The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 303

204. Sword Festival (1)

“I can’t believe it…”

Aidan was so stunned by the sight before him that he couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

Having defeated Simon Coden, known as one of the top ten on the continent and a rival to the Five Great Sword Masters, he had truly joined the ranks of the continent’s strongest.

Shiver…….

However, his body was trembling now.

It was both fear and thrill.

Kwaaaang―――!!

Clang――!!

The heavy greatsword burst out, tearing through the air, and everything in its path shattered explosively.

The battle with Simon Coden was a contest of assassination techniques. Aidan didn’t win because he surpassed Simon Coden in every aspect.

That’s how assassins’ fights were.

But now, Aidan felt like he was finally opening his eyes to what true combat was.

Strength against strength, speed against speed, the two clashed without giving an inch.

“Aaaaaaaah―――!!!”

Hwarin of the Janabi tribe let out a sharp scream, raising her massive greatsword above her head and bringing it down vertically like a guillotine with all her might.

Koo-oong……!!

The air around the blade of the greatsword exploded, and the falling snow shattered into powder.

Even from several meters away, Aidan could clearly feel the pressure.

‘Liliana was a monster, but her leader is even more so…’

He felt a different kind of pressure than when he faced Simon Coden. To be honest, the beast in front of him seemed more formidable than the master of the Eastern Kingdom.

The Janabi tribe.

They were a foreign race known for using various poisons.

Therefore, they were often considered weaker in combat compared to other foreign races like the Hotigers, Red Moon, or Fox Maidens.

However, Aidan now realized that his understanding of the strength of these foreign races was completely wrong.

“It’s only natural that woman is strong.”

“……!!”

Aidan quickly turned his head and stepped back, startled by the voice that appeared like a ghost, so silent that even an assassin like himself couldn’t sense it.

“There’s a saying that the Janabi tribe’s poison is made to kill their leader. They test the poison on their leader first. If the leader survives the poison, then they choose the next leader.”

“……Truly a monster.”

Aidan clicked his tongue at his words.

The mysterious, deep black eyes were in stark contrast to the snow piled up in the north.

The man who appeared beside him was none other than Zigra.

Aidan, who had been away in the Eastern Kingdom, hadn’t heard any news about the Black Eyes clan, so he was wary of him, his face tense.

However, he noticed Hashir, Kunta, and Patun standing behind him and realized that he was under Khalil’s command.

‘How could they have lost to the Empire during the Inquisitorial Edict [a historical decree enforcing religious orthodoxy] with someone like him? Are Quell’s Azure Knights that great?’

The master of the Eastern Kingdom only targeted the darkness, but the beast of the north simply destroyed everything in sight.

Moreover, he possessed a body that was immune to even the deadliest poison that had taken the prince’s life, so Aidan was both amazed and puzzled.

Whoosh―! Whoosh―!!

Khalil twisted his body, but his shoulders and waist were wounded here and there. Despite the not-so-shallow wounds, he somehow blocked all of Hwarin’s attacks head-on without avoiding them.

Kwaaaang―――!!

With an explosion, Khalil’s body soared into the air from Hwarin’s raised greatsword.

“Keuk!”

With an intense shock that felt like his entire body was breaking, Khalil let out a low groan and landed on the ground.

Even as his legs touched down, the impact from Hwarin hadn’t subsided, and Khalil slid backward.

Clang―

The Ice Claw cried out.

More precisely, the Aether [a mystical energy] within it was crying. It was a cry of protest, as if asking why he wasn’t using its power.

Whirrrrr―!!

In the northern blizzard, flames erupted from the Ein Trigger [likely a magical artifact or device] embedded in Khalil’s hand, melting the ground where he and Hwarin were fighting.

It wasn’t to clear the snow that was hindering his ankles, but rather Lamina’s flames were also a struggle against Khalil’s refusal to use his power.

[……]

The Dark Spirit King, Duart, simply remained silent, and the Blue Serpent, Mael, closed his eyes as if uninterested in the two’s sword fight.

[Stubborn, indeed.]

Only Alrn Zaberius muttered to himself, a low sigh directed at Khalil.

Khalil didn’t use any magic or spirit power. Moreover, he didn’t even use swordsmanship, fighting Hwarin with only his body and weapon as tools.

The two’s sword fight was completely different from the knights’ duels.

It was more like a hunt.

A primal fight, as if fighting a monster wielding a sword right in front of him.

‘For the lord to be pushed back this much…’

Aidan stared at Hwarin with tense eyes. He couldn’t help but think that her strength alone was comparable to Gordon Fabian.

“Foreign races are born without magic. They fight under the same conditions, and the strongest one earns the title. It’s a simple but sure way to prove oneself.”

[Not using the power you have is something only a fool would do. I didn’t pass on my knowledge to a dullard who wouldn’t even use it.]

Alrn replied disapprovingly to Khalil’s words, and Hwarin, unable to hear his voice, simply tilted her head at Khalil’s muttering.

“Are you the son of Kaliak?”

Hwarin asked Khalil, as if taking a moment to catch her breath.

“That’s right.”

“I heard that you’re a foreign race but you have magic, and you even use the power of spirits?”

“It’s not that strange. The Digon tribe also has magic, right? Foreign races also have the same origins as the barbarians of the south. They simply changed their names as they moved north.”

Hwarin chuckled at Khalil’s words.

“Don’t misunderstand. I mean it’s okay to use that power. Anyone who doesn’t use all the power they have isn’t ready for the Sword Festival.”

[See? That big woman is better than you.]

Whirrrrr―!

Black smoke rose around Khalil, and the figure of Alrn Zaberius appeared.

