「Intruder! Intruder!」
Abraham rushed out of the room while shouting.
And when I followed him out of the room, lots of soldiers have gathered.
In the corridor after leaving the room, soldiers attacked at the same time from both sides.
They poked using their spears which were twice longer than an ordinary one.
I split those spears into two at the same time with the Demon Swords and killed several soldiers at the same time after jumping sideways.
『Okasan, it’s a match』
『Umu, I shall show you my career as a Demon Sword』
I advanced while covering myself with aura, and Eleanor and Hikari who released that started to count again.
The two of them counted like a game of tag and enumerated as if to sing.
And while hearing that song, I continued to cut down soldiers after soldiers.
「Eii! The enemies alone!」
「Captain!」
「Receive this Triple Attack!!」
Someone that looked a little stronger than ordinary soldiers appeared, but I brought him down with one slash.
That guy that was a little stronger was counted as “1” by the mother and daughter.
When I continued to advance, I found Abraham.
He got stunned seeing me, then continued to run away.
He said something to the soldiers while running away.
『Oh?! Their morale increased』
「I killed a lot of them already though. Why so?」
I doubted, but immediately understood.
「That traitor huh」
「Our future’s bright as long as we defeat that guy」
「I’m going to defeat him, I’m going to defeat him!」
It looks like Abraham gave them carrots.
The eyes of the soldiers became bloodshot and challenged me.
There were ten-odd spears. They pierced as if to cover my whole body.
「How naive」
I cleaved Eleanor and crushed all of their spearheads and chopped the soldiers ahead with one slash using Hikari.
『I’m sorry while you’re having a killing. Don’t forget the goal』
「I know」
I told Eleanor and closed my distance with the soldier who looked like he’s about to run away anytime.
I placed the blades of the Demon Swords to his neck and threatened him with a low voice.
「Where’s the King? I’ll let you off if you tell me」
「Hi, Hi, Hi……」
「Hi?」
「Hi……ii……i……」
The soldier fainted just like that.
The white of his eyes is showing and foam were coming out of his mouth. Looking carefully, a yellow stain had spread on his crotch.
『You threatened him too much』
『Otou-san, you should hold back〜』
「Mu! That’s quite difficult」
Holding back physically is rather quite simple. If I do a sword rush using the Demon Swords, I can cleanly shave off all the hair in their body even if they’re desperately resisting.
However, how can I hold back something spiritually? How can I control the level of my threat?
I don’t know.
I don’t know, so I just decided to try many times.
I caught another soldier and threatened him. This time, he went into a frenzy that made him almost insane and resisted.
I cut him down and threatened another one. He fainted again and foamed.
After doing it several times, I finally found someone who can answer properly.
「H-His Majesty is in the Winter Palace」
「Winter Palace? Where’s that?」
「If you go outsideーーyou can tell」
After saying just that, that soldier fainted as well.
He means that it’s a building that I can tell with just a look when I go outside?
If so, then I should go outside.
I paved a bloody path, cutting down soldiers while the mother and daughter Demon Swords continued to count.
Their resistance became fiercer, but I continued to advance without a care about that.
After I left the palace, I understood what that soldier from earlier said.
Although it looks a little blurry from this far away, I can see a splendid structure.
It’s a little blurry as if I’m looking at the other side of the cloud, but it’s the one that looks like a “palace” with one look.
I see, that’s the so-called Winter Palace huh.
I walked towards the direction of the Winter Palace.
More soldiers came and the surroundings already looked like a battlefield.
I advanced while cutting them down.
『Otou-san!』
『To your right!』
Soon after I heard Hikari and Eleanor’s warning, a slash came from the right.
I blocked using Hikari. The clashing sounds deafened my ears.
I counterattacked with a sweep using EleanorーーI cut through the air.
The man that launched a surprise attack instantly took distance.
That’s right. It’s a man.
It’s a man with long hair, holding a long thin sword. His eyes were closed and his ear is faced towards my direction.
The air around him shows he’s not someone simple. It looks like it’s an opponent that I could leave my guard down with.
「Who are you」
「Xeno Phon」
Xeno silently named himself. His calmness made him feel different from the others.
「You evil being, you shall not advance from here on」
Evil being huh.
「Sorry, but I’ll stick around」
「If soーーthen die to my blade」
Xeno’s appearance blurredーーhe appeared behind me soon right after.
He suddenly appeared behind me and released a slash.
I turned around while swinging the Demon Swordsーーbut he was no longer there.
「I know!」
*Gakiiーn!!*
With a reverse grip, I blocked the slash that came flying straight behind me.
Guys like these are always doing this.
They’d appear behind me, then appear behind me once again with a slash.
It’s skillful, but a common pattern.
「……Secret Skill」
「Mu!!」
「Seal Demon Sword」
I instinctively kicked the ground and jumped back.
Xeno did not follow up an attack.
The instant I landed, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyebrows.
The dark aura that the mother and daughter Demon Swords released and enveloped me.
That aura that represents the Demon Sword Wielder was “eaten”.
