Some stuff has been going on recently... etc, etc. I'll be continuing the story but I'm not sure how regular updates will be. This chapter was a bit on the shorter side because I just wanted to post something, promise next one will be HUUUUGEEEEEEE. (Maybe)

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Shit! With barely a second to react, almost on instinct I raised my new sword up in an attempt to block the demon’s monstrous attack.

*TSHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

An earsplitting noise filled the air as the crystalline sphere shattered into a million pieces, preparing to rain down on me and Elise in a stubborn second attempt on our lives. Before the fragments could get very far though, all of the sudden they all gathered onto my blade. With its new glistening coat it looks even more badass, and somehow even deadlier.

[Mmmmm](???) A low baritone voice fills my mind, seemingly far away and yet as if right next to me. What the-

In the same moment, the demon is not standing idle. A look of confusion is spread upon his face, but he is not one to underestimate his foes. He’s learned his lesson the hard way, and he won’t make that mistake again. There was a reason he was trapped in the fabric of reality even with his level of strength.

Though his spherical attack would have been enough to destroy a small city, something told him not to hold back so he had followed it up with a wide slash of his dark sword. So even though he was surprised the puny creature before him blocked it, he was ready.

Not giving Joe a chance to take a breather, the tall dark being decided to kick it up one more notch.

“AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”(Big black guy) Flame erupts all around his body, and a glistening milky sheen covers the pure darkness of his blade. The atmosphere howls loudly in agony as his strike reaches an incredible speed. The runes covering his body are all alight and swirling, and it is plain to see this attack contains everything he has.

My sword is still raised diagonally after blocking the sphere, and time slows to a crawl around me. Not quite as good as Til’s time freeze, but not bad for my first try. Despite my theory, it wasn’t actually time that slowed down, rather it was my brain’s thought process that sped up. Even at the incredibly slowed down rate of 50000 times, the silver armored blade is still inching its way forward, now less than a meter away. After a quick calculation I made my conclusion, his blade is going upwards of 1000 m/s and accelerating, at this rate it will reach me in roughly 45 ‘seconds’.

With the pressure somewhat relieved, it was high time to think of a plan. The mental strain of thinking at this speed was starting to take a toll, and every movement I made was involuntarily using every ounce of strength I had and much more. This was creating a combination of physical and mental fatigue I hadn’t felt since becoming whatever I had become.

In the end the solution is simple. Teleport behind him and lop the bastards head off.

I did exactly that, sending an unconscious Elise back to Brunveld’s hospital first. Must have fainted from shock? Probably thought she died.

Laughing at Elise, the demon and myself I got in position behind the monster’s unsuspecting back and raised up my new blade. Too easy.

As if to mock my thoughts a barrier made of the same silver material, this time with swirling red runes inside of it, blocks my attack to the nape of his broad neck for a fraction of a second before shattering. However, that was all the time the demon needed to react, reigning in his broad slash by pivoting on a silver foothold, redirecting my energy sword to pass harmlessly over his shoulder.

‘What is this monster? Effortless spatial magic and that ridiculous sword that popped out of nowhere.’ A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he suddenly reconsidered fighting this thing. The pressure the sword exuded was too much, and now that his fear quelled his bloodlust it was starting to take its toll on his mind. He had initially planned to block the attack completely, but was met with a mountain of resistance. Luckily for him, Joe did not have his thousands of years of practice with a blade and was still able to manage a parry. His demonic instincts to serve a strong master kicked in, and he decided bargaining for his life was his last chance.

Suddenly as I considered my next move, the demon said something unexpected.

“Truce!”(Demon) Some kind of trick? No matter, I’ll humor him.

“Speak your piece.”(Joe) I kept it short and simple, not letting up on my guard or accelerated thoughts for a second.

“You are clearly much more powerful than I initially thought,” All of the sudden the two of us are standing on a silver platform swirling with red runes, some kind of much more stable version of the energy he uses in his attacks. This is getting awkward… Is he about to try and suck me off?! As he spoke he advanced and slowly got lower, until he was on his knees in front of me. This is the universal demon language for complete submissiveness, knees curled into the chest with the forehead on the ground. “I swear on the council my eternal servitude to this venerable Master. Should you not require my service, you may strike me down.” Of course he really hoped this human wouldn’t, he’d been trapped for who knows how long with shit all to do after all!

[Fea…sss…tt](???) That voice again! I thought I was going crazier than I already am. For a moment I forgot the demon at my feet, my lack of response making the guy more and more nervous by the moment. Too bad for him though, those moments of pushing myself to my new limits was incredibly taxing. Not to mention the abrupt shift from battle to recovery was also a bit of a shock, I seriously needed a second to wind down!

I took those moments to examine my newly acquired killing machine in more detail. No… It couldn’t be? Right? Right? One of those swords that can talk to the owner and always has useful or funny things to say?! Some of my favorite novels came to mind, in some of which I liked the sword more than its owner.

As I reminisced, the demon was past nervousness and ready to have his life forfeit. It was in bad manners to ignore a pledge like this after all, he didn’t even consider that might be what was happening. Yet he had sworn on the council, betrayal of that oath was not possible, thus he awaited his inevitable fate.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah, sure thing.” I swear I have Attention Deficit Disorder or something. Suddenly a blue light carrying a divine aura envelops myself, the demon and my sword. Whatever this is might be confirming my theory… Don’t these kinds of games/stories/anime have some kind of convenient screens!? Peeling my gaze from my sword… “Wait what!?” (Idiot Joe)

“Thank you, thank you, Master! This unworthy one will strive to be of use to you in any way you may possibly require!” His relief stricken mind failed to even register his new Master’s exclamation at the end. The blue light may not carry much meaning to Joe, but he knew better and to him it reconfirmed his Master’s strength.

“Err…” What the hell would I need this four armed freak for? He’s the walking definition of a demon! “Ahem, do you have a name?”(Master Joe)

“Basgiuxarh, Master. And do not worry, of course as a 4th tier Celestial class arch-demon I can change my appearance to whatever may suit your needs.” The 4th whatever said this with no small amount of pride, and I got the impression his venerable Master should already know what he’s talking about.

This one sentence of his left me with quite a few things I wanted to bring up, first and foremost though… “You can read my mind?!”