Chapter 168: Finally, After Seven Years...

Several minutes ago.

The Sword Spirit followed silently behind Berlic and his two knights as they hurried toward the eastern gates, her ethereal figure floating several steps above the ground. At the same time, the chaos of Kilmir grew louder with every passing moment.

By the time they reached the gates, the sound of battle had already swallowed the surrounding streets.

"RAAAAGH!"

"Hold the line!"

"Do not let them through!"

"Kill them!"

The guards and the few knights stationed at the eastern gates were desperately fighting against the monsters emerging from the spatial rift. Dark beasts crawled across the cracked ground with guttural growls, their claws scraping against stone as they lunged toward the soldiers, while the knights answered with the ringing of swords.

A monster resembling a twisted wolf slammed into a shield, forcing a guard several steps backward before another knight drove his sword through its skull.

"GRRRAAA!"

The beast collapsed, but two more immediately emerged from the widening rift behind it.

Berlic watched the scene with narrowed eyes before a pleased expression slowly spread across his face.

"It has reached the second stage," he said.

Spatial rifts possessed three stages.

During the first stage, humans could enter the rift space, raid it for resources, treasures, and monsters, and close it, but nothing from inside could freely enter the real world.

However, once a rift reached its second stage, the monsters within could leave the rift space and descend upon the real world.

And if the transformation reached the final stage, the rift would become a hidden dungeon, permanently changing the area around it.

As another monster burst through the rift and threw itself toward the guards, Berlic’s grin widened.

"What a great day today is..." he mumbled.

He turned toward Berman and called, "Berman."

Berman immediately knelt before him with his head bowed.

"Yes, My Lord," he said.

"Go back to the training ground and make sure that bastard dies there," Berlic ordered, his voice carrying a quiet cruelty. "Once it is all over, the city will remember you as the one who avenged the son of the Crimson Duke."

Berman’s expression remained composed as he lowered his head further.

"As you wish, My Lord."

Berlic’s grin turned devilish as he shifted his attention toward the other Exalted knight.

"Daemon."

Daemon immediately knelt beside Berman and bowed his head.

"My Lord," he answered.

Berlic looked between his two trusted knights before speaking.

"Go to that bastard’s manor and get rid of everyone present there."

Berman’s eyes trembled slightly, while Daemon’s expression became noticeably reluctant.

"But, My Lord, the Killer Flower is also there..." Daemon reminded him.

"You do not have to kill her," Berlic replied calmly. "She is, after all, going to take the fall for everyone’s deaths. No one would find it strange that the swordwoman known for her madness killed all of those people."

Daemon’s expression hardened as he understood the plan, and after a brief hesitation, he nodded.

"I understand, My Lord," he said.

A thoughtful look appeared on Berlic’s face, and then he slowly added, "Or you can try to recruit her. No one hates the Crimson Ducal Clan more than her, after all."

Daemon remained silent for a moment before lowering his head.

"...I will try to do so," he mumbled.

"Good, good," Berlic said with satisfaction before waving his hand. "Leave."

Berman and Daemon rose to their feet and immediately began walking toward their new destinations.

Berman headed back toward the training ground.

Daemon turned toward Elias’s manor.

However, all three men remained unaware that the Sword Spirit had listened to every word.

Which meant Elias could find out their plans before they could even initiate them.

The Sword Spirit slowly flew away from the group, rising higher and higher above the city until she looked down upon Kilmir.

Below her, panic had spread throughout the streets.

People screamed and ran through the roads while guards desperately tried to maintain order. Monsters continued emerging from the spatial rift, and the eastern district had already descended into chaos.

The sight caused a wide, demonic grin to split across her face.

Her ethereal figure suddenly twisted.

Her long crimson hair darkened until it became black, while her fair skin turned an unnatural purple. Her crimson eyes faded into a cold gray, and her flowing violet dress transformed into deep green.

Then, two purple horns made entirely of pure energy emerged from her forehead, both twisting upward like the horns of some ancient beast.

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The creature threw her head back and laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

Her laughter carried amusement, excitement, and deep satisfaction as she gazed down at the terrified city.

"Finally, after seven years, I will get the vessel I so wanted! Hahaha!" the demon exclaimed.

Her gaze shifted toward the direction of Elias.

"How naive..."

Another laugh slowly built within her, but this one carried something far more condescending.

"Haha. That bastard really thinks I am the Sword Spirit."

She raised one hand, and a purple crack appeared across her palm.

Space twisted around her fingers before a strange object materialized in her grasp.

It was a dark hand gripping a white crystal, its fingers digging deeply into the crystal as though refusing to let it escape.

The object was far from ordinary.

It was one of the Seven Sin Treasures.

The Sin Treasure of Envy.

The spirit who had formed a connection with Elias was not the Sword Spirit, the spirit destined to bring doom to all demons.

She was one of the Seven Crowns.

The Crown of Envy.

For seven years, Envy had waited for an opportunity to take control of Stella Crimson’s body because, if she succeeded, she would finally obtain the thing she envied most.

Strength.

Power.

However, there had always been one problem.

Stella possessed the Sword Body Physique.

She was this era’s incarnation of the Sword Spirit.

"Hah... finally, I will get the sweet fruit of my labor," Envy muttered.

She turned toward Elias’s manor and began slowly flying in its direction.

Her gaze lowered toward the Sin Treasure of Envy, and an affectionate glint appeared within her gray eyes.

With its help, she had survived the rift, stolen Stella’s beauty and figure, and performed the tricks necessary to make Elias believe that she was truly the Sword Spirit.

Now, it was finally time for her to truly descend upon these lands and let the world know the fear of demons.

"Hahaha!"