## Chapter 508 – Quasi-Priest Kim Kat

ㅡPtooey!

The serial killer, writhing and screaming, finally spewed blood from all seven orifices.

“Gheee…!”

His blood-soaked appearance was the most gruesome thing imaginable. Limbs gone, blood gushing from every hole in his face. I was utterly shocked by the inhuman spectacle.

“T-This can’t be real! Too horrible!”

Horror burst forth, and my whole body trembled. Goddamn, such a cruel sight! This shouldn’t be happening!

ㅡWhoosh.

Even amidst that, the black sword floating in the air muttered something, emitting a dark aura.

“Pay the price, human.”
“Gahhh!”
“Oh, my god!”

ㅡWhoosh.

Suddenly, the killer’s body floated up like the sword.

“A poltergeist phenomenon!”

A poltergeist phenomenon only seen in legends!

As unrealistic events unfolded one after another, things that wouldn’t even make a kid’s joke, intense panic pierced my brain. My vision began to distort, and the mana within me surged wildly.

“M-Magic sword! Darkie, Sis! That’s a magic sword!”
“A magic sword!”

Winia’s shout brought my mind back to reality.

ㅡWhirr!

The magic sword, floating in the air, spun around and then flew erratically like a drunken bee before shooting off like an arrow.

ㅡSwoosh!

The magic sword, thus launched, tore through the air at a tremendous speed and pierced the killer’s heart.

ㅡThunk!

“Kehk…! N-No…! No! Please stop…!”

The killer was skewered like a kebab.

“Heh heh heh, everything according to the contract.”
“Greeee!”

If that was all there was to it, it would have been a rare spectacle of a sword flying around on its own and stabbing a floating person’s heart, but the situation didn’t end there.

Like there’s a deeper abyss at the end of the abyss, another shocking event erupted. Once a disaster occurred, it could never be stopped.

ㅡSquish squish.

“Giyoooooot!”
“Unbelievable!”

Each time the magic sword pulsed through his heart, the killer’s body began to shrink!

Could it be!

Is the sword sucking the killer’s life force?

“O-Oh! Ohhhhhhh!”

Each time the killer’s body shrank, the magic sword erupted in ecstatic cries. The killer’s body, having its energy sucked away, withered like a mummy, and starting from the tips of its feet and hands, it crumbled into dust and disappeared forever.

ㅡRustle.

“Heh, heh heh… Finally! Finally!”

The magic sword, unconcerned with the situation, continued to suck away life force. It seemed intent on turning the killer into dust.

“You bastard! Using such sorcery!”

I’ve seen enough of this rare spectacle!

Now is the chance while it still has its straw stuck in there. Honestly, I covet that sword, but there’s nothing else I can do right now. I don’t know what abilities it has, but I’ll cut it off right now!

“Illusion Sword Qi!”

ㅡFwizz!

As soon as I focused my mind, the sword qi that slowly rose covered the blade. I kicked off the ground. ㅡBang! The true awakening, containing the essence of the Heavenly Demon’s Descent, made my body soar like a rocket.

ㅡSwoosh!

Gripping the sword tightly, I flew high at a diagonal, aiming for the magic sword.

By that point, only the killer’s upper body remained. It had already had all its energy sucked out and died.

What kind of contract did it make with the magic sword, and was it committing murder because of that? That’s enough questions. The rest can be left to someone else after solving the case.

ㅡThus, Flying Illusion Sword Technique.

Even though I was in the air, my trained swordsmanship didn’t distinguish between the sky and the ground. At the same time as getting close to the magic sword, I swung my sword!

“Illusion Cut!”

ㅡSlash!

The sword qi made of mana can cut through steel and sever impure beings.

It’s a slightly different feeling from Holy Enchant, but with sword qi alone, it’s possible to easily chop up most monster bastards. Even Andromalius, albeit an incomplete incarnation, was cut by my sword.

The sword strike imbued with such power, combined with my skill, creates the result of “severing the magic sword.”

