The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-262

Chapter 262 The Inverted pentagram (2)

…Thunk! Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

The barrier was tearing apart.

And through the fissure, a face slowly revealed itself.

“I apologize for the delay.”

It was still the composed expression of Vikir.

…

But the audience remained silent.

Everyone stood with their mouth agape, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Oh, the artifact I brought. Do I report it here?”

Vikir, with a casual expression, lifted the artifact.

It’s a sinister artifact, a small necklace in the shape of an Inverted pentagram, with a single eyeball attached in the center.

“The name and effects of this artifact…”

As Vikir begins to explain something.

“Woah, Big brother, ahhhh!”

Someone lept into Vikir’s embrace.

A face smeared with tears and mucus. It’s Sinclaire.

…?

As Vikir tilts his head in confusion.

“Vikir, you scoundrel!”

A rough tackle followed.

Tudor, who had been tearful, clung tightly to Vikir’s side.

Following them, Sancho and Figgy rushed in. Behind them, Bianca stood with clenched fists.

“Vikir! What happened?”

“We were worried because you didn’t come out!”

“Geez, this one gets into a lot of trouble.”

Then, Highbro, Middlebro, and Lowbro, the three brothers, stood with a somewhat nonchalant attitude.

Unable to filter words due to the surrounding gazes, they just seemed anxious from a distance.

At that moment, Dolores approached Vikir.

…

…

The two, locking eyes, said nothing.

Dolores doesn’t leave any special words. Only.

“Good work.”

A brief student council president-like response,

At that moment, Professor Banshee stepped forward, quelling all the chaos.

“Vikir.”

“Yes.”

“…How did it happen?”

Professor Banshee, who had returned to his chilly demeanor, inquired.

“As everyone knows, this gate opens and closes only through four keys. Moreover, it happens just once a year, for 24 hours. The only way to forcibly tear this barrier is by exerting the full force from within, by someone with the strength of at least a Swordmaster or a 7th class mage..”

“…”

“So, I have no choice but to ask. How did you tear the barrier?”

Professor Banshee was joined by representatives of Varangian, Temisquira, and the mage Tower, all curious.

They were wondering too.

“Since I became the deputy director of Varangian, this is the first time I’ve seen the barrier torn like this.”

“Maybe, I’d be able to tear it? If I exert all my strength from within the barrier, maybe it’s possible?”

“Hehehe, but it’s absolutely impossible for a mere student.”

Students from other schools also seem curious about how Vikir came out.

Numerous eyes were fixed on Vikir.

Vikir responded with a casual tone, “I was lucky. Coincidentally, this artifact was intended to dismantle the barrier.”

Eventually, Vikir lifted the necklace hanging around his neck.

The crimson Inverted Pentagram seemed to remain silent as if it would never move unless Vikir willed it.

The heads of the principals, including Professor Banshee, nodded.

“That’s clearly… an item that was in the corner of the warehouse. But wasn’t that a shelf?”

“Yes, a shelf! The shelf where artifacts were placed!”

“Why did it shrink so much?”

Vikir came out not with an artifact but with the shelf that stored the artifacts.

And for some reason, the shelf had shrunk to the size of a necklace.

Professor Banshee swallowed his saliva.

“I see. Well, it was inside the warehouse where artifacts were stored, so the shelf would’ve been a wonderful item. You’ve identified it well.”

“Thank you.”

“Right. Its purpose was to tear the barrier?”

“Yes.”

“Can you demonstrate its effect? It’s an artifact not registered in the inventory.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. I’ve already used its ability once, so I don’t know when I can use it again. It might never be able to use it again.”

Among the artifacts in the warehouse, many were one-time use or had a very long reuse waiting time.

Therefore, the heads, including Professor Banshee, couldn’t further investigate Vikir’s artifact.

Simply looking at it or touching it with hands, it was just an ordinary, solid mineral.

Even when mana flowed through it, the same result.

After scrutinizing the Inverted Pentagram for a while, other wizards also reached the same conclusion.

“It’s now a worthless item.”

In the end, this mysterious artifact was recorded solely based on Vikir’s testimony.

It was simply a disposable artifact for tearing barriers.

* * *

24 hours ago.

Vikir crossed the barrier and entered the warehouse.

The other nine students were scattered, responding to the calls of artifacts that addressed each of them.

“…”

Vikir quietly looked around.

It was a spacious warehouse with large stone pillars, neatly divided into sections.

Countless artifacts were scattered on the floor.

Rings, necklaces, staffs, swords, shields, helmets, shoes, etc…

Each one emanated the magical energy typical of powerful artifacts.

On the large shelf in the innermost part, some artifacts emitted even stronger powers.

A sword exuding a shimmering aura, armor emitting a black aura, rings, and necklaces radiating blue and green light, and more.

Perhaps, some high-level artifacts with particularly potent energies seemed to be stored separately on the shelf.

