Chapter 234: Opening the Box (5)

“Isn’t that right, Ramine? Did I go through all this trouble just to hear this trivial information? Be prepared, because once I get out of here, I’ll smother you with mana.”

[W-Wait!!]

As soon as Karyl finished speaking, Ramine’s flame flared up in panic.

[I couldn’t tell you because of the rules! We were defeated in the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, and no excuse can change that. The losers must abide by the victors’ rules.]

“You think I said that because I want an apology?”

[...What?]

Ramine looked at Karyl.

“You shouldn’t apologize. You should be angry. I myself am furious, and I’m just an outsider.”

[What are you...]

“When Yula commanded you not to speak, as the defeated, you had no chance but to obey. But what about the fact that they sealed a Blader in a northern cave for our descendants to see? It’s like the victor displaying corpses as a warning at their gates.”

Karyl ground his teeth.

“Can you imagine... a god being so petty?”

[...Was there anything else unusual about that person besides the black eyes?] Mael asked cautiously.

“Why? Curious?” Karyl hissed.

[There are a few things I want to confirm.]

“If you’re curious, see for yourself. You and the Spirit Kings have remained stuck after a single defeat, and time has passed without any change.”

[We...] Ramine tried to say something, but Karyl raised his hand to silence him.

“We humans often say that victory and defeat are part of war. It may sound like an excuse of the defeated, but it’s the same reason I chose to go back in time.”

In his quest to fulfill the Oracle, Karyl had faced defeat. The truth of it was known to no one but him. And when he uncovered that truth, he was forced to kill his friend, Olivurn.

“So you follow the rules of the victor? What, do you believe your wars are somehow nobler than the humans’ filthy conflicts, to the point of being sacred? Don’t make me laugh,” Karyl scoffed.

“You know, there’s one particular saying humans often use that I hold close to my heart,” he went on.

The three of them looked at him.

“The one standing at the end is the true victor.”

Then Karyl slowly pointed at each of the three with his finger.

“You, you, and you. None of you are dead, right? If I were a god, I wouldn’t be this soft.”

[You idiot!! Do you even know what it means for a Spirit King to be destroyed? Our sealing alone has put the Spirit Realm in jeopardy!]

“So?” Karyl tilted his head at Ramine's excuse.

“What difference does it make if you’re already not functioning properly? If I were a god, I would’ve erased you from existence, since you’d be a threat to me.”

[...]

None of them could refute his harsh words.

“You’re alive, and the gods are alive. That means the battle isn’t over yet.”

Boom—!

Karyl forcefully struck the ground with his sword.

“The war is still ongoing. From the Mythical Era through the Magical Era, to this very moment, it has never truly ended.”

Crack... Crack...

At that moment, the transparent floor, shrouded by darkness and previously impenetrable, began to crack like ice. Seeing this, Karyl smirked.

“Whatever is down there, it seems moved by what I said. Right, Mael?”

[...]

“Let’s continue our conversation after checking that out.”

Boom...!

With another powerful stomp, the floor shattered like glass, and Karyl fell through.

[Ramine, I think you’ve awakened a monster,] Duaat murmured as he watched Karyl’s descent.

[I told you before. I didn’t awaken anything. That’s just his nature.]

[We were completely deceived. Who would have thought Karyl knew about that man? We were fools to try and hide it.]

Ramine smiled bitterly at his words.

[He doesn’t gamble on lost causes. If there’s no longer a need to hide the existence of Blader from him...]

The flame followed Karyl as he fell.

[We should be angry at the gods who mocked us by denying us rest.]

Watching the disappearing flame, Duaat’s shadow also chased after Karyl, as if engulfing him.

[No, we should be angry at ourselves for believing that staying sealed was the best we could do.]

[...]

Only empty darkness remained in their wake.

[Am I dreaming? Do they really intend to oppose the gods again?] Mael muttered, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

Staring at the large hole, he eventually sighed and murmured, [Are you really okay discussing such things in front of me?]

With those uncertain words, Mael too seemed to make up his mind and threw himself into the hole where the three had fallen.

***

“I didn’t expect something like this to be below the floor.”

Karyl looked up at the shattered floor that now served as the ceiling. It revealed a space that was a stark contrast to the darkness above—a pristine white area.

“I heard there might be a clue to finding the Queen of Tides... but it seems more fitting to call her the Queen of Ice.”

With each word, a puff of vapor escaped his lips. Though Karyl had lived in the cold of the north, this place, filled with endless pillars of white ice, was almost too suffocating.

