"Don't try to deceive me!"

The giant beast's eyes widened in anger as it stared at me, as if my actions threatened its existence!

The black and purple-skinned monster seemed as hard as if it had been extracted from a gem, and my wavering mind might touch its movements.

"What nonsense are you babbling about?"

"Stop spouting nonsense, your disguise has been exposed!"

Under my thunderous command, the illusion and the surrounding barrier began to collapse.

"My sister...she is not like this!"

Suddenly, the capillaries all over my body burst!

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Yuanzu quickly locked my neck, trying to take preemptive action before I went berserk.

But he was overly cautious...

I was saved from mental manipulation, in a way.

"I will fulfill all the promises to Nana, but..."

I will never be controlled by that evil spirit pretending to be my sister!

The girl in front of me seemed to have realized that I had uncovered her lies, so she intensified her interfere with my will.

Using my sister's face, she attempted to strip away my last shred of sympathy with a pitiful and gentle demeanor.

"Brother...brother, didn't we agree to always protect each other? Deceiver...deceivers should be burned!"

"I have seen enough of your tricks!"

"What are you talking about, brother? I am your sister...Nana, do you still remember me?"

Although she was unwilling to give up, her lack of confidence was already apparent!

So I sneered and said, somewhat sarcastically.

"My sister...she has never called me brother!"

"Ah...how is that possible? Uh...I mean brother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Hmph, watching her panic and confusion, I couldn't help but feel amused.

"Then let me tell you one more thing, the promise my sister and I made was not about protecting her..."

"...Really? Is there any sister who doesn't want to be protected by her brother?!"

"But my sister is not like that, do you know what she once told me?"

"What...what did she say?"

She is now at a dead end, and I only need to take one final step...

I opened my mouth and awakened the memories that had been buried deep within me.

"When I asked her to let me protect her, she told me, 'I am not weak!'"

"Ah...!"

She was frightened and kept stepping back.

Now the situation had completely shifted in my favor, and I continued my final mental assault on her!

"How could I forget the things we agreed upon! My sister truly wanted us to protect each other!"

The agreement we made was not about one-sided protection, but about being each other's angels. No matter where the world may go, the two of us, siblings, will face it together, through thick and thin!!

"So...!"

I took a step forward, my hands tightly grasping an invisible sword in the air.

Qi, the long-lost sensation of comfort...

From the moment I touched the sword, it felt like every particle of energy in my body understood my words, surrounding and obeying me.

The thought of the evil spirit in front of me defiling my sister in such a way made my blood boil.

Unbeknownst, a nameless anger was burning fiercely in my heart!

The black flame shot up from my brows.

I endured the fiery poison in my eyes and continued to keep them open, even though they had already cracked. I wanted to observe the position of that guy, and then...

"Insulting my sister, insulting Nana... Go repent in the world of eternal damnation, Sword of Demonic Clouds!"

"Ah...!"

An invisible sword, in the moment it struck her body, turned into visible black flames that severed her in half at the waist!

The Sword of Demonic Clouds had the ability to take on various forms.

Its most terrifying aspect was its ability to mimic the opponent's magical weapon. Just by coming into contact with the opponent once, it was able to produce a duplicate version of their weapon.

"Eh, doesn't that make it invincible?!"

"Not really."

After examining the Sword of Demonic Clouds in my hand, the elder touched his chin and said.

"Although the Sword of Demonic Clouds can mimic the opponent's magical weapon, the time it can maintain the mimicry is extremely short. If it's not handled properly..."

As I watched the elder smacking his lips and shaking his head, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

It seemed that the Sword of Demonic Clouds was not as fearsome as the blood of sacrifice sword that I had offered to my teacher.

But then the elder reminded me.

"The Sword of Demonic Clouds ranks last on the list of magic swords, simply because its chances of defeating opponents are the lowest..."

"Uh, is that so?"

Upon hearing the elder's words, my disappointment grew even stronger.

"Don't be disheartened! Although the previous host of the Sword of Demonic Clouds rarely won victories, she was undefeated in battles and always managed to retreat unscathed."

"...Wait a minute, so it's a sword for escaping?"

Indeed, the lifesaving magical sword was quite bizarre. Despite its considerable power, it could only replicate three-fourths of the opponent's unbeatable sword. This skill was pretty much useless in a duel!

Looking at the sword in my hand, which was restless and flickering with black flames, I had initially thought it was so powerful...

"If we're talking about a trump card, your Sword of Demonic Clouds does have one move. With that move, it once snatched the second position away from my blood of sacrifice sword."

"What move? Tell me!"

