I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 95

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 95

 

The Holy Sword.

 

A sacred sword, and the sword that symbolizes the Hero.

 

A thousand years ago, could there be anyone on the continent who doesn’t know the story of the First Hero who wielded the Holy Sword and defeated the Demon Lord? Johnny had even recently witnessed the Hero cutting down a dragon. He would be one of those who knew the Holy Sword’s majesty better than anyone.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

However, Johnny couldn’t readily touch the Holy Sword.

 

“Well, no…”

“It seems the Demon Lord has invaded the Holy Nation. Can we overcome this without the Holy Sword’s power?”

 

The Holy Sword is the Hero’s sword. Those without qualification would receive Divine Punishment just by touching it.

 

It was a famous story. In fact, there were even jokes that the Hero’s most powerful ability was the Divine Punishment that befell enemies when touched.

 

Even though he was known to the world as a Hero, even though he was acting as a Hero, Johnny was not a Hero. He knew this better than anyone.

 

The moment he touched that sword embedded in the rock to pull it out, the Goddess’s Divine Power would burn him.

 

He couldn’t readily touch it.

 

Even after trying his best for the past few months, his fundamental nature hadn’t changed. Johnny was just a trained ordinary person. He was cowardly and lacked outstanding talent.

 

“There’s still no guarantee that the Divine Oracle was targeting the Demon Lord, is there?”

 

Shtidy, who knew this well, asked. She was blocking Johnny’s hesitant path.

 

The Pope only responded as if it were ridiculous.

 

“Are you discussing the Goddess’s will before me?”

 

Her slightly tilted head and narrowed eyes seemed to ask, ‘How dare you?’

 

Shtidy hurriedly bowed her head and bit her lips.

 

It was a mistake. This was the Holy Nation. A place where the Pope’s words, who called herself the Goddess’s servant, became law. In such a place, to question matters related to the Goddess of all things.

 

“But it’s the truth.”

 

The one who saved her from crisis was Albeng, who had followed supporting the unconscious Saint.

 

A descendant of the First Saint and now holding the position of the Hero’s companion, he spoke with a forced smile.

 

“For unknown reasons, it’s true that the Divine Oracle was incomplete. Moreover, there’s no way the new Hero would have met the qualifications to be recognized by the Holy Sword. Even the Founding Emperor is said to have struggled with handling that thing at first.”

 

Albeng, who had been speaking fluently as if prepared, paused to catch his breath and said.

 

“How about waiting until the Saint regains consciousness?”

 

The Pope frowned as if displeased with Albeng’s words. But soon smoothed her expression and answered.

 

“Well, fine.”

 

The Pope’s gaze turned to the side. Johnny looked where her gaze was directed, but there was nothing there.

 

“It seems we have time to spare.”

 

* * *

 

Not far from the platform, a cleverly hidden passage was visible.

 

I thought it might have been worth the trouble of pushing through the crowd to get here, but that wasn’t quite the case either.

 

“What kind of paths are these…”

 

There wasn’t just one or two.

 

Was this what an ant’s nest was like? Several passages were visible, their destinations unknown. There were quite a few to examine by entering each one individually.

 

-That way.

 

It was then that the Demon Lord reacted.

 

-I can sense the Greater Demon’s Horn.

 

The Greater Demon’s Horn…?

 

I had been thinking it would be hidden in the depths of this Papal Palace, but the situation was quite strange. Could they have noticed its true identity here in the Holy Nation, the Religious Order’s headquarters?

 

It would be reasonable to think that the Pope and the others had headed to where the Greater Demon’s Horn was hidden, rather than the other paths.

 

Though I thought it might be a trap, I moved my steps without hesitation.

 

“…This is the right way, isn’t it?”

 

How far down did this go? The passage was dark and long.

 

-Well, did I sense it wrong then?

 

Completely opposite to my initial thought of finding an escape route, I was going deeper and deeper. But thanks to that, even without the Demon Lord’s words, I was convinced this was the right place.

 

Surely ahead of here, in some form or another, the Greater Demon’s Horn would be there.

 

How many minutes had I been descending? When even the commotion from above began to feel quiet, I finally reached the end of the staircase.

 

“….”

 

It was a strange and bizarre place.

 

The bone-chilling cold was understandable, since it was a cave-like location. The ominous feeling was only natural too.

 

But it was dark.

 

Though this should have been the most natural thing of all, it bothered me the most.

 

The staircase leading down here had been dark too, but there were lights installed at intervals that made it not difficult to see ahead. However, as if the space was separated, complete darkness had settled beyond a certain point.

 

Was it safe to enter? In such an incomplete state? I hesitated, unable to take a step forward carelessly.

 

I had the illusion that the Demon Lord was mocking me. I couldn’t stay here like this forever.

 

“The Greater Demon is….”

 

I recalled what the Demon Lord had said. What humans feared most in the Mythical Age. Something that was a threat in itself. That was….

 

“Darkness, wasn’t it.”

-Correct.

 

More than bone-freezing cold, more than giant dragons. Just being dark alone makes humans feel vague terror.

 

What more could be said about darkness so complete you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

 

I swallowed and pushed my foot into the darkness.

 

Though everything around me was dark, my foot didn’t sink into the darkness. It felt as if I was floating in mid-air. The same was true for the rest of my body as I completely crossed into the darkness.

 

In such darkness, how could I find the Greater Demon’s Horn? A horn of darkness in the first place. I wasn’t even sure such a thing existed.