[I should have given my knowledge to her instead.]

“……!!”

Hwarin hesitated, seemingly surprised by the sight, but having gone through thick and thin, she soon nonchalantly planted her greatsword into the ground and looked at Khalil.

“Shut up, Alrn.”

Khalil waved his hand, and Alrn’s figure scattered like smoke and then reassembled. He stepped forward, passing through Alrn’s body.

“When Kaliak earned the title of Great Warrior, did he have magic? Or was he blessed by spirits?”

“Of course not.”

“Then you know how foolish your consideration is. It doesn’t make sense if I can’t do what Kaliak did. Receiving the title of Great Warrior isn’t just inheriting the name, it’s surpassing the predecessor.”

Aidan knew that the father he was talking about didn’t just mean one person.

The Dark Shadow of the Eastern Kingdom was a secret organization with more information about the continent than anyone else.

And now that the organization was under his control, it was bound to become a much larger force than the information organization he had founded in his previous life, Meteor.

Quell McGovern and Kaliak.

Aidan realized that Khalil had come to the north to surpass everyone at the pinnacle of both the Empire and the foreign races, just as he had done in Heim.

And now, his lord was proving that power for all to see.

“Got it? That’s the proper attitude to make the name Great Warrior my own.”

“Arrogant.”

[Yeah. Break that useless pride of his.]

Alrn shook his head at Hwarin’s words.

But no one knew that he didn’t want Khalil to lose.

And they didn’t think he would lose either.

“Crazy…….”

Hwarin gritted her teeth at his words, which seemed to be mocking her. As Khalil gestured for her to attack,

“Hmph!”

As if she had been waiting for it, she grabbed the handle of the greatsword with both hands, lifted it, and charged.

Despite the numerous exchanges, her movements seemed to have become faster.

Clang!! Clang, clang―――!!

Sparks flew every time the swords clashed.

At the same time as the sound of the sword strikes, Hwarin aimed for Khalil’s weakness, and Khalil dodged the sword and thrust his sword into her chest.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack……!!!!!!

Clang――!!

After countless exchanges, the two had stopped thinking about dodging or counterattacking, and simply clashed their swords with all their might.

“Excellent.”

Khalil said, looking at her sword.

“But the weapon is lacking.”

“……What?”

It was then.

Clang―!!

A clear ringing that echoed around them.

Khalil’s Ice Claw pierced through Hwarin’s greatsword.

At that moment,

Khalil’s sword flying towards her felt slow. She tried to turn her body to the side, but surprisingly, her body reacted even more sluggishly.

The Ice Claw, which had cut the greatsword in half, flew towards her neck.

Gulp―

The sword blade approaching her clearly felt like it was giving her time for a final flashback, like a dying man’s vision.

‘I can’t avoid it.’

She closed her eyes tightly without realizing it.

Thud―

But instead of death, a cold chill touched her forehead. The Ice Claw stopped right in front of her eyes, and when she opened her closed eyes, Khalil said in a low voice.

“If you want, I can give you a weapon made of Azure Steel [a rare and powerful metal] that can’t even be found in the imperial palace’s treasury. In exchange, how about lending me your strength?”

“……What?”

Hwarin looked at Khalil with a dumbfounded expression.

“Your skills are too good to waste. Besides, I already knew through Liliana that the Janabi tribe has already set their sights on me.”

Khalil sheathed his sword.

The way he looked as if there was no point in fighting anymore made it seem as if the outcome of the two’s battle had been clear from the start.

“Are you trying to recruit her in the midst of all this?”

Aidan looked at her, who had fallen to the ground, and shook his head with a chuckle.

“Well, if you defeat a monster like that, you certainly deserve the title of Great Warrior. As the lord said, foreign races are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Is she the one who currently holds the title of Great Warrior?”

“Kuh… Kukuk. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hwarin started laughing for some reason at his words. Aidan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“The Sword Festival is just beginning.”

“……Huh?”

Wiping the blood flowing from her mouth, she raised her hand, and figures appeared on the snow-covered hill.

“You’ve become unsightly. Fine. The Janabi will withdraw from the festival. Do your best. There are still many challengers.”

Hwarin dusted herself off and stood up.

‘……Could it be that all of those guys are…?’

Aidan could tell that each and every one of the people on the hill was a strongman.

“Certainly, he is the son of Kaliak.”

“I never thought Hwarin would lose… Her strength is among the top three even among the foreign races.”

“From what I saw, it seemed like she was holding back? She didn’t use the ‘Will of the Lycans’ [likely a special ability or power]. Frankly, it’s wrong to talk about her strength without considering that necklace.”

“If you put it that way, he didn’t use magic either. It’s the same for both of them.”

Those who had been watching the two’s match exchanged stories as if they were evaluating them.

“The Cold Wind Tribe, the Iron Tribe, the Miao Tribe, the Thunder Clan… I can guess who the ones left behind are without even looking. They’re the ones on the elders’ side.”

Hashir, who had good eyes, looked at the people on the hill and clicked his tongue.

“The elders would never accept someone with magic as the leader of the foreign races.”

“They’ll try to stop him by any means possible.”

“Tch, those guys. They used their heads. They put Hwarin, who has the best stamina, as the first one to tire out the lord.”

“Maybe they’re acknowledging him that much.”

Hashir, Kunta, and Patun looked at Khalil below with worried expressions.

“One, two, three, four, five, six… A lot of them came. What’s there to see that you all came out like this?”

However, contrary to their concerns, the words that came out of Khalil’s mouth were shocking in themselves.

“I don’t have time……”

He gestured with his finger at the challengers on the hill.

“Just come in, all of you.”