Episode 8
It was a moonlit night.
In an open field where heavy snow fell, Kankun swung her sword at the empty air.
She didn't know how many times, how many hours she had swung it.
Even though it was a forest radiating frigid air, heat rose within her and sweat trickled down.
Her arms trembled, her muscles screaming at her to stop.
Nevertheless, Kankun did not stop swinging her sword.
She had reached her limit long ago, enduring solely on willpower alone.
'…Every time a crisis came to the village.'
Her uncle had killed her father and incited a rebellion.
'I had no power.'
The Partas tribe had launched a surprise attack on the village and plundered it.
'Every time….'
The demon in the Holy Temple, the Throne of Sin, had resolved everything.
But he never took the initiative to act.
Only when blades were pointed at him did he finally step forward.
If such a thing were to happen again, she couldn't be sure he would step forward then either, so she couldn't blindly rely on him alone.
'…The Throne accepted us, but he never said he would protect us. My uncle will come again. Until then….'
She had to become stronger.
But how?
How could she surpass her limits?
As she swung her sword, she lost her balance and collapsed in the snow.
"Haa… haa…."
White breath escaped between her ragged gasps.
Her eyes grew dim, her vision gradually blackening. The severe cramping in her legs left her unable to think of standing.
'Wha… huh?'
Kankun tried to rise using her sword as a crutch, but her arms had no strength and she fell flat on her face.
No matter how many times she tried, it was the same; there were no signs of improvement.
'I… I might be in danger…!'
She had come to an open field quite far from the village to train in swordsmanship.
This was also the place where she had trained with her uncle, Kudan Ragna.
It was a place of memories with Kudan, and now it was a place of training to punish the man who had become her enemy.
But few knew of this place.
Situated where it couldn't be easily found even if search parties came from the village, if she couldn't return, she would find herself in a perilous situation.
'D… dangerous. I need to get up… ugh, f… first, let me rest a little longer.'
Kankun's limbs were numb, her body as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
Eventually, the falling snow began to blanket her body.
'…When I'm found, my body will surely be frozen stiff, won't it?'
Her head was spinning. The ground was unbearably cold. She couldn't stop her eyes from closing on their own.
'At… that… time… will I… have… caught a cold…? Ugh… nn…?'
Then, in her fading vision, she saw a crow.
A jet-black plumage with a massive beak.
A giant crow the size of an adult man.
'…The Grim Reaper?'
Since ancient times, crows had been an ominous omen.
Because of their black feathers and habit of pecking at corpses, they had long been believed to be most closely associated with death.
Thus, they were also the symbolic animal representing the Grim Reaper.
Such an inauspicious, exceptionally large crow began to approach with large strides.
That crow came right up to Kankun's nose and extended a hand.
Rustle….
It lightly lifted her, buried in snow, and poured a transparent yet red liquid at her lips.
Gulp… gulp…
When the red liquid touched the lips of Kankun, who lacked even the strength to resist, her body instinctively drank it in to survive.
And shortly after… the sound of bones crunching, the cruel sound of skin tearing. Followed by terrible agony!
Just as Kankun recognized that death had come for her… all the pain vanished.
"……!"
Startled, she checked her body's condition.
Her arms, which had been blue with frostbite, had completely returned to their original color with fair skin, and her body had grown warm.
To the point that she felt cozy, as if she were beside a warm brazier.
At her strangely transformed condition, Kankun looked at the crow before her with startled, rabbit-like eyes.
"…It's not a crow? A person?"
It wasn't a crow.
It was a man in strange attire, wearing a crow mask with a huge beak over his head and clothes decorated with black feathers.
Moreover, behind him stood a blond middle-aged man she didn't recognize, apparently a companion.
They were foreigners she had never seen before.
"Who are you?"
Kankun shouted boldly, remaining on guard.
The man wearing the crow mask, Loki, stroked his chin as if intrigued.
"It even regenerates frozen skin. Your lost consciousness has returned as well. Truly omnipotent."
The voice was different.
But from the unique aura, Kankun could tell who the man before her was.
"A demon!? Ah, no. Your Holiness!"
The sealed demon of the Holy Temple, Loki.
He was right before her eyes.
"Oho! The others couldn't recognize me… yet you alone could."
Loki looked at Kankun with interest.
"I… is that so?"
"How did you know?"
"I… I just… had a feeling?"
"Interesting."
"Wh… what brings you here…?"
"I was bored and lonely cooped up inside the temple. I came out to see the state of the world."
Loki glanced at Kankun, who held the holy sword.
"But what were you doing here?"
"I… I was… training in swordsmanship…."
"How?"
"S… swinging at the air…."
"A rather unproductive training method."
At Loki's words, Kankun withered.
Even in her life-threatening situation, Loki looked at the sword clutched in her hand.
The holy sword, Burtgang.
In Norse mythology, it was the sword of Heimdall, the god of light and guardian of Valhalla.
"Why don't you use that?"
"…B… before that… couldn't you please let me down?"
Loki looked down at Kankun.
He was holding her hand and lifting her up, so Kankun appeared to be dangling from his hand.
Loki looked down at her, and Kankun looked up at him as if amazed.
'A human…? A demon…?'
When she held his hand, she felt warm body heat; for a demon, he seemed like a human.
She couldn't imagine the statue-like appearance from when she had first seen the demon.
