The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 430

“Khaaaaaaa!!!!”

Yurin Huggard’s roar echoed violently within the shrine. Each time he swung the Hell Mace, the charging corpses shattered into pieces.

Sizzle…! Sizzle…!!

Simultaneously, the shattered bones emitted a black smoke as if burned, turning into ash.

[He’s a monster in a different sense, isn’t he?]

Aln Zabiass commented, watching Yurin fight.

[I’d believe it if you said he was a warrior, not a priest. But what’s more amazing is that unbelievable divine power. Even if it’s limited to combat, can he really fight while using divine spells to that extent?]

Crack-!!

Yurin Huggard grabbed an undead’s skull with one hand and crushed it with all his might. Light flowed from his fingers, and the undead’s head scattered into dust.

“Watch closely. It’s not because he has a lot of divine power. He’s definitely a first-class combat priest, but if you measure his divine power in terms of mana, it’s only about a 3-class level.”

[He fights too well for that. And he doesn’t seem to tire. Besides, I heard he rampaged through battlefields in his past life, earning the title of a madman?]

“Everyone has their talents. Even with little mana, he certainly roamed the battlefield more spectacularly than even a Sword Master in his past life.”

[Hmm.]

Aln examined Yurin Huggard’s combat.

Whoooong……!!!

He swung the Hell Mace he held with both hands horizontally with all his might. He crushed the undead with the flashing blade and walked forward. Before he knew it, the corpses that seemed countless had dwindled to a number he could count.

“His method of using divine power is different from both a mage and a swordsman. It’s his first time handling this weapon, so there was some consumption of divine power in the beginning, but now he only activates divine power when he strikes a monster. That way, he can inflict greater damage with much less power.”

[I see. But wouldn’t the protective magic disappear if he stopped the divine power?]

“That’s right. As you know, controlling mana during combat is extremely difficult. Moreover, Yurin isn’t just reducing the amount of divine power while maintaining it, but completely cutting it off and then explosively releasing it. Stopping the source of one’s power in a life-or-death battle is something most people can’t do. It’s like risking one’s life.”

[And that guy is doing it? He seemed like a silly fellow, but he’s interesting.]

“He’s the type who fights risking his life only on the battlefield. It’s something you can’t do unless you choose the enemy’s death over your own safety.”

[Fitting of a madman.]

Cahill watched Yurin Huggard.

“The reason he can’t become a proper priest is precisely because of that. He loves blood too much.”

[And you’re the one who instilled fear in such a guy?]

At Aln’s words, he chuckled.

“Kuaaaa!!”

Yurin Huggard raised the Hell Mace and struck downwards.

“This feels great in my hands!”

He seemed to be engrossed in the battle until he was drenched in sweat, panting heavily.

“Don’t let your guard down. We’ve only just opened the first door.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go in.”

Cahill cut through the corpses that Yurin Huggard had turned into a mess and began to tear down the broken stone wall.

“I definitely felt the aura of corruption inside here. Besides, as Aln said, there was also the aura of a living being. The real treasure here isn’t just some insignificant bones.”

“‘Insignificant’…”

Yurin looked at the tattered robe of the former bishop lying sprawled on the ground at Cahill’s words, and clicked his tongue with a bitter expression.

He was once the most revered figure on the continent, but now he had been reduced to insignificant bones.

“No, more than that, a living thing? This place has been deserted for over a month.”

“Instead, there were plenty of corpses. The priests of the Order are dead in the place where the relics should be. It wouldn’t be strange if one or two living things came out.”

“I guess so……”

Yurin scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“Follow me.”

“Um……”

Just as he was about to enter the stone wall, Yurin said awkwardly.

“Why?”

“Ha, haha……. Since you’ve already given permission, can’t I take one more of these?”

What he pointed to was a large shield stored in a transparent case.

[That guy is so greedy.]

Aln chuckled as he looked at him, and Cahill stared silently at the shield he was pointing at.

Aegis of Meteorite.

A shield of God said to have been given by Yula [likely a deity in this world] to his first apostle who founded the Order on this continent.

