BXBX NOVEL Chapter 333: The Sword Demon Caliste (1)
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Chapter 333: The Sword Demon Caliste (1)
The Tower Master\'s head flew off.
If he were an ordinary human, he would have died immediately.
His body, having lost its control tower, would have crumpled to the ground.
But the Tower Master was a lich.
The jaw of the severed skull moves.
[Explosion!]
"Resonate, heavenly bell!"
Helia quickly took out a bell and shouted.
Within the small cave, forces strong enough to shake the world erupted.
Both Helia and the Tower Master possessed powers that are far beyond ordinary heroes.
Both reflexively unleashed the greatest strength they could muster.
The cave exploded into nothingness, leaving only scattered debris.
[Hmm?]
"What?"
They both were taken aback.
It was because no demonic energy flowed from their opponent.
They thought he had taken the force directly without countering it.
Crunch.
But through the debris, the man approached.
Not even a single strand of his hair was harmed, let alone his clothing.
He raised his sword toward Helia.
Helia quickly spread her hand.
"Shield of Hephaestus!"
Kiing!
A shield of steel materialized.
It was a shield handcrafted by the blacksmith god Hephaestus himself.
During the ancient War of Gods and Demons, it withstood the attacks of hundreds of demons without a single scratch.
Slash.
But before the man’s sword, it was sliced like cheese.
The halved shield fell to the ground with a hollow thud.
Helia\'s eyes widened.
Tap.
The man stepped forward and thrust his sword.
It was just before the sword pierced Helia\'s heart.
[Teleport!]
Magic activated.
Helia and the Tower Master’s bodies were moved away from the man.
Helia staggered and fell to her knees.
"Haaah…"
Cold sweat trickled down her cheek.
She almost died.
If the Tower Master hadn’t teleported them away, she would have been impaled straight through the heart.
"How unfortunate. I tried to kill you as quickly as possible, but your response was faster than I thought."
The man muttered calmly.
The Tower Master\'s body picked up his severed head and reattached it to his neck.
[...You.]
A dried-up man.
A demon.
But not just any demon—a monster at a level that could kill them both in an instant.
[So it was you who killed Mesereka.]
The man answered with a sly smile.
That alone was enough of an answer.
Helia groaned.
"...You mean to say you killed a god."
That meant he possessed such immense power.
A demon of rank.
No, even that wouldn’t suffice.
One of the Four Lords of Hell.
Yet Helia and the Tower Master could not be certain.
The reason was simple.
[…It doesn’t seem like he’s concealing his demonic energy like Necronovix, but I can’t feel any energy at all.]
There was no demonic energy coming from the demon before them.
No—to be precise, there was.
But it was so faint.
It was the level of a nameless demon.
Without the battle just now, they wouldn’t have paid him any attention.
The man muttered, ignoring whatever they were thinking.
"The Saintess of the Sun God and the Tower Master, huh? I didn’t expect both of you to come. This is incredible. I thought this task would be annoying, but… everything went according to plan."
With those words, they realized it.
The demons had set a trap.
And they had fallen into it perfectly.
The man smiled.
"Nice to meet you. I am Caliste, the Sword Demon."
"…One of the Four Lords of Hell."
Helia groaned. A being akin to a god. The worst-case scenario had come true.
"Unfortunately, we don’t have time for a long chat. Our poor little pawns will die holding back the monster."
Rumble!
A great roar echoed from far away.
It was Ketal fighting against the demons.
"Before that, I need to fulfill my purpose."
They already knew what that purpose was.
To kill the Saintess and the Tower Master.
Caliste lightly stepped forward.
It was such a casual movement, as though he were taking a walk.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the Tower Master.
[Blossoming Power!]
The Tower Master reflexively shouted.
Dozens of spells simultaneously materialized.
Lightning, blades, and magical explosions engulfed Caliste.
Each of these spells had enough power to kill a demon with a name.
Yet Caliste\'s sword moved strangely, piercing through and redirecting every spell.
The space was erased in an instant.
