The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

72. Ghost Sword Rebecca (5)

The Hunter Association is known as the representative organization that opposes the Demon Association, but that’s only on the surface.

The Hunter Association is strong. It’s the guardian of humanity, fighting against the otherworldly creatures that invade through the Gate.

Therefore, dealing with demons is secondary.

The Hunter Association’s main goal is to fight against monsters and prevent the demonization of this land. The Demon Association is just an obstacle in their way, not their main enemy.

On the other hand, the organization optimized for capturing demons is the Divine Church.

Unlike the Hunter Association, the Divine Church is a specialized organization that deals with evil, and it has been fighting demons since before the Demon Association was established.

Naturally, they have accumulated expertise in the process, and what I’m holding now is the representative artifact of that.

“Si-on, Esper-ant…!”

I cover the Ghost Sword’s face with the cloth. The Ghost Sword resists fiercely.

Iana, who was once called the Ghost Sword of Grandel, was killed by Rebecca’s hand. Her physical body was destroyed, and only the remnants of her soul remained, attaching itself to her younger brother Rebecca.

Now, Iana von Gaussfeldt Grandel, who has taken over Rebecca’s body, is a soul without a physical body.

Iana has truly become a Ghost Sword (劍鬼).

And the Divine Church is an organization that excels at dealing with such demons. The Divine Church’s exorcism rituals and tools, which are used to cast out demons, are effective against the current Ghost Sword.

“Do you have the confidence not to regret it? I can offer you what Rebecca cannot. I can tear apart the Esper-ant Duchy or the Grandel Grand Duchy, and if you want, I can go beyond that with you.”

But this is not enough.

Although I covered my face with the sacred cloth, the resistance of the demon king still did not subside.

On the contrary, the demon king pushed my arm away. Even in a weakened state due to the debuff, its power far surpassed mine.

That’s why I released the rosary in my left hand and pressed down on the sacred cloth. I didn’t use brute force but rather the opposing attribute to suppress it.

I am not a priest of the Holy Church. I’m only standing here with Isabelle’s help.

Therefore, I have no qualifications. Everything I’m doing is arrogant and profane, no different from a fake’s actions.

I have no qualifications to exorcise, no ability, and no technique.

However, by borrowing Isabelle’s power, I can now draw out Ad’s power.

Even if it’s just a faint imitation, it’s enough to eradicate the impure thing in front of me.

“…In the name of Ad, the god of light, I command you.”

“If I die, Rebecca will die too.”

“Disappear.”

I pressed down on the demon king with even greater force.

The rosary emitted light. The demon king’s face distorted for a moment, and it let out a bitter resentment.

“You can’t save Rebecca. This pitiful holy power is useless. How did I end up back here?”

A blinding light crushed the demon king. A cross-shaped pattern appeared on its body.

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It was a light that burned the soul, not the flesh.

Both my hands were scorching hot, like holding a boiling pot.

The intense holy power was now burning my own body. A sense of burning agony enveloped my entire body.

If I, who am not a mage, am like this, the demon king will be even more so.

At this point, I had already reached my limit. My red-hot hands felt like they didn’t belong to me.

But I couldn’t stop here. Even if I lost both hands, I couldn’t miss this opportunity to subdue the demon king.

“Don’t resist and disappear.”

“You can’t. It’s impossible.”

“Get out of that body… now.”

“With this power… you…”

The light bursting from my fingertips burned the demon king. The stubborn, cockroach-like demon still refused to yield.

“Do you want to get Rebecca back this badly?”

Finally, the demon king’s eyes lost their light. Its struggling body began to subside.

“Why… The you I knew wasn’t like this. You were just a naive, ignorant kid.”

I don’t know what happened between Rebecca and me in the past. Neither does Iana von Gaussfeldt Grander.

All I need to do now is eliminate the demon king that has taken over this body and prevent Rebecca’s death, advancing to the next stage.

It’s impossible for the main characters, but it’s possible for the player.

So I will eliminate you here. I will erase you before you can meet the main characters.

“You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you? You and Rebecca both.”

It was the moment when the light beam completely crushed the demon king.

The duration of 2Gachten’s sacred cloth has ended.

The holy power buff has disappeared.

A emotionless message appeared, and the light that had filled the area began to fade.

The demon king’s eyes regained their vitality. The demon king tried to get up.

…This time, I couldn’t stop it.

“I didn’t die……. I won’t die either……. Even if I tremble and stumble, I’ll stand up straight like I always do.”

The ghostly figure grasped my neck, its grip tightening as if to crush me.

Instead of struggling, I grabbed my Glock and fired a wind-attribute bullet at the ghost, sending it flying.

The distance between us suddenly increased.

