Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 132 "..." Jane looked back and forth between Risir's barrier and his own with a grave expression. More precisely, he looked back and forth between where Risir's barrier had been and his own barrier. Risir's single strike had destroyed his barrier. Only his own barrier remained. So it was his turn. But- Jane looked back and forth between Risir and the Sword of Advancement with a grave expression. Huh? The Sword of Advancement is over there? Wait? Didn't I approach the Sword of Advancement first to take the initiative? Question marks following one after another. Jane barely managed to shake off his thoughts that were becoming increasingly complicated rather than clearer. And- "..." He reached out and grasped the Sword of Advancement. Then he tried swinging it around. Literally, he just held it and swung it around. His movements were sluggish and lifeless. Wouldn't even a walking corpse swing it with more vitality? It was the kind of swordplay that naturally evoked such impressions. Afterward, Jane put the Sword of Advancement back in its place without any lingering attachment. Then he pointlessly straightened his clothing or brushed off his clothes that hadn't even gotten dusty. The small rustling sounds his actions created made the silence flowing through the place even more awkward. -What's going on? What broke that silence was Elisia's dumbfounded voice. -What the hell is happening! Then that voice shot up irritably. From a distance, Belota nodded her head knowingly. Ah, I know that feeling. When confusion passes a certain level, it turns into anger, right? You're the same way? Belota felt a warm sense of kinship with her companions who were finally following her lead. Feeling the mental distance had shortened, she finally approached her companions with light steps. -Jallak!!! Soon, Elisia's anger that had been wandering without direction focused on him. After a series of deliberations, she had reached a very plausible conclusion. -Are you out of your mind or what! -Huh? -Even if you like that man, this is too much. Taking his side like this!? -Taking his side? -Yes! -Who is? -You are! -I am? -You are!!! -Taking whose side? -That man's!!! -How? -Hey!!! -Huh? Elisia exploded once again at Jallak's way of speaking that seemed to lower one's intelligence just by engaging with it. But Jallak truly felt wronged. If you were to pick the most confused person in this place right now, it would undoubtedly be him. -I, I took Risir's side...? Ah! Is that it!? Was what just happened me unconsciously sharing the Power of Advancement with that guy!? The Sword of Advancement. As could be understood from its very name, the Power of Advancement was an incredibly symbolic power for Jallak. In the decisive moments that Heroes of Advancement faced, Jallak was invariably there, and so was the Power of Advancement. Jallak had always provided crucial help to heroes through that Power of Advancement. It was the same back then. The First Hero. And the Demon Lord. That battle of the century. That decisive moment. When the hero dealt the final blow to the Demon Lord, the hero mobilized every means at his disposal, and within that, the Power of Advancement played an absolutely crucial role. In other words, it was a power that even heroes needed, a power that even heroes couldn't imitate. Jallak held tremendous pride in that fact. He also held tremendous confidence. The Power of Advancement. Who would refuse such power? Who would refuse such exhilaration? Jallak intended to completely captivate him with the Power of Advancement. Risir. That prospective Hero of Advancement(?). Sacred Swords choose their masters. Jallak had already marked Risir as his master in his heart. The Sacred Sword Trial for those who hadn't been completely chosen was an unnecessary process for him. Nevertheless, the reason Jallak proceeded with the Sacred Sword Trial was to prove the qualities of the new Hero of Advancement before others. Of course, Jallak knew as well. Awakening to the Power of Advancement in just one day was nearly impossible. No matter how outstanding one's natural qualities, one needed to commune with the Sword of Advancement over a long period to skillfully handle that power. But he thought Risir might be somehow different. He thought that if it were him, he might be able to obtain something from within the Sword of Advancement in that limited short time, and thereby handle at least part of the Power of Advancement. And he thought that in the process, Risir would become entranced by the Power of Advancement. It was Jallak's perfect plan. But what was this? Risir, who hadn't even picked up the Sword of Advancement yet, had ended the trial. Two facts were proven in that process. 1. Risir was capable of handling power similar in nature to the Power of Advancement. 