ㅡClang!

My sword cleanly cut through the magic sword’s blade.

“You bitch! Your ambition ends here!”

As the severed pieces of the sword fell, I landed.

Oh, shit! That jump was awesome!
I jumped over a height and distance of several meters in one leap!

ㅡWhoosh!
ㅡThwack!
ㅡThwack thwack!

At the same time, Winia’s firebolts were fired in succession, colliding with the magic sword still floating in the air and exploding. Before the sparks flew, I picked up the fallen pieces of the magic sword and retreated.

“A m-magic sword! A magic sword! I can’t believe it!”

The man hiding behind the tree was almost rolling his eyes back as he screamed.

To the average person, a magic sword would be truly shocking content. Even I was shocked, so there’s no way a normal farmer could maintain a normal mental state.

“Calm down! The magic sword is dead!”
“A magic sword!”
“Calm down!”

I slapped him on the shoulder to bring him to his senses and then yelled at him to hide. The man trembled and buried his head in the base of the tree, making whimpering noises.

“Cloudy! Winia! We’re screwed, it’s a magic sword!”
“Throw it away, quick!”

Winia was horrified when she saw the black pieces of the sword I was carrying. This was supposed to be a trophy to submit to the church and the result of this investigation mission.

“Throw it away?”
“Why did you bring that, Ebi! Darkie, you’re hopeless! Just throw it away!”
“Is it dangerous?”

I immediately threw the pieces of the sword to the ground as if discarding them. But that was the moment. The pieces of the sword that collided with the ground suddenly emitted black smoke!

That squid-like bastard!

ㅡSlash!

Fortunately, before the smoke could spread, Cloudy slashed his sword, creating a wind that made the smoke disappear without a trace. I thought something was going to happen.

In the end, even a magic sword was just fodder in front of sword qi.

“Magic sword… interesting. Can we take it?”
“It’s already in pieces?”
“Even so. I’ve never seen this kind of magic sword before. Does Risha know about it?”

Risha doesn’t know a lot of things, surprisingly.

ㅡThud.

Anyway, the magic sword that was burning in the air lost its power and fell. I don’t know what it is, but we ambushed it while it was fulfilling its contract with the serial killer, so there’s nothing the magic sword can do.

I need to recover it somehow…

“Darkie, Sis, don’t touch that for a second. I’ve heard that the moment you grab a magic sword, it usually invades your mind…”
“Really? Even though it’s already broken?”
“You never know.”
“Okay.”

Then let’s just take a look.

We immediately approached the place where the magic sword had fallen.

ㅡGush gush gush.

A rather unusual sight was unfolding.

The magic sword, its blade cut off from the waist. From the cut surface, a black liquid like petroleum was gushing out. It was almost forming a puddle. Looking at it, it seemed to be the same liquid as demon blood.

Is this magic sword also a demon species?

“Winia? Are all magic swords like these demons?”
“Well… I don’t really know. There seem to be many types. I’ll have to look it up in a book.”
“I guess.”

Swords come in all shapes and sizes, so why wouldn’t magic swords?

“It looks ordinary. Is it a sword possessed by a demon? Or a demon transformed into a sword?”

Cloudy examined the magic sword with a very interested look.

“Looking at the blood, it might just be a demon that looks like a sword.”

The magic sword itself just looks crude. The fact that it looks crude means it’s a practical design. That’s why it’s ordinary. Except for the fact that it’s black.

Winia stood a few steps away, guarding the surroundings. I was contemplating what to do with Cloudy and this sword.

“Hmm… I need to take it somehow. But it’s awkward to just hold it.”

As Winia said, the moment I grab the handle, I might be engulfed in madness like that serial killer earlier.

How do I transport this?

I don’t have any holy water, so it’s ambiguous.

“Kat, what about that piece of the sword from earlier?”
“Oh, I just threw it away and came here.”

There are so many things I don’t know.

When I get back, I should find out more about magic swords. I can ask Risha or Karin, or look through the library.

