0.01 Second Sword Master

189

0.01 Second Swordmaster Chapter 189

“Hmm······.”

Eltih was fiddling with the crystal ball in front of him, lost in thought.

“Should I go······ or not······.”

Recently, too many things had happened to Aslan.

The people he cherished were killed and torn apart by demons, and that rage must be piercing the heavens.

Someone had to stay by his side to comfort him.

But I couldn’t bring myself to take that step.

“What should I say when I get there?”

Since this was the first time, Eltih felt clumsy with everything.

He didn’t even know what to say when he faced Aslan.

It seemed that before, he had watched him without a second thought, but at some point, it became difficult to look directly at Aslan.

I felt unnecessarily shy, and I wasn’t used to the anxiety of worrying that my feelings might be discovered.

“Your Majesty. Please, just go.”

“······Huh?”

At that moment, a servant who had been quietly watching her from behind stepped forward and spoke.

“You’ve been pondering alone for several days now, haven’t you?”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Everyone here, including myself, knows. You want to go to the Verak Empire. You’re contemplating meeting Emperor Aslan, aren’t you?”

“······.”

Eltihe looked at the servants with a flustered expression.

“Is it that obvious…?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

“Ha. Then I absolutely cannot meet Aslan. If that scoundrel sees me like this, he will figure everything out, won’t he?”

“He has probably already figured it out. Emperor Aslan is the embodiment of Rahal, isn’t he? Is there anything in this world he wouldn’t know?”

“Y-You mean he knows everything?”

“Yes. With how openly you display your feelings, who could possibly be unaware?”

Eltihe seemed at a loss for words and bit her lip.

“Your Majesty. The more you hesitate, the stronger you must be in your heart.”

“Yes. So, stop worrying here and boldly confront it.”

“Is there anyone as beautiful as you, Your Majesty, who would suit Emperor Aslan as a queen?”

“B-but I am your queen. I cannot just marry recklessly…”

“Ah! What are you talking about! Just because you become the Empress of the Verak Empire doesn’t mean our Elves will perish.”

“That’s right. Put those thoughts aside and please live for your own life!”

Eltihe blinked in surprise at the unusual demeanor of the servants.

Could it be that, just as they said, she should challenge herself for a new life?

“······!”

It was at that moment.

Eltihe’s previously unfocused eyes sharpened again in alarm.

“Intruder.”

“Yes?”

“A powerful mage. Who could possess such strength…?”

She snapped her fingers and instantly teleported to where the magic was felt.

And there,

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“Gah!”

Elves were caught by black tentacles, being drained of all their vitality and magic.

The moment she saw that, Elthih’s veins throbbed with rage.

“What in the world is happening right now!!”

The magic in her voice was powerful enough to tear apart the tentacles clinging to the elves. That was how furious Elthih was.

“Oh dear. You arrived sooner than I expected, Elthih.”

“You…”

Elthih instantly recognized the one devouring the elves.

“Rylakan… No, was it Terkana, who stole that fool’s body?”

“To have your name remembered by me is an honor.”

“Don’t think for a second that you’ll escape this place safely after putting my people in such a state.”

“Ah, don’t worry. I can’t just ignore a place overflowing with prey. I will devour you and every elf here to infinitely increase my power.”

“Before that, I’ll kill you first.”

Elthih gathered the power of the spirits in her hands and hurled it toward Terkana.

KWA-BOOM-!!

But Terkana didn’t even dodge the incoming attack; she charged straight through it toward Elthih.

CRACK-!!

The body of Terkana, who had seized her arms, was no longer human.

A long, black tail like a lizard sprouted, and her face began to transform into that of a monster.

“You’ve completely become a monster.”

“Cough, cough. Isn’t it beautiful? The form of one with omnipotent power?”

“You madman.”

KWA-BOOM-!!

In the elves’ forest, black magic and blue magic clashed, causing a massive explosion.

* * *

[Pendant of Omnipotence]

– Maintains all effects granted by the pendant while adding new effects.

[Power of Destiny]

– You are destined to be a hero.

– It eliminates the cooldown of all skills.

Eliminating all cooldowns.

What could that possibly mean?

Every time, I could only use my momentary power twice.

But now, it removes that limitation, allowing me to use it infinitely.

As long as I wear this pendant.

“······.”

I stepped into the vast, empty plain, still wearing the pendant.

I had intended to go alone, but in these turbulent times, my knights and subordinates insisted on following me, claiming they couldn’t let the Emperor venture out alone.

“······Then stay here. You must not come any closer. You could get swept away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I left the knights far behind and soared into the air, my cloak billowing behind me over the plain.

“Then for now······.”

Shall I start with a light sword strike?

Swoosh-!!

I swung my sword lightly, sending a wave of energy slicing through the air.

And once more, again and again.

I continued to swing my sword without stopping.

Boom-!!

The ground was crushed and split apart, creating steep cliffs across the vast plain.

“Is this… really happening?”

It wasn’t a lie; it was real.

No matter how many times I unleashed the momentary power, there was no cooldown.

