The Death Mage Who Doesn't Want a Fourth Time

With the information gained during the audience with the G.o.ds inside the Boundary Mountain Range, Vandalieu had gained hope for achieving his heart’s desire, the resurrection of his mother Darcia.

But he still didn’t know the exact method that would allow him to resurrect her. He didn’t know, but this was information that Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, and Zuruwarn, the G.o.d of s.p.a.ce and creation, had made the effort of giving him. It was highly trustworthy.

And since his objective was the legacy of a legendary champion, it was almost certainly true.

“Ah, thank you, Vandalieu!” said Darcia.

She was very happy upon learning this information. Up until now, she had been in an incomparably better state than regular spirits due to Vandalieu’s death-attribute spell, Visualization, and because she could share his five senses. Thus, she didn’t feel a particularly powerful urge to come back to life.

But now that she might really come back to life, it seemed that she had all kinds of thoughts.

“I can finally do things like making meals and fixing clothes for you, Vandalieu!” she said happily.

It seemed that she wanted to take care of her son with her own hands as a mother.

Vandalieu looked up at her with an emotional gaze. “Mom…”

“So, you need to teach me how to cook and sew. You’re better than me at both, after all,” Darcia said.

“Yeah, leave it to me, Mom.”

The deterioration of Darcia’s spirit had almost completely stopped with Vandalieu’s death-attribute Mana, but some of her memories were cut unnaturally short, and she did feel some uneasiness.

And most importantly, coming back to life would allow her to spend time with her son as a living person.

And with her revival, perhaps Vandalieu would not try to take reckless actions of revenge, become injured and suffer over her death. And she would be able to be of use to him as well.

Sam, Rita, Saria, Pauvina and the others were also very happy to learn of the news that Darcia’s resurrection would become possible, so things were a little festive in Talosheim right now.

But a full-on festival couldn’t be held while things were still looking suspicious in the Sauron region.

Through the Goblin communication devices, Vandalieu learned that Duke Cuoco Ragdew, a fan of Eisen’s (syrup), had deserted the Amid Empire’s army. It would probably be best to meet him directly.

And while he was at it, he might as well use n.o.ble Orc meat to hold a dinner party with everyone as they exchanged information.

“… What happened?” Vandalieu whispered in shock.

He had finished preparing with high spirits and teleported with Legion, only to see the wounded members of the Sauron Liberation Front lying on the ground, and Iris with the shadow of death on her face.

Quickly deciding that there was no need to even ask, Vandalieu cast his spells.

“So, you’re Vandalieu,” said one of the enemies. “You’re smaller than I imagined. That ma.s.s of flesh beside you is an Undead, is it? Either way, I’m surprised that you could Teleport. To think that you could even use s.p.a.ce-attribute magic.”

Several people have died. But fortunately, it seems that only a few minutes have pa.s.sed, and the wounds on their bodies aren’t beyond repair.

Vandalieu used death-attribute magic to protect the spirits that had just left their bodies while also repairing the bodies and conducting cardiopulmonary resuscitation on them. He delayed the deaths of the bodies’ cells, particularly focusing on the cells of the brain, while using his spirit form hands to move their hearts and lungs.

“I’ll help you. Berserk, you’re up,” said Pluto.

“GRRR!”

A flesh-colored bear appeared on Legion’s surface and threw chunks of flesh that made up its own body near the motionless people lying on the ground. Berserk’s flesh that had been separated from Legion split up even further, wriggling in an unpleasant fashion and crawling onto the injured, wrapping around them and infesting them.

“Hoh, so you’re creating Undead from the useless corpses right away? But –”

“Bububuh, that’s not right, Ervine. That’s what it might look like, but it seems that he intends to heal them.”

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while simultaneously repairing things like bones, organs and nerves enough to sustain life functions. With the spirits of the bodies’ owners put back inside, their resurrections were complete.

Berserk was throwing his flesh at the resurrected individuals to infest them, providing emergency treatment by acting as bandages and wooden splints while forcibly making them retreat.

“Boss, these guys are –” Miles said from behind.

“I know. Well done on being able to hold out this long for us, Miles,” said Vandalieu in grat.i.tude, but time was still short, so he continued his treatment of the wounded.

“No, not that, these guys are the Fifteen Evil –”

“Vegetables?”

“… I’m sorry, I’ll leave it for later,” said Miles as he shut his mouth, realizing that Vandalieu currently didn’t seem to have time for listening to details.

