The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 494

Side Story 7

7. The Final Floor

Kugugung—

As the massive door to the 15th floor closed, darkness fell. Lights began to extend from above Carryl’s head, one by one, illuminating the 15th floor as if a light switch had been turned on.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

Carryl heard footsteps approaching him. For some reason, the Sword Demon, who had crossed through the door with him, was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey. Where are you?”

He shouted, but only silence returned.

“ɘʓŦ.”

It was then.

The sound of footsteps stopped, and Carryl turned his head towards the voice. It was a bizarre voice, like metal scraping, as if the vocal cords were not properly formed.

“……?!”

However, unlike the voice, what entered Carryl’s sight was surprisingly a beautiful woman.

She wore armor that shone with brilliant silver light. At first, she was emitting such intense light that her face was not visible in the darkness, but as the light faded, her thick armor came into view.

In contrast to the massive armor, her arms and legs were very slender and delicate.

The red patterns visible between the silver armor seemed to be alive and blooming at any moment, like flames, and Carryl was mesmerized by the sight.

“You must be the only one who falls for the flames on the armor rather than the beauty of the woman,” the Sword Demon said from behind.

Carryl chuckled, as if he had finally come to his senses at the Sword Demon’s voice.

“That is?”

“The boss of the 15th floor, Etinel. The guardian who protects the end of Pharell. If you defeat her, Pharell will collapse.”

“Simple. Pharell in your dimension is quite friendly. The boss of the last floor is waiting alone. I can go all out without hesitation.”

“That’s only possible under the premise that you can defeat her.”

“Hmph.”

Leaving the Sword Demon’s words behind, Carryl pointed Agniel at her.

“……!!!!!”

It was then.

The moment he stepped into her domain, Carryl felt a sudden shortness of breath.

Kugugugugugu……!!

The ground beneath his feet shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and Carryl felt an even more intense sense of oppression than when he first faced Yula.

“What is this…….”

[Be careful!]

Laminu’s cry was heard, and at that moment, he felt as if gravity was pressing down on him, crushing both shoulders.

“Keuk?!”

Carryl’s face momentarily hardened at the force pressing down on him, but he soon strengthened his grip on Agniel as if nothing had happened.

Kwaaaaaaaaang—!!!

As he slashed his sword through the air, the pressure that had been crushing him shattered into pieces with a sharp roar.

Flash-!!

Not only that.

A sharp wound appeared on Etinel’s cheek, which had been pressing down on Carryl, and red blood flowed down.

“Hmm.”

The Sword Demon watched the scene with interest.

“To even counterattack in that moment. Truly worthy of one who has achieved Godslayer.”

Crack-

However, Etinel wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, indifferent to his praise, and looked at Carryl, tilting her expressionless face.

Her eyes were full of doubt.

A face full of questions, as if she had been wounded for the first time in her life.

The way she tilted her head at an almost right angle was bizarre, but the moment her cheek twitched, the sky began to turn completely red with a rumbling sound.

Like blood.

“But it seems like I’ve provoked her.”

Kwang-!!!

Carryl rushed towards her without hesitation. It was a sprint of tremendous speed that could be called Swiftness.

Chrararararak—!!

Etinel, who had been looking ahead with her head tilted, straightened her back the moment Carryl approached. Then, eight pairs of wings sprouted from her back.

“Hoo-up!!”

Carryl inhaled and poured magic power into the blade of Agniel.

Kwagagagak—!!!

The moment Agniel cut through the air, Laminu’s Blazing Inferno and his Arcane Blade met, emitting a fierce explosion and aiming for her neck.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes, four strikes…….

In a short moment, barely a breath, Carryl’s sword clashed dozens, hundreds of times as if dancing.

Clang-!!

The moment it exceeded three hundred strikes, Carryl’s sword grazed Etinel, and the shoulder part of the thick armor she was wearing shattered with a thud!

“……?!”

For the first time, bewilderment appeared on Etinel’s constantly expressionless face. Carryl did not miss that moment.

Taang-!!

With a crisp sound, Etinel’s body staggered. As the thick plate mail that had been wrapped around her waist shattered from Carryl’s attack, she was pushed back by the impact.

“ʧɘʓŦ……!!!!!”

A rough voice, unsuitable for her beautiful appearance, burst out. With a scream that seemed to tear the ears, she grabbed her sword and rushed towards Carryl.

Hwareureuk……!!

Etinel’s sword shone pure white, and a dazzling light was engraved on the blade as if flames of light were flickering. Carryl frowned as he looked at the power of light she was emitting.

Clank-

Looking at the sword flying towards him, Carryl instead put Agniel back into its scabbard.

‘Hmm?’

The Sword Demon paid attention to him, noticing his different behavior from before.

Kwazzzzzzzzzik—!!!

Dozens of lightning bolts fell towards Carryl from around the rushing Etinel.

“This is Pharell’s final boss?”

Even as his surroundings shook, Carryl stood still, still holding the handle of the sword in its scabbard.

“How pathetic.”

Carryl slowly raised his head and looked at Etinel.

“It’s nothing more than a pastime for my swordsmanship.”

Clank-

The sound of the scabbard trembling was heard once again. But it was completely different from the sound just now. It was a sharp sonic boom that spat out the sword.

Skakakaka……!!!!

The moment Carryl drew his sword, a fierce sound was heard, and the sword roared like the growl of a beast.

