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Chapter 269: Drawing the Holy Sword (3)

The sword traced a chaotic path, aiming for Ketal’s entire body.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

But he dodged, parried, and blocked every attack.

Ketal stepped forward, launching himself towards the Holy Sword.

[Not so fast.]

Wooom!

With the sword\'s cry, space itself pushed Ketal away.

This was the sword’s great power, an exclusion of space itself, interfering with the laws of the world.

When Ketal first approached, this exclusion had thrown him back to the edge of the room.

[That method won’t work, so you’ll have to try something else.]

The sword proclaimed confidently.

However...

“Hup!”

Ketal let out a battle cry, gathering strength throughout his entire body.

He tried to overcome the spatial exclusion with brute force and approached again.

[What?!]

The sword was startled and hastily slashed at him.

While dodging and blocking the sword\'s attacks, Ketal couldn’t fully resist the spatial exclusion.

His body was pushed back.

But this time, it was less than half the distance he\'d been pushed before.

Ketal smirked.

“I’ve adapted.”

[...It seems like I need to try something else. Your strength is monstrous. You must be one of the oldest beings, and one of the strongest monsters among them. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have such power.]

The sword exclaimed in disbelief.

[It seems my power alone won’t be enough to stop you. But calling for help from the gods isn’t an option either. They’ve already used much of their strength to send me down here, so they won’t be able to interfere with the mortal world for a while.]

“You talk a lot.”

Ketal muttered, somewhat exasperated.

He’d never dealt with a being this talkative before.

But now he was getting used to it.

Since the sword kept talking and revealing information, it wasn’t so bad after all.

‘So the gods won’t be able to intervene on Earth for the time being.’

[…I’ve come up with a good idea.]

Bzzzzzz!

The sword gathered power.

A massive golden sword materialized above it.

It was truly enormous.

The size of a house, and the power it held was clearly that of a hero class.

Ketal asked with a curious expression,

“Can you really use that much power?”

[No. But I have no choice since I can’t defeat someone like you. The great gods will surely forgive me.]

The sword spoke proudly.

[From what I can tell, you can probably block this attack. But the damage will be significant. If you try to dodge, my sword will pierce through the walls and burst out into the outside world. And once people hear the commotion, they will come. Then I will shout for all to hear.]

That you are not human.

That you are a monster.

Ketal chuckled.

“You’re smarter than I thought.”

[Thank you for the compliment. Now, take this. I’m starting to like you, so I hope you don’t die!]

The sword flew toward him.

A massive, overwhelming blade of raw physical power.

Dodging wasn’t an option.

If he did, the sword would tear through the walls, and people would come running.

Even if he tried to block it, the sheer force of the sword would send his body flying.

Thus, Ketal’s response was very simple.

“Hoo.”

He gathered mystery.

The miracle flowing through his body strengthened his muscles.

He grounded himself, planting his feet as if rooting into the earth.

Then, he caught the massive golden sword with his hands.

Boom!

A powerful vibration spread.

The walls shook uneasily.

The sword had enough power to carve a hole in a mountain.

But even so,

Ketal didn’t budge.

[Oh. My. This… I didn’t see this coming...]

The sword was astonished.

Ketal didn’t dodge or block.

He simply grabbed it.

And despite that, he didn’t move an inch.

Ketal squeezed his grip.

The golden sword made an unstable sound, and soon after, shattered.

Crash!

Fragments scattered everywhere.

Ketal grinned.

“Not bad.”

He casually walked toward the sword.

It seemed exhausted, no longer attacking, and muttered in despair.

[How could this happen... Forgive me. I have failed in my duty...]

Standing before the sword, Ketal grasped its hilt.

The sword trembled as if in fear but couldn’t resist.

Ketal tried to pull it out.

“It won’t budge.”

But the sword didn’t move.

Not even the slightest.

Realizing this, the sword snapped back to its senses.

[...Ah. Now that I think about it, that’s right. I was shaken by too much shock. You cannot draw me.]

“Figures.”

Ketal clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t pull out the sword.

‘Should I call it a day and head back?’

Honestly, it wasn’t much of a disappointment.

Ketal never really had a desire to pull out the Holy Sword.

He only wanted to see it and give it a try.

Becoming the sword’s master, a hero revered by all, wasn’t something he aspired to.

It was like experiencing farm life at a farmstay without wanting to become a real farmer.

It was the same idea.

As Ketal was about to retreat, satisfied, the sword spoke again.

[You cannot draw me. Only a being of this world, with the proper qualifications, can pull me out. You cannot be that person, for you are not of this world.]

But the sword’s words made Ketal pause.

“…I am of this world.”

[Are you joking?]

The sword asked in genuine confusion.

[You cannot be a being of this world. Can a lion love a rabbit? No, it cannot. No matter how much love there is, the lion’s tender stroke will flay the rabbit’s skin, and a loving hug will spill its guts. A kiss will tear its flesh.]

