[In addition to 'Caliburn's Blessing,' more than ten other powerful blessings are temporarily granted.]
['Blessing of Blood' has been applied.]
['Blessing of Destruction' has been applied.]
['Blessing of Darkness' has been applied.]
['Blessing of Regeneration' has been applied.]
['Blessing of Absorption' has been applied.]
...
[Magic power surges explosively.]
[Physical strength surges explosively.]
[Regeneration ability surges explosively.]
[All attacks are now imbued with 'Darkness' attributes.]
...
...
“Wow...”
I couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation as the overwhelming power of the demonic sword surged through . I hadn’t expected it to feel this intense.
‘These blessings are terrifying...’
If the Holy Sword’s blessings focused on protection and defense, then Caliburn's abilities were centered around raw personal power and destruction.
Particularly, ‘Caliburn’s Blessing’ was on a completely different level than Tyrfing, in terms of sheer strength.
[Caliburn’s Blessing] ◈ Able to sever 'demonic' entities.
◈ Compresses a portion of severed magic into the demonic sword, 'Caliburn.'
◈ When compressed magic exceeds a certain threshold, the skill 'Doomblade' can be used.
◈ All stats receive a significant boost.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I realized how perfectly Caliburn could replace Tyrfing. Even though the trial had shown so unsettling things, the rewards were undeniably worth it.
Whoosh.
I swung the sword lightly, feeling its imnse power in my grip. With this kind of strength, I was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ confident I could defeat Lowen without even resorting to Limit Break.
‘This truly is a magnificent sword.’
Though it was a demonic weapon, everything from the finely honed blade to the perfectly balanced grip was impeccable. To simply call it a legendary sword would be an understatent—it was far beyond that.
‘And it’s even stylish...’
“...yo.”
Caught up in the excitent of wielding such power, I almost missed the faint whispering voice in my ear. Furrowing my brow, I focused on the strange sound that barely reached my senses.
“...scared...”
A voice—soft, timid, and trembling.
"...I'm scared..."
A girl’s voice, weak and frightened, echoed in my ear, as though she was about to cry.
‘Hmm?’
"...I’m too scared to speak..."
The voice trembled, almost on the verge of tears, and I looked around, puzzled.
‘Strange...’
There shouldn’t have been anyone here besides . Mikhail and Shuen were still up above. So where was this voice coming from?
Yet, the voice continued, soft and hesitant.
"...I’m too scared... the woman is scary..."
I closed my eyes and focused, thinking perhaps a lost child had wandered into the area by mistake. I sharpened my senses, ready to help if needed. But then...
"...the other won are scary too..."
I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh when I realized the source of the voice.
"...this man is scary too..."
The voice wasn’t from a lost child or a wandering soul.
It was coming from the demonic sword I held in my hand.
Smiling awkwardly, I glanced at the sword, my mind working through the implications.
‘So, it has an ego.’
Personally, I never liked wielding swords with egos. They were often intrusive, loud, and sotis difficult to control. It would be annoying to wield a weapon that constantly tried to talk or get in the way of my decisions. It wasn’t my preferred type of weapon.
Many legendary weapons were said to have egos, but that didn’t change my personal preference.
"I'm scared..."
And to make things worse, this particular ego sounded like a timid girl, shivering as though she were trapped in a dark place.
"...the won are terrifying."
Her voice was so ek and nervous that I couldn’t help but sigh.
"Uh..."
"They’re not even monsters, but they barged in... and cornered ... hitting ... so terrifying..."
"And the new owner... what kind of past do you have? I haven’t t anyone in centuries, but it felt like my head would explode..."
"I thought I was the most miserable being in the world, but... you’re even more pitiful."
‘Uh?’
"I just want to hide."
I wasn’t sure what to say. This demonic sword seed to have a lot of baggage.
It was clear the sword had an ego—one that had been through a lot. I frowned but chose to ignore the chatter for now.
Talking to it seed pointless in its current state, and it clearly wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
‘I’ll ask later.’
Maybe I could ask if it was interested in gaining a physical form or sothing. After all, wielding a sentient sword could get complicated. I vaguely recalled stories about alternatives, and as I mulled over those options, I nodded and glanced up at the sky.
"Commoner...! What are you standing around for! Hurry up and co back!"
"Ricardo...!"