“Ŧʓ……!!!!”

Just before his sword was drawn, Etinel’s sword strike poured down on Carryl first.

Buuuuung-!!

Kwagang–!!

As her sword was drawn horizontally, sharp clusters of light poured down on Carryl. Intense lights exploded from all directions, and large holes appeared in the floor here and there.

But her attack did not stop there.

After breaking through an explosion, Etinel soared into the sky as her wings of light fluttered.

Tzeojjeok-!

As she grabbed the sword with both hands, the air touching the blade trembled as if it were torn.

“νωϪοκ υφχ……!!! Ϫφχst……!!!!”

She shouted in an unknown language and slashed her sword at Carryl.

No, she tried to slash.

Kwaaaang……!!!

With a crash, the sword of light that Etinel was holding exploded and was cut off.

Hwiiiiik……!

Above the cleanly broken cross-section of the sword, wind swirled as if air were condensing, and space was distorted.

“Cough……. Keokeok…….”

With a pale face, unable to breathe, Etinel looked down and gasped roughly.

Her neck twisted and bent with a crackling sound as the space rotated and sucked her in like a vortex.

“Kieeeeeeeek—!!!”

A scream erupted at the same time.

But she struggled to avoid being sucked into the distorted space that was swallowing her.

The 6th stance of the sword – Boundary Severance (境界絶) [a sword technique that cuts through the boundary between dimensions].

It was one of the ultimate sword techniques that Carryl had reached, the one that had severed the White Gold Dragon’s neck.

That swordsmanship, which had even cut through the dragon’s scales, was now distinctly different from what it had been five years ago.

Back then, it was simply cutting through the realm of the boundary, but now it was closer to annihilating the boundary.

As evidence, the vortex that occurred in the place where the sword strike had passed was relentlessly biting at Etinel like a monster trying to swallow anything.

“Hmm.”

Carryl raised his head.

Etinel had not even realized when he had drawn his sword amidst her fierce attacks.

“Keokeok……. Keokeogeok…….”

But his sword had already been put back into its scabbard with a clank- sound long ago.

“I don’t care what you’re babbling about, but at least your screams are the same.”

All that remained was Carryl’s indifferent gaze at her.

Peoeok-!!!!!

Etinel’s head finally exploded mercilessly, unable to withstand the pressure of the boundary gap he had created.

Brrrr…….

Etinel’s body, with its face blown away, fell to the floor and trembled.

Seogeok-

Without hesitation, Carryl once again cut the corpse of such a thing, eliminating even the possibility of resurrection.

“Is this the end?”

He turned his head and said, looking at the Sword Demon.

It was simple enough to be considered anticlimactic for the death of the guardian who protected the last floor of Pharell.

But it was not because Etinel was weak.

It was because Carryl’s existence was far stronger than the corrupted beings residing in this Pharell.

“Indeed……. Amazing.”

The Sword Demon said to him.

Whoo…….

A faint breath was heard.

At that moment, Carryl realized that the space he was standing in was beginning to crack as if a mirror were breaking.

“Pharell is collapsing. It must be because you defeated the last floor boss. Thanks to you, I’ve finished a big task. I want to say thank you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

It was then.

Looking at the Sword Demon’s hand reaching out to him, Carryl scoffed.

“Don’t try to deceive me.”

“What?”

“Pharell had already collapsed at the point of achieving Godslayer. And I have been to this Pharell of the Thousand-Year Ice Cave before Pharell of our world appeared.”

“…….”

“Although I didn’t climb to the end, I used this Pharell to tame the Lycanthrope’s power left by Kaie Essir. I can be sure. There is no 15th floor here. Perhaps Pharell was already broken after the death of the Lord, so it must have lost its function.”

At that moment, Carryl did not miss the slight upturn of one corner of the Sword Demon’s mouth.

“Pharell has already collapsed.”

Carryl pointed his sword at Etinel’s corpse.

“You created this, didn’t you?”

Kugugugugu…….

In the collapsing boundary, Carryl said in a low voice.

“It’s nothing more than an illusion, not actually living corrupted beings. It’s probably just a materialization of things in your memory.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Why did you make me face the guardians of the 14th and 15th floors? Is it to gauge my strength?”

“Ha, haha……!”

At that moment, the Sword Demon, who had been looking at Carryl, burst into laughter.

“Amazing. You’re not just strong. There’s definitely a reason why you defeated Oliver and succeeded in Godslayer.”

“I don’t fight to defeat anyone.”

Carryl glared at him.

The Sword Demon shrugged slightly at the sharp killing intent he felt from him.

“As you said, I needed to confirm. How far your strength has reached.”

“Why?”

“I had to see how strong you had become. Whether you had reached the level to face the last floor of Pharell.”

Carryl scoffed at the Sword Demon’s words.

“I have conquered Pharell and gone back in time. You’re stating the obvious…….”

“No.”

“……What?”

The Sword Demon looked at Carryl with a faint smile.

“You did not clear the last floor of Pharell. That’s why you don’t have Lakshmu’s memories.”

Then, he raised his hand and pointed at Carryl.

“Wh-what…….”

“What you met on the last floor of Pharell was not Lakshmu, but…….”

The finger that had been pointing at Carryl slowly turned towards himself.

“Me.”

The Sword Demon’s quiet voice echoed clearly in the collapsing Pharell.