Chapter 195: Solitude (3)

Swords.

Weapons that cut the enemy.

Fiore had reached the extreme of that concept.

The demonic magic Dan Socheon unleashed and the black magic Cedric cast—everything was sliced in half under Fiore’s sword blade.

All the two of them could do was keep swinging their swords and accumulating black magic in an attempt to slow his advance.

Nothing could stop him.

“Is there no way?”

“Who knows.”

“You seemed pretty confident.”

“I didn’t expect this.”

“You also miscalculate sometimes?”

Cedric smiled.

“My father is also connected to that guy. It’s not strange that he exceeded expectations.”

“Shit…”

“And weren’t you the Heavenly Demon? Is that all you’ve got?”

“I had no rival in the East.”

“Just hold on a bit longer.”

“And then what?”

“I didn’t want to waste this here, but I’ll have to use more power.”

“How long do you expect me to hold out?”

“Not even I know.”

Dan Socheon took a deep breath and stepped forward. The sight of Fiore advancing without flinching, despite being entangled by countless hands, was simply terrifying.

Did all those resentments and screams of the devoured humans not affect him in the slightest?

“Hoo, hoo…”

Dan Socheon breathed deeply. He had wanted to face the strongest man of the West, but the difference between them was overwhelming.

Now he was fighting just to survive.

He cast a sideways glance at Cedric—someone who had obtained the Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit. A madman, yes, but his arts were real.

He would deal with that monster somehow. He just had to buy time.

Dan Socheon used the most powerful demonic magic he had. The internal energy throughout his body twisted. The stronger the demonic energy, the greater the side effects—but anyone who feared that could not be called a true demonic practitioner.

And he was the Heavenly Demon, at the pinnacle of them all.

“Come.”

Fiore raised his sword. It wasn’t a special movement.

Not fluid, not elegant.

It was a natural gesture—like someone holding a sword for the first time.

Then he swung it.

Within that rough motion was a deadly aura that bordered on perfection.

It had to be dodged. But it was impossible.

The moment Fiore swung his sword, Dan Socheon’s fate was no different than that of a fish laid on a chopping board.

That’s why he could only try to block it with all his might.

Heavenly Demon Divine Sword — Heavenly Rupture.

Dozens of sword energy blasts spread at once, forming an arc to face Fiore’s sword.

The two energies collided. Dan Socheon clenched his teeth.

Fiore’s sword was terrifyingly sharp. A line of condensed energy pierced through his defense and slipped inside.

Once the barrier collapsed, there was nothing more he could do.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword shattered. Dan Socheon was slashed and fell to the ground.

“Guh…”

Luckily, he didn’t die. The first wave of sword energy absorbed part of the impact, and the black hands clinging to Fiore’s body also slightly hindered his movements.

Dan Socheon got back up. But he no longer intended to continue fighting.

“Guh…”

He glanced backward again. A strange demonic energy flowed around Cedric. But it wasn’t complete yet.

“What are you looking at?”

At that moment, without realizing it, Fiore’s sword was already near his neck.

Dan Socheon shut his mouth and slowly turned his head. Blood trickled from his neck.

Fiore’s indifferent eyes stared at him. That gaze was exactly like Cedric’s.

“You…”

With Fiore so close, Dan Socheon could also see more clearly the hands of the solitary poison created by Cedric.

Just approaching them made his body tremble. The wretched feelings of humans devoured alive and turned into zombies manifested in real form and clutched at Fiore’s limbs.

One of those hands touched Dan Socheon’s body. Even someone accustomed to demonic energy like him held his breath at such an intense curse.

His insides churned violently.

“You’re definitely not a normal human…”

Dan Socheon muttered.

The hands holding Fiore also extended to reach Dan Socheon. His pupils turned black.

Without hesitation, Fiore was about to plunge his sword into Dan Socheon.

Then Cedric spoke,

[Regain consciousness.]

It wasn’t human language. It was something far more dreadful.

In that instant, Dan Socheon felt the resentment invading him disappear.

The solitary poison obeyed Cedric. No—not Cedric, but a deeper darkness he controlled.

Fiore also averted his gaze from Dan Socheon and looked back at Cedric.

[Fiore Briol.]

Unintelligible sounds spilled from Cedric’s lips.

They couldn’t be understood with words, but their meaning was transmitted directly to the mind.

[Stop.]

And then, a gigantic hand appeared. It was different from the ones clinging to Fiore.

If the hands that emerged from the solitary poison were dark, shapeless masses, the hand Cedric summoned had physical form.

It had five fingers with long claws, tufts of something like fur sprouting in all directions, and between them, skin covered in wounds oozing pus.

It was the arm of a creature that didn’t exist in this world.

[Otherwise, I will tear it from you.]

That massive hand held something faintly glowing.

Fiore stopped.

[Even though you didn’t flinch at all this resentment, this is something you don’t want to lose?]

Fiore silently stared at Cedric. He could tell it was another entity speaking through his mouth.

While Fiore remained still, Cedric began forming seals with his hands again.

The hands wrapped around Fiore’s body seized his limbs. Those that had seemed to crawl under heavy burden regained their strength and coiled around him.

[Let’s begin negotiations. I will protect your most precious memories. In return, sleep in the darkness. It won’t take long.]

Fiore remained silent.

[Good.]

The gigantic hand began to approach Fiore. That shining thing it held was heading toward him.

At that instant, Fiore swung his sword. It was a sudden action that unleashed a new turn of events.