Before I knew it, time had passed midnight. Now I could use the bullet of conviction.

The ghost regained its composure and stood up. But it soon felt uneasy, tilting its head.

“Are you going to steal from me too?”

I held another dagger in my hand. It was originally at the ghost’s waist.

It was the second method I had originally intended not to use.

So, I had another means to pull out the ghost, a gift I had given to Rebecca, now in my hand.

“If you don’t stand by my side, you’ll die too, Si-on Esperand.”

The ghost drew its sword. Its red eyes no longer held any mercy. Its expression was still smiling, but its inner emotions were consumed by hatred.

Aiming its sword at me, the ghost said,

“I didn’t want to kill you, but unfortunately, it has come to this.”

The ghost took another step closer.

Without any hesitation, it took a calm and steady step. The ghost was determined to kill me, and so it raised its sword.

But in my eyes, I saw the ghost’s inner turmoil. With each step, the ghost’s weakness was revealed.

…The red waves of energy fluctuated with each step.

Though it didn’t show on the surface and didn’t have any real effect…

The ghost was undoubtedly wavering, and the one controlling it was not the ghost itself, but someone sleeping inside. It was obvious that it was Rebecca.

Click-

As the ghost approached, I loaded the bullet of conviction.

As the ghost charged, I pulled the trigger and fired three shots. The accuracy correction from [Marksman] precisely caught the flying sword, and the bullet hit the hilt.

Ting—

As the bullet casing fell, the sword dropped from the ghost’s hand.

The ghost looked at its hand in disbelief. Its skin was reddened where the bullet had grazed it.

I had already used the Amapho, and the exorcism had failed. Even my trump card, the bullet of conviction, was used to block the sword.

All I had left was the dagger in my hand. Before the ghost could counterattack, I threw my body at it, and we rolled on the floor together.

A bare-handed fight with nothing to rely on.

Rebecca’s physical strength was formidable. With the ghost’s will added to it, I couldn’t overpower her with strength alone.

But as an Esperand assassin, I had mastered bare-handed combat from the basics. The children trained every day with their bare hands, and only later did they wield swords or bows.

It wasn’t about facing them head-on, but about using their trajectory to our advantage.

I dodged the ghost’s grasping hand and grabbed its arm, pinning down its right hand, which was wielding the sword, and blocked the joint movement with my knee.

That temporarily stopped the ghost’s struggle. But since the ghost could easily break free with a light release of magic, I immediately raised my dagger.

It was the moment I was about to stab the ghost with the dagger.

“…You shouldn’t do that.”

The ghost didn’t resist. It stared straight into my eyes.

I thought the ghost was taken aback. The waves reflected in [Hunter’s Insight] were undoubtedly wavering.

But the ghost wasn’t taken aback from the start. It wasn’t wavering either.

Like an adult watching children’s quarrels, I was just observing from a distance.

The sword beneath me could release this restraint at any moment. Even without magic release, if I twisted my body, the situation would be reversed.

“Is there anything else you can do?”

However, in the sword’s gaze, there was a sense of excitement, like an adult enjoying a children’s party.

It was watching me, lying beneath.

The gaze was saying, “Do more.” It was an unsatisfied expression.

“You don’t know anything, Sion.”

The sword’s hand had already escaped from my restraint. With an empty hand, it gently stroked my chin.

“Relying on artifacts is a bad habit. Most hunters who only believe in artifacts end up dying.”

Outside, the storm was still raging on.

Thunder struck, and Arsen’s exterior was reflected. The distorted sky burst out a small fragment. Multiple gates were occurring simultaneously.

“If you use that dagger, you can kill me. But your goal isn’t to kill me, is it? It’s to save Rebecca.”

I held the dagger, looking down at the sword. It was a gaze that believed I couldn’t do it from the start.

“Why do you think the dagger of rebirth is called the dagger of rebirth? If you’ve prepared this much, you must have known it from before.”

Rumble— Crash!

The dark cloud dissipated, and a late lightning bolt split the sky of Arsen.

The sword still wore a smile, gently stroking my chin. It was like playing a mischievous trick, touching my lips with its finger.

“You want the Rebecca before this, not a doll with Rebecca’s body, right?”

One of the two artifacts I had given Rebecca.

The dagger buried in the Raknia Cave was originally an unobtainable hidden piece. It was possible because Rebecca had obtained the hidden piece.

The dagger of rebirth.

The artifact’s effect was, as its name suggests, to rebirth the target.

However, in the process, it would erase what existed before and carve in something new. That’s why it’s rebirth.

It’s not about turning back time to restore the original state, but about removing the rotten parts and filling in new ones.

This artifact’s effect is not about reversing, but about creating.

