Chapter 339: Neil Blanc (4)

“Stop him!!”

The knights had been hesitant to move, knowing full well what fate awaited those who stood in Karyl’s path. After all, two commanders had already fallen in an instant.

Yet, upon hearing Belin Vallention’s roar, they regained their resolve and hurled themselves toward Karyl.

“Move aside!!”

Knights grabbed the shields of the nearby shield-bearers, covering their faces as they charged forward. They knew they were marching to their deaths, but that didn’t matter—they had someone to protect. An unyielding sense of duty drove them into the flames of battle.

A cold smile strayed on Karyl’s face as he stared at the knights. He had once been just like them, fighting with everything he had for those he had sworn to protect, fearless even in the face of death.

The Fourth Stance: Riffle Posture

But now? That wasn’t the case.

Karyl pressed his right leg into the ground, spinning once in place before leaping into the air, accelerating mid-spin. As he moved into the The Fifth Stance: Spirale Serpent Posture, the speed of his Riffle Posture carried into his next move.

Boom! Boom!

The force of his twisting motion tore through the wall of knights like a coiled serpent striking with explosive speed.

Shhhk—

Despite the massive shields and swords in his way, there was a shocking absence of noise.

Thud...

The knights’ shields were torn to shreds as if they were sheets of paper. Those who had formed the wall before Karyl now stood frozen in place.

Splat!

As Karyl stepped forward, their limbs were torn apart, just like the shields. Blood sprayed in all directions, painting their golden, violet, and jade armor crimson.

“If you don’t want to waste more lives, show your true form. How much longer do you intend to hide behind that name?” Karyl yelled out to Neil Blanc, leaping over the corpses.

“Ch-Charge!!” Cam Gray managed to scream despite his shattered collarbone and blood choking his voice.

“Waaaahhh...!!”

“Rhoaaaaaa...!!”

Thousands of shield-bearers and spearmen surged toward Karyl as one.

“...”

Karyl glanced at the soldiers raining down upon him from above, their weapons ready to pierce him. He planted his hand firmly on the ground.

Boom!!!

A sharp pillar of flame shot up in a circle around Karyl, scorching the soldiers and drawing out their screams of agony.

“Ugh?!”

“Aaaagh!!”

Behind Karyl, Ramine’s flaming giant form manifested momentarily, its shape fading like a mirage.

“...”

[These fools don’t value their lives, do they?]

Allen, slicing through the air with the Freezing Talon, enveloped the crimson barrier with black smoke.

[First magic, now humans blocking the way? This feels like something the Platinum Dragon would pull. If we have to cut down all these soldiers, it’ll take too long. Let me help.]

Sssshhhh—!!

The black smoke quickly consumed the entire Sun Hall, spreading as though carried by the wind and growing in volume.

“What is this?!”

“I can’t see anything!”

“Maintain formation!”

The soldiers panicked and shouted as they stumbled amidst the pitch-black fog, losing their sense of direction.

[Five minutes. Even with Duaat’s power, that’s the limit to how long I can maintain the smokescreen.]

“That’s more than enough.”

Without hesitation, Karyl launched himself at Neil Blanc.

Fwoosh—!!

The black smoke trailed behind Karyl’s blade as it cut through the air.

Clang—!!

The sharp clash of blades echoed through the hall. Karyl, feeling the weight of the impact, drove his sword downward to the left, spinning mid-air to slash horizontally.

Clang!

As the blades met again, Karyl quickly withdrew his sword and struck again from below, this time slashing diagonally upward.

Colorless Air Sword, The Third stance: Second Unicorn Posture.

He brought the sword down from Neil Blanc’s shoulder, spinning it and shifting into the Third Stance. With relentless strikes, their blades clashed in rapid succession.

Crackle—!!

Karyl felt a strange tingling in his arms and abruptly pulled his sword back as a jolt of energy surged through him.

Ssss...

Though Karyl’s gauntlets were made of mithril, providing excellent magic resistance, the sensation was unlike any magical force he had encountered.

“Those swords...”

Amidst the swirling black mist, a pale yellow light flickered, and lightning crackled along Neil Blanc’s twin blades.

It was an unfamiliar weapon—one Karyl had never seen, even in his previous life. The sight of Neil Blanc wielding two swords that glowed with electric energy was completely foreign to him.

Crackle... Sssss...

Lightning danced across the twin blades, their glow alternating between blinding white and streaks of blue.

Have I ever seen such weapons?

Karyl searched his memories but could not recall ever encountering these twin swords. When he used to spar with Narh Di Maug, the dragon always used whatever weapons were available, and during the war against the Tarak, he had fought in his dragon form.

Karyl had never seen him use these specific human weapons before.

[This is unbelievable...]

[That power...]

[Could it really be...?]

If Karyl was puzzled, the Spirit Kings seemed outright troubled as they gazed at Neil Blanc’s twin swords.

You know something about those weapons?

[He wields Kungen’s power...] Ramine murmured, his voice heavy with recognition.

[I didn’t expect the Thunder Spirit King to be sealed within a weapon... No, what even are those swords?]

[I’ve never seen a weapon capable of creating a magical seal strong enough to imprison a Spirit King...]

[A Spirit King? Why would there be a Spirit King trapped inside those blades?]

As the Spirit Kings questioned among themselves, Allen was the first to respond.

[To think I’d see that here. Not sure if I should be pleased or curse... The twin swords are Thunderstrike and Thunderclap, one of the five legendary Blader weapons we created.]

