Chapter 250: The Civil War in the Principality (15)

“Karyl...” Anthem Howard muttered his name quietly as he looked at the figure who had appeared before him.

“You’re not really part of Moon Aether, are you?” Terix stated.

“I know the captain of that place. He’s a power-hungry guy, but he’s skilled enough for me to remember his face. There’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed him here.”

At that, Karyl chuckled. “Giltian? It’s true he’s ambitious, but when it comes to skills, I beg to differ. If someone like him qualifies as a knight, the strength of the principality is laughable.”

“You’re insane.”

Ssshhh...

The Freezing Talon in Karyl’s hand gleamed with a menacing sharpness, resonating with a cold, deathly energy that Terix could feel. He glared at Karyl, realizing the threat he posed.

“So, you’re the Karyl everyone’s been talking about. If you’re the one behind all of this, as Sir Fran claims, then the solution is simple. I’ll just take your head back with me.”

“And you think you can manage that?”

Krrrrack—!

Karyl’s blade slashed through the air, unleashing explosive bursts around Terix, scattering dust everywhere.

“Ugh?!”

Karyl kept pressing his attack, his feet barely touching the ground as he unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes. The thick armor that encased Terix began to crack and split under the continuous onslaught.

“You...!”

Whooosh...!

Terix infused his hammer with mana, swinging it with all his might. The resulting shockwave shattered the tent’s pillars, bringing the entire structure crashing down.

“You’re quick on your feet.”

Brushing away the collapsed sections of the tent, Terix spat on the ground and glared daggers at Karyl.

He’s just as expected... If anyone can take that guy down, it’s Sir Terix...

Fran clenched his fists in anticipation, watching the battle with eager eyes.

[Use me.]

A sweet voice suddenly whispered into Karyl’s ear. As blue scales appeared briefly on his left arm, the flame from the Ein Trigger on his other hand flickered in response.

Crack—!

Karyl tightened his grip on the Freezing Talon, the overwhelming magic energy surging from the mana core forcing Mael’s aura out of his arms.

Stay quiet,

Karyl urged without taking his eyes off Terix.

You’re a power that's bound to me. I’ll use you when I need you. You have no authority to dictate terms. Remember what I said. I still don’t trust you.

[Even after finding Agnel’s scabbard in the box, you still doubt I’m on the side of humans?]

I don't know yet. I don’t believe anything until I’m sure of it.

[Well, this is disappointing. Here I am, sharing secrets about the Platinum Dragon, and you still doubt me.]

Though he couldn’t see his expression, Karyl could sense that Mael was shaking his head in disappointment at his response.

Even if you don’t want me to, I’ll use you if I need to. You really think I can’t take down an opponent like him on my own?

Karyl steadied his stance.

Or are you hiding some other scheme?

[There’s no scheme. I urged you to use me because only a fool wouldn’t use the power he has.]

We’ll see about that.

With that, Mael’s aura was gradually pushed back by Karyl’s overwhelming mana.

If you want to be a power I find useful, learn to gauge the level of your opponents before you speak. Don’t diminish your own value—it only makes you look suspicious.

[What...?]

I defeated you. Do you think I need your help to deal with someone like this?

Karyl scanned his surroundings.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The wyverns around the tent roared ferociously, but a mere dozen couldn’t stand against the thousand-strong force of the immigrant tribes. Despite their fierce resistance, with harpoons lodged in their wings and chains around their necks, the wyverns were gradually being subdued one by one.

It’s almost over. I was just buying time.

In that instant, Karyl vanished.

Whoosh—!

No one noticed Karyl’s sudden change. They sensed a brief surge of mana, but his moves were too fast to perceive, almost as though time itself had stopped for everyone but him.

Click—

Karyl’s hand, which had unsheathed Agnel at some point, moved in a graceful half-circle before sliding the blade back into its sheath. Terix’s eyes widened in confusion.

Whoosh...!

Terix’s eyes belatedly followed the path of Agnel, but the blade had already disappeared into its sheath, leaving no visible trace of blood. Terix didn’t even understand how he had been struck, let alone how he had been killed.

“You... YOU...!!!” Terix roared, hoisting his hammer high above his head. However, his cry faltered as his arms trembled violently. He staggered, dropping the hammer with a heavy thud as it hit the ground.

Thud—!

Terix looked down in disbelief as blood poured from his neck. He instinctively brought his hand to the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood that was rapidly soaking through his armor.

“Guh... guh...” Terix gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as he struggled to speak. His eyes were filled with anger and disbelief, locked onto Karyl.

Shiing—

Splat!

At that moment, crimson splattered across the canopy of the tent as something fell to the ground.

“...!”

It was Terix’s severed head, his palm still clutching his neck. His eyes remained wide open, as though refusing to accept the reality of his death.

“Hmph.” Karyl briefly glanced down at his fallen adversary before lifting his gaze.

This is unbelievable...

Fran was in shock, unable to process what he had just witnessed.

Terix was no ordinary man. Although he wasn’t a Sword Master, his immense strength allowed him to subdue the most ferocious wyverns descended from Flame Dragons, making him the commander of the 1st Wyvern Squadron.

