Chapter 84: Chapter 84

It had been three days since Karnak and his party left the royal capital, Drunta.

In a desolate rural village, dozens of outsiders appeared.

They were the 1st and 7th Battalions of the King’s Order, who had immediately begun tracking the cursed sword as soon as they arrived in the Zetelva region.

Their search led them to the village where the cursed sword Mareda had carried out its last massacre, and they began tracing its path from there.

The village was littered with dried bloodstains.

The soldiers grimaced as they passed through severed bodies and scattered human flesh.

“Horrible.”

“Looks like at least dozens of people died.”

Jiken surveyed the surroundings and asked, “Are all the villagers here dead?”

A woman in her early 30s with brown hair answered his question. She was Meili, a 2nd-class inquisitor of the 1st Battalion of the King’s Order and a priestess of Katerra, the goddess of fire and struggle.

“There are about ten survivors. They’re being protected at the nearby Saisha temple.”

“So it didn’t manage to kill everyone.”

In the early days of the cursed sword’s appearance, there had been many cases where entire villages were annihilated, leaving no survivors. It was because they hadn’t had time to flee.

To the villagers, unaware of the danger, it was nothing more than a ragged girl staggering toward them, holding a sword far too large for her.

Who would think to run away from such a sight?

If they were kind-hearted, they would approach the pitiful girl to help, and if they were wicked, they would approach with ill intentions.

Either way, they would end up as prey for the cursed sword.

But now, the entire Zetelva region was gripped by terror, and people fled in fear at the mere sight of the girl with the cursed sword.

“No matter how powerful the cursed sword’s abilities are, it couldn’t possibly catch every villager fleeing in all directions.”

Jiken turned his head to look at a girl clad in the robes of Latiel. She was originally a subordinate of Karnak, a 2nd-class inquisitor of the 7th Battalion named Millia.

“Inquisitor Millia, assist Inquisitor Meili in the pursuit.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the order was given, the two women, accompanied by ten soldiers, headed out of the village.

They were tracking the cursed sword Mareda’s movements by identifying the traces of darkness left behind throughout the village.

Looking at those remaining, Jiken continued.

“We’ll follow them at a distance. Everyone, stay on high alert.”

***

The 1st and 7th Battalions continued southward, tracking the cursed sword Mareda.

The pursuit progressed smoothly.

The traces of darkness were extremely strong and continued without pause.

The traces were so distinct that even a 2nd-class inquisitor could easily follow them.

Their progress was so unhindered that Serati couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

[Are we really following it correctly, Lord Karnak?]

[We’re doing fine. Why?]

[It’s just that it seems too easy.]

[There’s nothing strange about it.]

From the moment one becomes possessed by the cursed sword, all reason and intelligence are lost. The wielder becomes nothing more than a being wandering in search of blood and slaughter.

[That’s just how cursed swords are. They don’t hide from anyone.]

The reason they hadn’t been able to stop it before was that everyone it encountered had been killed, not because it couldn’t be found.

[Even the 5th Battalion found it easily. The problem was what came after.]

[True.]

[Don’t worry. That man Jiken is doing a good job. This should wrap up without too much trouble.]

As the 1st and 7th Battalions moved southeast for about half a day, Meili and Millia, who had been leading the pursuit, returned to report. Both women had tense expressions.

“We’ve located the cursed sword Mareda, Sir Jiken.”

***

Beyond the small hill that overlooked the plains, a sparse forest stretched out before them.

The girl with the cursed sword was hiding within the shadows of the forest.

She sat under a thick tree, crouching as if to avoid the sunlight, her body curled up as much as possible.

“Is that her?”

Surveying the target, Jiken gave his orders.

“Everyone, form a perimeter.”

The 1st and 7th Battalions spread out, positioning themselves throughout the forest.

It was a strategy nearly identical to the one used by the 5th Battalion. It was a typical tactic when dealing with necromancers or undead monsters.

