The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 390

239. Demon Realm (1)

Kzzzzzzk…!! Kzeuk!!!

As Khalil plunged Hongak’s body into the Soul Spring, it began to glow. Dozens of pale, spectral figures burst forth as if the souls were wailing, enveloping his body.

“Ugh…!! Uaaaaagh!!!”

Hongak’s scream was briefly heard, but the spectral figures covered his entire body, obscuring even his face, and his voice faded away.

Watching Hongak sink beneath the surface, Khalil quietly said,

“Draw your weapon.”

Kwaaaang!!!

At that moment, something long and black shot out from inside the spring, attempting to slice Khalil’s neck from above like a massive scythe.

Ssaaaang…!!

With a sharp tearing sound, something fell to the ground. The corpse of Hongak, whom he had just thrown in, lay in two pieces before Khalil.

Seugrak…! Sagagagak…!

“Ugh, ugh?!

With a rustling sound, Serika was the first to react to the Soul Spring.

Hundreds of beetles poured out of the spring’s entrance like a flood, causing her to scream in surprise. Mikhail quickly hid her behind him and began casting a spell.

Pagak!! Puseuseuseuk! Pagagak!!

His wind blades sliced through the beetles, splattering thick fluids everywhere.

“Ugh, you idiot! What are you doing!”

Serika Loren wiped the sticky fluid from her face and smacked Mikhail on the back of the head, shouting.

Millyana and Hwarin shook their heads in pity at the sight.

Shwiik…!! Shiiiik…!

While hundreds of insects were not a threat to them, the massive leg that emerged from the spring was a different story.

Initially, it was just one leg of the beetle, but soon one by one, eight legs appeared, and a black eye could be seen at the entrance of the spring.

“Gasp!!”

Without hesitation, Gordon Fabian swung the Mauler [a type of war hammer] he was holding, striking the head of the beetle that had emerged from the spring.

Jjeong-!! With a dull sound, the beetle, struck squarely on the forehead, let out a shriek.

The Mauler pierced the beetle’s thick shell and was embedded in its head, and black blood flowed down between the shattered pieces of the shell with a gurgling sound.

“Nothing special.”

Gordon smirked, watching the creature tremble.

“I’ll handle this one.”

Perhaps he was disappointed that he couldn’t step forward because of Khalil, as Dragon Tooth Soldiers were not enough to satisfy him. He licked his lips slightly as he spoke.

Chwaaaak…!!

With the Mauler still embedded, the giant beetle extended its snout and spat something out.

Gordon quickly pulled out his hammer and dodged. It was a sticky liquid that looked like saliva, but surprisingly, it shattered the stone walls of the hall as if cut by a sharp blade the moment it touched them.

“Kiriririk!!!”

As the distance between it and Gordon widened, the creature burst out of the spring and continuously spewed the fluid.

At the same time, the small insects that had been pouring down like a carpet began to crawl up Gordon’s legs, swarming him.

“Interesting. The insects are moving organically, as if they’ve been trained.”

Nine Darehorn watched the scene and said with interest.

“Aren’t you going to help?”

Kadin Luer asked with a slightly worried voice at his nonchalant attitude.

“You know what kind of monster that human is. Do you really think he needs help with something like this?”

“…….”

Kadin Luer gave a bitter smile at Nine’s words.

Buuuuuung—!!!

As the Mauler was swung in a circle, it created a powerful gust of wind in the air, causing the clinging insects to fall off.

Gordon’s skin was torn in places, apparently wounds caused by the teeth of the clinging insects.

“What the hell are these things…”

He said with a slightly annoyed voice. He was upset because the insects he had underestimated had pierced his protective magic and wounded him.

Having reached the rank of Sword Master and being the creator of Automata, the absolute defense, he was confident in his defense above all else, so it was inevitable that he would be upset by being injured.

“You’re getting on my nerves!!”

Gordon stomped on the insects on the ground and ran towards the giant beetle’s belly, swinging the Mauler.

Kwaang—!!!

The hammer struck, seemingly piercing the beetle’s belly. But unlike before, the Mauler failed to break its shell.

