The Sword Demon Tears People Apart

His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
How long had it been since he escaped the rift and started fighting…?
Stray thoughts quickly faded away.
His lungs craved oxygen but were utterly dried up, and his muscles were not just squeezed but ruptured.
Rough breaths passed through his mouth and nose.
His mind alternated between white and black flashes.
Then, for a moment, his consciousness faded.
Pit-
His head turned unconsciously, sensing killing intent.
When he came to his senses, a goblin’s poisoned needle had just missed by a hair’s breadth.
Already, weapons surrounded him on all sides.
They swung down.
Zeron didn’t think.
He just left everything to his body.
Consciousness was no longer of any help.
His staggering steps moved between the weapons.
Thud, a raised wooden club was shoved into a troll’s mouth.
An orc’s axe brushed over his waist as he fell back, and as he rose, the swords in both hands scattered green blood.
He threw a sword.
It lodged in a troll’s head and exploded.
Bang-! The head also shattered into fragments.

Dudududu-!
He thought he heard gunshots.
He ducked, avoiding a swinging club.
There was an axe on the ground.
He picked it up and swung.
Kwak-! An orc crumbled.

Consciousness drifted further and further away.
But his body moved on its own.
A somewhat familiar sensation.
Ah…, his fading consciousness realized.
It’s like a dream.
The sensation from the dream overlapped.
A feeling that was his yet not his.
He could no longer feel the weight of the sword in his hand.
He just pictured it in his mind.
That sword.
Rough and crude, but a sword that had reached a principle in itself.
Kwahak-!
His body swung the sword.
He groped for the sensation beyond the fog.
Was it similar?
Not even close.
He swung again.
The hazy sensation from the dream.
And the current sensation as if shrouded in mist.
They overlapped.
Was it a bit more similar this time?
He gripped the sword again.
He felt a sense of liberation.
This sensation without any restraint.
This pleasure of revealing oneself raw and unfiltered.
A blunt pleasure brushed his spine.
He saw monsters in the distance.
No, they were right in front of him.
His body dodged something flying at him.
His mind just focused on swinging.
He swung the sword.
─────────!
The monsters disappeared along with the space.
Blood splattered.
No, it had long since covered his body.
But new blood splattered.
It’s warm.
It’s hot.
The corners of his mouth might have turned up.
Any prey left?
They filled his vision.
Fear settled in the expressions of those wretched things.
His crotch bulged.
He swung the sword.
His vision cleared.
Ah.
A huge thing approached.
It’s big.
There are many places to cut.
It too trembles in fear.
This time, I think I can do it.
He gripped the sword.
He recalled the sensation from the dream.
I was already the sword.
I don’t know if the sword is me.
I’m just the sword.
The sensation at my fingertips.
It’s blunt.
Beyond the thick fog, I look at myself.
That’s right.
A little rougher.
Just a bit more.
Like lightning, like a tsunami.
Yes.
───────────────!
Like this.
*
When he came to his senses, there was nothing left to cut.
Now his body didn’t even hurt.
He could only tell that it was breaking apart.
Zeron grasped his fading consciousness and pulled out a potion.
As he downed it in one gulp, sensation returned and agony rushed in.
“Ugh….”
Feels like I’m gonna die….
Having absolutely no strength to walk right now, he sat down on the corpse in front of him.
It was an ogre’s lower body.
He stuck the cumbersome swords into the corpse and looked at the two girls trembling in front of the rock.
Their faces were pale.
The fact that they hadn’t fainted suggested that he hadn’t unconsciously directed killing intent towards them.
Zeron painfully rolled his eyes to look them over.
Fortunately, they weren’t badly hurt anywhere.
The kid’s gun barrel was still smoking, suggesting she hadn’t stopped firing even in the midst of all this.
Flone also seemed to have fought well, with several corpses strewn around her.
“Kid.”
“O-Oppa…?”
“I think I’m gonna die.”
The kid’s eyes widened.
She ran over, trembling, and reached out her hand.
A warm sensation probed his entire body.
The kid asked with eyes full of worry, the fear gone:
“Where are you hurt…?”
“I didn’t get hit even once.”
“Then why…”
Urp-, something rose from his stomach.
Zeron turned his head and vomited something onto the ground.
Weeaak-, after throwing up, he saw it was a lump of bright red blood.
The kid’s face turned white.
“O-Oppa…!”
The kid frantically rummaged in her pockets and pulled out potions.
Then she poured them straight into Zeron’s mouth.
It’s a waste of money, but we have more money than we know what to do with.
At times like this, we should use it.
Zeron swallowed the potions as the kid poured them.
After drinking until his stomach was full, he felt like he could move somewhat.
