When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword - Chapter 77.1

Chapter 77.1   My reason for fighting

“Enhancement Magic ――【Death Curse Dead End】!”

Onyx, who had slashed at me, once again infused his sword with the black dragon’s miasma.

I could feel the piercing pressure on my skin, signaling the increased sacred power.

It was this enhancement magic that prevented me from destroying his artifact earlier.

Black Flame Hellflare probably wouldn’t be able to break it.

In that case…

“Enhancement Magic ――【Dark Thunder Cry】!”

I decided to use my other enhancement magic to attempt to destroy his artifact.

In an instant, black lightning crackled along the blade of my 【Cursed Magic Sword】.

With a thunderous roar echoing through the cave, I confronted the charging Onyx.

Just before our artifacts clashed, I caught a glimpse of Onyx’s ferocious grin.

“Hahaha!”

The black dragon’s sword and the black lightning-infused magic sword collided.

The impact shook the cave, and I tensed up my entire body.

Once again, we were locked in a fierce struggle.

Even with this enhancement magic, our sacred powers seemed evenly matched.

However, the black lightning coursing through my magic sword was traveling up Onyx’s artifact and into his body.

I noticed a slight stiffness in his movements.

While Dark Thunder Cry lacked the destructive power of Black Flame Hellflare, it could still deal damage to the opponent even in the middle of a clash.

This gave me a slight advantage over the previous encounter.

I could chip away at his strength and find an opening.

“Even the enhancement magic of Black Cat packs quite a punch…!”

Despite being struck by the black lightning, Onyx maintained his grin.

He didn’t seem to be in pain, but his movements were definitely slower.

In the midst of our clash, I quickly withdrew my blade and leapt back.

Immediately, Onyx’s unsupported sword crashed to the ground with a loud clang.

Seeing this, I swung my magic sword at his neck.

Onyx quickly ducked his head, narrowly dodging the blade.

He had sharp reflexes, even with his body hampered by the electricity.

I slid past his right side and got behind him.

Drawing my magic sword back like a bow, I aimed the tip at his exposed back.

“Haah!”

But Onyx wasn’t going to let me have my way that easily. He swiftly lifted his left leg and, with a spinning kick, deflected the thrust of my magic sword. Immediately following, he raised his right leg and delivered a fierce blow to my abdomen.

“Ugh—!”

Unlike us humans, the demons’ bodies themselves are weapons. Their claws and teeth can easily tear through flesh, and their fists and feet can rupture organs. Hardened by their magical armor, they possess incredible strength. The kick to my right side sent me flying sideways. However, I quickly planted my feet on the ground to stop myself from being slammed into the rock wall.

I immediately turned my gaze back to Onyx, who was already closing in on me.

“—!?”

Onyx, with a sinister grin, swung his sword. I instinctively jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding the blade. It was so sudden that I couldn’t control my movement well, causing me to retreat quite far. After putting some distance between us, I readied my 【Cursed Magic Sword】 and took a deep breath. His incredible physical ability and fierce attacks were intimidating, but I was still able to react. I could do this.

Onyx squinted at me, raising one corner of his mouth in a sly smile.

“It grazed you.”

“…?”

Suddenly, a searing pain flared in my left arm.

“Ugh…aaah…!”

It hurt. It burned. And it was heavy. It felt like a piece of heated lead was stuck to my arm. In the midst of this unexpected agony, I looked down at my left arm. There was a faint “sword wound” on it.

Did his sword graze me?

It must have happened when I dodged his attack earlier—I hadn’t fully avoided it. But even so, how could such a small wound cause this much…

“En…chantment…!”

The realization hit me. The black dragon’s miasma that enveloped Onyx’s sword—this unbearable pain must be a result of that enhancement magic. As soon as I made that connection, the pain spread from my left arm throughout my entire body.

My breath became ragged. My body felt heavy. I could even feel my consciousness fading slightly.

It was as if I had been poisoned.

No, I knew this sensation all too well.

Without a doubt, this was… a curse.

“Wow, that’s some incredible divine weapon you’ve got there. With the blessing of an ordinary artifact, you’d be unable to stand as soon as my sword’s curse takes hold. You’re lucky to have such a blessed weapon.”

“…”

A weapon enchantment that places a “powerful curse” on those it cuts, huh? Right now, I’m being saved by the blessings of the 【Cursed Magic Sword】—especially its “life force” blessing. The high life force blessing directly translates to resistance against poisons and curses. With an ordinary artifact, I’d probably have collapsed as soon as I was grazed by his attack. Within minutes, I’d be dead. That’s how terrifying this enchantment is. How many people have fallen victim to that weapon? How many have suffered from its curse and been killed by Onyx?

