Chapter 337: Neil Blanc (2)

[What...?!]

[Did he just refer to that man as the Platinum Dragon?!]

It wasn’t the courtiers in the hall who were shocked by Karyl’s words, but rather the Spirit Kings and Allen Javius.

[We know what the Platinum Dragon looks like. That man can’t be Narh Di Maug. The Platinum Dragon had blonde hair!]

[What are you talking about? He’s silver-haired. But he doesn’t match the description. The Platinum Dragon we know was a middle-aged man. Dragons can change their appearance with Polymorph, but the prouder the dragon, the more likely they are to maintain one form for life.]

Allen’s rebuttal was met with an irritated response from Ramine.

[So what? We were the first to encounter the dragon in the Mythical Era. If you're right, the Platinum Dragon should be the same blonde haired man we remember.]

At that moment, Karyl smiled to himself.

It doesn’t matter if his hair is blonde or silver, or whether he’s young or old.

[Then what

does

matter?]

The important thing is that this guy has been living as Neil Blanc among humans from the beginning. He didn’t emerge as a dragon to fulfill some divine oracle—he’s been shaping human history with his own hands.

The Wooden Cloud, the cult, the human experiments in his lair—Narh Di Maug had been executing his own plan long before the empire was even formed.

But when had it all started?

The present situation was only the latest result of his efforts. Narh Di Maug had been around since the Mythical Era, and he had taught Allen, the Assembly of Seven Elders, and even Alteman.

“...”

Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed Karyl’s mind. Could his own return to the past have been part of Narh Di Maug’s plan?

No.

He couldn’t believe something like that. Unless Narh Di Maug had gone back in time himself, there was no way he could have foreseen how Karyl’s return would shape the future.

[Nothing’s impossible.]

It was then that Mael spoke up.

[The Platinum Dragon is like that. After all, he led the dragons that sided with the gods during the Oracle War. But do you know what he was before he became the leader of the dragons?]

The Spirit Kings went silent.

[What was he in the past?] Allen asked instead.

[Why don’t you all answer, since you claim to know the Platinum Dragon so well?]

But none of the Spirit Kings could respond to Mael’s taunt.

[He was the Ruler of Spirits.]

Mael’s cold voice echoed in Karyl’s ears.

[Before he was known as the Platinum Dragon, he was known as the Blader who had contracted with all the Spirit Kings.]

He was... a Blader?

[Yes. Though dragons sided with the gods, Narh Di Maug wasn’t always loyal to them. Before the Oracle War, he was a Blader—a traitor, one might say.]

Karyl gazed at Neil Blanc.

[What does that matter?]

[Everyone knows he sided with the gods eventually.]

[We were the ones who lost, not him. There’s no reason for him to hide his identity while living among humans.]

The Spirit Kings protested, but Mael merely flicked his tongue at them.

[Do you know the difference between the ancient races and humans? You all are obsessed with fairness. Maybe it’s a power inherent to spiritual beings born from balance, but... as far as I am concerned, my way of thinking is different.]

What do you mean?

[I’m saying I was a fool to plot a rebellion with these needlessly pure beings.]

[What...?!]

Mael, ignoring the growling Duaat, spoke directly to Karyl.

[In the Mythical Era, he experimented with spirits. In the Magical Era, it was magic and swords. And now, in this era, he’s experimenting with humans. Karyl, that’s why he’s been living in the human world—not as a dragon carrying out some divine oracle, but to shape human evolution himself.]

You don’t mean...

[Yes. He’s experimenting on humanity itself, aiming to surpass human limits and forge a new kind of race.]

[...!!]

Mael’s words stunned everyone.

[So he’s testing the potential of entire species now...] Allen muttered in disbelief, echoing Mael’s conclusion.

“I’m not sure I follow. You claim I’m a guardian dragon? Well, you’re welcome to continue the war if that’s what you want. After all, the emperor wishes for the same. However, unlike during the era of the Conqueror King, the empire now seeks peace. But if you challenge us, know that you will be fighting a dragon.”

Neil Blanc extended his hand, and the faintly glowing blue cape behind him fluttered lightly.

“Are you ready to send your men into the dragon’s jaws?”

“Enough with the pretense. Why don’t you drop the act? You’re making my skin crawl.”

Karyl, knowing the future, was the only one who truly understood Neil Blanc’s motives and how he had been acting as a dragon in disguise, orchestrating things for his own gain.

“Is that so?”

Karyl didn’t miss the fleeting smirk on Neil Blanc’s face.

Boom―!!

“No need to wait any longer. You’ve come right to me. I’m grateful for that. I was going to settle things with you anyway to end this war.”

“Wh-What?!”

Kadin Luer, realizing the urgency, raised his hand and shouted, “Activate the sealing formation!”

Boom!! Crack!!

But his shout was quickly drowned out as the marble floor beneath Karyl shattered, and the intricate magic circles inscribed on the ground lost their light.

“Don’t interfere.”

[Hah... It’s been a while since we’ve had to use this kind of force.]

There was no way Karyl could have broken the 7th Class Great Sorcerer’s seal with a single strike, yet Kadin Luer stared in disbelief as the sealing formation disintegrated. He failed to notice the faint glimmer of the blue serpent coiling around Lakna’s silver-gray blade.

