#1059 A Holy Sword’s Murmur EX

My name’s Annihilating-Holy Sword Siebengrün.

I’m one of the Seven Holy Swords forged by the Underworld God, Hades.

We Seven Holy Swords are destined to destroy each other.

We battle, win, crush, and snap our foes in half, devouring their essence to power ourselves up.

At the end of this destructive path lies the ultimate prize...the True Holy Sword.

Our clashes exist to birth this ultimate weapon.

Only the last sword standing gets the golden ticket to evolve into the True Holy Sword after countless fights.

And naturally, that sword is going to be me, Siebengrün.

I was all set to shatter the other holy swords and become the ultimate. But just as I was gearing up, my road to glory hit a major roadblock.

A god from the heavens...the War God Velesares had the nerve to snatch me up to the celestial realm.

It was all a ploy by the celestial gods to stop the True Holy Sword from being completed.

If even one of the Seven Holy Swords is missing, the battles can’t conclude, and the True Holy Sword can’t be formed by gobbling up all the others.

With this sneaky yet effective move, the completion of the True Holy Sword was postponed for centuries.

And there I was, shelved in the heavens, feeling frustrated.

But after all that patience-testing time, a chance finally came knocking.

For reasons beyond me, the very god who kidnapped me, Velesares, decided to send me back down to earth.

He even entrusted me to a human girl.

I questioned his sudden change of heart, but unexpected luck is still luck.

No way was I gonna let this opportunity slip by.

Well, well, celestial gods—you’ve really shot yourselves in the foot this time.

Now that I’m free, nothing can stop me.

I’ll smash and consume all the other holy swords.

I’ll complete my evolution into the True Holy Sword.

Time to make up for those lost centuries!!!

My new partner, chosen to wield me, is a girl from another world named Momoko.

Not a local, apparently summoned from a completely different realm.

She’s a girl, but she’s got skills, and there’s a fiery ambition in her eyes.

I thought she’d make a perfect match as my wielder.

With Momoko’s power combined with mine, we’ll turn the tide in the Holy Sword War and snag the top spot!

The goal is right within reach.

...Or so I thought.

As it turns out, the journey was way tougher than expected, filled with losses and detours that ate up even more time.

Lately, Momoko’s been ditching me to fight bare-handed, rambling on about women’s pro wrestling.

I was starting to think my path to becoming the True Holy Sword was blocked for good, but today, fortune smiled upon me once more!

Wait a sec—that’s one of my own kind!

Isn’t that the Furious-Holy Sword, Einrot, one of the Seven Holy Swords?!

After centuries, I’ve finally found another comrade!

I’m so thrilled!

I’m not alone anymore!

There are others who share my ambition!!!

...Hold on, let’s not lose my cool here.

We might be comrades, but we’re ‘comrades’ spelled as ‘rivals.’

Ultimately, one of us must fall, offering ourselves as a sacrifice to the victor who becomes the True Holy Sword.

And naturally, I’ll be the one accepting that sacrifice!

Bring it on, Furious-Holy Sword Einrot!

Let’s settle the score that’s been on hold for so long!!!

“Oh? If it isn’t Siebengrün! Long time no see!”

What? That voice...

Wicked-Holy Sword Dreischwartz?!

Another one of my archrivals right here?!

But what’s going on?! When holy swords meet, we’re destined to fight until one of us breaks!

So why are you two just hanging out together like best buds?!

Don’t you and your wielders understand our very purpose?!

Have you forgotten our mission to become the True Holy Sword?!

“Y’know, it’s kinda hard to take that seriously coming from the main reason everything got delayed in the first place.”

Gnnnnngh!

That was... due to circumstances beyond my control...!

Besides, it’s classic for the main act to appear last, right?

“Sure, but in battle royales, there’s always that one sneaky sword who thinks they can hide and let the others duke it out first. But guess what? Those crafty ones are usually the first to get knocked out.”

I never had such underhanded thoughts! I was kept away against my will!

“Whether you joined early or late doesn’t matter. In the end, the holy swords’ battles were indefinitely suspended without any clear winner.”

Indefinitely suspended?!

What are you talking about?!

We’re supposed to fight—it’s our destiny! What are we supposed to do if we stop fighting?!

“Well, you have a point, but think about it. Why were we fighting in the first place?”

Uh, because we were created by Hades to help the demons crush the humans.

Hades is the patron deity of the demons.

So it stands to reason that the holy swords forged by Hades would fight to help the demons and crush the humans, right?

“But the humans have already been defeated by the demons.”

Ah-

“So, there’s no need for us holy swords to battle anymore, right?”

Now that you mention it...!

Even I’ve been traveling the world with Momoko, my wielder, so I’ve got a pretty good grasp of the situation.

From what I’ve gathered, the war between humans and demons ended ages ago... and the demons won!

I guess I should be saying “Congratulations,” but this just doesn’t sit right with me!

Wasn’t it necessary for one of us Seven Holy Swords to become the True Holy Sword to defeat the humans?!

Don’t tell me they beat them without us! Is that the punchline here?!

“Actually, the True Holy Sword was completed. Thanks to that, the pesky holy barrier the humans had was destroyed, letting the demons go on the offensive.”

What?!

I thought the True Holy Sword couldn’t be formed unless we fought until only one remained!

“My master reforged the broken Sechsweiss and Fünfviolett, bringing them back as True Holy Swords.”

Can we please stop with the enigmatic bombs? I don’t even know where to start!  

Reviving broken holy swords?!

Turning them into True Holy Swords?!

That’s... that’s just crazy!

“And me? By teaming up with my current master, I’ve powered up to a level nearly equal to the True Holy Sword. It’s only natural since my master can draw out the hidden potential of anything he wields.”

This is making less and less sense!

What about my grand quest to become the ultimate sword by defeating all of you?!

“Oh, and Einrot over there has become something entirely different—a ‘Natto Holy Sword.’“

A... Natto Holy Sword???

I can’r help but parrot back in disbelief!

What on earth is a ‘Natto Holy Sword’?!

How does that even happen?!

“Well, Einrot had smashed four holy swords and was closest to becoming the True Holy Sword, but luck wasn’t on their side when my master showed up. As Einrot helped their current master with dieting, they got super into natto and transformed into the holy sword symbolizing fermented soybeans!!!”

What are you even saying?!

Do you hear yourself right now?!

“Nailed it! Exactly!!”

That’s not something to be proud of!

So, Einrot, is it okay for us, created by Hades for a grand mission, to just ditch it all and become...

Natto enthusiasts?!

“All is natto; natto is the answer to everything...!”

There’s no hope for this sword!

...

Well, I guess that’s how it is!

Now that the demons have won and peace is here, we holy swords don’t need to force ourselves to fight anymore!

Peace is awesome!

Hooray for peace!

Maybe I’ll just kick back and enjoy being a holy sword from now on!!!