Episode 61. The Being in the Necklace (2)
“Do you have any plans?”
“well.”
Why you can avoid becoming the devil’s puppet.
Rubin didn’t bother explaining. It wasn’t impossible to explain, but it wasn’t an easy explanation either. There were just too many things he had to say.
‘There will come a time when I can tell you slowly.’
Sword, Haneke, and even the return of all of them.
Rubin softened his tone, softening the tense atmosphere.
“If there really is a demon in this necklace, you might lose consciousness. So don’t be alarmed. I’ll try to get rid of it as quickly as possible.”
Both Kuze and Tina were worried about Rubin, but they knew that leaving the demon in this state would be a greater danger. Soon, the two gave resolute answers.
“okay.”
“I will also try to hold on.”
“And Tina.”
“huh?”
“Your role is very important.”
Tina jumped up into the cat’s body and climbed onto the back of the chair.
The limited space of a cruise ship, the appearance of a powerful family called Witherspoon, and the unpredictable existence of a spirit. What role will he play in this worst-case scenario?
Tina’s mint eyes sparkled.
“What is my role?”
“There is someone you need to take care of.”
“Okay, tell me! Who is it?”
“It’s Celestia.”
“what?”
Tina’s upright body began to sag.
“It doesn’t matter whether you turn into me or Kuze. Just make sure that what’s happening in the guest room right now isn’t discovered.”
The request was to prevent outsiders from entering the room.
It won’t matter since Cozy and Warak won’t care much, and Chloe, who is busy managing her mana, won’t go around on her own unless absolutely necessary.
So the most dangerous person right now was definitely Celesne.
“Me too… . If that’s the case, then it’s no problem. I was bored of just being a cat, so this is a good opportunity, isn’t it?”
Kuze cast an anxious look at the confident Tina.
“Oh, are you okay?”
“Don’t worry, Kuze. Don’t you trust me?”
“… Yes, I understand.”
Rubin took a short, deep breath and tightened his grip on the necklace.
“Okay, let’s begin now.”
Rubin’s darkness began to seep into the necklace.
And at that moment, a light flashed from Rubin’s other hand.
What Rubin was holding in his other hand was a piece of the blade that was connected to Haneke.
* * *
Inner world.
A realm of the unconscious that could never be seen under normal circumstances. However, Rubin’s inner world was different.
After Haneke arrived, this place became a training ground for the two, and here, through Haneke, Rubin was opening up new realms of swordsmanship that he had never been able to reach in his previous life.
Traces of countless training camps nestled in the middle of the wilderness.
-Phew… phew… … .
Haneke glared at the huge rock face, his sword gripping both hands strong. At that moment, the wind blowing through the wilderness blew his white hair.
Before the wind died down, Haneke’s sword swung toward the rock face. It seemed as if a sharp diagonal line was being drawn, as if a blade was being cut, and then the rock face was pushed down with a kukukukuk sound.
-Not yet.
Haneke was in solo training.
Recently, Rubin has been focusing on new ways to utilize the Darkness through Kuze, while also improving his own Aura skills.
As Rubin expanded his abilities in all directions, Haneke also continued his own training autonomously.
The more he taught Rubin, the more Haneke was shocked. Who was he? Although he had lost his body with death, he had long been a 7-star warrior and an imperial general who had reached the highest level of the continent.
The person named Rubin was a person who stimulated even Haneke to the point of wanting to become stronger.
In that sense, this inner world was also a perfect training ground for Haneke. He could only hold the sword without feeling thirsty, hungry, or sleepy.
-Now you are no longer a soldier, but a drone.
For Haneke, soldiers and warriors were different.
Soldiers fight to protect or take something, but warriors are those who fight solely to elevate their own realm. Now that they have neither a body nor an empire to protect, they have no choice but to become warriors.
Paaang!
Haneke slammed his sword into the floor. The sword was out of his hand, but the aura he had just released was still lingering on the blade.
A black lacquer aura covering the sword in seven layers. The black aura was the symbol of the Brion family.
-… … .
Even these days, as I walk the path of nothingness, I sometimes miss the dark clouds of the past that once covered the battlefield.
It was funny to say that I missed the clouds of war, but it was true. As a member of the Brion family, it was true that the battlefield was more familiar to me than the courtyard of the family. Also, the sound of cannonballs was more familiar than the sound of celebratory fire at festivals.
-I wonder if I should go outside for a bit for the first time in a while.
Haneke could share Rubin’s sensibility at his own will. He had to ask Rubin, but Rubin never refused Haneke’s requests.
So I also knew what had happened to Rubin recently. I knew that there had been a lot of amazing things happening, even though Haneke had been concentrating on his training and hadn’t been paying attention to it.
Those who seek to revive the Kingdom of Seville.
A famous ship operated by the siblings of the giant blood clan.
And then there’s the appearance of a magician named Witherspoon.
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But he didn’t know what was happening right now. It happened when he had cut ties with Rubin and was concentrating on his training.
Even after quite some time had passed since they spoke, Rubin had not responded. This had never happened before. Haneke had no idea what was going on.
-Did something happen?
The moment I thought that.
Suddenly, the ground Haneke was standing on began to shake.
Kukukukukukung.
Haneke, who had been hit by an unexpected earthquake, quickly stepped on the rocks of the wilderness one after another and headed up the hill. Instinctively, his hand pulled out the sword that had been stuck in the ground.
Haneke reached the top of the hill overlooking the training ground. He put strength into his sword-holding hand and naturally displayed a pitch-black aura.