Only at the place where Xeno’s attack passed through, it was chomped off like an eaten cake.
And, it does not regenerate at the part where it’s eatenーーno.
『It would take more than ten minutes to regenerate』
『Uu……it’s difficult〜……』
It looks like it would take time to return it back to normal.
It made Eleanor take ten minutes. It also made it difficult for Hikari.
Just that makes that secret skill amazing.
「To think that my Secret Skill would be dodged」
「You’re quite good」
「However, it is now clear with this. Even if it’s you evil being, you are nothing but an evil being」
Xeno was assured that his secret skill works. However, he did not have negligence nor arrogance.
『He is quite something』
It was enough to impress even Eleanor.
「……I’m coming」
I exchanged slashes with Xeno.
He released his secret skill and my aura was eaten again, but I counterattacked with the Demon Swords regardless.
Xeno evaded at the last moment, but he had a deep wound on his neck, blood was spurting out from it.
Even so, he did not care at all. He raised his sword, facing his ear towards me.
「……withdraw, you’ll die if this continues」
「That might be true」
「If so」
「However, I am indebted to the King. It’s a huge debt that even seven lifetimes cannot pay all of it. That is whyーーI shall not withdraw」
Xeno attacked once again.
The match was already decided. He has both speed and power, but it’s only a tenth of mine.
That secret skill was troublesome, but it’s nothing since I know that it can be evaded.
I dodged his incoming slash, took Xeno’s back faster than he could, and made him lose consciousness with a blow.
『Aren’t you kind? The opponent’s a man you know?』
「It’s just a whim」
I left Xeno there and continued invading towards the Winter Palace.
However, a man that looks like a knight appeared before that.
「He got defeated huh, he’s nothing but wordsーー」
I instantly killed that knight. I closed the distance with a breath and chopped him with sixteen slashes.
「Lesser than a small fry」
I spat out and continued ahead.
I cut down soldiers, advanced, and arrived at the Winter Palace.
When I stepped inside, a monster appeared this time.
In the palace garden, the ground was opened, and a dragon the size of a semi truck appeared from there.
『O-chan? U〜n, it’s different』
『It’s a lesser dragon. A beast that only lives with its instincts. If you ask the higher species, they’re called as damn lizards. By the way, its called Scale Dragon』
Hikari who tilted her head and Eleanor who explained.
The Scale Dragon attacked!
It swung down its front feet and shook the ground. A hole that was as huge as a cave’s entrance was made.
「Is that all!」
I caught the dragon with my regenerated aura, closed the distance, and cut off its two heads at the same time.
Fresh blood gushed like fountains and its huge body collapsed, making the ground tremble.
I stepped over that and entered the palace.
I caught several soldiers and threatened them without being able to hold back and asked where the King is.
I walked towards there.
『Mu?』
「What’s the matter?」
『Don’t you feel like their resistance have weakened?』
「Now that you mention it」
I didn’t notice until Eleanor told me.
『It’s clearly weakening……on top of that, it’s intentional』
「Are you saying it’s a trap?」
『Nine out of ten』
「It means, a fake king is there huh」
『Most probably』
I advanced while talking to Eleanor.
I reached the king’s room. I cut down the soldiers protecting it from the outside and entered.
There is a huge bed inside the luxurious room.
An old man that looks like a skeleton is sleeping on the bed.
「Is he dead?」
『It looks like he’s alive』
『Mu?! That’s……the real King huh』
「You know him?」
『In the past, just a little』
「It wasn’t a fake one huh. Well, whatever. It’s the real one right? I’ll take him away then」
I said and approached the king, but the instant I came to the side of the bed, a magic circle spread through the ground.
Imprisoned by the magic circle, my body won’t move.
『It’s a trap!』
「What is this?」
『Tartarus. One of the strategic class magic circles. Originally, it is meant to be used against a huge army』
「Against a huge army you say?」
『When it activates, it would devour everything within its distance and vanish them without a trace. I have heard from humans that it’s expensive and rare』
「Something like thatーー」
The next instant, my vision became dark.
A torrent of tremendous strength is pushing towards me.
It’s a strength that I’ve never experienced before.
I endured the strength that was pushing against me.
It feels like I’m about to get devoured and crushed to pieces.
I endured thatーーI endured while protecting King Aegina with my aura.
『Otou-san! It’s dangerous, so let go of that person!』
『Hikari』
Hikari panicked, but oppositely, Eleanor was calm.
『Okasan?』
『Remember this, a condition of becoming a good woman is to not deprive their man’s high point』
Don’t make me laugh, Eleanor. You’re always butting in.
However, that’s right. And it would be great if you would keep yourselves calm and don’t do anything.
I took a deep breath. I gathered strength to my core.
I used all of my strength and gripped Eleanor and Hikari tightly.
I shall endure, and protect!
Finally, that strength started to pull back.
The light also dissipated and the magic circle sinks.
My vision that turned dark returned to normal.
With the surroundingsーーa part of the palace crushed.
Only the ground which was a one-meter radius around me, and the bed where King Aegina was asleep was intact.