The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 146

116. Backstage Work (3)

“Is that even a person?”

“The Captain was never really human anyway…”

“That kid doesn’t seem normal either.”

The mercenaries inside the airship involuntarily exclaimed as they watched the battle between Gordon and Khalil.

They had flown across the continent and experienced all sorts of things, but this was a first.

“That kid. Isn’t he the one who came to us before?”

“Right. He bought Mikhail and some other mercenaries back then.”

“Did you hear? Mikhail switched to being a mage. There’s even a rumor that he’s reached the 4th class…”

“What? Then he’s super rare. He won’t be a B-rank mercenary anymore when he gets back.”

They all marveled at Khalil.

In fact, the sight of the boy in front of them was more captivating than the absent mercenary.

“Has there ever been someone who reached that level at that age on the continent? Even Kwell, who’s called the greatest swordsman on the continent, probably wasn’t like that at that age.”

“I knew it from the moment he landed a blow on the Captain when he first came. That he wasn’t ordinary.”

“Pfft… Really?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

The mercenaries reminisced about Khalil, sharing their memories.

There were a lot of useless words, but the common emotion was surprise.

“…”

However,

Unlike them, Vice-Captain Jegan did not forget his vigilance against the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.

Kwaaaang—!!

Kwagang–!!

As Gordon swung Mouter with all his might, a sonic boom erupted from the hammer’s head as if the air was exploding.

At that moment,

Khalil’s body disappeared.

Gordon hurriedly turned his head to find him when he didn’t see him being knocked away as he should have been.

“Is it here!!”

As if predicting Khalil’s position, Gordon swung Mouter.

3rd Long Weeping Posture.

At that moment,

Khalil’s body shot out like a bullet, directly blocking Mouter and pushing up along the hammer’s handle, penetrating into his arms.

“…!!”

It didn’t end with a simple block.

2nd Unicorn Posture.

The second posture that followed.

Gordon had seen the colorless sword technique before, but unlike that, he couldn’t predict the trajectory of the sword even though he could see it.

“Hup…!!”

Khalil held his breath.

His arm trembled slightly.

The five sword postures that used muscles to their limit were still a burden for him to use in succession.

The ultimate sword technique created by Khalil, who had no magic power, was achieved solely through physical strength.

But he couldn’t defeat a giant like Gordon without taking on this burden.

Chwaaaak…!!

Red blood spurted from Gordon’s face.

“Captain!!!”

The members who were watching the scene shouted in surprise and began to run out of the airship.

Tszzzzzuk… Tszeuk….

The two men’s postures froze as if time had stopped, looking at each other.

Khalil’s blade barely grazed Gordon’s cheek.

Trickle-

“…You!!”

With a thick scar on his cheek, Gordon could no longer hold back and roared.

Throbbing.

It was then.

Gordon’s movement stopped for a fleeting moment.

“…”

At that moment, Khalil’s eyes flashed.

It was something that ordinary people wouldn’t notice, but in a battle between those who had reached the realm, that fleeting gap was a decisive factor in determining victory or defeat.

Thud-!

But for some reason, Khalil didn’t move, and Gordon’s hand, which moved a beat late, grabbed his neck and slammed him into the floor.

Kwaaaang…!!

With the sound of the ground shaking, Khalil’s body was embedded in the floor.

“You…”

Gordon said, looking at the fallen Khalil.

“You’re a Sword Master.”

At his words, Khalil made an absurd expression.

“…Are you just realizing that now?”

To say that after causing such a commotion that the surroundings were in ruins.

No,

In the first place, someone at the level of a Sword Expert would have already fainted from Gordon’s blow.

But Gordon said as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’ve never learned magic. I’m not interested in dividing classes. No, it’s ridiculous to even make such a trivial distinction as Sword Master.”

“Ah, okay.”

The more Khalil heard, the more he felt that Gordon Fabian was an existence outside the realm of humans.

‘This isn’t a matter of learning magic or not. You dull human.’

Khalil shook his head.

