The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 349

225. Dragon Hunt (3)

“That’s quite a sight. It’s been a long time since so many humans have gathered like this.”

Kruahe clicked his tongue, looking at the endless line of soldiers arrayed before the Imperial Palace.

If it weren’t for the soldiers, the room would have felt so peaceful that one wouldn’t even realize a war was underway.

“When was the last time you saw humans?”

“I’ve been asleep in my lair for quite some time since the Great War. I occasionally woke up and looked around the world, but nothing particularly caught my eye.”

“Sleep… Yes, there’s nothing quite like it to forget reality.”

The man, who had been speaking in a deep voice while smoothing back his golden hair, glanced at someone sitting diagonally from him and said sheepishly,

“Well, I’m not much different myself. I was just a hatchling cowering in the rear during the Great War.”

Kruahe smiled faintly at his words.

“It was a terrifying event, after all. Even I, who was too young to remember properly, feel this way, so Enuma, who experienced the Great War…”

However, she also glanced at the man sitting where Enuma was looking and quickly shut her mouth.

“I misspoke.”

The seasoned Enuma Elash quickly changed the subject to lighten the mood.

“It’s been three days since Python left. We should be hearing news of the battle in the Marquisate soon.”

“His pride must have been greatly wounded by what happened in the Imperial Palace. But now that he’s joined the front lines, the outcome is obvious.”

“Indeed. Red Dragons are inherently warlike. It might seem a bit hasty… but he’s capable of turning the tide of war all by himself.”

“Something humans can’t do.”

Kruahe nodded at Enuma Elash’s words.

“It’s not something to be taken lightly.”

It was then.

The man who had been quietly sipping tea behind them spoke up, causing them to turn their heads.

“Is there a problem? I would like to hear your opinion. What do you think, Sir Nil Blanc? Or should I say, Nar Di Maugh?”

At that moment,

The atmosphere in the room turned chillingly cold.

“I don’t know what you mean… I am merely a Duke of the Empire.”

As he brushed back his silver hair and placed his teacup on the table, the clinking sound felt strangely oppressive.

Kruahe frowned slightly at his actions.

‘What is he hiding so much?’

Even if the humans were like that, the two of them were dragons.

They knew who Nil Blanc really was from the start, yet they were pretending otherwise, making it seem like they were putting on a ridiculous act.

“Haha… I misspoke. Then, Sir Nil Blanc, I would like to hear your opinion.”

Enuma Elash spoke as if he were willing to participate in this pathetic charade.

“The enemy’s leader is human, but he has contracted with three Spirit Kings. As you all know, Spirit Kings are comparable to dragons.”

“I find that hard to accept. It is true that Spirit Kings possess great power, but that is limited to the Spirit Realm. In the continent where the power of the Spirit Realm is almost lost, they can only manifest their power by taking root in a human body.”

Enuma Elash stroked his chin and said,

“Unless a human body can surpass a dragon, the Spirit Kings contracted with them cannot exert that much power.”

“Then what about the divine power he possesses?”

“Indeed… It is something we never imagined, that a human would possess the Master Key. To think that relics from the Age of Myth still remain.”

Unlike his initial strong denial, Enuma Elash couldn’t easily answer regarding the power of God.

“Among them, the power he wields is Mael. As you all know, it is the power used by the first Blader [a legendary swordsman]. The fifteenth power. It is a power that even gods cannot stand against.”

“But even he was defeated, wasn’t he?”

Enuma Elash said quietly,

“By the Platinum Dragon.”

“…”

At his words, Nil Blanc gave a strange bitter smile and began to pour water into the teacup he had set down.

“Sir Nil Blanc, are you perhaps saying that Python might be defeated?”

“It never hurts to be cautious. You all saw his power in the Imperial Palace, didn’t you? Well… I am grateful that the three of you are lending your strength to the Empire with the grace of God.”

Nil Blanc emphasized the word ‘God’ as he spoke. The faces of the two hardened at his words.

“I will go.”

Kruahe, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke first. She still had a displeased look in her eyes, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of resisting or refuting.

