The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 145

116. The Aftermath (2)

KWA-BOOM—!!

With a thunderous roar, Karyl’s small frame, barely half the size of Gordon’s, was sent flying.

“Kugh?!”

Karyl, who had crossed his arms to block the attack, was thrown backward, smashing through the office wall and the wall across the hallway before finally stopping.

Tingle… Tingle…

The arm that had blocked Gordon’s strike trembled uncontrollably, as if electrified.

It was an immense force, but Gordon, seeing Karyl still standing after taking his blow, snorted in disbelief.

“Seriously… I thought he was a joke from the start. He blocked that?”

Gordon lightly rotated his arm.

“Even a Sword Expert would have had both arms shattered by that punch.”

As he clenched his fist, the sleeve of his mercenary uniform tore apart with a loud POP-!! as his bulging muscles seemed to inflate.

“Come out.”

His monstrous upper body rippled with each breath.

“I’ve been hearing your nonsense from outside. If we fight here, the airship will be destroyed.”

Behind the torn clothes were countless scars, like medals.

His nearly perfect muscles moved as he walked, captivating the eye so much that the scars went unnoticed.

“Ha…”

Karyl involuntarily gasped at Gordon’s appearance.

‘Was this Gordon Fabian’s prime?’

It was truly laughable.

Surprisingly, Gordon Fabian’s punch hadn’t contained any mana.

His ability to unleash such incredible power with pure physical strength was truly monstrous.

‘This isn’t good…’

He struggled to control his expression, feeling his lips constantly curving upward.

In his past life, Karyl had surpassed his father, Kwell McGovern, in pure swordsmanship at the age of 18.

It had taken six years.

That alone was an incredible achievement, but it was nothing compared to his current self.

Only two years had passed since his regression.

History and the future were changing because of him, and the Empire was no longer unfolding as he remembered.

But more than any of those changes.

Karyl was curious about his own evolution.

He hadn’t crossed swords with those who had reached the realm of absolute power very often, even in his past life.

Pure curiosity.

“What are you doing?”

Gordon called out to him.

For a brief moment, Karyl wished he could forget why he had come here.

Sometimes,

fists spoke louder than words.

“Throwing punches without rhyme or reason.”

WHOOSH-

Karyl stepped out of the airship, plunged his Ice Claws into the ground, and gripped Agnel tightly.

“May I take a swing now?”

“Coming from a guy with a sword, that’s quite a statement.”

Karyl chuckled at his words.

Startled by the sudden commotion, the mercenaries on the airship rushed out.

“Everyone, get back inside.”

Gordon said quietly, looking at them.

“What? But…”

“Captain!”

“You’re in the way. You didn’t even notice the intruder. I won’t say it twice.”

The mercenaries of the Order of the Cross were confident in their abilities, but at Gordon’s words, they simply nodded, as if struck dumb.

“Stupid fools.”

Gordon clicked his tongue at them.

“Isn’t it because it’s dangerous, not because we’re in the way?”

Karyl spun Agnel lightly in his hand and asked.

THUD-! THUD-!

Instead of answering, Gordon strode towards Karyl.

The ground sank with each step he took.

Of course, leaving footprints was something even a User, not just an Expert, could do, but he was on a different level.

“No. You’re in the way.”

The rumbling sound was like an earthquake, but not even a speck of dust rose when he lifted his feet.

Karyl felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead for the first time.

‘Could it be…’

He had gained mana and learned arcane power, but due to his blocked meridians, he had only been able to properly utilize mana for less than a year.

At only 14 years old, his physical growth was still lacking compared to Gordon’s fully developed body.

KWA-BOOM—!!

But Karyl charged towards him without hesitation.

It was precisely because of his physical handicap that he could truly test the achievements of his swordsmanship and mana.

WHIZZ… ZZZT!!

The moment he gripped the dagger he had been spinning on his palm, intense mana erupted as if the blade were lengthening.

Karyl, diving into Gordon’s embrace, aimed for his waist with a strike.

CLANG!!

Just before the aura blade erupting from Agnel could reach him, Gordon slammed his fist down from above.

CRACK—!!

Dirt and rocks scattered in all directions.

The impact caused the blade to sink downward, while Karyl’s body was lifted upward.

Thanks to Karyl’s endless mana based on dragon mana, he certainly surpassed Gordon in speed.

However, in terms of absolute physical strength, Gordon, with his several times larger frame, had the advantage.

BANG!! BANG!!

Karyl, floating in the air, stepped on the void.

Dashing in a zigzag pattern as if there were walls, he aimed for Gordon’s neck at an angle.

WHIRRR……!!

The aura blade of Agnel, which he was holding, trembled.

Colorless Sword (無色氣劍) – Form 2

CLANG!!

Gordon caught Agnel’s blade with his hand, and the sound of metal clashing echoed.

Just as when he had struck Karyl earlier, stone fragments fell in all directions.

His unique earth-attribute defense surrounded his hand.

“You use interesting swordsmanship.”

