Chapter 330: And It Was Winter (6)
Eslow didn’t know why Demon Sword Aporphis, which should have been in Keter’s possession, was in Wid’s hands. It was because Keter had given it to him. The night before, Keter arrived in secret and called Wid aside.
“You want to help Henya, don’t you?”
“Yes, even if it kills me.”
“Then you can probably afford to give up about half your lifespan.”
When offering sacrifices to Nippur, the Observer of All Things, Keter had not handed over Aporphis. This was because of its versatility.
Aporphis was a relatively reasonable Demon Sword. It didn’t corrupt its user; it simply and honestly delivered skill in proportion to the lifespan it took. Of course, even a single use would shave off a huge chunk of life, but that was better than dying.
Keter’s plan was perfect—Eslow had fallen into a double trap. His arrow was bait, and the real strike was Wid’s blow. Keter stood hundreds of meters away, but thanks to Sefira’s special eyesight, he could grasp the situation clearly.
As expected, an unsealed Demon Sword works on the Lord.
A normal Demon Sword, no matter how exceptional, wouldn’t work on someone like Eslow, who was close to eight-star. However, Aporphis was unsealed, and its performance was monstrously strong.
The sword moved faster than Eslow, who had mastered all weapon arts, and carved an unavoidable long wound across his chest. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a critical injury, but it wasn’t a light wound either.
Pshh!
Purple smoke rose from Eslow’s wound. It was an effect of the toxin inherently embedded in Demon Swords.