[The nature of ice is to seal or suppress power. Whatever is in here must possess immense strength.]

Karyl nodded at Ramine’s words.

“Hearing you say that only makes me more curious about what’s inside.”

Karyl then spoke to Mael, who was following behind, “Mael, it seems this area was separated from the space where you were sealed. Did it exist before you were there?”

[It must have. When I awoke, the areas were already divided. This is also my first time seeing this place.]

“Hmm... Then let me ask you one more thing. The Assembly of Seven Elders commissioned the creation of this sealing box from Narh Di Maug. Was he the one who sealed you?”

Mael shook his head in response.

[I don’t know. After the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, we, the defeated, were to be disposed of according to the gods’ will. My consciousness was lost, and I was trapped in emptiness. I don’t know what happened to me afterward.]

I have suspicions but no evidence...

Karyl bit his lip and cast a glance.

The Platinum Dragon—as the only one he had ever confided in, Karyl found it especially difficult to cast doubt on him.

What exactly are you hiding from me?

He wanted to confront him immediately. However, his opponent was at the very top of the food chain in this world. Of course, Karyl was not one to concede easily. Like Kaye Aesir, he believed he could challenge the title of Dragon Hunter.

But regardless of the outcome, a battle between them would bring tremendous damage to the continent. Moreover, a confrontation with the Platinum Dragon could incite the enmity of the other remaining dragons.

Even though they remained indifferent during the Oracle War...

It was better not to engage. If the dragons turned to support the gods because of him, it would be disastrous.

Dragons already sided once with the gods against humans and spirits during the Great War. There’s no reason they wouldn’t do it again.

Though the dragons were few, each held power that surpassed entire knight orders, making them foes Karyl didn’t wish to antagonize. He had to tread carefully, to maintain the appearance of trust in the dragons while preparing for the moment his suspicions proved correct—then, he would deliver the decisive strike.

Everything must be perfect. Perhaps the priority before the Oracle arrives is not unifying the continent, but uncovering the truth about the Platinum Dragon.

Step, step, step...

As they passed through the enormous cave with interlocking ice pillars, they entered a space that resembled a temple, all white and pristine.

“Hmm...”

Karyl scanned the area with curiosity.

Not even Allen’s repository of knowledge had anything about this place. Perhaps it’s something I can’t unlock yet...

Reaching the 6th Class had allowed him to unlock another layer of Allen’s repository, but to access all of it, he would have to break through the barrier of the 7th Class.

A place Allen might not have known about. Judging by Mael’s expression, it’s new to him too...

Karyl walked resolutely, and after a long journey inward, he finally stopped.

“...”

His eyes trembled. At the end of the temple, there was a massive ice pillar, several times thicker than the surrounding columns.

“Ramine, it seems you were mistaken. With this level of energy, it’s no wonder you mistook the chill you felt at the Gray Training Ground for that of the Water Spirit King.”

Karyl stared intently at the small object encased within the pillar.

“Or perhaps it does have something to do with the Queen of Tides.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the pillar.

“One thing is certain... This is related to the north. More precisely, it’s related to the immigrant tribes.”

[Are you saying you know what that is?] Ramine asked.

“Of course.”

Karyl gave a cold smile.

“I’ve never seen it before, but I can tell what it is at a glance. And it's not just because immigrant blood runs through my veins.”

He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger.

Whir... Shhh...!!

As he brought the dagger near the ice pillar, the seemingly sturdy structure vibrated before melting away instantly.

[...!!!]

[...!!!]

Mael and the two Spirit Kings were taken aback by the sight, but Karyl remained calm.

“I live in the present, while your war is a thing of the past. Let it go. The war I’m about to wage will be entirely different. But seeing this, there are a few things I need to make clear.”

Karyl picked up the object that had been inside the pillar.

“You are with me now, but you too are just beings of the past. You were sealed, trapped in your era and oblivious to the passage of time.”

The three watched him.

“Those of the past should stay in the past. The one who can answer my questions is someone living in the present with me, someone who has known the past and can impact my future,” Karyl growled, his calmness dissolving into rage, shaking the atmosphere around him.

“Mael, nothing else matters. Just answer one question. This is about the era you lived in.”

Karyl’s eyes glinted sharply.

“During the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, on whose side was the Platinum Dragon?”

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

At that moment, a heavy silence descended upon the darkness.

“I need to know why Agnel’s scabbard was hidden here.”