The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 470

279. The Great War (2)

“Crazy…!!”

The old man shouted at Milliana.

“To think that insignificant beings like you are now making light of the gods!”

“Want to try me?”

Swish-

Milliana swung her beloved sword in a wide arc, and the sound of the wind being cut apart echoed.

“You seem confident in your chances of winning? It’s quite surprising that you possess dragon magic innately, not just from the Dragon’s Heart… But that level of blessing isn’t even worth calling a blessing.”

KWA-KWANG—!!

At that moment, Toska, who had been flying in the sky, landed with a jolt, as if slamming the ground in annoyance.

Dust billowed up, and the three gods were positioned between the toes of the massive Bone Dragon.

[Lucky for you. If I still had flesh on my bones, I would have flattened you all.]

The woman with the snake-like lips looked up at Toska’s enormous toes surrounding her like a wall, and bit her lip slightly.

[To say that the blessing I bestowed is nothing special… This isn’t a blessing. It’s the will to fight, given at the cost of my life.]

Toska looked at Milliana.

Her arms were already covered in dragon scales. As soon as the old man finished speaking, Milliana had already completed her dragon transformation in preparation for a fight.

[Hmm.]

Toska nodded lightly, seemingly pleased with the sight.

[Your dragon magic has become even more potent than when we last met. You received teachings from the last three dragons of the continent, didn’t you? Were their teachings exceptional… or is it your own talent that is remarkable?]

“Of course, it’s the latter.”

[Kekek… Indeed. To not only master the Dragon Transformation, a secret art of the dragons, but also to control it. You truly are worthy of inheriting my will.]

He seemed satisfied with the magic emanating from Milliana, which was similar to his own, regardless of the three gods in front of him.

The Digon were known as a clan blessed by the Golden Dragon Toska. Among them, Milliana was special. The clan leader had the true blood of the Golden Dragon flowing through her veins.

That was also why the Gold Dragon Enuma Elish had helped Milliana.

But no matter how good her lineage was, her ability to use that power was solely due to Milliana’s own capabilities.

Although she had received the dragons’ teachings, she was able to use dragon magic more exceptionally than any previous Digon leader.

However, there was a secret that Toska didn’t know.

Her exceptional talent in handling dragon magic wasn’t solely due to the blood of the Golden Dragon flowing through her.

The biggest catalyst for the explosive growth of her dragon magic, which had been weak in the past, was when Khalil had opened her meridians [energy pathways in the body].

At the same time, her efforts had allowed her to stand before the gods without being intimidated.

[But with a little more refinement, it will be perfect.]

“What’s lacking?”

[That’s something you’ll learn gradually. By nature, secret techniques are known only to their creators.]

Milliana chuckled at Toska’s words.

“Techniques are bound to evolve. Haven’t you considered that my mind might be more brilliant than your ancient ideas?”

It was then.

Toska’s massive body gradually shrank, transforming into a human form.

WHOOSH-!!!

“You…”

The man crossed his arms to block Toska’s fist aimed at his chest.

“…”

Milliana couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘Fast.’

Even though she was maintaining her dragon transformation, she missed the speed of the Polymorph [shape-shifting ability] and the subsequent attack. But the first god reacted to the speed that she had missed.

It was to show the difference in their abilities.

Clatter…! Crack…!!

The sound of Toska’s claws scratching against the gauntlets on the first god’s arms echoed.

[Back when I fought alongside the Bladers during the Mythic Age, I fought more battles in this form than in my dragon form. It’s not just because I like the human form. It’s for more efficient combat.]

Toska slowly withdrew his fist from the man.

One of the man’s arms, which had blocked his attack, was tattered. Severe burns, as if scorched by fire, were visible.

Toska, the only dragon with the power of the sun, also possessed the attribute of light, allowing him to inflict effective damage on the gods.

[That’s also why I left my will to a human, not to my remaining clan. Milliana, you will grow once more in this war.]

Toska tapped the bewildered man’s cheek lightly and said.

[By then, you will make even the gods fear you.]

“To think that a mere dragon’s technique could make us gods fear you? What has become of this world, where no one regards the existence of gods as anything more than a passing dog…”

[You probably think I’m being presumptuous? So what? From the start, I was the one who rebelled against the gods. We may have failed, but it’s a mistake to think that we opposed the gods without anything to believe in. And since I don’t think of the gods as great either, we’re in the same boat.]

“…You should consider it fortunate that we are not enemies. To think that we are still trying to resolve this with conversation rather than fists, even after such rude behavior.”

[You should get your facts straight. You need to add the word ‘for now’ in front of that, don’t you think?]

With those words, Toska transformed back into his dragon form, and as he lowered his head slightly, Milliana seemed to read his mind and climbed onto his back.

“…It’s a frustrating situation, but it’s impossible for us to annihilate the humans right now. Dealing with Yula in cooperation with them is our priority.”

“Hmph…”

The old man scoffed and turned his head at the snake-lipped woman’s dissuasion.

“You. I know you have spirit, but even if you have received the blessing of the Golden Dragon, it’s not good to be arrogant towards the gods.”

“Whenever. The Digon never avoid a fight that comes our way.”

But despite his threatening demeanor, Milliana gestured towards the gods as if daring them to attack.

“But until now, no one has ever started a fight with us.”

