The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 492

Extran Episode 5

5. Parel’s Memory

“Are you really going to be okay on your own?”

Milliana asked worriedly. Not only her, but also the leaders of the North, who were guarding the Millennium Ice Cave, showed signs of unease.

“Karrl!!”

It was then.

A magic circle appeared at the entrance of the Ice Cave, and a group of people called his name.

There were only a few people on the continent who could call Karrl by his name, and among them, there was only one magician who could use such a large-scale teleportation magic circle.

“What on earth are you thinking? Going inside Parel? You’ve only just started to break free from that terrible past, and now you’re going back there again?”

Nine Darhon, who lived holed up in the Great Library, glared at him with a face so pale it was almost white.

“Shouldn’t you be worrying about your own territories? What brings you all the way to the North? Do you all have too much time on your hands?”

“Please don’t pretend you don’t know. This isn’t a simple matter. Besides, you’ve only summoned the Ten of God Slaying [Karrl’s elite guard]. Although our strength is weak, we have stood by the Lord longer than anyone else.”

“Beykan is right. We will always follow the Lord’s decisions, but to leave without a word…”

Kinu Mukari said, sounding somewhat resentful.

“Leave? I’m just going for a bit. I told you, don’t make a fuss over nothing. It’s a simple matter that doesn’t even require a farewell.”

At Karrl’s words, the people smiled wryly, as if they expected it.

“I hope you know that there are many who care for the Lord, even if they are not among the Ten of God Slaying.”

“Stop talking nonsense and just focus on your duties. Your job now is to take care of those who follow you, not me.”

Karrl said to his subordinates at the entrance of the Millennium Ice Cave.

“Can I trust you to stay safe while I’m gone?”

“Waaaaaaaah—!!!”

“Waaaaah—!!!”

The soldiers’ cheers answered his question, and Karrl slowly nodded.

“Subordinates who worry about their lord… Judging by how genuine they seem, he must have been a pretty good leader?”

“My world is the most important thing to me.”

“……?”

“Of course, that world includes them. I am not perfect, so I couldn’t save everyone, but I did my best to protect those around me. And at least they know that was my true intention.”

“Well, that’s a good mindset for a lord. Though it’s a bit funny to hear you brag about it yourself.”

The Sword Demon smirked at Karrl.

“That sincerity is still valid. That’s why I won’t hesitate to protect them. You mentioned the name Blader, but frankly, I still don’t trust you.”

“Then how did you decide to come with me into Parel to help me?”

At the Sword Demon’s question, Karrl sneered.

“I didn’t come to help you.”

“Hmm……?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet whether you are one who performs God Slaying or a minion of God. In case I have to kill you, I chose the battlefield with the least damage to this world. Inside Parel, it doesn’t matter if the world collapses.”

“Hahaha. To make such a decision in such a short moment. As expected… you are worthy of being the one who achieved God Slaying.”

“Of course. You seem to be trying to make a deal with the last memory of my past life that I don’t remember, but regardless of whether I have that memory or not, my strength remains unchanged.”

“You seem confident?”

“Enough to handle you.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. I need to catch the monster sleeping on the last floor of Parel.”

However, the Sword Demon responded with a flexible attitude despite Karrl’s provocation. Rather, he seemed pleased with his answer.

[He doesn’t fall for it easily. Unlike what he shows, he is definitely someone whose thoughts you can’t read.]

Lamine carefully observed the Sword Demon and spoke cautiously.

[Hmm… It would be nice if we could use the Master Key at times like this, but they disappeared with Yula after the Great War, so it’s a pity.]

He bickered when they were together, but he seemed to miss the Blue Snake’s absence.

‘Of course, he wouldn’t be an easy opponent. If he’s a colleague of Kaie Essier, he would be someone who achieved God Slaying much earlier, albeit in a different dimension.’

Karrl followed behind the Sword Demon, still on guard, at Lamine’s words.

“At least you don’t have to worry about which side I’m on. I want the peace of this world more than anyone else. It is the last work left by Kaie Essier… no, Newt Brian.”

The Sword Demon stood at the entrance of Parel and gave a faint smile.

“So that his lonely death, unable to return to his world and ending his life here, will not be in vain.”

Whooooooooong…….

As he raised his hand, Parel began to glow as if reacting.

Clank-

Zzzzzzzzzing—!!

A sharp bracelet-shaped device popped out from the Sword Demon’s wrist. Inside, a shard emitting emerald light was embedded, and it slowly began to rotate on his wrist as if winding a spring.

The number of shards was at least a dozen at first glance.

‘So many Dimension Spirals…….’

Karrl, who knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to use the power of God and the great price that had to be paid, couldn’t help but be surprised by his appearance with so many shards.

“Let’s go.”

The Sword Demon said in a low voice.

Gggggggggg…….

At that moment,

The door to Parel opened.

* * *

‘……Hey!!!’

Karrl was startled by the ear-splitting shout and looked around.

The acrid smell of gunpowder.

The deafening explosions.

Even the pungent smell of blood.

Karrl realized that he was standing in the middle of a battlefield between life and death.

Swooooosh—!!

With a sharp tearing sound, his body lost its balance and staggered.

[Kehek……! Kehk!!!]

At the same time, a black spear pierced the heart of the monster that was about to attack him.

‘Where are you selling your soul?! Do you want to die?!’

The red-haired, hot-tempered man shouted as he pulled out the spear that had pierced the monster.

