episode_0223

LLXV.

Although the Four Great Spirits are the trend now, it was surprisingly the Metal Spirit that once enjoyed the greatest prosperity in the spirit world.

The Spirit King is compared to a mid-level god not only because of his power, but also because the influence of the Spirit increases and decreases depending on the ‘interest’ he receives from humans, other races, and others.

In order to survive in the wild, humans were grateful for fire, water, wind, and earth, and the most important thing they considered for conquest was weapons, namely metal.

And that led to the rise of the Metal Spirits. But the first Metal Spirit King was reckless and arrogant.

He rebelled against the Creator and was destroyed, but in the aftermath of the weakening of the Metal Spirit, he was permitted to use his ‘divine powers’ that surpassed the special properties of metal so that mortals would not become less resistant to the wild.

― Excerpt from the book of Sophia, the Creator’s Archive.

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“Fair and reasonable, but one who loves mortals more than anyone else. A symbol of order, holding the sword of dignity and responsibility in one hand and the scales of balance in the other. Appear.”

The card that popped out of my chest emitted a cold and sharp light that grew stronger as I continued to speak.

As soon as the Card Master’s command to appear was completed, a woman appeared with a dazzling light.

A surge of power occurred as she emerged from the card and materialized. The aftermath caused the woman’s mysterious brown hair and purple cloak to flutter, revealing the figure that was almost obscured by the cloak.

The sharp energy coming from the sword she held in her right hand was so eerie that I unconsciously reached into my magic pouch to find the spear, and the scale she held in her left hand remained balanced without moving even as she moved.

The material of the tight-fitting red uniform reminded me of silk similar to that of a disciplinary officer, and the woman who appeared with a sword brought to mind a master swordsman.

She is,

“Card number Eleven. Arcana name JUSTICE. Greetings to the Master.”

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Major Card Number. Card No. Eleven.

Arcana Name. [JUSTICE]

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My seventh arcana is justice.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for welcoming me, Master.”

She thanked me again and said,

“Long time no see. Steel is steel.”

“It’s been a while. Knight of the Breaking Evil.”

He is also a metal spirit knight. Just like the Punisher.

The punishment that the judge gave to justice included these words:

A metal in iron.

The fact that he said this to Jeong-ui, meaning that she has the clearest sound among all irons and that she is someone who stands out among ordinary people, gives us an idea of her excellence.

“Really… … . It’s been a while. Really.”

It was a feeling of justice that passed me first, then the Arcana, and finally the World Tree and looked around.

There were so many emotions mixed in between admiration and sigh. What I felt while listening to that short reflection was,

“Master?”

It was such a sad feeling that I unconsciously pulled Jeong-ui’s shoulder and hugged her.

The absence of the Spirit King.

It doesn’t simply mean that there is no king, but that the power close to the source of that attribute spirit cannot be used.

For example, the Wind Spirit King controls the seven stages of wind.

Harmonious wind, calm wind, spring wind, gale wind, Sonseok wind, violent wind, and strong wind.

Each step is not simply a wind, but a force equivalent to authority.

For example, the Slicing Wind is a wind that cuts through the untouchable essence. And when the king uses this power, the spirits under his command are also affected by it.

Although it was a long explanation, the bottom line was that the spirits became stronger because there was a king.

And unlike the spirits of lightning, who had no concept of a spirit king to begin with, the spirit king of metal was not absent from the beginning, but rather died out. As punishment for rebelling against the creator.

Therefore, unlike the lightning spirits who participated in various events of the spirit world – such as the punishment participating as an instructor – the metal spirits are beings who live in self-restraint and do not show themselves to the outside world even within the spirit world.

But this time, with Justice participating as an Arcana in this Demon King’s invasion, the semi-mandatory seclusion imposed on the metal spirits has disappeared.

In terms of martial arts novels, it would be like lifting a kind of seal of confinement where the door is closed and people are forced into seclusion.

The repercussions will be felt soon, in our favor.