As the name suggests, it was a shield of absolute rejection that was said to be able to block even meteors that only archmages could use.

“No.”

“……Huh?”

Yurin, who had expected to receive it, shouted without realizing it at his merciless answer.

“That has someone else’s name on it.”

Cahill turned his head.

“And you can’t use it anyway. If you hold that, all the blood in your body will evaporate in an instant, leaving only your skin, and you’ll die.”

“……”

At Cahill’s firm words, Yurin swallowed hard, stroking his neck slightly.

“Who is it? Someone who can use something I can’t use. You don’t mean that giant hiding in the cabin, do you?”

Yurin clicked his tongue regretfully but followed Cahill without disobeying his words.

“Huh? Please tell me.”

He asked as if begging, but Cahill simply shook his head and walked into the space created by the collapsed stone wall.

* * *

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

How far had they descended?

Inside the stone wall, there was a wider space than expected, and at the far end, there was another staircase leading down.

As the two walked down the path to the underground, Yurin continued to ask Cahill about the owner of the Aegis.

Surprisingly, Yurin seemed to be subtly offended that Cahill had not been allowed the relic.

“Relics can only be used by priests. Besides, that shield isn’t for ritual purposes but for combat. There’s no better combat priest than me in the Order, is there?”

“Lael Stahlen’s Staff of Light wasn’t for combat but for rituals. But she still brought it to the Empire.”

“That’s……. The Saintess isn’t a being specialized in combat. But combat relics can only be used by combat priests.”

“So, naturally, that shield should be yours?”

“Well……”

Yurin did not deny Cahill’s question. That was because he himself was confident when it came to combat.

“Then have you seen anyone in the Order use that shield?”

“……Huh?”

“You probably haven’t.”

“……”

Yurin couldn’t answer Cahill’s words.

“It’s probably your first time seeing it in person, right? It’s definitely a great item treated as a sacred object within the Order, but even the bishop probably never used that shield.”

Cahill said with a relaxed expression, as if he already knew.

“You should give up. It’s not something humans can use. No matter how good you are at combat, it’s a separate issue. And don’t worry, I’m not going to give it to Hawat either.”

“Then who……?”

“I don’t think I have an obligation to tell you that.”

“Ugh……”

Cahill said as if teasing Yurin.

[Krrr…….]

It was then.

The moment they reached the depths of the underground, a low growl was heard. Yurin looked at Cahill with a tense face at the sound.

“……”

With a calm expression, Cahill went down through the darkness, and an unbelievable sight unfolded before him.

“W-What is this?”

It was the same for Yurin.

Despite being a deep underground chamber with no windows and no light, the place they arrived at was filled with light particles that seemed to be alive, sweeping around.

In the underground, which was as bright as day, huge pillars were stacked on top of each other.

“This is……”

Yurin stroked one of the rising pillars with a trembling hand and looked up. The pillars, bent in curves, felt strangely alien.

It was one huge tomb. Or, more precisely, a huge corpse.

[……This is a dragon’s bone.]

Aln said, looking at the dozens of rising pillars, as if bursting into a hollow laugh.

Surprisingly, the rising pillars were not artificially made. The pillars, curved in a dome shape, were none other than the dragon’s ribs.

At the end of the pillars, there was a large dragon skull.

[Now I understand. I see why the Platinum Dragon created a laboratory under the shrine. The Order is a great place to gather the power of light, divine power. Besides, the shrine where the relics are placed is a place where that power can be further condensed.]

“But……. There was something more certain than that.”

Whoooo…….

The sound of the wind passing through the ribs sounded like a roar. Yurin carefully stroked the huge bones that were embedded like pillars with trembling eyes.

Woo-oong–!!

Then, surprisingly, light swept from the bottom to the top of the large bones, and unknown letters appeared and disappeared sequentially, as if illuminating a fire.

[Cahill. If you have dragon magic, you can tell what’s in front of you right now.]

Rasis, the Spirit King of Light, carefully looked at the bones and said.

