Chapter 312: The Great Magic (1)

“The king of mankind... Becoming the ruler of a single nation is no small feat, yet you speak of something far greater.”

Even Alteman, an elf who had lived for a thousand years since the Magical Era, had never even dared to imagine something like that.

“You’re right, becoming the king of a nation isn’t easy, but I already rule over Tatur, the principality, the Three Kingdoms of Istria, and the southern barbarian tribes. Soon, all the immigrant tribes of the north will follow me as well.”

Karyl remained confident, his expression unyielding, and Alteman could only chuckle at his demeanor.

“And how do you plan to deal with the seal?”

“As Ethereal said, breaking the seal will cause the images embedded within the ice to vanish. Though I’m curious about the significance of this scene, I’ll wait a bit longer.”

“Why?”

“I’ve learned one valuable thing—to never trust just one side of the story. If that golden-eyed man is connected to Rasis, then it’s better to break the seal only after both powers, Light and Darkness, are gathered. There’s no point in rushing without understanding the full picture first.”

Alteman was impressed with Karyl’s reasoning.

He looks like someone just approaching adulthood, yet he thinks with such depth... His wisdom goes beyond mere bravery and knowledge. He has the insight of a sage.

Noticing Alteman’s thoughtful gaze, Karyl asked, “If the seal isn’t broken, does that mean I won’t be able to learn the Sword Demon’s techniques?”

“That’s not the case. If it were, the ice would have disappeared after I learned the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship."

“Right...”

Karyl nodded at Alteman’s response.

“To be honest, there isn’t just one form to the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship. In a way, it’s similar to the techniques of the immigrant tribes.”

“But you were able to replicate my Five Sword Stances, weren’t you?”

“Is that what you call them? I didn’t differentiate between stances. I simply interpreted the swordsmanship you demonstrated.

Alteman smiled gently at Karyl.

“Because the true essence of the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship is for each person to find their own path. Depending on how it’s interpreted, it could become either a mediocre technique or an extraordinary one."

With those words, Alteman guided Karyl to the wall behind the ice pillar.

Shaaak...!

As Alteman stepped forward, the cold mist parted like curtains, revealing an enormous wall stretching beyond sight.

To Karyl’s amazement, the surface wasn’t just a wall—it was an intricately carved mural, massive in scale, and the figures on the wall weren’t simply drawn, but sculpted with such detail and vitality that they almost seemed alive.

Karyl was momentarily speechless at the sheer grandeur of the scene.

“What the...?”

Dragons filled the sky, their wings nearly blotting it out, while shadowy figures loomed below, closing in on the humans. There was no mistake about it; although those figures lacked color, Karyl instantly recognized them as Tarak.

A radiant figure leaped defiantly toward the skies, while monsters and countless humans clashed below in brutal struggle.

At that moment, Karyl understood what he was looking at.

“This is the Great War of the Spirits and Gods...”

The mural conveyed the immense scale of the Great War, in which humanity had taken part, even to Karyl, who hadn’t experienced it himself.

“You understand, don’t you? The Great War of the Spirits and Gods was humanity’s attempt to overthrow the current gods.”

Karyl nodded at Alteman’s words.

“Of course, the rebellion failed, and Yula still reigns over the dimensions. Even she was displeased with humanity’s revolt, for gods, like the Bladers, didn’t earn their positions by divine right, but through competition.”

“Among the four children of the original gods, one disappeared, and two of the remaining three came together to give birth to new gods. These new gods competed for control of the dimensions, and the one who survived out of seventeen became the current god, Yula."

“You know quite a bit. Have you been studying the doctrine?” Alteman asked.

“Not really.” Karyl shrugged, holding back his words. The first time he learned of this passage was to break Ramine’s seal in the Flame Dragon’s lair.

With the help of the two priests, Joey Johansel and Yurin Huygar, Karyl had deciphered the words engraved on the seal’s tablet, which made him realize the passage wasn’t just meant for gods.

Later, Mael mentioned in the box found in the Gray Training Ground that the competition mirrored the process of earning the title of Blader from the Mythical Era.

The Blader’s Fracture.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The reason the Great War had failed was precisely that. Some who were in the god’s royal guard became Godslayers, while the rest maintained their loyalty and protected the gods.

Though Blader and Judex might have shared the same roots initially, as time passed, the two diverged, with the Bladers who remained loyal to gods being recorded in history under the name Judex.

That was the story Karyl had pieced together. However, whether the man with black eyes encased in the ice pillar was truly a Blader or a Judex who betrayed his comrades was yet to be confirmed.

“This mural not only depicts their war but also holds clues to finding the Sword Demon’s techniques.”

“It does?”

“Yes.”

Alteman pointed to one man within the mural.

“The Sword Demon. Although it’s just a fragment, you can see the techniques he used during the war.”

Sure enough, the man carved into the mural was the one Karyl had seen in the ice pillar.

“I see why you said the Sword Demon’s techniques could turn out to be mediocre. You’re basing them off just one scene.”