“You can’t do it, Sion. Like Rebecca did, you’re also important to Rebecca.”

My hand holding the dagger trembled.

If I stabbed the sword with the dagger, I could kill it. I could cleanly eliminate it from this world.

…I couldn’t do it.

If I stabbed Rebecca with the dagger, I could catch the sword, but Rebecca’s personality would disappear. Everything, including her memories, would be erased along with the sword.

That would be equivalent to killing Rebecca.

That’s why I had left this option as a last resort. I didn’t store it in my subspace, but gave it to Rebecca as a gift.

Rebecca had accepted my gift and always carried it with her like a treasured item.

However, the act of stabbing Rebecca with the dagger I had given her…

My hand was trembling to the point of refusal. I felt a strong sense of rejection.

The sword didn’t say a word and didn’t take any further action, just waiting quietly like a child smiling at me.

Like a child waiting to open a gift box.

Like an audience waiting for the next scene.

My patience was running out.

“…It’s pointless.”

The next moment, Geom-gwi twisted his body.

In an instant, my center collapsed. Geom-gwi snatched the short sword from my hand.

It was a rapid series of events, and the action was fast.

I raised my Glock and fired the short sword. That damn short sword would cause more trouble if it fell into Geom-gwi’s hands.

Chaeng-grang——!

The rebirth sword shattered. As it was closer to a delicate glasswork than a practical weapon, it broke into pieces under the magic-infused bullet.

Under the fragments scattered like broken glass, I pulled the trigger again.

But, faster than I could pull the trigger…

“…I told you, Sion.”

Geom-gwi’s sword pierced my chest.

My heart was pierced. Just like the time I experienced it myself, Geom-gwi’s sword, which had sliced through flesh, slowly pulled out.

“If you don’t hold my hand, you’ll die.”

My vision darkened as if the lights had gone out.

My legs lost strength, and I stumbled. The sound of Geom-gwi’s footsteps, growing distant, echoed in my ears.

“…I hope to be reborn in a better place next time.”

Those were my last words, and my consciousness faded away.

***

-…You talked big, but in the end, you died.

-You weren’t even that capable, Sion Esperand. It’s the protagonist’s role to do something grand, not ours as extras.

-It’s really regretful. I thought you could be a good partner.

-Well, goodbye……. I hope to be reborn in a better place next time.

.

.

.

…The voice that was growing distant finally disappeared.

The darkness returned to the small auditorium where the battle had taken place.

There was no sound of voices now. Even the faint remnants of divine power had vanished, leaving only an inky darkness.

Thunder rumbled. The silhouette of Sion Esperand, who had collapsed to the floor, was reflected in the small auditorium.

The faint sound of breathing was about to disappear…

“…….”

Sion Esperand coughed up blood. With a trembling hand, he picked up the Glock that had fallen to the floor.

“…Maybe there won’t be a next time.”

A green light flickered in the darkness.

“For me, this is the last chance.”

He slowly got up. His exhausted body didn’t listen to him, but rather creaked and groaned on its own.

As Sion Esperand fully stood up, something that had emerged from the airspace fell to the floor and shattered.

My pierced heart was reborn.

…A miraculous manifestation through the artifact.

Sion’s breathing stopped, but the Holy Grail shone brighter than that.

There is no second chance. The sacred vessel has been shattered, and it’s impossible to revive it.

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As the gold dissipates, Siyon Esperand walks away from the shattered vessel. His footsteps follow the direction of his bloodline.

[Main Quest: Defeat Rebecca, the Demon]

I saw the main quest floating in the corner of my vision. It still reads, “Defeat Rebecca, who has become a demon.”

‘Demon, Rebecca…’

…No, Rebecca is not a demon.

The enemy I need to defeat is not Rebecca.

‘Iana von Gaussfelt Grandeur… the demon of Grandeur.’

The evil spirit who has taken over Rebecca’s body and is trying to live a second life.

Iana von Gaussfelt Grandeur has escaped. She’s probably still roaming around the student council building, just like she has been until now.

“You… I’ll catch you with my own hands.”

At least you, I will.

With these hands, I’ll catch you.

No matter where you flee, whether it’s outside Arsene or beyond this continent.

…I’ll chase you.

I’ll grab your neck and stare into your eyes.

I’ll eliminate you and bring back Rebecca, who has been sleeping within me.

I’ll return the body you’ve stolen to its original owner.

With these hands, I’ll capture the enormous evil that should never have been born……

The condition has been met, and the additional ability ‘Unyielding Will’ of the ‘Player’ trait has been activated.

An unyielding and strong will begins to take root within you.

Thud… thud……

Siyon Esperand stumbles and exits the small hall. The thunder roars, and the place is now empty.