He didn’t notice it because of his overwhelming strength, but in some ways, he felt surprisingly ignorant or dull.

“The old guys will like it. They’ve been saying a lot of nonsense that the lineage has been cut off because Sword Masters haven’t appeared, and that the later generations lack skills.”

Gordon said, bending down and looking at Khalil on the floor.

“Strong guys always come out somewhere. Don’t you think?”

But even as he said that, Gordon seemed to be showing off his own strength as he looked at the fallen Khalil.

It couldn’t be helped.

Those who had reached the ultimate realm thought that even if a new strong person was born, they would have lived at least twice as long.

The time spent as a strong person.

That was a way to become stronger, but it was also a reason to harbor arrogance.

“That’s right.”

Khalil said calmly.

Then, he infused magic power into Gordon’s arm, which was grabbing his collar.

Tzeojjeok… Tzeojeojeok….

It was then.

“…?!”

Tzeojeojeok—! Ttjeok!! Kwaaaang–!!

The gauntlet part of the automata [a self-operating machine] that was pressing down on Khalil and covering his arms cracked from his fingertips as if the ground was splitting due to an earthquake.

“Huh?”

At that moment,

As if both arms were exploding, the earth armor that covered his entire body shattered.

Kwang!! Kwagwagang—!!

With a series of explosions, Gordon’s heavy body was thrown dozens of meters away and crashed into a sand dune in the distance.

“Hoo. I guess you can’t fool the years. Is it because you’re the same old man…?”

Khalil stretched his shoulders up and down as if they were stiff from being pressed down, and slowly walked towards him.

“Cough…! Cough!”

Gordon looked at Khalil with an expression that he couldn’t believe the current situation.

“Roses!!!”

Khalil shouted towards the airship, looking at the staggering Gordon.

One of the mercenaries who had brought Mouter looked at him with a bewildered face and shouted.

“…Yes?”

“There’s something I left in Gordon’s room. Bring it here.”

“Ah, yes. Yes.”

At Khalil’s words, he hurriedly moved his body.

Carrying a large load on both shoulders and running with all his might, he said, gasping for breath.

“Huk… Huk.”

“Good job. You’re the only one I know the name of there.”

“Yes? Do you know me?”

“Gordon said it a little while ago.”

“Ah….”

Roses, who had a thick beard, nodded awkwardly at Khalil’s words.

“It’s a good thing you had the sense not to throw it like Gordon’s hammer, or I would have thrown you away the same way. Right?”

“…Th, that’s right.”

Roses bowed to Khalil and hurriedly put down what he was carrying on his back and ran away.

Gordon looked at him with a pathetic look and muttered as if he was dumbfounded.

“That idiot.”

“You should think it’s a good thing he’s an idiot. If he had thrown it outside and the contents were damaged, things would have gotten bigger.”

Ttalcak-

Khalil opened the box he was holding.

“The oxidized blood disease you have is caused by the blood vessels flowing in your body reacting to a specific component and generating heat. The heat generated at that time causes the blood to boil and the magic blood vessels to lose their power.”

Tudduk… Tuk.

Khalil brushed away the piles of dirt that were still left near Gordon’s heart.

“The hardness of the automata, which can be said to be your secret weapon, may have weakened because of that. If it was the power of your prime…”

He shrugged lightly.

“There’s a one in ten thousand chance that the armor wouldn’t have been broken by my sword strike.”

“Hmph… You’re confident? Are you saying it would have been broken anyway?”

Khalil chuckled at his taunt.

“Just kidding. If you were really in your prime, it might have been difficult. You’re still one of the continent’s top 5 Sword Masters.”

“I don’t need your worthless compliments.”

“But it’s a good thing you’re weakened. If you could have used magic in your current state, you wouldn’t have been able to live like this.”

“What?”

“The gap from a while ago. Wasn’t it because of the pain?”

Gordon’s lips twitched as if he was about to say something, but he stopped.

“You should know too. What would have happened if you had been attacked in that state.”

“…”

“Either your arm would have been cut off by my sword, or you would have died of a heart attack before that.”

