The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 380: The Final Battle (11)

BOOOM...!!

An intense explosion erupted beneath Karyl’s feet.

“Demigod? You love to spew nonsense, Mael. Even back in the Mythical Era, you used that forked tongue to lure the Bladers into rebellion,” Narh Di Maug sneered, brushing the dust off his face as he staggered back from Karyl’s earlier assault.

“Come on now. Anyone listening might think the defeat in the Great War of the Spirits and Gods was my fault. It was you dragons who betrayed your leader Toska, wasn’t it? Platinum Dragon, you led that betrayal.”

[...?!]

[...!!]

The Spirit Kings were stunned by Mael’s revelation.

[Toska...? Are you saying the Golden Dragon was a Blader?]

[That’s impossible. Wasn’t he the legendary dragon, the so-called progenitor of the dragons?]

[...]

Duaat and Ethereal refuted Mael’s story, whereas Ramine remained silent.

“So even with the release of Polsetia’s seal, the memories of oblivion don’t return? When the seal on the blade in the book was broken, all of my memories came flooding back...” Mael sounded almost puzzled by their reactions.

“Lend me your power. That’ll settle things,” Karyl murmured in a low voice to the others.

[I see... Ramine, unlike those two, your memory has returned, hasn’t it? You had to come into contact with Karyl’s domain for Yula’s curse to be lifted from you.]

Ramine remained speechless, as though fragments of long forgotten memories were still resurfacing.

Crunch—

Narh Di Maug stretched his neck as he glared at Karyl.

“How dare you... A mere human claiming to be a demigod. Such foolish ambition has always led you to defeat and disgrace.”

“And what about you?” Karyl asked back, calmly.

Narh Di Maug stiffened, his face hardening as he stared at Karyl.

“Why did you covet the power of Rasis? Why did you experiment on humans, manipulate the Church, and even seek the forces of the Wooden Cloud? For what reason?”

As he posed that question, Karyl slowly walked toward Narh Di Maug. Though it seemed like a leisurely pace, the distance between them closed in an instant.

“Wasn’t it because you, too, desired the power of the gods?”

“...”

Narh Di Maug looked at him wide-eyed.

“You wish to be a god?” Karyl went on, pointing his blade at him. “You betrayed your allies, served the gods only to betray them in turn. You’re nothing but a greedy, vile dragon.”

“RAAAGHH...!!!”

Narh Di Maug unleashed a wave of Dragon Fear, swiping his hand through the air with all his strength. His claws carved five jagged lines into the air, as though tearing through the very fabric of reality.

Whoosh...!

Karyl dodged in the nick of time, though the razor-sharp gust still managed to graze his shoulder, drawing blood.

Narh Di Maug swung his other hand upward in a vertical arc, hurling another deadly gust toward Karyl.

“Silence!!”

CRASH!! BOOM—!!

The deadly gusts of wind cut through everything in their path, flesh or stone.

“Ethereal, Duaat! What the hell are you doing?!” Karyl shouted as he struggled to resist the relentless onslaught. “Are you really afraid to face the reality of your forgotten past? If so, why did you even make a contract with me?”

[Hmph, how bold of you to try to lecture us.]

[We acknowledge your strength, but we are Spirit Kings, rulers of our own realms.]

Both Ethereal and Duaat responded as though trying to affirm their resolve. The power of the Queen of Tides and the Spirit King of Darkness surged through Karyl’s entire being before seeping into his sword.

[Fine, use our strength, if you can handle it...] Duaat conceded.

[I’m not worried,] Ramine chimed in. [Our contractor is the kind who can handle our power.]

Crackle... CRACK!

The sword, once ablaze with crimson flames, froze over in an instant. The ice bloomed and then shattered like glass, revealing a blade dark as obsidian.

“Always so prideful, you guys...” Karyl muttered with a satisfied smirk, gazing at the completed sword.

CLANG!

Narh Di Maug’s attack collided with Karyl’s sword. Before, such an assault would have thrown Karyl backward, but now he stood firm, not yielding one step.

“...!!”

Surprised, Narh Di Maug lifted his head to meet Karyl’s gaze. Not only had Karyl blocked the dragon’s blow, but his sword now pushed back, slowly forcing Narh Di Maug’s arm away, as if resisting his very mana.

“Why did you do it?” Karyl’s voice was calm but firm.

Screech...!

The sharp grating between Narh Di Maug’s claws and Karyl’s sword filled the air, each pushing fiercely against the other.

“Why did you kill Rael?” Karyl asked, his head bowed slightly. “The technique she tried to use at the end—it was clearly a power of Tarak. You killed her to cover up that technique, didn’t you?”

“Enough!” Narh Di Maug growled, his voice quavering with rage.

“You weren’t satisfied with the power of gods and spirits, so you turned to Tarak as well? Surely... you didn’t experiment with Tarak on humans, did you?”

Narh Di Maug’s frown deepened. This brief flicker of unease was enough confirmation for Karyl.

Those fragmented corpses in the lair... If those had been used as part of some grotesque experiments with Tarak...