Kankun traced the hand Loki had held.
'He really seemed like a human.'
Seeing how he had gently lifted her up, he must have been quite considerate of her.
His tone was stiff and heavy, but within it remained a softness that cared for the other person.
Feeling this, Kankun looked at Loki. Then she recalled what he had said earlier and asked.
"…But you're telling me to use this sword?"
When Kankun lifted Burtgang, Loki nodded.
"Yes. With that, you will be able to become the strongest existence on this island."
"C… come on, don't joke…."
Kankun thought the Throne had made a joke.
But Loki only shrugged and didn't reply.
"…Really?"
"Half joke, half serious."
Loki didn't know the extent of the strongest person's power on this island.
However, if using 'Kudan,' Kankun's uncle whom he had first met, as the standard… Burtgang would be enough to contend with him.
'Though the sword's performance would decrease depending on the user's level.'
Still, the fact that it was a myth-grade item remained unchanged.
Using this sword was synonymous with transcending human limits.
"That sword has three abilities."
"……?"
"First, it can launch a Slash of Light."
With the Slash of Light, long-range attacks were possible. If one was hit head-on, it dealt multiplied damage, cleaving through everything.
"Second, it can form a protective barrier."
Not only oneself, but allies were imbued with the light of protection, donning armor wreathed in a barrier.
It had the effect of blocking a portion of damage for a set duration.
"Third, it has the ability to heal and purify."
It recovered all abnormal conditions and purified nearby undead. It also had the ability to restore health immediately.
'Of course, it also doubles the user's growth rate, but.'
"M… a magic sword?! Is this what they call a magic sword!?"
Kankun looked at the holy sword with wide eyes.
She had thought it wasn't an ordinary sword.
Well, it was the sword that had sealed the demon, so of course it wouldn't be.
"Yes, and the method to use that sword is simple."
Loki suppressed the repulsion he felt instinctively and took the sword from Kankun. Then he lightly swung it at the empty air.
Skill [Slash of Light].
In an instant, sacred and brilliant golden light erupted from the sword.
As Kankun stared, entranced by the blinding light, a Slash of Light burst forth from the holy sword Loki swung.
Kraaack-!!
It cleaved through the earth without restraint—
Shrrrk-!
Slicing through all obstacles before it—
KABOOM-!!
Upon reaching its end, it exploded, blowing away everything around it.
Along with an intense gust of wind, white snow dust scattered in all directions.
Even as her hair fluttered, Kankun looked up at Loki with a shocked face.
"So this is the extent of its power."
Loki looked at the holy sword and nodded.
As the dust settled, Kankun could see what lay ahead.
He had only swung lightly.
But the earth was split, trees and rocks were cut down, and at the end, nothing remained except the traces of a massive explosion.
"…It's an attack skill. I don't know the extent of power that what they call a divine artifact in this world possesses, but."
Loki spoke while looking at Kankun.
"You should be able to offset it to some extent with this skill."
"……."
Kankun kept her mouth shut.
It wasn't a matter of offsetting; if anyone took that strike head-on, no one would survive.
"Will you try using it?"
"M… me?"
"Yes."
"C… can I really do it?"
"Of course."
Kankun spoke in a voice filled with anticipation.
"H… how?!"
Loki looked at her, and as if he had thought of something amusing, a smile formed on his lips.
"While swinging the sword."
Taking a sword-swinging stance, Loki looked at Kankun and spoke.
"O light, grant me strength. Yariyariyallasong-."
"……"
Kankun tilted her head.
"-Just shout that loudly."
…Didn't he not use such an incantation earlier?
Kankun looked up at Loki, and Loki looked down at her with a serious expression.
"Will you try?"
"I… is that really the incantation?"
"Yes. Raising your voice and your movements greatly… doing it confidently is important. If you do that, the Slash of Light will fire. It means you too can use the sword strike from earlier."
When Loki held out the sword, Kankun hesitated before taking it.
Honestly, she was scared, but her anticipation was greater.
That she could deliver such a strike?!
Wouldn't it feel like becoming a hero from a fairy tale?
Kankun imagined herself unleashing the Slash of Light in her mind.
Her anticipation swelled.
"Give it a try."
She gripped the sword tightly.
"O… o light-!"
He had definitely told her to raise her voice.
Kankun raised her voice.
Kuk…
"Grant me strength…"
She made a large motion.
Kukkuk…
"Yariyariyalla-…"
Hahaha!
Kankun's face gradually turned red.
She glanced back and looked at Loki.
"…Why are you laughing?"
Loki stood still with his arms crossed, looking at Kankun.
"When did I… laugh?"
"…The corners of your lips are twitching!"
Kankun's face turned red, ashamed even as she spoke.
She had heard that mages chanted incantations when using magic.
She had thought it was a similar principle.
However, what she was saying now was an incantation that children in fairy tales might shout, so she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Anyway, the incantation was complete.
Now she just had to swing!
"Yah-!"
And she swung the sword, but no sign appeared whatsoever.
"……."
Kankun turned her head with unfocused eyes and looked blankly at Loki.
He waved his hand lightly and spoke.
"I was joking. You just need to swing while shouting 'Slash of Light' or think it in your mind. That's a skill."
Kankun's face flushed red as she made a tearful expression. On the contrary, an annoyingly smug smile hung on Loki's lips.
Loki.
True to his name, he loved playing pranks.