The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 347

225. Dragon Hunt (1)

Kuuuuuuuuu……!!!!

Dark clouds began to gather thickly in the sky.

[Kuaaaaaaa!!]

Python, his face battered, roared as he scraped the ground and stood up, creating a massive magic circle in the sky.

The huge magic circle, spanning dozens of meters, stacked in layers. As the overlapping magic completed without chanting, dark clouds rapidly accumulated in the sky.

Kwaaaang!! Kwakakakakang!!!

Powerful lightning bolts fell relentlessly across the entire battlefield.

Dozens of lightning strikes falling instantly without any warning were each as powerful as a 6th circle magic, Giga Lightning.

“The, the formation is collapsing!!!”

“Everyone, evade……!!”

The mages of the Imperial Army’s magic corps were at best intermediate 5th circle mages.

Their protective magic was insufficient to even block a single lightning bolt.

“Uwaaaagh!!”

“Ugh!!”

“Sa, save me……!!”

In the dragon’s rage-filled magic, the battlefield instantly turned into a scene of carnage, regardless of friend or foe.

Hwaaaah—!!!

Nevertheless, Python didn’t care and spread his wings with all his might.

The screams of soldiers blown away in all directions by the gale created by his wing flaps echoed across the battlefield.

[This lowly human dares!! I’ll kill you……!!]

The Red Dragon, enraged beyond measure, seemed to have no regard for the Imperial Army, intent only on catching and killing the two people before him.

“He’s gone mad.”

Karyl coldly remarked, watching Python.

“That’s the victory card you believed in.”

“…….”

Azif stared blankly, watching his soldiers die all around him.

“A noble being? Do you see the wisdom accumulated over hundreds of years in him? He was just born with great power. Nothing more, nothing less.”

[Kuaaaaaaaah—!!!]

Python opened his mouth wide, and a stream of hot, lava-like fire breath spewed out.

“Uwaaaagh!!”

“Aaaagh!!”

The moment the fireballs falling from the stream of fire touched them, the Imperial soldiers instantly turned to ashes.

“Perhaps the Guardian Dragon is different. But that one is not your Guardian Dragon.”

Karyl said coldly.

“Human history is something that humans must create together, for better or worse. I don’t know what kind of pact Oliven and those guys made, but those guys aren’t fighting for the Empire’s victory.”

Azif watched the Red Dragon’s rampage with trembling eyes.

“If they were, they wouldn’t trample the Imperial Army like that.”

“Wh, what…….”

Azif said, bewildered, as Karyl sheathed the sword he had been holding to Azif’s neck.

“Not even for their own safety and survival. Because they pride themselves on the fact that there is nothing in this world that could be a threat to them.”

Karyl said, looking at him.

“They are just fighting for their pride. They are merely interfering in human affairs as a game to let humans know that they are the most superior.”

Then, he slightly raised one corner of his mouth and smirked.

“But I’ve scratched his pride a little.”

“……What?”

Azif raised his head from his seated position. But Karyl had already taken his eyes off him and was looking at someone else.

“So now you guys should see the truth too. That the height of magic is not a measure of the superiority of existence.”

Karyl’s words sounded as if he was speaking not only to the dragon but also to the Imperials who distinguished themselves from the other races.

“Because the first guy I’m going to cut down on this battlefield isn’t you or Brant, but that guy.”

Perhaps his words were heard.

Bran’s face, who was standing far away, hardened.

Despite being separated from each other, Azif and Bran could only stare blankly at Karyl, as if they had lost their words.

“Imperials.”

At that moment, Karyl’s voice, amplified with magic, echoed instantly across the battlefield.

“Those who want to live, remember my words from now on. Remember who you owe your lives to. Remember who you survived this battlefield because of.”

Paat-!!

Karyl’s figure disappeared.

Revol, who had appeared behind him before he knew it, reached out his arm as if he had been waiting, and Karyl stepped onto the iron pillar protruding from the back of his hand.

“Life for life.”

Chwaaaak-!!

