Chapter 366: An Unexpected Visitor (1)

“So that’s what your human form looks like.”

“It tends to draw less attention. In any case, it seems like you’ve healed up quite nicely. You’re a monster, you know that? To think you actually managed to pierce the Platinum Dragon’s scales with your blade and make him bleed...”

Crackle... Crackle...

Karyl leaned against a rock, gazing at Python’s human form, illuminated by the gentle camp fire. Despite his sturdy build and tough demeanor, Python’s face was still a mess after getting trashed by Narh Di Maug.

“Well, you certainly seem worse than me.”

“I wear my wounds as badges of honor.”

“You get pleasure out of getting hurt? I must say, that doesn’t match your appearance at all.”

“...Quit your nonsense,” Python hissed, scowling at Karyl. “These wounds are proof that I have defied the orders of the Platinum Dragon.”

“So you’ve clashed with the Platinum Dragon in order to learn 9th Class Magic?” Python went on, a hint of disbelief in his tone. “Human audacity is beyond me. Even as a dragon, the thought of defying him feels astonishing.”

“It wasn’t just to learn magic. I needed to see how far I could push myself against him. And I needed to confirm the evidence I found in his lair.”

“And what was the result?”

“You saw it yourself. Next time, I shall take his head.”

“You talk a big game, human. No matter how strong you are, we’re still in the middle of a war. You really think you can reach the 9th Class in one leap?”

Karyl shrugged, to which Python responded with a dry laugh.

“Well, with your dragon mana, reaching the 9th Class was never impossible to begin with. You should’ve told me before going up against the Platinum Dragon. I couldn’t have helped you in the fight, but teaching you magic wouldn’t be against the rules. It might’ve helped speed your ascension.”

“Learning magic from you? No thanks,” Karyl chuckled. “Why would I bother with inferior magic? You think I’d want to learn spells from someone who lost to me in order to fight the Platinum Dragon?”

“...What did you say?”

“Am I wrong? You lost, didn’t you? To me.”

“That’s only because you brought that golem from the Magical Era...”

“You can’t be serious.”

Python flushed with embarrassment. He bit his lip, unable to respond to Karyl’s sharp remark.

“Something’s off,” Karyl suddenly murmured. “You felt it too, didn’t you?”

“...”

Python’s expression stiffened, but he nodded, quickly understanding what Karyl meant.

“That feeling is precisely why I needed to confirm his magic and why I wanted to take his power by myself.”

“You mean Neil Blanc, don’t you?”

“That’s right. Do you think he’s Narh Di Maug? Dragons have one heart, and yet his mana... One of them must be a fake... or an illusion.”

Indeed, Python himself had been perplexed upon seeing Neil Blanc and Narh Di Maug next to each other.

When he first encountered Neil Blanc in the empire, he naturally assumed it was Narh Di Maug in his Polymorphed form. The other two dragons likely felt the same way.

Did Enuma Elashi know about this? Doesn’t seem like it...

Python clicked his tongue, seemingly frustrated.

[It doesn’t matter which one is real or fake. We’ll just kill them all,] Allen Javius declared bluntly.

[It’s not entirely impossible for Narh Di Maug and Neil Blanc to be different entities and yet also be one and the same,] Mael chimed in.

Karyl nodded. “Because his mana was dual-natured.”

[Exactly.]

“If he’s using Divine Power combined with his dragon mana to cast dual magic, then he could potentially split that power into two separate bodies.”

“But why go to such unnecessary lengths?” Python asked, still puzzled.

Karyl suspected it had something to do with the Platinum Dragon’s long-running experiments— the fusion of swordsmanship and magic. The dragon was likely trying to reach that extraordinary realm of magic only Judex, the first Blader, had ever accessed.

[Is he ultimately trying to conduct that experiment on himself?]

“To gain Divine Power, one must either receive it directly from a god or wield the Master Key, and that traitor can’t do either. So, he went with the third option, namely the Spirit King of Light. However, Yula detests Rasis’s power, so releasing that seal would mean defying the gods...”

Karyl frowned slightly.

“What do you think?” he asked, gazing intently into the depths of the forest.

“...!!”

And then—

“Who’s there?” Zigra demanded, gripping his sword tightly.

“At ease,” said Karyl. “He was already here before us. We’re the ones intruding on his domain.”

“...What?”

Zigra looked at Karyl in disbelief. He was regarded as the elite of the elite—even among the Black-Eyed, the north’s most feared assassins. And yet, he hadn’t sensed that entity among the trees.

“If not for the power of the spirits, I wouldn’t have sensed him either. His concealment technique is impeccable.”

Rustle... Crunch...

As soon as Karyl finished speaking, the entity started approaching them. Despite Karyl’s assurance, Zigra kept a wary eye on the figure approaching.

[Haha...]

A man with an exotic appearance stepped out, wearing a faint, enigmatic smile. Between the curls of his wavy, parted hair, his pale forehead peeked through, and his slightly drooping eyelids gave him an appearance far removed from that of a warrior.

Though he resembled a scholar, the man’s dark and brooding aura stood in stark contrast to Israphil.

[It can’t be.]

[No way...]

The Spirit Kings murmured in astonishment. It wasn’t just the man’s peculiar looks that surprised them.

It was the small deer standing beside him.

“A white deer? That’s a rare species,” Karyl murmured softly as he observed the small animal with its snowy white fur, its tongue sticking out slightly.

Its dark, jet-black eyes gleamed intensely, a clear sign that this was no ordinary creature.

[Is it...?]

[Yes. It’s definitely Alkar.]

[This is impossible... I can’t believe one of the Three Great Beasts is still alive.]

Ramine spoke in a tender voice, as though seeing an old friend.