“Ugh…. So, what are you doing over there? If you came, you should help.”
As he turned his gaze, he saw the group standing stiffly in a daze.
It was Pingcheng’s group.
The stars pouring from Pingcheng’s eyes were a bit unpleasant.
“W-wow…! Zerong is super strong!”
Hearing this nonsense while feeling like he was dying of pain made his head throb.
Zeron ignored her and stared past her.
Familiar presences were approaching.
“Oh, Boss! Miss! As expected, you’re safe!”
Men wearing leather armor approached with broad smiles.
They were David’s subordinates.
Luckily, they seemed to have come the same way as the Academy people, with almost no traces of battle.
Zeron frowned and opened his mouth.
“What the fuck. Aren’t you worried at all?”
“Come on, why would we worry when you’re here, Boss? Look at this. Wow-! You really went wild, didn’t you?”
That bastard.
Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, someone else stepped forward first.
“You guys! What are you doing when Oppa is hurt! Hurry up and help support him!”
“Ah, Miss…?”
“Hurry!”
The men scrambled at the kid’s sharp voice, which they were hearing for the first time.
Even during all this, the Academy people didn’t know how to move.
Except for Pingcheng.
“Wow! Zeronzeron! I’ll help support you!”
At those words, the kid shot a glare at the subordinates.
They moved quickly like colts with their tails on fire.
“Ah, no! We’ll support him, so please rest!”
“But I’m fine?”
“We’re not fine!”
The men hurriedly lifted Zeron, afraid he might be taken away.
No, they tried to, but got a knock on the head and clutched their heads.
“Aaagh-!”
“Where do you think you’re touching, you little dicks?”
“Ah! I’m not little!”
“You just get lost.”
Zeron pushed even Pingcheng away and stood up.
He was a bit shaky, but he could walk.
He strode towards the lodging.
Even then, the Academy people were still staring blankly at Zeron.
“What are you staring at, you bastards?”
When he raised his hand, they hurriedly backed away.
Zeron chuckled and walked on.
*
Even until they almost reached the lodging, the kid’s worry didn’t stop.
“Mister, are you really okay? Should I carry you on my back? Or do you want to drink another potion? Ah, right. Or maybe…”
“Hey, stop it, stop. You’ve really come to resemble that David bastard, huh?”
“I-I’m just worried!”
“I’m fine, so it’s okay. Rather, take care of her.”
Zeron nodded towards Flone.
She was trembling and glancing at Zeron.
Like a frightened squirrel.
“Ah, Flone! Come to think of it, are you okay? I was too out of it earlier…”
While the kid comforted Flone, the group arrived at the lodging.
The lodging was intact.
There weren’t many monster corpses around either.
They probably all rushed at me and then fled together when they ran away.
Zeron thought.
“Guys! Boss is here!”
“Ah, welcome, Boss!”
As they entered the lodging, there were also subordinates armed with guns and swords.
As expected, there was no sign of worry on their faces.
Do they think I’m some kind of immortal?
He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
“Alright, take care of the cleanup yourselves. I’m going to rest.”
“Yes! Go on in!”
“Rest well!”
Ignoring their greetings, he trudged towards his room.
As he opened the door and entered, the kid naturally followed him in.
“Why are you following me? I’m going to sleep.”
“I’m just worried. Want me to help you wash up?”
“I don’t really need to wash… Ah, now that I’m conscious of it, it feels really gross. Fine. I’ll wash up alone.”
Zeron quickly went into the bathroom and locked the door.
With how the kid had been lately, she might really have followed him in.
He somehow managed to wash up despite his body protesting that it felt like it was dying, and when he came out, the kid was still there.
Far from leaving, she naturally went into the empty bathroom and closed the door.

Halfway.
“You can look if you want to.”
“Haah….”
Gently ignoring the nonsense, he sat on the bed.
Sleeping would come after chasing the kid out.
If he fell asleep now, who knows what tragedy he’d face in the morning.
The sound of water stopped.
The kid came out, trotting with her soft cheeks flushed red.
Fortunately, she was fully clothed.
“What? Why aren’t you sleeping? Go to sleep quickly.”
“After you leave.”
“…I’m not going to do anything weird even if I stay here, you know?”
“No. I think you definitely will.”
“Ah, just go to sleep already!”
After a brief squabble, he finally succumbed to force.
Zeron grumbled and buried his head in the pillow.
“Ah…, my time has come too…”
“What are you saying? I’m really just going to sleep like this, so hurry up and sleep.”
The kid slipped in beside him and snuggled up.
Her warm body temperature definitely made him feel sleepy.
“You…, really just going to sleep…?”
“Okay. I’ll just hold your hand while sleeping.”
“You’re already… hugging me, so what’s the point of… holding hands….”
That was the last thing he remembered.

“Hehe, sleep well, Oppa.”
Smooch-