The Sword and The Shadow

Awakening

The night was going well. Kurdak, in his werewolf form, was far more docile than usual. He was calm thanks to Vera's consolation and dozing off. Annelotte looked at the pair from a distance. She couldn't approach them because of Kurdak.

A magical wave, notification of the use of a contact crystal, washed over her. Annelotte looked stunned. She didn't think Leguna would use it at such a time. She could tell the wave had been sent from York.

"Sis..." Annelotte attempted to call Vera over.

The girl's voice attracted Kurdak's attention. He opened his eyes alertly and began to growl threateningly.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Vera stroked Kurdak's furry back before walking over.

"Something's happening with Leguna. I want to go check it out," said the girl.

"How will you get there this late?"

"With transference spells. I'll be fast."

"Alright. Come back quickly. Don't worry about me. Kurdak won't harm me," said Vera with a nod.

"Alright, I'll be back soon."

......

Leguna stretched his hand into his chest pouch and hurriedly took out a bottle of healing potion before pouring it into Innilis's mouth. He then administered emergency first aid. She eventually opened her eyes and saw Leguna's anxious face.

"Big Bro... Leguna?" murmured she softly.

The girl recalled what had just happened and tears streamed down her cheeks silently.

"Don't talk, Innie," Leguna whispered warmly, "Big Bro is here. Don't be afraid, just leave everything to me. Sis Annie is coming for you."

"Big Bro..."

Innilis's tears didn't stop, but she soon fainted. After making sure her life wasn't in any danger, Leguna sigh, relieved. He then wiped away his tears and slowly stood up.

"I believe you are Leguna?" asked Nabir.

He had scoured Jaehart's memories and recognized Leguna's appearance. Unlike what he expected, Leguna's first reaction was not to run away. Instead, he stopped to worry about the livelihood of the lowly commoners he had just dealt with. So, he had watched curiously and waited for Leguna to finish before he spoke.

"Yes, I am," affirmed Leguna with a nod.

His voice was neither hot nor cold.

"We're from the Eye. Did your group kill Farsi?"

Leguna nodded again. "Yes, I killed him."

Nabir was rather surprised. He didn't think the kid would admit it. It did make things easier for him, though, so he smiled.

"Alright. Since you admit it, come go with us. Seeing how easy you're making this, I won't trouble you too much."

"Fine," agreed Leguna as he walked out of Jaehart's house.

Seeing how obedient the kid was being, Nabir didn't have his weapons confiscated. He could tell how strong he was instantly. So what if he was armed? Could he really harm a high-order magus?

"Before I go with you, can I ask you a few things?"

Nabir smiled in a manner he believed was elegant.

"Alright, but I can't promise you'll get an answer."

"Are you the one who killed the family?"

Nabir was surprised. He thought the kid would ask about how he would be treated after he went with them. The thought of him still being hung up on the dead family had never crossed his mind

"Yes, I am."

It was nothing he had to go through the trouble of hiding. He had merely killed a few lowly commoners.

"Why?" asked the kid softly.

"Why?" Nabir stretched his arm out, "I just wanted to fool around with the cute sisters. But the elder one actually dared to bite me. Since they dared to harm me, I killed them."

"But you're at fault not them," insisted the kid.

"So what? I'm the strong one. I can kill them easily, and I can do the same to you."

"So it's all because you were strong and they were weak?"

"Yes. Alright, let's move. Don't ask so many pointless questions!"

Nabir was rather annoyed with the kid's questions. Just before he wanted to spur him on, the youth actually started to laugh.

"Huhu... Hoho... Hehehahahahahahahahaa!"

His laughter shifted in pitch from low to high and became unrestrained.

Why? Jaehart's family wasn't involved in this at all. They didn't offend anyone or piss anyone off. Why did they have to suffer? Why? Even though they were innocent, even though they did nothing wrong, they still lost their lives... Why? Why!

No, they were wrong. Their sin is being weak.

Jaehart you idiot. Do you think you can protect your sisters just because you give it your all? Do you think you can make them happy? Let them lead happy lives?

No! You can't! You're an idiot! You were too weak! Even if you try your best, even if you risk your life, even if you give them everything, it won't be worth shit! You couldn't protect them because you were too weak! Far too weak!

Your family had no choice but to take what others dealt them because of their weakness; because of your weakness, you had to witness your own sister's beheading, unable to do anything; because of your weakness, you had no way of realizing the simple wish of letting your two sisters lead happy lives!

Yes. It's all weakness' fault. Weakness is a sin. Weakness is the greatest sin in the world! If that's so, then I desire power. I want enough power to judge all the sinners in this world!