[What is this madness…?!]
The Tower Master’s shock was cut short.
The sword moved lightly, and his skeletal body was sliced into dozens of pieces.
"Flames of Kallioros!"
The flames of Kallioros, the god of fire, erupted.
These flames burn evil, reducing even hellfire to nothing but ashes.
But Caliste’s sword moved.
With a light wave of his arm, the flames were pushed away.
Helia\'s eyes widened.
The flames of Kallioros danced along the tip of the sword, as though being controlled.
No demonic energy could be felt from the motion.
That was pure swordsmanship.
After scattering the flames, Caliste approached Helia.
Helia hurriedly extended her hand and tried to shout.
"By the Sun God\'s—!"
"I’d prefer if you didn’t bring out holy relics."
The tip of the sword pierced Helia’s palm.
With a strange sound, something broke, and the holy relic she tried to summon was prevented from appearing.
\'He read me…!\'
Splat!
A slash cut across Helia\'s arm, leaving a long wound.
The sword was thrust straight for her heart.
[Lightning Strike!]
At that moment, a spell activated.
Caliste swiftly raised his sword to the sky.
Lightning struck, absorbed through the sword.
"Even if I cut off your limbs, you still move. Liches really are annoying."
[We’re not so easily killed! Frozen Tempest!]
Crack-crack-crack!
A storm of ice materialized, swallowing Caliste.
It was a nine-class spell, magic at the pinnacle of hero-level power.
But—
Crack-crack.
Caliste emerged through the storm, completely unharmed.
[How in the world?!]
The Tower Master couldn\'t comprehend it.
It was because Caliste wasn\'t using any energy at all.
The sword he held also didn\'t look remarkable.
It was nothing more than an ordinary sword found anywhere.
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His movements weren\'t fast either—rather, they were slow.
And yet, he was blocking and deflecting all their attacks effortlessly.
"Heavenly Bell, ring forth!"
Bzzzzzzing!
The Heavenly Bell tolled.
Waves that purified and obliterated all evil washed over Caliste.
Caliste lightly extended his sword.
The moment the wave touched the tip of the sword, he moved it, redirecting its trajectory.
With just that light response, the sacred relic’s attack had no effect at all.
[…The Demon of the Sword.]
A being who rose to the throne of lords with nothing but a single sword, starting from a nameless and weak demon.
That was Caliste.
Tap.
Caliste closed the distance.
The Tower Master quickly retreated and shouted.
The Tower Master had split his personality into multiple fragments, allowing him to chant spells simultaneously.
Since the beginning of the fight with Caliste, he had been preparing a Ten-Class Spell.
[Rejection of All Creation.]
Chachachachachachak!
Countless blades formed from mana poured forth simultaneously.
No—it couldn’t be described as “pouring.”
It was closer to overflowing.
The space itself became a plane, and the blades looked like walls as they surged toward Caliste.
They seemed to rain down chaotically, but each blade was moving with extreme precision.
Whether he dodged or blocked, Caliste would ultimately be surrounded.
“Oh. Impressive.”
Caliste was genuinely impressed.
And then, he simply stepped forward, moving his sword.
The tip of the blade met the incoming torrent of blades.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!
The trajectories of the blades twisted and deflected, creating openings as though a path was being carved.
The Ten-Class Spell couldn\'t even stop Caliste\'s steps.
The Tower Master was truly shocked.
[How is that even…?!]
It was nothing more than swinging a sword—something anyone could do—yet it was incomprehensible.
Before he knew it, Caliste had approached, grabbed the Tower Master\'s head, and twisted it.
The Tower Master, reduced to only his head, tried to cast a spell.
[Raining—]
“That’s enough.”
Crunch.
Caliste drew a small dagger and pierced through the lich’s jawbone.
The jaw rattled uselessly, rendering him unable to speak.
“Unfortunately, I left my sword behind to conceal myself, so I can’t kill you. But I can subdue you.”
For a magician, ultimately, spells had to be spoken to manifest.
