Chapter 18: The Holy Sword—Vanquishing Evil (Extra Chapter by the Clan Leader)
“Resolve this case within seven days.” Lyon’s bold declaration was not mere bluster; he had solid grounds to back it up.
As Lyon had hoped, the talents recruited were no ordinary individuals in the real world. With these key players, Lyon finally felt confident enough to carry out his audacious “great purge” plan.
In fact, having a new set of cards in hand, not only did Lyon feel more assured about closing the severed-tail case, but for the first time, he harbored hope of completing the main quest: sealing the underground evil god.
With these high-quality pieces on the board, perhaps he wouldn’t even need to step forward himself; the underground evil god could be eliminated by others.
After all, this was their country, their home—they ought to care more deeply and bear greater responsibility.
“The Dragon Huntress is quite a problem; her identity must be far from ordinary. Is she Sister Lena...?” The other party’s instinctive address betrayed much.
The Dream Tour of the Heroic Soul Compendium was limited—it could be declined, and its scope confined to this city alone.
The biggest catch this time was undoubtedly that girl who, although a Dragonborn, harbored inexplicable, intense hatred towards the dragon race.
Certain facts further confirmed her unusual identity.
“A holy relic of the sacred power magic, and cursed gauntlets that grant immense strength? Very well.”
Despite the Shadow裁’s bizarre demands, she agreed outright, fully confident she could acquire them, and added,
“I should have them soon, perhaps by tomorrow night... but are you ready to expose yourself?”
Her implication was clear: Are you prepared to reveal your true identity? Is this material truly worth such a risk?
“Of course.” The female officer’s unhesitating reply earned Sur quite a bit of satisfaction.
In that moment, under the watchful eyes of many, Sur even nodded unconsciously... and a few sharp little ones caught this subtle exchange.
These clever youngsters likely noticed Sur’s preferences and evaluation criteria.
The unhidden microexpressions were intentional hints and signals from the Heroic Souls themselves.
Each Heroic Soul was once a hero, naturally possessing their own likes; and “steadfast justice” meant fairness and righteousness.
If the Dragon Huntress truly exploited her support and intelligence advantages to eliminate other candidates, she would be naturally disqualified and lose all chances for future Heroic Soul candidacy.
Indeed, there were multiple Heroic Soul candidates, and multiple inheritances of the Heroic Soul existed.
The Dragon Huntress had been led into a trap—or rather, she was still actively leaking information.
Even if she failed this time, the next batch of candidates would still be allowed into the Hall of Heroes as alternates.
Even continual failure held numerous benefits... what exactly, the little Dragon Huntress spoke mysteriously, and Lyon guessed she herself didn’t fully understand.
“Perhaps she’s currently eager to gather specific intelligence.”
Thanks to the “Dragon Huntress,” Lyon’s operation gained direction and uncovered intelligence even he was unaware of, perfecting his plan and deception.
He also intended to keep a close, long-term eye on this little girl’s instincts... not to mention the racial evolution formulas for Dragonborn, something he hadn’t even dared hope for.
“Let’s see what we harvest first. Once I get the ‘Paladin Set,’ I’ll have some combat power... ha, old fellow, is this your old tsundere nature showing?”
Sur vented his frustrations at Lyon throughout the night. Though the night’s training yielded limited progress, after countless deaths, Lyon easily crossed the boundary between warrior and ordinary man.
This was actually the toughest hurdle; many warriors performed poorly on the battlefield.
Previously, Lyon had relied on Heroic Soul possession to get by; now, without them, he was a warrior who could face life and death on his own.
“Time for morning training to assess my progress.”
Sunlight warmed his shoulders, the sound of footsteps on the grass bringing him back as if to a dream.
---
Familiar courtyard of his new home, the morning light and dew sharpened his senses.
“Ha.”
He needed to swing his sword, to train, to reacclimate his fragile body.
One strike after another.
At this moment, he no longer needed to imagine an opponent.
He tried applying “Wall Breaker” to his sword—Sur’s greatest strength, the core of his entire inheritance system.
“Holy Sword. Evil Cleave... ha, there’s indeed a problem here.”
The so-called “Heaven-Cleaving, Earth-Splitting, God-Slaying” strike was proclaimed as an anti-evil slash but had already been elevated to a mind-soul technique... no, now it was a combat system inherited through the Heroic Soul.
One man, one sword, was enough for his entire life.
“Armor Corrosion, World Shattering, Magic Breaking, City Crumbling, Beast Slaughtering, God Slaying.” This was an overwhelmingly vast and complete system—the essence of Sur’s inheritance, far beyond Lyon’s current ability to integrate.
Mastering it required his mind-soul ability, Wall Breaker.
【Mind Soul – Wall Breaker (Diamond): Your will is your hammer. This extraordinary ability, infused with your will and rage, can partially ignore the opponent’s defenses.】
【Invisible evil cannot simply be ignored? The sins behind walls cannot be dismissed by covering your ears?!】
【No, absolutely not—‘Steadfast Justice’ final words on its last day.】
【Diamond grade additional effect: You can extend its effect to your body and weapons. You can ignore defenses rated below Tier 3. You can drive away weak curses and dark magic with your rage. (This is still not its full extent.)】
It looked terrifyingly powerful; Lyon imagined himself charging like a super locomotive. But this was still a trial phase.
