The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 456

273. A Fair Opportunity

“How intriguing.”

Inside the temple, where massive pillars stood in a circle, the night sky was miraculously visible through what seemed like a transparent ceiling.

The stars shone brightly, the Milky Way flowed, and the movements of distant planets were clearly visible.

It wasn’t just an ordinary night sky.

In the center of the temple was a round table, surrounded by chairs.

At one side of the round table was what appeared to be the seat of honor, a chair more ornate and larger than the others, but it was the only one unoccupied.

“Whether to call it human ingenuity…”

An old man sitting in a chair said, looking below the table.

“Or a foolish challenge.”

And the man sitting across from him said, arms crossed.

“Whatever it is, has anyone ever attacked Parel [a celestial fortress or divine construct] in this way before?”

A woman said.

Her lips were a mysterious turquoise, giving a strange feeling as if a jewel was sparkling.

They were all wearing pure white robes that covered their heads, and only their voices and the occasional glimpses of cheeks and lips allowed one to guess their age and gender.

“From the beginning of time, no one has ever attacked Parel. So, discussing methods is ridiculous in itself.”

Another woman, sitting in a chair opposite the seat of honor, nervously pulled off the hood that covered her face.

In the center of the table, shimmering water reflected the image of a giant tower and the battle against the Corruption [a destructive force or entity threatening the world].

“But I don’t think you want the attack on Parel to fail.”

She watched the battle.

The woman who removed her hood was none other than the goddess Yula.

“Isn’t it truly amazing? Either way, if you stop Parel, the winner of this game will be Yula, you.”

“To call the contest to determine the Lord’s seat a game… I think we need to be a little more serious.”

“Heh heh… Sometimes it’s better to look at the world lightly, you know.”

Yula clicked her tongue at the old man.

“Are you being so relaxed because you know that Parel can’t be brought down with that method? You’re starting to resemble humans. A sly old fox…”

At her words, the old man gave a strange smile.

“It’s not that we’re resembling humans, but that humans have inherited our tendencies.”

“And if there’s anything different about them, it’s that recklessness. Trying to break the rules created by the gods… A creation should abandon such foolish thoughts.”

The man across from her spoke disapprovingly.

“Giving the will of autonomy, which only we born from the primordial rift can possess, to mere creations was a mistake, no matter how I think about it. That’s why such absurd rebellions occur.”

“It wasn’t us who gave them the will of autonomy. They awakened it themselves in their own world.”

“Isn’t that why the Lord suffered? Besides, in Yula’s realm, the Divine Spirit War, where they rebelled against her, also occurred. In the first place, for the sake of the world’s composition, even insignificant beings are fine.”

The woman with serpentine lips added weight to the man’s opinion.

“So, is your dimension filled only with microorganisms?”

At the old man’s words, the woman sneered.

“It’s cleaner than any other dimension. Because it retains its original form.”

“Even so, didn’t you fail too? Your Hekht [likely a powerful being or entity] was destroyed by the light of the ancient dragon… Giving intelligence to reptiles in such a hurry leads to such foolish fights.”

“…”

“You seemed more impatient than you let on. Unlike your own world, you gave them intelligence. One must have wisdom to give intelligence.”

At his mockery, the woman’s lips only twitched, and she couldn’t answer.

“I wonder if Parel will fall first, or if Yula’s world will be destroyed first.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“But you also don’t think Parel can be brought down in that way, do you?”

“However, I don’t think your Corruption can take over my world either.”

At Yula’s words, the old man raised the corners of his mouth.

“My Corruption will be different from the first and second.”

“…Indeed?”

As if trying to protect her last bit of pride, Yula spoke to the old man. But she couldn’t just laugh it off. There was no way a mere human could destroy Parel, which the gods had created.

‘Yes, a creation cannot defy the power of a god.’

She was so sure.

Because that was the difference between gods and humans, and the rule set from the beginning.

‘But…’

Unlike the other gods, Yula was gripped by an unknown anxiety. If, by any chance, he could really destroy Parel by force…

That would mean he exists in the realm of gods, no longer in the realm of humans.

‘That can’t be.’

Yula shook her head, displeased that she, who had scolded herself for resembling humans a moment ago, might have come to resemble human anxiety.

* * *

[Get out of the way!! Move!!!]

Zarka Hochi raised both arms and waved them wildly. Each time his arms moved, sharp gusts of wind arose, and the surrounding Corruption Hounds exploded as if bursting.

Unlike the Golem’s magic cannon or the Sky Castle’s bombardment, the Corruption Hounds struck by his attack could no longer turn into slime and instead dissipated, emitting black smoke.

As a necromancer on the verge of death, he completely prevented the revival of the Corruption.

“What do you mean, ‘possible alone’… At this rate, how long will it take to clear a path? Do you think those guys are ordinary bones? A necromancer who has never dealt with Corruption can only do so much.”

However, even while watching the Corruption Hounds disappear, Nine Darhon didn’t show a surprised expression.

