He couldn’t subdue the intruder all by himself.
Moreover, his fighting skills were not that exceptional, so he had to proceed with caution.
Of course, he could still make some use of the wind-based Magic Sword, so he believed he could endure for a while.
‘They said I needed negative emotions.’
Enrite had received an item from Zion that contained a portion of Exceed Rain’s power.
Zion told him that if he possessed it and harbored any negative emotions, he could be reached quickly.
But Enrite didn’t feel emotions easily, and so he feared he might end up unable to do anything at all.
‘…I must call for backup.’
Enrite raised El Tesoykve high, letting its golden radiance spread.
At the same time, he lunged toward the intruder, brandishing Tiemer.
If Zion Laird and their companions saw that glow, they would surely converge on this location.
‘If I’m alone, it might be doable.’
Oz channeled his power into La Blerre, blocking Tiemer. A strange sensation glided along his blade to his fingertips, startling him enough to step back.
‘This is….’
Oz shook it off and swung La Blerre.
Enrite raised El Tesoykve to block the blow, forcing Tiemer forward in counterattack.
Oz narrowly twisted his body away from Tiemer and made a swift slash toward Enrite’s waist.
But a sudden gust of wind billowed from nowhere, shoving Oz away in an instant.
‘He used the wind-based Magic Sword!’
Oz recovered his balance and glowered at Enrite.
Enrite was deftly wielding both the Magic Sword of Light and the Magic Sword of Wind.
But from what Oz saw, Enrite’s raw power and speed were slightly lacking, so it wasn’t a hopeless fight.
‘…He doesn’t seem human.’
Oz grew more suspicious and slowly shifted his footing.
All at once, his form blurred and vanished completely.
Enrite paused, then channeled magic into El Tesoykve.
‘Nothing can hide from the light.’
As El Tesoykve’s blade became fully bathed in gold, it immediately released brilliant rays.
The radiance enveloped the area as if it would swallow the mansion and the walls as well.
“Grrk….”
Even Oz couldn’t avoid that piercing glow.
He had combined La Blerre’s speed with magic to make his own body translucent. But that searing light made it impossible to remain unseen.
“Discard that sword. The blade you ought to hold is something else.”
Enrite leveled Tiemer at Oz, speaking firmly.
Tiemer was still sending out signals toward Oz, but Oz felt nothing. All he did was cling desperately to La Blerre.
‘I can’t let go. This sword… I can’t give it up.’
Oz steadied his breathing and vanished once again.
La Blerre had helped him grow, and he was convinced it would push him to even greater heights.
His ultimate goal was now clear; giving up was not an option.
‘What is he planning?’
Enrite infused El Tesoykve’s blade with golden magic once more, observing his surroundings.
He guessed Oz would have come prepared for that radiant attack this time.
It was doubtful that Oz would try to stall for time. It seemed more likely he was waiting for the right moment to strike.
‘Where is he…?’
Enrite sensed something behind him and spun around quickly.
Through a pale-white gap in space, Oz sprang forward.
Enrite barely blocked Oz’s strike with El Tesoykve, then leaped backward.
‘That Magic Sword goes against the natural order.’
Enrite felt strong revulsion and checked El Tesoykve.
He sensed a keen, eerie message from it: there was a power within that artificial Magic Sword capable of suppressing other Magic Swords.
‘…It’s frightened.’
Enrite recognized the fear in his own heart, gripping El Tesoykve tightly.
When he had faced the Shadow Dragon, he’d been willing to throw his life away.
But now, confronted by that twisted Magic Sword, he was seized by a new terror of dying.
‘This must be what humans feel.’
Until now, he had only pretended to be human, mingling with them only to achieve his objective.
At some point, though, he’d come to dread death as humans do, and truly yearn to survive.
Enrite conjured a whirlwind with Tiemer, sending it sweeping toward Oz.
Oz brushed off the gust and instantly dashed in for another strike.
At the same moment, Enrite extended El Tesoykve. Their blades clashed mid-air.
‘…Is this my chance?’
Oz wondered for a moment and shifted his stance.
La Blerre slipped off El Tesoykve and crashed down toward Tiemer.
Tiemer was struck aside, clattering away.
‘Got it.’
Oz twisted and tried to bring La Blerre down onto Tiemer.
As the tip of his blade touched Tiemer, he meant to unseal its suppressed power.
Yet instead of releasing destructive magic, only a faint and stinging sensation rattled his mind.
“Wind-based Magic Sword… Tiemer?”
Oz drew back La Blerre, realizing at last the name of the Magic Sword he was about to seal.
Because he’d fallen under La Blerre’s influence, he had entirely neglected Tiemer until now.
“Wait, so I qualified for it? But… how?”
He stared at Tiemer, then let go of La Blerre by instinct.
Only after resonating with Tiemer did he see the truth: La Blerre was an aberrant Magic Sword.
He had, in other words, been tricked by that strange voice and exploited the whole time.
…So you’re a human who must be destroyed too.
