novelraw Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter 78. Events After the Collapse of the Demon King's Castle (3)
The next morning.
After gathering everyone in one place, I opened my mouth with a serious face.
“I want each of you to give this sword a name that suits it.”
Mammon, the only one of the demons present, said with a bored face.
“Why are you being so serious about something so trivial? Just make something up. Iron Sword sounds good, Iron Sword.”
Anonymous frowned and got angry on my behalf.
“If you’re ignorant, you should just stay quiet. What do you mean, Iron Sword? Don’t you know the saying that before you call it by its name, it is but a single gesture?”
“Oh ho. You seem to be quite the wordsmith. Then why don’t you try naming it first?”
Anonymous, as if she had been planning to do so anyway, said this.
“How about Rex?”
“Rex? Doesn’t that mean king?”
“You’re not a complete idiot, I see. That’s right. I named it with the meaning of the king among swords. How is it, Master?”
Anonymous twisted her body, smiling brightly.
Hmm, it’s not bad, but it doesn’t quite strike a chord.
Then, Noemi raised her hand high and gave her opinion.
“How about Bellus?”
“Bellus?”
“Yes! Since it’s the sword Dad carries, it’s cute. Isn’t it perfect?”
Unfortunately, it’s a rejection.
If I were to translate it, it would be something like ‘Cutie’, but how could I name a sword carried by a man ‘Cutie’?
If I had my way, I would have wanted to name it Hegemon Sword (Sword of the Supreme ) King or Blood Shadow Sword (Blood Shadow Sword), but since that’s a different genre, I couldn’t put it on the list of candidates.
I glanced at Adel.
Adel is the only swordsman like me among them.
She might come up with a cool name.
Did she notice my gaze?
Adel’s lips slowly began to part.
“I’ve thought about it seriously.”
“Yes. Anything is fine, so feel free to speak.”
I gave a kind smile and moved my hand as if to say, ‘go ahead and speak.’
“You can’t laugh when you hear it.”
“Haha. Why would I laugh at something like this. That won’t happen, so speak.”
Adel seemed to hesitate for a moment, then, “How about Ferrum Tempestatis? Since it’s a sword made of Durani steel, I thought it would emphasize the material.”
“……”
The room was silent for a moment.
Ferrum Tempestatis.
It’s just a different way of saying it, but it means the same thing as the Iron Sword that Mammon first mentioned.
Because ‘ferrum’ is iron and ‘tempestatis’ is sword.
With no one offering a name that I liked.
Suddenly, Elliot, who was next to me, gave this opinion.
“How about Balisardo? It’s a sword said to have been used by the great king of the Benedict Kingdom, Charlemagne, and since he was also a Hero, I believe it is a name befitting of Master’s sword.”
Ooh, this is it!
Finally, a plausible name that I wanted has appeared!
As expected of the Head Butler.
Rude said he didn’t know if it was okay to use the same name as a sword that existed before, but what does it matter.
Since it’s a name no one uses now, I won’t be accused of copyright infringement for using it.
I drew the sword from my waist from its scabbard and raised it high into the sky.
It sparkled and was incomparably gallant.
“From today, you are Balisardo!”
Ziiing.
The blade trembled slightly.
I felt that the sword was also very pleased with this name.
Or maybe not.
***
After the naming contest was over.
I caught Mammon, who was about to return to the mine, and asked him about his recent situation.
“Anything unusual?”
“Why would there be anything unusual. Today is like yesterday, and tomorrow will be the same as today.”
Anyone who heard that would misunderstand it as the words of an old man on the verge of death.
I chuckled and thanked him.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me a part of your soul.”
“Forget it. It’s not like I was the only one who gave it. Why make a big deal out of it. Well then, I’m off. Good luck.”
Mammon disappeared with those words.
It was a few days ago.
Noemi had brought Durani steel from the Durani Empire, and we had also secured the Dungeon Core, but we couldn’t obtain a demon’s soul.
Because it was difficult to find demons easily these days.
‘In the game, too, meeting a demon was as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.’
The one I could see relatively often was Mammon in the basement of the Benedict Cathedral.
But I couldn’t just ask Mammon to offer his soul.
Isn’t asking for a soul synonymous with asking someone to die?
But this matter was resolved surprisingly easily.
Because Mammon had brought it up first.
“You’ll be screwed if you just trust the contract. You saw it this time too, right? They’re the kind of guys who will find a loophole no matter what.”
“But we can’t rewrite the contract, can we.”
“There’s something better than that.”
“Something better?”
Mammon shrugged and said.
“Yeah. We take their souls as collateral.”
Huh? There’s a way to take souls as collateral?
The concept of taking souls as collateral itself was unfamiliar.
Mammon chuckled and added.
“You’ve heard the stories of humans selling their souls to demons, right?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“This is it. Demons also have to put their souls on the line so they can’t break the contract.”
“But if you offer your soul, won’t you die?”
“It’s not offering 100 percent, just a part of it.”
“A part?”
“Yeah. As long as we don’t completely break the contract, we won’t have our entire souls taken.”
I was lost in thought.
If what Mammon said was true, this could be a powerful shackle on the demons.
