Two fingers tightly pinched both sides of the blade, preventing the edge from coming within an inch of his palm.
Eiji caught the demonic sword steadily with just two fingers, using a posture that would be very unfriendly to men from a certain country.
"The sword is good, but you're no good swordsman!"
Eiji snorted, letting out a cold laugh very befitting of a Demon King.
Hmm, should I cackle evilly here? "Ke-ke-ke"?
"Clang!"
Then he withdrew his fingers.
Before the demonic sword could fall, he curled his fingers into a hook and struck the blade with his knuckles.
"Ugh!"
Under the melodious chime resembling a temple bell, Kyouya let out a muffled groan.
A hidden force transmitted through the blade to his arms, making his grip unstable. The demonic sword instantly flew out and embedded itself in the ground some distance away.
He hastily jumped back, looking at Eiji with fear.
What just happened?
Why did he suddenly lose control and drop the sword?
What kind of skill was that? He'd never heard of anything like it before!
Eiji walked forward and picked up the black demonic sword from the ground.
"Strange, this is a demonic sword?"
Eiji swung it a couple of times with interest.
But the sword's power was far weaker than imagined—just an ordinary greatsword at best. That incredible power from before seemed to have completely disappeared.
"What's going on here?"
He turned to ask the witch behind him.
Airi's eyes widened in shock, completely unprepared for Eiji so easily taking Kyouya's demonic sword. She stood frozen in place.
"Divine weapons automatically recognize their masters!"
Only when Eiji asked did she snap out of it, quickly explaining.
"Divine weapons generally have the right to choose their own masters. Only those who meet their selection criteria can unleash the weapon's true power. For others, it's just an ordinary sword!"
There's such a thing?
Eiji was frustrated.
A sword prodigy like me, yet the demonic sword won't acknowledge me?
This demonic sword has terrible judgment!
Trash!
"G-give me back my demonic sword!"
Kyouya's face was pale.
Already outmatched in strength, losing the demonic sword left him completely at a loss.
Even his demand to have the sword returned lacked conviction, a far cry from his earlier confident demeanor.
"Like we'd give it back!"
Before Eiji could speak, Airi cut in first.
"Even if His Majesty can't use that demonic sword, there's no way we'd return it to you. Are you out of your mind?"
She was so pleased she even started mocking him.
Kyouya was ranked third on the Belzerg Kingdom's adventurer leaderboard, possessing strength comparable to a Demon King Army executive. And nearly all his power came from that demonic sword.
Taking the sword away would completely cripple this man who had a bounty of over 200 million from the Demon King Army—a true nemesis of their forces!
This was undoubtedly great news for the Demon King Army!
"Here you go."
But the next moment, Eiji tossed the demonic sword back to Kyouya.
His manner suggested he viewed the demonic sword as trash, discarding it without a second thought.
"Your smile looks so ugly."
Eiji saw the expression on her face, twisted like a constipated parrot.
"...And whose fault do you think this is?!"
Airi let out a scream of utter despair.
"Why did you return the Demon Sword to him?! You saw how powerful that sword is! If he gets it back, it'll cause massive damage to our Demon King Army!"
What on earth is this Demon King thinking?!
The power of the Demon Sword Gram was undeniable—even capable of threatening Orichalcum, something Eiji himself couldn't easily accomplish. He had to admit its might was truly extraordinary.
Eiji merely glanced at her with a smile, his eyes looking at her as if she were an idiot.
Then, without saying a word, he turned his gaze back to Kyouya Mitsurugi.
"...You actually gave it back?"
Kyouya Mitsurugi was utterly dumbfounded.
He never expected the Demon King to willingly return his Demon Sword. This unexpected turn of events left his mind blank, completely at a loss for words.
"Kyouya, was it? You rely too much on the Demon Sword's power. Without it, you're nothing!"
Eiji spoke in a low, stern voice.
Kyouya's face twisted with frustration, but the words he wanted to retort stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Even he knew he was overly dependent on the Demon Sword.
But what else could he rely on? The Demon Sword was his only cheat.
"In your current state, you're not even worthy of getting close to me. But you have potential—enough to be my plaything. Go back and train harder. Maybe next time, you'll make me use a third finger."
Kyouya's expression darkened with fury.
He was being utterly belittled by his enemy. This new Demon King, whose strength was unfathomable, hadn't even considered him a worthy opponent from the start!
An overwhelming sense of humiliation surged uncontrollably in his chest, making him want to charge forward and take the Demon King down with him right then and there!
...Wait, hold on.
"You said your name was Kurogane Ikki, right?"
Suddenly, Kyouya seemed to remember something, his expression shifting to deep thought.
"That means... you must also be a reincarnated hero sent by that beautiful goddess! With strength like that, you must have received a cheat ability. So why would you... No, never mind. I won't pry."
At first, he looked utterly confused.
Then, as if something clicked in his mind, his expression cleared into sudden understanding. His gaze toward Eiji became complicated—filled with reluctant admiration for his superior skill, as well as reverence and shame for Eiji's actions.
"Cremea, Fio, let's go!"
He turned and strode away, leading the two trembling girls with him.
"Gah!"
Just as he was making his dramatic exit, a small pebble suddenly struck the back of his knee.
His leg buckled, and with a yelp, he face-planted into the dirt.
He scrambled up, covered in mud, and glanced suspiciously behind him. All he saw was a towering figure of a man and the bewildered Demon King's daughter. Unable to figure out what had happened, he could only sulk away in frustration.
Neither Eiji nor Airi stopped him.
"If a brat doesn't know how to talk, he should just shut up."
Eiji muttered under his breath.
Only after confirming no one was watching did he remove the intimidating mask from his face, revealing his clear displeasure.
What do you mean, having such strength must be because of cheats?
Even if I did use cheats, it's different from a spoiled cheater like you who's clearly never suffered. Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed to become this strong?
Airi snapped back to reality, her gaze turning pensive as she stared at Eiji's retreating figure, her delicate brows furrowing tightly.