Chapter 128 Demon Blade

Legend has it that each of the Twelve Master Craftsman Swords possesses incredible power. Some have even created a comprehensive ranking of their might and achievements.

The "Oni-sword" (Ghost Sword) wielded by AXI that Soren had previously seen in the Pirate City, the "Kikumon Jingū Ichimonji," ranked last among the twelve, but that famed sword was already a well-known weapon of mass destruction.

Someone once said that the top three possessed power comparable to a [Sealed Artifact].

This "Onimaru Hyakume" is said to have the power to slay both demons and gods, and its reputation among swordsman professionals is no less than that of any cursed object.

Such a famous blade was enshrined in the ancestral hall of an ordinary little village?

........

Although Soren knew there might be a gap between legend and reality.

But that "Onimaru Hyakume" was definitely not simple.

Seeing Soren's surprised inquiry, the old man nodded and said, "Yes, it is that 'demon sword'… or more precisely, a 'demon-slaying sword'."

Soren was truly intrigued.

He instantly understood why the old man had hesitated to speak earlier.

He was afraid that Soren would become greedy.

After all, anyone who knew about such a famous blade would probably want to possess it.

But just the name "demon sword" carried an air of mystery, the more he heard, the more his interest was piqued. However, the fact that it was still safely displayed in the ancestral hall indicated that the sword was not so easy to take away.

The old man continued, "In the past, people tried to take it away: thieves, ronin, samurai, wealthy merchants, great swordsmen... even daimyo. But without exception, they all met with misfortune, suffering terrible ends and harming those around them. And every time it was taken away, after a period of time, the sword would mysteriously return. Later, guided by an expert, the village built an ancestral hall. After receiving incense offerings, the sword has not caused any more trouble and has also protected our Sword-making Village."

The beginning of this story piqued Soren's interest, and he asked, "If the sword is so evil, does its origin have a story?"

"Yes, it's a long story."

A trace of reminiscence appeared in the old man's eyes as he slowly said, "The reason our village is called 'Sword-making Village' is that for thousands of years, our village has been one of the best sword-producing areas in the entire Hidden Mountain Country. But a hundred years ago, something suddenly changed. At that time, there was a sword-making family in our village called the 'Munemasa Clan', whose sword-forging skills were unmatched in the world. They sought extraterrestrial meteorite iron and forged an exceptionally sharp 'Fifth Generation Munemasa'. That sword could cut iron like mud and could already be considered a 'Master Craftsman Sword'. On the day the sword was completed, countless swordsmen rushed to seek it. However, the clan leader of the Munemasa family at the time, Master Munemasa Kenmei, was not satisfied with the sword stopping there, thinking that a sword without a 'soul' was not perfect. He searched through ancient books, always thinking of finding a way to forge an unparalleled sword. In the end, he didn't find a method, but the man became crazy. My grandfather told me that when he was a child, he had seen Master Kenmei wandering around the village every day, holding the sword and muttering something..."

Hearing this, Soren could already imagine the obsession of the craftsman master who made the sword.

How did a famous sword become a demon sword?

He was even more interested in the story that followed.

The old man continued, "Later, the elders said that Master Kenmei was seduced by a mountain demon and disappeared into the mountains with the 'Fifth Generation Munemasa'. From that time on, strange things started to happen. Suddenly, someone in the village was attacked by a monster at night, they died, and their eyes were dug out. This strange thing became uncontrollable from the beginning. Within a few days, all the sword-forgers of the Munemasa family had their eyes taken by the monsters. Other famous sword-forgers in the village did not escape either, and accidents happened frequently. This matter caused panic... Later, a high monk passed by and discovered that a [Hyakume-ki] (Hundred-Eyed Demon) was causing trouble."

"Hyakume-ki?"

Soren had also seen records of this kind of monster in the *Fairy Tales*.

It is said that this female demon specializes in seducing men and taking their eyes for her own use. If she takes a hundred eyes, she will turn into an uncontrollable demon.

The old man sighed and said, "Yes. It was too late when we found out, the monster had already become powerful. It was only missing one last pair of eyes to become an unkillable demon. At that time, the crazy Master Kenmei suddenly appeared. We later understood that he had found a strange sword-forging technique. He sacrificed his own eyes to the monster... Later, the high monk sacrificed his life and used the 'Fifth Generation Munemasa' to slash the [Hyakume-ki]. Because the monster had already become powerful and could not be killed, it could only be sealed in the sword according to the method left by Master Kenmei. That's how it became the current 'Onimaru Hyakume'."

"..."

Hearing this story, Soren instantly understood.

Just the forging process was so evil, no wonder it had the name of "demon sword."

The old man continued, "This sword is indeed an unparalleled good sword, but it is too evil. Later, this sword was scattered abroad, causing many killings, and the name of 'demon sword' became well known. No one could subdue this sword, and in the end, it killed a daimyo who loved collecting famous swords. Our village was also implicated in this and gradually declined. The village chief didn't want this sword to harm people anymore, so he asked for guidance and built an ancestral hall, using incense to worship it. Only in the past few decades have we been at peace."