If I waste too much time, I might end up as one of them. Even though I’m protected by the blessing, the curse is gradually eating away at my body. I need to destroy that weapon… or defeat Onyx to break the curse. Curses bestowed by artifacts can generally only be lifted by destroying the weapon. Either aim for the weapon’s destruction or defeat its wielder to nullify the weapon and lift the curse. That’s the dreadfully troublesome aspect of curses. Furthermore, the effects of curses aren’t limited to just one; they can cause a variety of ailments like petrification, sleep, charm, and more. Onyx’s divine weapon appears to inflict a curse that lowers vitality and weakens blessings.

“I could just leave you to be felled by the curse, but that would be too boring. I’ll settle this properly with my sword.”

While I struggled with the curse’s pain, Onyx grinned as if he had already won. He sheathed his sword into the scabbard on his right hip, holding the hilt with his left hand. Then, suddenly, he flung his coat dramatically and leaned his body forward to the limit. The peculiar, menacing stance made me feel an inexplicable unease. What was that stance? Was he preparing for a quick-draw strike? What was the point of that? At this distance, hitting me would be extremely difficult.

“Here I come.”

Ignoring my doubts, Onyx’s eyes sharpened. In an instant, with a tremendous impact and roar, his figure vanished from my sight. A moment later, a dark shadow brushed past my left side.

“—!?”

Before I could comprehend what had happened, vivid blood sprayed before my eyes. At the same time, an excruciating pain shot through my left side. In shock, I looked down at my abdomen, seeing a deep sword wound carved into my left side.

“Gah—!”

…What… just happened?

I had no idea. I didn’t see it.

Before I knew it, there was a wound on my abdomen.

And only then did I realize Onyx was behind me.

He had drawn the sword that had been sheathed and was frozen in the motion of swinging it.

The blade was coated in what seemed to be my blood.

Had he slashed me? In just that instant?

“Ugh… urgh…!”

As I gasped in pain and fell to my knees, my gaze naturally fell on the spot where Onyx had stood.

The ground was deeply gouged, likely from Onyx’s kick.

He must have passed my left side at incredible speed, drawing his sword as he passed.

And with that momentum, he slashed my left side, ending up where he now stood.

An unbelievably fast strike. I barely saw the black shadow; it was almost impossible to follow with my eyes.

He hadn’t been this fast before, so why suddenly this speed?

The answer was likely in that iaido-like “stance.”

The moment he sheathed his sword and leaned forward, it felt like his blessing intensified.

That might be the ability hidden within his divine weapon.

“How about that? Pretty fast, huh? It’s annoying that I can only use this ability with one arm, so I want to heal my right arm quickly. Well, I’ll have that kid heal it later anyway. For now, this is the end for you, Rust Stone.”

Hearing this, a cold sweat trickled down my back.

Does he have even more abilities?

Even with a significantly weakened body due to losing an arm, he is still this powerful.

This is the strength of one of the Seven Great Demons.

It’s incredibly daunting.

As I knelt and began to lose my fighting spirit, the curse’s fangs sank deeper into my already weakened body.

“Ugh—!”

It wasn’t just Onyx’s curse.

The curse inherent to the 【Cursed Magic Sword】 was also ravaging my body at this critical moment.

Maintaining the cursed sword state for these few hours had been a miracle.

Overwhelmed by pain, I collapsed onto the ground.

Unable to maintain the cursed sword any longer, it reverted to the 【Rusted Sword】 in my right hand.

The blessing left my body, and with it, my consciousness faded along with my blood.

I had lost. I was going to die. To be killed.

Right here, in this cold cave.

As my consciousness ebbed away, I moved my gaze and met the eyes of a pale-faced Citrine.

(I’ll be leaving Citrine alone again…)

Coming to rescue her, only to end up like this, was truly pathetic.

It was frustrating. Humiliating. Embarrassing.

From this sense of shame, tears of frustration began to flow.

The hero I admired wasn’t this pathetic.

He wasn’t this weak.

He wasn’t this much of a crybaby.

And yet, I…

“Rust, you’re such a crybaby.”

Was it because of the curse? Or maybe, in my hazy consciousness, I was just hearing things?

Suddenly, memories of my dear childhood friend flooded my mind, like a flashback.

It was a time when I was just as uncool, pathetic, and pitiful, crying like I am now.

When we were still young, Ruby would always comfort me, acting like a grown-up.

She did it so many times. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. This must be one of those memories.

“It’s okay to be uncool in front of me. But in return…”

No, I can’t remember.

Only fragments of that memory remain.

I think it was something very important, but before I could recall it fully, my consciousness sank into darkness.