Gathering my thoughts, I braced my legs and jumped toward the surface, making sure not to keep them waiting any longer. Given the circumstances, they were probably terrified because of the Apostle. I needed to reassure them.
‘How much ti has passed?’
It felt like hours had gone by. I’d witnessed so much during the trial that I couldn’t be sure how much ti had actually passed.
The mories of the lady, Yuria, and Mikhail... there had been so much. If I added up all the incomplete scenes I hadn’t seen through to the end, it could’ve been much longer than I thought.
I just hoped it hadn’t been too long...
Arriving at the surface, I was greeted by the worried faces of Mikhail and Shuen, their eyes filled with concern.
With an awkward smile, I greeted them.
"I’m back."
"..." "..."
"Haha..."
"Do you even know how worried we were?!"
"That’s right! You didn’t respond no matter how much we called out... we were so scared!"
"Haha, I’m really sorry. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this."
I turned to Mikhail, figuring he’d be more reliable in answering my question than the pouting Shuen.
"Uh, Mikhail... how long was I holding the sword?"
"Huh?"
"I’m worried about how much ti has passed."
After all, I still had to check the situation with Ellicia and Temperance, and I needed to find Lowen and plan an escape.
Mikhail, wiping away his tears, shyly answered.
"It’s only been about five minutes."
"...What?"
"Five minutes."
I blinked, stunned. I’d thought at least an hour had passed. Letting out a laugh, I shook my head.
"Only five minutes..."
Even though it had only been that short, I’d experienced a whole range of emotions.
Once Mikhail confird I was fine, Shuen, cheeks puffed with frustration, approached.
"Commoner!"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any idea what happened?!"
"Haha..."
"When you grabbed that demonic sword, strange energy surrounded you! My heart nearly stopped ten tis!"
"I’m sorry."
"Reflect on it! Do you know how worried we were?!"
"I don’t have any excuse for that."
Still fuming, Shuen sighed and shook her head.
"At least you didn’t get consud by the demonic sword... but wait..."
"..."
"That sword."
"Yes."
"It’s a demonic sword, isn’t it?"
Looking at the sword in my hand, Shuen raised a massive question mark above her head.
"You brought it with you?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Ah."
Glancing at the now-quiet sword, I replied,
"I was lucky."
"..."
"There’s nothing wrong with —no dark magic, no ntal disturbance."
"Hmm."
"..."
"Hmmmm."
Sensing I might get scolded again, I quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way, this demonic sword’s na is Caliburn. Have you heard of it?"
"..."
"I figured soone as smart as you might know."
Shuen’s eyes widened, and she muttered.
"Caliburn?"
Did she recognize the na? Hearing the demonic sword’s na, Shuen rushed over to examine it closely.
"I don’t know."
"...What was that reaction for, then?"
"It just seed interesting."
"...?"
With an innocent grin, Shuen explained.
"I’ve heard the na Caliburn before."
"..."
"It was ntioned in an old book from when heroes still existed. The book talked about a vampire nad Caliburn—said to be the progenitor of all vampires. But that’s all I know."
A vampire, huh?
I glanced at the demonic sword, Caliburn, wondering what kind of story it carried.
Was it truly a sword connected to a vampire, or was it just coincidence?
Though Caliburn remained silent, one thing was clear—it had a complex history.
"I don’t know."
At any rate, I’d found the Holy Sword, obtained the demonic sword by chance, and now all that remained was to make it back safely.
But then—
"Huh...?"
The Holy Sword began to tremble.
As the massive vibrations shook the Holy Sword, I saw the confusion and concern on Mikhail’s face. He was clearly baffled by its sudden behavior.
"Mikhail...?"
"Um, hold on... just give a second."
Mikhail awkwardly smiled, trying to play it off, but soon sighed heavily and muttered.
"It’s..."
"Yes?"
"The Holy Sword..."
"Yes?"
"It’s... cursing a lot."
"Cursing a lot...? Wait, what?"
Mikhail lowered his head, exasperated.
"It keeps screaming to destroy the demonic sword."
"Ah..."
Bzzzzzz.
Bzzzzzzzz.
And just as Mikhail finished speaking, the demonic sword began trembling as well.
Well.
‘...’
Neither of these swords seed entirely normal.
And—
ZZZZZZZZZZZT.
It seed their battle had only just begun.
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