Chapter 90

Chapter 90: A blood-drinking sword (4)

The clash continued, sending ripples of aura spreading in all directions.

Taking advantage of the battle, Pross kept retreating. Harris and Serati also slowly moved the battlefield.

The target and obstacles were all moving in the same direction, so naturally, the cursed sword followed suit.

The purpose of the second defensive line was slightly different from that of the first.

Not only was it meant to wear down the cursed sword’s power, but it also aimed to guide it to the desired location.

Even amidst the intense fighting, the battlefield was steadily shifting.

Before long, they had left the campsite and reached the entrance of a small canyon.

It was a basin-shaped canyon, hollowed out inward, with a diameter of about 100 meters.

‘Good!’

Pross threw himself into the magic circle he had prepared in advance.

The girl wielding the cursed sword looked around, seemingly flustered, as her target had suddenly disappeared.

“...”

The confusion didn’t last long.

Another target had revealed itself deeper within the canyon.

It wasn’t the human she had been chasing, but a target with an even higher ‘priority.’

At that moment, Harris and Serati had also distanced themselves from the cursed sword. There was no interference in handling the new target.

“Kyahaha!”

Laughing, the girl with the cursed sword headed straight for the ravine.

Harris, watching this, couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“She really doesn’t stray from our predictions, does she?”

“Well, it’s fortunate, but still...”

Following slowly behind, Serati furrowed her brow.

“...I still don’t understand. Why is she doing this?”

***

Inside the basin, Jiken, Trib, and Lephan, who had just emerged from the magic circle, were waiting.

As the girl with the cursed sword entered the basin through the canyon, she first set her sights on Lephan.

“...”

However, she didn’t immediately rush in. Jiken and Trib’s presence was too imposing to ignore.

Both were radiating intense mana and aura.

She needed to deal with those two first to achieve her goal.

“Ahahaha!”

With a laugh, the girl lunged forward.

Trib responded by swinging his blue aura-infused sword.

The cursed sword’s blade lashed out like a whip, scattering a dark red aura. The red aura and blue aura clashed violently, intertwining in chaos.

Leaves were scattered, and the air was torn apart with deafening roars.

Bang! Paang!

Jiken calmly supported it with magic, casting various fire and lightning spells targeting the cursed sword from behind.

It was a joint attack from a 7th-circle mage and a blue-class aura user.

Moreover, Jiken and Trib were both seasoned veterans who had worked together in the King’s Order for a long time.

Their coordinated assault gradually drove the girl with the cursed sword into a defensive position.

Yet, she did not fall. The more cornered she became, the more the aura of darkness intensified, unleashing frenzied slashes in all directions.

“Kyahahahaha!”

As her offensive grew stronger, so did her maniacal laughter.

“My god, how does she still have this much strength left?” Trib clicked his tongue, while Jiken shook his head.

“At this point, it’s clear her strength has already been greatly depleted. How else could the two of us handle someone of purple-class?”

“That’s true.”

Meanwhile, Lephan was circling the battlefield with his sword drawn, keeping a cautious distance.

He couldn’t afford to let his guard down since the cursed sword might target him at any moment. However, there was no need to interfere either.

Simply keeping a safe distance and circling was enough.

Just by doing that, they were able to shake up her priorities and give Trib and Jiken a moment to catch their breath.

Thanks to this, they had stalled for enough time. Harris and Serati, who had been trailing at a distance, now closed in behind the cursed sword.

The maniacal laughter of the girl suddenly ceased.

“...”

With an expressionless face, the girl glanced around her.

The situation had grown quite dangerous. Retreating was the wisest choice.

Having made her decision, the girl suddenly leaped backward. Trib frowned.

“Is she really going to run?”

Jiken, gripping his wand, shouted, “Hold her down for just a little longer!”

Harris and Serati blocked her path.

However, the physical abilities of the cursed sword’s wielder were comparable to that of a purple-class aura user. Once she made up her mind to escape, stopping her wouldn’t be easy.

Indeed, a small opening appeared.

The girl swiftly dodged to the left, deflecting Harris’s aura sword, and broke through the encirclement.

‘Damn it!’

Five red chains shot up from the earth and wrapped around the cursed sword and the girl.

Three chains coiled around the blade, while one each bound the girl’s legs.

Serati’s eyes lit up with hope.

“Did we get her?”

But it was too soon to celebrate.

The girl let out a piercing scream and began thrashing wildly.

“Kyaaaa!”

The chains anchored in the ground were violently ripped out, flailing in the air.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

The chains themselves were sturdy, but the ground holding them wasn’t strong enough to withstand her force.

The red chains, like whips, lashed out in all directions, attacking the members of the King’s Order instead.

“Ugh!”

“Lord Karnak!”

The shout was meant to urge him to prepare the next spell after the failure of the previous one.

But Karnak remained calm.

‘I didn’t fail.’

This was part of the plan all along.

Without hesitation, Karnak activated the next spell.

“Rise, spirits of the earth!”

Rumble!

The ground shook as mounds of earth rose, transforming into five clay giants.

In an instant, Karnak had summoned not one but five golems.

Trib and Harris were left in shock, their mouths agape.

‘By the heavens, did he just summon five golems at once?’

‘Even Captain Jiken’s limit was two, wasn’t it?’

Jiken was just as surprised.

‘They said a genius Archmage had appeared in the Kingdom of Yustil...’

This wasn’t merely about mana or the level of one’s magic circle. It was a testament to Karnak’s incredible mana manipulation and processing abilities.

‘He really is a talent blessed by the heavens.’

In reality, it was simply because this particular spell didn’t require much computational power.

‘Well, I guess everyone thinks I’m a genius.’

Karnak felt slightly awkward under their intense gazes, but he remained composed.

‘I can’t let it show.’

With a confident expression, Karnak gave the command.

“Subdue the enemy, my servants!”

The clay giants grasped the red chains and pulled with immense force.

Though slow in movement, golems are known for their immense strength. Both the cursed sword and the girl were left dangling helplessly in midair.

“Kyaaah!”

The girl screamed and struggled, but it was futile.

Once her feet had left the ground, she couldn’t muster the strength to break free.

“Now! Strike!”

At Karnak’s signal, the three aura users moved.

Serati quickly grabbed the girl from behind, immobilizing her. In that moment, Harris struck the cursed sword with a powerful blow. The impact caused the girl to drop the sword.

Clang!

However, the connection wasn’t completely severed yet.

A fiery black aura still linked the girl and the cursed sword.

As long as this flame remained, the girl was still the sword’s host.

Trib raised his sword high above his head, readying himself for a decisive strike. With overwhelming force, he brought it down.

“Take this!”

Earth Smasher.

It was his most powerful finishing blow, and it slammed into the fiery connection between the girl and the cursed sword.

An enormous explosion followed.

Boom!

The girl’s body was flung backward, skipping across the ground like a stone on water. At last, she had been freed from the cursed sword’s control.

Serati quickly rushed forward, scooping the girl up and retreating to safety.

“We’ve rescued her!”

The cursed sword, now alone, vibrated wildly in the air, emitting a frantic, ominous hum.

Woom woom woom woom woom!

But it was too late for any further resistance.

Karnak’s chains fully coiled around the sword’s blade, while light from Jiken’s crystal prison pressed down on it.

Finally, the black flames extinguished, and the cursed sword’s eerie cries ceased.

“Good!”

A satisfied smile spread across Jiken’s face.

“We’ve finally secured it for real this time!”