SCRITCH……!!

As Gordon slowly lowered his hand while gripping the blade, the Agnel’s blade, made of Blue Luster, sparked and screamed as if crying.

Karyl held Agnel with both hands and resisted, but he couldn’t withstand Gordon’s crushing force.

It wasn’t a particular swordsmanship or martial art.

There were five Sword Masters in the world, but they were called that as a sign of strength, and not all of them used swords.

King of Fists, Balbont, had reached that realm through martial arts, and Ganes, the Knight of the Brand, used a halberd.

Each of them clearly had their own framework and form.

But Gordon was different.

KWA-BOOM—!!

He had reached the realm of Sword Master with just his innate physique and strength.

If he had been a mana-less foreigner, he might have been called a Martial Saint (武聖) even before Karyl.

‘He’s become an even bigger monster with mana, though.’

Karyl released Agnel from Gordon’s grip with all his might, rotated on his right foot, and kicked his chest with all his strength.

BANG-! BANG! KWA-BANG……!!

Like a spinning wheel, he kicked Gordon once in the stomach, once in the chest, and finally struck his face.

The impact caused him to drop the dagger he was holding, and Karyl quickly rolled on the ground and grabbed it.

‘He’s insane.’

Karyl raised his head.

CRACK.

Gordon Fabian, cracking his neck from side to side, was staring at him.

Karyl’s mana-infused kick was more powerful than most sword auras.

However, Gordon, who had momentarily covered his face with solid rock, staggered but didn’t seem to have taken much damage.

“Roses!!!”

Gordon shouted someone’s name in a booming voice, looking at the airship.

“Bring out the Martyr.”

At that moment,

a massive battle hammer was barely lifted by three people, struggling, and dropped from the upper level of the airship with all their might.

WHOOSH…

The hammer was vertically embedded in the ground as if an earthquake had occurred.

Dried blood, of unknown origin, was thickly caked on it, as if it had never been properly cleaned.

Gordon nonchalantly pulled the hammer out of the ground and slung it over his shoulder.

CRACK- CRUNCH-

Gordon’s entire body turned brown as if he were wearing solid armor.

As thick clumps of earth covered his entire body, his already large frame looked twice as big.

‘Is that it.’

Gordon’s mana manipulation was different from that of other Sword Masters.

While the others used mana for attack, he, with his monstrous strength, focused solely on defense.

Thus, over his lifetime, Gordon had created a unique defensive magic, not swordsmanship or spear techniques.

‘Automata.’

The ultimate earth-attribute defense.

However, it was a magic that Karyl had never seen directly, as it had been lost after he died of illness in his previous life.

SMIRK-

Gordon smirked at Karyl, as if inviting him to come and try.

Somehow, he looked like a child who had been bored until now, but had finally found an interesting toy.

“A monster is a monster.”

Karyl looked at him and sincerely expressed his admiration.

WHOOSH…

Then, he approached the Ice Claws he had plunged into the ground earlier and drew his sword.

“Are you finally using that?”

Gordon watched Karyl’s sword with interest.

The cold aura emanating from it even when it was still suggested that it was no ordinary sword from the start.

“My hammer is quite useful too. I wonder if it will break.”

WHOOM—

The sound emanating from the hammer was extremely heavy, even though he swung it through the air with one hand so easily that it made the hammer’s weight seem light.

“Hoo…”

Karyl infused Agnel with the power of the Flame Tyrant.

WHOOSH—!!

Fierce flames erupted from the back of his hand to the sword hilt, as if to devour it.

WHOOM…

Conversely, the aura blade on the Ice Claws turned pure white as it absorbed the cold air and froze.

Gordon watched his actions with interest.

“…”

A moment of silence.

Karyl turned his head.

The sunset was gradually casting its glow.

“I don’t have much time.”

What worried him was Tyren, not Cromen.

“I have no choice.”

He decided to settle this before they arrived.

CLICK.

At that moment,

Karyl removed the Bracelet of Greed from his arm.

KWA-BOOM—!!!

“……!!!!”

With an explosive burst of mana, even Gordon was caught off guard and stared at Karyl with surprised eyes.

There was clearly a distance of dozens of meters between them.

“You…”

Gordon, with a somewhat relieved expression, asked Karyl, who was standing in front of him as if nothing had happened.

“Why did you come here again?”

“Ha… Haha.”

Karyl couldn’t help but laugh at Gordon, who was either indifferent or so bold that he couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards.

“To save you.”

Gordon glanced at Agnel, which was embedded in his shoulder, and then turned his head again.

The power that had pierced through his defense in a single blow.

CRACK… CRUNCH…

That wasn’t the end of it.

The hand holding the Martyr trembled slightly.

If he hadn’t blocked the Ice Claws with the hammer, the Ice Claws would have been lodged between his ribs by now.

“Aha…”

Gordon scanned Karyl’s attacks.

All of them aimed at vital points.

“Is that so?”

He smirked at Karyl as if to show off.