The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 404

“Charge!!!”

“Don’t leave a single enemy alive!!!”

The Drake Riders, filling the sky, unleashed a torrent of fire upon the Nephilim.

Kugggggg…!! Kugeuk…!!

In the midst of the fierce battle, dark clouds suddenly coalesced overhead, swirling like a vortex. From the eye of this storm, a pure white light poured down, bathing the Sky Castle below.

The Nephilim gazed up, confusion etched on their faces.

“The Sky Castle is collapsing……?”

“Why?!”

The Four Archangels recognized the light. It was the activation of the Sky Castle’s protective magic, triggered by a loss of control, forcing a return to their dimension, the Celestial Realm.

The thought that the Sky Castle, guarded by Judex, could fall had never crossed their minds.

What kind of being was Judex?

Unlike the other three Archangels, Judex was the leader of the Nephilim, the sole being handpicked by God.

Those chosen to become Judex were compelled to relinquish their former names, known only by that title, meaning Judge.

But…….

The fact that the Sky Castle, residence of the strongest Nephilim, could no longer maintain its presence in the human realm and was being forcibly summoned signaled his demise.

Maron’s wings fluttered with panic.

“Fall…! Retreat!!!! To the Sky Castle……!! No…! To the dimensional gate! We must enter before it closes!!”

He abandoned all pretense of command and fled towards the swirling dark clouds.

His own survival seemed to eclipse all other concerns – the Sky Castle’s collapse, the safety of his brethren.

“Chase them!! Don’t let a single one escape across the border!!”

The Drake Riders relentlessly pursued the fleeing Nephilim. The front lines, previously a stalemate, crumbled in an instant.

“Ugh……! Ughhhh……!”

“Aaaaaaah……!”

The Nephilim’s screams echoed across the battlefield, their corpses littering the ground.

The situation was mirrored on other fronts.

[Golem unit advance complete!! Pushing the front lines to the hill!]

[Four-Nine Assault Unit Nephilim suppression complete!!]

[The enemy’s forces are rapidly withdrawing!]

Wingel Hart, unfazed by the cascade of reports, efficiently directed the troops.

“While our lord is away, Anthem planned this formation to intercept the Nephilim… Truly worthy of being called a genius of war.”

He allowed himself a small, amused smirk.

Anthem, despite his inexperience with golems, had accurately assessed the strengths of each unit and deployed them accordingly.

Following the inauguration ceremony, Wingel had reorganized the golems into battle formations, as practiced, with a few exceptions.

These exceptions were based on Karil’s instructions before departing for the Thousand Year Ice Cave.

Wingel had been puzzled by Anthem’s directive to exclude him from the most important event and to position key golem units in seemingly odd locations.

But when the Sky Castle materialized and Karil’s command came through the Superior Eyes [a communication device], Wingel experienced a surge of excitement at the brilliance of Anthem Howard and Karil’s strategy.

[Report of damage to the Air Golem Unit!]

[Golems in Squads 1 and 3 are on standby due to being hit.]

“What about the knights?”

[All are safe. The damaged golems are repairable.]

“Good.”

The unit commanders’ status reports streamed across the top of his goggles. Even against the Nephilim, one of the most formidable races, their losses were minimal.

Wingel, as a magical engineer, felt a surge of pride that his modified golems were proving so effective against the Nephilim.

“Well, this is all possible because of our lord. The Sky Castle is collapsing quickly, and our lord prevented Judex from transmitting the power of God to the Nephilim.”

He refused to become complacent.

He rapidly pressed several buttons and spoke.

“Those who have not received the power of light are no different from harpies with large wings.”

He muttered, as if steeling himself.

“It’s still not enough.”

He studied the rapidly changing numbers of the golem units and thought.

“They are just gatekeepers.”

He slowly turned his head.

“The real enemy is somewhere else.”

His gaze settled on the eyes of the black giant within the massive cavity.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t use it this time because it’s incomplete… It will be different in the next battle.”

Clang-!

Woo Woong…….

The equipment within the cavity stirred, as if responding to his words.

The pure white components suspended from the cranes and wire structures around Ascalon began to attach to the golem, like armor being donned.

“I’ll make sure you pay dearly for sacrificing Revol, which I dedicated my whole life to creating.”

Wingel Hart offered a bitter smile, but his eyes shone with an engineer’s fervent passion.

“We will be the first to strike a blow against God.”

He knew he would spend countless days and nights consumed by the new task before him, with no time to savor the victory in the Nephilim War.

* * *

Woo Woong…….

Listening to the faint hum emanating from the Sky Castle’s core, Karil slowly opened his eyes.

Beside him lay the bisected corpse of Judex, his eyes fixed open in disbelief.

[I didn’t expect it… You really managed to seize control of the Sky Castle’s system. My eyes were not wrong after all.]

Alrn Zabiuss nodded, pleased with Karil’s success.

