Chapter 208: Blader

“...Blader? Why bring that up all of a sudden? You weren’t even alive during that time. Are you saying the humans from the Mythical Era are related to Blader?” Karyl asked with a frown.

“Yes. Including me, humans, elves, and even dwarves,” Allen replied. “You know that Blader was a group formed by various races to create the most powerful weapons.”

Karyl nodded.

“But there were those who used this name before us. Actually, it’s not about being first. The name was originally given to them,” Allen spoke in an unusually cautious tone. “It’s more accurate to say we took the name from those who participated in the Great War of the Spirits and Gods.”

“Blader... dates all the way back to the Mythical Era?”

“I told you, not just during the Mythical Era. The original Blader were from that era. They were fundamentally different from us in both their purpose and their mission.]

“...”

There was a hint of embarrassment in Allen’s voice.

He had always been at the forefront of everything. From Arcane Techniques to the study of Tarak, he considered his pursuits, which no other sorcerers dared to tackle, his life’s work. But knowing that the great organization he had founded was named after some other pioneers made him feel somewhat humbled.

It meant there were individuals he could never surpass.

“Well, as grand as it sounds, little is known about their true nature. We don’t even know if they were all human or if there were other beings among them,” Allen continued.

“Hmm....”

“What is known is that they were seventeen apostles. And...”

Allen looked at Karyl.

“...They were born to kill gods.”

“To kill gods...?”

Karyl’s shoulders trembled slightly at his words. The idea that, more than a thousand years ago, there were people who shared his thoughts was astonishing to him.

“That’s all I know. Maybe you should ask the Spirit Kings,” Allen said with a shrug.

“I already asked Ramine, but he refused to talk about it.” Karyl shook his head. After the battle with Duaat, the first thing he had done was ask Ramine about the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, but Ramine had refused to give any answers.

“Well... there must be a reason if a Spirit King is keeping it secret,” Allen remarked. “Anyway, after the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, the Blader legacy continued with humans. Some died, some were replaced, and the group endured for a long time.]

“Hmm....”

“Because of that, the number always changed. There were seventeen members in the end, but it started with four, then grew to seven. However, two of the positions never changed.”

“...How do you know that?”

Allen scoffed at Karyl’s question. He uncorked a new bottle of liquor and took greedy gulps.

“It’s not a pleasant memory. The one who taught magic to the Assembly of Seven Elders was a dragon, right? It’s simple. The Platinum Dragon once told us.”

Karyl nodded. “So Narh Di Maug might have known them.”

“As a dragon, probably. He’s lived longer than any other dragon still alive.”

“That’s one more reason to go to his lair.”

“Do you still trust him?”

“Not really.”

Allen Javius shook his head at Karyl’s ambiguous answer.

“What kind of answer is that? You’ve been like this since the Abyssal Rock.”

Karyl smiled at his reproach.

“I left trust behind. In this life, I only trust my own fists.”

“That’s better.”

“Whether or not he participated in the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, if he knows about Blader, I won’t have to waste time looking for information. I have to find out somehow.”

Karyl clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Save some of that for me.”

Allen licked his lips, seemingly unsatisfied with the amount of liquor he had. Perhaps he had recalled someone he wished he hadn’t and wanted to forget them.

“Anyway... I’m not sure why only that part of the story is passed down. I don’t understand the significance of the number of members changing either,” Allen added nonchalantly.

But at that moment, Karyl’s face hardened slightly.

“Seventeen...”

Karyl narrowed his eyes, biting his lip as he tried to remember.

“...”

And sure enough, it seemed that something clicked in his mind.

“Out of seventeen, five are vacant, but two positions never change,” Karyl murmured slowly. “Doesn’t this sound familiar?”

“...?”

Allen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Riseria. In the Flame Dragon’s lair, there was a saying like that. It was written in an ancient language only priests could read.”

“Really?”

“A priest from the Church mentioned it... He said it was a story about the gods. The original gods had four children, and from them, seventeen incarnations were born. Yula was one of them.”

“It’s too much of a coincidence. Blader’s and the gods’ numbers changing the same way... Hmm.”

Allen seemed intrigued by Karyl’s words. It made sense because, during the Magical Era, the Church and the power of the gods hadn’t been as absolute as they were now.

“That’s not surprising.”

At that moment, a flame burst forth from Karyl’s hand, and Ramine’s figure emerged—smaller than usual, only a hand's breadth in size.

“Ramine.”