While his technical skills lagged behind, his sheer power was comparable to that of Gordon Fabian, who was the strongest among the Sword Masters.

Yet Karyl had decapitated him without any effort.

“No matter how fierce the attack, it’s useless if it doesn’t hit the target,” Karyl remarked, almost as if he was reading Fran’s thoughts.

However, dodging alone wouldn’t win a fight; overwhelming strength was necessary.

Terix had been one of Fran’s swordsmanship instructors, and he was far from a brute relying solely on raw strength. As such, Fran was baffled that Terix hadn’t even managed to leave a mark on Karyl’s armor. At this point, Fran couldn’t even begin to imagine just how powerful Karyl really was.

Is he really a Sword Master who has surpassed the 6th class?

The overwhelming pressure Fran had felt in Cove was now confirmed as a reality, as Karyl’s strength was made tangible through the undeniable outcome of his short clash with Terix.

It was no longer a vague fear—it was a concrete fact that Fran could no longer deny.

At this rate, the entire 1st Wyvern Squadron will be annihilated... Who could possibly stop him?

Fran’s hands began to tremble, and he felt his mind going blank. Desperately, he reached into his pocket, only to remember he had already taken the last of his pills.

“Damn it...”

Fran clenched his fist and bit his lip in frustration, his complexion already pale.

“Your Highness...”

Concerned, Anthem placed his hand on Fran’s trembling shoulder, but Fran angrily shrugged it off.

“Is this also your doing?”

“Wh-What?”

“The only people who knew about Karyl were you and me. And you were the one who pushed for this meeting today.”

Anthem was left speechless by Fran’s accusation.

“And you opposed my decision to end the war. Are you also trying to set me up as a puppet?!” Fran shouted, grabbing Anthem by the collar, his voice thick with paranoia.

Anthem, sensing that something was terribly wrong, could only stammer out a response, “M-My lord, I would never... I could never betray you like this!”

“Shut up!”

Fran shoved Anthem aside and stood up.

“Grrk?!”

He clutched his temple and staggered. The veins on his forehead bulged prominently, and his bloodshot eyes turned even redder as veins filled the whites of his eyes.

“Your Highness?”

Anthem, alarmed by Fran’s sudden change in demeanor, could only watch in horror.

“The pills... Where are the pills...?”

Fran fumbled through his pockets, his hands shaking uncontrollably, although he knew the bottle was empty.

“...”

Karyl watched him for a moment, then chuckled bitterly as he shoved Terix’s severed head into a cloth sack.

“Hashir, this is a gift for Tuli. Make sure it’s preserved well."

“Don’t worry. I’ll have Lilliana handle it. She probably has the right concoctions to prevent decay,” Hashir replied as he emerged from the darkness.

“How long until everything is wrapped up?”

“The resistance from the Wyvern Squadron has been stronger than anticipated, so it might take a bit longer. Capturing them alive, instead of killing them, is a tall order...”

“Is it too much for you?” Karyl asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“No, not at all,” Hashir replied with a slight grin. “Luckily, we managed to attack before the wyverns could take flight. Most of them are grounded and unable to use their full strength. Wyverns are truly dangerous only when they’re in the air. Right now, they're as good as captured. The tribes are excellent hunters, so they’ll manage.”

“Good. What about the follow-up units?”

“I’ve received reports that they’ve already departed. They’re currently flying over the western skies.”

Karyl nodded and asked, “How many troops?”

“There are about half the number of wyverns in the air compared to the original squadron, and it seems there are no additional wyvern units. However, about four thousand enemy troops stationed at the midstream of the Binfredo River are also moving south.”

The principality’s Wyvern Squadron comprised eight units, each of five wyverns. Though perfectly trained, the wyverns retained their wild nature and sensitivity. They were fiercely loyal to their handlers and would act out if approached by anyone other than their recognized masters.

Because of this, the Wyvern Squadron typically operated separately from the main forces, with four units stationed at the front and four at the rear.

The remaining forces Hashir mentioned were, naturally, the rear-guard of the Wyvern Squadron. This meant that about twenty wyverns were currently flying toward Karyl’s position.

“That’s how much we expected anyway. We’ll proceed as planned,” Karyl said.

“Understood,” Hashir replied.

***

Whoosh―! Swish―!

The sound of the wind cutting through the air grew louder as the riders of the 1st Wyvern Squadron cracked their whips, urging their wyverns to speed up.

“An ambush...! How despicable!”

The deputy commander of the squadron led the entire unit forward in a rush, but as he gazed at the black smoke rising from the distant red flames, a sense of unease crept over him.

“Report! Enemy sighted ahead!” shouted the lead rider, who was wearing goggles.

The deputy commander quickly looked down, scanning the area below as he barked out orders.

“Enemy troops?!”

But all he could see was the darkened forest and the dense canopy of trees; there were no signs of soldiers.

“Where?! Are they lying in ambush? What's their numbers?!”

The urgency in the commander’s voice was palpable.

The rider hesitated for a moment, then pointed ahead, and shouted, “I-It’s just one person!”