Darius removed his hand from the sword and returned to reality, shocked by what he had seen. He saw his forgotten past that he had lived but had never remembered.
One of his soldiers called out to him, saying:"Sir, what's wrong? Your expression changed after holding the sword!"
Although time passed incredibly fast for him while reliving the memories, the events were numerous.
Sazaki arrived carrying the glass of water that Darius had asked for, and found him standing in front of the sword. He said:"What are you doing inside the house? Is there something you want that I don't know about?"(noticing Darius's shocked expression)
Suddenly, Darius attacked Sazaki, grabbing him by the neck:"Who are you?! Are you a magician or a demon disguised as a human?!"
The glass fell from Sazaki's hand as he struggled to escape Darius's strong grip, replying with difficulty:"Wha... what are you talking about? Let me go! I didn't do anything!"
The two soldiers who came with Darius were shocked and remained silent at this scene, because Darius was clearly angry and serious.
Darius released Sazaki's neck and held his face in distress, saying:"My life... my life was just a fabricated lie! Who did this to me? How could this happen? And what is the secret of this sword that showed me all of this?"
Darius held his face in anger, a side no one had ever seen before—so weak and fragile. He had always been known for his strong charisma and love for fighting the powerful, but what he saw—his mother's suicide, the burning of the house, his father's death, and the disappearance of his sister whose whereabouts are unknown—all of this affected him psychologically and left his mind confused, asking many questions about the life he had lived for 35 years.
Sazaki did not know what to say, but he realized that Darkiros, the one residing in the sword, had shown him something. Sazaki was the only one capable of holding the sword, as Darius tried with all his strength to carry it but failed.
Darius gathered himself and rushed out of the house toward his horse, saying:"I will know the truth, sooner or later. I will know it from the king!"
His soldiers followed him, even though they did not understand anything that had happened inside the house, heading back toward the capital. Sazaki closed the door behind them, puzzled by what had happened. He tried to hold the sword and communicate with Darkiros, the king of the sword, but without any result. He did not know the reason, but he was certain that he had not yet reached the required power to obtain the sword's strength.
Panic spread among all the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Laionis upon hearing the news of the appearance of the first demon gate. The news also reached other kingdoms, which began preparing their armies for what was coming, fearing that a gate might appear at any moment.
Meanwhile, Kaiser, the future Demon King, continued training day after day. Two months had passed since he entered the demon world, but he had grown rapidly—he was now 16 years old. Time passed faster in the demon world compared to the human world.
Kaiser learned that the first gate had appeared in the human world, and that one soul had been taken, but it was not enough to satisfy his thirst for blood. Day after day, as his control over his powers increased, so did his demonic instincts. He had become different from before after his power merged with that of Bardeiros.
While training with one of the demon army's commanders, who possessed immense strength, Kaiser's power had now surpassed that of his servant Mayoka, who had previously helped him grow stronger in his early training, as training was no longer effective for him.
After hours of training against one of the demon commanders, Kaiser decided to take a break and speak with Baikola, the demon commander he had been training with.
Baikola said:"My lord, it is an honor to train with you. It increases my motivation and strength, and I hope I have been of use to you."
Kaiser replied:"Are you the strongest commander currently in the demon army, Baikola?"
Baikola answered:"Yes, my lord. Currently, I am the strongest among the commanders, in the absence of the five great guardians of King Bardeiros."
Kaiser responded, surprised:"I have no idea who they are. Who are they, and where are they now?"
Baikola replied:"They were all sealed in the human world after we were sealed in this world, my lord. But there are rumors that when the Demon King arrives in the human world, their seals will be broken and they will join him. They are extremely powerful, close to King Bardeiros in strength, though not equal to him. In the end, he is the one who chose them and granted them their power."
He then continued with a serious and cautious tone:"However, besides those five guardians, there is a sixth one who is missing. He betrayed our king, Bardeiros, and he is the strongest among them."
Kaiser asked:"He betrayed Bardeiros? Why? And who is this person? Is he that powerful?"
Baikola replied, his eyes filled with seriousness and caution:"His power is very close to that of our king—so much that he attempted to overthrow him. I will tell you a bit about him, my lord..."
To be continued...