Chapter 393: The Essence of Kaye Aesir

“This is where he left the item when we made our pact,” Hagane said as he opened the doors to a vault deep within the Demon Realm.

Surrounding them were SS-grade monsters—beasts like the Cerberus and the Hydra. Creatures never before seen in the human world loomed above Karyl and his companions, eyeing them as though sizing up their next meal.

Irritated, Karyl swung Lakna, sending an Aura Blade crashing into a nearby cliff, producing a loud, resonant

boom

. Startled, the monsters fled at once.

“Seems that your pets need some discipline. They’re eyeing us with the Demon King right here.”

“I shall see to it,” Hagane replied indifferently.

Despite his complaint, Karyl recognized these creatures as another sign of the demons’ power. If he could command these monsters, they would be an invaluable force in the impending war against the Tarak.

“You’re truly fit to be a king. Even now, you’re thinking of how to use us as tools.”

“These creatures would just tear each other apart if left alone. Better to have them die for a cause than to simply let them be hunted down.”

“Heh... Much appreciated.” Hagane shrugged and gave a chuckle. “Now then.”

He slowly pushed open the massive vault doors. Where his hand touched the surface, a demonic magic circle appeared, its glow spreading across the doors.

“Only one may enter. The rest shall wait here. I, too, will remain outside, so there should be no objections.”

The doors revealed only darkness inside. It wasn’t just a lack of light—it felt as though there was a void inside.

“Hold on. How do we know there aren’t any traps in there?” Miliana glanced at Hagane with a concerning look.

“Are you worried? If your lord would fall to some trap, I’d be most disappointed.”

“I trust him, but I don’t trust you demons with your schemes. You expect me to believe you’re actually loyal to Karyl now?”

“You’re his devoted follower, I see.”

Karyl turned his head slightly toward Miliana, giving a faint smile.

“I mean, the ruler of the Demon Realm surrendering after a single duel? Even if you lost to Karyl, that’s hard to believe.”

Miliana gestured with two fingers from her eyes to Hagane.

“I’m watching you closely. One wrong move, and you’re done.”

[Same goes for me. Demons are always looking to stab humans in the back. You should find out why he’s really helping you.]

Allen’s voice echoed in Karyl’s mind, his shadowy form dissipating. Karyl felt his presence enter him.

[I’ll accompany you. I can watch out for any petty tricks by myself.]

“Huh, I’ve gone from king to a toddler left alone by the river,” Karyl quipped. “Miliana, don’t worry. He’s offered me his blood, which in demon terms establishes a master-servant bond. His life is in my hands. He won’t survive any treachery.”

“Still, do you really believe he has surrendered the Demon Realm to you? Sure, you defeated him in battle, but does a true king decide his world’s fate based on a single loss? A true king would be sharpening his blade for revenge.”

“Yes.”

At this flat answer, Miliana looked at Karyl in surprise.

“I also don’t think he’ll follow me all the way. I suppose his test starts now,” Karyl said nonchalantly, indifferent to the fact that Hagane stood right there.

“Forming a master-servant bond is just the beginning of the real test, which should reveal the true twisted nature of demons. I don’t know what lies in here, but depending on the outcome, he’ll either swear real loyalty to me or start plotting his betrayal, looking for a chance to side with the gods again,” Karyl explained.

Hagane simply shrugged, his mysterious smile betraying no hint of his true intentions.

“Worshipping power sounds impressive, but it just means you’ll betray whenever someone stronger comes along.”

“And you still accepted him? Someone that fickle and opportunistic?”

“Yes. And if it comes to betrayal, I’ll wipe out the Demon Realm. I’ll eradicate every monster, starting with the Demon King himself. Do you doubt I can do it?"

“Of course not.” Miliana finally nodded, satisfied with his answer. “You’ve reassured me.”

“Good.”

Miliana stepped back, once more gesturing between her eyes and Hagane’s, her sharp glare serving as a clear warning.

“This is... quite the blow to the Demon King’s dignity,” Hagane muttered, shaking his head at the scene.