A love that cannot be, a love that should not exist.

[And could such a love ever bear fruit? Impossible. It cannot happen. And you are even beyond that. You are not of this world.]

[PR/N: You shouldn’t have said this idiot sword.]

The sword spoke as if stating an unchangeable truth, as if this were as natural as gravity pulling objects down.

Relieved that Ketal couldn’t pull it out, the sword seemed almost excited.

[Now I understand. The reason you overlap with this world is because you don’t want to be a lion. You want to be a rabbit. That’s why you are overlapping. Your stubbornness is warping your very nature. It’s like a miracle. But even if that’s true, the impossible remains impossible.]

“I am of this world.”

Ketal, who had been silently listening to the holy sword, finally spoke.

“I am a part of this world. A being of fantasy.”

[Fantasy? What is that? Anyway, I cannot stop your heart\'s desires, so I can\'t help what you want. But what you seek is impossible. Absolutely impossible.]

The holy sword spoke emphatically.

[You will forever be an outsider. A lion that wishes to be a rabbit.]

"...Oh, really?"

Ketal smiled faintly.

“So you\'re saying that because I\'m an outsider, I can\'t pull you out.”

[It\'s a fundamental issue... Wait. Why are you approaching me again?]

The holy sword, which had been speaking confidently, suddenly paused.

Ketal had tried once to pull the sword and failed.

He was about to step back when he suddenly moved toward the holy sword again.

He grasped its hilt, a twisted smile on his face.

“So, you\'re saying if I pull you out, I’ll become a part of this world.”

[…….]

Seeing Ketal\'s face, the holy sword realized.

It had just touched the reverse scale of a monster.

[Wait a moment. I understand what you\'re thinking now. I was wrong. Please forgive me. Sir? Just a moment…]

Ketal paid no heed to the words.

He gripped the sword harder.

This time, he tried to pull the sword with all his strength.

Seriously.

* * *

Outside, Kretein and the followers of Elia were rushing toward the door of the holy sword\'s chamber.

Upon reaching it, they hesitated.

"Sir Kretein? What should we do?"

"Should we intervene?"

"Uhm, hold on a moment."

Kretein was lost in thought.

There had been continuous clashes inside as if a battle was taking place, but now there was silence.

That silence made them more uneasy, like the calm before a storm.

After pondering for a while, Kretein finally spoke.

“Let’s go in.”

More than five minutes had already passed.

From the accounts of those who had tried before, something was clearly wrong.

As a servant of the god of swords, he had to confirm the situation.

As they steeled themselves and reached for the door—

Boom!

The ground rumbled.

This tremor was nothing like the previous ones.

It was massive.

Everyone’s bodies staggered.

"Ahhhh!"

“What, what’s happening!”

“Wait!”

Kretein, who had quickly crouched low, had a shocked expression.

Was it an earthquake?

But upon closer inspection, he realized it was not.

“…Wait.”

Kretein’s face hardened.

He was a top-level superhuman, and his senses told him something was off.

His body was slightly higher than usual.

It wasn’t an earthquake.

‘The ground… is rising?’

A colossal force was lifting the ground itself.

It was such an absurd phenomenon that his mind refused to accept it.

And that force was emanating from the space where the holy sword was located.

‘…What in the world is happening?’

* * *

[Aaaaah!]

The holy sword screamed for the first time.

Like a child, it begged.

[I was wrong! I retract what I said! Please forgive me!]

Ketal was gripping the hilt of the sword with fierce strength, attempting to pull it out.

His face, distorted with a twisted smile, showed he was giving it his all.

Rumble!

The immense power lifted the ground.

Though it was only about three to four centimeters, the sacred ground was undoubtedly rising.

The holy sword screamed.

[It’s going to be pulled out!]

"It sure doesn’t come out easily, does it."

If something stuck doesn\'t come out, it means one’s strength is lacking.

In that case, more than just being serious—he should use full power.

Ketal flexed his arms.

The ground rose even more.

Veins burst, and muscles began to tear, but Ketal didn\'t stop exerting his strength.

Rumble!

The ground rose further.

Now everyone in the holy land could feel it.

The ground was lifting.

Anyone watching from outside the holy land would have doubted their eyes.

Because the ground, centered around the sacred place, was slowly rising.

The holy land, once built on a vast plain, was turning into a hill.

Ketal\'s lips twisted.

‘I am.’

I am not of this world?

‘Nonsense.’

He is a part of this world.

A being of fantasy.

He is nothing like those broken, detestable things he never wanted to see again.

He couldn’t be, and he must not be.

But the holy sword had just denied his very existence.

In that case, it was simple.

As the sword had said, all he needed to do was pull it out and prove that he was part of this world.

Creak!

[Aaaah!]

The holy sword screamed.

The blade trembled under the immense force.

It groaned, emitting a strained noise.

Part of the sword, once embedded deep in the earth, now began to reveal itself, producing an uneasy sound as it surfaced.