The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 333

219. Conversation with Gordon (1)

“Nonsense.”

Kail moved away from Gordon, speaking coldly.

“Believe it or not, it’s your choice.”

Whoosh―!!

A strong gust of wind violently shook Gordon’s hair.

Unlike when they first met, his shaggy beard and unkempt hair made him look like a wild beast.

‘How could Gordon…’

In his past life, Kwell McGovern had told him about the secret of the Eternal Ice Cave.

But it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Gordon, who had dealings with Emperor Tyran Shutean, was closer to him than other Sword Masters, unlike Kwell, who was a knight of the Empire.

But since when?

Even if there was a connection, what mattered to Kail was that he hadn’t known about it.

“Is that why you sided with Olivern?”

At Kail’s question, Gordon shrugged.

Annoyed by his unresponsiveness, Kail jammed the blade of Lakna into the airship.

Coo-guh-guh-guh…

The airship shook, emitting black smoke.

[You’re not really thinking of dropping this thing, are you?]

Aln asked, sounding slightly worried.

“I don’t know what you saw in the North, Gordon. You’ve chosen the wrong side. The North is our land. You should have revealed the secret you found there to me, not to an Imperial.”

Gordon gave a bitter smile at Kail’s words.

“Are you also dividing people by blood, calling them Imperials or foreigners?”

‘Could it be…’

Kail wondered if Gordon had actually seen the ice pillar inside the Eternal Ice Cave.

The first Blader.

Their descendants, who lost their magic due to their rebellion against God, were themselves. On the other hand, the remaining Bladers who sided with God were able to preserve their magic and later became the ancestors of the Imperials.

They were the same Bladers, but their paths diverged completely.

In the Mythical Era, there was no distinction between them.

But in this era, no one thought they could coexist.

It was as if they were on opposite sides, like humans and gods during the Divine Spirit War.

‘He definitely said “we.” Did he really go to the Eternal Ice Cave with Kwell?’

Kail adjusted his grip on his sword.

“But even so, that’s not a reason to side with Olivern. I don’t know what you saw, but what I gained from the North was the conclusion that I can enforce my will.”

“Typical of you.”

“So, we’re enemies then.”

Tada-da-dak!!

Kail ran, lightly tapping his feet on the floor.

The distance closed in an instant, and his speed gradually increased. The moment he twisted his body right in front of Gordon, his body blurred with afterimages.

Pat!

Kail, who had jumped to the side and above, bent his sword.

Second Unicorn Posture.

The silver-gray blade of Lakna aimed for Gordon’s nape from the upper right.

“Hmph!”

Gordon hurriedly bent his back and raised his Mouter [a type of war hammer]. As if waiting for it, Kail stepped on the hammer of the Mouter rising towards him in the air and somersaulted over it.

In the air above Gordon’s head, Kail now grabbed the handle of Agnel in reverse and pressed down on the handle of the sword with his palm.

First Crown Posture.

As if deflecting the wind pressure from the hammer, Kail rushed in with his sword, using Gordon’s fierce attack to his advantage.

Swish―!

The blade of Lakna grazed Gordon’s side, and a drop of red blood fell on Kail’s cheek.

Boooom…!!

But Gordon, as if not feeling any pain, swung the Mouter he was holding with all his might.

“Hmph!”

Holding his breath, the muscles in both arms holding the Mouter swelled as if they would burst.

Kwaaaaang――!!

The ceiling of the airship shook violently, and the shields around it appeared and disappeared, emitting a translucent milky light.

“Everyone, focus!! Don’t lose your balance!! If we fall from here, we’re done!!”

Jegan gripped the controls of the airship, muttering in a low voice as the debris fell to the floor as the ceiling’s deck collapsed.

“Damn it, is the Commander planning to completely destroy the airship? At this rate, we’ll crash before the air raid.”

It was then.

“Vice Commander!! The entrance to the Caltun Canyon is visible! We need to increase altitude!”

A subordinate in the cockpit shouted.

“Already here…”

Jegan swallowed hard, looking at the dozens, hundreds of mountains that rose like giant pillars, seemingly piercing the sky before his eyes.

The gaps between the canyons were very complex, and the strong winds and relentless blizzards seemed to ensnare everything that entered the canyon like a spider web.

That’s why people called the Caltun Canyon the Sky Spider Web, saying that only a dragon could break through this trap created by nature.

“Hoo…”

Jegan exhaled, trying to calm his trembling heart, and increased the speed of the airship to the maximum.

The end of the canyon was the western direction from the North to the Strait.

The goal of the Cult Mercenary Corps was to bypass Tramel after exiting the Strait and surprise Tatur with the airship.

To pass through the canyon, they had to raise their altitude and rise above the clouds where there was no blizzard.

But if they went any higher, the oxygen would become scarce.

That’s why it was an operation only possible for the Cult Mercenary Corps, which had an airship that could fly at altitudes that even the Wyvern unit could not reach.

“We’re going through.”

“What?!”

“If we raise the altitude any further, there will be no oxygen. No matter how monstrous the Commander is, he’s still human. He’ll die if he can’t breathe.”

“B, but…”

The subordinates looked at the canyon with trembling eyes at Jegan’s words. No matter how good the airship was, it would never be safe if it passed through the canyon as it was.

“Are you scared? Hey, you bastards. Then are you planning to kill the Commander with your own hands!!”

Clench―

At his roar, the members all hurriedly turned their heads and looked forward.

“Hold on tight.”

Jegan said, looking at the blizzard of the canyon pouring down like hail.

“Anyone who shits their pants will be made fun of for the rest of their lives after the war.”

Jegan headed into the darkness of the endless canyon, but he was talking about life, not death.

