green trees and grass withered in an instant, and the green land became dry.

The entire environment, centered around the cave, was being devastated.

“There is a feeling that the practice is a bit lacking, but what is lacking can be filled with magic energy.”

Therion’s terrible demonic energy absorbed and devoured the essence of nature.

As a result, all living things within a 5 kilometer radius lost their vitality before anyone could respond.

A tragedy that can only be described as terrible.

But the current disaster was only the beginning.

Therion sticks his head out of the cave and then comes out of his body one after another.

Each of the six arms attached to the body pulled out vicious weapons: a great sword, an axe, a spear, a mace, a scythe, and a hammer.

The magic energy scattered around Therion soon gathered in one place, surrounded his body, and turned into dark red armor.

“It’s a campaign.”

Therion covered his face with the skull of a white wolf, once called the King of the Mountains.

The white skull of the sacred white tiger was dyed black by Therion’s demonic energy, and even the horns rose.

Therion possesses the deepest magical energy among all demons except the Demon King.

His conquest of the Eastern countries, which could easily be called a catastrophe, began.

***

“Umm… … .”

As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thought that came to mind was ‘It’s dark.’

Although my biological rhythm was designed to naturally open my eyes at dawn, the surroundings were infinitely dark.

A place where light cannot be found anywhere.

As I slowly recalled my memories from the previous day, I realized, albeit belatedly, that this place was underground.

After looking around the room with my vision adjusted to the darkness, I picked up the half-melted candle.

I lit a fire with my newly acquired abilities.

“Owner!”

“Ouch! Isn’t it dangerous to suddenly jump in?”

“Hehe, sorry!”

As soon as the surroundings were brightened, Scathach suddenly jumped out from behind and attacked.

Because of that, I almost dropped the candle on the floor.

Still, I didn’t hug her too tightly, so the candle was still in my hand.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, although the surroundings are dark.”

“I went out for a while 5 minutes ago and the sun was starting to rise, so it’s morning!”

“Really?”

Fortunately, my biological clock was working properly.

As I thought it was important to repeat the same daily routine, oversleeping was not a good idea.

I planned to maintain my existing habits unless I had to avoid losing sleep or after a fierce battle.

“Did anything unusual happen overnight?”

“There was nothing in particular! The owner is going to go out and practice like this, right?”

“Of course. If you skip even a day, your body will feel irritated.”

“Then can I come along?”

“Do whatever you want.”

There was an effect of having an honest conversation the night before.

The way he reveals his inner feelings without any hesitation.

Scathach’s once cautious behavior became noticeably bolder, and the atmosphere became more lively.

Normally, I would have found her like that annoying, but now I don’t think much of it.

I too must have had a change in my heart.

“That’s right, I kept thinking about it while the owner was sleeping.”

“What?”

“Hibana!”

There were times when we learned things we didn’t know about each other through conversation.

One of them was the story of Hibana.

“Even if you think about it, Hibana is not the type of person to say things like that without any basis, right?”

“Yes.”

“But contrary to what you said, my status did not drop or become weaker even if I did not cut down the dragon. I haven’t drunk dragon blood in 8 years!”

“So you concluded that I lied to you? I decided to discuss the reason why I lied by meeting Hibana in person later.”

“Yes. But isn’t there something that is so scandalous? So I kept wondering why Hibana tricked me.”

“What is the result of thinking about it all night?”

“I think he was trying to destroy the relationship between all swords and their owners, including mine!”

“Why do you think so?”

“I thought carefully about what Hibana said to us eight years ago, and I remember that she mostly delivered information or news. The problem was that the source of all the information and news was unclear.”

“Explain in more detail.”

“For example, in addition to the information you shared with me, you also told Ecle and Lips that their master didn’t seem to need them that much, or that you told Alaina that Seongguk’s pursuit made you truly hate them!”

I felt a contradiction in Scathach’s story.

Although I hated Seongguk, I did not hate it.

I stole the holy sword from a warrior I defeated in a match, and I knew that was a serious crime.

Likewise, I thought that the battlefields where Ecle and Rips could be active were limited, but they never thought they were unnecessary.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t believe that Hibana represented feelings I had never felt before.

“At the time, everyone firmly believed in Hibana’s words and questioned the owner, but looking back, there were more than one or two strange aspects.”

“Mmm. If what you say is true, it’s definitely strange, but there are some things that are difficult to confirm right away.”

First of all, there is no benefit for Hibana to gain by causing a conflict between me and the swords.

It would have been understandable if they had changed the relationship and encouraged him to use himself more.

However, unlike Eclec and Lips, Hibana did not show much interest in her participation.

Although he flirted with the idea of starting a war or massacre, when he actually got into battle, he passed the turn to someone else, saying that he could just drink the blood of the corpse.

It was unclear what merit Hibana could gain from this separation.

The second problem is linked to the first problem.

Just as other swords were unfavorable to me, Hibana also committed many unfavorable actions towards me.

He bothered me all day long, saying he wanted to break the blood curse.

He doesn’t hesitate to put into words even stories that make you frown.

If Hibana wanted to remain as my sword alone, she should have liked me rather than disliked me.

Of course, if that were the case, the swords would have sensed something strange and questioned it, but Hibana did not.

Like everyone else, he protested strongly and often resorted to force.

So, it is too early to conclude that it was Hibana’s estrangement.

“Considering the above problems, we can only stop at the level of suspicion for now. If not, you’re being rude to Hibana.”

“Okay… … .”

“Don’t take it too seriously. Anyway, sooner or later I will have the opportunity to return to the capital and have an audience with Hibana to ask questions.”

I chuckled as I looked at Scathach, who looked distraught and pouted her lips.

I patted Scathach’s shoulder and comforted her.

There is no need to be impatient. Because the truth was bound to come out anyway.

This quest ends when you receive a promise from the necromancers to reduce the amount of fraud released.

All you have to do is go to Wolyoung without getting the consent of the childish necromancers.

I was just about to pack my bags and go straight to Wolyoung.

Out of nowhere, the door burst open and she came looking for me.

“Oh! There was something I wanted to ask you… … .”

“I’m in big trouble!”

“What is it? Is there a fire somewhere? ”

“Not like that, now… Wow!”

“Wow!”

Even before I could hear the story of Wolyoung, who urgently came to visit, the underground space began to shake violently.

If I hadn’t strengthened my legs, I would have fallen backwards.

Although I was shocked by the unannounced earthquake, I was reassured that it was not strong enough to cause the underground space to collapse.

“You predicted that an earthquake would come and said it was a big problem. Do you have any precognitive abilities?”

“No!”

“Huh? Isn’t it an earthquake? Then what is it?”

“Asmodians… Ah, a disaster that will engulf this entire continent has appeared!”

The Eastern countries once again found themselves in a new situation.