Hearing Master and Uncle Yu say that, I finally felt the tension in my chest ease.
I let out a long breath.
"M-Master, Uncle Yu, can I... can I put this sword down now?"
Both nodded, and Uncle Yu said,
"The Tong Glyph Inscription has appeared. The sword is complete. You can put it down."
Master nodded too.
"Yes. From this day on, this sword truly deserves to be called a fiendish sword."
Only then did I drive the sword into the ground.
I panted for breath, but the moment I thrust the sword into the earth,
the Tong Glyph Inscription flickered. With a resonant hum, a strange black aura of hatred burst from the sword, rippling out in every direction.
It spread across a radius of roughly five meters.
Through the haze, ghostly hands of black mist appeared, only to dissolve and vanish in an instant...
The three of us were unaffected, but the ghosts standing nearby looked horrified when they sensed the aura of hatred and saw those ghostly hands of black mist.
The two wandering ghosts were so frightened that their legs buckled, and they nearly dropped to their knees.
Looking our way, they cried out one after another,
"Ah! What is that?!"
"S-So terrifying! I saw so many hands! I... I'm not eating anymore! I'm done!"
"This sword makes me feel uncomfortable all over. I... I'm not eating anymore either."
"..."
The ghosts all spoke up, looking at the sword in obvious fear.
Two of them even turned and fled.
The remaining ghosts backed away one after another, unwilling to stay any longer.
These spirits were utterly wary, frightened, and unsettled by the aura of hatred emanating from the sword.
I glanced at the sword, then spoke to Master and Uncle Yu again.
"Master, Uncle Yu,