“I would feel much more at ease if you did. The Empire is greatly indebted to you.”

As if he had been waiting for it, Nil Blanc replied with a welcoming expression to Kruahe’s offer to go into battle.

“By the time I arrive, the battle will probably be over anyway. In that case, I will head south with Python. That should satisfy Sir Nil Blanc as well.”

“Understood.”

Deploying two dragons to one battlefield was a waste of resources, no matter how one looked at it.

Enuma Elash, the Dragon Lord, thought the same, but he did not offer any rebuttal to Nil Blanc.

“That should settle things for now. Once we capture that Khalil… there shouldn’t be anyone else who poses a major threat. As for Sword Masters or Archmages…”

Enuma Elash slowly got up from his seat and said,

“By the way, have you chosen a new commander? It’s been quite some time since the soldiers gathered… but they don’t seem to be moving.”

“There is already someone designated. He is currently coming down to the Imperial Palace from the north… he will arrive soon.”

At Nil Blanc’s words, Enuma nodded with an ‘I knew it’ expression.

“Indeed, there is no one in the Empire more suited to lead an army of 500,000 than him.”

“We will be departing soon, so I ask that you all pay a little more attention.”

“To pave the way for humans… it’s a bit of a joke for noble dragons, but for ‘that’…”

Kruahe couldn’t finish his sentence.

Nil Blanc was looking at her, putting a finger to his lips as if telling her to be quiet, and smiling.

“Then.”

She hurriedly got up from her seat.

It was then.

“Re, reporting!!!”

A desperate voice came from the hallway, panting heavily.

“What is it?”

Opening the door, a knight with a flushed face knelt down in a hurry.

“What is all this commotion about?”

“The, the Marquisate has fallen, I report!”

“…!!!!”

“…!!!!”

At that moment, Nil Blanc’s face hardened.

All the composure he had shown until now seemed to vanish, and the knight who had delivered the report felt as if he would collapse from the murderous aura emanating from him.

“What… what did you say just now?”

“…Pardon?”

“What did you say just now!! Speak clearly!!!”

At his roar, the knight finally seemed to lose strength in his legs and fell to the floor. But Nil Blanc, not caring about the weight of his armor, grabbed the knight by the collar and lifted him up.

“Keh!! Kehek!!”

The knight, flailing his feet in the air, gasped for breath as his neck tightened, grabbing his wrist.

“Th, that’s…”

“What about Python? What happened to the Red Dragon who participated in the battle!!”

“I, I also received an urgent report… I don’t know the situation on the front lines. However… His Majesty has ordered me to summon Duke Blanc immediately.”

Thud-!!

“Keok… !”

Nil Blanc roughly threw the knight who had answered him away.

“That can’t be… Are you saying that Python was defeated by mere humans?”

“That can’t be. How…? !”

What kind of beings were they?

Dragons, with the power to easily annihilate an entire human kingdom on their own.

At that moment, as if uneasy, the faces of the three people simultaneously came to mind.

“Something must have happened on the battlefield!!”

“I must go and save Python immediately.”

“Wait.”

Nil Blanc stopped Kruahe and Enuma Elash, who were hurriedly getting up.

“That is exactly what the enemy wants.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Each of you is a powerful force. That means you exert your power best when you are dispersed and fight in multiple locations.”

Enuma Elash couldn’t help but let out a low sigh at his words.

“Are you saying… that our feet will be tied?”

“…We’ve been had.”

Their faces darkened.

To gather all the dragons to one battlefield.

It was as if one person waiting there was saying to them.

* * *

[Kuaaaaaaaah…!!!!!]

Python’s roar echoed.

Thud…!!

But the only response to that cry was Rebol’s fist.

With a battered face, Python shook his head from side to side as if he couldn’t come to his senses.

But that was it.

All he could do was writhe in pain and shake his head.

His tattered wings could no longer regenerate, and dozens of iron pillars were embedded in the wing bones, fixing them to the ground.

The embedded iron pillars were similar to the ones that had protruded from Rebol’s back, but slightly different.

These were made by combining Azureglint [a rare metal] and a newly synthesized colorless attribute stone, and whenever Python drew upon his magic power, they would absorb it even more, firmly anchoring him to the ground.

