The Sword Saint's Second Life As a Fox Girl

Ugh… Ivan Soze groaned, or at least he did in his head. He groaned some more, but all that came out were voices in his head. He tried again, but he heard no sounds coming from his mouth, which brought him to his next disconcertment. He couldn’t feel his mouth. He tried moving other parts of his body, but there was nothing. He felt nothing. It was as if only his mind and consciousness existed, and he no longer had a physical body.

Bullshit…

Ivan refused to accept such a bizarre turn of events. He reached out his mind, desperate to connect with any part of his body. After some strenuous effort, he felt his head move. He successfully moved his head, even though it was barely a nudge. At the same time, he felt a strange pressure compressing his head and a sharp, intense heat permeating around him. It was truly strange. The amount of pressure and the intensity of the heat should hurt. He should be screaming in agony by now, but he didn’t. Or rather, he couldn’t.

Ah… that happened.

Ivan remembered. He remembered Argon cutting his head off before setting him on fire. It wasn’t just any fire. It was the flame of the Spirits. He remembered the agony he felt in despair. He couldn’t scream or flail. He could only endure the pain as his mind gradually broke apart. He should have died. Anyone would have. Yet, he lived. He didn’t know if he was still breathing, but he still had his consciousness.

No other parts of his body moved, no matter how hard Ivan tried. Some time went by. Probably only a few minutes. He wasn’t getting any better. He was as helpless as he was a few minutes ago. This was no way to live, but he couldn’t die.

D-damn you… Argon… Damn y-you… Katya…

Ivan felt the blaze of fury burn as strong as ever in his heart, if it was even still there. He hated his friend for ruining him and his once more. As for his lover, he hated how she rejected him. She would rather die than live with him, all because he was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

H-how ungrateful!

If he could grit his teeth, he would. But alas, he couldn’t. There was nothing that he could do except await his uncertain death.

“What a waste.”

Ivan froze and widened his eyes, proverbially. He heard a voice, and it was no voice of his own.

“You came so far. You intend to submit to your despair now?”

As if I have other choices… Just… who are you anyway?

“You can call me Heka. And I’m here to help. And yes, I’m a demon. And no, I can’t hear your thoughts. However, I can make quite a good guess.”

What do you want in return?

“We seek a worthy host to ferry us into the overworld. We seek a harbinger that will herald our advent. We seek a sovereign who will lead us to victory. We found a prospect, but he did well to hide from us. We sought the prospect for centuries, but the search had come to an end. We have found another. You.”

Me?

“You bore the gift of our divine, the Demon God. You bore Dark Well.”

…So, that thing was indeed the Demon God… how predictable…

“Now, what will you do, human? No, that’s a foolish question. I should inquire, when do we begin?”

Now, you bastard. Begin now.

Heka laughed, as if he heard Ivan’s retort and found it amusing. “Oh, don’t worry about losing yourself. You won’t. Your mind will still be yours. As long as the destination is our advent, the paths do not matter. Now, go forth, human!”

Ivan’s upper body jolted upwards as he gasped deeply for air. Then, he fell back on the ground with his seared red eyes wide open. His mouth fell agape. He screamed, but there was no sound. He kept screaming without a voice… until his voice returned. The birds flew into the air, and the little critters scattered away from him. He sprang up to his feet as his charred body gradually returned to normal. However, his body did not return to exactly the way it was. Dark reddish veins now ran along his body, and his eyes were as black as the night with pupils like two deep pools of fresh blood.

Heka gasped in delight. “At last, I am free!”

Ivan frowned and looked around. He saw no one.

Heka snickered. “Don’t be shocked. I’m not physically free. I am within you. You can treat me like a passenger on a carriage. You are the coach, the cart, and the horses. I am just a helpless passenger with plenty of advice to offer.”

“Advice me this, demon. What do I do to get back my lost love? You are within me. You know my story, don’t you?”

“Indeed, I do know your tale. I can glimpse into your memories as much as you allow me to. Hmm.. Yes. You have quite the complicated love and— ah, this is… curious.”

“What is it?”

“Your… friend? The one who cut your head off.”

“He’s no friend of mine. Not anymore. What about him?”

“Him?”

“Him, her. Same difference. What about him?”

“To retrieve your love, you must first defeat her— him. However, that would be difficult even with you current strength.”

“Fuck off!” Ivan exploded. “Are you fucking serious!?”

“Spirits are the bane of Demons, and she is a beacon for all Spirits. Even if her skills are unrefined or absent, her influence over the Spirits alone would be difficult for any demons.”

“Even you?”

“Even me.”

Ivan clicked his tongue. “Useless.”

“Ah, not quite. Just because a direct confrontation is pointless. It doesn’t mean there are no more paths for us to take.”

“Then, start telling these other paths before I regret this alliance.”

Heka tittered. “Don’t worry, my dear friend. You won’t regret this. If anything, you will be forever grateful that I came to you.”

****

“What was the sound?” Aedan asked, glancing behind him as he trekked through the forest. “That was a scream, wasn’t it?”

“It is. It’s Ivan’s scream,” Erin answered nonchalantly.

