Throughout the history of swordsmen, only a handful have ever mastered the golden sword aura. This formidable power was once considered a mere legend spun by bards. For over a century, no golden swordsman has emerged. In a remote town like this, it’s no surprise that the locals have never heard of a golden swordsman, let alone the Golden Oath.
Seeing Ye Chui utter the words, “Then you’re already dead,” followed by Ryan and the two other mages being sliced by golden light, their bodies spurting blood as they collapsed, terrified everyone who had planned to attack Ye Chui and Debbie. They fled in panic, desperate to escape.
In their eyes, Ye Chui’s fearsome presence momentarily surpassed even Jirga’s.
Green stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Meanwhile, Debbie, focused on her heroic spirit transformation ritual, sneaked a glance at Ye Chui, her cheeks puffed out in displeasure. The little girl was clearly annoyed that Ye Chui had stolen such a perfect opportunity to show off.
The battle between Jirga, the magic swordsman Thorne, the summoner Bilis, and the old swordsman raged on fiercely. Yet, unnoticed by all, something strange was occurring.
Not far from Ye Chui, the bodies of Ryan and the other two lay on the ground, their blood still flowing, seeping into the dark, ashen soil and vanishing. This phenomenon wasn’t limited to them. The blood of anyone injured nearby was absorbed into the ground in an eerie manner, but everyone’s attention was fixed on Jirga’s fight, oblivious to the anomaly.
Boom!
With a swing of her golden longsword, Jirga struck a powerful mercenary swordsman. His heavy armour shattered like paper under the blow, and his body was sent flying, landing in front of the massive crystal. A horrific wound on his abdomen gushed blood.
He groaned in pain, struggling to rise, but then his face contorted in terror as he glanced at the crystal behind him.
“It’s…”
His words cut off as his body slammed into the ground, as if something were pulling him down. His trembling form fought to resist. Upon closer inspection, blood-red tendrils seemed to connect him to the earth.
Those tendrils were his blood, no longer his own, forcibly drawn from his body by some force, slithering into the ground like a living entity, draining his life rapidly.
Someone in the distance glanced over but dismissed him as merely a fallen casualty, paying no further attention.
Cracks silently spread across the massive blue crystal.
On Debbie’s side, sweat beaded on her forehead. Summoning a heroic spirit required three things: a contract, a medium, and magic. Magic was straightforward, and the Valkyrie’s broken body served as the perfect medium. The contract, however, was trickier.
Though Debbie’s intent to turn the Valkyrie into a heroic spirit was well-meaning, for some powerful warriors, becoming a spirit bound to another’s will was not a pleasant prospect. Debbie couldn’t be certain the Valkyrie was willing to become a spirit unable to control her own destiny.
In fact, the ritual had been ongoing for some time, but Debbie could still sense the Valkyrie’s resistance. Maintaining Jirga’s summoning required little magic, but if this continued, something could go wrong, and Debbie might have to abandon the Valkyrie.
Unbeknownst to Debbie and Ye Chui, the Valkyrie’s body was a creation of the gods. No matter how severe her injuries, as long as she had strong willpower, she could survive. Long ago, dozens of Valkyries guarded this place, but one by one, they perished, leaving only the most resolute. The others selflessly gave their bodies to sustain her, allowing her to endure.
Thorne’s strike had been severe, but given a chance to recover, she could still heal.
She still had a mission to protect.
However, this overzealous teenage summoner was determined to turn her into a heroic spirit without listening to her protests. Stop it, you can’t do this! Your summoning magic is preventing my self-healing!
The Valkyrie was frantic. Among those present, no one understood the sealed demon’s terror better than she did. It fed on blood and battle, and the fighting here was constantly strengthening it. Yet Debbie’s determination to save her was so unwavering.
Suddenly, the Valkyrie sensed something. Having guarded the crystal for five thousand years, she knew it intimately. She could feel the demon’s terrifying aura beginning to spread.
It was too late.
Enveloped in Debbie’s magic, the Valkyrie made a choice, the most rational one given the circumstances.
Her mismatched eyes locked onto Debbie.
Fine, girl, I’ll let you have this…
Her body began to disintegrate rapidly, as if burning to ash, scattering in the wind. In a glow of holy light, she slowly faded into the air.
“She’s… gone…” Green gasped, looking around in shock before turning to Debbie, who was catching her breath. “Did it… work?”
Ye Chui also looked at her expectantly.
Exhausted, Debbie’s face lit up with uncontainable joy. One hand propped her up on the ground, the other raised a thumbs-up.
But before Ye Chui and Green could celebrate, a blinding burst of golden light erupted. It was Jirga, unleashing the golden sword technique she had used in the ant nest, [Golden Rain]. Unmatched sword energy swept the area. With Bilis’s startled cry, his summoned beast was sliced into pieces, its writhing, grotesque tentacles falling to the ground.
Bilis, having lost his powerful summon, looked drained and collapsed limply.
The old swordsman, Cass’s deputy, had his shortsword snap in two. He used a stealthy sword technique, sliding across the ground to retreat several metres, blood trickling from his mouth, indicating internal injuries.
Under [Golden Rain], the magic swordsman Thorne suffered the worst. His bull-horned helmet shattered, revealing a scarred, ferocious face. A horrific sword wound stretched from his shoulder to his waist, mirroring the injury he had inflicted on the Valkyrie, a deliberate act by Jirga. With a thud, he fell backward.
The other mages and swordsmen fighting Jirga were mostly injured, retreating with cries of pain.
Gleaming with golden light, Jirga stood before the blue crystal, her sword raised, gazing coldly at those defeated by her blade. A satisfied smile crossed her face.
It had been a long time since she’d felt the thrill of such a battle.
The fight seemed to have concluded.
But as Jirga opened her mouth to speak, her noble, aloof expression turned to one of utter shock.
Crack!
With a sound like shattering glass, the sealed crystal behind her broke apart completely.
A red shadow burst forth. Even with Jirga’s reflexes, she had little time to defend. Amid a piercing sound, her golden figure was flung backward.
“Yahou!”
A shrill, raspy roar erupted from the blood-red figure.
The red demon had broken free from its seal.
