Book 1 Chapter 170

170

Clang-! Clang-!

On that day too, Dewenno was making weapons as usual.

Inside a deserted cave.

Relying on a magic lamp, Dewenno continued his work in silence.

Risinas and Luna were deep in sleep due to the long battle.

Wrapped in blankets, the two showed no signs of waking up, even to the loud hammering.

This place was in the heart of Erebus's territory.

Their nerves must have been on edge.

Even under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult to sleep, but the two women showed no signs of waking.

They were simply leaning their shoulders against each other, their heads resting together in deep slumber.

Their fatigue must have been that accumulated.

'In a way, it's a desperate situation.'

Whoosh-!

Watching the rain fall outside the cave, Kyle scowled.

It was a rain that was irritating just to look at.

As he glared hatefully at the black rain that seemed to drain life force, he heard,

"It's because of me."

"……?"

Kyle looked puzzled by Dewenno's sudden words.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Arion."

His hammering stopped.

"If the sword hadn't broken, Arion wouldn't have lost his life."

Dewenno's voice trembled slightly.

Dewenno was a blacksmith, and Arion was a warrior.

Arion had used the weapons Dewenno made the most, so the trust between the two in the party was deeper than anyone else's.

Moreover, Dewenno and Arion were not just simple friends.

While Risinas, the party leader and the oldest, had lived deep within the dragon's domain for a long time, her worldly experience was lacking even compared to Kyle.

Luna was a lady who had devoted herself solely to magic studies.

Kyle, having worked as a mercenary, had a lot of worldly experience, but it wasn't diverse.

Unlike them, Dewenno had rich worldly experience.

He was a bard who praised beauty and explored the world from a young age.

Despite often bickering with him as a perverted eccentric, Dewenno was the only one who could be called an adult in the party.

Arion, the youngest in the party, relied heavily on Dewenno.

Dewenno's hands trembled.

"If my weapons were a little more… sturdy… if they could have withstood Erebus's attacks…!"

Drip- drip- sizzle-!

Hot tears streamed down Dewenno's face.

The falling teardrops evaporated on his large hands.

Dewenno's weapons were born from powerful flames.

Therefore, Dewenno was a user of powerful flames.

But Dewenno didn't like his own flames.

The essence of fire was destruction.

For Dewenno, who loved the beauty of the world, it was an unwelcome characteristic.

"What the hell is beauty! If I had been more competent! If I had focused more on making weapons! Arion wouldn't have… wouldn't have become like that…"

Dewenno did not cry in the face of Arion's death.

He possessed the strongest mental fortitude among the party members.

In a desperate situation, he maintained his composure and silently became the pillar of the party.

But finally, that emotion burst forth now.

Watching Dewenno tremble, Kyle clenched his teeth.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Kyle clenched his fist tightly.

"Arion and I have had our lives saved countless times thanks to the weapons you made."

Kyle looked directly at Dewenno.

"If you don't believe in yourself and blame yourself, what does that make Arion, who trusted you to the very end… what does that make me?"

"……."

"You need to pull yourself together. All that's left before us now is to move forward, no matter what."

"……Right. But Kyle."

Clang- Clang-

Dewenno started hammering again.

But his expression was still heavy.

"Weapons are born from flames."

"……."

"And the source of Erebus's power is an unquenchable flame."

Clang- Clang-

The sound of striking weapons echoed throughout the cave.

"Can the weapons made with my flames really… withstand Erebus's power?"

Dewenno's voice was filled with anxiety.

Flames are always devoured by stronger flames.

The anxiety that Kyle might die because his weapons couldn't withstand it.

Even a dwarf with a steel-like mentality could be broken before an immortal flame.

"I won't die."

"……?"

"And as I said earlier, I will trust you to the very end."

Kyle showed unwavering trust.

"No matter how I think about it, you're better at making weapons than works of art."

Kyle smiled.

"You said the beauty you create is immortal, right? Then the weapons made better than your works of art must also be immortal."

"It's amazing how you've grown, you with such a crude personality."

"……Now you're finally acting like yourself."

Kyle let out a hollow laugh.

"Yes… my works of art are immortal."

Dewenno's reddish-brown eyes gleamed as he looked down at his weapon.

Clang-! Whoosh-!

Bright yellow flames flickered with Dewenno's hammering.

"Then… can the weapons I make also become immortal?"

***

Clang-! Grab!

Kigoros shattered the display case and grabbed Dewenno's sword.

Goooooo-!

"Oooh!"

The magic swirling around Kigoros's body began to strengthen.

Hummm-! Hummm-!

The sword made by Dewenno began to resonate as if harmonizing with Kigoros.

'What is this? Why is the sword made by Dewenno reacting to that guy?'

Dewenno's weapons, in a sense, could be considered the opposite of Tartarus.

Weapons made to defeat Erebus and Tartarus.

Objects imbued with the will and essence of a blacksmith like Dewenno.

They were supposed to bring ill omens to demons, but he was gaining strength by holding them.

