The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 465

275. Recollection

“The Calamity has begun.”

Caryl slowly opened his eyes.

In his hand, he held an ancient book.

It was so old that the cover was illegible, appearing to be centuries old.

“What about Su-an and Aidan?”

“There’s no news from either of them. The Knights Templar’s airship remains grounded in the forest behind the capital.”

He nodded slowly at the voice from the darkness, then closed the book.

It was around the time the third Calamity, Lyse, had begun anew.

Troops were being deployed to each front, and Ziggurat had been ordered to escort Anshar.

“I wondered who wrote this thing, but now I think I know,” Yurin Hugart said, eyeing the Aigis of Orichalcum [a mythical shield made of a valuable metal] hanging on Hawat’s back after Ziggurat’s departure.

“The two of you are to proceed to the front where Wingel Hart is stationed. Deliver this shield to him.”

“Wingel Hart, you mean…”

Yurin seemed to grasp the implication, a dumbfounded laugh escaping him.

“Ascalon.”

Caryl affirmed.

“A small fry is no match for a giant. Naturally, he needs a worthy opponent.”

He spoke softly.

“Pharel.”

And on the day Caryl declared his intention to personally destroy Pharel to Yurin Hugart and Hawat, he had been engrossed in the book until moments before issuing his orders.

“But… what is that?”

Before their departure, Yurin Hugart, ever observant, expressed curiosity about the old book Caryl held.

He knew Caryl wasn’t one to leisurely read when a monumental battle was imminent.

“This?”

Caryl held up the book.

“It’s nothing, really. Just someone’s diary… or a memo. Perhaps a will.”

“…?”

Yurin Hugart tilted his head, puzzled by the ambiguous response.

“A method of killing gods.”

“…Pardon?”

Yurin chuckled at Caryl’s statement.

“You’re quite the joker. It’s unusual for a priest to say this, but you seem perfectly suited to that role. Even a lord like you can’t accomplish that easily. If a method for killing gods truly existed within that book… someone would have already succeeded.”

He assumed Caryl was making a playful jest. But Caryl simply offered a faint, wry smile.

“I’ll see you on the battlefield.”

“Okay.”

Even after Yurin Hugart and Hawat had left, Caryl remained standing.

“…”

He reopened the ancient book to its first page.

[I, Kaie Essir, leave this writing for those who seek the long and arduous path of killing gods, a path I once walked.]

A jolt went through Caryl as he felt his heart pounding, a sensation he knew wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

Why?

He had initially resisted reading Kaie Essir’s will, entrusted to him by Deril Harian before his departure to the Spirit Realm.

But his encounter with Yula in the Spirit Realm had revealed the imperfection of God’s existence.

She was unaware of his regression, nor did she recognize his acquisition of the Dimension Spiral.

Despite it being a world of her own creation, her influence didn’t extend to all realms, explaining the existence of unique places like the Demon World.

A loophole in God.

Having confirmed this in the Spirit Realm, Caryl now felt confident in his ability to read Kaie Essir’s will.

‘The dimension he inhabited differs from mine. God is not a singular entity, so Kaie Essir’s method cannot be considered universally applicable.’

The Lord, revered as the highest among gods, would undoubtedly be a formidable being, and victory against him would be far from easy.

Previously, in a conversation with Mael, Deril Harian had stated that the presence of Kaie Essir’s essence served as proof that killing gods was possible.

But Caryl harbored suspicions.

It wasn’t a question of whether he had truly defeated God.

‘God’s fragments reside in the Demon World, and Pharel from another dimension is here. And if Kaie Essir, a human from another dimension, ended up here due to his battle with God…’

What became of the continent he once called home?

Even if he succeeded in killing God, losing the foundation upon which to live could never be considered a true victory.

In that regard, Kaie Essir and Caryl’s situations differed. It was a matter of grave importance, demanding a thorough examination of all possibilities.

Furthermore, the presence of Pharel from another dimension and the Lord’s disappearance served as compelling evidence of Kaie Essir’s victory, but whether it was a victory or self-destruction remained unknown.

