The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 410

252. Back to Those Days

KWA-AAAAANG—!!

CRACK-! CRUSH-CRUSH-CRUSH—!!!!!

Intense lightning poured down from the dark clouds. The Sky Fortress gradually slowed, avoiding the lightning strikes near the Blood Cave, and came to a halt.

Strangely, the surrounding area was clear, but the dark clouds hanging heavily over the Blood Cave seemed to reject any intrusion.

“Wyvern Squad, hold your positions!! Watch out for the lightning!!”

At Ganes’s shout, the Wyverns, which had been flying as if guarding the Sky Fortress, scattered in a crane wing formation, forming a semicircle around the fortress.

“My lord, look there.”

Kinu Mukari, with his sharp eyes, pointed to the ground.

Surprisingly, the lightning that struck the dark clouds didn’t dissipate upon reaching the ground but flickered around the cave as if rampaging.

The unabsorbed lightning continued to accumulate, circling the cave at high speed as if alive, seeking prey.

[One wrong move and we’ll be roasted alive.]

Alrn clicked his tongue, scanning the scene below.

[Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s down there.]

“When I sent Suan and Israfil to the Blood Cave, I ordered the people around Tramel to be relocated. They were already impoverished, living in ruins after being expelled from the Empire, so it was easily resolved by giving them resettlement money.”

[Thorough as always. Remember, benevolence is a virtue, but unnecessary kindness can hold you back.]

Karyl shrugged at Alrn’s words.

[But how are you going to solve this? We need to get down there to investigate or kill the monsters.]

“Everyone gathered on the Sky Fortress is skilled enough to protect themselves, but… we need to clear the lightning.”

Karyl looked at Aidan.

“Lend me your swords. The only weapons that can withstand that ridiculous lightning are likely Thunderclap and Thundercrash.”

“Understood.”

Aidan handed him the two swords he had been carrying without hesitation.

KWANG-!!

Karyl threw Thunderclap toward the ground with all his might. As the sword pierced the ground, an intense vortex arose, absorbing the electricity as if it were being sucked in.

[Haha, using one of the Blader’s Five Great Weapons—something others can only dream of seeing—as a mere lightning rod. Amazing. Well, you’re probably the only one who would think of this.]

Alrn spoke to Karyl, amazed, but Karyl simply stared at the ground.

ZZZZT……. ZZZZZZZZT…….

“At most, one minute.”

With the Manhwan [a technique that enhances perception and reflexes] activated, he could see Thunderclap, stuck in the ground, shaking violently as if it were about to be pulled out, exceeding its capacity.

“Well, we should be grateful that the sword hasn’t broken.”

Karyl tossed the remaining Thundercrash to Aidan and said,

“Everyone heard that? One minute. We need to infiltrate the enemy’s territory within one minute. Everyone, prepare to descend!!”

Aidan quickly understood his intentions and shouted to his subordinates, the Snakels.

“Tramel, where the Blood Cave is located, is now a ruin, but in the past, it was used as a fortress during the Magic Era.”

Anthem also quickly unfolded a map.

Woo-oong…….

Strangely, the map he unfolded wasn’t drawn on ordinary leather but was a magical engineering invention that created a video in the air.

As he held a round glass bead in both hands, the translucent map floating in the air enlarged as if zooming in, and Tramel’s appearance appeared as clearly as a photograph.

“Fascinating.”

Nine Darhon showed interest in the magical tool made with the skills of a gnome [a race known for their engineering and craftsmanship].

“It’s connected to Israfil’s superior eyes, so it can display the situation on the map in real-time. In addition, it can display magic mirrors in desired locations for immediate viewing. The fight against Corruption is a battle that occurs simultaneously in multiple locations, so the speed of information is crucial.”

Karyl nodded, satisfied with Anthem’s words. Although he wasn’t a knight, his golem control skills were superior to any pilot.

Commanding doesn’t necessarily require being at the forefront. As if proving this, the golem unit led directly by Wingel showed a significant difference compared to other units.

Only he could achieve that level of mobility and efficient deployment of golems, not individual combat power.

“My lord…!! There, ahead…!!”

At Kinu Mukari’s shout, everyone looked to the sky.

[Krrrrrrrr……!!]

A giant serpent-like creature appeared and disappeared between the dark clouds. Its body resembled that of a snake, but its head had the impression of a twisted human face, like a demon.

“What kind of monster is that?”

Even Gordon, who had experienced all sorts of battles, was taken aback by its bizarre appearance.

“Anthem, move the Sky Fortress to a safe location. Israfil, create as many eyes as possible to brighten the view. And…”

“My lord, this.”

Anthem erased the map and took out a small artifact from his pocket, handing it to him.

“Can you hear me?”

The artifact fit perfectly into Karyl’s ear.

At the same time, a light flickered from the small jewel attached to it. It was a miniature version of the communication device newly created through Calipsohn’s Magic Craft.

