Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 679 - Drawing the Sword

The excitement on his face gradually faded, and the doctor shook his head with a bit of desolation:

“After all, it is a demon.”

Since the agreed time to “open the door” was seven o’clock in the evening, Shard didn’t care for Mia’s dinner. After leaving the doctor’s clinic, he went to Feather Quill Street to find Dorothy, entrusted her to take care of the cat for a while, and promised to pick it up that evening.

“Shard, are you off to some ‘tense and interesting’ adventure again?”

The blonde girl stood at the doorstep below the apartment building, holding an unwilling Mia, and asked Shard with suspicion. The first volume of the “Hammydell Detective Stories” was about to be released, and while Shard was loitering around Midshire Fort, Dorothy was busy with this.

“No, no, this isn’t anything dangerous. It’s just that the doctor and I are going to secure a relic, and it’s quite a fine one at that. You’ll definitely be surprised when I get my hands on it.”

The Demon Hunter’s silver longsword was indeed beautiful.

“Is that so? With the doctor… he does seem very reliable,” she complimented, then tentatively added:

“So, do you need me to return the ‘Ever-Youth Leaf’ to you for the time being?”

Shard immediately shook his head:

“Of course not, this time it’s only about securing a relic.”

Moreover, Shard still had two pieces of it:

“Let’s leave it at that, I will pick up Mia around ten o’clock.”

In order to return the key to the “Traveler’s Gate” and prevent it from going awry, Shard had to get back to Tobesk by ten o’clock in the evening.

He waved goodbye to Dorothy. The blonde girl watched Shard’s departing figure, feeling that whatever he was about to do could not be that simple.

By the time Shard bid farewell to Dorothy, it was four o’clock in the afternoon. Shard ate a piece of bread at home and then immediately took the basement to Midshire Fort. After an hour’s journey, he arrived once again at the cliff in the mountainside. He entered the cliffside cavern, visible only to those holding a parchment roll, by falling from the cliff as he did last time.

Passing through the narrow and quiet inner passage of the mountain, as the rolling heat waves hit him, Shard saw the stone platform on the side of the hollow in the mountain belly, the broken bridge, and the campfire in front of the broken bridge.

Gleaming with a silver glimmer, the longsword was engraved with the characters “My heart clear, my sword slays demons”. The color of those characters approached black, and just by gazing at them, one could feel the great deeds the sword had accomplished and the complex stories it had been through.

Below the sword, within the campfire reduced to ashes, one could faintly see some weak sparks flickering.

“This sword is truly beautiful… and it’s free.”

Shard sincerely admired in his heart, then with “her” giggling in his ears, he prepared to set up the ritual given by the doctor to weaken the demon power.

Inside the black suitcase, apart from the doctor’s own spellcasting materials, there were detailed ritual instructions and materials. The ritual originated from the knowledge of the Evil Spirit Demon and had no effect on the doctor, for demons know best about demons.

The most crucial materials included Holy Water No. 3, the shell of a Holy Beetle, Holy Silver, a church tome used for 15 years, and a red ribbon inscribed with praises to the deity that the doctor somehow obtained, which had been blessed. According to the instructions, this ribbon actually came from the robe worn by the pope of the previous generation of the Church of Nature during mass.

“The Priest has really invested this time.”

As Shard was busy, the campfire beneath the sword only occasionally spat out some sparks, as if threatening to rekindle. Shard kept his eyes on the area, but until he finished setting up the ritual to expel the demon, no other changes occurred in the campfire.

Of course, the whispers that incessantly urged Shard to throw himself into the flames and become one with the fire never ceased, and the temperature here was also quite high. But these challenges were not difficult to overcome for an Outlander accustomed to various big scenes.

He worked swiftly, having half an hour left until the agreed upon time of seven in the evening after setting up the ritual. Restraining his curiosity about the open space on the other side of the bridge in the mountain’s hollow, he stood on the edge of the passage and the stone platform, ready to receive the doctor.

The Arcane Technique “Time Perception” allowed Shard to clearly know the most correct time point. When seven o’clock arrived, he followed the doctor’s instructions, meditated on the “Traveler’s Gate” in his mind, and then stabbed the metal key into the air. He turned it left twice and right twice.

Along with a “click~” sound from the air, Shard stepped back after releasing the key, watching the key “grow” from both the upper and lower sides into an ancient brown wooden door with a metallic base.

The door was pushed open, and the sight behind it was not that of the hollow in the mountainside but Dr. Schneider’s warm and comfortable bedroom.

“Is it ready?”