In such circumstances, blindly following Kaie Essir’s path without understanding the full picture would inevitably influence Caryl’s plans for victory.

But things were different now.

He had formulated a clear plan, met Yula, and now possessed the confidence to remain steadfast even after learning Kaie Essir’s method.

The path presented by Kaie Essir was no longer a guide to be followed, but rather an object to be compared with the path he intended to forge.

Woo-woo-woo-woong…

As he opened the first page, the initial letters began to glow faintly. At that moment, Caryl felt a surge of magical power escaping his body.

“The same lack of warning as before.”

Caryl offered a wry smile.

When he first regressed and obtained the Dragon’s Heart, he might have perished in vain, unable to control the rampaging magic, had he not acquired the Bracelet of Greed left behind by Kaie Essir.

It was the same this time.

Anyone unqualified who attempted to open the will risked having their magic drained, placing them in grave danger.

[My true name in the world I inhabited is Newt Brian. I was once a blader called Mutoh, and I, along with my son, was the one who killed God.]

Caryl meticulously read each letter, as if they were being etched into his mind.

“Newt Brian…”

He had suspected that Kaie Essir might not be his real name, but it was surprising to learn that he had fought alongside a blader from another dimension.

[I am not a blader. I am merely an exile who betrayed them. However, the reason I can leave a will in another dimension I have not experienced is likely because I am atoning for the sins of my betrayal and liberating the people of this world from the gods.]

[I believe you, who are qualified to open this book, also seek the path of killing gods. That is why I am recording everything I remember from all the journeys we undertook.]

‘We…?’

It was the most perplexing word in Kaie Essir’s will.

‘He didn’t kill God alone.’

Perhaps it was only natural.

Slaying a god could never be an easy task, so it was unlikely he achieved it alone. It wouldn’t be strange if he had helpers.

[Are you a regressor? Or one who obtained the Master Key? Or perhaps one who broke the rules?]

“…….”

[I can almost see your surprised face as you read my question. Don’t worry. In the world I experienced, there were regressions for god-slaying, Bladers with Master Keys, and even the destruction of rules created by gods. So, it’s not that surprising.]

Caryl gave a bitter smile at his words.

[It was all to deceive the gods. We finally found someone capable of killing a god, and it was Mutoh’s son, the most outstanding Blader among the existing 77 dimensions.]

[Mutoh devised a plan. He knew that Pharell was not created by a god but existed from the beginning, and that it was the only place where time regression was possible. So, he regressed his son.]

[Although it might simply be a father’s love to save his son… Like Mutoh’s son, he was able to awaken, unlike his weak past self. I fought alongside him against the Lord for seven days and nights. It was to atone for my sins, but there’s no need to inform the people of this world about that.]

[In the end, we finally killed the god. But as a result, the Dimension Spiral he possessed shattered and scattered into dimensions, and I too was caught in the chaos and disappeared along with it.]

Caryl turned another page of the will.

[Whether it was luck or misfortune, one of the shattered fragments of the god entered my body, and as a result, I was swept away by the dimensional vortex but managed to survive. And here, along with Pharell, I discovered a sealed Blader. I could sense it instinctively: the defeat of this world.]

At the mention of the final defeat, Caryl felt a gritty sensation in his mouth.

[Why did they fail? It may sound funny, but after countless defeats before succeeding in god-slaying, I thought about what element was lacking in this world—the difference between our success and their failure.]

[There were two things. The Master Key can originally only be held by the owner of the fifteenth seat. That seat is a seat of struggle, and only two out of several candidates can obtain it. But strangely, in any dimension, there is only one fifteenth Master Key. Two seats, but they do not coexist. My world was the same. Perhaps it was intentional. The Lord made their fighting spirit extremely high from birth, so they had the power to kill a god but remained only half complete.]

[Hmm. Caryl, you have achieved one of the two missing things. You have obtained not only Mael’s but also the will of the Lycanthrope.]

Aln Zabis said while reading the will.

“Indeed.”

Caryl nodded at his words.

[That’s why I will hide the Master Key that I used in the past here. The name of my Master Key is Beast. It is the fifteenth key that can obtain the power of the Lycanthrope.]

