The Holy Sword’s Corruption and an Unexpected Rescue

The tense, anxious atmosphere surrounding the Elven Defense Line and Paimon Fortress seemed to have no bearing on the tranquil Monster Forest, which remained as peaceful as ever tonight.

The evening breeze swept through, rustling every single leaf.

Due to the external situation, no one in Green Village dared to venture out at night. Thus, Freya smoothly followed her old route, safely entering the Monster Forest.

The night in the Monster Forest was filled only with the chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the omnipresent whisper of the wind.

Freya conjured a ball of fire in her palm, using the flame as a makeshift lantern as she unhurriedly made her way towards the stone where the Holy Sword had been plunged.

“Everything is going smoothly,” she murmured, her mood exceptionally relaxed. “That pig-headed Hero must still be asleep, hehehe. Tonight, your Holy Sword will be mine.”

After navigating several more turns, she finally located the familiar colossal stone. There, the Holy Sword rested silently, seemingly unchanged from her last visit.

Freya approached the Holy Sword and spoke softly. “Hey, Holy Sword, are you there?”

“Hmph, hmph, hmph…” The Holy Sword’s voice was like a glacial pond, sending shivers down her spine. “You pathetic Demon Lord, how dare you show yourself before me.”

“You’re just stuck there, unable to move anyway,” Freya retorted, maintaining a safe distance. Her expression was arrogant, yet a flicker of apprehension remained within her. “Tell me, how did that idiotic Hero manage to defeat you? Aren’t you the Holy Sword? You’re truly so weak, aren’t you?” She deliberately adopted a look of disdain.

“Hmph! If I hadn’t sealed away most of my power to reveal my true form, do you truly believe the Hero could have defeated me with just the magic you gave him?” The Holy Sword’s tone was filled with resentment. “Should he ever return here, he would never be able to resist my power again!”

“No, wait… there’s no trace of the Hero nearby…” The Holy Sword sensed its surroundings, its voice now tinged with surprise, and a hint of… disbelief. “Demon Lord, did you come alone?”

“Yes, I’m alone,” Freya confirmed, taking a few steps back. She recalled the methods she had prepared in her previous life to corrupt the Holy Sword.

“You actually… came alone?” The Holy Sword seemed overjoyed, its blade trembling with excitement, emitting a faint hum. “Good, good, good!”

“Good for what?” Freya scoffed, pressing her palms together as a violet glow emanated from her eyes. “Today, this Demon Lord will corrupt this broken sword of yours, turning it to the dark side!”

“Heheheh…” The Holy Sword’s blade slowly began to emit a golden light. “You? With what power?”

Before the words fully left its blade, the confrontation between them had already begun.

Freya’s form was slowly enveloped by black-purple demonic energy, an aura both ferocious and terrifying.

The Holy Sword’s blade, too, shimmered with an eerie, unpredictable golden light.

Regardless of their actual strength, both sides felt, in terms of sheer aura, that victory was already theirs.

The ground around Freya was visibly corroded by the demonic energy, the earthy yellow soil gradually stained black and purple in expanding rings. Moments later, a chilling, damp demonic aura seeped from beneath the earth, merging with the energy already surrounding her and drifting towards the Holy Sword.

Though the Demon Lord’s demonic energy was overwhelmingly oppressive, the golden light emanating from the Holy Sword intensified, outshining it.

“Is that all?” The Holy Sword expanded its golden light, halting the black-purple demonic energy from advancing even an inch further.

“It’s not over yet,” Freya declared, opening her palm towards the Holy Sword. Potent fire elements began to coalesce. “Shall I test you?”

“Test me?” The Holy Sword did not grasp her meaning.

“Exactly,” Freya replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement, a playful curve to her lips. “Roast you!”

[Fire Magic: Inferno]

Scorching black flames, like a dragon’s breath, surged, erupted, and struck. Waves of dark inferno relentlessly began to char the Holy Sword’s golden light. Freya knew that this golden radiance represented the Holy Sword’s energy; once she slowly depleted it, her demonic energy could seep into the blade, transforming it into a Demonic Sword.

