Alonso still had trouble to breathe.

No matter how much he massaged his neck, each breath he took was raspy and scratched his throat. But he didn’t have time to recover.

The Worshiper was clutching the wound on his side, staring the noble with rage. “How dare you hurt me, you filthy scum! I’m a vessel of the True God!”

With bloodshot yellow eyes, he charged against the lord.

Still massaging his neck and coughing, Alonso swung the sword.

The man let out a maniac laugh as the blade came closer to him. “It was luck before, but that sword can’t hurt a vessel of the True God!”

When the weapon touched him, he was thrown to the side.

I can cut him, Tetsuko thought, sensing the warm sensation of blood on her edge. But it’s as before. A shallow cut… I won’t be able to slice him in half… not like this.

The man raised his arm. It was bleeding where the sword had touched him.

“You hurt me again! This body belongs to the true God! Scum like you who bow to a farce shouldn’t dare touch me!”

Alonso said nothing. He couldn’t. His throat still hadn’t recovered. The marks of the fingers were still that tried to squeeze the life out of him were still there.

That man shouldn’t have the strength to leave something like that… it’s that mark on his chest… it’s giving him strength…

Tetsuko made her energy circle in her metal body.

Alonso, that demon mark is making him stronger. It’s thanks to that he can survive my edge, she projected her energy towards her wielder.

The noble coughed and eyed her with suspicion.

It’s not the time for this! You need to kill him!

The Worshiper charged again with a bestial scream.

Alonso took the hand from his neck and placed it on the hilt.

Tetsuko could feel the strength as her wielder swung her with everything he had.

This time the man raised the arm to block.

Even with the soul in the sword flowing her energy to sharpen her edge, it wasn’t enough to cut the man in two pieces.

He can control his energy too, she realized, astonished.

The Worshiper flashed a wild smile as he punched the noble.

Alonso dodged and brought Tetsuko down, aiming at the enemy’s shoulder.

Once again her blade didn’t hurt the man.

That energy coming from the mark… it’s unrefined and wild, but it can block me…

Tetsuko didn’t have blood flowing inside her. She had a cold metal body. But what she felt was the same as if her blood was boiling. I’ll defeat and devour that energy!

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Instead of only making the flow circle faster, Tetsuko thinned and concentrated along her edge.

At the same time, the man kicked.

Alonso couldn’t dodge, grunting and losing his breath as the foot connected with his stomach.

Even so, he withstood and refused to fall. As the worshiper became surprised, the noble didn’t waste the chance and stabbed the man.

The enemy once again raised the arm to block, barely paying attention.

When skin met metal, the energies collided.

With a wild smile in her mind, Tetsuko made her the flow explode along the edge.

Then she felt her edge breaking and penetrating that energy.

Not only the energy. Skin, blood, and bone.

Part of the man’s energy flowed into her as her body tore off the arm.

Yes! Become mine!

Even in the rush of the battle, she let herself savor that strange and rough energy.

No… It’s not the time for that! Alonso!

The lord understood, but even if he wanted to finish things, the Worshiper had jumped back, screaming.

He held what was left of his arm, the blood soaking his sleeve.

“You monster! You will be punished by the true God!” he shouted, swinging the mangled limb in every direction, the blood flying.

That’s too much blood… there’s something wrong…

The soldiers nearby were bathed in red. Some had their mouths open before such bestiality, and ended up drinking blood.

“You should rejoice! You’ve received the blood of the True God!” The worshiper let out a cackle. Then he stopped and looked at the soldiers who spat the blood. “And yet you reject!”

He jumped on the closest man, pinning him on the ground.

Even if the knight struggled, the Worshiper stopped him with the good arm and held the mangled one above the face.

The soldier couldn’t do anything as the blood fell into his mouth. He choked and spat, but still drank the liquid.

His companions came branded their weapons at the man, hitting him any way they could.

But it was the same as Alonso’s knife. It didn’t even scratch the Worshiper.

Like they could break that energy with such puny blade. Either they need the skill to kill him, or they need to use a weapon like me, Tetsuko thought. Then she turned her attention to her wielder. Alonso!

That was enough to make the noble awake from the trance.

He raised Tetsuko and brought her down at the Worshiper’s neck.

The man died still laughing. Even as the head fell down, the smile never left his lips.

The other soldiers kicked the body and helped their companion.

Alonso didn’t have time to cheer. As he looked around, he realized the other villagers were the same.

They all have that mark on their chests, Tetsuko realized as she sensed the same energy on them. Alonso.

“I… know,” he muttered, gripping the sword with more strength as he ran to the closest enemy.

It was hard and bloody, but the soldiers and the Lord took all the worshipers down.

“Seven people… seven people… and they killed so many,” one of the knights said. He sat on the ground and held his head with both hands, but it wasn’t enough to stop the quiver. “And we’re… gonna fight more of them…”

Tetsuko couldn’t blame the man. Nor all the others. Seven people had managed to kill over 60 soldiers. Several more were injured. And what was worse, more than one had drunk the Worshipers blood.

But unlike the men and women around her, the sword was couldn’t help but feel thrilled.

I had trouble cutting them… my edge failed more than once, she thought. If she could, she would bite her lips. The wielder’s skill has some part, but it shouldn’t matter to a sword like me. Even if it were a kid, I should’ve been able to cut them. But they could control that strange energy…

They were villagers who became worshipers in the past weeks… how about the others, those who have worship the demon for years…? How strong will they be?

Alonso clutched the handle and looked down at her. He had sheathed her the moment the last Worshiper had died. But whenever her energy fluctuated, he stared at her with suspicion.

I’m not your enemy, she projected her thoughts to him. I am your sword.

The Lord said nothing, only gripping her sheath with more strength.

The soul in the sword smiled.

He doesn’t trust me, but he knows I’m an important weapon in the fights ahead.