“Exactly. It’s by no means an easy task, but for someone like you who has mastered the ultimate stances of swordsmanship, it should be different. You’ve already achieved something similar by deriving numerous techniques from just one form.”

At that, Karyl gave a slight smile. Indeed, the Five Sword Stances he had devised within Pharel were never really limited to just five.

“I’ve shown you everything I can. Now, I’ll pass on the Sword Demon’s techniques that I’ve learned.”

Alteman drew the soft, belt-like sword wrapped around his waist.

“I’ve heard that fishermen can brew some unique elixirs. Do you happen to have any recovery potions?”

“Recovery potions? If it’s stamina, magic should suffice.”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to use magic, but I’ve heard there are elixirs that help with mental clarity and focus.”

“Hmm... while it won’t give you a major boost, I do have something that might help.”

Alteman opened his vest, revealing small vials hanging in a neat row, each about the size of a pinky finger. He plucked one filled with yellow liquid and handed it to Karyl.

“Mental clarity can’t be measured like magic, so I’m not sure how effective it will be, but it should help clear your mind and aid concentration.”

“Thanks. This isn’t something magic can do.”

“No need to be embarrassed. It’s smart to use whatever resources you have. That’s not a bad approach,” Alteman said to Karyl as though addressing an eager student.

“Thank you. Your help has been enough,” Karyl said as he accepted the elixir.

“Hmm?”

“You can leave now. I’ve figured out that the Sword Demon’s techniques are hidden within this mural. I’ll take care of the rest from here.”

“Take care of it? Don’t be ridiculous. Have you not been listening to me? The Sword Demon’s techniques are so profound that even with the Platinum Dragon’s help, I could only grasp the basics,” Alteman argued.

“Yes, I know.”

“...And yet?” Alteman asked with a hint of irritation, clearly baffled by Karyl’s response.

“Just like you said. Even with the Platinum Dragon’s help, you could only scratch the surface. Are you really planning to teach me those incomplete techniques?”

“...What?”

“I know you have good intentions, but teaching me like this would only hinder me. Rather than learning from a narrowed perspective based on what’s already known, it’s better to start fresh from the beginning."

“...”

“And besides, the Platinum Dragon likely doesn’t know all of the Sword Demon’s techniques either. He probably deduced them from this mural as well. He taught you based on his own interpretation, which means you might have missed the chance to learn better swordsmanship.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s just a hunch.”

Alteman looked slightly perplexed by Karyl’s vague response, but those who knew about Karyl’s return in time, including Allen, wore a subtle smile.

“You should go back and start preparing the assembly to bestow the title of Grand Warrior. Once I leave the cave, we’ll begin right away."

“...And when will that be?”

“It won’t take long. The sword techniques depicted in the mural are similar to mine, but the way they utilize mana is different. I’ll need to study it a bit, but fortunately, there’s someone here who’s more knowledgeable about mana than I am.”

Karyl gestured toward Allen.

“It also seems he used spirit power, and lucky me, I have someone who can teach me all there is to know about spirits.”

He then glanced at the Spirit Kings.

“Alteman, while you had one master, I have far more sources of help. Don’t worry about me.”

In the end, Alteman nodded in agreement.

***

[He’s gone.]

Ramine quietly spoke up after Alteman disappeared.

[So, what’s your plan now?]

Standing tall earlier, the Spirit Kings now seemed a little unsure.

[This is a difficult situation, contrary to what you boasted.]

“I agree. Karyl, you must realize that this mural contains mystical magic that even I cannot fully understand,” Allen added, his tone cautious.

[The same goes for spirit power. You’ve contracted with us and can borrow our power, but you don’t truly know the proper techniques. This mural contains advanced spirit power.]

The Spirit Kings echoed Allen’s sentiment.

Even the individual arts depicted in the mural were of the highest order, but merging them into one unified form was no easy feat.

Achieving complete harmony among various powers was extremely difficult. Allen, the architect of Arcane Mana, knew this better than anyone else.

“I know. The same goes for swordsmanship. Seeing this mural, I can't help but realize how flawed the techniques I devised in Pharel were, even though I used them to cut through countless monsters.”

Karyl placed his hand on the mural and gently traced it.

“But it’s not just about the superiority of the techniques. This shouldn’t be considered a single entity. It’s neither pure swordsmanship, nor magic nor spirit power either.”

[Certainly...]

[Exactly.]

“I wouldn’t have understood it back then, but now that I possess both mana and spirit power, I can sense its true essence."

[That’s why you refused Alteman’s help, isn’t it?] Ramine remarked.

“Yes. This is what you’d call the ultimate secret. I was certain the moment I laid eyes on the mural. I couldn’t reach it in my previous life, but now, I believe it’s within reach. Just like what you said when we first met in the Flame Dragon’s lair.”

Fwoooosh...!!

Fwoosh...!

At Karyl’s words, Ramine crossed his arms and puffed up, causing the dark cave to light up brightly.

[Of course.]

“The Great Magic,” Karyl murmured.

That power that could kill gods.