Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey
Chapter 251: Because I'm Strongest

Yato stopped and turned back at me with his eyes wide, this would be the first I had seen him surprised.

"were you leaving under a rock all this time?"

"W-What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"Even little kids know this." Yato shook his head and said," This is the place where the first war against demons had taken place."

'WHAT?'

Yato's revelation echoed in my mind like a thunderclap. The serene landscape around me suddenly held layers of history, veiled by the beauty of the Western mountain range.

"The first war against demons?" I repeated, my eyes widening with astonishment. The implications of such a revelation were immense, shattering my preconceived notions of the mountains merely acting as a natural barrier.

Yato nodded solemnly. "Long ago, this very region was the battleground where humans, united with magical beings, faced the demonic invasion. It was a war that determined the fate of our world."

I tried to grasp the weight of his words. The snow-laden peaks, once just a scenic backdrop, now held echoes of an ancient struggle.

"Countless lives were lost, sacrifices made, and alliances forged," Yato continued. "The remnants of that conflict still linger in the form of powerful magical creatures and remnants of demonic energy."

I see, well, in that case, this isn't my fault to some extent, before the main story started I just wrote that the war against demons was taken 50 years ago but I didn't write a date or place where the war was taken.

"Well, anyway that isn't the reason I asked you to walk with me," Yato said as he looked at the distance pick of the mountain.

"Then what is the real reason?" I asked in puzzlement if he wanted to say he should have in the face instead of out here.

"Lucas, take a few steps back and watch don't close your eyes," Yato said as he took out a black colour sword.

I realized that something had changed about Master.

His sword.

Master was holding a sword in his right hand. There was no guard. It was made only with a hilt and a blade. Unlike other swords that were transparent like mirrors, Master's sword was pitch black.

It was a sword that refused to be transparent.

It was my first time seeing it.

I flinched back when I looked into his eyes, they were glowing blue colour, and the atmosphere around us changed as Yato let out a small about killing intent.

The killing intent was toward me but I could feel it.

It was suffocating...

The air around us grew heavy as Yato's eyes glowed with an intense blue light, and the killing intent emanating from him became palpable. I took a few steps back, my eyes fixed on the ominous transformation in both his gaze and the atmosphere.

"Don't close your eyes," Yato emphasized, his voice carrying a weight that matched the oppressive aura surrounding us.

As I observed, I noticed the black sword he held took on an eerie quality, a subtle red line tracing its edge. It was a stark contrast to the serene snowy landscape, signaling a shift like our surroundings.

Master exhaled.

The breath shed at dawn was white.

In the white sky, high mountain peaks rose.

Master raised his sword.

"What will happen now? I wonder."

He swung the sword.

It was a sluggish gesture.

Master's sleeves were long, so it took a long time for them to follow his hand movements. When the black sleeves fluttered in the air, the time in the world seemed to have stopped. In the frozen air, Master's sleeves moved freely.

"Burn this place."

-SLASH!

-BOOM!

The snowy mountain was cut.

The snow peak, which did not bear trees nor reveal rocks, which had no meaning except for just being there, was cut.

The screams of the snow-covered mountains resembled thunder. Following the echoing scream, was a pure white explosion. The snowy mountain collapsed, starting from the peak, causing a wave of snow to fall, and the waves built upon each other and fell apart in layers. It continued to collapse. A blizzard created by a person, not the heavens, greeted the dawn.

The echoes of the collapsing mountain reverberated through the air, and I stood there, eyes wide, witnessing the spectacle Master had unleashed. The serene landscape transformed into chaos as the snowy peaks succumbed to the force of his sword.

As the last remnants of the mountain settled, I struggled to replace words. The destructive power Master wielded was beyond anything I had imagined. The once-majestic mountain now lay in disarray, a testament to the raw might of magical combat.

Master sheathed his black sword, the eerie red line fading with the weapon's concealment. The ominous atmosphere surrounding us lifted, but the impact of the demonstration lingered.

"What... just happened?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely audible over the aftermath of the magical devastation.

Master turned to me, his eyes no longer aglow, but their intensity held an unwavering resolve. "This is a power of grade 5* Sword Art.

I nodded, still trying to grasp the enormity of what I had witnessed. The demonstration went beyond the conventional understanding of magic; it was a display of dominance over nature itself.

"what the name of sword art is this?" I asked with excitement in my voice.

When writing a [Blade of Destiny] I had created a few grade 5* sword art but this is different from them.

This is the first time I've seen it.

Master Yato looked at me with a grave expression, his gaze piercing through the aftermath of the magical destruction. "Lucas, the sword art I just used is a forbidden sword art. No one in the world should use this sword art and anyone found that they are using it would be sentenced to death by [World Government.]"

A goosebumps, that's what I felt when master said. If it is forbidden sword art, then why the master is using it? Why would the World Government give a death sentence to its user?

Master Yato's words hung heavily in the air, and a shiver ran down my spine. The revelation that the sword art he had just demonstrated was forbidden added an extra layer of complexity to the already mystifying situation.

"Why would you use a forbidden sword art, Master?" I questioned, my voice tinged with both concern and curiosity.

"Well, I do not use it actually. This is a sword art that one belongs to a demon actually. 8 years ago when that demon begged for his life as I was about to kill him, He said he would give me a demon sword art if I let him live." Yato said as he started to explain how did he got his hands on the demon sword art.

Yato's revelation about the origin of the forbidden sword art left me in a state of disbelief. A demon's offer, a bargain struck during a life-and-death situation, added a layer of complexity to the unfolding tale.

"Why would you accept such an offer, Master?" I asked, my eyes searching for understanding during the lingering aftermath.

Yato's expression remained stoic, his eyes reflecting the weight of past decisions. "The demon's sword art was a powerful and ancient technique, something that could aid in protecting our world from future threats. At the time, the potential benefits outweighed the risks."

As he continued his explanation, Yato shared the details of the pact he had made with the demon, the intricate details of the forbidden sword art, and the consequences it carried. "The demon's name was Nihilus. He belonged to a lineage of demons known for their mastery of dark arts. The sword art he offered me was a part of their forbidden legacy."

"So did you let that demon live?"

Yato looked at me and chuckled "Haha, Of course not. After getting the sword art from him I killed him right there, in fact, this sword also belonged to him."

I absorbed Yato's revelation about the origin of the demon sword art, a tale of dark bargains and ancient legacies. The realization that the very sword he wielded had once belonged to the demon Nihilus added another layer of intrigue to our journey.

"Why did you kill him, Master?" I asked, my voice reflecting a mix of curiosity and unease.

Yato's eyes held a flicker of remorse. "Nihilus was a threat to our world, and his dark intentions could not be allowed to persist. Despite the bargain we struck, I couldn't risk the consequences of leaving him alive. The forbidden nature of the demon sword art was a reminder of the darkness that lingered within his lineage."

"So because this sword art is from the demon that is why the World Government gave you a threat?" I asked as I remembered the word he had said Master had said earlier.

Death sentences, if someone is found using the forbidden sword art.

"A threat? Lucas do you think your master is scared of something like a mere threat? Let me tell you something they knew I have this weird but they still can't do anything against me, ask me why?"

"Why Master?"

An arrogant smirk comes to Yato's face.

"Because I'm strongest."