Anyway, I intently examined the magic sword, which was spewing black fluid. Cloudy seemed to have gotten bored in the middle and went to examine the pieces of the sword.

“This damn bastard.”

It would be really troublesome if this disappeared like this. With the serial killer’s body completely gone, if this bastard disappears too, the method of proving the mission’s completion will disappear.

The only witness is the man trembling over there.

With such evidence, I can’t receive a reward or gain the trust of the village.

I have to get this somehow.

“Hmm?”

That was the moment.

I had the illusion that something was rippling on the surface of the black puddle.

No, is it not an illusion? As I watched with caution, what was reflected on the surface was none other than… some strange background.

What is it?

The moment I thought about poking it with my sword.

ㅡWhoosh!

“Uh, uh?! Shiiiiiiiiit!”

My vision went black for a moment.

* * *

“…Where am I?”

I felt like my vision flickered for a moment. Darkness swirled for a moment, and then the surroundings became bright again. But this wasn’t sunlight. It was some kind of strange lighting.

I was standing alone in some space.

“A real space… no.”

It’s an unreal space.

I sharply sharpened my senses and surveyed the surroundings. It’s a unique space. The floor was black, but orange light was shining from above.

It’s like a scene where an old street lamp turns on as soon as you enter a remote alley in the middle of the night.

“…?”

ㅡSword.
ㅡBlade.

Countless swords were stuck in the ground around me. They were all black. Looking at the way they’re decorated, are they someone’s collection?

As I examined the swords and shifted my gaze, there was something like a sofa in front of me.

“…”

What is this now?

From what I can see, it seems like the magic sword has launched a mental attack on me. This strangely unreal sensation proves it. It was a similar feeling to when Hildegard used Dream-Link to mix her dream into my dream.

ㅡThud thud.

I approached the sofa.

ㅡFlicker.

As I was walking, the orange light floating above my head flickered. The repetition of darkness and light. When the extinguished light turned on again, an anomaly occurred.

“Heh heh, heh heh heh. Heh heh ha ha ha ha.”

Some black being was sitting on the sofa.

Black skin. And the horns on its head and the demon’s tail behind it proved that it was a demon. It sat arrogantly on the sofa and laughed grotesquely.

“Welcome, human. You’ve spectacularly interfered just as I was trying to regain my power.”
“Who are you?”
“I am the Sword Demon, Vugal.”
“Vugal? Did you call me here?”
“That’s right. You’re quite perceptive.”

ㅡClap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

“Hahaha. Ha, heh heh ha ha ha ha.”

The guy who clapped violently laughed grotesquely again. His mouth opened wide, revealing countless teeth and a long tongue. It was truly a demonic appearance.

“Why do you laugh so much? This bastard… are you a laughter evangelist?”
“Hahaha… I don’t know what you mean.”

Anyway, this bastard must be the magic sword.

“You seem to be quite skilled with a sword. Are you interested in a higher level? I can give you the power that all humans desire.”
“…”

He wagged his tongue with a confident tone and tempted me.

“My authority is to enhance the talent of swordsmen. The better you are, the more power you can gain. Have you ever felt a wall during training? Is there anyone you want to catch up to? Have you ever been jealous of someone else’s talent? If you offer a reasonable sacrifice, you can gain the power you want without any side effects. From what I can see, you seem to be a very reasonable talent.”

I don’t know why these bastards always have the same repertoire.

I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who would fall for such a temptation, but there are more gullible bastards than you think.

ㅡIf you offer a sacrifice, you can gain great power.

Without going through the excruciating training of carving bones and tearing muscles, and without fighting life-threatening battles, you can obtain a kind of power that surpasses those things more easily.

It would be an irresistible temptation.

“I won’t say much. If you don’t want to die, contract withㅡ”
“ㅡBe quiet!”

I slammed an Asura Blood-Shattering Killer Headbutt into the demon’s head.

ㅡCrack!

The demon’s skull caved in, and its eyes popped out.