The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 463

274. The Battle of Pharell (7)

“Form a tactical formation!”

At Viola’s shout, the Panphell Knights raised their massive shields, forming a protective wall around Pharell.

“All units! Deploy the Mujin-Fire Formation!”

Behind the Knights, Kaila Chang’s command spurred the northern warriors to beat their weapons, raising a thunderous war cry.

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!!!

The Thunder Clan and Iron Clan, at the forefront of the foreign warriors, pounded their war drums in unison.

Waaaaaaaah—!!

Waaah–!!!

Hwarin of the Jannabi Tribe raised his fist, and the soldiers roared back, a wave of sound crashing over the battlefield.

The Fire Formation, a circular defensive array, solidified as Thompson’s magic corps positioned themselves within the foreign troops’ front line.

“Attention all mages! Deploy shields!!!”

The magic corps, composed of 5th class intermediate mages wielding staves embedded with top-grade attribute stones, channeled the stones’ power to unleash spells rivaling those of advanced mages.

The magical shields, layered in double and triple thicknesses, appeared strong enough to withstand even a god’s assault.

“I don’t like my creations being used as mere shields… but I can’t let them sacrifice any more living beings. Erect the Wall of the Dead.”

Nine Darhon strolled casually from within the magic corps and gestured. Immediately, a legion of undead slaves, wrapped in decaying bandages, shambled forward to stand before the Panphell Knights, forming another layer of defense.

“……!!!”

The knights, initially startled by the sudden appearance of the undead, felt their morale surge, reassured that these creatures were now their allies.

Thump-

Zarka Hochi, using a slave’s shoulder as a springboard, leaped over the defense line of undead and knights, landing nimbly on the battlefield.

[Those things are supposed to be our gods.]

Zarka Hochi sneered, his gaze sweeping over the assembled gods, including Yula.

[How can *that* be a god? The sight of them rolling in the mud and fighting is no different from humans.]

He scooped up a handful of dirt and scattered it to the wind. The dust dispersed with a soft rustling sound.

[Isn’t the way they kill others without nobility just like us, living without knowing what’s ahead?]

“An elven wraith that should have been annihilated is now tainted by the human world, only knowing how to wag its tongue. Don’t you have any honor as an elf? I painstakingly created the Nephilim in the sky and you elves on the ground as my subordinates.”

[Even your precious Nephilim were defeated by humans, so how can mere elves stand against humans?]

“What?”

[And how long has it been since Elvenheim fell? Yet you still call us subordinates of the gods. If you loved the elves so much, you should have given us that salvation.]

Yula glared at Zarka Hochi, her eyes blazing.

“You always say that the lives of those on the continent belong to those who live there, yet you only seek me out when you need me.”

[The salvation we wanted wasn’t the execution of our enemies.]

Zarka Hochi shook his head, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

[It was simply a proper death. And isn’t it natural to be loyal to the one who granted that salvation?]

“You….”

[Even death is salvation, so what’s wrong with killing a god to live? Isn’t that perfectly natural? Don’t you think so? I’d like to hear the thoughts of a priest who serves Yula.]

Zarka Hochi pointed towards Yurin Hyugar, standing beside Hawat in the golem unit. Yurin shrugged, a wry smile playing on his lips at being singled out.

“I once told the Empress of Digon that you shouldn’t look at gods through human eyes. You shouldn’t even try to understand them.”

[And you’re saying that after carrying that huge shield to destroy Pharell?]

“Actually, I don’t really want to understand them.”

[Kekeke…!]

Yurin’s lips twitched slightly at his own words.

“What does it matter what a god does? That doesn’t mean I’m trying to deny faith. Faith gives humans strength to live.”

He tapped the Hell Chaser [his weapon] lightly with his foot.

“Even if a god tries to destroy this world, those who still believe in the god will believe, and those who don’t believe won’t, even if they fear the god.”

[Which side are you on?]

“Hmm….”

Yurin planted the Hell Chaser on the ground, rested his chin on his hand, and sneered.

“The winning side?”

[Kekekek. Madman.]

Zarka Hochi seemed pleased with his answer and turned back to Yula.

[Your faith is only worth this much.]

“Of course, I don’t represent the clergy. So please don’t be angry, Yula. However… if you’re upset, please direct your anger only at me.”

Yurin hastily corrected Zarka’s words. But as always, there was a hint of madness lurking behind his relaxed smile.