"Do you really want to die?"

Leguna's erratic behavior made Nabir feel a little panicked. He could hear the seething rage and bone-deep despair in the kid's laughter.

An odd dark light shot out of both the kid's eyes.

Yes, it was dark 'light', an oxymoronic thing that had no right to exist. But that was indeed what everyone saw. No matter how bright the light, it was absolute darkness that couldn't illuminate! Pure black shadow impetus erupted from the kid's body. It filled the town's streets and blew everything to smithereens before returning to Leguna's body as if it was sentient.

"Aaaaagh!"

It wasn't clear whether his howl was a sign of pain or fury.

Nabir, right in front of him, was all the more disturbed.

11th, 12th, 13th, 14th... 15th stratum!

How's this possible? Just now he was only at the eleventh stratum, but he shot straight to the 15th in seconds? What the hell is this?! Impossible! It doesn't make any sense! cried Nabir in his mind.

All the shadow-aspect impetus flooded into Leguna's body. He stopped howling and stared at the people in front of him coldly, before he softly said, "IcI willawill aberanbear sethe sceaduweshadow vanof sceadudarkness eacwith mynesmy bodigbody swaas hellwerodhost facianto gain fullmaegengreat power. OndAnd, eacwith thaesthis maegenpower, icI scullanshall ametanmete sceaduwesshadow's dryhtdomrighteous judgment." [1]

In the next second, a black ethereal smoke poured out of his body and his form disappeared! Everyone looked like they had seen a ghost, only Nabir and Kratt managed to snap out of it.

The high-order magus had already taken out a stoneskin scroll from his dimensional pocket when Leguna's stratum shot up without warning. The moment the kid disappeared, he was in such a hurry to tear the scroll apart that he appeared a little desperate to apply the effects of a stoneskin spell on himself. Kratt raised his shield alertly.

Nabir's quick reaction managed to save his life. The moment the glow enveloped his body, an impetus blade of unmatched sharpness struck him from behind. It was savage and ferocious, filled with hatred and poison.

Shatter!

With just one strike, the level four defense barrier disintegrated completely. The huge force from the strike made Nabir fall forward. He hurriedly got back up and began his dictation again frantically. The near-death experience had unleashed all the dormant potential within him and by the time he recovered, a second stoneskin spell was already present.

After Leguna's first strike failed, he flung two throwing knives into the throats of two attendants before disappearing entirely again.

As Nabir had only planned to look for Jaehart and his family, he hadn't brought all the other attendants along. He only brought Kratt and two attendants as bodyguards. With the two attendants dead, just he, Kratt, and Riddie were left.

"What the hell?! What in the world is this?!" cried Nabir, terrified. He didn't even think of Leguna as a human anymore. No human could possibly fight like this.

"Protect yourself! Be alert!"

Kratt's face was also pale. A primal fear plagued his mind, but he was different from the spoiled Nabir. The fact that he could get to his current position in the Eye was testament to his years of life-and-death encounters. It was why he could maintain his cool regardless of how dangerous or weird a situation was. He had two options: stay calm or die.

Nabir snapped out of his panic after hearing Kratt's advice. He hurriedly dictated more defensive magic, going through all the spells ranging from a level 1 shield spell to a level 4 stoneskin spell. But even so, he still didn't feel safe. The explosiveness of the kid's strike was far too threatening and frightening.

Leguna's body materialized again. This time, however, his target wasn't Nabir, but Kratt. Lighteater shot out like a venomous viper. It wasn't aimed at Kratt's vitals but at his left hand. The kid flung Lighteater out at a super odd angle and the blade easily found its way through the gaps in the man's armor. Leguna twisted the hilt and separated the man's shield-wielding arm from his body.

"Uggh!"

Kratt howled in pain and desperately activated his 15th-stratum impetus. He had intended to push the kid back with it. He hadn't thought the kid would ignore the risk of having his innards damaged by his high-order impetus wave to raise his left hand.

Flameblade grabbed even more attention in the dark. It's magical glow looked like the eyes of Death itself. The dagger shot around speedily before it pierced Kratt's armor plate and entered his heart.

After dealing the killing blow, Leguna kicked the dying man away and spat out a mouthful of blood. He didn't get off lightly from the exchange.

As he regulated his breathing, he stared at the distant Nabir unblinkingly.

As the two stared at each other coldly, a magical disturbance appeared at the entrance of the nearby house. A few seconds later, Annelotte's silhouette gradually materialized within the glow.

[1]ED Note: 'hellwerod' literally means hell host, there is a corresponding heaven host word as well. I assumed the host thing here is a sacrifice, hence hellwerod.