The Spirit Kings had sensed the energy within the swords, but Allen recognized the twin blades themselves.

[...Are you saying a weapon crafted by a Blader in the Magical Era could be strong enough to seal a Spirit King?] Ethereal asked in disbelief. She was well-acquainted with the power contained in the Freezing Talon.

[We’ve seen two of the weapons, Kalduan’s gauntlets and the Freezing Talon. They’re useful, sure, but not powerful enough to imprison a Spirit King.]

[That’s exactly what I’m wondering. To seal the power of a Spirit King, one would need to have the ability to contract with one, at the very least. The Assembly of Seven Elders dabbled in spirit arts from time to time, but none of them ever reached that level.]

[Then...] Duaat chimed in, his voice low, [that means it wasn’t you who created those swords.]

Karyl’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Neil Blanc.

Whatever those swords are, one thing is certain—they blocked my swordsmanship. Could there really be anyone on the continent capable of repelling my techniques?

Karyl was more and more certain that the man before him really was Narh Di Maug.

[But isn’t it strange? Everyone in the empire knows about the Guardian Dragon, so why would he keep hiding his power? Why stay in human form all this time?]

Good question. We’ll just have to capture him and find out.

Karyl exhaled sharply, gripping both his swords once more. A faint tremor ran through his hands.

How many times had they fought? Memories of their duels from his past life resurfaced. Though many details had faded over the years, his body still remembered the thrill of those battles.

And all the defeats.

From before he had earned the title of Sword Saint to long afterward, Karyl had never bested Narh Di Maug, not once.

But this time is different.

In his previous life, Karyl had no magical power, no ability to wield spirits, and no divine power like that of the Master Key.

But more importantly, now he wasn’t alone.

As Karyl’s sword blades crossed, a sharp wind cut through the air.

Annihilation Strike

A silver Aura Blade, infused with Divine Power, surged from Lakna’s hilt with explosive force. Then, Lakna crossed Agnel, emitting a blinding white light. It was the same absolute strike that had cleaved the Chimera in half.

At that moment, the intense shockwave instantly dispersed Allen’s black veil.

“...!!”

Karyl had delivered his strike with all his might, but as he observed the aftermath, he realized that his Annihilation Strike had been blocked.

Crreeeak...

The sharp sound of metal grinding against metal shattered the tense silence. Karyl’s face hardened as he stared ahead. Neil Blanc clutched his wounded shoulder, grimacing as he looked up at Karyl.

“Urgh...” Neil groaned faintly, sweat beading on his forehead.

Karyl couldn’t believe it.

“You’re still pretending to be human...?”

When Karyl tried to pull Lakna back, it wouldn’t budge. Very few beings had the power to grasp an intangible Mana Blade like Lakna.

But it wasn’t Neil Blanc who had blocked the strike.

“Are you alright, Sir Neil Blanc?”

Three figures stood before Karyl, blocking his path. A man with fiery red hair pressed his flamberge down on Lakna, growling as he spoke.

“Everyone, fall back. It seems only we can stop this man.”

Crackle...! Crack...!!

The wavy sword began to emit flames, colliding with the aura blade of Lakna, sending sparks flying. As the embers scattered like ash, they brushed past Karyl’s face.

“Stop me?” Karyl twirled Agnel in his opposite hand, his voice calm yet defiant. In that instant, his eyes widened.

...No way.

[That’s right. They’re not human,] Ramine responded to Karyl’s unspoken suspicion. [They’re dragons.]

There, in the Sun Hall, three dragons stood before Karyl, even though they were known not to interfere in human affairs. They hadn’t appeared even during the Oracle War, when the entire continent was threatened by Tarak.

Yet here they were, right in front of him—well before the Tarak were to strike the continent.

So, it’s not just the Platinum Dragon. Are these three dragons actually helping the empire?

[If that’s really the case... this is bad. Not even you could take on three dragons at once. They’ve all reached the realm of the 9th Class.]

[Looks like the empire wasn’t relying only on the Platinum Dragon after all,] Allen muttered bitterly, grinding his teeth.

[Damn it! No wonder they were so quick to agree on the war. But could it really mean that all four dragons are taking part in this conflict? During the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, there were only five dragons, including Riseria.]

Unlike Allen, Ramine, the Spirit King, had a different perspective on the gravity of the situation.

[Exactly. And now four of them are joining a mere human war... It’s terrifying.]

Even the Spirit Kings showed signs of tension, their voices quavering. After all, one dragon was already an overwhelming force, and now the empire had four—an army that could clash with gods.

Yet, while the situation unfolded before him, Karyl was preoccupied with an unspoken question, almost like a lament aimed at the long-gone Olivurn from his past life.

With this kind of power... Why didn’t they use them during the Oracle War?

Could there have been a reason? Perhaps, but Karyl couldn’t think of one in that moment. His mind swirled with images of his dying comrades; he could almost hear the screams of people helplessly torn apart by the Tarak.

Entire families turned to ash right before his eyes...

If the emperor had truly cared for his people, he wouldn’t have begged on his knees with his hands worn to the bone. He would have done whatever it took to call upon their power. Even if that hadn’t changed the outcome of the Oracle War, at the very least, the deaths of their families and friends could have been delayed.

Using a mere

lowly immigrant

to secure their future seemed like a cowardly decision in comparison.

Karyl’s gaze sharpened as he looked forward.

How much did you hide from me?

His eyes widened as he stared at a boy who had appeared behind the three dragons.

“No... Were you ever truly on my side?” Karyl growled. “Olivurn...”