I nodded.
"Alright. If you can handle it, let's do it."
That became the catalyst, and I was able to take the Archdemons’ souls as collateral.
Even the soul of Mammon, who was unrelated to this matter.
Because Mammon had voluntarily offered his soul, saying that it was also his fault for not managing his brothers properly.
Thanks to that, I was able to put the souls of the seven Archdemons into Balisardo, and the greatest sword on earth could be born.
I still can’t forget the dizzying expressions of the disgruntled Archdemons.
Thank you, brothers.
I will use this for a good cause, so don’t feel too wronged, and pledge your loyalty to me for the rest of your lives, just as you are now.
***
Around the time Frank was engrossed in Balisardo.
A rare phenomenon was occurring deep underground in the Demon King's Castle.
Whirl, whirl.
Slither.
At first, the blue light seemed to have the upper hand.
But gradually, the red light began to gain the upper hand and started to expand its territory at a rapid pace.
Soon, as if the boundaries of two different worlds were slowly collapsing.
Soon, their colors seeped into one another, and a deep purple was born.
It was not a brilliant purple.
A murky, turbid purple.
It was so turbid, as if it were to take all the darkness of this world for itself.
Only then could the purple soul open its eyes.
His gaze was directed at his own hand.
‘What happened?’
The hand hidden in the black armored glove was as cold as ice and had a heavy weight.
A cold energy emanated from each finger, and instead of the traces of the warmth of life he once felt, the essence of decay and death had seeped in.
It wasn’t just his hand.
His entire body was enveloped in a gloomy aura, and a cool darkness and ice were intertwined, showing a silent movement.
At that very moment.
A strange memory flowed into his head.
“Ugh.”
Although he was surrounded by rocks on all sides, his body felt no discomfort at all.
Because a huge coldness formed a transparent barrier around his body, supporting the surroundings.
Only then could Nox, who had become the master of the purple soul, grasp the current situation.
“Ha? Did Kaliditas fail to devour me?”
Who was Kaliditas?
A legend of the Demon Tribe and the first Demon King.
He was the first demon that Primus created.
At the same time, the master of the Entrance to Hell, which had frustrated him for the second time after Primus.
He had failed to make his body his own.
And instead, had become a part of him.
“Incredible. His power, his magic, and even his memories have become mine.”
However, Nox was no longer a living creature.
Like Kaliditas, he had been revived as a Lich King.
An incomparably strong power flowed through his entire body.
“Haha! To think I could obtain his power in this way.”
He had clearly been in a situation on the verge of death.
He had been crushed by the suddenly collapsed ruin, unable to move, and was waiting for death…
“Does this mean I was not destined to die like this.”
However, he could recall an uncomfortable existence from the memories of Kaliditas, who was now a part of him.
“The Hero has moved again. How was he able to enter this place?”
Moreover, he was leading an Archdemon that even he couldn’t find.
And even the ancient dragon that had provoked Primus' wrath.
At the amazing power of Anticus, who had subdued even Kaliditas in one go, Nox realized anew how fearsome she was.
“I was acting foolishly, relying on just one magic device against such an existence.”
Primus, Anticus, and the Hero.
It seemed there were too many powerful beings in this world that far surpassed his thoughts.
Nox clenched his fists and muttered to himself.
“This is not enough. I must become stronger.”
To do that, he would need to gather forces.
For example, the ones he saw before entering this place.
In other words, the ones who called themselves the Demon King.
Nox, having hardened his resolve, focused all his power and spread a powerful wave to his surroundings.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The coldness surrounding his body began to push away the rocks at a fierce speed.
At first, it felt overwhelming, but once it gained momentum, it expanded its territory in one go.
In an instant, a huge cavity was created.
That was not the end.
In the space that had been filled with darkness, cool gazes began to shine.
At first, there were only 2 or 3, but soon, over 100 individuals were emitting a bluish glow from their eyes.
Nox had used the corpses buried in the Demon King's Castle.
He had turned them into undead.
The man who seemed to be the leader among them slowly opened his mouth.
“Give your command, Master.”
His name was Asmodeus.
The person Nox had been expecting and the man who called himself the Demon King.
But his power was weaker than expected.
No, it was ridiculously weak.
Nox frowned and asked him.
“How could a guy like you call himself the Demon King?”
The fellow replied with a blunt face.
“Because everyone was deceived by my words.”
“Ha! How absurd.”
“My martial power is insignificant, but my mouth can be of help to you, Master.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Nox looked up at the ceiling with a somewhat disappointed face.
Then he raised his arm and began to push up the ceiling.
Rumble, rumble, rumble. Thump!
After some time.
A grayish sky revealed itself through the gap of a huge hole.
Nox pointed his finger at the sky and shouted loudly.
“We will leave this place. And we will take over the world.”
“Ooooh!!”
Some demons recalled the events of this day in this way.
A huge hole suddenly opened up around the collapsed Demon King's Castle, and from within, a horde of monsters with bluish eyes poured out.
The number was at least over 100 even by a rough estimate.
And the one who came out last was emitting an enormous aura of death.
That power was said to be more intense than any of the previous Demon Kings.