Chapter 216 ·Maiden of Blood (5)
Maiden of Blood (5)
"I have been anxiously waiting for you to complete that, number 666."
At that moment, the Emperor appeared, his eyes fixed on the manual the girl had created. With an expression that suggested that he could not do without it, the girl looked confused.
"It took me over a year to make this. Hearing you say that actually makes me feel sorry."
"Haha... Indeed, it took quite a while. But that's only to be expected. What you've made cannot be produced by even a mountain of all the swordsmanship masters gathered together—because this is a legendary artifact."
Was he saying that she had created such a great thing?
Any ordinary person would have been so shocked they might clutch their neck, but the girl reacted as if she had little interest.
"Kuh kuh kuh kuh! As expected, you don't even understand what you've created, do you?"
"It's not that I don't understand. I just wonder what relation this has to my mission."
"Well, anyway... just hand that over to me."
The Emperor reached out his hand, asking for the manual. But the girl stared at the manual she had made, recalling a certain promise.
"Before I give it to you, may I make a request?"
"What is it?"
"There's someone I promised to show it to first—can I show it to that person before you?"
"Who is that?"
When the girl said it was the Emperor's daughter, the princess, the Emperor laughed in surprise.
"You're talking about that foolish girl?"
"That's right."
"You want to show it to her before me? How absurd. Did she even help you create the manual?"
"I couldn't say she didn't."
The girl recounted what had happened with the princess until now. Thanks to going through all that, she was able to figure out exactly what to put into her creation and finish it. But even after hearing that explanation, the Emperor found it ridiculous.
"You want to believe the words of that fool who was kidnapped stupidly three times? That girl, who carries lowly blood?"
"Lowly blood?"
The princess should have inherited the Emperor's blood, so wasn't that saying that his own blood was lowly?
"Do not misunderstand. That girl is the child of the queen from the enemy nation I gained in their collapse. Of course, she carries my blood too, but she was born as a result of a trivial amusement."
It was easy to understand what became of the enemy nation's queen who surrendered to the Emperor, and of course, what that "amusement" entailed.
"Was that amusement really necessary, sire?"
"Hahaha! You wouldn't know, being just a trainee at the time. The queen we captured as a prisoner was more beautiful than expected. I simply amused myself."
"..."
The girl nodded, indicating that she understood. She simply accepted it in silence.
"That girl seems to have inherited her mother's looks. That's why I've kept her alive—to use her for diplomacy with the West Continent across the way."
She could roughly guess the kind of diplomacy he was considering.
To give one's child to another nation, they must maintain a beautiful appearance.
In the end, the princess was nothing but a bargaining chip. Realizing this, the girl appeared momentarily lost in thought.
"My true successors are only the two princes. Is there a problem?"
"... No."
"Then hand it over. Don't bother wasting time unnecessarily."
In the end, the girl handed the manual to the Emperor. Pleased, he opened the manual.
"As expected... the quality can't even be compared to all the failed attempts until now."
"Thank you."
"What's more, I can tell just by handling it. All your sincerity is in here, along with incredible strength."
As the scroll-shaped manual was fully unfurled, it began to radiate a crimson light.
In the Emperor's hand, the energy of the Blood Sword Technique that the girl used began to swirl.
"Yes... With this... I too can wield the kind of strength you have... Uhk!!"
The Emperor, who looked as if he might demonstrate the same swordsmanship as the girl at any moment, suddenly felt pain and dropped the manual.
"Your Majesty! Are you all right?"
The adjutant checked the Emperor's palm, which had been handling the manual.
The skin was wrinkled, as if unable to withstand some force.
"It seems my vessel is lacking to learn that Blood Sword Technique. Regrettable, but I suppose it will be hard for me to personally inherit that swordsmanship."
"Then the issue of inheritance will have to wait till later."
If the Emperor could not do it, it was likely that others could not either.
As expected of a legendary power, it was not a swordsmanship anyone could learn.
"But that's not the important part. The Blood Sword Technique isn't simply a power that wields red aura. It can exert tremendous influence, enough to unseal someone's seal."
Even the failed versions of the Blood Sword Technique manual were never discarded—they were always provided to the Emperor.
The Emperor himself discovered this while trying to analyze the cause of failure.
"You must have felt it too. Am I wrong?"
"..."
In truth, the girl had also felt an unusual sensation while creating the manual.
In order to make the Blood Sword Technique manual, she inevitably delved deeper into her swordsmanship, and naturally understood its original purpose.
"Yes...."
"I felt a black energy. An evil presence that should not exist in this world."
Such beings are commonly called devils. Devils who, if paid a price, will grant a person's wish.
The Emperor became curious about that being.
"Your Blood Sword Technique, in fact, possesses the power to summon that 'dark being.' As soon as the manual was completed, I intended to try it, but now I'm tired of waiting."
"..."
"Is there a problem?"
She could not say there was a problem. It was unthinkable to defy the Emperor. That was common sense in the girl's mind.
"Yes. I'll do it right away."
It was unfortunate not to be able to show the princess first, but it had to be postponed for later.
She wondered what sort of reaction the princess would have upon seeing the completed manual. The girl was genuinely curious.
...
...
To perform the ritual, they moved to a new location.
In the center of an uninhabited underground chamber, the girl began to draw some kind of formation.
