Chapter 170
「Intruder! Intruder!」
Abraham rushed out of the room while shouting .
And when I followed him out of the room, lots of soldiers have gathered .
In the corridor after leaving the room, soldiers attacked at the same time from both sides .
They poked using their spears which were twice longer than an ordinary one .
I split those spears into two at the same time with the Demon Swords and killed several soldiers at the same time after jumping sideways .
『Okaa-san, it’s a match』
『Umu, I shall show you my career as a Demon Sword』
I advanced while covering myself with aura, and Eleanor and Hikari who released that started to count again .
The two of them counted like a game of tag and enumerated as if to sing .
And while hearing that song, I continued to cut down soldiers after soldiers .
「Eii! The enemies alone!」
「Captain!」
「Receive this Triple Attack!!」
Someone that looked a little stronger than ordinary soldiers appeared, but I brought him down with one slash .
That guy that was a little stronger was counted as “1” by the mother and daughter .
When I continued to advance, I found Abraham .
He got stunned seeing me, then continued to run away .
He said something to the soldiers while running away .
『Oh?! Their morale increased』
「I killed a lot of them already though . Why so?」
I doubted, but immediately understood .
「That traitor huh」
「Our future’s bright as long as we defeat that guy」
「I’m going to defeat him, I’m going to defeat him!」
It looks like Abraham gave them carrots .
The eyes of the soldiers became bloodshot and challenged me .
There were ten-odd spears . They pierced as if to cover my whole body .
「How naive」
I cleaved Eleanor and crushed all of their spearheads and chopped the soldiers ahead with one slash using Hikari .
『I’m sorry while you’re having a killing . Don’t forget the goal』
「I know」
I told Eleanor and closed my distance with the soldier who looked like he’s about to run away anytime .
I placed the blades of the Demon Swords to his neck and threatened him with a low voice .
「Where’s the King? I’ll let you off if you tell me」
「Hi, Hi, Hi……」
「Hi?」
「Hi……ii……i……」
The soldier fainted just like that .
The white of his eyes is showing and foam were coming out of his mouth . Looking carefully, a yellow stain had spread on his crotch .
『You threatened him too much』
『Otou-san, you should hold back〜』
「Mu! That’s quite difficult」
Holding back physically is rather quite simple . If I do a sword rush using the Demon Swords, I can cleanly shave off all the hair in their body even if they’re desperately resisting .
However, how can I hold back something spiritually? How can I control the level of my threat?
I don’t know .
I don’t know, so I just decided to try many times .
I caught another soldier and threatened him . This time, he went into a frenzy that made him almost insane and resisted .
I cut him down and threatened another one . He fainted again and foamed .
After doing it several times, I finally found someone who can answer properly .
「H-His Majesty is in the Winter Palace」
「Winter Palace? Where’s that?」
「If you go outsideーーyou can tell」
After saying just that, that soldier fainted as well .
He means that it’s a building that I can tell with just a look when I go outside?
If so, then I should go outside .
I paved a bloody path, cutting down soldiers while the mother and daughter Demon Swords continued to count .
Their resistance became fiercer, but I continued to advance without a care about that .
After I left the palace, I understood what that soldier from earlier said .
Although it looks a little blurry from this far away, I can see a splendid structure .
It’s a little blurry as if I’m looking at the other side of the cloud, but it’s the one that looks like a “palace” with one look .
I see, that’s the so-called Winter Palace huh .
I walked towards the direction of the Winter Palace .
More soldiers came and the surroundings already looked like a battlefield .
I advanced while cutting them down .
『Otou-san!』
『To your right!』
「ーー!!」
Soon after I heard Hikari and Eleanor’s warning, a slash came from the right .
I blocked using Hikari . The clashing sounds deafened my ears .
I counterattacked with a sweep using EleanorーーI cut through the air .
The man that launched a surprise attack instantly took distance .
That’s right . It’s a man .
It’s a man with long hair, holding a long thin sword . His eyes were closed and his ear is faced towards my direction .
The air around him shows he’s not someone simple . It looks like it’s an opponent that I could leave my guard down with .
「Who are you」
「Xeno Phon」
Xeno silently named himself . His calmness made him feel different from the others .
「You evil being, you shall not advance from here on」
Evil being huh .
「Sorry, but I’ll stick around」
「If soーーthen die to my blade」
Xeno’s appearance blurredーーhe appeared behind me soon right after .
He suddenly appeared behind me and released a slash .
I turned around while swinging the Demon Swordsーーbut he was no longer there .
「I know!」
*Gakiiーn!!*
With a reverse grip, I blocked the slash that came flying straight behind me .
Guys like these are always doing this .
They’d appear behind me, then appear behind me once again with a slash .
It’s skillful, but a common pattern .
「……Secret Skill」
「Mu!!」
「Seal Demon Sword」
I instinctively kicked the ground and jumped back .
Xeno did not follow up an attack .
The instant I landed, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyebrows .
The dark aura that the mother and daughter Demon Swords released and enveloped me .
That aura that represents the Demon Sword Wielder was “eaten” .
