Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

“Starfall!”

A surge of mana exploded from Antero’s body, accompanied by a shockwave and a dazzling array of multicolored lights, resembling the explosion of a star. The force of the blast sent Binaeril flying backward. When he looked up again, the Paladin Antero was no longer there.

“Ah… ah… ah――!”

Antero was on his knees, arms spread wide, groaning toward the sky. His unfocused eyes, pained moans, and limp movements made it clear that the explosion was not something he had consciously caused.

-It’s the power of Starfall!

“I think so too,” Binaeril muttered.

Just as the cursed sword Mimung had chosen Balram as its host, Starfall seemed to have chosen Antero as its vessel.

“What should I do?”

-Kill the host! Before Starfall fully unleashes its power, quickly!

Binaeril urgently conjured his magic bullets. Dozens of them materialized around him, all aimed at Antero.

-Don’t hesitate. It’s too late for him. If you don’t finish him in one go, Starfall’s power will only grow stronger.

Binaeril hadn’t originally intended to kill Antero. He just wanted to restrain him and observe the situation. But now, he had no choice. The magic bullets he fired collided with the rampaging Antero, resulting in a massive explosion.

“…Did I get him?”

-You know saying that always brings them back from the dead, right?

Sure enough, Antero emerged unscathed. Half of his body was covered in a sticky, black substance. Antero rose to his feet, his hollow eyes locking onto Binaeril.

-It’s already too late.

The dead muscles in Antero’s face contorted into a twisted semblance of a smile. Binaeril felt a chill run down his spine. Antero, swaying as if he could collapse at any moment, lifted Starfall and assumed a guard stance. When he thrust the sword forward, a wave of dark mana surged from the blade, crashing toward Binaeril like a tide.

Binaeril quickly raised his gauntlet to shield his face. The raw force that struck him was far more powerful than before, pushing him backward. This was a strength entirely different from when Antero was in his right mind. Despite the weakness that seemed to riddle his body, Antero had become stronger.

-It’s because Starfall is starting to control him.

Antero assumed the guard stance again, that same eerie grin on his face. Though he was already dead, his resentment toward Binaeril seemed to linger, driven by sheer inertia.

‘Damn, I’m not sure I can block it again.’

The previous attack had been a mere warning shot from Starfall, a test of its power. Binaeril knew instinctively that the next attack wouldn’t be so easily parried.

As Binaeril stood there, disoriented, his comrades rushed to his side.

“Starfall has gone berserk!”

“What?!”

Inyakan and Priya reacted in completely different ways. Inyakan, naturally, didn’t fully grasp the situation, while Priya looked at Antero with horror.

“He’s already dead. Only the shell is moving now.”

“It’s not rampaging wildly like what I saw before.”

“It’s probably because it has a host to parasitize.”

“That’s a relief. It means we just need to take care of that thing using Antero’s body.”

“Right! So we just need to kill that bastard?”

While they were discussing their plan, Antero remained standing still, as if patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation. It was strange—he shouldn’t have been able to hear them from that distance. Only after the three of them prepared to fight did Antero finally move.

He drove Starfall into the ground and then looked at the three of them, as if he were about to reveal something they had no desire to see. 

A black night began to unfold.

Binaeril’s eyes widened in alarm as he watched the dark mana from Starfall spread like a cloud, enveloping the surroundings. Priya felt a chill run down her spine. While the others had never seen this before, she had witnessed this scene once before.

Starfall’s dark power was casting a veil of night over them.

With a single, urgent shout from Priya, Binaeril understood the situation. He was a mage, and even if he couldn’t fully grasp what was happening, he could feel the sinister power emanating from that darkness.

“Everyone, fall back!”

The barbarian warriors and the Order’s soldiers, bewildered, looked up at the sky or glanced over at Binaeril.

“Inyakan! Get the people back!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m the only one who can handle him.”

“…Damn it!”

Inyakan had no choice but to acknowledge Binaeril’s words. He charged between the barbarian warriors and the Order’s soldiers, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Stop fighting! Gather and watch the perimeter! Now is the time to cooperate!”

“What nonsense is this, Inyakan? These are the people who were just trying to kill us!”

“I know! Damn it! But now is not the time for that!”

Despite his words, the two sides, who had been trying to kill each other just moments ago, didn’t immediately stop. Inyakan’s shouts fell on deaf ears, both among the soldiers of the Order and the barbarians.

“What is that barbarian babbling about?”

“Is he insane?”

It wasn’t words that would move them, but reality.

“Ahhh! A—a monster!”

When the combatants saw that a monster had emerged from the corpse of a comrade who had just been slain, they had no choice but to accept the situation.

“Felix! A monster just came out of Felix’s body!”

The newly born monster bit and clawed at anyone nearby.

“Kill the monster!”

Without needing Inyakan to shout, the barbarians and the soldiers of the Order instinctively formed a defensive line together. The soldiers in their sturdy armor blocked the monsters’ attacks while the barbarians used their brute strength to strike back.

“Help over here!”

But their combined efforts were not enough.

“Damn it!”

