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Chapter 268: Drawing the Holy Sword (2)

Ketal entered the chamber of the Holy Sword.

Kretein, who had been watching that direction, approached a man who had sat down with a gloomy face.

He was the first to try and fail.

"Could you tell me what the trial was like this time?"

"What, excuse me?"

The man\'s eyes widened at Kretein\'s question.

"Am, am I allowed to talk about it?"

"I am the commander of the Holy Knights under the god of swords, Elia. I need to verify the details of the trial. I do not intend to take the challenge myself nor tell others, so do not worry. This is just to prepare for any unforeseen situations."

There were often those who would disregard the trial and act forcefully to draw the sword.

The church had a need to know the details in advance.

At this, the man nodded and explained.

"Honestly, there wasn\'t much to it. There was just a single sword stuck in the ground in a wide plaza. That was it."

There were no restrictions or obstacles.

It was just a single sword, left alone.

The man, who had been in a daze, was startled and tried his hardest to pull the sword.

But every attempt failed.

"And after about five minutes, I was suddenly pushed out of the plaza and expelled."

"I see... I understand now. Thank you."

The trial\'s nature was very simple.

You were given five minutes, and within that time, you were free to try to draw the sword.

If you couldn\'t, you\'d be expelled.

It was a very straightforward trial.

Kretein expressed his thanks and stepped away.

\'Will Ketal be able to draw it?\'

To be honest, Kretein had no idea.

The criteria for the Holy Sword choosing its master were unknown.

Sometimes it was an extraordinary warrior, and other times it was a mere beggar.

It varied greatly.

Since mere strength alone was insufficient, the chances of failure were high.

At that moment, a vibration shook the ground.

Uuuuuuung...

"Hmm?"

"What’s this?"

Everyone present felt the tremor shaking the ground.

And they soon realized it was coming from the direction of the Holy Sword.

Kretein understood what was happening.

"It seems he\'s attempting to draw the sword."

But for the vibration to reach this far—it was certainly a display of monstrous strength. Kretein marveled.

He assumed the vibrations were caused by Ketal\'s strength to pull the sword.

But in reality, the scene at the plaza where the Holy Sword lay was much more chaotic.

Kiieeeeeeng!

Dozens of golden swords were streaking through the plaza, filled with the holy power to destroy evil and burn away demons.

Every one of them was flying toward Ketal, aiming to pierce him.

Ketal pushed off the ground with his feet.

He leaped, dodging the swords.

His body moved swiftly, leaving afterimages as he danced across the plaza.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!

The golden swords struck the ground in vain.

The plaza, now resembling a graveyard of swords, was littered with the fallen weapons.

Yet within that space, Ketal remained completely unharmed, having dodged all of them.

Ketal laughed joyfully.

"So this is the trial of the sword. How entertaining."

Of course, the reality was different, but Ketal had no way of knowing that.

He assumed breaking through the sword’s attacks was the trial.

Kiieeeeeeng!

As Ketal continued to dodge, the swords trembled as if enraged.

More golden swords materialized, bringing the number to a hundred.

"I’ve got the gist of it."

Ketal muttered.

He had figured out the nature of the trial.

Now it was time to overcome it.

Ketal stepped forward.

This time, instead of dodging, he advanced toward the incoming barrage of swords.

Kwa-de-de-de-deuk!

He grabbed the flying swords, crushing and breaking them with his hands.

He swung his arms, smashing the swords aside, scattering fragments in all directions.

The attacks, which would have skewered even the seasoned Mercenary King, were nothing to him.

He simply broke through them as he moved forward.

The Holy Sword trembled, as if in shock.

But Ketal ignored it and charged ahead, arriving in front of the Holy Sword in an instant.

"Now then."

With an expectant smile, Ketal grabbed the hilt of the Holy Sword.

In that moment, the space itself was pushed back.

Uuuuuuung!

It was as if the Holy Sword took control of the entire space, rejecting everything else.

Ketal, momentarily caught off guard, was swept away.

But his expression remained one of delight.

"So this is the second phase."

There was no way the trial was simply about dodging a few swords.

As Ketal eagerly awaited the next attack, a voice rang out.

[Stand back, monster.]

It was a clear, feminine voice, high and pure.

Ketal paused.

"So it can speak?"

[I am the Holy Sword, a weapon bestowed by the great gods. Of course I can speak. The reason I have not spoken until now is because you were someone to be excluded, and there was no need for conversation. But upon realizing it won’t be easy, I’ve decided to speak.]

"Ah, I see."

[You are... layered. You\'ve disguised yourself as if you are a being of this world. That\'s how you managed to deceive eyes and make it this far. But I am the Holy Sword, and I can perceive your true nature. Your deception has failed.]

"...You talk a lot."

Ketal muttered, a little exasperated.

The voice was far too chatty for something as noble as the Holy Sword, which did not match the image he had in mind.

"So, the attacks weren\'t the trial, huh."

[They were not. They were meant to exclude you. Beings like you should not stand before me, nor should they exist in this world.]

"Hmm."

Ketal stroked his chin, ignoring the Holy Sword’s words.

\'That makes sense.\'

Those who had failed and returned had gloomy, tired faces, but that was all.

They had no wounds, and their clothes were clean.

They weren’t even out of breath.

There was no way ordinary challengers could endure such an onslaught without a scratch.

It had been targeted solely at Ketal.

"This is unfair."

It wasn’t unexpected, though.

The gods held various opinions about Ketal.