Pung! Pung! Pung! Pung……!!

As he jumped up with all his might, using the pillar as a stepping stone, a white shockwave erupted beneath his feet as if the air was exploding, as if he was running in the air.

Kwaang!!

Avoiding the lightning falling from the sky, Karyl rushed towards Python’s head as if sprinting in an instant.

“When we meet again, you will have to repay that debt.”

Seueueueueuk……!!

As he passed through the dark clouds, the clouds scattered along Karyl’s trajectory like white smoke.

Rakna’s silver-gray aura blade gleamed. At the same time, Karyl drew the Ice Claws he was carrying on his back and struck the two blades together with all his might.

Annihilation Strike (殲擊) – First Strike (殲) [Karyl’s signature move, combining speed and power].

Kang!!!

Kakang……!! Kagagagagak……!!

The reverberation of the sword strike echoed across the battlefield, piercing through the roar of the lightning. Python, who was spewing flames, hurriedly curled his tail and swung it at him with all his might.

Seogeok-!!

But Karyl’s blade landed half a beat faster than the dragon’s attack. Blood spurted out along the red gash that ran from Python’s cheek to his neck.

“Did I avoid the reverse scale (逆鱗) [A dragon’s weak spot, like Achilles’ heel]?”

As soon as Karyl landed on the ground, he rotated half a turn, using his right leg as an axis, and took a second stance, looking up.

It was a lightning-like strike, but Python instinctively defended his weak point hidden by his hard scales.

[You bug-like human……!!]

Python roared in anger, wiping away the blood flowing from the clearly drawn red gash where even the hard scales were torn off.

[I am a Red Dragon. You should forget about taking my head off easily. I am by no means an easy opponent.]

Aln said warily.

He was also a great mage well-versed in magic, but the dragon’s magic was certainly enough to make even him tremble.

“That goes for this side too.”

But unlike him, Karyl said quietly to Python, who was rushing towards him.

Kwaaaang—!!

It was then.

Python’s massive body, which was rushing towards Karyl, staggered. Before he knew it, Revol grabbed the guy’s tail with both arms and pulled it to the other side.

[Keureureureu……!!]

But Python, looking at Revol, growled and instead put strength into the tail he was holding, causing the body of the giant god to stagger.

-Core activation stone attribute conversion.

-Internal emergency power activated.

-Charging magic released.

The color of the spiderweb-like mana plugs attached to various parts of Wingel Hart’s blood vessels inside Revol’s cockpit instantly changed from blue to white.

Zeueueueueung……!!

He took off the goggles he was wearing and hurriedly pulled the long device on the magic mirror (魔鏡) [A magical device used for observation and control] that was illuminating the outside.

Cheolkeok-!

Then, with the sound of gears meshing, the lever that had been lying horizontally came down, and he pushed the lever forward with all his might.

Deureureureuk……!!!!

Then, the edge of the magic mirror turned red and letters appeared.

-Stance conversion activated.

-Emergency drive.

The letters generated in Revol’s cockpit were modern language, not ancient language, unlike before. That meant that the devices being converted now were not relics found in the ruins, but originals that Wingel Hart himself had created.

Cheolkeok……!!

Kureureureureu……!!!

The armor attached to Revol’s legs, which had been gripping the Red Dragon’s tail, opened to the sides and dug into the ground like crane legs.

Kwadeuk……! Kwadeuk!!

At the same time, the iron pillar protruding from the back of Revol’s hand fell to the ground, and the armor covering both wrists was pushed forward, covering his hands like gauntlets.

‘Could it be 3rd Stance……?!’

Karyl’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched the shape of Revol’s armor change.

In his previous life’s memories, Revol’s combat form had a total of three stances. The 2nd Stance was equipped with a magic artillery to deal with a large number of enemies, and the 3rd Stance was developed to catch giant-type corruptions.

In fact, the 3rd Stance was newly created by Wingel Hart after the oracle was given and the corruptions appeared.