A vein appeared on Ervine’s forehead as Vandalieu, who was still floating in the air with Flight, stared at him but otherwise taking no notice of him. “Oi, how long are you planning to ignore us? I’m the Fifth Sword of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, the Five-headed Snake Ervine. We made all this effort to speak to a brat like you –”

“Iris, your wounds won’t heal. What about Blood Potion?” Vandalieu said, still paying Ervine no attention.

As Ervine’s image was reflected in Vandalieu’s hollow eyes, his face stiffened.

“Vandalieu-dono, do not… concern yourself with me…”

“Your Majesty… Iris has been wounded by that man’s holy sword… It is an Artifact that inflicts wounds that cannot be healed through power originating from Vampires, the Demon King’s fragments or the light and life attributes,” said her father George who inhabited her now-cracked sword, delivering grave news.

Because Iris had been deeply wounded by the holy sword Nemesis Bell, even though Vandalieu extended his spirit form and fused with her, his Rapid Regeneration skill had almost no effect, as he was a half-Vampire.

Thinking that it was a type of curse, Vandalieu tried to remove it, but he couldn’t do that either. It seemed that unlike Ice Age’s ice, it was not a curse.

It seemed that the holy sword held something that was not a curse, the power of a superior type, or perhaps a subtype, of the light-attribute that could possibly be named the holy attribute. This was very troublesome.

Thus, Vandalieu cast the Death Delay spell on Iris. It was a spell that didn’t heal injuries and merely delayed the time it took the target to die, but its effects took place, not being obstructed by the holy sword’s power.

Iris was enshrouded by Mana that looked like black fog, but her face was still pale white. She was still on the verge of death, and her current state was being extended, so that was only natural.

“Iris, I unfortunately can’t heal those wounds,” Vandalieu said. “It will probably be impossible even for Jeena. So please choose whether you will become an Undead later or a member of Vida’s race other than a Vampire.”

“… I understand,” Iris murmured. “I must give the t.i.tle of Liberating Princess Knight to another…”

“You don’t understand. We’ve already said we’re going to take that little girls’ head, haven’t we?” said Ervine, swinging his whip in anger.

With a noise sounding like the air itself splitting, a piece of rubble that was once a part of the resistance’s base crumbled to pieces.

Confirming that Vandalieu’s attention was finally on them, the ‘Insect Swarm’ Bebeckett took over for Ervine and began the negotiation. “We can begin now, can’t we? Bububuh, we are the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords of the Amid Empire. Dhampir Vandalieu, His Majesty the emperor has taken a great interest in you. If you swear loyalty to the empire and devote your power to be used for the empire’s good, then we promise to spare your life. And those of your subordinates, too. Depending on circ.u.mstances, we will allow you to possess land on the other side of the Boundary Mountain Range, and you may bring Ghouls into the empire.”

The conditions named by Bebeckett could have been considered extraordinary, considering that they had been named by the emperor of the Amid Empire, where Vida’s races, particularly Vampires and Dhampirs, were harshly disdained and persecuted.

At the very least, no emperor in the Amid Empire’s history other than Marshukzarl would have thought to try to negotiate with Vandalieu.

But at the same time, Marshukzarl thought that it was highly likely that negotiations would break down. From Vandalieu’s actions that had been revealed through investigations, it was doubtful as to whether he still had the sanity needed to negotiate.

If that power could be obtained, it would be useful beyond imagination. But leaving Vandalieu alone was too dangerous. He had already become a being who could shake the foundations of the Amid Empire.

That was why Marshukzarl had tried negotiating with Vandalieu, thinking that the chances that they would succeed would be less than thirty percent, and dispatched enough fighting strength that he could be eliminated with certainty if he rejected the negotiations.

Will you be smart and join the enemy you can’t defeat, or die as a tyrant inside a small well? Which will you choose? Thought the ‘Insect Swarm’ Bebeckett, the Tenth Sword.

As a Bug Tamer who employed countless insects, she was an exceptional spy, but she was even more specialized in attacking large numbers of enemies.

“I forgot to say this, but that Liberating Princess Knight and the senile traitor at the back aren’t included,” Bebeckett added. “We need their heads as proof of having accomplished our official mission here. If you need the Princess Knight at all costs, then we don’t mind as long as you can provide the head of someone who looks like her.”

Bebeckett had a countless number of insects inside her own body; she was like a general in command of a countless number of soldiers. She had used those insects to stop numerous monster rampages before.

She had been dispatched here with the hopes that she would be able to use that power to exterminate the countless Undead under Vandalieu’s command.

Of course, he only has that strange ma.s.s of flesh with him, but I won’t let my guard down.