Only at the place where Xeno’s attack passed through, it was chomped off like an eaten cake .
And, it does not regenerate at the part where it’s eatenーーno .
『It would take more than ten minutes to regenerate』
『Uu……it’s difficult〜……』
It looks like it would take time to return it back to normal .
It made Eleanor take ten minutes . It also made it difficult for Hikari .
Just that makes that secret skill amazing .
「To think that my Secret Skill would be dodged」
「You’re quite good」
「However, it is now clear with this . Even if it’s you evil being, you are nothing but an evil being」
Xeno was assured that his secret skill works . However, he did not have negligence nor arrogance .
『He is quite something』
It was enough to impress even Eleanor .
「……I’m coming」
I exchanged slashes with Xeno .
He released his secret skill and my aura was eaten again, but I counterattacked with the Demon Swords regardless .
Xeno evaded at the last moment, but he had a deep wound on his neck, blood was spurting out from it .
Even so, he did not care at all . He raised his sword, facing his ear towards me .
「……withdraw, you’ll die if this continues」
「That might be true」
「If so」
「However, I am indebted to the King . It’s a huge debt that even seven lifetimes cannot pay all of it . That is whyーーI shall not withdraw」
Xeno attacked once again .
The match was already decided . He has both speed and power, but it’s only a tenth of mine .
That secret skill was troublesome, but it’s nothing since I know that it can be evaded .
I dodged his incoming slash, took Xeno’s back faster than he could, and made him lose consciousness with a blow .
『Aren’t you kind? The opponent’s a man you know?』
「It’s just a whim」
I left Xeno there and continued invading towards the Winter Palace .
However, a man that looks like a knight appeared before that .
「He got defeated huh, he’s nothing but wordsーー」
I instantly killed that knight . I closed the distance with a breath and chopped him with sixteen slashes .
「Lesser than a small fry」
I spat out and continued ahead .
I cut down soldiers, advanced, and arrived at the Winter Palace .
When I stepped inside, a monster appeared this time .
In the palace garden, the ground was opened, and a dragon the size of a semi truck appeared from there .
『O-chan? U〜n, it’s different』
『It’s a lesser dragon . A beast that only lives with its instincts . If you ask the higher species, they’re called as damn lizards . By the way, its called Scale Dragon』
Hikari who tilted her head and Eleanor who explained .
The Scale Dragon attacked!
It swung down its front feet and shook the ground . A hole that was as huge as a cave’s entrance was made .
「Is that all!」
I caught the dragon with my regenerated aura, closed the distance, and cut off its two heads at the same time .
Fresh blood gushed like fountains and its huge body collapsed, making the ground tremble .
I stepped over that and entered the palace .
I caught several soldiers and threatened them without being able to hold back and asked where the King is .
I walked towards there .
『Mu?』
「What’s the matter?」
『Don’t you feel like their resistance have weakened?』
「Now that you mention it」
I didn’t notice until Eleanor told me .
『It’s clearly weakening……on top of that, it’s intentional』
「Are you saying it’s a trap?」
『Nine out of ten』
「It means, a fake king is there huh」
『Most probably』
I advanced while talking to Eleanor .
I reached the king’s room . I cut down the soldiers protecting it from the outside and entered .
There is a huge bed inside the luxurious room .
An old man that looks like a skeleton is sleeping on the bed .
「Is he dead?」
『It looks like he’s alive』
『Mu?! That’s……the real King huh』
「You know him?」
『In the past, just a little』
「It wasn’t a fake one huh . Well, whatever . It’s the real one right? I’ll take him away then」
I said and approached the king, but the instant I came to the side of the bed, a magic circle spread through the ground .
Imprisoned by the magic circle, my body won’t move .
『It’s a trap!』
「What is this?」
『Tartarus . One of the strategic class magic circles . Originally, it is meant to be used against a huge army』
「Against a huge army you say?」
『When it activates, it would devour everything within its distance and vanish them without a trace . I have heard from humans that it’s expensive and rare』
「Something like thatーー」
The next instant, my vision became dark .
A torrent of tremendous strength is pushing towards me .
It’s a strength that I’ve never experienced before .
I endured the strength that was pushing against me .
It feels like I’m about to get devoured and crushed to pieces .
I endured thatーーI endured while protecting King Aegina with my aura .
『Otou-san! It’s dangerous, so let go of that person!』
『Hikari』
Hikari panicked, but oppositely, Eleanor was calm .
『Okaa-san?』
『Remember this, a condition of becoming a good woman is to not deprive their man’s high point』
Don’t make me laugh, Eleanor . You’re always butting in .
However, that’s right . And it would be great if you would keep yourselves calm and don’t do anything .
I took a deep breath . I gathered strength to my core .
I used all of my strength and gripped Eleanor and Hikari tightly .
I shall endure, and protect!
Finally, that strength started to pull back .
The light also dissipated and the magic circle sinks .
My vision that turned dark returned to normal .
With the surroundingsーーa part of the palace crushed .
Only the ground which was a one-meter radius around me, and the bed where King Aegina was asleep was intact .