Some, like Kalosia, showed goodwill.

Others, like the Spirit God, remained neutral.

And some, like Federica, opposed him.

The Holy Sword, being a creation of the Pantheon, could naturally reject him.

Ketal nodded.

"Well, fine. A trial like this isn’t bad."

[This is not a trial. It is merely exclusion.]

"No, it\'s a trial."

[...I\'m sorry, but could it be that I misunderstood the meaning of the word \'exclusion\'? I haven\'t spoken to anyone for hundreds of years, so my understanding might be wrong. If so, I would appreciate it if you could explain it properly.]

"Your words are not wrong. You are trying to exclude me."

But to Ketal, it was a trial.

He chuckled.

"After all, I just need to overcome your attack and pull you out. It\'s an entertaining trial."

[......]

The Holy Sword realized.

It was indeed trying to exclude Ketal.

It had attacked him with the intent to kill.

Yet, Ketal merely saw it as a trial.

[...You\'re broken. Broken once again. Perhaps that\'s why you were able to come here. In a way, it\'s like you\'ve gone full circle to normalcy. I feel pity for you. But even so, I am a Holy Sword.]

Kiing!

Golden swords materialized, more powerful than before.

[As a being sent to protect and defend the earth, I will exclude you.]

The Holy Sword spoke in a resonant voice.

* * *

At that same moment,

Outside, a person was looking at the location where the Holy Sword was with a somewhat uncertain expression.

"...It\'s almost been five minutes."

But Ketal had made no move to come out.

\'Could he be enduring the force without coming out?\'

For someone of Ketal’s strength, it wasn\'t entirely impossible.

A Holy Knight glanced at Kretein, who nodded.

They decided to go check.

Then.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook.

Compared to the earlier vibrations, this one was as if an earthquake had struck.

"Whoa!"

"What the!"

People stumbled and fell.

Kretein also swayed violently.

He quickly looked in the direction of the Holy Sword.

"Wait, hold on!"

Was Ketal throwing a tantrum because he was frustrated while trying to pull out the sword? Such a thought crossed his mind.

But soon he realized that wasn\'t the case.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A clash of forces erupted from that direction.

It wasn\'t something caused by an individual\'s anger.

It was clearly a battle between two forces.

Something was fighting something in the plaza where the Holy Sword was.

\'Wh-what is going on?\'

Kretein was bewildered.

* * *

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Swords rained down.

This time, the quality and density were on a whole other level.

There was no space to evade the downpour of swords.

And Ketal had no intention of dodging from the beginning.

He stepped forward, advancing.

CRUNCH!

His body remained unscathed, the swords smashing and breaking against him.

The radiant golden swords could not pierce him.

The Holy Sword spoke in an astonished voice.

[You\'re a monster. Then try stopping this.]

CLANG!

The space around the Holy Sword fractured.

The world itself was altered.

The space itself transformed into golden swords that surged toward Ketal.

It was an overwhelming attack, beyond the survivability of even the highest level of superhumans.

"Oho!"

Ketal laughed at the attack.

It was a power he couldn’t dismiss so lightly.

Thus, he grounded his feet, twisted his waist, and threw a powerful punch.

BOOM!

The spatial swords shattered from the punch.

The aftermath spread across the area.

The room protecting the Holy Sword shook uneasily.

The Holy Sword was shocked.

[Unbelievable.]

"As expected of the Holy Sword! You’re strong!"

Ketal praised as he swiftly moved forward and grabbed the sword\'s hilt.

[Eek!]

The Holy Sword screamed sharply.

It desperately repelled the space itself.

Ketal\'s body was forcibly pushed back.

"Hmm. Tricky."

[Wh-what do you think you\'re doing? You cannot touch me.]

"Your voice is trembling."

Ketal tilted his head.

The Holy Sword\'s voice was quivering like a frightened fawn.

"Are you scared?"

[Who? Me? That’s impossible. Despite your hidden nature and your overlapping essence, I can sense a part of the discord within you. To be honest, if I could move, I would’ve run away already. But even then, for the great Holy Sword to be afraid? Such a thing is impossible.]

"Your voice is still trembling, though."

[That’s an illusion.]

The Holy Sword quickly changed the subject.

[Your body is certainly something special. It’s more like a power itself rather than just a physical body. If I’m not careful, I might be in danger. But you cannot touch me. I am a tool bestowed by the gods of the Pantheon to help the earth. I exclude things that cannot exist in this world.]

"...Are all Holy Swords chatterboxes like you?"

For the first time, an expression of exhaustion appeared on Ketal’s face.

[Chatterbox?]

The Holy Sword was offended.

[I only say what’s necessary. However, after being stored in the Pantheon’s vault for hundreds of years without talking to anyone, I may have spoken more than usual due to the joy of conversation.]

"Aah, is that so."

Ketal nodded as if he understood.

"That’s unfortunate. I sympathize."

To be stuck in a place you didn\'t want to be for an immeasurable amount of time.

Ketal could relate to this experience.

At that, the sword hesitated, as if touched by his words.

It wavered, moved, but quickly regained its composure.

[...Are you trying to weaken my resolve by stirring my emotions? You scare me, then show kindness. Is this the suspension bridge effect? I barely held back, but if I hear more, I might actually falter.]

"That’s not my intention, though."

[Enough talk!]

With a shout, the Holy Sword launched a barrage of golden swords.

Ketal let out a small laugh as he launched himself forward.