‘Hmph, hmph, in my previous life, I made extensive preparations to corrupt the Holy Sword. Conveniently, the Holy Sword had sealed away most of its own power at this very moment, presenting a perfect opportunity to claim it.’

‘Should I let the Hero see his Holy Sword, utterly ruined by me, before I leave? His expression would certainly be amusing, wouldn’t it?’

‘Hahahaha…’

“What are you laughing about?” The Holy Sword’s radiance began to dim perceptibly.

“I’m happy, of course.” An irrepressible smile spread across Freya’s face. “Your energy is almost gone, isn’t it? Oh, how I wish that idiotic Hero could see his Holy Sword becoming my possession…”

As Freya’s words faded, the Holy Sword’s light vanished completely. Freya withdrew her Inferno spell, allowing the black-purple demonic energy to seep into the platinum blade.

Initially, the process was somewhat difficult; the potent demonic energy seemed to encounter resistance. However, once it pierced through the final barrier of opposing force, the remaining transformation proceeded without hindrance. Freya continuously channeled her magic into the Holy Sword’s blade, striving to infuse it entirely with pure demonic power.

Soon, the Holy Sword’s blade trembled, and the last trace of golden light faded. The formerly blue-gold hilt and platinum blade were now entirely consumed by blackness, with only a curved crimson pattern remaining at the guard and the center of the blade, radiating an ominous, wicked aura.

The Holy Sword had been fully corrupted!

“Hmph…” Freya collapsed to her knees, as if drained of all strength, gasping for breath. “Just a little… just a little more… and my magic would have been completely spent.”

“But it’s fine,” she added, licking her lips, a look of profound satisfaction gracing her features. “The Holy Sword is mine now~”

Slowly, she moved forward, then laboriously climbed onto the colossal stone. She wiped sweat from her brow, then stood with one foot on the stone and a hand on her hip, a triumphant smile gracing her face.

“Oh, little swordy~ Let me feel you~” Freya chirped, a gleeful smile on her face, as she slowly grasped the hilt. “Whoa, your hilt is so thick, I almost couldn’t get a grip—”

Abruptly, her expression shifted, turning utterly pallid.

A sinister power surged from the hilt, cutting short the provocative words she had been about to utter.

“How could this be… You weren’t affected by me?” Freya tried to pull her hand from the hilt, but it now exerted a terrifying suction, clinging to her like a limpet. No matter how she struggled, there was no sign of it loosening.

“It was merely a corruption, nothing more…” The Demonic Sword — no, it should now be called the Demonic Sword — its blade glowed with an eerie crimson light. “I was never truly a ‘Holy Sword’ to begin with…”

A demonic energy, even more sinister than before, slowly rose from the blade. It snaked up Freya’s arm, then coiled around her entire body, enveloping her completely, both inside and out.

“Ah…” She struggled to vocalize, only to find her body gradually slipping from her control.

‘Help… help…’

She wanted to scream those words, but she also knew that no one could save her now.

‘It was all her own carelessness and foolishness, to actually fantasize about controlling a Holy Sword with merely level 30 magic. After all, it was a divine artifact, far beyond her current capabilities to command.’

‘If only she hadn’t come here, if only she hadn’t left Green Village tonight, if only she had stayed tucked in her bed, sleeping soundly…’

‘Damn it, I’m not reconciled to this!’

“There’s nothing left to be unreconciled about,” the Demonic Sword’s power resonated from Freya’s body. “My strength will slowly permeate your form until your entire being is under my command…”

‘No! I don’t want this!’

‘She had barely escaped the crisis in the Demon Realm, barely succeeded in reincarnation, and barely found an opportunity to encounter the Holy Sword while it was alone…’

‘It should have been triple the luck, so why had it come to this?’

“Because… you’re… stupid,” the Demonic Sword mocked, its voice emanating from Freya’s body. “If you had just stayed with the Hero and not sought me out, wouldn’t everything be fine?”

‘Indeed, if I had just obediently stayed with that idiotic Hero…’

‘But… why should I?’

‘Why did he, the Hero, get to sail through everything as if he were cheating, while I, a Demon Lord, constantly encountered inexplicable troubles?’

‘Why did it feel like someone was targeting me specifically?’

