episode_0210

On the goddess’s ramparts, which shone with an immaculate, pure white.

There was an old man draped in a tattered cloak, quietly meditating with his eyes closed.

The holy knights patrolling the ramparts occasionally passed by, taking care not to disturb the old man’s meditation.

“….”

The old man was in such a deep meditation that one could feel an extreme level of concentration just by looking at him.

He didn’t show any movement, as if he had been turned to stone by a petrification curse.

Of course…. He wasn’t really under a petrification curse, so only quiet breathing could be heard from the old man.

The holy knights patrolling on the ramparts admired the old man’s appearance and quietly talked among themselves.

“How long has the Sword King been sitting there?”

“Well?…. If my memory is correct, I think he’s been there since after sparring with the Hero?”

“What?!…. So he’s been there for 3 days?!”

“I remember he’s been there without even a proper meal….”

They shuddered at the fact that he had been meditating for a full 3 days without eating.

The Sword King’s appearance was like watching the fasting prayers of priests walking the path of asceticism to cultivate faith.

“…But come to think of it, where is the Hero? I haven’t seen him since the duel with the Sword King?”

“Right? It would be nice to receive teachings from the Hero….”

The duel between the Hero and the Sword King.

The duel was unforgettable for the holy knights.

The ultimate sword energy woven with pure sword skill and pure physical strength, without using any magic power.

They couldn’t forget the sight of the barrier erected by His Holiness the Pope, who could be called as the representative of the goddess, being completely shattered in just one exchange.

That situation became an opportunity for all the holy knights to realize that it is important to train the body given by the goddess, as well as to train divine power.

Therefore, the proportion of physical training in the holy knights’ training manual increased, along with prayer for divine power training.

In the process, there were many holy knights who wanted to receive teachings from the Sword King and the Hero Leon, the Sword King’s disciple, who had reached the extreme in swordsmanship and physique….

As you can see, the Sword King is immersed in deep meditation here and does not move, so the only person left is the Hero.

However, no one has seen the Hero since that day.

“I haven’t heard that he left the Holy Kingdom.”

“It seems his companions are still here….”

Swish

Just as the two holy knights were talking, the Sword King suddenly stood up from his spot.

“Sword King?”

“S-Sorry. Were we too loud….”

“He’s coming.”

Perhaps, had their conversation disturbed the Sword King’s meditation? Surprised by his sudden rise, they cautiously spoke to him, but the Sword King did not look at the holy knights, and muttered quietly, looking at the distant plains.

“Sword King?”

“Coming…. What does that mean? What’s coming….”

“One of you, tell His Holiness the Pope. Tell him that the Demon King’s army is coming to reclaim the .”

“”!!””

The holy knights were startled by the Sword King’s words and looked at him.

.

One of the fragments of the Demon King, and the master of the ‘Witch’s Followers’ who are currently sweeping through the entire northern region with fire.

They can understand that they are invading the Holy Kingdom itself.

But what they can’t understand is….

“W-Why are they attacking the Holy Kingdom at this timing….”

“Besides, to reclaim the …. This is the Holy Kingdom, what does that mean?”

Instead of answering the holy knights’ questions, the Sword King drew his sword.

“Come.”

A short and thick word.

With that one word, he aimed his sword at the sky, and a black curtain began to hang in the sky where the sword was pointed.

“Th-That is!….”

“An attack already?!….”

The black curtain gradually expanded its area, and human figures appeared from within the curtain.

They were magicians wrapped in ominous black magic power.

They were the undead forces resurrected against death.

And….

Swoosh

“Th-That is?!….”

“As expected, ‘Shadow Puppets’. They’re trying to take this place quite seriously.”

It had eyes that gleamed with blood-red light.

It had a body of flickering black shadows without a fixed shape.

It was giving off a bizarre aura that they had never felt or experienced before.

“Th-The Demon King’s army!….”

“Im-Immediately prepare for battle!….”

They were, in name and reality, the Demon King’s army itself.

How long has it been since the Demon King’s army has shown such open hostility?

