The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 444

266. Lycanthrope

Skaang—!!!

The sharp sound of a sword cutting through the air exploded.

After felling over four digits worth of monsters, Caryl focused solely on the acts of slashing and stabbing, finding even light amusement unnecessary.

“How long has it been since we arrived here?”

[It’s been just over a week.]

“The third corruption is almost upon us….”

Caryl realized that the time to leave this place was approaching.

Kugugugugu….

Kugugugu….

Having returned from the Spirit Realm, Caryl entered Parel of the Thousand-Year Ice Cave without informing anyone.

Seeing the ominous landscape of red skies and crashing lightning after so long, he felt less a sense of novelty and more that it was the perfect place to prepare for his final plan.

He didn’t even count how many floors he had ascended.

After meeting Yula, he had simply begun to kill the monsters within Parel like a madman.

[I hesitate to say this, but I don’t think you can expect any growth from the monsters here…. Frankly, you conquered this place with just a sword in your past life, didn’t you?]

“That’s right.”

[It might be better to prepare for the next disaster. Unless it’s not to improve your skills… but to organize your thoughts.]

Sreung-

At Aln’s words, Caryl stopped swinging his sword. But the moment he saw Caryl’s face, Aln nodded as if he understood.

[You seem to be in turmoil.]

“About what?”

[You’ve done your best. It’s no exaggeration to say you’ve done everything you can to challenge the gods. You know this isn’t a fight with a guaranteed victory. And we believe in you, not in victory itself.]

Aln lightly tapped Caryl’s shoulder.

[But now that you’ve met Yula, you must be afraid. It’s only natural. She is an absolute being. But didn’t you say it yourself? That you should trust yourself, not a guaranteed method of victory. Well… if you want, you could look at the diary that Kaie Essir left behind.]

He said teasingly.

But Caryl couldn’t laugh as easily as he thought he could.

[Yula. She’s definitely a god. Offering a temptation that shakes your iron will.]

It was then.

[There’s no need to worry. But if such a moment comes, use me first.]

Raminu appeared and said to Caryl.

[Spirit absorption. Yula’s words aren’t wrong. A spirit contract is ultimately borrowing our power, so you can’t use your full strength.]

“Then what about you?”

[A spirit is just one of the components of the world. It’s not returning to nothingness, but returning to its original place.]

Caryl smiled wryly at Raminu’s words.

The moment he faced Yula, Caryl couldn’t deny that he felt her strength as an instinctive fear, though he didn’t say it.

“Raminu. Thanks for the thought, but you seem to have forgotten one thing. I am the protagonist of this war, not you. Your war ended in the age of myths. So you’re just here to assist me. I have to bear all the responsibility for victory or defeat.”

[That guy…….]

Raminu said in a trembling voice at Caryl’s words.

A spirit couldn’t be swayed by emotions, but somehow his flame flickered at Caryl’s words.

[Maybe it’s been too long since we contracted with a human…. We’re becoming assimilated with human emotions.]

[It’s not assimilation. Our desire to kill the gods is no less than yours.]

[You know that the power of spirits is the only way to stand against the gods. If that power is lacking, we must find ways to strengthen it further.]

[That’s why you obtained the power of the Second Wilderness. Caryl, by releasing our seals, you have the power to decide our fate. We also want to witness Yula’s end… but we don’t want to experience failure again.]

Rather, the Spirit Kings defended Caryl as if they had been waiting for his words.

“Have you guys become assimilated with emotions like Raminu? Aren’t you Spirit Kings taking your own lives too lightly?”

But Caryl smirked as he looked at them.

“I won’t kill you.”

At that moment, Caryl shook his head.

“But I will kill him.”

Suaaaaaak—!!!

A small fragment floated above his palm.

“Turmoil… Yes, as Aln said, I was in turmoil. And I came into Parel to sort out my thoughts. Because Yula wouldn’t be fooled if I showed her a scared face. Rather, by showing her that I’m in turmoil, I need to make her think that I’m wavering.”

[Hmm……?]

Aln tilted his head as if asking what he meant.

“Parel is a place where Yula’s influence doesn’t reach. If it did, Yula would have noticed my time regression. But she didn’t. Moreover, in my conversation with Yula, I could see that she didn’t even know about the death of Lord, the master of the God Seat [the highest authority among gods], at first.”

A sharp wind swirled around the Dimension Spiral, and Caryl gripped it tightly.

“Not only that. She didn’t know about the existence of Parel in other dimensions. That means she shouldn’t know about the existence of this fragment either. If she did, she would have tried to kill me as soon as we met in the Spirit Realm.”

Caryl spoke to the fragment that appeared on his palm.

The fragment of God, Dimension Spiral.

[Uhm…….]

“Considering everything, even gods aren’t omnipotent. There’s definitely a power dynamic. If so, the death of Lord, and another Parel… this fragment containing the power of God called Dimensional Power must be the source of power for each god, including Yula. If so, this fragment I have must be Sekhmet’s, the highest-ranking Lord of the God Seat.”