The beetle, which had been knocked back by the impact, regained its posture as if nothing had happened and charged at Gordon.

Gordon swung the Mauler at it once more with a dumbfounded expression.

This time, he poured all his magic power into the hammer with all his might.

Kwaaaaang—!!

With a tremendous noise, the Mauler and the creature collided once more. This time, the shell covering its head was dented, but it still didn’t break.

“Not only a swarm, but it also has learning abilities? It’s increased the strength of its shell. Does it change depending on the enemy? If so, that means it even has the ability to transform its properties.”

Nine still examined the beetle as if he were conducting research. As someone who had been studying corruption, he couldn’t help but be curious about the newly appeared demonic creature before him.

It was then.

Pasuk…! Paseuseuseuk…!!

A strange sound came from the Soul Spring where the giant beetle had emerged earlier.

“Ha….”

Gordon Fabian let out a low exclamation without realizing it. He already sensed what would appear from within.

“…How many are there?”

Serika Loren looked at the pouring giant beetles with a pale face, as if she didn’t want to get close.

“Looks like I’ll be getting a good workout today.”

Gordon spoke boastfully, but he hadn’t even managed to defeat a single one yet. He looked at the dozens of giant beetles that had densely filled his surroundings and spoke with a slightly nervous voice.

“Ahem… Aren’t you guys bored?”

“Why? Don’t tell me the great Gordon Fabian is asking for help? You said you could do it all by yourself.”

“Hmph, I was just joking.”

Millyana teased Gordon, who spoke awkwardly, but she had already drawn her sword.

“Stop, Millyana.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Gordon.”

“You mean you’re going to step in? That would be easier.”

Khalil picked up one of the small insects that had fallen to the ground. When he flipped the insect over, its eight legs moved as if struggling towards the sky.

Pasuk!!

When he put strength into the fingers holding the insect, it shattered as if exploding.

“No. I mean there’s no need to fight anymore.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The Soul Spring is already connected.”

As soon as Khalil finished speaking, Gordon realized that the surrounding scenery had changed.

Kugeugeugeug… Kugeugang…!!

The scenery inside the tomb-like hall had completely disappeared, and they were standing in the middle of a vast prairie with a red sky and dark storm clouds.

“Demon Realm…?!”

“Already…”

Only then did the people look around in surprise.

“The beetles from the spring were just the Demon King’s greeting. I could wipe them out if necessary, but… well, there’s no need to.”

Khalil glanced at the giant beetles surrounding him and then swung his sword irritably.

Seukang-!!

The Ice Claw pierced the beetle’s head and froze it solid. Khalil punched the large ice block.

Crash…!!

The beetle’s ice shattered into pieces. Gordon stared at Khalil, speechless, as he shattered the beetle’s outer shell, which he couldn’t break even with a full-force attack, in a single blow.

“It’s not a pleasant reunion, is it.”

Khalil stepped on the shattered beetle and looked ahead. Surprisingly, four demons were standing in front of them. Two of them were familiar faces.

“Those guys…”

Millyana frowned slightly as she looked at the two of them.

“I received the greeting from earlier. You managed to blow my head off.”

The creature, who was cracking his neck from side to side and growling as if to devour them, was Prokell, whose head had been blown off by Khalil earlier. Next to him stood Hongak, who had also been dismembered, in perfect condition.

“Too weak to be called the Four Knights of the Demon Realm. It seems their main bodies were in the Demon Realm.”

Khalil nodded in a calm tone as if he understood.

“Still not qualified, though.”

He walked past the two of them and said. In his eyes, the four of them were already insignificant, and his gaze was fixed on the one man standing at the end.

“What…?!”

Seogeok- Kung!!

Hongak shouted at Khalil’s provocation as he passed him and hurriedly turned around to stop him. The moment he tried to punch Khalil in the back of the head, he collapsed helplessly like a puppet with its strings cut.

“…Huh?”

He struggled to get up, seemingly unaware of what had happened to his body.

But no matter how hard he tried, his vision did not rise. For some reason, he couldn’t stand up.

“…….”