Slash!!

Without even looking, Karyl swung his sword to the side.

“Get back! Move—!”

But it was too late. As the captain of the knights screamed, the heads of the knights who stood beside Karyl flew into the air, rolling across the floor like cabbages.

“Anyone who dares to make a move, knight or sorcerer, will die.”

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

“Aaah! Aaaaaah!”

“Spare me!!”

But despite Karyl’s warning, the sudden deaths of the empire’s elite knights caused the courtiers in the Sun Hall to scream in terror and flee.

SHUNK!

But their screams were cut off as jagged stone spikes erupted from the ground, impaling them. The ones pierced through the head died instantly, while the rest hung suspended, writhing and bleeding like carcasses in a slaughterhouse.

“This... can’t be happening...”

“How is he using magic inside the Sun Hall... The sealing formation was still in place...”

“Has he truly reached the level of a Great Sorcerer?”

The sorcerers of the Imperial Guard stared at Karyl in a different kind of horror, their bodies trembling at the sheer display of power. They were too terrified to even think of fleeing.

[Heh... My magic infused with divine energy far surpasses any human-made seals.]

Mael licked his lips mockingly as he surveyed the corpses strewn about.

“Hold your blade!” Neil Blanc shouted at Karyl, stepping back.

But Karyl ignored him, drawing Agnel from his side.

Zzzzzt....!!

Arcane mana crackled through Agnel’s blade, now infused with Duaat’s power. The purple blade darkened almost to a black hue, while the silver-gray of Lakna shone even more sharply.

Karyl raised his two weapons and charged at Neil Blanc.

“Hold my blade? No, you’ll have to stop my blade yourself. You’re the only one left on this continent who can do that!”

Crack!! Fzzzz!!

Karyl’s energy surged to an even higher level as he closed in on Neil Blanc.

***

[You want to know the way to kill a dragon?]

It was the night on his way to Tatur, after leaving the Platinum Dragon’s lair. Karyl, sitting atop the red-scaled wyvern, conversed with Allen.

[It’s not like there isn’t a way.]

What do I need to do?

[Kaye Aesir, the one who slew the dragon, surpassed the limits of humanity by reaching the 8th Class. But that isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Even I have tasted that realm. Of course, the difference lies in whether the power is achieved through innate talent or through the knowledge of a dragon.]

I know you’re great and all, but is this the time to boast?

[Just listen. Think about it. Isn’t it strange? A dragon, possessing 9th Class power, was killed by an 8th Class sorcerer. Does that make sense to you?]

...What are you getting at?

[Even if someone reaches the 8th Class, they’re still weaker than a dragon. Doesn’t something feel off about the battle between Kaye Aesir and the Flame Dragon?]

Karyl didn’t quite understand why Allen was bringing up such a question now, with war looming just around the corner.

The battle between Kaye Aesir and the Flame Dragon had been nothing short of awe-inspiring. He vividly remembered how Kaye had used the lowest Class magic to unleash overwhelming destructive power, crushing all previously held beliefs about magic.

But now, out of nowhere, fragments of the conversation between the two from that fight resurfaced in Karyl’s mind.

[Why are you hunting dragons? Weren’t we once kindred spirits?]

As Riseria was drawing her last breath, the two exchanged some final words.

“Kindred spirits? Don’t be absurd. How could humans and dragons ever be the same?”

Kaye Aesir smirked at the dragon, but Karyl sensed that Riseria’s heart was stirred by that response.

[Just answer me this. Will my death bring you some form of transformation?]

“Of course.”

Could it be that... Riseria deliberately let herself be killed, leaving something behind?

[Who knows? But one thing is certain. If Riseria’s death was a voluntary sacrifice, then no human has truly hunted a dragon in history.]

The implication was clear—dragons were an immense and insurmountable force.

[Even the power of an 8th-Class wouldn’t be enough to face a dragon. No human can slay a dragon on their own. But what if you added a Sword Master’s skills to the equation?]

Allen’s black aura began to envelop Karyl, as if offering his power.

[Humans have never successfully hunted a dragon. In other words, the position of the

first

remains unclaimed. Isn’t that more important than how Kaye Aesir killed a dragon? You could become the first true dragonslayer.]

That brought a smile to Karyl’s lips.

[You reached the 7th Class in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave. But for you, that’s hardly something to boast about, right? You’ve gained something far more valuable.]

Allen chuckled.

The power of Annihilation Strike.

[Exactly, the power to deliver a killing blow to a dragon. However, not even this power is perfect, as you well know. It’s not just about increasing your mana.]

***

Boom!!

Sharp energy pierced through the air, reverberating throughout the hall.

The floor beneath Karyl cracked as silver-gray mana surged through him, causing the earth around him to rise as if gravity itself had reversed.

[That’s it. If mana is insufficient, use a force that surpasses it.]

Allen’s voice echoed with faint admiration.

[Imbue Annihilation Strike with divine energy.]

At the same time, Karyl’s hair rose as if blown by the immense power coursing through him.

“...”

Neil Blanc looked at him with a hardened expression.

“Foolish? You’re the one making a grave mistake.”

Karyl slowly pointed his sword at Neil Blanc.

“This is as good a place to start as any. Let’s begin the war with the head of a dragon.”