Priya had to step in, taking Binaeril’s place since he was locked in a standoff with Antero. As she blew smoke from her pipe, the monsters attacking the people were engulfed in mist and froze solid.

“Everyone, stay away from the corpses! Move the wounded to the back and gather the bodies in one place!”

This time, no one disobeyed her orders. They all understood that survival depended on helping each other now.

“Binaeril! I’ll handle things over here, so do something about that bastard!”

“Understood.”

Binaeril responded without taking his eyes off Antero. He couldn’t afford to be distracted for even a moment, or Starfall might find an opening to strike.

“Starfall, it’s just you and me now.”

His words were meant to provoke, but the sword did not respond.

The dark energy manipulating Antero’s corpse twisted his features into a chilling smile. The sight of Antero, now wrapped in that black substance, was grotesque.

“This form doesn’t exactly live up to the reputation of a holy sword.”

Indeed, it was hardly different from the bloodthirsty cursed sword Mimung.

-Reputation is meaningless. It’s just a name given by humans.

Binaeril flinched. He had faced Starfall several times before, but this was the first time he had heard it speak.

“Are you admitting that you’re not a relic of the Order?”

-And what if I do? Do you think someone like you could comprehend the essence of a Fragment?

“I know enough. They’re remnants of Dekypleio, nothing more than leftover scraps in this world.”

Starfall was silent for a moment, seemingly taken aback that Binaeril knew its true nature.

-That loudmouth over there must have told you.

-At least I don’t skulk around like you.

-In my case, it’s called gravitas.

-Hah! As if.

Listening to the bickering between the two Fragments made Binaeril nauseous. Their voices echoed directly in his mind, making the conversation even more unsettling.

“Enough!”

“Don’t act so high and mighty when you’re just a parasite that can’t do anything without a host.”

Binaeril’s sharp retort silenced Starfall.

-He hit the mark, didn’t he?

Veritas laughed mockingly at Starfall.

“You’re no different, Book of Truth.”

-Nope, not at all~

Veritas didn’t seem bothered by Binaeril’s words in the slightest. Meanwhile, Starfall growled in irritation, clearly not taking the insult as lightly.

-So, you prefer action to words? Fine, I’ll give you what you want.

The dark energy radiating from Starfall grew even more intense. Antero swung the sword horizontally, and Starfall’s shadow stretched out, launching an attack at Binaeril.

Binaeril met the attack head-on, striking with his gauntlet to counter the dark energy. However, Starfall’s slash cut through the gauntlet with frightening ease. Binaeril quickly retreated, but the blade was faster.

Just as his arm was about to be severed, another force pushed back against the dark energy—Eden’s power.

[I’ll help you!]

“Thank you, Eden.”

It was the same situation as when Binaeril had faced Mimung. Both he and Eden recognized Starfall’s power as something ‘corrupt.’ Eden strained to repel the dark energy of the sword.

-Hmph! Even if the weak join forces, they’re still weak!

Despite Eden’s support, fighting Starfall was no easy task. As the battle wore on, Binaeril accumulated more and more minor wounds, while Starfall’s momentum didn’t wane in the slightest. On the contrary, the dark energy it unleashed grew denser, a sign that it was becoming more adept at controlling Antero.

-Weak, so weak!

Starfall’s manic laughter echoed as it continued its relentless assault. The more the sword pressed its attack, the less Binaeril could even attempt to counter.

-You can’t win if all you do is defend!

‘Then what do you suggest?’

-Be prepared to sacrifice flesh to break bones!

The recent attack had nearly severed Binaeril’s neck had his reaction been any slower.

-You’re far weaker than Yunnaeril!

Starfall taunted him. Being belittled, especially in comparison to his brother, was something Binaeril could not tolerate.

“Are you controlling Yunnaeril like you do with Antero?”

When Binaeril asked about Yunnaeril, Starfall’s relentless assault paused.

-Yunnaeril is nothing like this fool.

“What makes him different?”

-This one can’t even fully embrace my power. How could you compare a disposable pawn like him to a true contract bearer? Just like how that loudmouth of yours treats you.

“So you made a contract with Yunnaeril, targeting other Fragments like Veritas?”

-That’s our sole reason for existence—to devour and be devoured in a cycle of mutual destruction. That is our destiny.

It was a relationship that mirrored the one between Binaeril and Yunnaeril—two beings bound in a struggle that could only end when one was destroyed. Binaeril asked the question he had always wanted to ask his brother but could never bring himself to.

“Why is my brother gathering the Fragments? Is it the Order’s command?”

Starfall didn’t answer immediately, instead letting out a low, mocking laugh.

-Defeat me, and I might tell you.

Starfall was powerful. For Binaeril, already weary from battling monsters and the Wendigo, it was a daunting opponent. Starfall was merely using Antero as a host, and the current strength it displayed was not even its full power.

‘To defeat my brother…’

He couldn’t afford to lose to Starfall here.

“Starfall, I’ll show you.”

As Binaeril spoke, blue wings slowly unfurled from his back. The darkness that Starfall had spread began to recede, retreating from the light emanating from Binaeril.

“I’ll show you that I’m worthy of the answers I seek.”