The doctor peeked out from behind the door, and upon seeing Shard’s nod, he stepped over the threshold confidently:

“This is Sicarl Mountain? It’s my first time here. Look, it really is dark,”

With a snap of his fingers, Dr. Schneider sent two fireballs flying, which hovered over the stone platform and illuminated the area.

“No need to look; I can smell the demon’s stench already.”

Dr. Schneider smiled at Shard, then bypassed the door with his black boots striking the ground and hands rubbing together eagerly, arriving at the edge of the broken bridge and looking down at the campfire beneath the silver sword.

Taking a deep breath, he revealed a satisfied expression:

“That’s right, Detective, this indeed is the evil spirit arsonist – Sophix – disguised as a Flame Demon!”

“Doctor, you have three minutes and two seconds left.”

Shard still stood on the edge of the passageway connected to the stone platform, reminding the doctor while curiously observing the open door. Behind it lay the bedroom of Dr. Schneider’s clinic on the third floor; however, due to the trait of this Relic, only the user coming from the other side of the door could pass back through from this side. Therefore, though Tobesk and Shard were “a step away,” Shard would still have to take an hour’s walk to the Ruined Tower in the mountains if he wished to return to Tobesk.

“Alright, Detective, you just stand there and don’t move. And no matter what you see next, please don’t panic.”

“Doctor, I’m no longer the ordinary person who knew nothing when I met you this summer.”

Shard said and then saw the doctor throw his black coat to him, leaving himself in just a white shirt:

“I just hope not to damage the image you have of me in your heart.”

The doctor whispered with his back turned to Shard.

“What image…”

He closed his mouth just in time, because he saw the doctor rolling up the sleeve of his right hand to reveal his arm. Then, supporting his right hand with his left, the palm of his right hand aimed at the campfire beneath the silver sword.

The shadows on the wall clearly showed the doctor’s right hand stretching and growing longer. Afterwards, the palm split open violently, and the huge mouth that formed blew up his hand by a whole size.

“The Demon Mouth of Human Pus! The doctor actually mastered even this,”

Shard thought to himself, and judging from the current situation, Dr. Schneider seemed to be utilizing “Human Pus” more efficiently than Ivan Daknis originally did.

[The Chosen of Darkness exploits the Dark Gift to coexist forcefully with demons. Your friend directly consumed the demon’s power, integrating it into his own, which is fundamentally different.]

Shard nodded, gazing at the enormous mouth looming over the campfire holding the longsword.

In the grey ashes, where only a few sparks remained, flames suddenly leapt up, attempting a final defiance. But the doctor’s right hand, licked by the terrifying flames, seemingly unaffected, continued downward, attempting to swallow the campfire’s ashes in one gulp.

[Be careful.]

“She” said gently.

“Careful of what?”

With a gentle hum, the longsword planted in the campfire began to vibrate. Its silver light shot to the sky, nearly illuminating the entire cavity of the mountain.

At the same time, the black runes on the blade lit up from bottom to top. The bright yellow light from the runes, on the silver-glowing blade, appeared even more dazzling.

“My heart, clear and bright, my sword slashes at demons!”

The doctor shouted, reciting the inscription on the blade in demon tongue:

“This sword has hostility towards me too, but I’m a good guy! Oh, damn it!”

A myriad of silver Sword Lights burst from the vibrating blade, scattering in every direction like raindrops. Dr. Schneider screamed as he retracted his arm, cradling his head and dashing back into the passageway behind Shard without looking back. The silver sword light followed him, but thankfully, a black shell on the doctor’s back blocked most of the strikes.

Shard, more wisely, sidestepped behind the half-open door. Without the effect of Spatial Power, the door during its opening was virtually “indestructible,” shielding Shard from the attack effectively.

“Doctor, there’s now 1 minute and 53 seconds left. What’s happening?”

The doctor’s withdrawal also caused the sword to return to normal. Shard turned to check on Dr. Schneider, who, though slightly disheveled from his rapid escape, appeared unharmed.

“It’s no use; this sword is much stronger than I expected. Detective, now we can only pull out the sword first, release the Flame Demon, and then I’ll devour it.”

The doctor peeked out from the passageway, beckoned the two fireballs to approach the sword to ensure it had no further reactions, then apprehensively moved next to Shard, seemingly too wary to approach again.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

“Pull out the sword? Who’s going to do that?”

Shard asked the doctor, puzzled.

“What do you think?”

Those blue eyes gazed at Shard:

“Detective, there are only you and me here. Do you think it’s possible for me to touch that sword?”

The light from above cast their shadows on the ground, the shadows heavily distorted, with the shadow representing Shard’s right hand pointing at himself:

“You mean… me?”