Chapter 167: Hakoku: Sword of Exorcism

I managed to save Seira from being impaled just seconds before the demon’s sword could pierce her.

If the flaming knight had been here, the situation might have been better. But as I was preparing to move, I sensed that my knight had been defeated, so I hastily teleported to the scene.

I didn’t expect a demon to show up…

As expected, a single flaming knight was no match for a demon. At least a few knights with different attributes should have been there to buy me some time.

The place I found myself in was none other than the Great Shrine, where the Creator God was said to be enshrined — inside the Holy City.

A powerful barrier protected the entire Holy City.

If a warlock tried to force its way through, it would be annihilated instantly.

I was surprised a demon had managed to enter the city as if the barrier were nothing. A chill ran down my spine when I saw him touching Seira, despite her being protected by a barrier far stronger than the one around the city.

This demon had the power to touch Seira.

What a relief that I arrived in time.

That ominous black sword he was about to use on Seira... I had a bad feeling about it.

My intuition told me to destroy it immediately.

First, I tried to remove the demon’s arm that was choking Seira, but... it wouldn’t budge.

Even though I severed it from the demon’s body, it clung to Seira like a curse. I couldn’t pull it off.

I decided to use holy attribute magic to destroy it.

Still, it wouldn’t come off.

Apparently, this demon had developed a strong resistance to holy attribute magic.

Regardless of that resistance, a demon was still a demon. Its weakness was holy magic; there was no doubt about that.

I gathered multiple times the mana I used to annihilate the demons that attacked Seira the day before yesterday, compressing it into an ultra-high density magic suit that wrapped around my right hand. I then used that hand to crush the demon’s arm.

The demon’s arm vanished.

Seira coughed. She could finally breathe again.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes. Thank you so much.”

I cast a healing spell on Seira and gently lowered her to the floor, then pointed Hakoku at the demon.

The enemy was a demon.

I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

He was struggling to regenerate the arm I had cut off.

A tentacle-like mass stretched from the stump of his arm, trying to form a new one, but it couldn’t stabilize.

“Grr, b-bastard!! How did you get here!? And that sword... why does a Sage like you have Hakoku!?”

Eh, Hakoku is a sword of exorcism?

A sword of exorcism could deal serious damage to anything connected to the Evil God — demons, warlocks, the demonic races, monsters, and more.

Its power came from the weapon itself, so even with my [Fixed] status, it still unleashed tremendous force.

I confirmed the demon wasn’t lying as I watched him struggle. He was a high-ranking demon, far superior to a warlock, yet he couldn’t regenerate a single arm.

Heh... I’ve discovered something useful.

From now on, I’ll actively use Hakoku against warlocks and demons.

—Hm? Wait, how did he know I’m a Sage?

“Have we met before? How do you know I’m a Sage?”

“I’m the one asking the questions here!!”

Oops, I must’ve angered him.

“Sir Halt, Duke Ifel is a demon… The person governing Hoy City is a demon.”

“W-what, is that true!?”

I had suspected there was something strange about Duke Ifel, but... I didn’t expect him to be a demon himself.

I had thought he was just working with demons and warlocks behind the scenes — that was the extent of what I imagined.

“T-this demon destroyed the Crystal that has protected the Holy City for thousands of years.”

Tears spilled from Seira’s eyes.

I turned toward the center of the Great Shrine and saw a huge crack in the enormous crystal that powered the holy barrier.

“Bwahaha! That’s right! Soon, ten warlocks and more than a thousand monsters will attack the Holy City. We’ll turn this place into hell!”

The demon’s confidence returned as his arm finished regenerating.

Ten warlocks and a thousand monsters...

Well, I could handle that much.

The real problem was the broken crystal.

I would need her to mend it.

Just as I was deep in thought—

“Kukuku, flaunting that you’re a Sage, but you’ve lost your nerve, huh? Bastard! You destroyed a demon’s possession! I’ll make you pay — a hundred years of suffering! And those women who came with you will suffer too, begging for death!”

Erm… what is this guy blabbering about?

Did I break something?

I’m not really following what he’s thinking.

Actually, my knight series are designed to return whatever mana remains in them to me when they’re defeated.

When I get that mana back, I can relive whatever the knight experienced, but—

I can’t get information from a knight whose core has been removed. The core acts as the knight’s brain, the most vital part of its design.

Hmm, I don’t really understand his grudge, but it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that this guy wants to harm my family.

In short, he’s my enemy.

The demon let his guard down. I teleported beside him and slashed off his newly regenerated arm with Hakoku.

“—Urk!?”

His face twisted in pain as he tried to attack me with his right hand, but I teleported back to Seira’s side.

“T-teleport!? B-bastard, are you a Hero!?”

“I am—”

A Sage.

I was about to say that, but I decided to rephrase it, especially for Seira, who was behind me.

I should let her know that the Hero has returned.

That would give her hope, especially after the despair she felt from the broken crystal.

“I am the Hero who came from another world.”

“—Eh!?”

Seira was shocked.

Just an ex-hero, though.

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt, right?

A hero is someone who has the courage to protect others—

Someone who can give people hope.

I would protect Seira.

I would give her hope.

I said this a hundred years ago. Did she still remember?

I hoped she did.

I repeated the words I spoke when I saved her from the monsters a hundred years ago.

“Let me protect you.”