The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

72. In Search of the Demon Sword (4)

The stench of blood pierced my nose.

In the center of the wide chamber, shrouded in blood-red mist.

A blood-red sword bound in chains was embedded.

“Long time no see.”

I smirked as I looked at the blood-red sword.

The first time I came here, I was trembling with fear at the overwhelming pressure emanating from the demon sword.

Recalling memories of my past life, I approached the demon sword with a leisurely stride.

“How have you been?”

Clank, clank, clank!

The sword trembled as if responding to my call, like meeting an old friend again.

No, it wasn’t just “as if responding,” it was actually responding to my words.

Begging me to free it from this place immediately.

‘Beskal, the Blood Archbishop.’

The demon sword Beskal was created by sealing a cruel demon who had taken countless human lives during the Demon War 500 years ago.

“Alright.”

I approached the chains binding the sword.

Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank!

The demon sword showed even more intense movement.

“What, you want to be freed?”

I couldn’t see a face or hear a voice.

But I could almost picture Beskal, trapped in the sword, desperately pleading.

“Fine. I’ll set you free.”

Clank, clank….

Did it not expect me to say I would free it so easily?

The demon sword watched me with a wary movement, rather than a tremor of joy.

“Don’t be scared, man. I’ll really set you free.”

I drew the sword from my waist and infused it with magic.

A gray aura wrapped around the blade, and a faint flame flickered like a mirage.

It was a weak flame compared to when I used ‘Incarnation’ or ‘Ignition.’

‘This much is enough for now.’

I swung the sword at the chains binding the demon sword.

Sun Sword.

Third Form, Light Cut (光切)

Kaaang!

The horizontal slash collided with the chains binding the demon sword.

The powerful chains that had sealed the demon sword for a long 500 years were cut effortlessly.

Rumble!

The entire cavern shook as if an earthquake had struck.

[Hehe… Hahahahahaha!]

A maniacal laugh echoed in my mind.

It was not the deep voice I had heard before entering, but an unpleasant voice that sounded like scraping metal.

[Finally…! Finally, I’m free from this accursed seal!]

A terrifying energy spread through the surrounding space.

The force was so overwhelming that it didn’t feel like it was trapped in a sword without a body.

“The cave will collapse, man. I know you’re excited to be free, but calm down a bit.”

[You…]

The sword that had been stuck in the center floated into the air.

[Hehe. Thank you, human. Thanks to you, I was able to break free from the long seal.]

Rumble!

The blood-red mist that filled the cavern gathered around the sword.

The sword floating in the air transformed like a slime, forming the shape of a blood figure.

“As a token of my gratitude.”

In the thick scent of blood that twisted my nose.

The yellow eyes formed on the face of the blood figure looked at me.

“I shall grant you the honor of becoming my new vessel.”

Unlike before, the voice now echoed aloud.

A voice filled with sticky desire and murderous intent reverberated in my ears.

“Ha, how predictable.”

I sighed deeply as I gazed at Beskal, formed from writhing blood.

“Why is it that you haven’t changed at all?”

“…What? Before?”

A question arose in Beskal’s eyes.

“If you mean before… Could it be, you know Reynald?”

“Huh?”

“Kuhuhu! So that’s it! No wonder I felt that b*stard’s faint presence within my domain, you were his lackey!”

Could he have sensed Yuren, who was sound asleep in the tent by now?

Beskal shouted at me, exuding a thick killing intent.

“…The ‘before’ I mentioned wasn’t that.”

I swallowed a bitter smile and gripped my sword.

The ‘before’ I spoke of.

Memories of my past life flashed through my mind.

‘The mercenary group I spent years with was annihilated by this guy.’

After a month of searching, we discovered the secret chamber of the ruins and, as per our commission, unsealed the cursed sword.

The result was annihilation.

All the mercenaries, except for me, were absorbed by Beskal, turning into a pool of blood.

‘I was so scared back then, I even wet my pants.’

Erasing the memories that remained as a dark history, I gripped my sword.

‘Well then, let’s see.’

A formidable foe I couldn’t even dare to face in my past life.

A monster that was nothing short of a nightmare.

‘Let’s see how much I’ve changed.’

A blazing gray aura.

I put more strength into my grip on the sword and kicked off the ground.

Boom!

With a heavy vibration, the surrounding background stretches out.

In the blink of an eye, I reach Bescal and slash my sword down.

Kaaang!

Clashing gray and crimson.

The fierce wave of power reverberates through the cavity.

Kagagagagak!

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A fierce exchange of blows at a speed difficult to follow with the eyes.

In the tense clash between gray and crimson, it was the crimson that was first pushed back.

“Krugh!”

A groan escapes from Bescal’s mouth.

His body, made of blood, couldn’t withstand the impact and shook violently like a stone thrown into water.

“Indeed… you have the skill to be arrogant!”

