“Ugh!”

Excruciating pain shot through her right arm as she gripped the Holy Sword. Her right arm, severely scarred from burns, was difficult to extend properly. Though relentless rehabilitation had made it usable again, she could only comfortably hold a sword – the arm wasn’t fully healed.

The pain of muscles tearing and nerves being ripped apart nearly made Ir lose consciousness.

But she couldn’t let that happen.

This was the only weapon she had left now.

To kill them, and to keep herself alive, she needed this Holy Sword no matter what. But the sword wouldn’t budge. Because of this, Ir could only hang from the wall, dangling while swallowing her groans.

“Puhahah!”

While Ir struggled to maintain consciousness through the tearing pain in her arm, the person at the back of the attackers burst out laughing. Even through her pain, Ir felt a chill run down her spine. Though her clouded mind couldn’t immediately recognize who it was, it was definitely a laugh she remembered.

‘Who is it?’

If she had even a moment’s respite, she might have been able to search her memories, but right now just hanging on was enough to kill her.

Ir gripped the Holy Sword again with renewed strength. Using both hands on the sword, she tried with all her might to pull it out. She pressed her feet against the wall and pulled as hard as she could, but the Holy Sword wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Please… come out…”

A plea close to crying escaped her lips.

For the first time since that day her body burned, Ir begged whatever god might exist in this world. Please, please…

“A Holy Sword isn’t meant to be drawn by a monster.”

At those mocking words, Ir turned her head. The others nearby also adjusted their grip on their swords while chuckling softly.

Monster.

That word pierced Ir’s ears. It was a word she’d heard all her life since getting burned. A word that no longer hurt her heart even when shouted to her face – she would usually just casually ignore it while thinking about what to eat for dinner.

But not now.

‘Is it because I’m a monster?’

Ir glared at the Holy Sword she was gripping, filled with resentment and hatred.

Because my body isn’t proper, because I look hideous, because I’m not of noble blood. Is that why I can’t use you?

Sparks flew in Ir’s eyes.

For the first time in a very long time, anger about her own appearance surged through her. Even though it hurt and was difficult to move, she had lived doing her best. She had learned to move her body quickly despite her limping gait and became skilled with a sword even while enduring pain. But now all those efforts were being ignored and mocked.

This wasn’t simple ridicule. Seeing them ignore her fallen comrades’ lives and mock even their revenge made Ir’s mind go white.

Only one thought remained.

‘I’m going to kill you all.’

She didn’t care if her body burned again. She didn’t mind being called a monster any number of times. She would accept even worse pain and contempt, crawling on the ground while being spat on for the rest of her life.

Ir sincerely prayed, hoping there was a god.

If she could survive in any form, she would surely have her revenge.

An unvoiced, desperate cry echoed in Ir’s mind.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh.

The handle of the sword Ir was gripping seemed to tilt, and then, like a lie, the sword came free from the wall. Because of this, Ir fell to the ground with the sword.

“Ugh!”

The sudden fall meant her twisted shoulder had to absorb all the impact. A pain so intense it felt like she might faint struck her entire body, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that pain.

“It… came out?”

Without even being able to get up, Ir stared at the Holy Sword in her grip.

The attackers seemed as surprised as Ir, as their earlier mockery suddenly ceased.

“What… is this…?”

Astonishment flashed across everyone’s faces.

The most famous legend about the Holy Sword was that it could never be drawn by anyone except the one it chose. And now that Holy Sword was in Ir’s hand. Which meant…

“You… chose me?”

Ir muttered briefly, as if dumbfounded. But everyone knew the true meaning of those words. Had the Holy Sword really chosen its master now?

“Kill her! Quickly, take it!”

The person at the back shouted again. At his voice, the attackers seemed to come to their senses and immediately rushed at Ir. Ir quickly got up and gripped the Holy Sword.

‘I’ll die.’

Even if it was the Holy Sword, it was still just one sword. Her body was already compromised by the drug and couldn’t move properly. Plus, there were multiple opponents. No matter how much hope she held or how she imagined it, all she could see at the end of her thoughts was her own death.

