Chapter 109 – The Black Hound (10) [Edited]
Everyone must have heard at least once the saying, “The artisan does not blame the tool.”
But rather, the craftsman has to use better tools than anyone else. This is also used in battle.
A swordsman of a certain level or higher, who can put mana or aura on his body and weapons, must wield a sword worthy of his skill in order to fully demonstrate his skills.
There are three main factors that determine whether a sword is a master sword or not.
The sharpness to slash the enemy.
Durability that can withstand intense collisions.
Finally, the mana conductivity.
Mana, an energy source that can make the body harder than adamantine depending on the user’s capacity, basically has the best flow in the body.
In order to allow this mana to dwell in an armour, rather than one’s body, one must have handled the armament for a long time enough to regard it as one’s own body, have excellent concentration, or make the armament out of a material that mana flows well.
… In that sense, after grinding the horns, the source of the demons’ mana, mixing and refining with various types of rare metals, a jet-black sword made after repeated smelting process dozens or hundreds of times with the hands of craftsmen. It is an object worthy of being called a famous sword in China.
Its sharpness is such that leaves that fall on the blade are cut off by itself, and its durability is such that even in a bloody battle with the demon king, only minor scratches are all it takes.
“…”
Indeed, after a long time since he shrunk the black sword and set his posture, Roden, who felt the familiar feeling of wearing clothes that fit his body, naturally poured his aura into his black sword without a moment to fall into a nostalgic mood.
ㅡZuuuuu… ！
Unlike the Bastard Sword, which only applied Aura to the surface in the mood of forcibly piercing clogged blood vessels, the Black Sword, which absorbed Roden’s Aura intact like a sponge sucking up water, was enveloped in a blue Aura.
“These bastards… Breaking in illegally in the middle of the night and wielding knives and fists in response to questions from the landlord?
… As a bonus, as the landlord’s anger comes out, he even feels a sense of pressure like a storm.
Roden wanted to run right away and cut it down, but he couldn’t make Roxia right next to him defenseless, so he decided to hold his position until they attacked again.
The four black hounds, who were staring at the enemy and preparing to attack, stiffened like frogs facing a snake.
The powerlessness that man showed just a moment ago was amazing, but now you can see how he will be defeated in an instant if he recklessly approaches. Wouldn’t it be best to retreat for now?
Borbo, the leader of the black hounds and the oldest, feels the spirit of Roden holding the black sword and ponders whether to issue an order to retreat before it is too late… He stared at Roxia, the girl right next to Roden, with a questioning expression on his face.
Then, I glanced over at Roden’s room, which was completely exposed due to the destruction of the walls. There was no space for people to hide or any signs of escaping through the window. It’s sound.
The sign on the parchment clearly pointed to this room. Then there should be people of the same kind here, but the ones hiding inside were a human man and a human girl. Only these two…
When my thoughts reached that point, the telepathy that the magician Pinet secretly cast on the crew members, conveying each other’s intentions, resonated. The message he sent accurately scratched the itchy part.
ㅡI checked again with the parchment from behind. The man in front of me is a human, and the girl next to him is the same. The markings are blurred, but it’s clear. That girl is disguised as a human like us.
—-I wondered why the mark did not appear, but that was the reason.
ㅡCaptain. What are you going to do? It would be easy to deal with the girl, but I think it would be very difficult to deal with that man with our power alone.
—-If you are a member of your own kind who is protected by such a strong person, there is a very high possibility that you are the vessel of the demon king whom the master ordered to annihilate.
The black hounds who gathered their opinions like that rushed at once again to deal with Roden, to be exact, the girl next to him.
At the forefront is the leader, Monk Borbo, who was the only member of the crew who was able to fight Roden alone.
“Whoops… ！Khaaaaap!! Barmahu!”
He exhaled a thunderous spirit through his mouth and emitted an aura from his whole body, and then activated Barmahu, a secret technique that explosively strengthened his body in a short period of time.
The black clothes Borbo was wearing showed off his presence enough to make the viewer feel anxious that the muscles inflated to the point of being torn apart.
Originally, this secret technique that unleashes even the limit that is suppressed for the safety of the body and makes it possible to exert extreme power should be used carefully because the recoil in the muscles of the whole body for more than a week is great when the duration is over.
Persimmon is shouting. The man in front of you is dangerous! If we don’t apply full force from the beginning, we’ll all be killed in an instant. Before that, we have to get rid of that girl and leave.
As much as Roden struggled with the tactical retreat from the moment he pulled out his black sword, he decided to put all his strength in keeping him in check and create a gap for the other members’ attacks to reach the girl.
