Chapter 40

"Hah... hahaha! Hahahaha, ahahahaha!"

In the center of a black tornado that pierced the sky, Raido let out a maniacal laugh.

The ominous miasma around him raged like a wild storm. The scene was so terrifying that it made one’s bones chill, yet Raido, standing at the center of the vortex, felt no fear.

On the contrary, he narrowed his eyes in apparent comfort, a crescent moon smile curling his lips.

"This is the Holy Sword! This is my power! Hahaha, ahahahaha!"

A sense of omnipotence, as if he had become a god or a demon, enveloped Raido’s body. Through the hilt he gripped, a vast force surged in like a tsunami.

In response to its master’s ecstatic joy, the Holy Sword Dainsleif intensified the storm even more.

The pitch-black wind spewing from Dainsleif seemed to have the same effect as the Cursed Sword Combat Technique Raido used, causing status abnormalities in enemies.

Imperial soldiers struck by the cursed wind began to fall one by one, suffering from effects like poisoning, paralysis, and petrification.

"What, this is... impossible..."

"He’s not human, he’s a monster!"

"What are we fighting... Is that the incarnation of a demon god...?"

The few imperial soldiers who managed to escape the curse were so stunned that they forgot to run, staring in shock at the raging black tornado.

Raido had just mowed down hundreds of soldiers, but thousands more still stood in his way.

"So what if they outnumber us!? I’ll crush the difference in numbers! I’ll trample over any advantage they have! If there’s anyone who can stop me, come out and face me!"

The first time he drew the Holy Sword, the overwhelming power it granted him filled him with a confidence bordering on arrogance.

Raido had spent five years in the frontier city, dedicating his life to battle, and he had come to believe that he was strong enough to be called a warrior.

He thought he had already reached the pinnacle as a swordsman.

(But... there was still more! I hadn’t even reached the heights yet!)

If they wanted to call him arrogant, let them.

If they wanted to call him complacent, let them.

But he would never be called weak.

By this Holy Sword, by Dainsleif who had chosen him after two hundred years since the first King Zain, he would never lose again.

He would never let anyone take his path from him again.

"More! Give me more power!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

With a resolute will, he pushed his power to the limit.

The Holy Sword in his right hand responded with a high-pitched scream, and the black storm grew even more intense.

The tornado, which had grown to a size that covered the battlefield, now resembled a black dragon ascending to the heavens.

Seeing this, the imperial soldiers lost their will to fight and collapsed to their knees.

"We can’t win... There’s no way we can win against this..."

Someone muttered, speaking the thoughts of all the imperial soldiers present.

There was no way to defeat such a power beyond human comprehension. Even challenging it was absurd.

Affected by the cursed wind, the imperial soldiers could barely move.

They had no choice but to kneel, feeling like sinners awaiting judgment from a god above.

"Oh...!"

"God...!"

On the other hand, the kingdom soldiers watching the battle from behind Raido were also on their knees.

They, too, had been hit by the raging black wind, but it seemed that Dainsleif’s power only affected enemies. They were completely unaffected by the curse.

Nevertheless, they spontaneously knelt and clasped their hands in prayer.

Before them stood a wielder of power that could only be described as divine or demonic.

If he were an enemy, they would sink into despair and lament like the imperial soldiers.

But—Raido, the wielder of the Holy Sword, was not their enemy. He was on their side.

Therefore, the kingdom soldiers prayed fervently.

They thanked the master of the storm for being on their side.

They pleaded that the embodiment of this wrath would not turn against them.

They prayed endlessly, endlessly.

"Hahahaha, ahahahaha!"

Unaware of the soldiers’ thoughts, Raido laughed heartily.

No matter how much cursed wind he unleashed, the power continued to surge within him, and he no longer felt the need to hold back.

He was eager to see just how far this power could take him.

"Cursed Sword Combat Technique: The Great Serpent of the End!"

Raido, filled with exhilaration, swung his sword forward.

The target of his strike was the imperial army’s encampment on the hill.

The wind that had been raging around Raido, following the will of the young Holy Sword wielder, transformed into a massive slash that tore through the battlefield.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

The black slash that split the battlefield in two swallowed countless imperial soldiers, but it showed no signs of losing momentum. With a thunderous roar, it continued to tear through the battlefield, heading straight for the imperial army’s main camp on the hill.

"We’ve won...!"

Raido, who had unleashed an attack capable of altering the very landscape, bared his teeth in a victorious sneer.

"Yaaaaaah!"

However—just as the attack seemed poised to tear through the imperial army’s encampment, a shadow stood in its path.

The small, slender figure seemed pitifully insignificant compared to the massive black slash.

It was like a small boat trying to navigate a stormy sea.

"Protect everyone! Crowsolas!"

"What...!?"

The small figure flipped her right hand. Instantly, a deafening thunderclap echoed, and a blinding flash of lightning struck.

The slender, pale blue sword in her right hand released a dazzling lightning bolt that collided head-on with the black slash surging like a tsunami.

Black and white, wind and lightning, were in balance for a mere few seconds.

Then, the lightning bolt shattered the slash, and the ominous cursed wind dissipated.

"Oh... I forgot. How could I have forgotten?"

Raido’s heart, which had been filled with a sense of omnipotence, grew cold as he realized the situation.

Indeed, those chosen by the Holy Sword might gain god-like power.

But he was not the only one to have obtained such power. At least one other person was on this battlefield.

"You are the imperial Holy Sword wielder—Selia von Arslane!"

"You’ve had your fun, but it ends here! From now on, I’ll be your opponent!"

Raido, baring his teeth at the appearance of a formidable enemy, tightened his grip on Dainsleif. With a thunderous roar, Selia, wielding Crowsolas, charged at him.

I have also posted the following works. Please enjoy them as well.

- The Poison King

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2436hp/

- I Returned from the Other World as a Hero, but the Four Sisters Next Door Are Acting Strange

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4591hn/

- The Brave Soul of Tyranny

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8818gp/

- The Disqualified Prince’s Harem Conquest: The Prince Without Magic Power Seizes the Throne with the Help of the Harem’s Consorts

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5257hk/