The moment he lowered his gaze, he realized that his two legs, which should have been there, were gone. Not even blood flowed from the cleanly cut surfaces.

The demon knights simply watched him without saying a word.

“Move.”

Khalil pushed the shoulders of the remaining two demons, whom he had not seen in the Dragon Bone Tomb, with both hands. The demons glared at him with hardened faces, but they did not stop him.

“Amazing. To meet another human who can maintain such a firm will in the Demon Realm. Well, I guess it’s only natural considering you’re unharmed even after wearing the relics I left behind?”

A pale face.

But unlike the demon knights, the man who looked down at Khalil with a relaxed face gestured to Khalil.

“Haganeda.”

As he introduced himself, the demons all looked surprised.

“The Demon King himself has bestowed his name…”

Prokell bit his lip as if feeling wronged and muttered to himself.

“Even a Sword Master, said to be the pinnacle of humanity, finds it difficult to breathe in the Demon Realm due to the oppressive magic power. And yet, you severed Hongak here.”

The Demon King sat on the throne behind him, propped his chin on his hand, and said.

“That means you’re a human that none of you can defeat, even if you all attack together.”

“…My Lord Demon King!”

“No objections allowed. As he said, this is not a place for you to interfere.”

Khalil shrugged lightly as he looked at Haganeda.

“At least you’re reasonable, Demon King.”

He had never seen him in his previous life either. The faintly revealed magic power was definitely a unique energy that he couldn’t even feel from dragons.

“I have something to ask you.”

“What reason do I have to answer that?”

“No reason.”

Khalil said in a calm voice.

“It’s just an obligation.”

Buuuuung-!!

Khalil pulled out the Ice Claw stuck in the ground and threw it with all his might. The sword, imbued with his aura, flew like a boomerang, rotating and embedding itself in the Demon King’s throne.

“…….”

A red line was drawn across his pale cheek, and blood trickled down.

“Next is your neck.”

Haganeda raised one corner of his mouth as if smirking at Khalil, who was making threats.

“How far have you guys interfered in the human realm? Do you know about those guys called Wooden Cloud? And what kind of deal did you make with the Empire?”

Khalil asked sharply.

“Are you also in league with the gods?”

“Too many questions.”

But despite the murderous intent he exuded, Haganeda still had a relaxed face.

Wiping the flowing blood with the back of his hand, the wound on his cheek disappeared as if it had never been there.

“In league with the gods… The Nephilim [a race of giants in the Bible] blindly serve the gods, and the demon race opposes them. Humans, elves, and dwarves also have similar views on the gods, but the demon race is different. If I had to say, we are the most neutral. We are simply those who prioritize ourselves above all else.”

The Demon King said with a surprisingly calm demeanor despite Khalil’s attack.

“That means… you can side with humans, not just gods, depending on the need.”

“You guys have no backbone.”

“But that would be a good thing for you right now. We didn’t make a contract with the Emperor. Wooden Cloud? I have a sense of who you’re talking about, but it’s not them either. But our contract with humans has been going on for hundreds of years.”

The Demon King gave a strange smile.

“I’ve been waiting for someone like you. A human who will come back to the Demon Realm.”

“…What?”

Khalil said with a hardened face.

“My deal started 250 years ago. You asked who I made a deal with, right?”

He said,

“Kaye Esser.”

“…!!”

Even Khalil, who had maintained his composure, looked at him in disbelief as the completely unexpected name flowed from the Demon King’s mouth.

“You must be curious. I’m reminded of the words he left behind, saying that knowing the name wouldn’t resolve anything, but only make you more curious.”

The Demon King slowly rose from his seat.

“We are a race that worships power. We follow the strong. Whether it be a god or a human. If you want to hear more later, prove it.”

The beetles that had appeared from the spring earlier began to gather around the Demon King with a rustling sound…!

“Good idea. That’s what I wanted to say.”

Khalil replied to him in a dry voice. Then, he pointed his sword at Hongak, who was lying on the ground, and looked at the Demon King, saying,

“I’ll cut you off below the calf, especially, so you can kneel.”