Most children chose artifacts that emitted beams of light towards them from the fallen artifacts on the floor.

Eventually, after all the children left the warehouse, only Vikir remained alone.

‘Everyone’s gone.’

Vikir confirmed that he was alone in the warehouse and turned his head again.

Numerous artifacts emitted beams of captivating light toward Vikir.

“…”

Vikir silently stared at the artifacts that had chosen him.

Shoes that allowed swift walking, glasses that allowed seeing very distant places, a flute that could put everything to sleep around, a water seed that could extinguish all fires, a fire seed that could evaporate all water, a mirror that showed you your future spouse, a ring that took both the wearer and the opponent’s lives simultaneously, and so on…

Each one was a very useful item.

But Vikir didn’t pay attention to any of them.

What seemed like contemplation was nothing more than waiting for the other students to leave.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

Ignoring numerous treasures, Vikir approached the shelf.

There were particularly powerful artifacts emitting strong magical power.

Artifacts that even high-ranking individuals like Dolores, Bakilaga, Hohenheim, and Lovegood were not worthy enough to be chosen.

They all emitted beams of captivating light toward Vikir.

However.

Vikir did not touch any of them.

But.

Wooooooosh-

Vikir grabbed the shelf holding the artifacts and dumped them all onto the ground. Eventually, Vikir looked down at the now empty, large shelf.

‘I finally found you. The Seventh Corpse, Decarabia.’

The shelf that held the artifacts. The unnoticed red Inverted Pentagram.

However, Vikir knew from future experiences.

This shelf was the real reason the warehouse existed; all the other artifacts were just deception.

Tss, tss, tss…

Vikir infused mana into the shelf he held tightly in his hand. Unlike other artifacts, the shelf showed no response to Vikir’s mana. However…

Swoosh-

Vikir felt a tremendous amount of mana draining from his body.

Waves of mana were sucked in, much like rushing water. This peculiar shelf was absorbing Vikir’s mana like thirsty soil encountering water after a drought.

‘Indeed. There was a reason why so many strong artifacts were being surpressed’

Vikir, still gripping the shelf with force, looked around.

The artifacts that were sparkling just a moment ago, pleading to be chosen, all lost their light and fell silent.

Even the high-ranking artifacts that were on the shelf and rolled to the ground were now quiet.

Without emitting light or trembling, they maintained nothing but silence.

Fear. Dread. These magical items clearly feared something.

‘…But I am not afraid of you.’

Vikir lowered his head and gazed at the Inverted Pentagram in front of him.

Having already defeated three demons of equal caliber, and reaching the level of Swordmaster, he felt no reason to be afraid.

Quaaaack!

Instead of resisting, Vikir let his mana be sucked in.

A storm of power surged towards the shelf.

Mana, deeper and dense since reaching the level of Swordmaster, erupted towards the Inverted Pentagram with tremendous force.

Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoooosh!

The size of the The Inverted Pentagram, which had only been supporting a few high-ranking artifacts, suddenly began to swell.

From a substantial shelf, it grew into a massive table, then beyond, filling the entire warehouse tightly.

“…! …! …!”

Sweat began to bead on Vikir’s forehead.

A battle of mana quantity. Who would win?

Amidst his clenched teeth, Vikir felt blood trickling down his forehead, pouring mana out of his entire body.

Without leaving a single trace of mercy.

… Right at that moment.

Thud!

The red Inverted Pentagram resonated loudly.

Vikir felt the flow of mana draining from his body come to a halt.

Simultaneously.

Crackle! Sizzle!

Gold shimmers began to form at the center of the The Inverted Pentagram.

The gold grew larger, and soon, one eye opened, flashing brightly.

…Flash!

In the center of the Inverted Pentagram, the elevated outer eye looked down ominously.

Kuoooooo-

From the center of the black vortex, a creepy and sinister voice resonated.

[He-hahaha! Now, the mana is plentiful! The time has come to open the Gate of the Abyss and bring about the destruction of humanity! Despair, weaklings! I, Decarabia, have descended!]

One of the ten supreme demons, The Seventh Corpse, Decarabia.

The being with a blood-red outer eye cast a sinister light upon the world.

A tremendous force of evil emanated from the five branches at the end of its horns.

At that moment.

“…”

Vikir’s gaze met Decarabia’s.

As Decarabia opened its outer eye and projected a menacing light into the world.

[…?]

And then, it rolled its eyes to the left.

[…?]

And once again, it rolled its eyes to the right.

[…?]

Nothing.

No piles of corpses, rivers of flowing blood, flames reaching the sky, or a gate leading to the demon realm.

Just an empty void.

Only darkness.

Only then did Decarabia roll its eyes down toward Vikir and, with a somewhat puzzled expression, asked.

[… Excuse me Sir, but who are you?]

It was quite an awkward attitude.