“Now then, can we hear your answer?” Bebeckett asked.

“Shut up.”

Vandalieu had been listening to Bebeckett’s words but not considered them even for a moment.

Marshukzarl’s offered conditions might have seemed extraordinary to the three Swords, but to Vandalieu, they were more worthless than garbage.

Most importantly, Vandalieu was currently busy suppressing his anger and self-hatred. If he had put more serious thought into things, if he had been prepared… he could have prevented this situation.

“… Honestly speaking, I have no attachment to the Sauron region,” Vandalieu said. “My support for Iris and her companions was for the selfish reason of wanting connections to the Orbaume Kingdom in the future. My first impression of Iris, Haj and the others wasn’t that good to begin with, anyway.”

“Then our empire can take the kingdom’s place –”

“That’s why I’ll kill you.”

With anger and bloodthirst, Vandalieu put his two hands together and released Death Bullets from his fingers, aiming for Bebeckett and her companions.

Vandalieu had a.s.sociated with these people for a selfish reason, and his first impression of them hadn’t been good. But they had shared many meals together, interacted with one another and spent time together. They had adored him, calling him ‘Boss,’ and eaten his curry, calling it delicious.

Vandalieu didn’t feel the slightest hesitation in directing his bloodthirst towards those who had hurt Iris, Haj and the others.

“I told you that the negotiations will fail!” said Rickert.

“I never thought they’d succeed to begin with! Don’t act all high and mighty!” shouted Ervine.

Bebeckett avoided the black fist-sized Death Bullets, while Rickert and Ervine repelled and broke them with their holy sword and whip.

“I see, what a pity. Then become food for my insects along with the resistance that’s on death’s door!”  shouted Bebeckett.

The sleeves and hem of her robe expanded, and the low hum of insect wings could be heard as a countless number of shadows flew out from within. These were the insects she controlled.

None of them were larger than the palm of a hand; as monsters, they were all small insects. Most of their Ranks were below those of Cemetery Bees, too.

Flies with a unique venom, moths with a strange attack that could only be thought of as magic and beetles that spat acid that could melt steel – They were insects of all kinds with vicious abilities.

An exceptionally experienced adventurer or an extremely powerful monster might be able to deal with one type, no, several types of these insects. But there probably wasn’t a single adventurer who could deal with a swarm of insects with dozens of varieties.

Bebeckett was confident that the same would be the case for Vandalieu, who seemed helpless against the flood of insects and unable to even fire more Death Bullets. She let out a loud, strange laugh.

“BUBUBUBUBUH! There have been many powerful people like you! But you see, you only have two options, whether to yield to the power of a great nation or be crushed! If you want to blame someone, blame your own foolishness –”

“It’s over,” Rickert sighed, seeing that Vandalieu was no longer even visible behind the insects that he was surrounded by. As he’d expected, the negotiations had failed, but it was the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, the Amid Empire, who had won in the end.

But this sense of resignation and relief was blown away in an instant as Bebeckett’s strange but elated, triumphant tone turned into a scream filled with shock and fear.

“HYAAAH! Wait, WAIT!”

“Bebeckett?!” Rickert shouted Bebeckett’s name in surprise.

But it seemed that Bebeckett had no time to pay attention to Rickert; she twisted her body and screamed. “Wait! Wait, don’t go! DON’T LEAVE MEEEE!”

As she screamed, a countless number of insects flew from Bebeckett towards Vandalieu.

Ervine opened his eyes wide in shock. “That brat isn’t being eaten by the insects?!”

Bebeckett’s insects that were swarming around Vandalieu weren’t biting his skin with their powerful jaws or stabbing him with their venomous stingers. They were simply clinging to his hair… being silently absorbed.

And Vandalieu, who had equipped all of the insects inside his body, appeared as if nothing had happened at all.

“It seems that I am superior as an Insect User,” said Vandalieu, who had stopped firing Death Bullets so as not to harm the insects that had taken a liking to him.

The truth was that he had emitted a kind of pheromone that attracted the insects with the Demon King’s scent glands, but that could probably be included in his skill as an Insect User.

Meanwhile, Bebeckett fell onto the ground, wheezing.

The person who rolled out of her robe was an old woman with great damage all over her body.

Bebeckett had been using insects by offering a part of her flesh to the monsters as food, making them mistake her body for their nest. Thus, she had been reliant on the insects to sustain the life of her own body.

All of those insects that she had been relying on had been charmed and stolen by Vandalieu, and now the ‘Insect Swarm’ Bebeckett was nothing more than an old woman on the verge of death.