When facing necromancers or undead creatures, it’s dangerous to recklessly charge in with sheer numbers. Monsters that feed on human blood can recover their strength and powers by devouring allies. Weak attackers would only be a hindrance.

That’s the reason the elite King’s Order was established in the first place.

But that cursed sword Mareda was comparable to a Purple Knight in terms of its current capabilities. Even members of the special forces like the King’s Order would be considered weak against it.

Only powerful aura users and high-ranking mages were worthy of directly facing the cursed sword.

Still, unpredictable variables could arise, so the remaining soldiers formed a perimeter to apply pressure.

As the perimeter was completed, two men drew their swords and stepped forward.

One was Trib, a blue aura user and vice-captain of the 1st Battalion. The other was Harris, a red aura user and Jiken’s adjutant.

With the addition of Jiken, a 7-circle mage, and Meili, a 2nd-class inquisitor, the elite members of the 1st Battalion were assembled.

Jiken, holding his magic wand, looked back at Karnak and Serati.

“We’ll take the lead and scout the area. You two move according to the situation.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll stand by.”

Both of them were also strong enough to directly confront the cursed sword—after all, they were a 6-circle mage and a Red Knight.

However, sheer numbers alone didn’t guarantee success. If they acted without coordination, they might end up getting in each other’s way.

Thus, they agreed to maintain the perimeter and wait, only stepping in if the balance shifted or danger arose.

As for Baros? He wasn’t even mentioned since he wasn’t an aura user to begin with.

“Ah, this is frustrating,” he muttered to himself.

Drawing their aura swords, Trib and Harris approached the tree stump where the girl was sitting.

The girl remained motionless. But the cursed sword was different.

Vvvvmmmm…

The sword vibrated, emitting a bizarre resonance. Laughter echoed through the air, faint and eerie.

A chilling, mocking laugh.

Hehe…

Darkness began to rise around the cursed sword.

At the same time, the girl moved.

It wasn’t that the girl stood up holding the sword, but rather the sword lifted her into the air as it hovered.

‘The evil aura is getting stronger,’ Jiken thought, his tension rising as he stroked the tip of his wand.

With the example of the 5th Battalion in mind, they couldn’t act recklessly.

“Let’s see how it reacts.”

Vast amounts of mana flowed through the magic formula, manifesting into the present world as a spell.

Flames erupted from the tip of his wand, and the blazing fire swirled in midair, forming a vortex.

“Flame Strike!”

A massive pillar of fire pierced the center of the forest.

An enormous explosion began to shake the entire forest.

Boom!

***

Explosive flames surged from all directions. Serati grumbled as he shielded his face.

“Why use a fire spell in the middle of a forest…?”

It could easily lead to a wildfire.

But Karnak didn’t seem concerned.

“He must’ve known what he was doing. No way a 7-circle mage wouldn’t have considered that.”

Sure enough, the towering flames vanished in just a few seconds.

Only the spot where the cursed sword had been was reduced to black ash, while the rest of the area remained untouched.

From the start, the spell had been cast with follow-up measures in mind.

Perfect control over the concentration and destruction of the magic, without any unnecessary waste of power.

Flawless skill.

Unfortunately, it missed.

“Tch!”

The girl soared through the black smoke.

She didn’t appear to be injured. It seemed she had managed to evade the strike just in time.

“Ahahaha!”

The girl burst into laughter and charged straight at them. Jiken raised a shield and shouted.

“Trib! Harris!”

The two were already moving.

“Hup!”

With a short shout, Trib’s blue aura sword danced in the air.

His blue sword light clashed repeatedly with the cursed sword’s dark energy, creating piercing sounds.

In the midst of the chaos, Harris aimed for the girl’s back.

He approached carefully, focusing intently on the flow of all the energy and currents around him.

‘Never let your guard down.’

The 5th Battalion’s aura user had been a Red Knight, just like Harris. If they had lost their lives so easily, how could he afford to relax?