He knew that Karil, despite his lack of inherent magical power, possessed a deeper understanding of magic than anyone he had ever met.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to learn his secret techniques.

[Deceiving the control of the Sky Castle, which moves only with the attribute of light, with the power of Larciss [a dark magic], and replacing the magic power needed to move the Sky Castle with the dragon magic of the Platinum Dragon… The Nephilim have become a ridiculous sight. Their fortress is now moving with magic power, not divine power.]

Karil offered a faint smile at Alrn’s words.

[But it’s easier said than done. Controlling the core and sending magic power through the complex piping of the Sky Castle like blood vessels is like moving your head and body separately. You have to do both at the same time.]

“There are days when I receive praise from you.”

[I have always admired you greatly. It’s just that I was the only one who would wield the whip to help you climb higher.]

He shrugged.

[Well, you surpassed me in the realm of magic long ago.]

“I am always grateful to you. Not only did you pass on the repository of knowledge that you have accumulated throughout your life, but you are also the only one who gives me advice from an equal position.”

[Heh heh… That’s because I don’t have any more life left to lose.]

Alrn spoke casually, but Karil knew that his presence was invaluable, like a reliable compass guiding him on the right path.

[Look. The city you protected.]

Alrn gestured towards the sprawling city visible below the Sky Castle.

[It will be the city you have to protect in the future as well.]

He spoke with a renewed sense of purpose.

Alrn had once been ostracized, branded a traitor even in the tombs of the Council of Seven Elders [a group of powerful mages].

But now, the remaining Elders were witnessing a new chapter in the continent’s history, one they could never have imagined in their tombs.

“Yes, even at this moment.”

Karil slowly raised his head.

A cluster of light stared silently at Judex’s corpse.

The light still held a human form. Judex had desperately reached out to it as he faced his end, just before Karil’s sword struck him down.

It was a scene befitting the death of an angel who praised God until his last breath, but unlike him, Yula seemed indifferent to Judex’s demise.

“I cannot give our land to the likes of you.”

Karil growled at Yula’s form.

[How strange.]

The form, which had remained silent even as Judex died, spoke to Karil for the first time.

“Why do you not uphold the Oracle?”

Woo Woong…….

The form within the cluster of light gradually solidified into a distinct human shape.

Simultaneously, the voice that had echoed in his mind now sounded as if it were speaking directly to him.

Karil sensed that Yula desired a private conversation.

“There are too many eyes watching anyway.”

“The Spirit King and Mael, the master key, lived with me in the Mythological Era, so I don’t mind. The soul of the magician from the Magic Era….”

Yula looked at Karil.

“Since it is connected to your soul, it is excluded.”

“You’re just like a person.”

“……?”

Yula tilted her head at Karil’s words.

“I mean, the way you talk is just like a human. Until now, you have only communicated with us through the Oracle. No, you commanded us.”

Yula’s eyebrows flickered slightly as she regarded him, a fleeting change that Karil didn’t miss.

“It was the same when Judex was alive. But after he died, you changed your appearance. Every action you take now is so natural that I would believe you were human.”

“It is difficult for humans to handle conversations in the language of God. It would be better to manifest in this form for your sake.”

“Then did you let Judex die for my sake too?”

Karil asked, as if he had been waiting for the opportunity.

“Why did you let him die?”

“It is as you know. The Nephilim are the only race that has received my grace, but it takes a little time for the power of God to be applied.”

“Just one second.”

“Yes. But you did not give Judex that one second. That was his downfall.”

“He is a Nephilim who came to deliver your words. Does his death mean a breach of the Oracle?”

“God must not directly influence other realms. That is the rule of the beginning.”

Karil looked at Yula’s form and smiled.

“Ha, haha……! I knew it.”

Yula stopped speaking as he covered his forehead with his hand and burst into laughter, bending over. He could not read her expression exactly because of her glowing face, but he certainly seemed to be frowning.

“You really resemble humans.”

“When I created you, I modeled you after my form, but I did not give you that arrogance. Do you not know that foolish greed will eventually lead you to destruction?”

“Like in the Divine War.”

Karil’s face, which had been full of laughter, turned cold and he walked towards Yula’s form.

“Well… I think differently.”

“……What?”

“The reason I said you were human is not just because of your current appearance. Nor does it mean that you are affable.”

He stared directly at Yula.

“Rules? When I first met the Spirit Kings, they were also bound by rules. And that goes for you too.”

“It is natural. That is the covenant from the beginning.”

“That’s why.”

Karil said to Yula.

“The reason I said you were human is because you are imperfect. The beginning (太初) [referring to the origin of everything]. The fact that there are rules that exist above you, a god, means that even a god who was thought to be perfect and flawless has an element that cannot be defied.”

“…….”

“What did I see in the Thousand Year Ice Cave? And what did I realize?”

Karil lightly grabbed Yula’s chin and pulled it closer to his face.

“Oracle? Good. Give it to me. There is no future as you imagine it. Yula, I will reveal everything you have planned from now on.”