Chapter 141 : Chapter 141

Chapter 141 - Black Sun

The field of thorns from the Bone Sword and the wave of Bloodflame were blocked by two swords.

The sword strikes that the two kinsmen had launched at each other were deflected by their subordinates who raised their swords.

"I didn't know you could do such cute tricks."

The knight in demonic bone armor stood as firm as a fortress wall before me.

At the Youngest Son's smile, the Gatekeeper silently withdrew the single-edged greatsword that had cut down the field of thorns.

"That man was rushing this way, so I just followed."

"Then I should thank my older brother's Chief Secretary. If you're done with your business, step aside."

The Gatekeeper, who had suppressed the urge to punch his superior with the patience of a man of iron, cleared the way.

In front, the Chief Secretary to whom thanks were due was in the middle of a scolding.

"I am speaking with my youngest brother. Has the thrill of a long-awaited battle clouded your vision?"

"...I apologize. I have never seen such sorcery before, and the thought of protecting you, my lord, made my body move on its own."

"Begone. Your interference has only dampened my excitement."

The Chief Secretary stepped back with a mortified expression.

He too was not wearing armor, but his presence was stronger than any Death Knight here.

He was currently a kinsman's Chief Secretary, but he had previously been a demon hunter.

Thus, his body had reacted sensitively to the sword strike emanating from the magic sword and moved on its own.

I understood, but the First Son did not.

"My apologies. I appear as an older brother, yet I couldn't even manage my subordinate properly."

"Not at all. Whether someone came or not, the result would have been the same."

"You say in a polite way that you would have lightly deflected my sword strike. But what now?"

Once again, white bones climbed the blade like vines.

"This time, it won't be a single strike, nor will it be a mere field of thorns. Shall we try clashing head-on like before?"

The Usurper of Death stirred.

The First Son's swordsmanship, which incorporated Bone Sorcery at his own discretion.

It was a combat style that drastically reduced casting time by using Cursed Swordsmanship to activate the sorcery.

The sword and the First Son were inseparable, but for the Youngest Son, the sword was just one of his means of attack.

[Using only me is getting dangerous. Do what you do best.]

The Magic Sword Enad advised.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was still up and bright. An environment I didn't like.

But that was only for now.

With a tingling sensation at my fingertips, my breathing, which had been uneasy since a while ago, improved beyond belief.

"Hoo..."

"...You were preparing another gift besides the initial Exploding Bone."

The First Son, also sensing the change, readjusted his grip on his sword.

"I thought you were just unskilled at catching your breath during battle because you're young. To think there was another gift. Yes. What is it this time?"

Tearing his lips into a smile, he raised the longsword engulfed in white bones high.

The white bones attached to the longsword were finely carved and became a Bone Sword.

The difference from before was that it was clean, consisting only of the Bone Sword.

The tip of the sword moved along with the gray longsword, branching out like a twig. Every sword tip pointed at the Youngest Son.

Sssshhhhhhhhhk—!!

The sword moved three times in a single breath.

The empty air, cut in different directions, drew countless Bone Swords along its trajectory.

The Bone Swords, fired like a crossbow, were not only large in size but also viciously fast.

But they could not be faster than the light of the sun.

"I was almost late."

A boyish yet low, somewhat strange tone spread eerily under the black sun.

"As I said before, I was going to show you something interesting, but my subordinates were a little late."

"We've both failed to manage our subordinates, so there's no need to apologize. In fact, I'd like to apologize."

The gray longsword, clean once again, loosened its grip and drooped slightly.

"If you were preparing something like this, I should have come a little more leisurely."

The master of the sword raised his head and looked at the sun.

He stared intently with his naked eyes, without blinking even once.

This was a sun that could be looked at like that.

"So that's the black sun of Eclipse..."

He muttered and then lowered his gaze again to look at the youngest.

The youngest stood alone among at least several hundred Bone Swords.

He stood tall, holding a magic sword the color of that sun.

His entire body was engulfed in Bloodflame, wearing a haze that made the space seem to shimmer like armor.