“Slave.”

As he murmured in a low voice, the Undying Legion appeared around him.

Clatter! Clatter!

The Slaves, scattering in all directions, began to slaughter the Corruption Hounds.

“Haha, did you see that!!”

A path created by Zarka Hochi and Nine Darhon appeared before Ascalon.

“I didn’t call you here to chat.”

Kahlil got off Ascalon’s shoulder, passed the two, and said.

“I called you here because you are the ones with the most effective power against Corruption. Then you have to be worth it.”

With Kahlil’s sword strike, the earth split in an instant.

“Lamine. Lassis.”

As he called out, the Flame Tyrant and the King of Light Spirits appeared on either side.

“Sweep.”

Boom—!!

Clang—!!

As light and flames poured down the path created by Zarka Hochi and Nine Darhon, the Corruption Hounds hurriedly retreated as if they could no longer approach.

Thump-! Thump-! Thump–!!

Ascalon didn’t miss the moment and began to run, stepping through the flames.

[Stop.]

It was then.

One of the Moraxes [powerful guardians or warriors] behind the Corruption Hounds stood in Ascalon’s path.

“Hwaaaaaaaa!!!”

Crack! Clang—!!!!

Wingle Hart swung Ascalon’s greatsword with all his might. With a tremendous roar, the sword fell in front of the Morax.

Clang!

However, unlike the sword strike that created a gust of wind, the massive greatsword stopped as if bouncing off.

“Cough?!

Ascalon staggered from the sudden recoil.

[The Exordiar [a divine competition or trial] is not over yet. Only those who have finished the Exordiar can enter this place.]

Exordiar.

The war of the thrones that has continued from the beginning of time.

The appearance of Parel and the advent of the Calamities to determine the owner of the vacant seat after the death of the Lord, called the Supreme God, were also a kind of Exordiar.

Once, Mael had spoken about the Exordiar in front of Kwell and Gordon. But even before that, Kahlil had heard about the Exordiar.

From those guys.

“Yeah, you guys said that back then too.”

[……!!!]

The Morax, who had blocked Ascalon’s attack so easily, hurriedly turned its head, startled by the voice coming from behind.

[You!!!]

The remaining two Moraxes raised their swords towards Kahlil, and the one blowing the horn blew it hard, causing the Corruption Hounds to rush towards Kahlil all at once.

“The Exordiar is not over.”

But in the midst of the desperate crisis, Kahlil instead looked at the Moraxes as if he was filled with new emotions, and muttered quietly.

Even in his past life, before challenging Parel, those guys blocked him in the same way.

And they mechanically spat out those words.

In a situation where humanity was facing only the future of destruction after failing to stop the Calamities, ironically, they said they would only give the right to attack Parel to those who had stopped the Calamities.

Isn’t it ridiculous?

Swish-

The Moraxes surrounding him from all sides flinched.

Krrrrrrrr……!!!

One of them raised its sword.

“Be, careful!!”

Wingle, seeing the sight, hurriedly pulled Ascalon’s lever and tried to rush forward.

However, despite the Morax trying to attack him, Kahlil stood still.

Thud-

The head of the Morax holding the sword fell to the ground. The sword raised towards the sky crumbled powerlessly.

[……!!!]

At the sight, the remaining two Moraxes hurriedly withdrew their swords and tried to retreat.

Whoosh…! Swish…!!

Crack!!!

They barely blocked Kahlil’s attack, but the air burst from the invisible shockwave, and the two were pushed back and tumbled.

‘Back then, I escaped you with the help of the Platinum Dragon and entered Parel, but this time it’s different.’

Looking at the corpse of their comrade, the Moraxes couldn’t hide their bewilderment as if they couldn’t believe it.

“That expression is worth seeing. Do you guys even have emotions?”

Kahlil gnashed his teeth as if he was taking revenge on the guys he couldn’t defeat in his past life.

[So easily…….]

“We were so caught up in competing with each other that it must have looked like child’s play to him.”

“…….”

Zarka Hochi and Nine Darhon were speechless as they watched Kahlil crush the severed head of the Morax as if to confirm it.

[You. Did you even need our help?]

Kahlil chuckled at his question.

“Of course, I need it.”

Step- Step- Step-

And he slowly walked towards Parel.

[Stop!!!]

[Kua!!!]

The two Moraxes who had tumbled a moment ago rushed to block his path.

Clang!!! Clang—!!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

But at that moment, Nine Darhon’s shield and Zarka Hochi’s blade blocked them.

“See? I need it.”

“Ha, haha…….”

Nine Darhon chuckled at his casual words.

* * *

“…….”

“…….”

The round table was covered in silence.

At the death of the Morax, the other gods, including Yula, were also speechless.

“Even when he killed Malek, how could a human kill the highest species of Sekhmet, a subordinate of the gods, so easily? We put so much effort into creating them that we can’t even mass-produce them…….”

The man who caused the first Calamity still looked at Kahlil as if he couldn’t believe it.