“I won’t die easily.”

Wooowoowoong….

Yurin Hyugar’s Hell Chaser began to glow red. Not with the divine power of a priest, but with the unique fire attribute magic he possessed, now erupting forth.

“You speak so proudly, but the world you created is only worth this much, Yula. At least in my world, the thought of rebellion is impossible.”

The woman with the snake lips wore an intrigued expression, as if she found the current situation amusing.

“You, who rule over a world of mere insects, have no right to say that. You don’t know your place, so you sided with humans.”

“Is that so?”

She glanced at the old man standing beside her. Yula’s face hardened as she followed her gaze, and the snake woman’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“I’m sorry to you, but unless the corruption of the disaster disappears, we can’t call it a complete defeat… so it’s not a violation of the rules.”

“Are you so greedy for the divine seat? So desperate that you’d cling to humans to get it?”

“Ironically, what he says isn’t wrong. We don’t know when the next opportunity for the vacant divine seat will come. We are great, but you know we also have homework to do.”

The old man quietly pointed his staff towards Pharell. The remaining gods’ expressions shifted, though their meaning remained unclear.

“That’s the same question that Rod had. But… he’s gone, so we don’t know if he found the answer. So now, shouldn’t the one who becomes the owner of the divine seat find out?”

“Are you the right person for that?”

Yula sneered, her eyes fixed on the old man.

“We, born from the primordial rift, have self-imposed rules. Surely you haven’t forgotten that.”

She sighed softly.

“Do you really think you can beat me in this world? The rules we created ourselves aren’t just for balancing. It’s because we know our own essence, born from the history of struggle.”

Thud-

Yula took a step forward, her eyes blazing with power.

Srrr-

The end of her robe, with its long sleeves, moved lightly as she raised her arm.

“……!!”

At that moment, Karil unconsciously took a step back and hurriedly raised the Sword of Polsetia.

Even though she was far away, Karil felt a sharp, palpable killing intent.

“Uh….”

A feeling like every hair on his body was standing on end washed over him.

As Karil watched her with a tense gaze, the consequence of her previous action manifested behind him.

Thud-

The sound was so simple, so mundane, that he initially mistook it for a branch falling to the ground. But when he realized that what was rolling on the ground was the old man’s severed head, the battlefield fell into stunned silence.

“The owner of the dimension has absolute power. That’s the real reason Exodia [the dimension] was created, and the rule. Otherwise, all dimensions would already be battlefields for the gods.”

Amid the tense atmosphere, Karil turned his gaze from the lifeless body of the third god to Yula.

“I forfeit. I guess this is as far as I go.”

It was then.

The man who had been silently observing the situation dusted off his hands and spoke.

“Yula is not the god of war. So I expected a slight possibility… but this confirms it. It’s impossible to overcome the power given by the dimension. Although it’s a rule we set, we can’t escape it as long as we’re within the scope of the rule.”

“Are you saying you’re giving up?”

“Yes. I lost my chance from the start. Since I lost the match… I have to prolong my life even if I can’t get the divine seat. Now that the third god is gone, the balance is already broken.”

Yula raised one corner of her mouth in a sardonic smile at the man’s words.

“You thought well. All a foolish human can do is that much.”

“If she ascends to the divine seat, do you think she’ll just leave you alone?”

“You can ignore the nonsense of humans. The divine seat is just a place to explore the truth that Rod couldn’t achieve. I don’t want to start a dimensional war.”

The man’s face hardened at Karil’s question, but he adopted an unavoidable expression at Yula’s words.

“However.”

Yula called out to the man as he turned to leave.

“It’s different before I ascend to the divine seat.”

Chwaaaaaak……!!!!

Yula’s sharp claws lashed out, aiming for the man’s back. Unlike her attack on the third god, the man reacted with incredible speed, narrowly avoiding the blow, but red blood blossomed on his side immediately after he retreated.

“Keuk?!”

“You can’t leave here. The moment you violated Exodia’s rules, you are no longer competitors for the divine seat, but violators of the rules.”

“What are you if not a violator!! As you said, the blessing of the owner of the dimension is powerful, but conversely, you shouldn’t harm other gods in exchange for providing the battlefield of Exodia!”

“That would be the case if you were still a participant in Exodia.”

“……What?”

Yula glanced at Karil, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

“Can a god be deceived by a human?”

At that moment, the man’s face turned ashen.

