Confronting the Past (1)

About two years ago, in the southern cave of the Gairn territory.

There, Airn Pareira put on a terrific performance.

At that time, instead of falling for the demon’s taunts after it had kidnapped the main members of the subjugation team, Airn Pareira immediately launched an attack to slash the demon and managed to finish the subjugation without any damage.

And today was the same.

No one even thought of moving.

Some even clapped their hands at the threatening words of the Devil and its terrifying intimidation.1

Even Sevion Brooks and Perry Martinez had stiff bodies and hands, despite them being among the only ones who could actually fight the devil.

If that was the case, did Airn Pareira launch himself towards the enemy now, with the same thoughts he had during the southern subjugation?

No.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he went for the clown.

‘This is the best option!’

Two years ago, Airn Pereira really had no idea.

A hostage’s life?

He didn’t care that much for them.

Wouldn't it do more damage if the demon got away because they were trying to save the hostages?

No, he didn’t even think about that either.

In the past, he was just swept away by the will of the man, and he moved like a puppet on a string and just swung his sword.

His sword in the past was indeed sharp, but it had no value for life, and so, it was infinitely light.2

But not now.

Now he knew. That his actions would put countless lives at risk.

And he also knew the fact that this seemingly reckless act of his, could leave scars not just on the people present here, but also on their families and friends as well.

The fact that their anger and hatred, if they lost their loved ones, would be directed towards him.

But it was fine.

No, it wasn’t really fine.

However, unlike before, he now had the strength to fully endure it without turning his back on it, and the determination to take responsibility. That was the current Airn Pareira.

‘I am sorry.’

A happy ending without any damage.

However, Airn couldn’t let himself be deluded by ignoring what reality was. That was what the devil would want.

If they followed the words of the devil, then one way or another, everyone would be trapped by it.

But that didn’t mean that charging at the Devil was a good idea with hostages out there either.

It was a choice where neither option was the right one.

So Airn made a decision based on his own thoughts and ideals and then moved.

There was no hesitation, no fear, and no running away from painful choices.

The sword of a hero who was able to bear that burden, spit out a golden aura that fell on the clown.

Kwaang!

“Ahh?”

The devil, who was hit by the sword, flew away. However, it wasn’t cut. As Airn slashed with his sword, he felt as if a solid and heavy mountain was hit.

And unsurprisingly, the clown appeared unaffected.

Even though there was a mask on it, it was clear that the devil was flustered.

But not caring about that, Airn rushed in again.

Kwang!

Kwang!

Bang!

A consecutive attack that targeted the clown with 3 hits in a row!

The clown blocked it with his bare hands. It wasn't easy this time, however.

The first attack broke the left hand, the second the right hand.

The third time, he crossed his arms, and it was evident that the clown’s body was horribly damaged.

Still, the clown didn’t counterattack.

Spreading out his wrecked hands and shattered palms, the Devil spoke calmly.

“Hey, hey! Wait a second! Have we ever met before?”

Swish!

“Euk!”

Swish!

“Uhk-! We haven’t? Did I see it wrong then? Why do you seem so familiar? Ah, wait…”

Puck!

Kwang!

After dealing so much damage to the clown’s torso, Airn went for the head with a full swing.

But this time, too, the clown wasn’t cut. However, there was a sound of slashing.

It was the moment when Airn, who had a stiff face, was about to go for the opponent again.

Woong!

“…!”

“The more I see…”

A thick darkness bloomed from behind the devil and washed through it. As a result, the body of the clown, which was damaged, healed instantly.

Except for the cracks in the mask, the body of the clown was fully healed.

But there was something more important than that.

The moment he saw the black clouds forming over the heads of the hostages, Airn moved towards them despite knowing that he would be too late to save them.

No matter how much he grew stronger, he couldn’t stop the clown’s attack as it was too far away.

Pung!

“Uh?”

However, the clown couldn’t achieve its purpose.