Fundamentally, it was through their voice that they brought that power into the world.
If their mouth was sealed, they could only use weak magic.
“This is a Demon-Seal Dagger. It won’t last long, but it’s enough to kill the saintess.”
“Armor of the Sun! Spear of the Sun, into my hands!”
Helia shouted immediately.
Radiant armor covered her body, and a spear appeared in her hands.
Bzzzzzzing!
The overwhelming divinity scorched the hellish air.
The ground and sky began to purify.
Caliste’s face showed a flicker of confusion.
“A human shouldn’t be able to wield sacred relics of that level so easily. And pulling out multiple gods’ relics at once… You’re not the Sun God’s saintess, are you? …Ah.”
Caliste nodded in understanding.
“You. You’re of divine blood. A being sent to protect the surface? Occasionally, there were ones like you.”
At those words, Helia’s face twisted.
“Shut up!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Caliste advanced lightly.
Helia tightened her grip and thrust the spear toward Caliste’s head.
The speed was truly blistering.
With the Sun God’s relic, that strike had enough power to ensure even Caliste wouldn’t survive if it hit.
But that didn’t matter.
It just had to not hit.
Caliste simply tilted his upper body back.
But it didn’t mean he was retreating.
His steps continued to carry him forward toward Helia.
The spear’s tip halted just a hair’s breadth from Caliste’s nose.
“Once a spear is thrust, it must eventually be pulled back.”
“Ugh!”
Helia hastily withdrew the spear.
Caliste followed the spear’s retreat, closing the distance to Helia.
He moved the hilt of his sword to press against her wrist, immobilizing her arm and preventing the spear from moving.
Then he swung his blade.
The Sun God’s Armor covering Helia was no ordinary sacred relic.
It was impossible for Caliste to pierce it with brute force, especially without his proper sword.
So he didn’t try brute force.
Ka-ga-ga-gak!
The blade scraped along the surface of the armor, creating grooves like sandpaper.
The divine power of the Sun God’s Armor was damaged.
“All armor has its grain.”
Using the flaws he created, he thrust the sword along the armor’s weakened seam.
The blade pierced through, stabbing into Helia’s abdomen.
“Urgh.”
Helia collapsed.
Caliste withdrew the sword and swung it again, this time aiming for her neck.
[No!]
Clang!
The Tower Master had finally broken the dagger and tried to cast a spell.
But stopping the already-swung sword was impossible.
Helia squeezed her eyes shut.
“……!”
For the first time, Caliste’s expression changed.
He quickly withdrew his sword and turned, taking a defensive stance.
And then—
KA-A-A-A-ANG!
A deafening roar resounded.
A massive axe had collided with Caliste’s sword.
“Hah! Hah!”
Ketal burst into laughter, pressing down with all his might.
Caliste’s sword groaned under the force, letting out unsettling sounds.
The sword wouldn’t hold.
Realizing this, Caliste relaxed his grip.
The sword flew back as the axe embedded itself into the ground.
Caliste grabbed the rebounding sword and aimed for Ketal’s back.
Grab.
At that moment, Ketal seized Caliste’s wrist and tried to twist it.
But Caliste didn’t remain idle.
He subtly moved his wrist, causing the blade to trace an odd arc toward Ketal’s own wrist.
Ketal swiftly released his grip and stepped forward, ramming his shoulder into Caliste.
Thud!
Caliste’s body was pushed back.
But there was no real impact.
He had preemptively moved with the force to minimize the blow.
All of this happened in a single second.
The Tower Master and Helia barely understood what had just transpired.
“…You returned faster than I thought. It seems my people didn’t hold you off properly.”
“To respond purely through movement—how fascinating! And strong!”
Ketal exclaimed in admiration.
“With such power, you must be one of their lords!”
Grinning, Ketal gripped his axe.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Ketal!”
“I am Caliste. The Demon of the Sword.”
“Well then, Caliste. Let’s get to it!”
There was no need to ask what he meant.
Ketal lunged forward, swinging his axe down.
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