Chapter 81: Stupid Tradition

The cross made of blinding light instantly devoured Luna's body and brightly illuminated the surrounding area, making it seem as if it were daytime right now. With how intense the light was, people outside the mansion district should notice it as well. So, it probably wouldn't be long before someone came to check up on the situation here.

To think I would have to yell out the Hero's Sword's true name to use its skill…

Alice couldn't help but be exasperated when she recalled what had just happened. She had seen characters in manga and novels shouting out the names of their weapons before launching their ultimate moves, so she could somewhat understand why the Hero's Sword had such a requirement as well. However, unlike a certain blonde girl's weapon, Alice's weapon didn't have a cool name like "Excalibur."

Fortunately, the Hero's Sword's strange name of Okay wasn't without its benefits. When Luna heard Alice abruptly shouting "Okay," she was momentarily caught off guard and ended up eating Alice's Holy Cross Slash straight to the face. Alice could also relate to Luna's reaction. Any normal person would definitely be surprised if the opponent they fought suddenly shouted "Okay" just as they were about to launch an attack.

It really makes you wonder how that Hero named Miller managed to cope with such a restriction... His fights must've been terrible, right?

When Alice thought of the unlucky Hero who had named his Hero's Sword "What the Fuck," she suddenly felt that she was no longer the most miserable Hero in history. Then, after comforting herself in such a manner, she returned her focus to the dissipating light in front of her.

Can she survive after taking such an attack straight to the face?

The Holy Cross Slash was undoubtedly a skill only the Hero could use. Its destructive power was already on the level of taboos. However, unlike taboo bombs that would cause wide-area destruction once detonated, the Holy Cross Slash's destructive power was much more controlled. Thus, even though the Holy Cross Slash possessed taboo-level destructive power, the damage it dealt to the target's surroundings was minimal.

After Alice waited for some seconds, the dazzling light eventually faded, and the faint morning glow coming from the distant horizon became the only source of light in the area again. Meanwhile, Alice also quickly located Luna's figure among the rubble.

"What was that attack? The intensity of that light mana..." Luna muttered as she picked herself up from the ground. Even with the Demon King's Power strengthening her, she had still suffered a certain degree of damage after eating the Holy Cross Slash in the face.

However, compared to the demon realm's Four Heavenly Kings, the damage Luna received after tanking a taboo was insignificant. Apart from a trickle of blood dripping down from her forehead and her vanished maid uniform, it didn't seem like she had suffered any other injuries.

"How are you related to the Hero?" Luna asked as she looked at Alice with a solemn gaze.

Alice was stunned when she heard Luna's words. She thought that Luna had already figured out that she was the Hero. However, it would seem that the silver-haired maid was too preconceived in her belief that Alice was merely a character of unknown origins and that the Hero was "a man with a tiger's back, a bear's waist, and a pretty face." Thus, she had neglected the possibility that Alice might be the Hero.

However, this was good news for Alice. Although Luna was unlikely to hold back after seeing her use such a powerful attack, Alice felt that it would be best if she could continue keeping her identity a secret. She still wasn't confident in slaying Luna, the Demon King, yet, after all. So, the longer she could keep her identity a secret, the better.

"Although I don't know what kind of relationship you share with the Hero, since you are capable of using such powerful light mana, you must be someone the Hero trusts very much," Luna unilaterally confirmed her conjecture after seeing Alice remain silent. Since she could split a portion of the Demon King's Power and place it within King Hatter's body, it only stood to reason that the Hero could also place a portion of the Hero's Power into other people. "The Hero should show himself if I capture you alive."

"How much hatred do you have for the Hero..."

Alice felt her head aching when she heard Luna's words. Although she knew that the Demon King and the Hero stood on opposing sides to each other, she couldn't help but feel troubled to see Luna being so fixated on finding her. Their encounter on the train was the first time they had met each other, so how could Luna have developed so much hatred for her already?

"You wouldn't understand," Luna coldly said as she looked at Alice. Then, she slowly lifted both hands while saying, "I originally planned to save this move for the Hero, but since capturing you will allow me to lure out the Hero...let's try it on you first."

"What?"

Alice blinked in confusion. However, before she could react, she suddenly felt the Hero's Sword in her right hand growing heavier. Moreover, the immense light mana stored within the Hero's Sword had even started to deplete rapidly.

However, what unnerved Alice the most was the weapon information displayed in her mind. At the same time as the Hero's Sword's light mana was being depleted, the weapon's stats also started changing.

…

[Weapon: Hero's Sword - Okay]

[Quality: Law]

[Effect: Strength +6000, Constitution +6000, Speed +6000, Mind +6000, Control +6000, Mana +6000]

[Additional Effect:

Word of God (Passive Skill. When praying sincerely, you can communicate with God and receive God's blessing);

Blessing of Light (Passive Skill. Your affinity with the light attribute is increased to MAX. When you are wielding a weapon blessed by God, exude a holy light that deals additional damage to dark-attributed enemies);

Holy Cross Slash (Active Skill. Releases a cross slash composed of light to shatter the target's soul.)]

…

Not only did the stat bonuses decrease from 8000 points to 6000 points, but even the Fearless Will skill had disappeared. Moreover, Alice could feel that the mana in the Hero's Sword was growing weaker and weaker with each passing second. In other words, the Hero's Sword might continue to grow weaker.

"The Demon King's Power and Hero's Power are opposing powers. By constructing a barrier using the Demon King's Power, I can seal the Hero's Power," Luna calmly explained when she saw the look of confusion on Alice's face. "Although I do not know how you managed to get the Hero to share his power with you, the power within you is undoubtedly the Hero's Power. Since it is only an external power, you won't be able to resist the power of my seal."

At this point, Alice also realized the severity of the situation. If the Hero's Sword continued losing its light mana, it would eventually turn into garbage again.

"Since that's the case..."

Enduring her embarrassment, Alice decided to activate the Hero's Sword's Holy Cross Slash again. However, as soon as she tried to activate the skill, she received a feedback message that made her nearly lose her mind.

[3 minutes and 40 seconds until skill cooldown is over.]

Write it in the description if there's a cooldown!!! What kind of shitty game is this?!?! Alice scratched her long golden hair in agony. However, she quickly remembered that apart from the Hero's Sword, she had another source of power she could rely on.

Although this alternative was somewhat embarrassing, between her dignity and her life, Alice still preferred to keep her life.