“Ivan’s alive?” Katya gasped. She tried to look behind, but it was difficult for her to do so in her current state, which was being in the arms of Erin. A bridal carry, or so Aedan had muttered when Erin carried Katya in such a way. Erin and Katya had never been married, and they had never been to a wedding ceremony. So, they simply took his word for it.

“It would appear so.”

“Why are you so calm, Argon?”

“...Should I be panicking instead?”

“Uh… N-no… That’s not what I meant…”

Erin shrugged. “It’s not like I didn’t expect this. Demons don’t die that easily. It’s one of their defining traits.”

“Then… can he be killed?”

“Everything and everyone can be killed,” Aedan answered. “It’s just a matter of the means.”

“Do we have the means?”

Aedan looked at Erin.

She looked back.

Aedan broke into a wry smile. “Not at the moment. Ah, look. We have arrived.”

They came out of the woods, for this side. They came upon a river with waters running like a stampede. The waters were deep. It wouldn’t be possible for them to wade through. Swimming was not an option either, as the current was too strong. Thankfully, there was a stone bridge, but taking the bridge had its own disadvantages.

“There’s a bridge,” Katya pointed out. “Why are we stopping? The bridge is right there.”

“The bridge is too open. Our position and vulnerability will be exposed.”

“Are we expecting more confrontation?”

“This is a dangerous world, Katya,” Erin said. “Our world was already dangerous enough, but this is even more so. You won’t survive long if you let your guard down, especially when you’re in the wilderness.”

“I know that much. Still, do we have to be this careful?”

Aedan and Erin exchanged a glance. They both nodded in understanding without even exchanging a single word. They decided to cross the bridge. There was no other way. There was another way, but it would require passing through the hills where the noble residences were, where they had just come from. That area would be swarming with soldiers by now, and they absolutely couldn’t be discovered by the soldiers, not with Katya among them. Her identity would be questioned, and things would only get more complicated from then on.

Instead of walking, they made haste across the bridge. There was no time to waste with the resurrected Marsh behind them, and it was foolish to dawdle on a bridge with stronger waters underneath. The bridge was long, around a dozen yards. It shook a little as they crossed it. Suddenly, Erin stopped and passed Katya into Aedan’s arms.

“Run,” she said.

Aedan nodded without arguing and continued running.

Then, something burst through the surface of the water and landed in front of Erin.

“Found you, thief!” snarled the blue-skinned man with white hair and webbed limbs.

“...Irmin,” Erin muttered. It had been quite some time, but she still remembered his name. Irmin, a True Naga.

“Where is it!?” the Naga growled.

“Where’s what?”

“Where’s the Kirin, thief!?”

“Oh, she’s yours?” Erin snorted. “Should have taken better care of her. You did just leave her by herself when you ran away.”

“Where is it!?” Irmin roared.

Erin eyed him with an unperturbed gaze. “Being louder won’t get you the answer you seek. But please, by all means, scream louder.”

“I show you mercy and you spat on it. You and your friends will not be leaving this forest alive.”

Erin raised an eyebrow. “There’s more of you?”

“You and your friends had made an awful lot of enemies, thief.”

“Just more bodies to bury, nothing new.”

“Enough words! Die!” Irmin lunged.

Her opponent was full of openings, and Erin found it strange. With the amount of time she had before Irmin’s claws reached her, she could manifest her sword, draw it, and swing it. And it would be the end for Irmin. It was too good to be true.

And it was. Torrents of water rose from the river. The swerved and streaked through the air like serpents, diving towards Erin.

“Oh, fuck. Of fucking course!” Seeing no other way, Erin rushed at the caster of this strange water spell.

“Fool!” Irmin sneered and summoned water from the river to surround him.

Erin swung her blade at Irmin, but the water slowed her attack considerably.

The water torrent came crashing down on Erin. With the amount of force behind each torrent, even steel would be crushed. However, Erin was not a greenhorn. She unleashed her Aura Domain. Violet burst forth from her. The water torrents broke down into a huge splash of rain. While the water barrier protecting Irmin also lost its form and became a puddle on the ground.

“W-wait!” Irmin shouted.

Erin didn’t listen. There was no point to. She let her blade continue in its path, and just before the tip could reach the Naga’s neck, she had to step aside. A bolt of water struck where she had been. The ground shattered with a small hole imprinted in the destruction’s wake.

“You have gotten careless, brother.”

Erin turned and faced the new assailant. She had already guessed as much when she sensed the water magic and the words that came out from the assailant’s mouth. Another Naga. He looked just like Irmin. Erin could barely tell them apart if the other Naga didn’t have a scar on his face.

“Don’t let your guard down, Irsul. She has gotten stronger than the last time I fought her.”

“No matter now. With both of us here, she’ll be no match for us. Now, dear Fae, tell us where the gift of Astranis is, and perhaps we will be merciful.”

“Gift of Astranis?”

“The Kirin that you have stolen from us.”

Erin frowned with a grimace. “Stolen from you? Shouldn’t it be kidnap? You made it sound like she’s an object.”

“Object or not, that’s not your concern, Fae. Hand it over.”

Erin smirked. “If you want her back so badly, you will have to kill me for it.”