[Riseria is the dragon that made a pact with Blader during the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, so it’s not unusual for their story to be written in Riseria’s lair. The strange part is, as you said, how that story has transformed into a tale of the gods passed down by the Church.]

Ramine, who had been sealed in the Flame Dragon’s Nest, Riseria’s lair, hadn’t even been aware of the inscriptions on the barrier. Thus, he couldn’t possibly know how they had been altered over time.

[Well... In the end, the Flame Dragon abandoned the humans and sided with the gods. So, even if it became part of the gods’ story, there’s nothing to say.]

Karyl recalled the memory of consuming Riseria’s heart. Perhaps that was why he remembered Riseria’s death at the hands of Kaye Aesir so vividly, almost as though he had experienced it himself.

“A dragon that betrayed humans... Whether it was the price of betrayal or simply due to human greed, he was eventually killed by a human,” Karyl said with a bitter smile.

“Back to the main point. We founded Blader to create something that surpassed the artifacts of those first pioneers.”

“...Artifacts?”

Allen pointed to the Freezing Talon at Karyl’s waist.

“Yes. It’s said that those pioneers used very special artifacts. They came in various forms—swords, spears, armor, and even magic. Fifteen of those members were known as the Master Keys, and the two immutable members had their own unique artifacts.”

“...Hmm. I see.”

Karyl licked his lips.

“Well, the humans who fought gods wouldn’t have used weapons from the local blacksmith. Could any of those artifacts still exist?”

He wondered about the fifteen relics used by the Blader of the Mythical Era. Even the current Five Great Artifacts of Blader, like the Freezing Talon he used, were far superior to any existing weapons. However if those fifteen artifacts had been crafted during an era where the essence of spirits and magic enveloped the earth...

“Haha, your greed knows no bounds,” Allen remarked.

Karyl smiled bitterly.

[There’s no need to search for them. You may not know, but some of the fifteen artifacts are already out in the world. In fact, you already possess one.]

“...?!”

Karyl couldn’t hide his surprise at Ramine’s words.

“I possess one?”

[The Ein Trigger. That gem containing my essence is one of the mythical artifacts. At that time, I, as a Spirit King, made a pact with one of Blader.]

“Ah...”

Karyl was starting to understand why the Blazing King was favorable toward humans. On the other hand, Duaat’s distrust of humans likely stemmed from a betrayal of his trust.

[The two swords wielded by the queen of the barbarians are also mythical artifacts. So is the hammer used by that mercenary captain. Of course, neither of them can fully harness the power of those artifacts.]

“Really?”

It was astonishing that Miliana’s twin swords were mythical artifacts, and even more so that the power within those two artifacts was so immense that not even two Sword Masters could fully utilize it.

[The same goes for you.]

Karyl shrugged, finally understanding why Ramine always complained about his lack of spirit energy.

“Then... can you tell me how you lost the Great War of the Spirits and Gods because of humans?”

[...]

Ramine remained silent at Karyl’s question.

“Tch, still not talking.”

Karyl’s expression showed he had expected this reaction from Ramine. Allen also shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.

“Is there a reason you can’t tell me? How about this? I don't care about the other Blader artifacts. But are the relics of the two immutable members still on this earth?”

[Maybe, maybe not.]

“What does that mean?”

Ramine hesitated for a moment, then spoke with determination, [It means I don’t know. Those artifacts aren't from this world.]

“...!!”

Allen Javius, noticing Karyl's reaction, patted him on the shoulder and said, “Your eyes look different. Are you going to search for them?”

“If I get the chance. We don’t even know where they are or if they’re even around.”

“But your eyes say otherwise. To me, it sounds like you're determined to find them. You’ve never failed to obtain something you wanted.”

Karyl smiled faintly at Allen’s words.

“Greed can sometimes offer humans a great sense of purpose.”

“Greed? No. To others, maybe, but you can’t fool me.” Allen laughed heartily while looking at Karyl. Though his appearance had changed, his essence was the same—the mentor who had taught Karyl magic.

He knew Karyl better than anyone else.

“You only obtain what you need for your goal. Your aim has always been singular from the start.”

Shiing—

Listening to Allen, Karyl drew his Freezing Talon.

“Well...”

In the light of dawn, the cold blade gleamed sharply.

“This might be a bit lacking.”

Lacking to cut down a god, that is.

Voosh—!

As he swung the sword lightly, it emitted a sharp, piercing sound similar to a cry.

“It’s about time I changed my weapon.”