However, the fact that Revol, who had only developed up to the 1st Stance at the time of the White Bunker, was already capable of the 3rd Stance meant that he had completely surpassed the development speed of his previous life.

‘No, it’s a little different.’

Karyl examined Revol’s form and discovered the differences from the form in his memory.

Some giant-type corruptions had a physical form, but others were in the form of a spirit body.

Therefore, in his previous life, Revol’s 3rd Stance’s armament was also equipped with weapons that could damage the spirit body by processing triboelectric quartz.

But the current Revol didn’t have that.

In other words, it was an armament created by focusing on inflicting damage on tangible beings while excluding intangible beings.

Why would Wingel Hart, who couldn’t have known about the existence of corruptions, create the 3rd Stance?

There was only one reason.

To fight giant-type monsters, not corruptions.

And as if to prove it now, isn’t there a giant monster in front of him?

Wingel Hart developed the 3rd Stance for this very moment.

That is,

To hunt dragons.

Kwang!! Kwagagang!! Kwagwagagagang—!!

With a sharp explosion, the magic artillery attached to Revol’s shoulder spewed fire.

[Kuaaaak……!!!]

The energy pouring from the gun barrel shot straight through Python’s wings as it flew in from behind.

‘……Colorless (無色) [Referring to magic without a specific elemental attribute]?’

In that instant, Karyl noticed that the magic power condensed in the artillery did not have an attribute.

‘It seems that Calibson has succeeded in synthesizing attribute stones.’

Even in that short moment, Karyl grasped the situation that had been prepared in the Principality.

‘I finally have something to give to Gordon.’

Karyl smiled faintly at the thought.

He had left him wounded in the North, but that monstrous human being would not die so easily.

Moreover, the fact that the mercenary group of the Order had not shown up despite causing such a commotion in the Empire meant that they were already moving with other intentions.

[Impudent……!!]

Flapping his wings with holes in them, Python once again opened his mouth wide.

Uuuuuuung!!

Then, five magic circles unfolded simultaneously around his mouth, and magic power began to condense in one place.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!

His breath, along with the magic power gathered from the magic circles, intertwined and poured towards Revol.

A tremendous roar that shook the earth poured out.

Pakang……!!

But Revol, as if he had been waiting for it, lowered his legs that were stuck in the ground even further and gathered both arms towards his chest. Then, with a sound of Zeuaaang……!!, a magic shield reminiscent of a giant tower shield was created.

The color of the shield was surprisingly transparent, and only the parts that received light occasionally took on a strange color, as if looking at the surface of a bubble, so its existence could barely be known.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!!

Python’s breath and Revol’s shield collided.

Although it was not dragon magic, Revol’s shield, which had a colorless attribute stone with no attributes built into it, was comparable to that of a dragon.

[……!!!!]

With a strong impact, Revol’s auxiliary armor, which had been fixed to the ground, was destroyed in an instant, and the giant god slid back dozens of meters.

Black smoke billowed around Revol like a fire due to the intense heat.

[You blocked my breath……?!]

Python muttered as if he couldn’t believe it, looking at Revol, who was maintaining his posture even though he had been pushed back. But there was something even more surprising.

“The first sacrifice is you, Python.”

Before he knew it, Karyl appeared above Python’s nape, who had been distracted by Revol.

Puk……!!

Karyl thrust Rakna into the back of his neck with all his might. The hard scales shattered, and red blood began to gush out like a fountain.

[Keuk……?! Keuek……!!! Yo, you……!!]

Python struggled with all his might to shake Karyl off, swinging his neck from side to side.

But the more he did, the deeper Rakna, which was embedded in the back of his neck, was only embedded deeper.

Karyl grabbed his scales and raised his magic power, shouting on the battlefield.

“I will begin the dragon hunt.”

Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!

Waaaaaaa—!!

At that moment,

The shouts of the Free Army echoed loud enough to engulf the battlefield, and the Imperial soldiers seemed to have their legs give way at the roar, unable to move a single step, staring at the scene with blank faces.