After ensuring a safe distance, he calmly launched his red aura sword.

“Take this!”

Blue, red, and black lights intertwined, creating a chaotic whirlwind of colors.

The continuous sound of explosions and clashing metal filled the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After successfully halting the cursed sword’s movements, Jiken and Meili stepped forward.

Swinging his wand, Jiken cast an ice-type spell.

“Freeze! Fall from the sky! This is the command of the king who rules over winter!”

Countless icicles formed and rushed toward the cursed sword.

Each time, a black aura surged up, shattering the icicles, sending dazzling fragments scattering in all directions.

But it didn’t end just by breaking them.

The shattered fragments clung to everything within range, freezing whatever they touched.

The surface of the cursed sword began to freeze as if covered in fog, and the girl’s movements started to slow.

Of course, this also affected Trib and Harris. The cold made them sluggish as well.

But they had a priest at their side.

“Katerra, bestow the blessing of struggle upon those who fight!”

A holy light washed away the cold from both of them.

Freed from the ice, Trib and Harris began to press their attack even harder, raising their aura.

“Hyaaaah!”

The intense battle raged on.

Indeed, the cursed sword Mareda was strong. Despite the relentless assault from all four of them, it did not retreat and continued its fierce offense.

Yet, Jiken felt a sense of relief.

The girl with the cursed sword was alone. Meanwhile, the King’s Order still had plenty of reinforcements left.

‘At this rate, we shouldn’t have any major problems.’

Perhaps frustrated by the lack of results, the girl with the cursed sword suddenly leapt back and let out a strange laugh.

“Kya-hahaha!”

At the same time, her eyes flashed menacingly.

Two beams of sword light shot towards Trib and Harris.

But the outcome was different.

“Hmph!”

“Not a chance!”

Both of them easily blocked the attack with their aura swords.

Unlike earlier, the cursed sword Mareda had been significantly slowed by Jiken’s ice magic. The two of them were more than capable of stopping the sluggish sword light.

The girl tilted her head in confusion, as if puzzled by the outcome.

Then, she started laughing even louder.

“Hahahaha!”

Sensing the time was right, Jiken shouted.

“Karnak! Serati!”

It was the signal for them to join the battle.

Until now, they had been held back to avoid any potential miscoordination.

But after observing the fight for a while, it was clear that both were skilled enough to sync their movements with the others.

Without hesitation, Serati unleashed her aura and leaped into the fray.

“Yes!”

With her joining the battle, the previously even balance was broken.

Under the barrage of aura-infused sword strikes from all sides, the girl with the cursed sword began to falter.

Her skin tore, blood flowed, and black energy seeped out, staining the surrounding air.

Yet still, she laughed.

“Hahahaha!”

It wasn’t out of confidence, but rather because her mind had completely snapped.

Karnak stepped forward, gripping his wand.

“I call upon thee, eyes of the sky, to pierce through the earth…”

Just as Karnak was about to cast his spell, something unexpected happened.

The girl’s laughter suddenly stopped.

“…”

It wasn’t just that she stopped. She was staring directly at Karnak. The look of shock on her face was clearly reflected in Karnak’s eyes.

Suddenly, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Kyaaaa!”

Everyone was taken aback. It was an entirely unforeseen reaction.

“What the—?”

“What’s going on?”

Her piercing scream echoed through the forest. The girl, trembling all over, stepped back.

“Aaaah! Aaaah!”

Then, without warning, she launched herself into the air. In one swift motion, she leaped over the perimeter and headed toward the far side of the forest.

It was a clear attempt to escape.

“Ah, damn it!”

Only then did Trib come to his senses and attempt to give chase, but it was too late.

The girl with the cursed sword had already vanished beyond the forest, disappearing completely.

Those left behind could only stand there, staring blankly at where she had fled.

“…”

With a bewildered expression, Jiken asked, “What on earth did you do, Lord Karnak?”