[No way…! I…!!]

Thud-!!

Rebol stomped on his back with all his might as he lay prostrate on the ground.

“Keok!!”

Then Python’s head slammed into the ground.

[Dragons are indeed amazing. Magic power is constantly regenerating. Thanks to that, I can fully charge all the ammunition for the magic artillery. Now I know why the Lord told me to bring the magic power instead of charging it.]

Wingle Harte clicked his tongue and said.

Following his hand, Rebol pulled out the iron pillars embedded in Python’s wing bones.

[Kuaaaaak!!]

Then, along with the scream, it could be seen that highly purified magic power with a reddish glow was stored in the transparent tube inside the iron pillar.

Wingle pulled out the empty pillar and reinserted it into the same spot.

Surprisingly, all the iron pillars embedded in Python were containers that could store magic power.

[You…!! I’ll kill you!!]

But every time Python roared, the magic power inside the iron pillars only filled up.

[Hmm, ammunition made with dragon magic power…]

As if he had no interest in the Red Dragon’s roar, Wingle Harte only looked at the accumulating magic power bullets and felt a new interest as a magic engineer.

[Me, a dragon…!! Do you think you’ll be safe after turning us into enemies!]

It was then.

Khalil stood in front of the shouting Python.

“So what?”

Then, he began to cut off one by one the scales that covered the reverse scale hidden inside the nape of the dragon’s neck, the only weakness of the dragon.

Sizzle…!!!

Whenever the ice claws touched the scales of the fire-attributed Red Dragon, pure white steam billowed out, and Python’s painful screams echoed.

[Uaaaaaak!! Aaaak…!!!]

As Khalil flicked his hand, Rebol grabbed Python’s head and pressed it down.

“We were enemies from the start, weren’t we? Or is the supreme being lacking in learning ability…? Still can’t grasp the situation?”

“…”

“You guys coming? That’s exactly what I wanted. How could I call the guys hiding in the Imperial Palace as soon as possible? Will they hurry if you’re in pain?”

The Imperial soldiers who had retreated into the castle, watching this scene, could only stare blankly.

They had long lost their will to fight.

As if to show off, Khalil hammered huge wedges into Python’s wings in front of the Marquisate’s castle gate and fixed them in place, and put thick shackles on his neck.

The sight was truly a humiliating sight that could be said to be the worst for the strongest ruler on earth.

[Your wish has come true. You have confirmed the majesty of Mujin and won without harming the Imperial army. No human will dare to challenge you after seeing this. Moreover, if this news reaches the Empire, the feet of other dragons will be tied to this place.]

Aln stood on Python’s head and said in a light voice as if he was enjoying the situation.

[No matter how great a dragon is, it is still just one body. If they gather here, the remaining battlefields will eventually be a contest between humans. Hehe… The sight of those guys who had strength in their shoulders as great beings has become ridiculous.]

[Aln!! Aln Zavius…!! How dare you, who have received grace from the dragon, do such a thing!]

Python shouted at him, who was standing on his head.

[What nonsense are you talking about? It was the Platinum Dragon, not the dragon, who taught me magic. Not all of you taught us, did you? And…]

Aln grabbed Python’s head with his black hand containing the power of Duat [the realm of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology] and twisted it as if to tear it off.

Sizzle…!!

As the power of the Dark Spirit King touched him, Python’s scales seemed to burn, emitting a foul smell and black smoke.

[Iik…!! You…!!]

Aln sneered at Python. Then he turned his head and said.

[But you know. An army of 100,000 Imperial soldiers is attractive, but it’s still too lacking compared to the power of a dragon. If you turn against them like this… I don’t think it will be good for the future you’re talking about.]

“You don’t have to worry. What I want from them is not a companion. I won’t think of dragons as companions anymore.”

“Then?”

Aln asked Khalil back. At that moment, Python felt a chilling sensation in Khalil’s cold eyes.

As if answering that feeling, Khalil slowly and clearly said one word at a time as if engraving it in Python’s ear.

“Absolute obedience.”