With an agonizing scream, the hand was sliced in two. The light it contained broke free from its bindings and was absorbed by Fiore.

Fiore swung his sword again.

The black hands made of resentment recoiled, and the gigantic hand summoned by Cedric fell to the ground, bleeding.

His sword did not discriminate between enemies.

Dan Socheon, who got in the way, was flung through the air, spitting blood.

Even though Cedric continued forming seals, all his black magic was destroyed. Fiore and Cedric now stood face to face.

“You’re a monster, Father.”

“I think you’re even more of a monster than I am.”

“You weren’t like this.”

“I’ve had a revelation recently.”

Fiore swung his sword. A dark energy burst from Cedric’s body and formed a barrier.

But Fiore’s sword tore through it completely and pierced in.

One of Cedric’s arms flew through the air. Blood gushed out.

Without even screaming, Cedric leaned forward and began to chuckle.

“Of course… I see. It’s because of that Yuri, isn’t it?”

Fiore raised his sword indifferently. Now he wasn’t aiming at Cedric’s arm, but directly at his neck.

Without dragging it out, Fiore attacked.

At that moment, strange words came again from Cedric’s mouth. From his severed arm, darkness burst forth, transforming into tentacles like octopus legs, wrapping around Fiore’s sword.

For the first time, his sword was stopped. Fiore tried to pull it back, but the tentacles wouldn’t release it.

Cedric spoke.

“Father.”

His pupils turned completely black.

[Forcing me to use this power… that’s truly impressive.]

“Cedric.”

[I’ve lost too much, but that only makes it more delightful. Hahahahaha…]

Cedric laughed as if he were drugged.

[But this is where it ends.]

“Cedric.”

[Rest in peace.]

Cedric smiled faintly. On his cheek, scales like those of a reptile began to emerge.

And at the same time, the hands of resentment completely enveloped Fiore’s body.

Cedric’s tentacles surrounded him again. Fiore became a black sphere made of tentacles.

Cedric chanted unintelligible words.

With each word, the demonic energy grew denser. From where he stood, the earth began to die.

The weeds on the ground withered and rotted instantly.

Cedric placed a hand on the sphere.

In that moment, a bright white blade pierced through and stuck out. Blood trickled down Cedric’s cheek.

Through that narrow crack, Fiore’s eyes gleamed.

Cedric smiled.

[Rest.]

He clenched his fist.

The evil energy peaked. The sphere containing Fiore began to compress.

It shrank and shrank until it was no bigger than a fist and rolled along the ground.

Cedric collapsed.

“Hahaha…”

The tentacles completely hardened and now resembled a grotesque stone sculpture.

“Hahahaha…!”

Cedric propped himself up with his one arm. The stump of his right arm, lost to Fiore, was already covered with grotesquely scarred skin.

“So this… is the strongest swordsman on the continent.”

Meanwhile, Dan Socheon managed to stand, staggering.

“You alright?”

“No. You?”

“Me neither.”

Both were wrecked.

Around them, the ground was slashed by Fiore’s sword strikes.

“We offered up an entire city, brought in the Heavenly Demon of the East, and even with my help, we still couldn’t stop him.”

“But in the end, we did stop him.”

“I had to use another page of the Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit.”

“That much?”

“I’ve lost more than I thought. And we didn’t even kill him—just sealed him.”

Cedric picked up the sealing sphere that had fallen to the ground.

“Still, we’ve overcome the worst obstacle.”

“What will you do with him now?”

Cedric turned.

Not far from where they had fought was Laurent.

“Leave him.”

Laurent had witnessed the entire battle, how Cedric and Dan Socheon sealed Fiore.

From his perspective, it must have looked like Fiore had died by black magic.

“He’ll know what to do.”

Cedric tucked the sealing sphere into his chest.

“Now, we head to the Empire.”

***

While Yuri was unconscious, many things happened.

First, the King of Briol, Fiore, and Crown Prince Cedric disappeared.

Française was left completely in ruins. Some suspected it was the Empire’s doing, but there was no proof.

And even if there were, no one could hold the Empire accountable directly.

Amid the chaos, Joshua, the second prince, temporarily took over the government and signed a truce agreement with the Empire.

As part of the deal, Briol ceded the region of Bezos.

But that wasn’t enough for the Empire.

Though a truce had been signed on the surface, the Empire deployed an army to Bezos and began stockpiling vast amounts of military supplies.

From Briol’s perspective, it was as if the Empire had built a fortress right under their nose.

Meanwhile, the war between Brusen and the Holy Kingdom intensified. Thousands of soldiers died.

With Fiore gone and Briol brought to its knees, no nations remained on the continent capable of standing against the Empire.

“Uuuh…”

“Prince?”

“Uuuh…”

“Prince!”

When Yuri opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ena’s tearful face.

“Ena…?”

“Yes. It’s me, Ena.”

“Where… are we?”

“At the royal palace.”

Yuri sat up abruptly and looked around. It was his room.

Everything felt familiar yet foreign—like when he returned in time.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he had no strength.

Yuri asked:

“My brother? And the Empire?”

“It’s all over.”

“What?”

“The war. A truce was signed. So don’t worry—just rest.”

“And Cedric?”

“For now, please rest.”

Ena gently pushed him back down to lie.

“Once you’ve rested a bit more, I’ll explain everything.”

“Ena… how long was I… unconscious?”

“A month.”

“What?”

“You were asleep for a month.”

Yuri stared at the ceiling, dazed.

A month.

A long time.

So overwhelming, he closed his eyes.