The Knight Demon (2)
A demon made up of knights’ corpses, Knight Demon Orgis.
Listening to the story, Najin thought to himself, ‘No matter how I look at it, this didn’t seem like a request that just one or two “ordinary” Sword Seekers could handle.’
A demon, a Masterpiece, a dark mage, and a monster that had grown by devouring dozens of knights? Even listing only the core terms, it was clearly no trivial matter. Was the number of people involved really enough?
Najin cast a skeptical glance at Argo.
- It’s not like you’re in a position to talk, you who go charging at a Transcendent with only a sword in hand…
rlin, too, regarded Najin with a dubious look, but he ignored her gaze.
“Just my personal opinion, but…”
“Hm? What is it? Speak.”
“That demon called Orgis doesn’t feel like sothing two Sword Seekers alone can deal with. Are we the only participants?”
“Ah, that’s what you’re wondering.” Argo scratched the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. “Indeed, there are a few people on-site, but in actual combat, it’ll just be you and . Are you worried?”
“I’m fine with it, but aren’t you in the Atanga knights? Not just a mber, but soone fairly high-ranking.”
“I can guess what you’re asking. Well, yes, if you had turned down the proposal, I could’ve rounded up support.” He added. “However, that would be worthy of censure, not only as a mber of Atanga, but also as a mber of any large organization.”
“Censure? Why?”
“Knight orders, rcenary groups, guild associations… Any sufficiently large group has one unwritten rule: ‘If a target flees to the Outland, it’s best not to pursue.’”
It wasn’t for any complicated reason.
Saying so, Argo spread his arms wide. “The Outland is massive. Far too massive. On top of that, the terrain is harsh, there aren’t any proper maps, and there aren’t any strongholds. Plus, it’s crawling with Forgotten Ones, monsters from the mythic age, Transcendents, and demons—basically a living hell.”
Najin, who had experienced the Outland, nodded vigorously.
“To even operate in that land, you need at least a star or two. How common do you think such people are? They usually serve as core personnel in their organizations. If those key figures go off chasing sothing in the Outland, what would happen?”
“The organization itself would be thrown into turmoil,” Najin answered.
“Exactly. The burden is too great. That’s why, unless it’s extrely important, nobody expands their operational scope to the Outland.”
In hindsight, it was perfectly reasonable. The Outland was vast and brutal, with risks and unknowns too nurous to count. Moreover, any mission had a low success rate. It was understandable that people would be wary of operating there.
“Even if traces of a target appear in the Outland, launching a subjugation right away… truth be told, it’s not a wise choice; certainly not one a high-ranking mber of a knightly order should be making.”
“I see.”
“That’s how it is. I an, sure, if I made a big fuss about avenging our fallen comrades and bringing them peace, plenty of people might volunteer, but… sohow, that doesn’t feel right.”
From an order knight’s standpoint, it wasn’t the right judgnt, but then, Argo gave a bitter smile. “Still, I can’t just sit idle, can I? That demon devoured my seniors and peers like they were a feast—how could I possibly leave it be?”
“That’s true.”
“Oh, I almost forgot the most important point.” Argo snapped his fingers. “Like I said, it might’ve been tough for alone, but with you, the story changes. We’ve got a chance.”
With that, Argo began to explain the plan for the operation.
As Najin listened, he nodded appreciatively. “I see. This approach does give us a real shot. Where did you get the idea?”
“I’d love to say I’m a genius, but snatching credit wouldn’t be very knightly of .” Argo shrugged. “One of my comrades from the old chase thought of it. Back then, neither of us was skilled enough to make it work, but things are different now.”
Multiple eras coexisted in the Outland, which explained how heroes from older tis could survive “by so ans” and why starfields belonging to constellations were scattered all over the place.
- A ‘starfield’ might sound grand, but it’s basically just their ntal image brought into reality. You know how the orders on the continent have holy sanctuaries? It’s the sa idea.
- If you were to create a starfield, it’d probably be the landscape of the Underground City.
“Do all constellations have a starfield?”
- So don’t bother making one. Typically, it’s those who settle in a specific place that do create one.
The image inevitably reflected the era in which the constellation had lived. Just as Najin’s ntal world would be the Underground City, many constellations had starfields shaped like certain cities, towers, or royal palaces.
Even if its constellation died or fell, that starfield—while ceasing to function as a sacred domain—would remain physically. Thus, abandoned cities and empty buildings dotted the outland—abandoned starfields.
Najin and Argo were headed for such a place. They went by carriage up to the Outland’s boundary and proceeded on foot from there. They did encounter Forgotten Ones and various monsters along the way, but…
“Ah, they’ve noticed us. You take the ones over—?” Before Argo could finish his sentence, Najin had already dealt with them. He dashed forward, skewering the hearts of the Forgotten Ones. As for those defending them, he severed their legs and knocked them down, then smashed their cores as if striking with a pickaxe.
ShaaaAAAAACK!
The sa pattern repeated whenever Outland monsters appeared—Najin’s elongated Sword Aura sliced through the monsters’ tendons, sending them sprawling to the ground. He vaulted onto them and, with a few swings, caused blood to spurt like a fountain.
“Wow.” Argo initially just marveled, but after watching the scene play out multiple tis, he stared at Najin in disbelief. “What in the world did you do these past four months?”