"With this, I, King of Curses Kigoros, shall be resurrected!"

Kigoros's presence began to solidify.

It was proof that he was gradually regaining the power of a corps commander.

'Whatever it is, the sword is clearly empowering that guy. He can't be allowed to hold the sword!'

If he regains the power of a corps commander like this, Leo will have no way to stop him.

Leo unleashed his magic.

Flash-!

Kigoros's eyes turned to Leo.

Instantly-!

Crack-!

Leo heard a sound like something cracking in his mind.

Thud-!

Leo's face contorted.

"You're alive despite suffering that much curse? You. Are you really a first-year brat?"

Kigoros looked incredulous.

'Curse.'

In an instant, hundreds of curses struck Leo's body.

Starting from low-level curses to high-level ones.

Leo quickly removed the curses with cleansing magic, but he couldn't counter curses he didn't know or those that were suppressed by powerful forces.

'There's a limit to responding with just cleansing magic.'

Leo and Kigoros were on a completely different level.

Technique alone could no longer suffice.

'Is the corps commander going to be resurrected like this? Right in the center of Lumern?'

Tartarus was aiming for this.

'What should I do?'

Just as Leo clenched his teeth.

Hummm-

Leo's left arm glowed.

It was the Folium, obtained as a reward for conquering Luna's world.

But this Folium was merely an empty shell brought from the hero's world.

Yet, the Folium, which should have had no power, was now shining.

Leo's eyes widened.

A refreshing light green.

It wasn't aura, magic power, or spiritual energy.

It wasn't mana either.

'Divine power?'

It was the power of a god Leo had never met before.

'Fiboa?'

The light momentarily turned grayish.

It was a power Leo knew.

'My power?'

More precisely, it was Kyle's power.

That power then took form.

Whoosh-!

It became bright yellow flames.

"Cough?"

At the same time, bright yellow flames flickered from Dewenno's sword, which Kigoros was holding.

'Dewenno's flames?'

Fwoosh-!

"Aaaaaagh!"

Dewenno's flames spread to Kigoros.

Kigoros writhed in pain and violently threw the sword away.

Clang! Sizzle-!

The sword slid towards Leo.

"You sword saint! What did you do to the sword!"

Kigoros roared in fury.

'No. It's not like the principal did anything.'

Leo looked down at his hands.

'The sword reacted to Dewenno's will.'

All weapons made by Dewenno were imbued with his will and flames.

Those flames had awakened.

'It reacted to my power.'

Leo inherited the essence of Dewenno's power.

Dewenno, who was loved by flames, also had strong resistance to them.

At the final moment, Dewenno passed on the essence of his flames to Kyle.

But that essence of flames had disappeared when Kyle died long ago.

'Knowledge remains, but power doesn't, which is natural. But.'

Dewenno's flames were resurrected in Leo's hands.

'Fiboa must have done something to the Folium.'

The god Leo met in Luna's world.

He must have done something.

Leo bowed his head.

Grab-!

Whoosh-!

The bright yellow flames burned even more fiercely.

But the flames did not affect Leo.

Dewenno hated his own flames.

Because destruction was the essence of fire.

But…

'Fire doesn't necessarily mean only destruction!'

Despite hating flames, Dewenno wanted to bring benefits to the world with their power.

As he held the sword, he felt as if the voice of the grumbling dwarf elder was echoing in his ears.

'Lying down for just that much? My weapons would weep.'

'Thank you, Dewenno.'

Dewenno, the divine blacksmith.

A peculiar dwarf who was more interested in creating beautiful works of art than weapons.

Dewenno, who spread beauty to the world and wished to be remembered as a great artist for future generations, ultimately failed to achieve his dream.

Setting aside art, the only anecdotes known about Dewenno were that he created the strongest weapons.

'It can't be helped.'

Thump-

Dewenno's flames burned away the curse.

'Because of you, I was able to fight until the very end.'

Dewenno's flames were eventually extinguished by Erebus.

'Your weapons… didn't break even against that damned black flame.'

But the weapons he forged with those flames…

'I could entrust my life to them until the very end.'

The will he left behind did not break until the very end.

Kigoros's eyes turned to Leo.

The power Fiboa left in the Folium did not grant Leo new power.

It merely awakened Dewenno's power, which Kyle had possessed long ago.

A miracle connecting past and present.

But that alone could change nothing.

"Leo Flove! Hand over the Sword Saint's sword!"

"This sword?"

Leo smiled and readjusted his grip on the sword.

"If you want it, I'll give it to you."

Whoosh-! Kaaagaagaagaak-!

"……!"

Kigoros's eyes widened.

From the bottom of the sword's body to the tip,

It glowed golden and transformed into an incredibly beautiful sword.

Beautiful patterns were embroidered on the blade.

"What is that…!"

"Let me correct one thing."

Leo smiled.

"This sword is not the Sword Saint's sword."

Thwack-!

Leo gripped the sword firmly.

Sharrrrreuk-!