Rubin still had no response, and an earthquake was taking place in his inner world, Haneke was sure.
-What happened?
The first thing that came to mind was the Witherspoon family. Haneke was also well aware of the prestige of that magical family, which belonged to the imperial nobility.
According to the lineage of the commanders of the Magic Brigade, the commanders were only annually succeeded by the Witherspoon family. How great the power was… Only Haneke, who served as a general, knows.
Haneke’s expression distorted into a grim expression. He was overcome with regret for being complacent. He could have given her advice, but he felt guilty for not doing so.
-What is that?
The earthquake, which had stopped for a while, struck again. The ground began to split open in front of what was thought to be the safest area.
Kukukukukung.
What Haneke looked at in surprise was the crack that had formed as the ground split apart.
Something was crawling up through the gap. It was a black tentacle, sticky and cold.
As soon as he saw that, Haneke realized that Rubin was now in serious trouble.
Rubin was the master of his inner world, so he could freely partition, design, and construct this space. But there was one thing that Rubin could not do: create living things.
But then a living thing appeared before my eyes.
-To say it’s bizarre is an understatement.
The squishy tentacles were only the lower body. The upper body of the monster, revealed as it rose above the ground, was even more impressive. Instead of skin, it was covered with thick, sharp bones.
-Is that your head? This is the worst.
It was the first time since Haneke’s death that he felt resentful.
The head was attached to the end of the torso, which was made up of only bones. The face was transparent with only outlines, like a wine glass made of glass. Inside that face, hundreds of snakes were entangled, drooling an extremely unpleasant saliva.
Now that the monster’s entire body was revealed, he could no longer just watch in silence. Haneke looked in that direction and shouted loudly.
-What are you looking for!
Soon the spirit’s head turned towards Haneke.
At the same time, eyes and a mouth appeared on the transparent face and said:
-No, this can’t be happening.
A voice so irreverent that it shook the entire inner world. A voice of genuine surprise flowed out from the demon’s mouth.
-There was already someone who had already taken the lead?
-… … .
-Since you’re not saying anything, I guess that’s true?
-Hey, what are you talking about!
Haneke shouted loudly. It was more than just a simple shout. It was a shout that contained the spirit of a general who had reached the level of the Seven Stars.
The demon’s slimy lower body flinched for a moment.
-Isn’t that so? Are you sure you’re not a demon?
That one word, “spirit,” flashed through Haneke’s mind.
It’s a demon. He doesn’t know the circumstances, but it’s certain that this strange being that appeared before his eyes is the demon he knows.
-Why is the demon here?
Marin chuckled at Haneke’s question. It was a question that Marin couldn’t help but laugh at.
-Isn’t this the only place a demon could be inside a human? By the way… I’m curious as to why you, who aren’t even demons, are here.
-What?
-This is my prey, why are you standing there?
The demon suddenly howled loudly and showed his hostility towards Haneke with his whole body. The demon’s howl echoed loudly within my inner world.
-Nothing’s going right!
The demon’s first target was a young girl. The original plan was to control her inner self through the necklace and turn her into a puppet.
However, he was blocked by the dense mana that the girl held. If he had taken his time and slowly consumed it, he would have succeeded, but the problem was that he was not given time to do so.
After the necklace was transferred from the girl to the boy, something strange happened. As if welcoming a spirit, a path leading to the boy’s inner self opened up.
In that way, the dark energy, a power that the demon had no idea about, infiltrated the boy’s mind.
I came all the way here.
-I guess Rubin sent you to me.
Haneke said calmly, holding his sword in one hand and running his beard with the other.
-Me? To you?
-Do you want to know why? Of course, it means to destroy the intruders of the inner world.
The demon snickered once more at those words. Annihilation, huh? If it became known that he had been spoken to like that by a mere human, it was obvious that he would be laughed at in the demon world.
– Are you kidding? But I know one thing for sure.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The demon’s tentacled lower body strode forward. Meanwhile, the bones that made up the upper body moved up and down, making a clicking sound.
They are trying to launch an attack.
-I have to get rid of you so I can sit here.
The spirit quickly grasped the situation. The old man in front of him was guarding this inner world, so he had to kill the old man in order to take root.
Even to the spirit, it was not a common situation for two souls to reside in the inner world. But it was not something to be relaxed about, either.
The faster he could remove it, the faster the demon would regain its strength, and the sooner he could become the master of this space.
But… Haneke just laughs.
-Are you laughing at me now?
-Well, I guess I should say it just so happens that it happened at the right time.
Ahead of a long-awaited battle.
Haneke swung his sword and cut through the air. The sound of the wind cutting through rang in his ears, and a gentle smile appeared on his face again.
It seemed like something bothered Rubin, but not Haneke. It was something that filled his longing for battle after a long time.
-Still, I guess I have to hurry.
-What a cheeky old man!
The ghost and Haneke. The one who was most relaxed right now was definitely Haneke. The ghost, upset by this fact, cried out strangely, but Haneke remained calm.
-If I don’t hurry, my enjoyment will be diminished.
Rubin is coming to return to his inner world, which means that Haneke doesn’t have much time left to act as the guard of this inner world.
-Phew… … .
With a short deep breath, the aura of black lacquer once again enveloped Haneke’s sword.
One layer, two layers… A total of seven layers were wrapped around it, heating up not only the sword but also the surrounding area. It was the moment when the aura of the 7th level was manifested.
Haneke’s white hair stood on end, and his eyes took on a solemn look.
-Okay, then. There’s no need to declare war, right?