“Airn! Don’t worry about them! And fight it to your heart's content!”

Lulu had her arms outstretched while holding out a cute wand, and her power was tightly wrapped around the captured members, protecting them.

Lulu seemed a bit shocked and pale, but the blue shield protected the hostages without being shaken by the attack of the clown.

It was at the time when the clown, who was startled by the appearance of the blue shield, was about to speak.

Wooong!

Gulp!

All eyes were focused on one place.

A size which couldn’t be compared to before.

And a brightness which couldn’t be compared either.

An Aura Sword, which was bigger than Sevion Brook's, who had been a Master for 10 years, bloomed like a flame.

It seemed as if it was a messenger of God who came down with a legendary holy sword.

However, the clown devil who was facing him had a different idea.

“This…”

It wasn’t a legend or a myth.

It wasn’t from a servant of God either. It had nothing to do with the help of God. He had been watching for a long time, so he knew.

‘His power…’

That man’s sword.

It was created by pouring an amount of time and effort that was impossible for a human to do.

That sword was conceived from an unbelievable existence, who had stood by his firm beliefs in spite of the malice which was poured out against him.

And it was at that moment that the clown felt fear for the first time after living for thousands of years…

Woong!

The clown’s thoughts didn’t continue further.

The golden aura from the sword had grown to the extent that it covered the entire body of the man in front of him.

Golden energy was coming out of the young man’s eyes.

“Huhu.”

Why?

At that moment, he burst into laughter without knowing why, and the sword of the young hero slashed at him at a terrifying speed.

Slash!

The moment he felt it pierce, the clown devil thought.

‘I finally found it!’

Airn Pareira summoned the great sword. And it didn’t stop there. He pulled out his Aura Sword and rushed towards the devil.

Right. It was definitely a Devil.

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Sevion Brooks, who saw the devil in the form of a clown, appearing ahead, felt all kinds of thoughts flashing through his mind.

‘It makes… no sense.’

The first thing he felt was despair.

He had thought that he would be used to such things by now.

Although he couldn’t say it out loud, Sevion Brooks had always hoped that some Devils had remained in the current world.

That was because of the achievements of the Demon Slayers, which had now become legends, were already a thing of the past!

He didn’t think that it would be impossible for him to defeat a devil, because he knew about himself.

No matter what anyone said, he was a Master.

And he knew that he had excellent skills which couldn’t be beaten by a Demon.

‘But now I know. How absurd it was.’

Sevion Brooks looked at some of the knights. They were the people who had followed the instructions of the clown and had clapped.

However, he had no intention of scolding them.

Right now, even he felt himself being crushed by the darkness of the clown and felt his body freeze.

So, it was even more surprising.

The fact that the young Sword Master, who he thought was below him, was standing alone in front of that Devil.

Kwang!

Kang!

Kwang!

‘Amazing!’

And he didn’t mean the greatness of his swordsmanship.

Although the strong yet smooth flow was impressive, his swordsmanship was lacking.

And he wasn’t talking about the greatness of his Aura.

Considering his age, the young man was incredibly strong, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be pushed behind by the devil.

But what surprised Sevion Brooks the most, wasn’t how Airn looked like or how he fought.

And rather, it was something one couldn’t look into, but when standing in front of the Devil, this young man looked splendid.

‘The Heart and will!’

He knew that everyone else present here, including himself and Perry Martinez, could stand in front of the clown-like that.

Was it because the people were being held hostage?

That could, of course, be a reason for them. But not for him.

Because he knew that it would take sacrifices to subdue a devil.

Right. It was because Sevion was too scared to use any one of these excuses for not moving.

What he had was the instinctive fear at the thought of approaching the darkness that the clown emitted.

It had to be the same for the young man.

The young man was also probably afraid, and felt tormented and hated his own self just like Sevion did. Nevertheless, he was still moving forward.

And he didn’t even hesitate to rush at the evil being.