 

-Even while afraid, you boldly step forward.

 

The Demon Lord spoke as if subtly testing me.

 

“If it were dangerous, you wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”

 

It wasn’t a naive thought that he would warn me of danger in advance. It was because I hadn’t heard that laughter that always grated on my nerves before something happened.

 

Though it was certainly unsettling, it meant nothing would happen just from entering this space.

 

-Hmm….

 

The Demon Lord didn’t particularly deny it.

 

After that, it was quiet. The Demon Lord fell silent too, and no footstep sounds could be heard. It was so quiet I could hear my heartbeat.

 

As I continued walking, I suddenly looked back. The door I had passed through looked like a distant dot.

 

I had to be careful. If my sense of direction became even slightly confused, I felt I wouldn’t be able to return. But no matter how much I heightened my senses, could I find my way back in this darkness with a body that couldn’t even properly handle mana?

 

Anxiety kept creeping in.

 

It must be a peculiarity of this space. I had to keep steeling my mind. I kept walking without stopping.

 

This underground space was truly tediously vast. I had walked for quite a while but hadn’t reached any walls. Perhaps there were no walls at all. This endless void reminded me of what lay beyond the magic Kaela Rowan had deployed in the Empire.

 

At least my experience of being frozen with the Dragon was helpful. The complete breakdown of time perception was similar to that time.

 

“…What’s that?”

 

In the endless darkness, I suddenly saw something.

 

It was a pure white girl that didn’t match the darkness. She appeared to be suspended with her arms raised up, but I couldn’t see any chains or restraints binding her. From her tightly closed eyes, she seemed to be asleep.

 

-I had my suspicions, but….

 

The Demon Lord said.

 

-This is quite interesting.

“What, what is it.”

 

Right after, the Demon Lord burst into the laughter he had been holding back.

 

-You should be able to guess by now.

 

No matter how great the Greater Demon’s Horn was, it couldn’t cause such phenomena while thoroughly sealed by the Demon Lord. Like other things, it would just look like some ordinary worn object.

 

Then this current phenomenon….

 

Those Holy Kingdom bastards had definitely broken the seal.

 

A sense of crisis grew along with the Demon Lord’s laughter.

 

But after being on high alert and surveying the surroundings for a while, strangely nothing happened.

 

“…What really is it?”

 

Setting aside my questions, I approached the girl before me.

 

Even when I brought my hand close to her eyes and waved it, she didn’t budge. She didn’t seem to be breathing either.

 

Yet she didn’t feel like a dead person either.

 

Seeing her in this space, she must be connected to the Greater Demon’s Horn in some way. Perhaps she was chosen as a sacrifice to break the seal.

 

I concentrated all my attention on Spirit Sight.

 

Seeing the soul of a living person isn’t easy, but my sensitivity to souls has increased through soul magic, so it’s not impossible.

 

Immediately after.

 

“…!”

 

At the shocking sight revealed by my Spirit Sight, I couldn’t help but take a step back.

 

There wasn’t just one soul dwelling in the girl’s body.

 

Hundreds… no, thousands of souls were clustered together, dwelling within that small body. The sight of them screaming chaotically reminded me of the Military Spirit I had seen in Belive Territory.

 

But how could a human body possibly contain such souls?

 

-Don’t you know of something similar?

 

The Demon Lord said.

 

Of course I knew. The Ice Spirit. My first summoned creature, born from the combination of a Military Spirit with Eternal Ice. But that was merely a transformed form of a Military Spirit, wasn’t it?

 

-No, that’s not what I mean.

 

The Demon Lord spoke in a firm tone.

 

-Soul Magic.

“Soul, Magic?”

 

Absorbing souls to expand one’s vessel and grant talents one doesn’t possess… It was the first magic the Demon Lord had taught me.

 

Why was it being brought up here?

 

-The tragedy in Belive Territory wasn’t solely due to profit motives. It seems they were trying to recreate Soul Magic.

“What do you mean…?”

-Endlessly crude and worthless though it may be.

 

The Demon Lord’s explanation wasn’t easy to understand.

 

-This is, yes. The failed result of your Master’s research.

 

Then suddenly, a sentence from a thesis I had read in the Magic Tower came to mind.

 

‘Furthermore…’

 

Some research claiming a correlation between souls and talent is also connected to this discussion and worth examining.

 

It was a sentence that seemed to describe Soul Magic perfectly.

 

My mind was in turmoil.

 

I don’t think Master knew of Soul Magic’s existence. But if this being originated from Master’s research as the Demon Lord said, could it be that Master had joined hands with the Holy Nation?

 

‘But he’s a Dark Mage?’

-Trial and error in creating a Hero. Among them, this appears to be the specimen that came closest to being a Hero.

 

Something felt strange.

 

Wasn’t the Greater Demon’s Horn released into the world after the Hero defeated the Demon Lord? And no matter how failed it was, why would they abandon such a valuable test subject in a place like this?

 

-Isn’t that obvious?

 

The Demon Lord said.

 

-How could mere human wisdom control a Mythical Age treasure… a Divine Fragment?

 

Whatever it might have been like initially, it would have eventually become uncontrollable.

 

“…Sigh.”

 

I let out a sigh.

 

The girl looked to be around my age at best, but to retrieve the Greater Demon’s Horn, I would have to take her life.

 

At least it was fortunate that she was unconscious.

 

The moment I drew my scythe to end it with as little pain as possible.

 

Our eyes met.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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