According to what she had learned while delving into the Blood Sword Technique, the formation she was drawing was the ritual array to awaken the "dark beings."
The ritual would begin when she plunged the sword containing the Blood Sword Technique into the center.
"With the power of those dark beings, if our empire prospers, it will all be your achievement."
"..."
"You are remarkable, number 666—once again lending great strength for the empire's sake."
The adjutant, who had once been her instructor, spoke triumphantly.
"Of course, I was the one who taught you. In reality, it's my achievement, not yours. So hand all your achievements over to me as you've done until now."
"I understand."
Even though she knew it was unfair, the girl agreed without resistance. To an outsider, it would have been infuriating, but the girl's expression did not change.
"Let's begin. Today will be a great day for our empire!!"
At the Emperor's proclamation from outside the formation, the girl infused her sword with the Blood Sword Technique.
The moment she drove it into the center, a crimson pillar shot up to the sky.
Kugugugung!!―
As the mighty red energy pierced the ceiling and reached the sky, the adjutant and Emperor recoiled in shock.
In truth, as it was their first time performing such a ritual, they expected some unforeseen happenings, but the unease far surpassed their imagination.
"Your Majesty. The clear sky has suddenly turned black."
"That's a sign. Once the black horde appears, just think about what wish you'll make."
While the Emperor spoke so calmly, the girl performing the ritual suddenly started coughing blood.
"Keuhk!"
The moment the ritual began, her body grew hot. From head to toe, every nerve felt as if it was being pierced by needles.
― At last...
At that moment, a voice reached the girl's ears.
― At last the door opens.
But only the girl could hear this voice.
― Open it now.
She wanted to ask who it was, but the pain prevented her from speaking.
― At last, we will be reborn.
Though she didn't know the reason, the girl sensed it instinctively.
If the ritual continued, she would die.
Furthermore, by sacrificing her life, someone else would be resurrected.
Something that must never appear in this world would awaken from its seal and engulf the world in darkness.
Having used the Blood Sword Technique her whole life, the girl trusted that instinct.
She hurriedly tried to stop the ritual and pulled the sword out of the formation.
"What are you doing!"
"Why are you stopping all of a sudden!"
It was her first time disobeying an order. So desperate was her instinct to stop the ritual that it was screaming at her.
In the first place, this hastily performed ritual was far too unstable.
Drawing the formation and plunging the sword had been correct, but unless it was a "proper sword," the ritual would inevitably be unstable.
Though the Emperor had given her a supposedly masterwork sword, it was only impressive in name and irrelevant to the ritual.
"Number 666! Why aren't you answering!"
"Number 666!"
The Emperor and adjutant pressed, but the girl could not reply. The aftereffects of the ritual had knocked her unconscious.
"Damn...!"
"I deeply apologize, Your Majesty! I swear, I will teach this girl a lesson, even if it means torture!"
"No, that won't be necessary. Looking at her, it seems Number 666 ended up like this because of the ritual's aftereffects. Hurting her further will do no good."
He realized he had been careless to consider it a simple ritual.
Reflecting on this, the Emperor issued the order to transfer the girl to a medical facility.
Kuguguguguguung!!!―
At that moment, as the sky darkened where the red pillar had shot up, the ground began to shake.
A strange phenomenon began sweeping not just the capital, but the entire East Continent, as the sky turned pitch black.
"Your Majesty! What is happening!"
"I don't know. But..."
Though he could not be certain, he instinctively understood one thing—something was about to happen on this continent.
"This is disastrous, Your Majesty!!"
At that moment, a soldier rushed in to deliver shocking news to the Emperor.
"Suddenly, the ground near the capital exploded, and most of the surrounding towns have been scorched!"
"What?!"
Was that what had caused the tremor just now? But why? There had been no sign of any natural disaster.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!"
Now, a courtier in mage robes hurriedly arrived to report.
"Just now... the mage battalion monitoring the entire empire has issued an evacuation alert!"
"What's happened?!"
"Well..."
Besides the explosion in the capital's ground, disasters of unknown cause were breaking out across the empire.
If you thought about it, "empire" here meant the entire continent—as, thanks to the girl's feats, all the continent's nations had unified.
"That means...!"
"The continent...!"
Realizing this, chills ran down the Emperor and adjutant's spines.
"In the north of the empire, meteors have suddenly fallen, in the west, a volcano has erupted killing thousands... and in some regions, thick fog has appeared, with thousands missing!"
"What nonsense...!"
"That's not all. We've also received reports that monsters across the empire have suddenly become ferocious!"
Not only was the continent turning into a superhuman environment, but even the monsters were becoming violent.
It all happened right after they attempted the ritual. Could it really be coincidence?
"And nearby, some form of ritual magic was sensed... Your Majesty, is there anything you might know about this?"
"..."
As he hesitated at that, the adjutant stepped forward.
"That girl...! It's Number 666's doing!"
"What?"
"This whole mess... That kid has lost her mind and performed some weird ritual! It's all because that girl recklessly conducted a bizarre ceremony!!"
The adjutant blatantly lied, but no one disputed him—because this incident could not be allowed to become the Imperial Court's responsibility.
"Then the responsibility for all this..."
"Obviously, it's hers."
While the adjutant had always claimed the girl's achievements as his own, for this once, he was eager to avoid the spotlight.