"Damn it, he's been controlled by the Evil Sword's power!"
Hairinbō's expression changed as he realized what had happened. Unfortunately, he lacked the strength to stop Mountain Ogre.
He could only shout, hoping to bring Mountain Ogre back to his senses.
But it was all in vain. Mountain Ogre's eyes had changed completely, and evil energy wreathed his entire body.
He grasped the Evil Sword in the forging pool. Evil energy flooded into his body, and Mountain Ogre threw back his head and roared. Air currents churned as the Evil Sword unleashed an even stronger surge of force!
Having taken complete control of Mountain Ogre, it was drawing on the demonic power within him to unleash even greater strength.
Waves of pressure billowed outward, forcing Hairinbō to retreat again and again.
"Now we're in trouble!"
Hairinbō had never imagined that Mountain Ogre, who served at Lord Mingye's side, would be the first to succumb.
In the end, he was a mountain ogre of limited intelligence, unable to resist the Evil Sword's power.
"Find Mingye! Kill him! Kill Mingye!"
Voices filled with murderous intent echoed through Mountain Ogre's mind. The Evil Sword had been forged from the remains of a host of demons Mingye had slain.
Thus, the malicious will formed from their evil energy harbored an overwhelming hatred for Mingye!
That evil energy held the resentment of over a hundred demons, all intent on using Mountain Ogre to kill Mingye!
Mountain Ogre roared like thunder and strode out of the forging pool. He truly had been taken over completely. His eyes were bloodred, brimming with hatred.
Hairinbō hurriedly hid. Mountain Ogre's strength had surged, leaving him no choice but to retreat or risk his life.
Fortunately, the Evil Sword wanted only revenge on Mingye and paid no attention to Hairinbō hiding nearby.
The Evil Sword's hilt gradually pierced Mountain Ogre's flesh, devouring his power and controlling him as he searched for Mingye.
As he strode forward, swathes of trees toppled. He charged straight through everything, cutting down any obstacle with a single powerful slash.
Meanwhile, Mingye, who was on his way to the Dark Forest, suddenly stopped. He had caught the scent of the Evil Sword's evil energy on the wind.
That power, filled with boundless malice, was heading toward him.
"Lord Mingye?"
The little monkey looked at Mingye in confusion when he suddenly stopped. His wounds had fully healed, and he was following close beside Mingye.
"A powerful evil energy is approaching..."
Mingye sensed it with increasing clarity. The evil energy seemed to know his location and was closing in faster and faster.
Boom!
A bloodred arc of sword light hurtled toward Mingye from far away. Trees, earth, and grass shattered in an instant along its path, flying into the sky.
Filled with scorching energy, the slash effortlessly devastated a vast stretch of ground as it swept straight toward Mingye.
The power of that slash was immense, enough to cleave mountains and sever rivers.
Mingye instantly drew the Thunder Rage Sword at his waist. It rang out with a thunderous blast as it left its sheath, erupting with limitless lightning like a true sword of thunder.
Its light blazed like lightning, fierce and overwhelming. The surrounding air surged in an instant, like a great dragon raising its head and roaring at the sky.
The slash dissipated. Fallen leaves drifted in midair, and the scorching energy had raised the surrounding temperature considerably.
The incoming slash had traveled hundreds of feet, leaving the ground shattered and the earth scorched black.
Rumble!
The earth shook as Mountain Ogre's massive body raced toward Mingye.
His aura was savage, his reason gone. Only boundless ferocity and murderous intent remained!
Another tremendous arc of sword light flew toward him. Mingye leaped up and shattered it with a single stroke, then stood calmly in midair without falling.
Over this period, Mingye had mastered flight, and his control over his demonic power had reached an astonishing level.
"Mountain Ogre..."
Mingye finally saw his attacker. With that mountain-sized body and a savage aura unlike any living creature's, he was little more than a mindless beast.
"So you've been controlled by the Evil Sword's power..."
A glint flickered in Mingye's eyes. He saw Mountain Ogre's hand gradually fusing with the Evil Sword, its hilt embedded completely in his fleshy palm.
Mountain Ogre had utterly lost his reason. Even his soul had been invaded by the Evil Sword's power, leaving him without any awareness.
Or rather, the Evil Sword had already devoured Mountain Ogre's mind completely.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Mountain Ogre roared, his eyes filled with endless murderous intent. He was hell-bent on killing Mingye, as though driven by an unalterable hatred!
"You've merely been forged into a sword, yet you dare..."
Mingye's gaze turned utterly cold. His body suddenly jolted, and the air around him shuddered with it, like mighty waves surging across the sea:
"Act so insolently!"
Mingye shot forward, fierce currents of air swirling around him as he streaked through the sky like an arrow.
He swung the Thunder Rage Sword. Lightning sprang forth above and below, instantly filling the space for hundreds of feet around him.
"You're incredible, Lord Mingye!"
The little monkey scrambled backward, his eyes shining. With lightning at his command, Lord Mingye was like a god. No demon could stand against him!
Not far away, Hairinbō finally caught up.
"That's the Thunder Rage Sword's power! Lord Mingye has returned!"
At the sight of the lightning, Hairinbō quickly jumped up and saw Mingye send Mountain Ogre flying with a single unstoppable stroke!
His divine might was terrifying!
Mountain Ogre's enormous body flew backward like a giant cannonball, his feet gouging a huge trench through the earth.
The mountainside collapsed. A sword wound deep enough to expose bone marked Mountain Ogre's chest. The Evil Sword's power seemed to have gone berserk, its evil energy wringing the life from him!
The will within the Evil Sword desperately sought to kill Mingye. This was hatred at its most intense!
The Evil Sword gradually devoured Mountain Ogre's life. His body shrank as it absorbed his blood, and his soul suffered the same fate.
Yet the Evil Sword embedded in his palm gave off an even more terrifying aura. It sought to drain his life, blood essence, and soul, converting them into the ultimate power to kill Mingye!
"Kill!"
Despite the blazing summer heat, that terrifying murderous intent sent a chill through both Hairinbō and the little monkey.
"What laughable bloodlust!"
Mingye's voice rang out again. Terrifying lightning surrounded him, and a waterfall of thunderbolts blocked the Evil Sword's slash, formed from all of Mountain Ogre's power.
Lightning cascaded like a waterfall, and sword light surged forth like a dragon soaring across the seas. The ground within half a kilometer was instantly pulverized, while Mountain Ogre's body was reduced to charred remains beneath the onslaught.
Thick smoke filled the desolate area. All the vegetation had been obliterated, along with Mountain Ogre.
The Evil Sword fell to the ground, lightning flickering over its blade. Its evil energy was gone, shattered beneath that terrifying lightning.
"As expected of Lord Mingye!"
Only then did Hairinbō dare approach and explain everything that had happened.
Mingye nodded calmly. It was much as he had guessed.
"This sword's power... isn't bad!"
Mingye pulled the Evil Sword from the ground. He had exchanged several blows with it just now. Wielding this sword, the weak Mountain Ogre had gained power many times greater than his own.
That alone showed how extraordinary the Evil Sword's power was.
"As long as you're satisfied."
Hairinbō smiled fawningly and tactfully offered him the scabbard.
"You've done well. Pack your things and come back to Bluestone Mountain with me."
"Yes, Lord Mingye!"
Before you continue