But her life was ended immediately. Not only Rickert, but Vandalieu and his companions as well, all looked at the man who had smashed the back of her head.

“E-Ervine! Why…?!” Rickert exclaimed.

Ervine looked composed, despite having just sent Bebeckett’s blood and pieces of her flesh flying into the air with a single swing of his whip. “To not hand him the Experience Points,” he said. “If we just let Bebeckett die like that, how many Experience Points do you think he would gain? With that being the case, having me, her ally, take the Experience Points was the least we could do for her.”

“Th-that might be true, but…”

Ervine was unaware of Vandalieu’s ‘Unable to gain Experience Points independently’ curse, but even so, Rickert was speechless at Ervine’s callousness.

And Vandalieu also froze in surprise at Ervine’s act of finishing off his companion to prevent the enemy gaining Experience Points.

And then his head suddenly flew off away from his torso without warning.

“Eh?” Iris said in shock.

“B-Boss?!” shouted Haj.

They saw Vandalieu, whose head had been cut off, and the man responsible for this, a man dressed completely in black.

The man who had cut Vandalieu’s head off was one of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, the ‘King Slayer’ Sleygar, the Eleventh Sword. He was a matchless a.s.sa.s.sin.

He was equipped with the Night-G.o.d’s Cloak, an Artifact that erased the presence of the one wearing it, and he had acquired Dis.e.xist, the superior version of the Silent Steps Skill. He had a.s.sa.s.sinated a countless number of monsters with the t.i.tle of King and ringleaders of rebellion groups.

It was an old trick to aim for the head, the commander, when there were too many enemies. This strategy was particularly effective when fighting a group of monsters ruled by a monster with the t.i.tle of King.

The monsters in such groups were strengthened by the Strengthen Followers Skill possessed by the King monster. But if the King who possessed that t.i.tle was defeated, they would lose that effect. And monsters that lost their absolute commander often fell into chaos, turning into a disorderly mob.

That was why Sleygar specialized in a.s.sa.s.sinating the leaders with a single strike, used that skill to take the heads of all kinds of Kings, earning himself the t.i.tle of ‘King Slayer’ and his position as the Eleventh Sword.

If Bebeckett had been in charge of large numbers of enemies, Sleygar’s job in this mission was to slip past Vandalieu’s servants and a.s.sa.s.sinate him with a single strike.

That was why he had erased his presence and stayed hidden this whole time.

Vandalieu’s head span threw the air. Blood sprayed from his torso like a fountain, sticking onto Sleygar’s cloak. Seeing this, Ervine was certain that Vandalieu was dead. That was indeed how it appeared, but the completely-black Sleygar looked like he was shining –

“G-GYAAAH?!”

Ervine’s certainty in this victory crumbled as Sleygar screamed and clutched his face with one hand, crumpling and falling onto his back.

“GUAAAAH! M-my eyes… what did you do to me?!” Sleygar writhed in agony, still clutching his face with one hand.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu’s spirit form that had emerged with Out-of-body Experience took his head back from Legion and attached it back onto his body.

“Ah, that was surprising. Ah, Haj, get back a little more. It’s going to sting.”

Vandalieu hadn’t noticed that Sleygar was hiding, but with the Danger Sense: Death spell, he had sensed that his head was being aimed for the moment before it happened. But he had been unable to do anything about Sleygar’s speed.

And so, he had given up on running away. The moment his head was cut off, he activated the Demon King’s fur and luminescent organs. But this was for attacking, not for defense.

And the moment his head was cut off, he had sent the Demon King’s fur flying into the air.

Large spiders related to tarantulas on Earth would send the fine hairs on their legs flying out to protect themselves when they sensed danger. Vandalieu had recreated this phenomenon by sending extremely fine strands of the Demon King’s fur flying out.

Even if Tarantula hairs directly contacted the skin, it would only cause inflammation and irritation. But just how much pain was Sleygar feeling after having his face and eyes wounded by the Demon King’s fur? At the very least, it would be more than a stinging sensation.

“H-how are you alive when your head was cut off?! Even a Vampire would die; how, when you’re just a Dhampir?!” Rickert shouted, even signs of fear appearing on his face.

“That’s because I won’t die even if my head is cut off,” Vandalieu replied as he finished reattaching his head to his body.

Having given this vague, unserious answer, Vandalieu turned his attention away from the speechless Rickert and back to Sleygar.

“Guh!” Sleygar groaned.