“Stop complaining,” Freya said, her voice now cold as she gripped the Demonic Sword. She slowly drew it, the blade leaving the colossal stone with a low, resonating hum. “You will be the last Demon Lord I ever slay. Do you have any final words?”

‘I don’t want to die!’

“Understood,” Freya replied, reversing her grip on the Demonic Sword and pressing the blade against her own chest. “It won’t hurt much…”

Boom—

The previously pitch-black night sky suddenly transformed; in an instant, lightning flashed.

From the darkness not far away, a streak of greenish-white lightning, imbued with a killing aura, tore through the air.

Faster than sound, subtler than thunder, the bolt of electricity surged forth with a furious, murderous momentum, striking the blade in Freya’s hand in a flash.

ZING—

The clash of their confrontation once again preceded the sound. The Demonic Sword’s blade had been knocked away from Freya’s chest by the attack, yet in the very next moment, she, controlled by the Demonic Sword, gripped the hilt firmly with one hand, her arm merely tingling slightly.

“You’ve gotten faster, White, oh no…” Freya’s solemn gaze landed on a distant figure. “Hero Roland.”

‘Huh? The idiotic Hero is here?!’

“I think *you*, Demon Lord, are the idiot…” the Demonic Sword retorted, speaking through Freya.

‘I…’

“Ugh, what are you doing up so late, not sleeping?” Roland muttered, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Staying up all night causes hair loss, you know.”

“Then just leave,” Freya countered, tilting her head, her gaze fixed on him, a subtle curve to her lips. “Or do you intend to… do something to this body?”

“I want you to leave her body,” Roland sighed, pointing his [Thunder’s Fury] at Freya. “But it seems that won’t be so easy.”

“Heheh… How about this: I’ll take back the energy within your body so you won’t have to worry about being controlled by me. In return, you won’t interfere and will let me deal with this little Demon Lord in peace. What do you say?” Freya proposed, covering her mouth with one hand, her violet eyes holding three parts amusement and seven parts probing intent.

‘No! Don’t agree, you idiotic Hero! I can wash your dishes every day from now on! I can do your chores!’

‘That Jona Golden Fruit Pie, I’ve gotten really good at making it; I’ll make it for you as soon as I get back.’

‘If you’re still not satisfied… I can even give you this body of mine…’

Roland tilted his head, pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright then…”

But then, in an instant, lightning exploded.

WHOOSH—

The clash of their confrontation once again preceded the sound.

Roland’s expression was grave as he retreated three steps. Across from him, the figure, now forced to grip the black Demonic Sword with both hands, trembled at the shoulders.

“If you’re tired, just put the sword down,” Roland quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “Why hold onto it?”

“Afraid you’ll ambush me again, of course,” Freya replied, tilting her head slightly and licking her dry lips, a look of satisfaction on her face. “Hmph—Roland… I suddenly find myself reluctant to part with this body.”

“Reluctant or not, you have to,” Roland said, tightening his grip on his sword. “According to imperial law, what you’re doing is unjust enrichment.”

“Heheh… I don’t want to hear your convoluted nonsense. Why don’t you just let me…”

She raised the black Demonic Sword above her head, adopting a high-overhead stance, her face alight with excitement. “Let me test your current strength—”

Black energy erupted from the ground, swirling around Freya like a vortex. At this moment, she radiated an boundless, fervent battle intent.

“This is troublesome…” Roland shifted his stance, gripping his sword, his expression grim. “I’m only LV20, facing a LV30 Demon Lord controlled by a Demonic Sword… My chances aren’t high…”

‘Should I just abandon her?’

For a moment, this thought crossed Roland’s mind, and a flicker of hesitation appeared in his eyes. But seeing Freya, her battle intent soaring, he inwardly conceded that it was probably too late now.

Azure lightning shimmered around his sword, and a faint rumble of thunder emanated from the blade, as if endowed with divine might.

“Ugh, you trouble-maker,” Roland stepped forward, all traces of confusion gone from his eyes. “When we get back, I’m definitely going to give you a good scolding!”

Demonic energy blazed, and thunder roared.

Sword and lightning clashed once more—