[You’re referring to the divine beasts who are supposedly extinct, right?] Allen asked, seeming somewhat startled.

“Yeah, that’s right. I did find those gauntlets imbued with Kalduan’s power in Zarka Hochi’s treasure vault, but I never thought I’d actually see a living divine beast.”

Karyl recalled what Quenite, the legendary spiritualist, had told him while acquiring those gauntlets, which he had later bestowed on Suan.

She said that two hundred and fifty years ago, during the era of the old empire, the only remaining beast was Kalduan.

Yet here was Ramine, pointing to the small deer and calling it one of the Great Beasts.

Alkar, the Divine Deer; Roarvrok, the Soul White Wolf; Kalduan, the Blue Turtle—legendary beasts of the Magical Era, once known as the Three Great Beasts, were believed to be extinct. These divine beasts were said to possess power on par with the Spirit Kings or even dragons themselves.

I know it’s certainly that name, but...

It was hard to believe that the fawn before them possessed such immense power.

“I had hoped to meet you sooner, in the empire, but you were caught in that clash with the Platinum Dragon. I could see he was holding back, though.”

“...Hmm?”

“I was waiting for the two of you to clash.”

“There’s another arrogant one. You were waiting for me to fight him? You followed me all the way through this war just to wait? Who are you?” Karyl demanded, his gaze fixed on the man standing beside the divine beast.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Karyl,” the mysterious man began, bowing slightly. “I am Darryl Harian, of the Golden Magic Society.”

“...”

Karyl’s eyebrow twitched.

“You’re the Magic Bullet...”

“Uh, yes... I am the bearer of that rather embarrassing moniker.” Darryl brushed his hair back, smiling awkwardly.

“So you’re the man no one can find. I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this. What brings you all the way out here to see me?”

Karyl’s question was met with a faint smile from Darryl.

“I need your help. Of course, it’s not just a simple request. The Golden Magic Society has prepared a gift that will soon arrive on the battlefield.”

“Hmm...?”

Sensing Karyl’s curiosity, Darryl gave a subtle grin, continuing in a low voice, “Our organization has but one purpose. For over a century, our mission has not changed.”

“Yes, I’ve heard from Anthem Howard that you’re chasing after a fairy tale. The Grand Grimoire, Polsetia, was it?”

Despite Karyl’s indifferent response, Darryl maintained his smile and shook his head.

“Lord Karyl, I believe you know better than anyone that it’s no fairy tale. After all, half of it is already in your possession.”

Darryl pointed to the sword at Karyl’s waist.

“I don’t believe anything until I see it with my own eyes.”

“Your confidence is striking... I suppose that’s understandable. I mean, I’ve witnessed your clash with the Platinum Dragon. You’ve clearly surpassed the limits of what humans can achieve.”

Karyl seemed slightly intrigued by Darryl’s remarks, looking at him with renewed interest.

“But if you want to defeat him, you need to aim for the realm of dragons. As you know, he’s on a different level than any other dragons you might’ve faced or heard of before.”

“How dare you, a mere human, judge a dragon!' Python snarled, clearly enraged by Darryl's comment. “I should kill you right now...”

“That was just a preliminary skirmish,” Darryl went on.

But Karyl raised his hand in front of Python, stopping him from lashing out.

“And you won’t reach that level by yourself.”

Shing!

“How dare you utter such impudent words at my lord! Shall I fulfill your death wish?!”

In that instant, Zigra took advantage of the darkness to place his sword at Darryl Harian’s throat. However, even with the blade pressing against his neck, Darryl didn’t so much as glance at Zigra.

Hssss...

Crack!

With a light push of his fingers, Darryl brushed Zigra’s blade aside. To everyone’s surprise, the blade lost its sheen and crumbled into dust, as if it had aged centuries in a second.

“...!!!”

Zigra stepped back, dumbstruck as he stared at his empty hand. His shock was understandable, as his sword had been crafted from Clear Distilled Water, a material that absorbed magic.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t reach that realm at all. I just said you can’t do it alone.”

“You make it sound like you can help me.”

“That’s right.”

“Who do you think you are, brat?” Allen Javius cut in. “To think some 7th Class sorcerer of this era dares talk about magic in front of me!”

“Allen Javius, you’re no different. In fact, you might’ve even been hindering his growth.”

“What...?”

Wooooom...!!

Just then, the small deer stepped forward, as if to protect Darryl, positioning itself in front of Allen, who was irritably gathering his mana.

To everyone's surprise, Allen’s dark mana dissipated like smoke.

“...!!”

Allen couldn’t hide his shock as he realized that the same force which had neutralized Zigra’s enhanced blade had now extinguished his own mana.

“If what you desire... is not just to reach the 9th Class but to gain the power to kill the Platinum Dragon, then...”

Darryl reached into his coat and pulled out a book.

“Here is the Grand Grimoire, Polsetia.”

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the old book, which exuded a mysterious, purplish aura.

“You will need this.”

“So that’s it. Your organization wasn’t formed just to find the grimoire, but also to hide it... Just like how the northern immigrants have preserved their swordsmanship within the Thousand-Year Ice Cave.”

Darryl nodded in acknowledgment.

“So shall we make a deal?”

Karyl slowly raised his head.

“No,” he said flatly.

At that, Darryl Harian’s eyes widened slightly.

“Why would I trust some stranger who appeared out of nowhere? How did you even revive a supposedly extinct beast? What, you thought you’d win me over by using your mysterious power to destroy Clear Distilled Water and even nullify Allen’s mana?”

Swoosh...

“Why don’t you try breaking this too?”

“...”

Karyl drew Lakna and pointed it at Darryl Harian’s neck. The blade, formed from pure mana, gleamed menacingly.

“Leave the book and get lost.”