How many worries, experiences, and other thoughts must he have gone through, in order to build such a mind and will to make that possible?

‘Unlike me, who kept checking on my juniors and was jealous… the fundamentals and roots itself must be different for that child.’

Kwang!

Kang!

Tung!

The battle between Airn and the devil continued.

In the meantime, Sevion Brooks's thoughts didn't cease.

His fear of the devil, along with his admiration for Airn, his self-doubt, and other negative thoughts.

Embarrassingly, while the young man faced the devil alone, Sevion Brooks was unable to even move ahead.

He was relieved, however.

When the blonde Sword Master defeated the clown with his Aura Sword, the top knight of Palanque breathed a sigh of relief.

He prayed to God thanking Him, because he didn’t have to go out to fight the devil.

And then, he heard the footsteps behind him.

Startled, he turned his head.

“It isn’t over yet.”

“…”

Even in the dark, Ilya Lindsay’s silver hair shone.

It looked like she wasn’t bothered by the darkness.

Still stiff because of the fear, Sevion raised his surprised eyes.

‘Airn is acceptable, but even Ilya as well?’

How this woman overcame the evil energy that was spreading all around them, he couldn’t understand.

Ilya was unaware of his thoughts.

She only spoke with a calm face.

“It isn’t over yet. We must work together and help….”

“Found it! Found it! I found you, you fucking bastard!”

Woop!

It was before Ilya's words were finished.

A strong explosion. Everyone's eyes, including Airn’s, focused on the spot.

In their eyes, they saw the image of the clown, with blood dripping behind the mask.

“wnrdlsek, wnrdlsek, wnrduqjflsek, Wlwrh, Tlqrh, wltdlrlrh, rkfdkqjflrh, wkfrmswkfrms, wkfrmswkfrms Tlqdjtj, rm snrneh dkfdkqhwl ahtgkrp, wnrdlsek…….”

A language humans couldn’t understand.

But the meaning was clearly conveyed. All the people there felt a chill run down their spine.

The weak ones passed out, and even Gregory Griffin slumped to the floor.

But not Airn Pareira.

And Ilya Lindsay too. A silver aura erupted from her sword as she stood next to her friend.

“… damn it!”

“Phew.”

Sevion got up late, and Perry stood next to him.

Behind them, Lulu was struggling to protect the expedition members from the darkness.

And then, Three Sword Masters and one battle magician, looked at the clown with sharp eyes.

No, it wasn’t just them.

Ilya Lindsay, who felt a strange energy from Airn’s gaze, turned around.

“…”

How could she have not noticed it till then?

She couldn’t figure it out.

However, one thing was clear.

Woong…

The aura was colored like a red marble.

Kiiing….!

The fact that Anya Marta’s sorcery once more was being used.

“I used up everything I accumulated over the past 3 years…”

“Yah! Stay quiet!”

“?”

Hearing Anya’s voice, the clown turned his head.

Its expression couldn’t be read. Although the mask was cracked, it still hid the expression on the face of the demon.

But Airn knew.

The fact that this guy who had never lost his composure had lost it for the first time.

“Go.”

Ignet Crescentia’s voice resounded.

Immediately after, the red sphere hanging from the tip of the Vulcanus Numbering Sword shot out.

It was so fast that only masters could see it, and even the clown couldn’t avoid it.

Puak!

Again, the clown, who had been attacked and was bowing his head, raised it, and muttered.

“You crazy…”

Kwaaang!

Fireworks, bones, and flesh scattered around.

The words demon and devil have been interchangeably used for now, but I believe that the word demon indicates a lesser form of the devil that’s not as powerful as an actual devil. For, e.g., The one at the Gairn estate subjugation was a demon, and the Clown Devil is an actual Devil indicated by its strength and infamy.↩ Just clearing it up, by infinitely light, it is talking about the burdens that he was otherwise ignorant about and how he didn't think about his actions having consequences.↩

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