This mind-soul upgrade from Gold to Diamond was neither a gift from Sur nor due to Lyon’s own potential rising.
It was thanks to another gain—finally being able to access the “Lyon Su Mind Soul” in the real world.
【Mind Soul – Thousand-Faced Dragon (Inferior Stone): Allows you to link and use other Lyon Su’s mind soul abilities, gaining a species level boost of +1 in essence, with ability effects reaching 70% of the original. Current link limit: one.】
Alright, it only applies to Lyon Su’s mind soul abilities, and you don’t get to pretend otherwise.
【Thousand-Faced Dragon: Hmph, I’m clearly a good guy with no scheming, yet no one believes me...】
Keep talking; let’s see if Lyon Su believes you!
The species level boost in mind soul abilities raised rank from Gold to Diamond but reduced effectiveness by 30%. Was this an enhancement or a weakening? Perhaps priority increased but range and potency decreased? Though usage scope seemed to have expanded.
“No, it’s an enhancement. The broader usage makes it easier to apply power outside the body.”
It seemed quality trumped quantity.
“Moreover, the Inferior Stone level Thousand-Faced Dragon has this effect. As my species level advances, it will grow stronger. Perhaps one day, I’ll wield Heroic Soul abilities stronger than the originals... just using multiple mind soul abilities simultaneously is already incredible.”
Are mind soul techniques powerful? Sur’s Heaven-Cleaving Earth-Splitting Evil Cleave speaks volumes.
Lyon was now trying to decode this entire system...
【Heroic Soul Inheritance acquired; ‘Armor Corrosion Strike’ skill chain unlocked.】
【Sur: Sword technique? In the darkness, a full-force sword swing is...】
This “armor breaking” concept layered over the Evil Cleave transformed it into a warrior’s combat technique, surpassing imagination.
But how strong was it...
“Boom!”
---
This strike, though wielded with a two-handed longsword and seemingly slow, was actually swift, its momentum akin to a heavy hammer.
Even the immature Armor Corrosion Strike was impressively powerful.
It should pierce through heavy armor and shatter it blow by blow.
Sur had five more such systems for different targets and scenarios—one man, one sword, enough for any foe.
“Infuse the rage against darkness into it, forming a will that destroys all...”
After repeated attempts, Lyon finally lowered his sword. This was beyond his current capacity—ultimately due to insufficient raw attributes.
Moreover, this system’s effectiveness depended on the seemingly unique mind soul ability. Could it truly be taught?
“Heroic Soul Inheritance is unique...”
Even the Heroic Soul Inheritance couldn’t directly grant mind soul abilities, but it had a “dye card”-like feature.
It allowed the inheritor’s mind soul to partially adopt the Wall Breaker’s characteristics, enabling training in this combat system.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to Lyon’s continuously evolving original, but it was usable.
Its strength wasn’t the key; it was the key to Sur’s entire tactical system treasure trove, bestowed only to a successor... Lyon didn’t count—he simply duplicated the treasure and took it.
“Again.”
At least the weakest Armor Corrosion Strike didn’t demand absurd energy and was quite practical.
He silently practiced, unaware that someone was watching from the shadows.
“Sure enough, he’s a Heroic Soul inheritor... lost his mind soul ability due to degeneration, thus failing inheritance. The Hall of Heroes had to find a second batch of successors.”
The one who awakened earlier, the Shadow裁, had long concealed herself in the courtyard’s shadows.
Don’t mistake her for a naïve innocent; she revered light and trusted knights not blindly... well, though she sometimes acted as if blindly devoted, she was a seasoned detective and former adventurer.
Having seen much darkness, she yearned all the more for light.
Upon the Dragon Huntress leaking intelligence and the Heroic Soul Sur hinting that a first batch of inheritors had failed, she immediately thought of Lyon.
This explained why Lyon, though young, possessed astonishing strength and will... how could he not be powerful, nearly succeeding as a Heroic Soul inheritor?
This was Lyon’s own hidden persona... yet he hadn’t even revealed the next “plot,” and she had already tracked him down.
“His sword resembles Lord Sur’s, almost eerily so.”
“Could it be that he and the other inheritors jointly undertook the crusade against the great evil, ultimately failed, the others perished, and he degenerated, losing his abilities... yet still crossed several nations to save this country facing an evil god crisis?”
Well, still the queen of speculative daydreams.
At this moment, she resolved firmly.
“Even if I must expose myself, I will help him regain his strength. Compared to those unreliable candidates, he’s the most suitable to inherit Lord Sur!”
Recalling the so-called Heroic Soul candidates lying on the ground, still bickering, her brow furrowed.
Never had she imagined she’d inherit the Talia tower; her dissatisfaction with other candidates grew.
“Wait, could he be Lord Sur’s overseer outside? Otherwise, how else could Lord Sur score us based on our external situation?”
Her imagination seemed to grow even wilder.
What Lyon hadn’t planned for, she had already filled in.