“He’s a human with two dragon hearts. Frankly, it’s too amazing to call it a coincidence, but… If he has that much power, it wouldn’t be impossible to catch a Morax. But that’s probably the limit.”

The old man showed interest in Kahlil’s battle, but soon regained his composure and spoke in a low voice.

“He’s just a human after all. That’s the limit.”

However, unlike at first, he leaned back in his chair, though he had been sitting upright. He might be nervous. Because even he couldn’t predict what Kahlil would do next.

“Before that, my Calamity will swallow the continent.”

“…….”

Looking at him, Yula’s face slightly hardened.

* * *

Boom—!!!!! Bang-!!!!

The Morax blowing the horn summoned the Corruption Hounds to stop Kahlil from walking towards Parel.

But Ascalon and the Golem troops created a barrier in front of him, blocking the Corruption Hounds.

“Master!!!”

At Wingle Hart’s shout, bombardments occurred simultaneously from the Sky Castle.

Bang! Bang! Boom—!!!!

Amid the explosions from all directions, Kahlil arrived in front of Parel. Kahlil slowly drew his sword, looking at the Aegis that was half-embedded.

Clang—!!!

The sword of Folsetia, swung with all his might, bounced off.

“…….”

Kahlil repeatedly clenched and unclenched his tingling hand, looking at the tower.

“Hahaha, look at that. What did I say? Didn’t I say that a human couldn’t destroy Parel by force?”

The old man laughed as if he knew it would happen, watching his figure reflected in the magic mirror.

But the other gods, except for him, still couldn’t hide their tense expressions.

“If I break this, Yula wins. But if I can’t break it, another god who caused the Calamity wins. Am I understanding the meaning of this messed-up war correctly?”

Kahlil placed his palm on Parel’s wall as if stroking it.

“Answer me. You guys must be watching us from up there.”

Then he slowly looked up.

“……What is that guy talking about?”

“Could it be… Does he know that the Exordiar is not just a Calamity but a game to determine the throne?”

“Who?”

“Could it be……!! Yula, you!? You told a human about the Exordiar!! A god who should uphold the rules is violating them!!!”

The old man, who had maintained his composure throughout, shouted at Yula for the first time.

“Didn’t you believe that I couldn’t break Parel anyway? If you believe that your Calamity will bring victory, you don’t need to be angry.”

“You……!!!”

The old man glared at Yula and gnashed his teeth. But soon he sighed and leaned back deeper into his chair.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong. But after the Exordiar is over, Yula, your actions will be dealt with separately.”

“…….”

Yula turned her head away from him.

“Hmm. No answer. Well, it would be strange for a god to easily reveal themselves.”

Kahlil said, smacking his lips as if tasting something, looking at the sky that showed no signs.

“Then I’ll have to make it so they have no choice but to appear.”

Woo- Woo- Woo……!!

Magic arose from between the palm he had placed on the tower’s brick.

“If Parel’s existence becomes a tool to determine the throne… Then, in the end, your positions are determined by my actions. What should I do? I wonder if you’re curious whether I’ll break this or not?”

Poof-!!

It was then.

Surprisingly, the brick of Parel that had bounced off Folsetia’s blade crumbled in Kahlil’s grasp as if biting into an apple, following his fingers.

Boom—!!!

Yula jumped up from her seat.

“Di, Dimension Spiral?! How can a human……!!!”

“How did this happen!!!”

“No way……!”

At that moment, the temple was filled with shock.

Squeeze-

“Think about your positions carefully. You guys didn’t order humans. Stopping the Calamity and attacking Parel are both ultimately done by me. The power to decide the throne is in my hands.”

He said, scattering the crumbled tower brick dust into the air.

“The guy who wants the throne. Come down.”

He said, looking at the changing sky as dark clouds began to gather.

“From now on, the auction begins.”

“……What?”

“You crazy……!!!!”

The gods looking down at the magic mirror shouted as if they were dumbfounded.

“How dare a human try to make a deal with the gods?!”

“Ungrateful……!!!”

“There’s no need to deal with him! This is against the rules!!!”

They each spat out words as if filled with anger.

“…….”

But only the man and the woman with serpentine lips, who had already lost their rights, were simply watching this situation unfold in an unknowable way.

“God is fair. It’s what you always say.”

The sky, which was beginning to ripple, turned even darker with the gods’ anger.

“So, I’ll give you a fair chance.”

At their reaction, Kahlil gave a cold smile and said as if he had been waiting.

Tap-

He flicked his finger.

Then a magic mirror appeared, and Israfil, with a tense face visible inside, nodded. Then he stepped back and pushed the lid of a large coffin with all his might.

“……!!!”

“……!!!”

The eyes of the two gods who had lost their chance widened the moment they saw the magic mirror. Surprisingly, inside were the embalmed corpses of Hyul and Hekht.

“To all of you.”

The moment Kahlil’s last words reached the sky, a strange smile spread across the lips of the two gods who had lost their chance.