“You were deceived. Blinded by the divine seat, you killed your own kind with mere human illusion magic?”

“Th, that can’t be!!”

The man couldn’t hide his shock and looked at Karil. But seeing Karil’s calm face, devoid of any change in expression, the man seemed to lose his voice.

“That cunning human wouldn’t have left the disaster that harmed them. Yet you dare to rebel against me with that?”

Unlike her fight with the other gods, the wound inflicted by Yula didn’t heal. The man staggered back, writhing in pain.

“Don’t act so high and mighty. You were deceived too, weren’t you?”

It was then.

“I received a message from Israphel. Nephilim have appeared in the capital.”

“What? Are you saying the capital is under attack?”

Aidan asked in surprise.

“No. They’re probably there to confirm the disaster’s corpse. But if they manifest the power of the Nephilim, the gods here will know. So they’re just circling around and can’t come in. Well… if they come in, the same result as last time will be repeated.”

As Karil raised his hand, the Demon Realm unfolded, revealing three dragons flying over the capital.

“Even if they didn’t confirm the corpse, they definitely noticed the trickery, unlike the other idiots. After all… you’re the most suitable person for the divine seat than those morons.”

Yula distorted her expression as if questioning his defense of her.

Pasuseuk……!!

Karil shattered the glass bottle containing Rice’s heart that Aidan handed him.

“We don’t need this anymore. I wanted to take care of the remaining gods if possible… but it’s a shame.”

“……You!!!”

The man shouted at Karil, his face contorted with rage.

Puuk-!!!!

But at that moment, Karil’s sword pierced the man’s waist. Although he was already wounded by Yula’s attack, he allowed the attack so easily that it seemed almost futile.

“Ku, cough……!!”

Red blood gurgled from the man’s mouth.

‘As expected…….’

Karil frowned slightly as he watched the scene, as if confirming a long-held suspicion.

“Yo, you……!!”

The man staggered and tried to escape. But at that moment, Yula gestured towards him. Then, the four gods behind her mercilessly rushed at him.

“Kuh……!! Kuaaack!!!”

The gods’ sharp claws tore at the man’s limbs like rakes, ripping flesh and bone.

“I don’t know what your scheme is, but the only truth is that death remains before you.”

Yula remained calm even in the face of the man’s agonizing death.

She didn’t care because he was the one she had intended to kill from the very beginning.

“Well…….”

“Have all your cards been revealed? There’s only one god left to use. Or do you trust them? No matter how many tens or hundreds of thousands of humans gather, they just look like ants to me?”

Two gods had died in an instant.

Tension gripped the soldiers, who felt the tide of battle shift dramatically with her display of power.

“This isn’t good…….”

Kaila Chang bit her lip and muttered, her eyes filled with worry.

“The soldiers are starting to get scared before we even fight.”

The opponent was a god, after all.

She had expected a difficult fight from the beginning, but if morale crumbled before they even engaged, the outcome would be sealed.

“Don’t worry. The northern warriors don’t give up easily.”

Hwarin answered her words, but even she felt a chill run down her spine from the sheer power Yula radiated.

“Karil……. What are you going to do now.”

Everyone watched the battlefield with tense eyes, their hopes pinned on the enigmatic human.

“As an example, I’ll wipe out all of your subordinates first.”

Yula declared with a confident smirk.

“And don’t even think about interfering, you. The violator committed the worst punishment of killing a god first, so I’ll kill you in the most painful way.”

“…….”

Then, she turned her attention to the woman with the snake lips, issuing a silent warning. The woman’s face hardened, but she remained silent, knowing there was nothing more she could do.

“You are the owners of this world? Good. Then, as the owner of this dimension, I will inflict a true punishment on you. I will leave Exodia and clearly teach you the greatness of a god to you vermin!”

Sharp whirlwinds swirled around Yula, crackling with energy.

Kwakang!! Kwakagagagang!!!!

The sky turned black as if in fury, and violent lightning bolts struck in all directions, illuminating the terrified faces below.

“Be careful!!”

“Knights! Defensive formation!!”

“All Wyverns!! Evade!”

Urgent cries echoed across the battlefield as chaos erupted.

As she had warned, Yula seemed to have no intention of showing mercy to the humans.

[Interesting.]

Surprisingly, Mael said to Karil with delight at that moment when fear was creeping in.

[Everything is as you said.]