When the Oracle was prophesied and the Tarak swarmed the world, you dared to rally us against them. You, the fucking bastard who plunged us into this hell of Tarak!

“Make no mistake. That was more of a warning,” Karyl growled, gripping his sword tightly.

Woosh!

He then forcefully swung his sword upward, striking Narh Di Maug.

“Hmph...!!”

Karyl didn’t let his rage erupt. He didn’t scream, even though he wanted to; instead, he drew in a short breath, channeling his fury and honing it into something colder and sharper than ever before.

“You ignorant fool...!”

Before he even landed back on the ground after Karyl’s blow, Narh Di Maug was enveloped by a blinding light.

“Do you even know who I am, you damned spirits?! Do you really believe your power, even combined, poses a threat to me?! You narrow-minded fools would never comprehend the grandeur of my purpose!”

His voice boomed across the capital as his body expanded, reverting to his original dragon form. The aura he radiated now far surpassed that of the fake dragon Karyl had defeated in the Sun Hall.

“I am the true ruler of the sacred dead! You bow to me, your rightful master!” Narh Di Maug roared with his jaws wide open, the ground quaking beneath him. “Not to some mere human!”

An intense, searing energy concentrated around his maw, as if fueled by his wrath. Karyl instinctively knew he wouldn’t be able to block this breath with just his sword, and he wouldn’t be able to evade it either.

His thoughts shifted to Wingel, slumped in Ascalon’s cockpit, to Zarka Hochi, lying on the ground with his leg shattered, and to Kay Rothschild. They were in the path of the breath, so even if he somehow managed to dodge, that would be annihilated instead.

“Seems like we’re thinking the same thing,” Allen Javius muttered softly as he looked back.

“The answer is always to attack.”

Rumble...

Debris slowly rose around Karyl, hovering in the air as though gravity itself had reversed. At the same time, the power of the Spirit Kings, compressed within his sword, erupted, transforming it into a massive, broad blade.

“Now!” Mael hissed.

[But... how? You need dual blades for a cleaving strike. Where’s the other weapon?]

At that moment, the Platinum Dragon released his breath. The ground was torn apart, rubble flying in all directions. The deadly vortex of energy surged toward Karyl.

Without turning, Karyl muttered, “Zigra, if you’re awake, it’s time to move.”

“...!”

That was the moment Allen realized he had lost track of Zigra.

“It’s about time.”

A figure appeared before Karyl, handing him something as he wiped the blood from his mouth. It was Agnel, its blade gleaming sharply. Without hesitation, Karyl seized the dagger and hurled himself toward the breath.

Annihilation Strike

As Agnel’s blade shimmered with a violet aura, Karyl unleashed the combined draconic mana and spirit power through Polsetia’s sword. An earth-shattering explosion erupted, and the area around the Sun Hall was engulfed in blinding light.

[Everyone, stay alert!]

“Y-Your Majesty!!”

Allen unleashed a shield of dark mist, and Kadin Luer quickly chanted a protective spell, covering Olivurn’s body.

BOOOOM—!!! CRAAAASH—!!!

The fiery explosion roared through the imperial capital, lighting it up as though the sun had fallen upon it.

Sss... Sssss...

As the smoke settled, two figures emerged through the cloud of dust, now standing back-to-back, their positions reversed from before.

“Maybe it was a little short.”

Karyl was still holding Agnel, though its blade was crumbling. He watched the relic of his father crumble to ash with a wistful expression.

“Ha... Hahahaha...!”

Narh Di Maug turned to him, erupting into a frenzied laughter. A deep gash lay across his neck, but that was nowhere near enough to slay a dragon.

“You failed...!! Karyl, you failed!!! Yes, how could a human dream of killing a dragon?! Hahahaha...!!”

Narh Di Maug was almost hysterical, his head moving up and down as he mocked his foe.

“So I failed...?”

“Damn... If only the blade had been a little longer...” Kay and Zigra looked down, defeated.

“Raise your heads,” Karyl’s voice cut through the silence. “It’s not over yet. The Annihilation Strike doesn’t end with one move.”

Karyl shook the ash from his hand and looked directly at Narh Di Maug.

“The swordsmanship continues.”

As if to prove his assertion, the mana flowing from Polsetia’s blade hadn’t yet faded.

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I never planned on killing you with a single strike.”

“...You’re being ridiculous,” Narh Di Maug snorted after frowning briefly. “What can you possibly do without a second sword?”

“Oh, but I have one,” Karyl replied, a cold smile creeping onto his face. “One even more powerful than Agnel.”

Everyone gazed at Karyl as he bent down slowly and grabbed something large that looked like a pillar.

“...!!!”

Gasps filled the air as everyone realized it wasn’t a pillar.

Ascalon’s massive sword stood tall, its blade angled like a guillotine’s edge, aimed directly at Narh Di Maug. Befitting an executioner, the blade was nearly as large as the dragon himself.

“I did warn I’d crush you.”

The blade glinted along with Karyl’s words, catching the light of dawn.