He forcibly ignored the extreme pain that he was experiencing, stood up and kicked the ground, flying several meters into the air. And then he tried to use the branches of the nearby trees as footholds to disappear back into the forest. His movements made it difficult to imagine that he had been blinded by the fur.

If he could get away from Vandalieu and his companions, he could erase his presence once more with the Night-G.o.d’s Cloak and the Dis.e.xist Skill. That was probably what he was aiming to do.

But the Night-G.o.d’s Cloak that he was so dependent on had been soaked in Vandalieu’s blood, which was shining a bluish-white color because the Demon King’s luminescent organs had been mixed into it, and the scent created by the Demon King’s scent glands was clinging to it as well, so it had likely lost its effects.

“Please chase after him, Isla,” said Vandalieu.

“As you wish!”

The Dark Night Knights’ Order led by the Vampire Zombie Isla emerged from within Vandalieu.

“Everyone, follow me! It is time to show Vandalieu-sama our true worth as hounds!” Isla shouted.

“VOOOOOH! Chase the scent and light!”

“Follow Captain Isla’s lead!”

Now that Sleygar’s invisibility, his greatest strength, was no longer available to him, his chances of surviving a pursuit from Isla and her swarm of flying Vampires were exceedingly low.

“Impossible… In the blink of an eye, two of the Fifteen Swords have been…” Rickert gasped in astonishment.

“He has a lot of subordinates, and he’s strong himself as well? This is crazy,” Ervine muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat now that two of his companions had been lost without even having time to coordinate and work together.

Iris, Haj and the Ghouls and resistance members who had regained their consciousness were surprised as well. These were enemies that they had been completely helpless against, but two of them had been defeated immediately after Vandalieu arrived.

Iris had witnessed Vandalieu defeat the Pure-breed Vampire Gubamon, but even so, she couldn’t help but be surprised at the way he had so easily defeated two of the four members of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords that were present.

Incidentally, Cuoco, who was behind Iris, had been unable to deal with these surprises one after another; he was now standing stock-still in a daze. Now, he was gazing at Legion and whispering, “What nice meat,” seemingly in an attempt to escape reality.

“… Well, I thought that things would turn out like this,” said Miles.

His Warning hadn’t made a single sound, so he had known that there was no more danger now that Vandalieu was here.

In other words, the three members of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords… in reality, there had been four, but although they had been formidable enemies to Vandalieu, they were not threats. That was how things were.

“There is no way that Vandalieu won’t win against enemies like this now.”

“By the way, there are only two of them left now, but who are they?!”

“They’re apparently the Amid Empire’s secret force. Well, they’re not even enemies for Vandalieu, though.”

“They’re not enemies? Then isn’t it bad to kill them?”

“That’s not what that means, Jack.”

“… This stings a little.”

None of the members of Legion, including Pluto, felt any sense of danger. He didn’t die even if his heart and lungs were forcibly stopped, so they thought that there was no way that he would die just from having his head cut off.

That’s what they had thought, but it had still been unpleasant. Because for the Eighth Guidance members that made up Legion, Vandalieu was not only a friend, but someone they worshipped.

“Vandalieu, can we join in on the chase for the a.s.sa.s.sin?” asked Pluto.

“No, I’d like to ask you to fight the person over there instead. You’ll be able to defeat him, Legion,” said Vandalieu.

“Understood!”

Prioritizing Vandalieu’s wishes, Legion faced not the fleeing Sleygar, but Rickert.

With the sight of the grotesque-looking Legion closing in on him perhaps bringing him back to his senses, Rickert raised his holy sword once more.

But Ervine shouted an order at him. “Ricky-boy, you get out of here!”

His whip, which was covered in flames, restrained Legion. He produced another whip from his back, and as he wielded Manimbued whips with both hands, even Legion was forced to fall back.

“Why?! My Nemesis Bell should be of use here!” Rickert shouted, his words driven by his complex of being nothing more than a decoration.

“You have a position on the surface as a duke,” Ervine said calmly. “Leave this to me and go.”

Rickert was a nephew of the current emperor, someone who possessed a claim to the throne. And as the Third Sword, the ‘Light-speed Sword’ was a decoration that was used for propaganda, but that was just another reason why he couldn’t be allowed to die so easily… unlike Ervine, Bebeckett and Sleygar.

“Kuh… Alright,” said Rickert, looking frustrated as he comprehended the situation and tried to retreat as he had been ordered.

But Legion, who had become even larger with the Size Alteration Skill, closed in on him. “There’s no way we’d let you get away, is there?”