2. Therefore, he might not become obsessed with the Sword of Advancement. That situation where his existing pride and expectations were thoroughly negated was absolutely unfamiliar territory for the Sacred Sword. So Jallak willingly engaged in escapism. -Risir, you must be surprised!!! That's right! That's exactly the Power of Advancement! It's my, the Sword of Advancement's unique ability! If you want to make that ability completely yours—... "Unique ability?" Risir did not cooperate. "...Wasn’t it that this type of enhancement ability is collectively referred to as the Power of Advancement?" -... "Oh dear, it seems I misunderstood the trial's content. Then, how exactly does one use this Power of Advancement?" -... What would be the one thing you should absolutely never do in a trial? Perhaps it would be misunderstanding the trial's content and still getting a perfect score. In any case, his answer made it certain. He hadn't used the power contained within the Sword of Advancement for some unknown reason. He had drawn out power beyond his natural limits entirely through his own strength. -...How? Jallak expressed a reasonable doubt. Evil Swords. Magic Swords. Black Magic. Blood Magic. As branches of such sinister powers, abilities that could draw out strength beyond one's natural limits certainly existed. However, all such powers shared the common trait of requiring a great price to be paid. Notably, Black Magic required offering one's existence to demons, and Evil Swords caused one to lose their ego. -...? Wait a minute. Come to think of it, doesn't he also have an Evil Sword? -Huh? "Yes?" -Huh? "Yes?" Watching that conversation that seemed to lower intelligence in real-time from a third-person perspective, Elisia realized. The ability Risir had just displayed was unrelated to Jallak. He hadn't shown any favoritism while conducting this trial. -Huh? Then what was it? "Yes?" -Huh? -Huh? Thus, when Risir and the two Sacred Swords were trapped in the cursed cycle of diminishing intelligence, the Hero of Ideals took action. -Hmm? Jallak was forcibly freed from the cycle. Jane had grasped him again as he floated in the air. Confusion. Doubt. Suspicion. The shadow that had briefly fallen across his expression had already cleared. Having regained his honest eyes, he moved forward honestly. Thus he stood before the golden barrier. Holding the Sword of Advancement in his hand, he corrected his posture. -Jane, wait...! Elisia, who had also been freed from the cycle, shouted in surprise. She still trusted Jane absolutely. She firmly believed he was a person worthy of the title Hero of Ideals, and that his natural qualities were beyond comparison. Therefore, Elisia tried to dissuade Jane. This trial was absolutely advantageous to Risir. The conclusion had already been reached. A man who could display the Power of Advancement without the Sword of Advancement. Could there be anyone more suited to the Sword of Advancement than him? Though it's said that Sacred Swords are not chosen but rather do the choosing, this was a situation that was an exception to that rule. If Risir simply wished it, he could readily claim ownership of the Sword of Advancement, and no one would be able to refute it. Yet in such circumstances, to deliberately enter the trial and show failure and defeat. It would only tarnish the name of Ideals. -The trial has already lost its meaning! You don't need to step forward! "No. I have to." -Why... "If things end anticlimactically like this, we won't properly understand." The Hero of Ideals focused all his attention on the Sword of Advancement in his hand. "Risir. Just how amazing what he accomplished truly was." -What does that... "And we don't know, do we?" An ideal smile appeared on his face. "Perhaps I might accomplish something even more amazing than I think." There wasn't a trace of doubt in it. At that moment, the Sword of Advancement began to vibrate. Golden flashes bloomed and began to embroider its blade. The Hero of Ideals. His honest blue eyes were gradually dyed with the golden flash emanating from the blade. A moment later. It was the moment his eyes came to hold the same light as the Sword of Advancement. The Sword of Advancement was swung toward the golden barrier. Flawless posture. A flawless strike. "...Hah!" And a flawless finish to his breathing. He sheathed his sword and checked the barrier. "...Ha!" The Hero of Ideals burst into bitter laughter. The barrier didn't have even the smallest scratch on it. He looked at the barrier and laughed hollowly. "Just how did you do it?" It was the moment the master of the Sword of Advancement was decided. *** "Well, there were no surprises." Once the atmosphere had settled, Fienne approached Risir and spoke to him. "Congratulations? Risir. No, should I call you Hero now?" Hero. Hero. Fienne repeated that title over and over, then let out a small laugh. "The sound of it isn't very good. Somehow it doesn't seem to suit you." "Then what title would suit me?" "A title that suits you..." Fienne recalled the previous trial's contents and burst into laughter once more. "Does such a thing even exist?" "What?" "Just stick with Risir. Nothing is more Risir-like than that." "Using a person's name like some kind of noun..." "Anyway, you worked hard. Thanks to you, I got to see something quite rare." Fienne turned around after finishing those words. "It seems everything's finished, so I'll be going now." "Already? Do you have some business to attend to?" "Yes~ Quite a lot. Thanks to someone~" "But you still stayed with me? Really, what would I do without Fienne?" "How would I know~ Anyway, I'll send someone early tomorrow morning, so make sure to go to bed early~" "What are you, my mother?" Fienne raised her hand while her back was turned. Like that, she left the place with her pure white skirt fluttering before Risir could say anything more. Then Tua approached with Mangnus and patted his shoulder. "There were no surprises." The same situation as with Fienne repeated. Calm congratulations as if they had known everything all along. And departure without lingering attachment. Risir felt a strange mood from that series of events. 