Ironically, he seemed to be looking at the members of the Cult Mercenary Corps from the position of Vice Commander in a slightly different sense than before.

Perhaps he felt a little bit like the Commander.

Kwaggeugeugeugeu……!!

The airship made a loud noise and began to be pushed into the canyon.

* * *

Kwagagagagang……!!!

The head of the Mouter, rushing against the wind, deflected the blizzard and poured towards Kail.

[Use Annihilation Strike.]

Aln’s words followed.

“…….”

But Kail’s hand holding Lakna hesitated.

‘I can win without using it.’

[Is it because the airship is being destroyed?]

‘It’s the only tool that can fly in the sky. It’s something that will be greatly used in the Holy War.’

Kail twisted the blade of Agnel and deflected it, avoiding the Mouter that passed over his head.

“Tch…!!”

With that short impact, Gordon staggered, and the Mouter faltered and fell towards the wings of the airship.

As Kail had predicted, Gordon barely managed to change its trajectory just before the Mouter struck the airship.

But the recoil was entirely directed at him, and a cracking sound came from his thick, tree-like arms as his muscles twisted.

‘And Gordon is also restricted.’

Kail looked at the scene and clicked his tongue, understanding the situation. It was a non-stop offensive and defensive battle, but surprisingly, Gordon’s attacks never hit Kail even once.

And he was able to find the reason in the scene just now.

When the redirected Mouter barely stopped, Kail jumped up and stood on the hammer.

The head of the hammer pointed downwards.

“…….”

“I see you’re worried about the airship. Seeing that you can only swing the hammer horizontally because you’re afraid the deck will be destroyed. No matter how great the power, if the trajectory of the attack is monotonous, it’s not a threat.”

But the answer came from elsewhere.

[Isn’t it because of the guys inside? I can understand that the big guy is your subordinate, but I can’t accept your words.]

Kail hid his expression at Aln’s words.

[You’re a surprisingly soft-hearted guy. Maybe it’s because your past life was lonely, but as I’ve said many times, that softness will hold you back.]

He said as if warning him.

[Behead Gordon right now.]

It was then.

Squeeze―

Kail seemed to have made up his mind and put strength into the hand holding the handle of Lakna.

“Vice Commander!!”

The mercenaries who were watching the scene beyond the screen in the cockpit screamed in surprise.

Jegan’s face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth.

“Tch!!”

He turned the control stick to the opposite side with all his might.

“Hold on tight!!”

Then the left wing of the airship rose sharply and tilted as if it were flipping over.

“Aaaaaaak!”

“Aaaak!”

The subordinates screamed and grabbed the armrests of their chairs, but some people rolled and fell to the floor.

Kwaaaaang!

The wings of the airship collided with the canyon pillar due to the sudden change of direction, and black smoke rose from one wing, causing the airship to shake violently.

“……!!”

Due to the suddenly fluctuating airship, Kail paused to regain his balance just before drawing his sword towards Gordon.

“Crazy bastards. That’s why they’re the Cult Mercenary Corps.”

Gordon said, even on the airship with one wing broken and shaking, with the corners of his lips raised.

Then, as if he had been waiting for it, he reached out to Kail, who was standing on his hammer, and grabbed his collar with a jerk!!

“You’re thinking about other things during a fight? You’re right, this doesn’t seem like a suitable place to fight.”

A huge body hugged Kail tightly.

“Then we should go to a place that’s easier to fight.”

Kail hurriedly tried to escape from his grasp and stabbed Agnel into his abdomen.

Clang!!

But Agnel bounced off with a frictional sound as if striking steel.

‘Automata…!’

Gordon Fabian’s absolute defense technique, an earth attribute defense magic.

The solid wall of earth, like armor covering his entire body, became slimy and enveloped his entire body, as if devouring even Kail, who he was hugging.

“My subordinates are risking their lives, so I, as the Commander, shouldn’t be sparing myself. Right?”

“Crazy!!”

Kail hurriedly pulled up his magic power.

Crack!!

As he bent and stretched his arms, pushing the earthen wall that was binding him with both elbows, debris bounced in all directions. For a moment, Kail’s body staggered.

The crumbling earthen wall turned silver-gray and scattered powder like snow.

“You’ll be the one who gets hurt if you try to break it easily. Because I made it with all my power. Even though it looks like this, the amount of magic power is not inferior to other Sword Masters.”

He tried to break free from his embrace by pushing against Gordon’s abdomen, but in the short moment of staggering, Gordon grabbed Kail even tighter.

“The earth attribute, which has the property of earth, has the power to absorb magic power unlike other magics. The reason why Automata was able to become an absolute defense technique is because it absorbs the magic power of the attacking enemy.”

Gordon’s arms, which were holding Kail’s body, felt even stronger than before.

“The more you struggle to break free, the stronger it becomes.”

Crackling…

Surprisingly, a faint silver-gray light appeared and disappeared from his arms.

[Is it possible to absorb even magic power with divine power? Even if it’s an earth attribute, it shouldn’t be possible… It’s an absurd ability. Something’s wrong.]

Aln said, seemingly surprised.

But of course, now was not a time to afford to find answers to questions.

“Kugh?!”

Kail tried to pry off Gordon’s arms as if he were stuck inside a solid stone pillar, but it wasn’t easy.

Kail, who had never imagined that he would use the defense technique in this way, struggled in panic.

As if proving that he had put all his effort into binding Kail, the armor that had been protecting Gordon himself had now disappeared.

“You’re going to fall from this height with your bare body? Even if it’s you, you’ll die.”

“Heh heh… That’s what the life of a mercenary is like. Always carrying death around our necks.”

But he walked to the end of the airship without paying attention.

“Gordon…!!”

A tremendous altitude where the bottom could not be seen.

And below, the rocks of the canyon protruded like bars.