“UOH?!”

Legion’s speed itself was not a threat to Rickert, but their enormous volume was.

He couldn’t escape while ignoring Legion, who was swinging tentacles as thick as building pillars as they closed in on him.

“Tch! So troublesome!” Ervine muttered.

Trying to support Rickert’s retreat, he immediately restrained Legion with his two whips that were covered in magical flames.

“Ah, I hate flames,” Legion said.

“Your opponent is over here,” said Vandalieu.

Ervine was trying to slow Legion’s movements down, but with Vandalieu firing the Demon King’s horns his way, he had no choice but to stop.

“So those are the Demon King’s fragments. You brat, don’t go thinking that you’ve become strong just because you can use a fragment or two!” Ervine shouted.

He wasn’t fazed by the sight of the fragments; he had equipment to fight against and seal fragments of the Demon King… Bebeckett and Sleygar had already been defeated by the Demon King’s scent glands, fur and luminescent organs, but it seemed that he hadn’t realized that these were the Demon King’s fragments.

“How many fools do you think there have been before you who deluded themselves into thinking that they had become strong with the Demon King’s fragments! I’ll teach you what happened to those fools. Don’t underestimate human strength, you brat!”

Ervine swung his anti-Demon King whip made of Orichalc.u.m, trying to strike the new black, spearhead-shaped object growing from Vandalieu’s chest.

“That will be difficult for you,” said a new voice.

The Orichalc.u.m whip was deflected by the tip of the spear of the Zombie who was once a hero of the Mirg shield-nation, the ‘Divine Spear of Ice’ Mikhail, who had emerged from within Vandalieu’s chest.

And then Eleanora, Borkus and the Living Armors Saria and Rita emerged as well.

“Well, I don’t mind if you want to help us.”

“This is good pre-meal exercise, too.”

“I wonder if Elves taste good?”

“That person looks delicious, Nee-san.”

“What?!” Ervine shouted, surprised that Vandalieu had subordinates like these in addition to the Vampire Zombies that had chased after Sleygar.

“So, dear guest,” said Bellmond, the Abyssal Vampire who was once a forest-monkey Beast-person as she emerged from Vandalieu as well. She had come along because Vandalieu had been planning to eat meat with everyone. “Please make a display of this ‘human strength’ against Dannsama. The outcome has already been decided, so please do so to your heart’s content.”

As Bellmond finished speaking, Vandalieu rushed fiercely towards Ervine.

Bebeckett was originally an ordinary citizen, an attentive beekeeper, but as she handled the bees’ honey, her strange talent for manipulating insects bloomed. Believing that this talent was a special power given to her by the G.o.ds, she was completely absorbed in it.

She acquired production-related Jobs, using her own training methods and scents, and as she increased her ability to manipulate insects, the Amid Empire’s intelligence network took notice of her and recruited her.

After that, she acquired Tamer-type Jobs and improved her techniques for manipulating insects. Finally, she was given the t.i.tle of ‘Insect Swarm’ and selected to be one of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords.

She was the type who excelled in one particular field; her true value was shown when eradicating large numbers of small fry that were not individually strong.

She was also useful for gathering intelligence, such as the locations and sounds around those infested by her insects. However, the Hilt are normally enough for conducting investigations, so she did not have many opportunities to use this ability.

Though this was also partially to control her insects better, she had been maintaining her body’s life functions by relying on the insects infesting her own body in order to make up for her body having become weakened due to old age. But that became her undoing when all of her insects were stolen by Vandalieu.

Sleygar is someone from the Hilt whose skills were acknowledged, resulting in his selection to be one of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords. He possessed a superior version of the Dagger Technique Skill, Decapitation Technique (A combat-related Skill utilizing daggers that is specialized in decapitating enemies); he was an a.s.sa.s.sin who was powerful even when fighting head-on.

But his true value was shown when a.s.sa.s.sinating his targets by surprise with a single attack.

When he is using his Dis.e.xist Skill and the Night-G.o.d’s Cloak, his specialized invisibility Artifact, it is almost impossible to detect him, rivaling the invisibility ability of Ghost of the Eighth Guidance, who is now a part of Legion.

Due to his Unique Skill, King Slayer, his attacks gain a large bonus against those with race names or t.i.tles containing ‘King,’ so every time a monster like a Goblin King or Kobold King appeared and the Adventurers’ Guild failed to eliminate them, he would always be dispatched.

But his fate was sealed when he was ordered to a.s.sa.s.sinate someone who does not die even if he is decapitated.