[Yes, my lord. There’s some static due to the aura of Corruption, but so far, it’s okay. However, it seems that the connection will be difficult if we enter the central area.]

Karyl, who had called Wingel, raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised to hear his voice.

Communication magic had been considered the exclusive domain of wizards, but if this item was used, even non-magical races could communicate remotely, allowing for faster tactics.

“How is the golem control?”

[There are no problems so far, but it’s difficult to confirm what will happen if we enter the central area.]

Karyl nodded at Wingel’s answer.

“Deploy all available golems around the Blood Cave. Once the Blood Cave is destroyed, the Corrupted, having lost their leader, will pour out chaotically. You must annihilate them so that they never leave the vicinity of Tramel. I’m entrusting them to you.”

[Understood.]

Even though Wingel was across the strait, a sense of tension could be felt in his voice.

[All golems, commencing descent.]

Clank-!! Whirr……!!

With his command, the golems deployed on the outskirts of the Sky Fortress began to descend to the ground simultaneously.

Fss……!

Fssss……!! Thud!!! Thump……!!

As the ignition cores mounted on the backs of the golems emitted light, the descent speed gradually decreased, and one by one, the golems landed on the ground and began to deploy.

Watching the orderly movements of the magical weapons, people began to prepare for battle.

“Deryl Harian.”

“At your command.”

“The Sky Fortress’s space-time core can be controlled by mages with my power, but the four turrets are different. They require the power of radiance—the power of light—to condense and fire light.”

“Yes.”

“If the Corrupted are beings opposed to God, as Yula said, then the impact of radiance will be even more effective. You know what you have to do.”

“I will control the turrets.”

Karyl nodded.

Divine power was magic that only chosen humans could use, but the reason he told Deryl to control the turrets instead of participating in the front lines wasn’t only because he had cut off his wrist but also because he possessed another being capable of using radiance.

He had Alkar, the verdure imbued with the energy of Racys, the power of light.

“Remember. This is the battle that signals the opening of the Great War. You know better than anyone how important morale is in war. Our victory will be a source of strength for the more than a million troops waiting for us.”

WA-AAAAAAA—!!

WA-AAA—!!

The soldiers on the Sky Fortress shouted with all their might at Karyl’s words. It was a roar that seemed to tear the sky, but in one corner of their hearts, there was still anxiety about fighting an unknown enemy.

“……!!”

Thud-

He jumped down to the cave below without hesitation.

Thunderclap had absorbed most of the lightning, but electricity still flowed intermittently on the ground.

Crack……! Fizzzzzt……!

Sparks flew every time Karyl moved.

Thump-!!

Aidan and Suan followed him. Karyl glanced at them.

He didn’t say anything, but before the start of this war, Karyl thought that the first people to follow him would be them.

“Hoo…….”

Suan tightened the straps of his gauntlets with a nervous face, and Aidan lightly touched his finger to his sword stuck in the ground, looking at it as if it were strange.

“This is the worst. To have to fight such monsters in a place like this.”

“No. It’s the opposite.”

“Yes?”

“This place is deserted. What if those monsters had invaded our country? There’s no need to explain that something more terrible would have happened.”

“……That’s right. It’s terrible to even imagine.”

“Yes. Even just imagining it.”

Karyl smiled bitterly at Suan Hazar’s words. He had directly experienced the battle that was terrible just to imagine.

And he had to fight it again.

‘The Blood Cave was the first starting point, and the Corrupted poured out, but we didn’t even know how to capture them. Thanks to that, countless sacrifices were needed. Compared to that, now we have so much to be grateful for.’

He knew how to catch them.

And even the personnel to catch them.

Everyone was ready.

It was a battlefield that was incomparably more perfect than in his previous life.

Squish-!!!

Karyl stepped on and rubbed the black remains of Corruption wriggling on the ground.

Tsyaaaaaak……!!

Then, black smoke rose with the torn flesh, and the blood that gushed out evaporated and oxidized. All that remained was a terrible stench and the monster’s skin. The moment he saw the monster’s corpse, he felt as if the blood in his body had frozen coldly and then melted.

“Yes, this is the feeling.”

A heartbeat that was completely different from anything he had felt before was felt.

Karyl knew very well what that feeling was, so he was even annoyed.

It was funny.

Because this trembling proved that he had been waiting for this moment.

Did he want a moment of absolute crisis that would determine the future of humanity? Absolutely not.

The reason he wanted this moment was different.

Because at this moment, he no longer needed the troublesome mind games where interests were intricately intertwined, and he had to minimize even the enemy’s damage to achieve victory.

Because all he had to do was cut down the guys in front of him with his pure power.

That’s why he had been waiting for this moment.

For some reason, he felt that after this battle, he would be able to overcome the last step he had not yet reached.

That’s why he had to go back once.

To the time when he was called the Sword Saint.

To the one time when he was sharper with a sword than he is now. He wanted to return to the time when he was only about the sword and begin his final tempering.