But that didn’t matter.

‘I’ll kill at least one more.’

That was enough. It didn’t matter that what she held was the Holy Sword, or what kind of people obtained this sword or what they had done.

Revenge. Kill them and avenge her precious ones. That was all that remained in Ir’s mind.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

At that moment, the ground shook violently. It was such a fierce tremor that even Ir, who was sitting, fell to the side.

‘An earthquake?’

That couldn’t be. The Lagash region where this cave was located was land where earthquakes didn’t occur. While Ir was wondering what to do about the shaking ground, with a ‘BOOM!’ the cave ceiling collapsed. And the attacker standing beneath it disappeared without even leaving a scream. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened to him. Red blood flowed out from beneath the massive boulder.

“Damn it! We need to get out!”

“The Holy Sword!”

Though the attackers realized this earthquake wasn’t ordinary and panicked, they hadn’t forgotten what they had come here for. One of them, the closest to Ir, rushed at her.

Ir swung the sword at him.

“ARGHHHH!”

In that moment, the attacker’s arm fell to the ground. Ir forgot even to make threats as she stared at the sight in surprise.

There had been several steps’ distance between Ir and the attacker. So even if she had swung, it shouldn’t have reached…

Meanwhile, the ground shook even more violently. It was even getting darker. Everyone inside instinctively realized: if they stayed here, they would die buried under the falling earth and rocks.

“Damn it!”

Someone quick to decide spat out harsh words and ran for the entrance. Though there were orders to stop, there was no hesitation in the steps of one who had already chosen to flee. They didn’t even spare a glance at their comrade writhing in pain with his severed arm as they escaped this place.

“No! The Holy Sword! We must take the Holy Sword…!”

The one giving orders tried to approach Ir, but more large rocks and earth came crashing down between them. Ir covered her face with her arm against the stinging in her eyes. All sorts of curses could be heard from beyond. Though the loud noise muffled it, Ir could feel it again. The opponent was definitely someone she knew.

Unable to reach Ir, they hesitated several times. During this time, seeing another fleeing attacker get crushed to death seemed to help them make up their mind as they turned around.

The ground kept shaking as everything grew darker. Ir used the Holy Sword as a cane to stand up. Through the falling earth, she could see him escaping.

“I’ll kill you!”

Ir screamed with a voice full of blood.

“All of you! Even if I die, I’ll crawl after you and have my revenge! Until the end!”

She knew it was impossible. The falling earth was landing on her head too. Moreover, with this body, in this state, how could she chase and kill them? Nevertheless, Ir swung the Holy Sword with malice.

“Ugh!”

A groan was heard from beyond. And she caught a blurry glimpse of the last attacker clutching their left arm as they disappeared.

After the attackers completely vanished, Ir collapsed where she stood. She could no longer stand against the increasingly violent shaking of the ground.

Now she could no longer see the fallen members of the 9th Knight Order. They must have been completely buried by the falling earth.

‘That’s good.’

She didn’t want her comrades’ corpses to be left scattered about. At least for their peace, they should be properly buried. Though the method was rough, it was better than being torn apart by wild beasts.

Before she knew it, the earth had covered Ir up to her chest. Unable to breathe under the crushing weight, Ir tightened her grip on the Holy Sword.

‘Useless thing.’

So much for the legendary Holy Sword – it couldn’t even help her get proper revenge. How was it any better than a tree branch at this point?

Perhaps the drug was finally consuming her consciousness. Her eyes were quickly closing.

RUMBLE, BOOM!

The ground’s shaking grew even more violent as the light completely disappeared, leaving only darkness.

In that darkness, as she lost consciousness, Ir thought:

It was fortunate there was no one who would be sad about her death.

With that, her consciousness faded.

So, she should have definitely died, and yet…

“Where did they find such a fine woman?”

Through her deeply sunken consciousness, unfamiliar voices could be heard.