The ominous voice flowed from La Blerre, releasing a surge of magic.
That magic splintered into five streams, coalescing into the shape of a person.
The figure stretched out its hand, and La Blerre floated upward until its hilt rested snugly in its grasp.
I will kill you and seal away the Wind-based Magic Sword.
The mysterious speaker leveled La Blerre and moved toward Oz.
Oz raised Tiemer, struggling to maintain a fighting stance. Enrite also tried to respond swiftly.
Just then, a violet-tinged space twisted open, and someone else appeared.
…The Dark Magic Sword….
Seeing the newcomer, the voice shuddered and halted in place.
A human clad in black armor held Exceed Rain, the Dark Magic Sword.
Gazing at both the Light Magic Sword and the Dark Magic Sword triggered memories the speaker wished to forget.
Grrr….
It poured out even more magic, attempting to drive away those painful thoughts.
Once, it had lost its corporeal body to those two Magic Swords. Afterward, it had concealed its powers to survive until now.
If it sealed all seven Magic Swords before regaining a physical form, no one would be able to oppose it.
“Zion, what about this person…?”
“I know. He must have bonded with the Wind-based Magic Sword.”
Zion grasped the situation and glanced sideways at Oz.
He had been an enemy until moments ago, but if he had awakened as a proper wielder, perhaps he should now be considered an ally.
“Please explain. What is the true use of that sword?”
“It… it can seal Magic Swords. Also… it can… help unlock a user’s hidden potential.”
Oz answered haltingly, observing Zion and Enrite’s reactions.
They now understood why Magic Swords and their wielders had an instinctive aversion to the artificial blade.
They sensed it could seal Magic Swords at any time.
“Are there more swords like that?”
“…Ah! That’s the eighth one. He told me two others exist.”
“Exactly the same as that one?”
“No, they seem a bit different.”
They exchanged a look, realizing this had to be a scheme to rein in Magic Swords and their wielders. Three artificial Magic Swords had been forged for that purpose.
One was here, and the other two were likely hidden elsewhere.
“That one must be destroyed.”
“I agree.”
Zion calmly replied, eyes shining with violet light.
If Magic Swords were sealed, it would be impossible to fight the Three Demon Lords and the Four Calamities.
Both he and Enrite depended on Magic Swords, so they had to obliterate the artificial blade at all costs.
“Where are the others?”
“They should be on their way. I hurried over because it seemed urgent.”
Originally, Enrite had stayed in the mansion alone as bait, to lure out anyone targeting the Magic Sword.
The other three had waited further off to avoid detection and would rush in once they saw El Tesoykve’s glow.
In that window, Zion had used Exceed Rain’s ability to join Enrite quickly.
…I will kill you both as well. La Blerre will seal every Magic Sword.
The speaker twisted its form grotesquely and sprang at them.
Zion and Enrite darted to opposite sides, slashing at the intruder.
The figure met their blades with La Blerre and a swipe of its left arm.
I’ll seal your Magic Swords first.
It channeled magic into La Blerre, knocking El Tesoykve aside.
Enrite couldn’t withstand that power and was sent flying backward.
Zion moved in and took position in front of Enrite.
‘I can’t handle this in my current form!’
Because Enrite was practically the Magic Sword itself, the white armor was only a clone created by its own innate power.
Though it still carried magic, its physical strength and stamina were much weaker compared to a true body.
Sometimes that gave Enrite an edge due to certain advantages in magical compatibility, but otherwise, it made him vulnerable.
“Agh… urgh….”
Oz clung to Tiemer, trying to channel it somehow.
But Tiemer wouldn’t accept Oz’s magic yet; it merely reached out to him in silent rapport.
It seemed La Blerre had inflicted some residual effect that disrupted full bonding.
‘…He’s strong.’
Zion gritted his teeth, struggling under La Blerre’s pressure.
Each time Enrite tried to strike, he was pushed back, and Oz was still stuck trying to wield Tiemer.
Their foe’s body was incomplete, which was the only reason they had not lost yet.
‘I can’t use a sword strike like this.’
If Zion unleashed his sword aura, it would consume about half of his magic.
At present, La Blerre prevented him from replenishing energy, so he’d be left in a dire state.
And there was also the chance that the intruder might neutralize his move.
“At this rate….”
Enrite stared down at El Tesoykve and recalled the will etched into it.
A Magic Sword simply gets wielded—it cannot grow stronger by itself.
Humans, though, can master Magic Swords, push through danger, and climb toward the absolute pinnacle.
If one hopes to surpass every limit, one must abandon what one already has.
‘To become stronger… I must become human.’
A faint light seeped from El Tesoykve.
The white armor cracked, golden eye-lights dimming.
‘I am human. I will fight as a swordsman. This… is my destiny.’
The white armor shattered into fragments, losing its shape.
But El Tesoykve remained, now not wrapped in golden radiance but in a subtle silver glow.
At last, Enrite grasped El Tesoykve’s hilt with a fully human hand.
‘Moonlit Magic Sword… El Tesoykve….’