After hearing the origin of the demon sword in the ancestral hall, Soren also felt enlightened.

He also asked, "Does that demon sword have any special effects?"

Soren vaguely guessed that the evil of this sword, in addition to the bizarre forging process, the method of incense worship might also be a problem.

"No one knows."

The old man shook his head and sighed softly, "Everyone who gets the 'Onimaru Hyakume' has no good ending. But no one can say exactly what its mystery is. According to those who survived fighting with this demon sword, it can make people see 'hell'..."

The story also came to an close.

After listening, Soren's eyes narrowed slightly.

Just listening to the story made people develop a strong interest in the demon sword.

Fortunately, he was not a swordsman, and famous swords had limited appeal to him. If he were a swordsman himself, he would probably want to try it no matter how evil it was.

Moreover, the sword was so close at hand.

Speaking of this, the old man pleaded again: "Sir, please do not spread the news of the 'Onimaru Hyakume'. It's not that we are afraid that people will take this sword. We just don't want to see this sword bring misfortune to people again."

"Yes."

Soren nodded.

Things involving divine belief are not simple. If the story is true, this "Onimaru Hyakume" is naturally not something ordinary people can take, at least he has absolutely no idea before he completely understands it.

But suddenly!

A flash of inspiration flashed in Soren's mind, and another thought popped up.

They just encountered a shipwreck, and then came to a village with a demon sword, is it really such a coincidence?

Soren felt that he could control his greed and not think about the sword, but now there were hundreds of pirates living in this village!

What if other people knew about it?

Thinking of this, he frowned and immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Not only can the news of the "Onimaru Hyakume" not be leaked, but even if someone deliberately led them here, as he thought, it would be useless to remind them.

His mind raced, connecting all the clues together, assessing the risks, and roughly felt that he was confident in protecting himself. So he didn't think much about it.

If something really went wrong, he would definitely leave as soon as possible.

.......

Time soon came to midnight.

"Johnny, it's your turn to take over!"

A greeting came from outside the door, and Soren did not delay, took his equipment, put on his windproof cloak, and pushed the door open.

The midnight wind and snow were very heavy, and the wind scraping the face was like a knife.

Soren walked to the door and saw Sharp wrapped like a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) walking out.

He looked at Soren and greeted him incredulously: "Brother Johnny, do you live here?"

As he spoke, he looked at the leaky thatched house, and said with a look of disgust: "Oh, my God, this broken house is afraid that a heavy snow can collapse it."

Soren shrugged and said indifferently: "I think it's okay. Anyway, it's just a temporary place for one night."

The two chatted and went to the outpost at the end of the village to replace the previous two.

"It's really fucking cold, I don't know if there are any girls in this village to warm my bed."

"Captain, I saw a few farm women in some people's homes who were quite pretty, but the boss won't let us mess around. Captain, you are different, the boss will definitely not blame you..."

"Hehe, let's go, let's go find some fun."

"..."

The squad leader's name was Polk Galliard, and he was the brother-in-law of "Tea Beard" Hans. His strength was only Tier 2, but he relied on his connections to become the squad leader of the cannon squad.

Soren frowned as he listened to the content of the conversation between the two people who were leaving far away.

At this time, Sharp suddenly patted him on the shoulder, "What are you looking at, Brother Johnny?"

After complaining, he followed Soren's gaze and saw the backs of the two people in the distance, and frowned: "Hey, don't worry about those two guys. I also saw that you and I are the only two people in the fifteenth team who are on the same path. I thought Oleg was going to change his ways and not be a pirate when he became king, but I didn't expect it to be like this. If I didn't need money to save my mother's life, I wouldn't associate with these guys. This village is so poor, and they still want to have fun. Everyone is suffering, why make things difficult for those who are suffering."

As he spoke, Sharp sighed helplessly. He knew that he couldn't change anything except complain, so he didn't think about those things that made him more upset. He turned to say, "Hey, do you think there will be monsters in this village?"

"..."

Soren listened without speaking, his eyes fixed on the two figures who were sneaking around the corner, his eyes becoming more and more gloomy.

He didn't know why, but tonight's mood was inexplicably restless.

Was it because of the suffering of the Koike family?

Their fate was already very tragic.

At this moment, he suddenly saw the two people climb over the wall into the Koike family's yard, and the violent emotions that had been dormant in his heart for a long time suddenly surged into his heart.

Sharp, who was next to him, looked at Soren in a daze, his expression was so cold and unfamiliar, and he asked nervously, "Hey, brother, what are you in a daze for? You wouldn't be possessed by a monster, would you? Don't scare me..."

There was no expression on Soren's face anymore. Without much explanation, he said lightly: "I'll go take a look."

