F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 226: Curse Lifted

Daru’s jaws were still clenched hard.

Rocante’s greatsword was still pressing down on him...and time still seemed to be proceeding very, very slowly as he struggled with a decision that could potentially save the entire hunt — the lives of his remaining comrades, his own life, and the future of the folks of Egress.

Everything rested on a single decision.

==

Name: Blossom Bracelet

Type: Bracelet Accessory

Tier: A

Level Requirement: 60

Description: A bracelet woven from hardened petals, still fragrant with a forbidden bloom. Once worn by a prince undone by indulgence, it quietly coaxes greater virtue from every herb it touches.

Effects:

+10 Strength

+5 Dexterity

+5 Agility

+5 Stamina

+5 Vitality

-5 Perception

-10 Luck

Innate Abilities:

[Bloom-Soaked Remedy] - Increases the effectiveness of Herb-type consumables by 50%.

Cooldown: 5 seconds.

==

Name: Sinflower

Type: Consumable

Tier: A

Level Requirement: None

Description: A rare blossom that exudes a sweet, overwhelming perfume, said to bloom only where desire festers unchecked. Its petals promise bliss and vitality, yet each use deepens a quiet hunger, binding the consumer ever closer to the flower’s enthralling call.

Effects:

Instantly Recover 30% hitpoints

Gain a 20% bonus in Stamina and Hitpoint regeneration

Gain a 20% bonus in Strength

[Muddled Mind] Debuff

Duration of Effectiveness: 120 seconds

==

Aftereffects:

[I Need My Fix] - Severe exhaustion for six hours; can be cured by consuming another Sinflower, but withdrawal time doubles with each use.

==

These were the two items he obtained from killing Saphoros...both of which he vowed never to use, as he would be going against his own values.

Yet, doing so seemed to be the only way to salvage the situation.

He could save his comrades and their long-awaited return to the surface if he chose to go against his principles this one time.

If only he would take a sniff of the Sinflower while wearing the Blossom Bracelet...

The solution was within his capabilities, so why...why was it so difficult to just...to just do it?!

’Damn it!’ Daru cursed legitimately for the first time in a long, long while, but in the end, he sighed as a realization dawned upon him.

Pride...was not worth a comrade’s life.

Not now and not ever, and if not now, then when would he be adaptable?

Must Caleb and Lesha’s blood spill, too, before he would learn his lesson?

His sword was flowing, so why wasn’t he flowing like his sword? Why was he as stubborn as a mountain?

Fixation is the root of defeat.

He had long known this and had even incorporated it into his combat style, so why was he himself so fixed?

As he guided his great foe’s greatsword to the ashen ground and slipped away, a notification appeared in front of him.

[Your curse: [Tainted Soul (Pride)] has been lifted.]

Unfortunately, Daru didn’t have the time to look at it, immediately sprinting away while requesting through the white ribbon:

"Buy me some time."

His comrades didn’t know what he was up to, but they believed he must have a plan.

Although neither of the two voiced it, they acknowledged deep inside that in crucial situations, it was always Daru and his bold ideas who got them through their predicaments in the cemetery raid operations.

Perhaps he truly could pull them through this ordeal, too, if they could buy him some time. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Strangely, with a few simple words from Daru, the two Damnedlings’ fighting spirits were reignited.

The operation could still be saved!

In the next moment, both Caleb and Lesha snarled, the former courageously climbing atop Rocante’s head, plunging his gray jian into the hulking horror’s eyes.

The latter, on the other hand, jumped off the abominable swordsman’s body, grunting as she stabbed both her weapons deep into the mighty horror’s huge palms.

Lesha then pulled down with both momentum and what little weight her wretched body had, giving Caleb enough time to jump off.

Before Rocante could understand what happened, he was already unable to see with his left eye, and two Damnedlings were in front of him, preventing him from pursuing his fleeing target.

But no matter.

He shall finish the two flies first, then the slightly larger fly.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a bracelet made of petals materialized on Daru’s left wrist as he skidded to a halt, pulling a small flower out of thin air and placing it before his nose.

Then...he sniffed hard.

Warm energies coursed through him the next moment, unknown whether caused by embarrassment or the instant HP restoration.

Either way, Daru felt good.

Really good.

By the time he was done "consuming" the Sinflower, he was chuckling to himself, his eyes a little bloodshot.