Bescal, who had staggered back, shouted fiercely and stomped his foot.

From his body made of blood, long tendrils of blood extended like tentacles.

At the ends of the blood tentacles, sharp, glistening fangs.

Dozens of fangs aimed at me and shot from all directions.

Shushushushushuk!

Instead of avoiding the fangs shooting from all directions, I threw myself forward.

Focusing my magic on the soles of my feet, I stomped roughly.

“Berald’s Martial Arts.”

Earth Shaker.

Kururururung!

The floor of the cavity shattered, and a wall of earth made of rock fragments surged up.

The crimson fangs shooting from all directions were swept away and bounced off the wall of earth.

“What the…!”

Before the astonished cry from Bescal’s mouth could continue.

Puh-uh-uhng!

My fist, filled with magic, struck Bescal’s abdomen.

With a sound like an exploding shell, the blood that made up Bescal’s body scattered in all directions.

But only for a moment.

With a gurgling sound, the hole in Beskal’s abdomen, as large as a head, rapidly regenerated.

“Ugh…! This level of attack doesn’t affect me…!”

“Really?”

Well then.

There’s no choice.

“Just keep smashing until it works, right?”

Berald’s Martial Arts.

Sky Shattering.

Boom!

Beskal’s body exploded once again.

I didn’t stop there and continued to swing my fists in succession.

Boom! Bang! Pow!

“Ugh! Gah! Grrr!”

Beskal’s body, unable to keep up with the regeneration speed, gradually shrank in size.

“You, you damn brat!”

Gurgle!

The blood that made up Beskal’s body surged and spread wide, forming a blood-red sword that floated in the air.

“Die!”

The blood-wrapped demon sword rushed at a terrifying speed.

I aimed my sword at the demon sword rushing with immense force.

“Bloom.”

Sizzle!

With a sound like burning flesh, ashen smoke poured out from every pore of my body.

The flames that had been wrapping around the blade flared up fiercely.

Sun Sword.

Seventh Form, Radiant Ring.

A ring of fire formed, wrapping around the blade.

The ring of fire spun fiercely, continuously amplifying the magic power forming the ring.

And then.

Kwarurururururung!

A thunderous roar shook the entire cave.

The demon sword, which had clashed with the ring of fire, was pitifully flung away and embedded into the ground.

[Im, impossible….]

The voice of the demon sword, whose body made of blood had completely vanished, echoed in my mind.

[How… how could this happen!]

Even though he was in a state where he couldn’t use his full power, trapped inside the sword, he was once the ‘Archbishop of Blood,’ a pillar of the demon army.

He hadn’t been defeated this miserably even by Reynald, the one who had trapped him in this sword, and now he was overwhelmingly defeated by a mere youngster who seemed barely over twenty.

[Who, who are you…?]

Vescal’s blade trembled as he looked at Dale.

Dale, without uttering a single word, took a step towards the sword embedded in the ground.

Thick, gray smoke descended.

Flames blazed along the gripped blade.

Through the gray ashes, eerie green eyes glinted.

[Oh, don’t come!]

Vescal, forgetting his dignity as the ‘Archbishop of Blood,’ screamed pathetically.

He twisted his body desperately to escape from Dale, but his body was trapped in the sword.

The demon sword embedded in the ground rattled violently.

[I said don’t come!]

Ignoring the desperate scream that echoed.

I grabbed the demon sword embedded in the ground.

“Geez. Noisy as ever, then and now.”

I poured the primordial fire into the gripped demon sword.

[Kraaa! S-stop!]

The death throes echoed in my mind.

The primordial fire that flowed into the demon sword ravenously devoured Vescal’s consciousness.

About five minutes passed.

Shiiiiii.

The gray smoke that had been emanating from my body gradually faded, and the flames that had been engulfing the demon sword died down.

No more voices came from the demon sword.

After confirming that Bescal’s consciousness had completely disappeared, I lifted the blood-red, glistening sword.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

In my previous life, how much had I struggled to erase Bescal’s consciousness from this cursed sword?

‘I really thought I was going to lose my body to this thing back then.’

The blessing of resurrection didn’t just regenerate physical death.

Mental death.

In other words, the moment my consciousness was completely taken over by mental domination, the blessing of resurrection could restore that consciousness to its original state.

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Using that, I fought a nearly year-long battle against Bescal’s consciousness, which was trying to take over my body, and finally succeeded in completely erasing his consciousness from the cursed sword.

‘But this time, I erased Bescal’s consciousness in just five minutes.’

It was a moment that made me realize just how much I had changed from my previous life to now.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I would win this easily.”

Even though Bescal was sealed within the sword and couldn’t use his full power, I didn’t expect to defeat him so overwhelmingly.

“How strong have I become?”

I frowned as I looked down at my body, still faintly emitting ashes.