At least, it had never happened in the current generation of holy knights.

As the holy knights were panicking, the Sword King took a step forward.

“Hurry. You can’t kill that ‘Shadow Puppet’ with ordinary methods. To kill it, you have to use divine power…. Or kill the main body.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“We will quickly deploy personnel.”

“But what about you, Sword King….”

The Sword King answered the holy knight’s question lightly.

“I have to stop them until my disciple comes.”

Leaving those words behind, the Sword King threw himself down from the ramparts.

* * *

Whoosh! Crack!!!

The Sword King’s sword is swung.

A single line slashing down the world.

Everything that touches the area of that line is cut off, regardless of what it is.

An overwhelming power that is outrageous for a single individual to exert.

That power made even the overwhelming forces that seemed capable of easily sweeping away a country hesitate.

“Sword King!!”

“Retreat to where the sword cannot reach.”

“Use the undead army as meat shields! Distribute the Sword King’s attack!”

Sword King.

To the Witch’s Followers, he is an irreconcilable enemy.

The one who has the seal of their master, the . Therefore, they prepared many things to face the Sword King.

“That’s unfortunate.”

But, despite that.

“Even that distance is within my range.”

Swept away again by the swung sword.

The line that divides the world is drawn from the tip of the sword.

The undead forces rushing at the Sword King, and the magicians trying to chant magic beyond them, are all cut down.

Swoosh Puff!!

“!”

However, there was an existence that was not affected by the line that divided the world.

The black shadow monsters.

The monsters with red eyes attacked the Sword King, ignoring his slash.

The Sword King dodged the shadow’s attack trying to pierce his body and readjusted his sword.

“As expected, you guys are the problem.”

Whoosh

Magic power wraps around the sword.

A bluish light flickers, and the sword is covered with strong energy, and he puts more strength into the hand holding the sword.

“Secret technique.”

It was the legendary secret technique that once split Mount Tai.

“Mount Tai Split.”

Crack, Crack!!!!

Everything is split.

The massive army that appeared to invade the Holy Kingdom’s land,

The magicians and magic circles that were preparing magic,

Even the black shadows whose identity is unknown, are swept away by this one exchange.

“Even I cannot be defeated, so what means do you have to step on this Holy Kingdom’s land.”

“Sword King!!….”

More than half of the forces that rushed to invade the Holy Kingdom were swept away and disappeared.

In a normal situation, it would be common to retreat.

“…?”

“….”

In that situation, a girl walked over.

A short-haired girl with purplish hair tinged with red energy.

Her amethyst-like eyes, which were somehow a bit cloudy, were looking at the Sword King.

“Who are you?….”

“You’re…, the Sword King?”

“Hmm…. Yes, I am the Sword King. Who are you?”

“…Marie.”

The girl called Marie held up a staff.

Anyway, she came from the Demon King’s side, so she is an enemy.

Judging so, the Sword King was about to move his sword to cut down the enemy in front of him when….

“!”

At that moment, his body froze.

Petrification curse…, it’s not.

If he was hit by a petrification curse, he would lose his consciousness.

‘…Everything around me….’

Stopped.

Everything stopped.

The holy knights and priests rushing out of the Holy Kingdom to support him, the magicians preparing magic in the distance, everyone stopped.

Thud

“….”

There is only one person who moves in this world where everything has stopped.

“…So you’re conscious? Is it really the Sword King?”

He can’t even move his mouth.

All he can move is his eyes and thoughts.

Therefore, he cannot answer the opponent’s question, nor can he stop the opponent’s attack.

“I, I’ve been looking for you.”

The girl who had been taking steps, one step at a time. Marie stopped right in front of the Sword King.

“But I couldn’t find you. It seems Leon was found quickly…. No matter what I did, I couldn’t find you. Later I heard that you had already left that place. So I couldn’t find you.”

Marie slowly raised her hand and touched the Sword King’s chest area…. Near his heart.

“Thanks to you, I had a lot of trouble. It doesn’t matter anymore…. Goodbye.”

Boom