“Didn’t I say? I road all over the Outland.” Najin omitted the finer details.
Argo, witnessing the fighting style and endless practical tricks Najin had picked up, could only chuckle in astonishnt. Najin’s thods were not just about strong technique or power; they were hyper-efficient and swift. His awareness and reaction speed were beyond normal.
Perception, reaction, response… All three took less than a second. At the slightest hint that sothing was targeting them, he had already moved to slit its throat and returned.
By the ti they reached their destination, Argo hadn’t even had the chance to swing his own sword properly. “So this is what it’s like to be the one getting escorted, huh?”
“I’ll make sure you arrive safely.” At Najin’s playful remark, Argo burst into laughter.
After a while, they reached their destination: a forsaken starfield of a Constellation that fell roughly three centuries prior, fashioned after an actual city of that era—a free city called Pavanne.
Originally, it had been near a port, but in ti, it was absorbed by a union and vanished, yet there it stood, deep in the Outland, lacking the grand harbor and blue sea of old, but with its trademark bell tower still intact.
Ding, ding, diiing…
As the bell tolled across the city, Najin and Argo set foot inside. Near the city’s entrance, a few people waited—the ones Argo had ntioned earlier.
“Greetings. I’m Schmitz, the one who sent the letter.” Schmitz was a priest of the Starbody Society, a so-called pilgrim who led ordinary believers on a sacred journey through the Outland and protected them by sharing his starlight with them.
Indeed, aside from Schmitz, none of those gathered there appeared to be Sword Seekers or even Experts—they were everyday folk, gathered around him in hushed conversation.
“Good to see you, Father Schmitz. I read the ssage from the Starbody Society. You’re saying the knight demon is here?”
“Yes, it’s beyond the line I drew over there.”
“Could you tell us the situation?”
“Certainly.” Schmitz explained that, since Pavanne was a starfield once belonging to a constellation under the Starbody Society, it was a holy place. He and his party had arrived for their usual pilgrimage, but a demon ambushed them.
“It claid the lives of two of our priests before I could react. I tried observing it from afar and realized… it resembled the rumored knight demon.”
“Got it, and you say it’s past that boundary?”
Schmitz nodded. His abilities were focused on protection and barrier creation, so the demon couldn’t cross the line he’d drawn. Of course, he had only managed to secure a tiny corner at the city’s entrance.
“May the blessing of the stars be upon you.” Schmitz made a small sign of the cross with his hand.
Argo tapped the translucent barrier a couple of tis. Until it went down, they couldn’t move on. “Could you lift the barrier for a mont?”
“Of course. Step back, all of you.” Once Schmitz canceled his barrier, the believers behind him backed away.
Najin and Argo drew their swords.
Sparkle.
The instant the barrier vanished in a shimr of light, sothing flashed in the depths of the city. It was faint and montary, but Najin didn’t miss it.
Sswiiiish!
A single arrow… It wasn’t aid at Najin but at the believers—and Schmitz—behind him. It was fairly quick, but to his eyes, it might as well have been moving in slow motion. There was no need to even swing his blade.
Thwack.
He simply reached out and caught the arrow; then used his thumb to snap the arrowhead off and tossed it aside. He turned his gaze forward. More arrows were raining down.
“They’re coming.”
While Schmitz hastily set up a new barrier, Najin and Argo each took a step forward and deflected the incoming arrows. That’s when the city began to change.
Ding, ding, diiing…
The softly resonating bell suddenly fell silent in a split second of quiet. The next mont, the gentle tolls of the bell turned frenzied. Kkiiiiik! A sound like tal being scraped echoed, and the entire city trembled.
The city began to “fold” in on itself.
A Masterpiece was imbued with Mystique. The blacksmith who forged each Masterpiece gave it a na, making it possible to guess the general nature of its power.
For instance, Masterpiece No. 34, “Shadowfla”… The concept of “the shadow cast by fire’s heat” hints at its ability. Indeed, it disrupted vision by using heat shimr as camouflage.
Likewise, Masterpiece No. 21, “Echo”… An echo is a sound that bounces back after hitting sothing. Focusing on the idea of “bouncing back,” Echo can rebound not only sound but shockwaves and mana as well.
So then, Masterpiece No. 4, “Bookmark”… What is its power? A bookmark is normally placed between the pages of a book to mark your reading spot. Essentially, it has to be inserted between sothing, and a Masterpiece—Mystique itself—is an extension of that concept.
There was no need to slot it between the pages of a literal book. Anything you perceive as “pages” would do, so long as it “closed” around it.
“In any case,” Najin muttered, looking at the scene before him, “Demons definitely think on a different wavelength.”
Knight Demon Orgis, acting true to its inhuman logic, seed to regard the entire city as a single “book.”
Seeing buildings and bricks surge forward like ocean waves, Najin realized, ‘Once that “Bookmark” power fully “shuts” everything, the fight will get pretty troubleso.’
First, they needed to carve out a path. Fortunately, he happened to know just the technique for smashing through obstructions. He tossed his sword upward and drew the Lance of the Crossed Star strapped to his back.
A technique to shatter everything in front of you and open the way—The Battle Ram.
A storm erupted.
User Comments
0 comments from readers