“Then······.”

I reached my hand upward.

In response, a Black Meteor screamed into existence.

Boom-!!

The Black Meteor I hurled down exploded at the base of the cliff, shaking the entire land. I decided to create another meteor.

Originally, this power could only be used once a day, but now, it seemed that limitation had completely vanished, as another meteor formed in my hand.

“Uhhahaha!”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

It felt like I had finally broken free from the chains that had been constricting me, and I was experiencing true freedom.

This sense of liberation!

It was the greatest climax I had ever felt.

It was then, while I was laughing like a madman.

[Who dares to awaken me from my slumber?]

A heavy voice echoed from the abyss below the cliff.

Soon, a massive hand reached out, revealing the ancient being that had been buried down there.

[Ilakasus]

A name I had heard a few times.

Yes. An ancient monster said to appear in myths.

I had never seen it in a game, but I had only heard tales of it sleeping somewhere.

And now, that destructive being had opened its eyes.

However,

“I have awakened you.”

I was no longer afraid, as I once had been.

“If you wish to return inside now, I will pretend I didn’t see you.”

[How insolent of a mere human. You are nothing but dust with a single breath of mine… Cough!]

Ilakasus could not finish its words.

Because the dozens of blades I had unleashed had not only cut through its body but had completely crushed it.

“Tsk. Pathetic.”

The flesh that had been torn into hundreds of pieces scattered and fell in all directions.

I conjured flames and instantly incinerated all the pieces it had dropped.

‘Yes. This is the game.’

This overwhelming power!

This omnipotence!

In that moment, I realized.

There was truly no one in this world who could stand against me.

‘This is manageable.’

It seemed that there was no longer any need to fear the power of Terukana.

* * *

“Haah— Haah—”

“What a persistent one.”

Eltih lay slumped against a massive tree, bleeding.

Around him lay the corpses of elves, scattered everywhere.

Terukana was absorbing them, replenishing his strength.

Yet, the more he drained the power of the elves, the more his human form faded, transforming into an increasingly grotesque monster.

“In the end… a creature that cannot even control its own power has become trapped in endless desire.”

“Perhaps. But I have no regrets. Your power will be put to very good use.”

Fwoosh—!

“Cough—!”

Eltih spat out a mouthful of blood onto Terukana’s hand, which was plunged deep into his chest.

“He will surely… judge you.”

“Heh heh. Isn’t that why I’m taking your power right now? Just wait a little longer. Aslan will be sent to your side as well.”

Eltih’s sharp gaze, fixed on Terukana, did not waver even after his breath had ceased.

“This is Eltih’s core of magic.”

The core of magic that signifies the pinnacle of Eltih’s power.

It was superior to any force he had absorbed until now.

Terukana took Eltih’s core of magic and swallowed it whole.

A fierce power surged through his veins, as if his body would burst, and he was completely transformed into a demon.

“Khuhuhuh.”

As Terukana reveled in that intoxicating power, he suddenly heard a voice.

“O great king of hell.”

He turned to see who had spoken.

There stood a group of dwarves.

“What a bunch of unappetizing creatures. Who are you?”

“We are the reclusive ones who wander across the continent. We are the Lusen tribe.”

“The Lusen tribe…”

Terukana recognized the name.

The nomadic people possess the eyes of wisdom and are exceptionally skilled at predicting future events.

They have such a lack of presence and build that most of the time, even after having seen the Lüsens, they cannot remember them.

“What do you want with me?”

“We are a people who have lost the flow of the times. We have come to pay our respects to the one who will become the master of the continent.”

In short, they believed that Terkan would seize control of the continent, and they wished to open a path for themselves in advance.

“Everyone is shouting that Aslan is the ruler of the continent, but you are different.”

“Of course! That Aslan is a fraud. The entire continent is being deceived by him. He is neither the avatar of Rahal nor does he possess omnipotent power!”

That statement piqued my interest.

“What do you mean by that?”

“We have eyes that penetrate the truth of others. We have observed Aslan several times in secret, but there was no trace of Rahal in him. Moreover, he does not possess omnipotent power. Of course, he has very powerful skills, but that is all. Even then, there are limitations to their use; he could only use them twice.”

This was information I had never considered.

“Now that I think about it…”

There were times when Terkan had felt something was off while observing Aslan. There were clear opportunities to capture him, yet he had let them slip away.

In fact, hadn’t Terkan just let him escape?

At that time, I had thought it was Aslan’s arrogance, but in reality—

“Was that all there was to it?”

As this thought crossed my mind, Terkan couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“So you’re saying we’ve all been deceived by Aslan all this time?”

At that, the Lüsens dwarves smiled.

They believed they had provided Terkan with very useful information.

“If what you say is true… then I have no reason to delay any longer.”

Terkan burst into a fit of giggles and began to unleash his dark magic.

That magic bound the bodies of the dwarves.

“T-Terkan-nim?”

“I will make your useless bodies useful.”

“!?”

The screams of the dwarves echoed loudly.