"Oh dear, why are you in such a hurry? Isn't it natural for a magical sword to have unexpected killing moves?"

"Well, what do you mean then?"

"I don't know."

How is that any different from not saying anything?

He still bid me farewell with an indifferent attitude.

"But that person did use that move when they fought me. It seems to be a very dangerous forbidden technique. As for the rest... it's up to you and your partners."

"Oh... my partners?"

The sword in my hand suddenly trembled twice, as if protesting against me ignoring its actions.

"Yes, is it not enough for me to take the blame?"

I patted the hilt of the sword with my hand to calm it down.

By the way, both Elder Yuan and Senior Lan could sheathe their magical swords, but mine just stayed in my hand like this.

It's certainly an energetic little guy...

"How can I sheathe it like Senior Lan and Elder Yuan?"

"...Buzz!"

As soon as I mentioned sheathing it, the Sword of Demonic Clouds began to tremble uncontrollably in my hand, as though it wanted to break free from my grip.

"Well, if you don't like it, then forget it..."

Although I was complimenting on the surface, deep down I was still pondering.

This damn magic sword is really troublesome!

I think about it, how unreasonable it is for me to restrain her for my own desires (just for convenience) ... the sword's (actually I mean someone else's) freedom.

"Do you also like being outside instead of being alone?"

...

I find it strange that I actually want to have a real conversation with a sword, how is that possible?!

"If you have some free time, why not go back to the Imperial City and take a look?"

Although I can't accurately calculate the current date, I can estimate that it has been almost a month since I left.

Because I haven't had contact with sunlight for a long time, my skin has become pale like a vampire.

If I don't go back soon...

"No one will miss me... maybe Teacher Fuyu will!"

Disappointed as I may be, fortunately, I have a slight ability to console myself.

At this moment, in the biology department on the third floor of the Durma Academy in the Imperial City.

"Achoo!!"

Teacher Fuyu infused a layer of faint light-emitting energy shield on the surface of her skin to resist the cold.

"Hmm...? It's not even cold, yet I sneezed... hehe, someone must be cursing me behind my back, right?"

But upon careful consideration, she realized that she didn't seem to like anyone even among the teachers, and she didn't even have any acquaintances!

With this topic in mind, Teacher Fuyu leaned her elbow on the desk and rested her fist against her forehead, deep in thought.

"Could it be..."

After analyzing various situations from the recent period, she speculated.

"Someone secretly admires me? Hehehe!"

She guessed wrong...

Returning to me, the only problem now is how to deal with the magic cloud sword that refuses to return to my body.

Although magic swords and ordinary magical tools have powers that can't be compared on the same level, they are similar in nature.

That is, when summoned, magical tools will have certain effects on the surrounding environment.

For example, a plant attribute magical tool will cause weeds to grow in the surrounding area.

Psychokinetic magical tools will interfere with the barrier in the Imperial City.

Berserk magical tools are prone to causing the user to go berserk, and the berserk-type sorcerer's magical tools happen to be strong attacking weapons like giant swords and axes, once they go berserk, even an A-rank sorcerer may not be able to withstand the berserk aura!

After a headache-inducing deliberation, I focused my attention on the sword sheath on the ground that was not yet damaged.

Fortunately, the imitation sword sheath made by the original owner is still intact, only the sword is broken.

Ah, this is a perfect opportunity to equip it with a new one!

So I picked it up. I heard that it can seal the aura of magical tools, so I'll let my magic sword stay quietly in this sheath since she doesn't want to be taken back.

After brushing off some dust on the top, this became the new home for the magic cloud sword.

"Hehe, it feels like I finally have a place for my pet to live!"

"Humming..."

"Just kidding, why so serious!"

After fixing the tidied up sword sheath on my back, this is the last time anyway, since the original owner can't find it, I'll just forget about it.

But I should at least say goodbye to Senior Lan Qiurao, shouldn't I?

Although we often have conflicts, Lan Qiurao has always taken care of me in many ways. It feels... like having a real sister.

Sometimes I want to rely on her because her wild personality gives me a sense of security.

I feel a bit reluctant to say goodbye at this moment...

But I must pull myself together. If I indulge in it, it will only backfire!

"Maybe it's better not to say goodbye after all."

That's what I said, but I couldn't forget her deep black eyes. In such a short time, she became the target I have been chasing...

In these seemingly extraordinary trials, what I have learned... is not just how to become stronger!

With this in mind, I gathered strength and fiercely punched the ground at the edge of the cliff where I had been training, channeling all of my energy into my fist!

"Hyah!"

Boom!

After a series of thunderous roars, the large chunk of land protruding from the edge of the cliff crumbled and fell into the lava lake below.