He had to admit it.

Khalil was completely seeing through his current state. For some reason, Gordon wondered if his automata could have withstood Khalil’s swordsmanship even in his prime.

“What are you trying to do?”

Khalil took out a key from his pocket.

“Oh, dear.”

But it was completely crumpled and ruined from the clash with Gordon, so he couldn’t use it.

Tcheolkeok-

He threw away the broken key and tore off the lock of the large box without hesitation and opened the lid.

Hwaaaak…!!

Instantly,

An enormous chill and white steam flowed out of the box.

Inside the box were dozens of square Yoram stones [a type of magical stone], each of which was expensive.

“…!!!”

Gordon’s eyes widened when he saw what was inside the box.

“It took quite a bit of effort to bring this here. Cold air is needed to keep it from rotting, but attribute stones below the 4th square are useless to this guy’s skin.”

It was the head of Iacos [a powerful magical beast], who was dead, with his eyes wide open and his large beak wide open as if he hadn’t even realized his own death.

“You probably know what kind of guy he is without me having to explain. To slow down the reaction of oxidized blood disease, you need to stimulate the magic blood vessels to increase their motility.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s quite difficult to obtain. You’re lucky, so boil it well and eat it. It will be a temporary measure. The power of electricity contained in Iacos will stimulate and help speed up blood circulation.”

“…Eat this?”

Gordon frowned and asked back at his words.

But rather, Khalil said as if it was no big deal.

“I see you’re still worth saving. If you don’t want to eat it, give up. If you can find an S-class monster with good looks and good taste before you die.”

In the first place, there was no such thing as a monster that tasted good, and catching an S-class monster was not an easy task.

“Wa, wait a minute…!”

Gordon asked urgently.

“Why should I believe you and follow your words?”

“If there’s no change after eating it, cut off my head. I don’t care.”

In fact,

There was no way to save Gordon Fabian even in the future. The disease called oxidized blood disease was genetic and determined by birth.

Because it was a rare disease with a small number of cases, it was difficult to conduct accurate experiments.

‘Aln Zavius. I’m grateful to you once again. If you hadn’t passed on that knowledge to me, I wouldn’t have been able to save Gordon Fabian.’

Magic addiction, which is known as an incurable disease in the modern era, was just like a cold in the Magic Age.

The genetic disease that Gordon was suffering from, oxidized blood disease, was also a unique but existing disease in the Magic Age.

Before reaching the 5th class,

Khalil was struggling to find the vague knowledge that was injected into his head.

But now, even if it’s only a part, he could use the knowledge of the Magic Age that Aln had recorded other than magic.

‘Fortunately, oxidized blood disease existed in that era too.’

It was an era when magic was much more prosperous than it is now, and when the Council of Seven Elders existed.

Tuk- Tuk-

Khalil tapped the frozen head of Iacos lightly and said.

“As I said before, this is a temporary measure. It will make it easier to use magic power, but it’s not a complete cure. I can’t let the great Gordon Fabian become a toothless beast.”

“…”

Gordon frowned as if his pride was being hurt by being cared for by a child.

“Do you know what component oxidized blood disease reacts to and causes?”

“What is it?”

If he knew the cause, he could find a cure.

Gordon asked urgently.

“Alcohol.”

At that moment, his face contorted at Khalil’s words.

“Quit drinking. If you don’t want to die.”

“Crazy bastard.”

Gordon snorted at him.

Because there was more alcohol than food in the warehouse on one side of the airship.

“It’s an incurable disease after all.”

From Gordon’s point of view, it was a disease that could never be cured even if he knew the cause.

Khalil chuckled at his appearance with a knowing expression.

“If you don’t like that, there’s another way…”

“What…?”

Unlike before, Gordon asked with a tempting expression.

He would rather die than be able to quit drinking.

“For free?”

Then Khalil tapped Gordon’s shoulder lightly.

“That won’t do.”

Instantly,

Khalil gave a strange smile.

“…What do you want?”

This time, instead of a fist, an answer came from Gordon.