Everyone stared at the fragment at his words.

[The fragment of the strongest god…….]

“Yes, I think this power of God is a way for me to have the power to fight her on equal terms.”

[But will that really be okay? Even if it’s the same power, it depends on who uses it. The same goes for Dimensional Power. Can a human body really… overwhelm a god?]

[Your life will be exhausted before you can use the power of God. That’s why our power… no, our lives are needed. At the cost of our lives, you must use Dimensional Power to fight the gods.]

Caryl shook his head at Raminu’s words.

“No.”

[……?]

“I think the opposite. Why did Yula tell me about spirit absorption? Did she really want to tell me a way that would give me even a little higher chance of winning? To me, who’s trying to kill her.”

[Even if we combine the power of the Spirit Kings… you’re saying you’re confident you can win?]

“Or maybe the existence of the Spirit Kings is rather troublesome for her.”

[But that’s just your guess.]

Caryl shrugged lightly at Aln’s words.

“Yes. It’s just a prediction. But nothing can be said to be the answer, so I came here to find a way to use the power of God without sacrificing you.”

[Are you saying there’s a way to become stronger… than spirit synthesis?]

“Yes. If I can use the Dimension Spiral on par with God while keeping you all intact… then your existence, alive, might be more of a hindrance to Yula.”

[But how……?]

Caryl smiled faintly at Raminu’s question.

“Mael.”

It was then.

A blue snake appeared at his call, coiling around and sticking out its sharp tongue.

[The Dimension Spiral is a fragment of God. It’s simple. To use complete Dimensional Power, you must obtain the qualifications of a god.]

[The qualifications of a god…….]

Raminu muttered anxiously at those words.

“When I first met Mael, he told me about the Bladers. Before they were Godslayers, they were actually guardians of the gods.”

Caryl turned his gaze to Mael.

[That’s right. Bladers are beings born to protect the gods, and Master Keys are their weapons. But not all Master Keys are special. Only two seats called the Immutable Seats are special. Only those who ascend to those seats can become candidates for gods and challenge the gods.]

Mael’s appearance changed.

The form of a snake disappeared, his eyes changed like crescent moons, and he was a handsome man with long hair.

[To not forget that and bring it up as your plan… you have a good memory.]

“You shouldn’t be surprised that much. You even said this to me in that form back then.”

Mael smirked at Caryl’s words.

“If there are two seats, where is the other one?”

[Keu, keukeuk……!! That’s right. You definitely asked me that back then. If one of the two seats that can stand against the gods is me, is the other one vacant? You audaciously said you would take that seat too.]

Mael slowly raised his hand and pointed to one side of his chest. As the two continued their conversation, the remaining beings looked bewildered as to why they were bringing up the past.

[But you already have it.]

Wuuuung……!

As if in response to his words, Caryl’s necklace, where the gale was sealed, began to shine.

[……!!!]

[……!!!]

[The will of Lycanthrope…….]

Raminu looked at his necklace with a soft exclamation.

“Yes. This is the plan I came up with.”

[Honestly, I’m surprised too. When I first told you about the existence of weapons, the Spirit Kings were so focused on the Trial of the Great Warrior that they just brushed it off. But Caryl, who was actually fighting, seems to have already planned how to use it even in the midst of the battle.]

Mael said with a smirk, as if amused by the reaction of the Flame Tyrant.

[Even back in the age of myths, there was a fierce battle to obtain the qualifications to challenge the gods. But you’ve already obtained both of those qualifications, so it’s no exaggeration to say you’ve already obtained the qualifications of a god.]

[Could it be…….]

Aln Zabiuss finally realized what Caryl was thinking and let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

[Our fifteenth Master Key can never coexist. But you’re making a sly plan to have two of them, so it’s truly enough to make even a god faint.]

Mael lightly lifted the will of Lycanthrope hanging around Caryl’s neck.

[He’s ignorant, but he’s still a guy who defeated another fifteenth Master Key and took one of the Immutable Seats. He might not kneel to you easily.]

“Raminu, how long do you think it will take for the Rock Monarch to recover in the Spirit Realm?”

Instead of answering Mael’s words, Caryl asked with a calm expression.

[Well… if he really has the will to fight, ten days will be enough. His heart wasn’t destroyed, and although it’s disappearing, the Spirit Realm can recover much faster than the human realm.]

Caryl nodded at his words.

“That means there’s about three days left. I can stay here a few more days.”

Seureureung-

He said as he drew his sword and lightly cut the corpse of a monster.

“Mael. It didn’t take me a day to get you. Is a wolf stronger than a snake?”

[That can’t be.]

Mael laughed, sticking out his tongue as if he knew what Caryl was trying to say.

“Then half a day will be enough to make the wolf bow its head.”