‘Focus. The next wave is coming. If you’re like this again, I can’t work with you!’

[Wh, what…….]

Karrl said, as if he was dumbfounded, looking at the irritable man. No, he was about to say it.

[……I can’t speak?]

However, his frightened and shrunken body was stiff, contrary to his will.

‘We’re not your babysitters. Got it? You brat!’

Karrl flinched once more at the sight of the red-haired man raising his hand as if threatening him.

‘Hilperon!! Stop it.’

At that moment, another man stopped the man who was harshly criticizing him. He was a huge man with solid muscles like Suan Hazar.

‘Tch…….’

The red-haired man, who had been shouting, closed his mouth as his low voice lowered.

‘…….’

Not only them.

There were people fighting monsters here and there. Karrl was just bewildered by the sight of these people he had never seen before.

“Where is this…….”

Karrl slowly raised his hand at the incomprehensible sight. It was his own body, but he couldn’t hide the awkward and uncomfortable feeling.

Besides, there was no way he couldn’t have avoided the monster’s attack just now.

“This is…….”

At that moment, Karrl’s eyes widened.

Everything was unfamiliar, but he could recognize the red-tinged armor he was wearing.

It was the Sword Demon’s.

Shhhhhhhhhhh……!!!

It was then.

The surrounding scenery began to crumble and disappear into dust, as if sand was scattering.

“……!!!!”

Karrl realized that not only the scenery but also his body was scattering.

His vision turned black, and his consciousness was also fading.

He realized that he had experienced the feeling of sinking to the bottom of that floor before.

It was the same as when he first ate the dragon’s heart in Einherjar and saw Riceria’s memories. It was the phenomenon that occurred when he permeated the waves of memory.

“……Huff!”

A pure white light poured through the black vision, and Karrl exhaled the breath he had been holding back.

“Are you awake? You’re faster than I thought.”

Karrl turned his head at the voice ringing in his ear. The battlefield scene from before had disappeared without a trace, and the people who had been fighting the monsters were also gone.

“Where is this…….”

Karrl looked at the Sword Demon, who was sitting in front of a bonfire. To be exact, it was the armor he was wearing.

Black armor and red light.

There were changes in appearance, but Karrl could tell that it was definitely similar to the armor he had been wearing a little while ago.

“Parel, 14th floor.”

“14th floor? Not the 1st floor?”

“I don’t want to waste time. If an ordinary person opens the door to Parel, they will have to climb from the 1st floor, but I’m a bit different.”

The Sword Demon showed Karrl the shards of God on his wrist and said.

“I skipped the lower floors like winding a spring quickly. It’s a method that only those who have conquered Parel can use… but it requires a price because the axis of time is misaligned, which is the opposite of regressing through time.”

He pointed to Karrl, who was collapsed.

“You should rest a little more.”

“I don’t know if it’s a dream, but I saw a strange sight. The monsters were clearly Fallen [corrupted beings], but the soldiers fighting them were different from our world.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Hilperon. I think that was the man’s name… The others, who seemed to be his companions, called him that. Does he know something?”

“It seems that the memory remaining on the floor resonated with you. What you went into is my memory. But if it’s the memory of the 14th floor… I must have shown you something unsightly.”

He gave a wry smile at Karrl’s words.

“So that was you?”

“That’s right. This Parel is from the world I lived in. The memories of that place remain. We also conquered Parel.”

“I saw Kaie Essier’s will, but honestly, I was skeptical about the existence of other dimensions, but now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, it’s finally sinking in.”

It was definitely different.

The armor that the soldiers were wearing was closer to machines than the armaments in his world, and it was clearly different from magical engineering.

“You’re very different from how you are now with divine power.”

“I was weak?”

“To the point of sighing.”

“Keuh heuh…….”

The Sword Demon gave a wry smile at Karrl’s words.

“Everyone has been weak at some point. Isn’t that right? Back then, I was closer to being weak than strong, and my world at that time was in a desperate struggle where we had to mobilize even the slightest bit of power, as insignificant as your past life.”

Tap…… Tap…….

The Sword Demon poked at the burning bonfire as if trying to forget that memory and spoke in a low voice.

“To conquer Parel, humanity gathered everyone who could fight. Of course, we lost.”

“Lost? But…….”

According to Kaie Essier’s will, their world achieved God Slaying faster than he did.

Moreover, the fact that Parel is here means that neither God nor Parel exists in his world anymore, so that is not a defeat but a clear victory.

Karrl suddenly thought of one possibility at his words.

“Could it be that you are also a regressor [someone who has traveled back in time]?”

“Well, the axis of time I have has already changed and deviated, so I don’t know if I should call myself a simple regressor.”

The Sword Demon slowly stood up from his seat.

“Then is that also related to the memory of the last floor that I can’t recall?”

“Enough with the chatter. Draw your sword. It’s the monsters.”

Instead of answering, he grabbed the greatsword that was placed next to him.

“…….”

Karrl frowned slightly as he looked at him avoiding the answer.

Kwaang–!!!

Karrl, who had been staring at the Sword Demon, eventually shook his head and pulled out Agnel, throwing it forcefully towards the darkness with a touch of annoyance.

[Kehek……!! Kehk!!!]

[Kaaaaaak……!]

The screams of the Fallen erupted from here and there.

“The weak should stay back.”

Karrl said to him teasingly.