“…What? The will of the Lycanthrope is the Master Key that Kaie Essir used?”

Not only Caryl but even Aln looked at his writing with disbelief.

[But since it’s not from this world, it could cause dimensional confusion. I will seal and hide my Master Key. Don’t worry. If you have reached this book, you must have obtained my Master Key as well.]

“Huh…”

Caryl unconsciously let out a low exclamation.

[It’s quite possible. In fact, the fifteenth candidates competed for the Blader’s seat. Actually, since I was also sealed, I don’t know the fate of the other Master Keys. I only guessed that they were sealed like me when I found the seal in the necklace in the north.]

Mael said in a low voice.

“…….”

Caryl now felt a strange fear of turning the next page.

[But having obtained the Master Key, you have now obtained the qualification of a Blader, but another power is needed for god-slaying. That is the will of God.]

Caryl unconsciously bit his lip tightly.

“Lancep…”

If the Blader is the power of God, then Lancep is the will of God.

When the two powers exist completely, the true union can manifest the power of God.

[Yes, to be honest, it doesn’t make sense. This is a very difficult task. Countless possibilities are intertwined, and it is only possible to reach one extreme. We too repeated and repeated countless terrible battles, but there was no one who possessed both the power of Lancep and the Blader.]

Caryl continued to read his will.

[The reason we were able to win is because my blood relative was the only Lancep in the world. Yes, I am telling you now what we could not achieve. But fortunately, due to the Dimension Spiral absorbed into me, I saw the world of God, albeit fragmentarily.]

[I leave you with my last will.]

[The way to become a Lancep, called the incarnation of God. With that, you will be the only human to possess all the power of God, which even we did not possess. I don’t even know what that power is. It may be a matter of risking your life.]

[But… if you break through that probability of less than one in ten thousand, one in a billion, and reach the possibility of god-slaying…]

[A completely different life will unfold before you than ever before. It may even be a matter of going beyond the human realm. If you still want it… open the last page. I will show you the way.]

It was a warning.

A new challenge that requires risking one’s life.

Kaie Essir also said that he did not achieve god-slaying by obtaining the power of Lancep.

On the other hand, he climbed the tower for countless eons to eliminate Yula, ate the dragon’s heart, released the seal of the Spirit King, and obtained the Master Key. In addition, he also newly awakened the ten god-slayers of his previous life.

Perhaps it is possible this time.

What if something goes wrong in this situation…?

It could lead to even greater danger.

[Kaie Essir. He leaves you with the choice to the end. Are you really going to do it?]

Aln Zabis said as if he was dumbfounded.

[I asked a pointless question.]

However, seeing Caryl staring blankly at the will without answering, he shook his head and muttered.

“This isn’t a challenge.”

Kaie Essir and he are clearly different.

He has a reason to protect this world in addition to simply killing God.

“It’s just a process of gaining power.”

Caryl turned the last page without hesitation.

For perfect victory.

At that moment,

A pure white light enveloped Caryl’s entire body.

* * *

“The war has begun. What are you doing in a place like this as the leader? Huh? Why on earth did you come to the imperial tomb?”

Millyana, who came to find Caryl, said to him as he stood blankly at the entrance of the tomb.

She didn’t seem to like the fact that the place where she found Caryl ahead of the battle with the fate of the continent at stake was the tomb where the emperors of the empire were sleeping.

“I’ll quit after all.”

Caryl, who was staring blankly at the entrance of the tomb, finally said as if he had made up his mind with a low sigh.

“I almost showed you an unsightly sight. I’ll come back after this war is all over, as you wished.”

“…?”

Millyana tilted her head as if asking what he meant, looking at his back as he turned around.

It was then.

‘Huh? Did I see it wrong…? Just behind his back…’

Millyana frowned slightly. It was because she thought she saw something hazy emanating from him as he passed by her.

“Wait a minute! What is that?”

But the suspicion did not last long.

Millyana shouted in surprise as she saw the appearance of a golem in the magic mirror that suddenly appeared.

“Yes, we’re going to attack Pharell.”