“Of course. Besides, I know why you’re reacting among the Spirit Kings. The owner of these bones was the only supreme being with the power of light besides Yula.”

Cahill smiled coldly.

“Whose corpse is this……?”

Yurin asked in a trembling voice, looking at his appearance.

“The Golden Dragon who disappeared in the Mythological Era.”

Cahill said quietly, placing his hand on the pillar.

“It’s the Bone Tomb of Toska.”

“……!!!”

“Placing the source of light under the Order to gather the power of light and maximize that power……. That guy did something unimaginable.”

“That guy? Who made this……?”

“Who else could it be? Even the Emperor of the Empire can’t do this. It can only be a being beyond human.”

“Platinum Dragon……”

Yurin Huggard muttered the name quietly. At the same time, he slowly raised his head. The size of the bones, which seemed distant, was so huge that it could not be compared to the dragons he had seen so far.

[There are types of light. Unlike Rasis, who symbolizes pure light, the light of the sun is the light of purification with heat. In that sense, the Golden Dragon Toska is a being with a different attribute of magic than the Platinum Dragon.]

Aln Zabiass also said, looking at Toska’s bones.

[The title of Platinum that Nar Di Maugh possesses is more like the light of Yula. But Toska’s gold can be said to be closer to the light of the sun.]

“I don’t know how he got Toska’s corpse, but he must have done an experiment different from the Forbidden Zone.”

[Perhaps Toska’s corpse was not found by him but was sealed here from the beginning.]

At that moment, Lamine responded to Cahill’s words.

“What do you mean?”

[You know that we were each sealed after losing the Spirit War. But Toska is different. He died completely after the defeat.]

Cahill nodded at Lamine’s words. When he obtained the Great Grimoire Polsetia [a powerful magic book], which could be said to be Toska’s relic, he saw his death through the memory of Judex engraved on the sword he created.

[Yula erased all memories of Toska from us as the price of defeat. That’s why we didn’t recognize him in the seal of the Thousand Year Ice Cave.]

[But thanks to you unlocking the seal of Polsetia and learning the magic book, we were able to recall the memories of that time. Perhaps Yula imprisoned the spirit of the Golden Dragon Toska in the Thousand Year Ice Cave and buried his corpse here.]

Rasis and Duat supported the words of the Blazing King.

[To be exact, it would be more likely that he built an Order that worshiped him on top of his corpse, rather than burying him here.]

“A petty revenge.”

Cahill gritted his teeth at Yula’s actions, which were infinitely light for a god.

“The important thing is that there are no results of the Platinum Dragon’s experiments here either.”

[Hmm……. Does that mean there may be another lair?]

Aln shook his head as if he was fed up.

“That’s right. I hope we can find his real purpose there.”

Cahill said with a hardened face.

‘Nar Di Maugh……. Seeing it like this, I’m even more curious about what your real purpose is. Was it really just a desire for the throne?’

It wouldn’t be.

He wouldn’t have taken such an adventure for such a reason.

‘Then you sent me to the past so that I could have the Dragon’s Heart? You would have known that your future would change because of me.’

Even if he was the Platinum Dragon, could he not have predicted that the result would be his death?

Something…….

From killing his precious test subject Lael Stahlen too easily to finding the clues left by the Platinum Dragon, Cahill had the feeling that there was something he had missed.

“……”

Cahill let out a low sigh.

[There’s no use worrying about it now anyway. If you chase the truth after he’s dead, you’ll naturally reach it.]

“That’s right. He didn’t leave the truth behind, but we should use what he left behind properly. Yurin.”

“Yes.”

“Take all the relics in the shrine out and dig the ground under the shrine to move Toska’s bones to the Free Country.”

“You mean…… all of this?”

Cahill nodded.

“You said you wanted the shield, right? I think I can make you something better than that Aegis……. How about it? Instead, go crazy on the battlefield for me once.”

“Haha, of course.”

Yurin Huggard smiled at Cahill, who tapped Toska’s bones lightly and spoke meaningfully.

[Krrr…….]

It was then.

Light began to flicker in the empty eyes of Toska’s skull as if it were alive.