Sharp grabbed him and immediately realized what he was going to do, "Brother, don't be impulsive, we can't control that guy Polk!"

Soren shook his head, walked out of the cowshed, and walked straight over.

......

When Soren returned to the Koike family, the door had already been opened.

Polk and the two lustful guys didn't intend to make too much noise, and they also sneaked in.

The bed in the house was given to Soren earlier, and the Koike father and daughter were in the straw pile of the demolished house.

"Hehe, I said it a long time ago. When I came over just now, I smelled the fragrance of a girl's body, there must be good stuff. Sure enough, there is!"

"Captain is awesome!"

When Soren entered the house, he heard the two people laughing lewdly.

An olfactory perception professional was used for stealing fragrance and jade, hehe...

The three members of the Koike family in the woodshed had been drugged with hallucinogenic drugs, and the two were about to take off the little girl's clothes, revealing a piece of her snow-white shoulders.

Seeing this, a red light flashed in Soren's eyes.

Hearing someone coming in, Polk turned his head and glanced, frowning: "Why are you here instead of standing guard?"

Soren said in a tone like looking at a corpse, without any emotion: "Captain, I don't think this is good. They are all suffering people."

Polk was interrupted from his good deed, and he was already holding back a breath. Hearing this, he immediately became angry: "Who the fuck do you think you are, meddling in my business?"

While speaking, another喽啰 touched the gun at his waist, full of warning meaning.

Soren originally had a better way to solve the situation in front of him, but he didn't know why, the murderous intention in his heart couldn't be suppressed at all.

Looking at the leaky house around him, and then looking at the three members of the Koike family who were unconscious on the ground, their lives were really miserable.

The more he thought about it, the more hateful the faces of the two guys in front of him became.

But killing people is easy, the difficulty is not implicating the village after killing them.

Taking action here is very likely to be sensed by "Tea Beard" Hans not far away, and may even implicate this family instead.

Soren hesitated for a while.

Moreover, he also had a kind of unspeakable wrong feeling in his heart.

From the moment he entered this village, he had been feeling like he was being watched.

He thought it was an illusion before,

But the moment he entered the door just now, it was particularly strong.

Soren frowned and looked around.

That "existence" didn't seem to be human.

After all, with Soren's current perception, he could distinguish even if a Tier 6 or 7 professional was peeping.

That feeling was like some kind of special existence, a monster?

Polk thought that Soren was frightened by his aura and sneered: "Get out!"

His hand had already reached out towards the Koike family's girl.

At this moment, Soren thought of a way. He expressionlessly took out the [Robert's Monocle] and put it on. His single hand suddenly made a grabbing motion in the void, and before Polk and the two others could react, a line of blood appeared on their necks.

Before the blood could spurt out, he pinched a warlock seal, and a space black hole appeared, quickly stuffing the two corpses into the storage space.

"Huh...I wasn't discovered?"

Soren was still thinking that if he was discovered, he would use the monocle to create an illusion monster to confuse Hans and the others.

But obviously, his movements here were not sensed.

He really overestimated them.

A half-baked Tier 5 and a group of lazy pirates were still far behind.

But this was also good, saving a lot of trouble.

Soren carried the girl back to the firewood pile, and the restlessness in his heart calmed down after looking at the three sleeping people.

He was just about to take a sigh of relief, when his pupils suddenly shrank!

Because at that moment, in his soul perception, there was one more thing in the house.

Not a person, but a "monster"!

At the same time, he found that his vision had fallen into darkness.

"Visual deprivation?"

Soren was not flustered at all.

He raised the black umbrella in his hand, and with a "bang" it opened.

Then he turned his head like lightning, but in the endless darkness, he saw a pair of scarlet human eyes.

One pair, ten pairs, hundreds of pairs... densely packed, like the stars in the sky turning into eyes, staring at people and making their hair stand on end!

"Hyakume-ki?"

Soren thought of a kind of monster, and instantly thought of the story Koike Koichirō had told before, and immediately realized something, and thought: "No! It's that demon sword!"

Even though his vision was deprived, he was not affected at all. He glared with his left eye, and the All-Seeing Eye unraveled all the truths in front of him.

"So this 'demon sword' is like this..."

Soren instantly had confidence in his heart.

Just as he was about to use a warlock spell to fight back, he suddenly heard a creepy cry in his ear: "Jie jie jie... I didn't expect there to be someone like you among the pirates, so I won't kill you."

The hostility was gone?

The evil aura receded like a tide, Soren didn't do anything, and the vision in front of him suddenly returned to normal.

At this time, there was movement elsewhere in the village.

Soren didn't know why, but the demonic energy that suddenly appeared in the room made him feel a kind of spiritual pleasure, as if he had found a kindred spirit. The corners of his mouth raised in an evil arc, and he murmured: "Interesting, are they going to take action..."

He had a strong interest in seeing what happened, so he quietly walked out.