Beyond the haze, the form of a demon could be vaguely seen.

"Is that form a reward for obtaining Eclipse? Or a curse?"

[Why don't you find out by facing me directly?]

"Yes. That would be the most fun."

The Youngest Son, under the black sun, underwent Blood Demonization and clashed with the eldest once again.

***

Power surged.

The black sun was the sun of demons.

[The demon curse 「Black Sun」 is complete.]

──「Black Sun」──

[Description]

: One of the demon curse rituals stored in Eclipse. With the master of the altar as the subject, the demon's sun can be raised even outside of Eclipse. That sun is of hell, for demons, and is hostile to all things on earth, including the dead.

[Effect]

: Under the black sun, the total effect of all demon-type skills [+50%]

: Under the black sun, the external power of all living beings except demon-type beings [-50%]

─────────

The power of demon-type beings becomes half as strong. The opposite becomes half as weak.

The demon curse Black Sun showed a very biased effect.

As it had consumed 100 humans, its duration was also satisfactorily long.

'Three hours is enough.'

I could tell just by looking at the Gatekeeper, who was moving as if he had become 20 years younger.

The expression of the Chief Secretary, who was facing him and the Royal Guard, on the other hand, became worse than a crumpled can.

But the First Son's smile did not fade, regardless of whether he was weakened or not.

"Yes, little brother! Let's dance some more!"

The gray longsword showed no signs of slowing down.

The only evidence that the curse had taken effect on him was his neck, drenched in sweat.

The Youngest Son in Blood Demonization scattered Bloodflame instead of sweat and made full use of his magic sword.

[It would be nice to use this demon curse often.]

Even Enad gave a generous review.

[The Magic Sword Enad uses its unique skill 「Curse Bearing」.]

The magic sword, with its characteristic, swallowed the black sun, a curse that was shining down on it.

The dark-colored blade, which drew elegant curves, truly absorbed even the sunlight and rivaled the shadows.

It made no sound when swung, and its weight could not be felt.

[I've superimposed my ability on the curse's enhancement ability. It won't last long, so settle this in this moment.]

Nodding inwardly, I kicked off the air.

I spread the wings of a blood demon to my left and right and flew, almost touching the ground.

Like an arrow released from a bowstring, I straightened my body and pulled my sword back.

I hadn't sheathed it, but it was the stance of drawing a sword in mid-air.

I broke through all the annoying Bone Swords and obstacles, using my wings as a shield.

Normally, I couldn't ignore the counterattacks, but right now, I could.

With the enhancement of the black sun, plus the attack power and regenerative power of the magic sword, there was nothing to be afraid of.

The same went for the First Son, who was smiling brightly in front of me.

Pshwaaaak—!!

I cut something deep.

But there was no blood on the magic sword. I had not cut flesh.

"I wouldn't have brought it out unless it was against the boss-level monsters in the Ash Mountains."

His monotone voice flowed out as usual, but its weight was not the same.

[…What is that now?]

It was a Family Sorcery. First Son Hiler’s Family Sorcery.

The waist that the magic sword had cut had something layered on it.

The familiar-looking black armor was that of the Death Knights that had surrounded this area.

The Undead Knight Legion was also being swept away by the power of demons, beings of a higher dimension than the mere dead.

But if they were to be swept away and fall, they would not be the undead.

The legion's name was not simply the Undead because they were composed of the dead.

"No.... This is how it should be..."

As he slowly turned his head, the abdominal armor that had wrapped around his waist fell.

The remaining Death Knights also stopped their swords as it fell in pieces.

The Chief Secretary also retrieved the twin swords that he had been clashing with the single-edged greatsword.

As he did so, the Chief Secretary's eyes continued to stare at the Gatekeeper's helmet.

Even as he moved away, he did not take his eyes off, as if trying to see the face behind it.

First Son Hiler smiled, revealing his fangs, and sheathed his sword.

"The dance ends here."

Fwoosh—

At that declaration, the demonic hide and horns washed away and disappeared.