WHOOSH—!!

Toska spread his massive wings wide and soared into the sky.

“Because I’ve cut off the heads of anyone who tried to start a fight before they could.”

Her warning echoed in the gods’ ears even amidst the flapping of the Golden Dragon’s wings.

“You’re a mess.”

“I’ll kill that bitch once Yula’s problem is over. Don’t anyone think about interfering.”

The old man shouted in anger, seemingly losing his composure for the first time. But the snake-lipped woman said coldly as she looked at him.

“Whether we kill the humans or let them live is not a big deal. The important thing is how we kill Yula.”

“What’s the problem with that? The game is already set. If we join forces, victory will be on our side.”

“That’s not like you. I doubt whether you are truly the god of strategy who was once compared to the Lord. Or are you really shaken by the provocation of a human?”

“…What?”

The old man, who was already furious because of Milliana, reacted with an even more annoyed expression at the woman’s words.

“We can’t kill Yula. We can weaken her, but as challengers of Exodia [a competition to become a god], it’s impossible for us to end her life.”

“Hmph. Of course, I know that much. I clearly said that we should wait for Khalil’s strength to wane, not that we wouldn’t help him kill Yula.”

“That’s why there’s something we need to be careful about.”

“What is it?”

“What if, after weakening Yula, he doesn’t kill her and instead tries to make another deal with us?”

The old man looked incredulous at her words.

“What are you talking about? Unless the guy has lost his mind, not killing Yula now would lead to their own destruction.”

“What was the method he used when he first brought us from the Divine Realm to this earth in the first place? He told us to fight each other for the Divine Throne [the seat of a god].”

“What are you trying to say?”

“A new Exodia.”

“…”

The old man’s face hardened slightly at the snake-lipped woman’s words.

“It’s not entirely impossible. If he kills Yula and ascends to the position of god in this dimension, he can create a new Exodia before Yula started.”

The man also agreed with her words.

“He said he wouldn’t monopolize the Divine Throne. But he didn’t say he would quietly hand it over.”

“We expected him to become our enemy, didn’t we? If that happens, we can just kill him first.”

“What if he, like before, offers the Divine Throne to the last survivor again?”

“…What?”

“Can we swear that there are no traitors among us?”

The two people couldn’t readily answer the woman’s words. That’s because they already had a history of killing other gods.

“I’m not trying to create suspicion. I’m just saying that we should have some insurance, even among ourselves.”

“Insurance?”

“Exodia is ultimately a competition. If we kill each other, it will only benefit Khalil.”

“That’s a valid point. But he still has the right to choose the Divine Throne. We have no choice but to follow his proposal.”

If Khalil sits in the vacant seat after Yula dies, he will eventually be in the same position as the other gods.

Although he has received the blessings of the four gods, they knew that if he, who still possesses power equal to Yula even in his human body, ascends to the Divine Throne, he would never be able to defeat the three gods.

It was truly a situation where they could neither advance nor retreat.

“In that sense, we must never betray each other. Therefore, we must be able to trust each other completely without being wary of each other.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right. Soul Contract (靈魂 契約) [a magical agreement binding souls].”

“This, the most powerful restriction we have placed on humans, is a rule that can also be applied to us gods.”

The remaining two people looked at her as if they had lost their words.

‘Certainly… If we make a soul contract, we won’t kill each other. Besides, if Khalil gives such an order, he won’t be able to do anything if he knows that our lives are connected.’

“Not bad.”

The old man spoke first, and the man nodded.

“But it’s an absurd situation. To think that there would come a moment when we have to play mind games with humans.”

Until now, the gods had regarded their creations as ants that they could crush with a flick of their fingers.

But the current situation was truly absurd. Even if they had power, they couldn’t kill each other and could only look for each other’s mistakes.

“First of all, our safety is important. That arrogant bitch isn’t wrong. As gods from another dimension, our influence here is definitely weak.”

“If only we could lure him into Pharell…”

The man clicked his tongue.

“Unless he’s an idiot, he won’t give up a battlefield that’s advantageous to him. So we need to make our own preparations.”

“That’s right.”

The three people exchanged glances. Then, without anyone saying anything, they cut their wrists and drew drops of blood.

* * *

WHOOOOOONG…!!!

[Khalil.]

Aln Zabis’s voice was heard.

He was concentrating all his attention on dealing with Yula, but at the one word calling him, he nodded as if he knew without turning around.

“It has begun.”

[Kekek… Crafty bastards. They’re using you as a front and not even participating in the battle, just scheming. Scheming bastards always have a bad end, no matter the era.]

Aln said, looking at the light of the soul contract rising into the sky.

[Those guys must have instinctively felt it too. That if the battle between the two of you ends like this, they will be in danger. And the method they came up with is a soul contract…]

His black form appeared and disappeared.

Then, even the dark power of Duat [Egyptian underworld] that had been used on him permeated the blade of Khalil’s Polsetia.

[A soul contract is a double-edged sword where if one side is destroyed, the other side also suffers damage. It’s truly the stage we’ve been waiting for. The victory you desire isn’t just Yula’s death.]

The dark power that Aln passed on slowly flowed through Khalil’s meridians.

[The annihilation of the gods (滅絶) [complete destruction].]

His voice sounded like pleasant music.

[Let’s erase them all. For the sake of human history.]