'It feels like I've become some kind of curious spectacle.' Risir belatedly realized. Fienne, Tua, Mangnus. The purpose of their attendance at the trial site was not to cheer him on, but to watch. Finally, Jane's party approached Risir. "Risir." Jane looked at him with a gaze full of goodwill and respect. It was an expression that contrasted with his other party members who looked thoroughly deflated. He held out the Sword of Advancement to Risir as he spoke. "Congratulations. Now only the final process remains." "The final process?" Risir openly displayed his annoyance. Jane burst into laughter at Risir's reaction. "Really, how should I put it. Amazing. You're about to become the master of a Sacred Sword and you show such a reaction—throughout all the heroes in history, you're probably the only one." "Hero..." Risir mulled over that title. Like Fienne had said, it wasn't a title that rolled off the tongue naturally. "So what exactly is this final process?" "Don't worry. It's just a ceremonial process. From now on, our party will serve as witnesses to your succession." "Witnesses to succession?" "You'll be recognized as having become the rightful master of the Sacred Sword, and I, as the master of another Sacred Sword, will serve as a witness guaranteeing that." "Oh, thank you for your kindness." Jane smiled brightly and called out to his companions. "Belota? Camilla? And Elisia." They came to his side and stood right next to Jane. Unlike Jane, who genuinely showed respect and favor toward Risir, Camilla and Elisia harbored inner dissatisfaction. That was natural. While they had just lost the supreme treasure that was a Sacred Sword right before their eyes, it would have been stranger to purely rejoice for someone else's sake. 'This man beat Jane to become the master of the Sacred Sword...' Moreover, they still thought Jane was more suitable than anyone else to be the master of the new Sacred Sword. While ability was important for the master of a Sacred Sword, nobility was required even more so. That's where doubt arose. Was this person called Risir truly noble? Yes, it was an undeniable fact. He had been acknowledged by the Sword of Advancement. Plus he had the character that earned the complete trust of the Special Forces. His character was beyond doubt. But was he truly a more noble person than Jane? Was he suitable for the heavy responsibility of being a Hero? Having watched Jane's conduct all this time, they could assert with certainty: No. Jane was the true Hero. That was why they felt such regret. "Now, Risir. Jallak. We're ready." "Then..." As Risir looked at the Sword of Advancement in his hand, Jallak cried out. -Risir! I ask you! Are you prepared to become my, the Sword of Advancement's master! The final trial. The Trial of Nobility. This final trial, now called the succession ceremony, used to be conducted before numerous spectators in the past. In the Trial of Nobility, the Sacred Sword would emit radiance according to the nobility of the one who would become its new master, and this was due to the folk belief that the amount of light was related to the degree of nobility. Now, waiting for Risir's answer. Elisia and Camilla harbored mischievous thoughts deep down. They thought that the radiance he would produce would surely be weak compared to the radiance Jane had produced. "Well... to be honest, I'm still bewildered." Risir answered the Sacred Sword's question awkwardly. -... Elisia inwardly swallowed her dissatisfaction. It was because there wasn't a trace of dignity befitting the master of a Sacred Sword to be found. -...What? Did Jallak have similar thoughts? He asked back in confusion. "Perhaps there's someone who suits being this sword's master better than me? I mean, someone who needs this sword more than I do. That's because—" Risir lifted his own sword, Blue Lotus, and smiled playfully. "As you can see, I already have my own sword, don't I?" A Sacred Sword is a supreme treasure that grants its master immense power. The value contained within it was enough to captivate even noble heroes who already possessed Sacred Swords. Therefore, Risir's answer was something no one had anticipated. The Sword of Advancement vibrated and emitted radiance. Jane thought as he watched that intense radiance. 'As expected...!' And the rest of the party thought as they watched that radiance. 'Huh, unexpectedly...?' Like that, the radiance Risir produced exceeded their expectations. Right now, it was at a level that was no inferior compared to Jane and other heroes. Just as their evaluation of Risir was about to change, the radiance exploded and engulfed everything around them. "..." -... No, isn't this a bit too much? The radiance was so bright it seemed like it would blind them. They squeezed their eyes shut and fell into anguish.