ㅡQuad Deuk! Whoa!!!
Borbo, who stepped forward as the wooden floor collapsed, attacked Roden with an infinitely simple straight punch, but the punch possessed formidable power and speed to destroy everything in his path.
“Ah, this bastard… I’m going to smash the floor of the house again.”
With a disgruntled voice, Roden stared straight at the fist that was aiming for his head and, without blinking an eye, lowered and slashed it.
Roden’s sword from the moment before, when the sword and fist collided, was only a slight scratch on Borbo’s fist, but…
ㅡChooaaaaa!!!
Now that I have a black sword that can contain the user’s aura completely, it’s completely different. Roden’s black sword, which cut through Borbo’s regime, which has a harder hardness than iron, cuts the opponent’s fist neatly vertically. It’s like It’s like splitting jelly.
“Yes!!”
Borvo, ignoring the pain of being torn apart, swung his remaining left hand. Then, Roden pulled out a black sword that had split his right elbow to just below the elbow, and a swift sword strike completely separated that left hand.
“In the midst of that, thinking about making a fist again, you seem to have a great spirit like a monk. Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like a big deal… There are so many things I want to ask you.”
Roden, who had spoken lowly, swung his black sword down in succession in a motion like flowing water, splitting Borbo’s legs as thick as an old giant tree, causing his body to collapse.
At this level, she won’t be able to recover on her own unless she becomes a saint or a pope.
In order to firmly subdue the monk, whose whole body is a weapon, and not leave room for a counterattack, he must cripple his limbs as he does now.
ㅡTattatat!
On the other hand, the combination of Raniet and Erna, who were moving quickly, continued to move without losing their fighting spirit even though they vividly saw the captain collapsing to the ground.
It was unexpected that Borbo was hit so quickly, but he couldn’t back down now.
The two assassins, who had reached Roden’s blind spot while the captain gained a short time from the front, rushed from both sides as they were, pointing their swords at the enemy, to be precise, at Loxia next to Roden.
Certainly. If the demons are escorted by a swordsman of that level, there is a very high possibility that they will be the final target of this mission, the demon king candidate.
In the blink of an eye, Raniet’s curved sword and Erna’s dagger approached Roxia, aiming at the girl from both sides.
If a curved sword touches it, its neck will fall, and if a dagger touches it, it will die from lethal poison.
Even if one of the two is defeated, it is enough if the other succeeds. It would be an impossible action if there is no endless loyalty towards the owner and the courage built up through countless missions.
The moment just before the blue knife touches Loxia’s body.
“After.”
Roden’s black sword, breathing short, passed the two assassins at an improbable speed that did not even leave an afterimage.
The body, which had lost its will along with the head, began to fall to the floor as it was, and blood gushed out from the cut surface.
It was a blow so fast that there was no time to feel death.
In a brief moment, the heads of a man and a woman spinning in the air meet each other’s eyes, belatedly recognizing each other’s death.
“… !!… !!!”
“… !!”
As Raniet and Erna looked at each other’s heads, their eyes moved in disbelief, their lips pursed, and they died.
As soon as their lives were cut off, the owner’s magic that had been cast over the two men and women. The polymorph was lifted, and the horns, a symbol of the demons that had been hidden throughout, were revealed intact.
… Demon?
Roden opened her eyes wide. They suddenly targeted Roxia and cut her throat without hesitation. ．
Did you break into this house targeting Roxia from the beginning?
Because she has the power of a demon lord?
Why are the demons trying to harm the demon lord, the object of their loyalty?
In addition, several questions quickly pass through Roden’s head, biting his tail after tail.
“Acid Mist!”
ㅡBuaaaaagh!
The wizard in the rear without time to organize his thoughts. The green fog created by Phinet spread widely and hit Roxia and Roden at the same time.
It is a powerful killing magic that sprays a mass of acidic liquid over a wide area, and there is a risk that even close comrades can be caught up in it, but since the captain is incapacitated and the other two are killed.
Cheers! The acidic mist melts the furniture and walls along the road like a candle on fire.
It’s dangerous for Roxia, unlike me, who can’t stand being hit if she’s protected with an aura. I can’t afford to open her window and get out…
ㅡQuajijik! Simplicity and honesty!
Hurriedly hugging her girl, Roden escaped in the opposite direction from the approaching acid mist, slamming his torso against the outer wall of his room, breaking the wall and escaping.
It’s a choice that can’t be helped, but I feel like I’m already in tears at the thought of repairing the messed up house later.Roden dropped her girl off at a location some distance from the house.
There was no sign of hostility around her, so Roden, who decided that the end of those guys who had invaded her house, touched Loxia’s head and said softly.
