When the cloaked figure saw Yagami, a piercing smile formed on his lips.
He said calmly:
"Finally found you… One-Eyed God."
Yagami and Masaro, who were standing in front of Dabura's gate, turned at the same time and looked behind them.
Yagami saw a shadow in the darkness and said hesitantly:
"Who are you?"
The cloaked figure glanced at the two lifeless bodies at his feet and murmured:
"Ice Wolf Elves and Fire Elves…"
He smirked, pushed his hood aside, and his face was revealed.
Golden hair, pointed ears, fiery red eyes, and sharp, vampire-like teeth.
He was none other than Aileen;
the wife of the legendary swordsman Kurojin, the former queen of the Sacred Elves.
When Yagami saw Aileen's golden hair, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
[He had seen it in the stored memories of Kurojin's sword.]
He shook his head, stepped forward, and said proudly:
"See those two elves? They relied on their pride too, but they got caught in my illusion magic."
Aileen merely looked at him calmly and said softly:
"Seems you're a bit strong… kid."
Yagami drew his sword, but the blade was almost destroyed;
cracked, chipped, and on the verge of breaking.
He glanced at it and said:
"I don't think it can handle another strike."
At that moment, with a screeching sound like iron scraping against iron, Aileen drew her sword.
Masaro stared at her in surprise.
"I don't feel any aura from her…"
When his eyes fell on Yagami's broken sword, he shouted:
"Let me fight her! You focus on the gate!"
Masaro drew Excalibur.
The moment Aileen saw the sword, her body trembled, and without a second's hesitation, she attacked.
But Masaro smiled, aligned his sword with his arm, leapt into the air, and shouted as he spun:
"Black Blade!"
A deadly blade was unleashed and headed straight toward Aileen.
Yet without a shred of fear, she charged straight into it.
As she got close, she tensed the muscles in her legs;
the stone pavement beneath her feet cracked, and with a tremendous leap she sprang toward Masaro.
She raised her sword to strike, but Masaro activated the golden shield of his sword with a lightning-fast motion.
The clash of blades—
and the attack was repelled.
Both landed on the ground at the same time.
The battle continued, but this time Aileen's opponent was a tough human.
Yagami stood in front of the gate, but there was no sign of any key.
He opened the status screen; there was no explanation about how to open the gate.
Angrily, he said:
"So how does it open?"
He placed his hand on the gate.
"There's no magic on it…"
On the other side of the labyrinth, Satan, wounded and bloodied, was moving forward when he heard the sound of clashing swords from the left corridor.
He headed that way.
He saw a hole in the wall, and beside it, a body drenched in blood.
He stepped closer.
It was Daigone.
He placed his hand on his body;
no magic… no life.
Seeing the wounds, Satan's eyes widened.
"This wound… could it be him…?"
He passed through the hole.
The battle was still ongoing.
He hurried forward and reached Yagami.
Yagami explained everything and said quietly:
"This gate can only be opened with a physical strike… and not just any sword. Only one of the ten forbidden swords."
Satan drew his sword and suggested they use it.
Yagami evaluated it;
unsuccessful.
Then his gaze fell on Masaro's and Aileen's swords.
The screen displayed:
Forbidden Sword: Excalibur
Forbidden Sword: Muramasa – Absolute Darkness
Confirm swords
Choose your sword to open the gate and fight the Demon King, Dabura.
Warning:
You may only fight using the selected weapon.
For every minute of violation, the Demon King's power will double.
Yagami had to make a decision—
one on which not only his own life, but the lives of everyone around him depended.
After a brief pause, he made his choice.
He selected the Forbidden Sword: Muramasa.
Masaro, badly wounded, said through heavy breaths:
"You're really strong… beautiful lady."
Aileen swung her sword and said proudly:
"If you step aside, I promise I won't kill you."
Masaro laughed—
a laugh that filled the entire space.
"If I can't kill you, I'll at least wear you out so my fight won't be meaningless."
Aileen smiled.
"You're braver than the others I saw and killed in this labyrinth."
Masaro froze.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
"The ones who were… in the labyrinth… you killed them?"
Aileen said calmly:
"Yes. There were four of them. Very weak. You're different."
The image of Saya—the healing mage who always watched over him—appeared before Masaro's eyes.
Aileen raised her sword and said:
"Let's finish this."
She attacked, but—
Masaro lost himself.
He let out a savage roar, and a terrifying aura erupted from his body.
He clutched his head and staggered around like a madman.
The screen activated:
Limiter Broken
Final Form: Dark Beast
Masaro's body was covered in black armor and a dark cloak.
Long black horns, sharp fangs, white eyes, elongated claws emitting black smoke.
Excalibur changed from gold to black.
Its name changed:
Sword of Darkness.
Yagami and Satan could only stare in disbelief.
And Aileen…
after many years, felt fear once again.
An unknown monster was awakening—
a monster that even Dabura, beyond the wall, had grown eager to fight.