Golden wings enveloped the sword.

The magic sword, awakened after thousands of years, unleashed powerful magic.

The golden sword made by Dewenno.

This sword was not a weapon for a great hero.

It was a masterpiece Dewenno painstakingly created for the other heroes assisting the expeditionary force.

Leo called its name.

"Demon Slayer."

Kaaagaagaagaak-!

As if responding to the call, the Demon Slayer emitted an even more intense light.

Flash Kaaagaagaagaang-!

Leo threw the sword.

The Demon Slayer, enveloped by golden wings, pierced Kigoros.

Kigoros, unable to even scream, vanished through the wall of the Grand Library.

Looking at the hole in the wall of the Grand Library, Leo scratched his cheek.

"This is going to be a mess."

He had aimed for the entrance where there were no books, but the professors would surely foam at the mouth if they saw it.

"The principal will cover for me."

Leo chuckled and checked his physical condition.

"Master!"

Arti, polymorphed into human form, ran to Leo.

On Arti's head sat Fiora.

"You're amazing! You look like a handsome young man, but your inner toughness… And your bold touch! I think I chose a great master to serve! *Slurp*-"

Seeing Arti wipe his mouth with his arm, Leo muttered inwardly.

'Whether in my past life or now, why is there always a pervert around me?'

Leo sighed and created a summoning circle.

"Go back for now."

"Huh? But Lumern is in danger."

"Now that I've dealt with that, there shouldn't be any major crisis, and… there's someone I need to meet. It's an order. Don't argue and just follow it."

At Leo's words, Arti, who had been hesitating, clutched his heart with a gasp! and returned through the summoning circle.

Left alone, Leo left the Grand Library.

***

"He fled."

Kalian said impassively as he landed on the first floor of the Tower of Heroes.

The fragment of Silatuna that had been blocking Kalian, after a brief fight, had fled.

It had literally revealed its identity for a moment to stop Kalian.

'What exactly is it aiming for?'

Kalian narrowed his eyes and looked up.

Flash-!

The moment he recognized a golden light flashing, a sword flew and lodged itself at his feet.

Thwack-!

Kalian's eyes widened as he saw the sword.

'Clesis?'

His beloved sword, which he had wielded since his youth.

It was an old sword from the moment he first got his hands on it.

But it had never broken and was a powerful sword imbued with immense mana.

Now, his beloved sword was before him, looking as good as new.

It was a sight Kalian, its lifelong owner, had never seen before.

Surprised, Kalian reached out.

Kaaagaagaag-!

The sword seemed to have lost its magic and returned to its original form.

Kalian's eyes twitched as he sensed the residual mana on the sword.

'Leo Flove?'

He could tell that Leo was the last person to wield this sword.

'What in the world happened?'

Just as Kalian looked puzzled.

Whoosh-! Kaaang-!

Something flew and embedded itself in front of Kalian.

The Sword Saint blew away the dust with his aura as he looked at it.

And his eyes twitched.

"Kigoros?"

"Sword Saint…!"

Kigoros's eyes widened.

"Why are you alive?"

"Cough!"

In response to Kalian's question, Kigoros tried to retreat urgently.

Even though he was old, the Sword Saint was still the Sword Saint!

He couldn't contend with his current strength.

'I almost succeeded.'

"I don't know how you're alive."

Goooooo-!

The Sword Saint's aura flickered.

"I have no intention of letting you live."

The Sword Saint indifferently swung his sword from bottom to top.

Hwaak-!

At that moment, the air seemed to split.

The few steps between Kalian and Kigoros.

The air split in a straight line.

Kigoros's eyes widened.

He felt his vision blur for a moment.

The corps commander who dreamed of resurrection thought.

'It's the end.'

So futilely.

His chance of resurrection was gone.

Pwah-!

Blood splattered.

His blurred vision turned towards the sky.

He saw the sky, split as if clouds had been cut.

'He's become even more of a monster, Sword Saint.'

***

"I thought the timing was perfect."

Thump- thump-

Silatuna grumbled, leaving behind the Lumern, which had become chaotic due to the sudden demonic invasion.

He thought the timing was perfect.

'Do I need to plan everything perfectly like Hell Kaiser?'

But that wasn't his style.

Silatuna was a corps commander who preferred to crush everything in front of him rather than scheme.

"With this, the King of Curses is completely finished. And all the effort put into Lumern is also over."

For this operation, he had used all his chess pieces within Lumern.

It was impossible to exert influence within Lumern any longer.

"A shame."

Silatuna licked his lips and smiled.

'It's not that there were no achievements. The Sword Saint is definitely weakening.'

The end of the most threatening hero was near.

Just knowing this was a great gain.

'First, I need to return to the main body and deliver the information…'

"Where are you going?"

"……!"

At the voice from behind, Silatuna narrowed his eyes and turned his head.

"Hmm? A milky-mouthed brat has arrived."

Leo smiled at Silatuna's sneer and said,

"Long time no see, Silatuna."