“The fog won’t reach here, but just in case, take measures so that it doesn’t fly in this direction with wind-type magic. I’ll be back soon.”
After saying that, Roden turned his back and tried to walk towards her fog to deal with the mage in haste, but… The girl held him tight.
It was only natural that Loxia, who had seen everything that touched the acidic mist melt, stopped Roden from walking through such a dangerous mist.
“Master… It could be dangerous, so wouldn’t it be better to get out and wait for the guards?”
It is a very reasonable and wise opinion if you only think about the safety of your body right now.
However, after realizing that the identity of the attackers is a demon and that the target they are aiming for is Loxia, Roden intends to put an end to it.
If their personal information is passed on to the guards, there is a possibility that Loxia’s true identity will be revealed, so it is difficult in many ways, and you have to find out who is behind this incident yourself.
“I have to take care of those guys with my own hands so that we can continue to live in this store without any problems. I’m fine, so let them go.”
“… Yes. But be careful just in case. Master.”
Persuaded by the owner’s determined gaze and words, Roxia nodded his head with difficulty and let go of Roden’s trouser crotch.
Roden rushed forward and pierced the acid fog head-on, kicking hard at the silhouette seen inside. Then, as Pinet cast the next magic, his staff broke and at the same time he was hit in the abdomen and sprawled on the ground.
There was no gap for Pinet to vomit at the pain rising from his stomach. Roden, who was squatting right next to him, stabbed his thigh as deeply as an awl with his straightened index finger.
ㅡFuck!
“Keuheuuuuu!!”
“Maybe it’s because he’s a magician who only rolls duckbill, so his muscles are soft. I need to exercise. Please use some force.”
ㅡPuff! Puff! Puff!
“~~~~~!!”
Roden’s index finger, which dug into the wizard’s thigh in succession, stabbed exactly the same part in succession, and each time he stabbed his finger a little deeper, causing indescribable pain.
The veins in Pinette’s eyes, which were wide open in pain, burst and turned red like a rabbit.
“Just keep stabbing at one spot like this. I won’t stop until I get the answer I want, so please answer me well. Why did you target us, that child?”
ㅡPuffpuppuppuppup!
As soon as Roden posed the question, he jabbed his thigh with his fingers in quick succession before giving him time to answer.
In the past, when I used this method, most of the silent words poured out like a waterfall and blew them all.
It would take a lot of time and effort to get the information you want from this type of enemy. But you can’t afford that right now.
The moment Roden wondered if he should kill Finette quickly in order to get back to Loxia, who was waiting outside,
“Rurrrr!”
The foam that Pinette was biting on in her pain came out red, mixed with foam of blood.
As a result of Roden’s eyes wide open, he opened his mouth and checked. Traces of poison were revealed.
This bastard, I put poison in my teeth to prevent the case of leaking important information to the enemy… It’s deadly poison at a glance. It’s too late to decipher it.
Eventually, when Pinet, who poured out blood from not only his mouth, but also his eyes, nostrils, and ears, died from the poison he swallowed himself, his magic was lifted. The acidic fog that had spread widely inside the building lifted.
The sudden start of the battle and the effect of the acid fog made the house a mess, the terrifying corpses of a man and a woman who were about to melt, and the figure of Borbo, who was still breathing, was revealed again.
“Huh, huh… ．Cool! Cool!!”
Borbo’s limbs were severed except for his right arm, which was split in half, and his surface skin was completely melted by the acid mist.
If Borbo, who still has some mana left, decides to live, he will be able to survive by casting healing magic on himself, but he was thinking of accepting death humbly as it is.
In the next two or three minutes, Borvo will stop breathing due to excessive blood loss. Roden, who aimed his sword at the guy’s neck, quietly opened his mouth.
“Judging by the look in your eyes, there’s no point in asking that question either. Monk, as a minimum respect for the other person aiming the sword, I’ll end it with this once and for all.”
“Heh… Is it the recognition of a samurai? I will gladly accept it. Prosecutor.”
A single word was enough for a conversation with an enemy who could not obtain information.
ㅡ Squeak.
A faint afterimage passed Borbo’s neck in an instant.
A faint solid line was drawn on Borbo’s neck by Roden’s black sword, which displayed a divine power that cut only the contents inside, leaving the surface leather intact.
His head did not fall to the floor, but Borbo’s polymorph was released and his demonic horns were exposed, disproving his death.
In the end, I couldn’t figure out what these demons really were… ．
Roden, who retrieved the black sword back into his inventory, left behind the corpses of the demons scattered around the house and returned to Loxia.