"Leave the big bastard to me!" he exclaimed through the white ribbon with a hint of wild abandon in his tone.

His rather crude wording surprised the two, but they still sounded like sweet, sweet salvation in their ears.

It was simply way too much trouble holding Rocante down for even three seconds.

The two had a very close brush or two with death in those few seconds, admiration for Daru budding in their hearts.

Simply standing in front of the darned horror to face him was already a daunting task, after all, so what more fighting him for minutes?

A massive ash cloud billowed as Caleb and Lesha barely dodged the final downward chop they had to deal with by rolling to the side, using the momentum of the residual force to retreat.

As for Daru, he was already rushing straight at Rocante with a mad grin of his own, way too enthusiastic in relieving his comrades.

’This is [Muddled Mind]? It isn’t so bad! Hahaha!’

He truly felt great and more courageous. Perhaps way too much for his own good.

However, wouldn’t the results speak for themselves?

"Prepare yourself, brute!"

Without hesitation, Daru jumped, barrel-rolling twice and slashing down.

Due to his newfound boldness, his momentum was greater.

A resounding clang echoed once more as his strike was blocked, but to his comrades’ bewilderment, Rocante was actually staggered forward by the attack.

The boons brought by the Sinflower in exchange for a muddled mind seemed truly worth it.

For now, at least...

Daru was very pleased by what he saw, and his already mad grin turned even madder, unsettling even Lesha.

"Hahaha! Come, Rocante, let’s trade blows. I think I’m strong enough to stand in front of you this time. Let’s compare our swordsmanship, shall we, Sword?"

As though agreeing furiously to his audacious request, a deep snarl escaped the hulking horror’s abominable mouth.

Rocante rushed towards his insolent adversary.

But Daru wasn’t fazed.

The moment he landed, he, too, rushed forward, meeting the hulking horror’s gigantic stone greatsword head-on.

Another clang, this one ear-shattering.

[-7]

"Hoh, you’re still stronger, huh? Unbelievable." Daru generously praised, strangely still happy with the result.

Why would he not be happy when he was only pushed back by mere, negligible millimeters?

The damage value that appeared above his head also confirmed that the attributes weren’t so far apart now.

That he could now show Rocante the swordsmanship he had thoroughly honed his whole life.

As the small shockwave — produced by their clash — that sent ash billowing had settled, a dance of steel and stone began once more.

The dance to the end.

Based on their facial expressions alone, the duel would only end when one of them perished.

Daru’s mind was muddled.

However, this only strengthened his already lethal instincts.

Rocante, on the other hand, seemed to have just understood that being deceitful wouldn’t work anymore and that he should go all out, too.

That’s what the horror did.

His stone greatsword turned black from time to time, and he used his weird skin-hardening Sword Skill that would make his bloody body glisten and deflect anything his opponent threw.

Caleb and Lesha wanted to help, but their bony bodies held them back.

They would probably only end up hindering Daru. So, they could only cheer from the sidelines as the lethal dance continued to whatever end it was headed for.

Daru was strong and fast.

He seemed to also be the better swordsman, but he was not and would never be as tough as Rocante.

His foe was allowed mistakes and was also smart in using his two Sword Skills, especially the strange skin-hardening skill, disrupting Daru’s rhythm and almost sending him to whatever was after the afterlife.

One mistake meant death.

Yet, muddled as his mind was, Daru was yet to make that irreversible mistake.

He danced like a swift swallow and flowed like the Underworld River.

Inevitably, the decisive moment came.

Daru had not only been fighting; he had been watching his opponent, too, and now, he felt confident to end the battle.

"Let’s end this, Sword!" he roared.

In the next moment, though, he was clearly the sword. An Azure Sword.

Rocante’s grin widened.

The horror, too, had been waiting for this.

He waited for the irreversible descent of the sword manifestation.

The moment it did...he waited a bit more.

Then, when it seemed as though he was about to be struck in what remained of his left waist, Rocante hardened his skin.

And that...was how Daru perished, by pathetically being deflected to the floor, sent rolling to his death — bones broken, muscles torn and mangled.

At least that’s what the hulking horror envisioned his victory to be.

Unfortunately, the azure sword only passed him, hitting nothing but the empty ashen ground behind.

The skin-hardening ability would last only for a split second, so timing was paramount...and Rocante’s timing was ruined by the bold feint.

The horror quickly turned, but the last thing he saw was a huge blue crescent.