"It's a pity. I borrowed the lights to illuminate the ballroom for quite a long time."

"Save your strength and turn them on next time. If we keep dancing like this, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

"In that case."

I snapped my fingers lightly.

Swaaaaaaaaaaaah—

The black sun disgorged the original sunlight.

The magic sword also returned to its runic form.

The Youngest Son respectfully bowed his head and continued.

"I would like to host you in Eclipse, Older Brother. Would you grant me permission?"

The First Son raised his hand to stop the Chief Secretary from saying something.

"Of course. How could I, as the eldest, refuse the invitation of my youngest brother who has grown so quickly, faster than any of our other siblings?"

"Thank you. Then please follow me."

The Red-blooded Griffin landed on the ground.

The First Son also took out his Bone Wyvern from his subspace.

The wyvern, said to be the best among the flying dragon species, was clearly larger than the Griffin.

Climbing onto it, the First Son chuckled lowly.

"I'll have to pass on the title of the greatest talent among all Bone Sorcerers in history to my youngest brother. An undead of the flying type at that age."

"I am still lacking compared to you, Older Brother. I am merely ashamed to have shown you my lacking skills."

The Gatekeeper shook his head at the humility uttered without batting an eye.

Did the light of the black sun reach that tongue as well?

The demon's tongue was active at all times, never dying.

"Please don't scold your Chief Secretary too harshly. If you wish to have a more enjoyable dance with me, there will come a moment when his past record is needed."

"Hmm... You are right, little brother."

The Chief Secretary's shoulder twitched for a moment.

A face that seemed to say, "How do you know about my past profession?"

His superior grabbed that slightly trembling shoulder and kneaded it a few times.

"The youngest's life was one surrounded only by giants. He always listened to their footsteps and watched their moods, so isn't it natural for his ears to be sharp?"

"Yes, yes. My thoughts were short."

The Chief Secretary bowed his head, but still looked at the youngest of the family.

He knew from information that the Youngest Son who had ended his seclusion was a completely different person from the world's perception.

But knowing from information and facing him like this were on different levels.

The youngest who had avoided the footsteps of giants had become a giant himself at some point.

It was natural for him to make enemies into allies, and he was skilled at changing people's hearts.

He showed his weakness to reduce their vigilance and unhesitatingly brought them into his nest.

The perception that he was easier to deal with than the other kinsmen was a misjudgment in itself.

'So this is his true form...'

Fifth Son Dante Black Millesdusk.

A predator who harbored a fear I had never seen before in my life.

***

The Bone Wyvern and the Red-blooded Griffin flew over Eclipse.

The First Son looked down below and his eyes shone.

"It's certainly different from other cities. It seems that technology, that Magitech or whatever it's called, has been incorporated."

"It is as you see."

"No matter which kinsman gets their hands on Eclipse, they wouldn't be able to change it like this."

That was so true that I neither denied nor affirmed it, only smiling.

"That is my residence."

"It looks like it at a glance."

The Dark Moon Grand Castle opened its ceiling by its will.

The Gatekeeper also went to his post.

Watching him head to the main gate, the Chief Secretary asked with a puzzled expression.

"Fifth Son-nim. Forgive my rudeness, but why is your guard knight heading to the main gate?"

"He's not a guard knight. He's a gatekeeper."

"Y-Yes?"

The voice that hadn't trembled even in front of a demon summoned to the mortal world trembled today.

To think that the opponent he had crossed swords with over dozens of times today was a mere gatekeeper.

"I tried to give him other jobs, but he refused, saying that was his calling."

It was a secret that the other job was a maid.

"I-I see."

"Bees gather where there are flowers. How could someone who stands by my youngest brother not be a remarkable person?"

Thanks to that, the Chief Secretary was sweating profusely, and the First Son's face became even more interested.

The situation was flowing better than expected.

In that case, I could be a little more greedy.

"I will prepare a room. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?"

"Hmm. Why is that? Do you have something urgent to discuss with the elder down there?"

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