“Fortunately, it wasn’t as expected… Our Master is a warm person, even more than I expected.”

“No way. He’s probably just pretending to be nice to you so he can exploit you a lot in the future.”

I was so embarrassed that I blurted out a ridiculous answer. Did Goh Gwan-seong call this kind of thing tsundere?

‘A man with tsundere tendencies. Huh?!’

“Me too, I don’t want to hug you either!”

May ran towards me as I was blushing with self-loathing.

“Hoho. My dear~. You’re so cute~.”

As the clown ran towards me, the Arcanas rushed towards me and hugged me, like teammates hugging a soccer player who scored the winning goal in the World Cup.

– It’s heartwarming. Is this what family love is like??

If the World Tree hadn’t intervened without notice and ruined the mood, the peaceful and warm atmosphere would have continued for quite a while.

– Why, why? Why do you all look at me like that… .

“Shut up, you idiot.”

The World Tree, who was so terribly clueless, literally shut its mouth at the clown’s brutal response.

“Master. I have a favor to ask.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Before you summon Arcana, who will become your younger sibling, can I take the 『King’s Scar』?”

“Huh? The King’s Scar? What is that…? Ah!”

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『Iron Meteorites – The King’s Scars』

It is a giant meteorite that fell on the continent about 80,000 years ago. The meteorite itself had a comb-like pattern called Widmanstatten, was magnetic, and had a density so high that it could not be considered a rock.

This special meteorite was infused with the last essence of a forgotten king, giving it a density and strength that is inexplicable as a mineral.

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That was the name of the meteorite discovered in the Craft region, the land of artisans that I stopped by on impulse before stopping by Moderato.

An unknown mineral that even the dwarves could not properly identify. However,

“That meteorite has already disappeared?”

“I know. That’s because I was the one who brought the power of the meteor at my brother’s request.”

“Huh? That arcana card that was shining on the meteorite back then! Was that you?”

“Yes. Wasn’t it ugly?”

“No?”

“Hehehe. We’ll meet the Master soon.”

“But as I said before, that meteorite has already disappeared?”

“Yes, I know. Instead, isn’t there something left after the meteorite disappears?”

There were things that came to mind when I heard the word “remaining”. A rusty scrap iron sword that I couldn’t confirm even with the “God’s Eye” and an unidentified mineral.

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『The Light of Life』

[Information not available]

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He tried to manifest the “Divine Eye” again, taking out what he wanted from the magic bag, but as expected, what he saw was the same as before.

Even to the point where it says that the characters are unreadable and that the information cannot be accessed.

“A moment.”

Justice approached the scrap iron sword that had been placed on the floor, looked at it with a hazy gaze, and then opened his mouth.

“Το ξίφος της νίκης. Λάβετε μόνο Master σας.”

It was a language that was incomprehensible, similar to a song and a magician’s casting.

“This is the spirit language. Master.”

“Spirit language?”

“Yes. That is also the language used by ancient spirits.”

“’Ancient Spirit Language’. Just the name alone makes my head spin.”

A smile appears briefly on Jingbeol’s lips as he recites a song-like spell in a playful ‘truth’ before disappearing.

“If we were to interpret what Justice just said, it would be something like, ‘Sword of promised victory. Welcome your only master.’ ”

“That’s… … ?”

I wanted to ask what that was. Even though I heard it as a common language of the continent, and not just the name itself, it was an extraordinary ancient spirit language, so I couldn’t understand it at all.

but,

Chiring―.

There was no need to ask any more questions as I listened to the golden card floating in the air making a pleasant sword sound.

Information about Arcana was already entering my head. Memories of an unfortunate past that had to become Arcana.

“The ruler and ruler of the King of All Armies. Muhae (無解)! The first to leave his mark on the supreme power. Manifest yourself at the call of the sword.”

That’s why I didn’t delay at all. I had to grant Arcana’s wish, which seemed to be whining and urging her to be summoned.