Rumble...

A strange sound echoed from within the vault.

“See you in a bit.”

Without hesitation, Karyl stepped into the darkness.

***

[Karyl.]

After walking for some time, Allen Javius spoke up to Karyl amidst the pitch-black darkness.

“What?”

[It’s been a while since I found myself in such darkness. Last time, it was at the Gray Training Ground.]

“Feeling nostalgic?”

[Hardly. I’d rather forget about being trapped for a thousand years.]

“Then why bring it up?”

[Darkness has a way of calming the mind. It lets you reflect on yourself, extend the thread of your thoughts, sometimes even pick up fragments you missed.]

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Karyl frowned slightly as he asked.

[It means it’s just you and time. True, you carry many beings within you now... but none of them can be separated from you anymore. Still, having no one to look after gives you a moment to think.]

“I don’t need any more time alone. I’ve had my fill of that. A thousand years? I’ve wandered through that tower for more than that.”

Allen gave a bitter smile at Karyl’s words.

[Still, these moments might give you the chance to question things.]

“Like what?”

[Didn’t you find anything odd about what the Demon King said? He mentioned that Kaye Aesir never called himself a sorcerer. But that doesn’t mean—]

“That he called himself a swordsman,” Karyl responded before Allen could finish. “Hagane likely tried to distract me from the truth with that so-called revelation that Kaye Aesir wasn’t actually a sorcerer. Most would fall into binary thinking.”

[Indeed.]

Allen clicked his tongue, impressed.

[Seems I was worried for nothing.]

“People usually pick between option

one

or

two

when faced with a question—but life often throws a

third

, unexpected answer at you. The same was true for the Platinum Dragon.”

[Yes, and I reckon that’s what makes human affairs so interesting. You and I met because of the Platinum Dragon, and in the process of uncovering his hidden motives, we encountered the Wooden Cloud and even the emperor—an endless web of entanglements.]

Karyl nodded in agreement.

[Just when we thought we had unraveled that thread, suddenly another figure emerged. And now he has not only surpassed our present, but also predicted your past life, arranging everything to enable your return... Do you have any theories on who he might be?]

“It doesn’t really matter. He’s just someone from 250 years ago, nothing more, nothing less. All I’m doing is confirming that.”

[To defy time is to rebel against the world the gods themselves forged. Some may entertain such fantasies, but none dare act on them. Who, after all, would be so mad as to defy the gods?]

Allen’s voice dropped to a whisper, his tone contemplative.

[Ironically, both sorcerers and priests stem from the same vein. The empire deemed immigrant tribes as heretics simply because they themselves worship mana. The divine and mana might differ in essence, but regardless of what humans worship, it ultimately places us beneath the gods.]

Karyl caught a hint of bitterness in Allen’s voice.

Sorcerers did not simply accept the power bestowed by the gods. They sought to define their own existence through the development of that power. However, just as Allen had said, humans were inevitably caught in the gods’ grasp—and no matter how much they struggled, they couldn’t break free.

“But we know that mana isn’t a divine blessing distinguishing races. It’s a counterfeit gift, a punishment bestowed upon those who betrayed during the Great War of the Spirits and Gods.”

Karyl’s tone indicated he was growing sick of talking about the gods.

“If the gods made humans, it’s inevitable. Rebellion is simply the weak resisting the strong. The constraints they impose must be acknowledged.”

[Indeed. But what puzzles me is how Kaye Aesir understood the concept of defying time. If he could slay dragons with a sword, he must’ve been a Sword Master at least. But if he also reached the 8th Class... you know what that implies.]

Karyl nodded. “It would mean he became a Grandmaster, like me, but without a dragon’s heart.”

[Do you think that’s possible? Achieving such feats without knowledge of the future or the Flame Dragon’s heart?]

Karyl couldn’t help but reflect on this.

Who was Kaye Aesir, really?

This unexpected question weighed heavily, and it was likely that even Alteman, who had once been his companion, didn’t fully know his identity.

It felt like a stretch, perhaps even absurd—but something kept gnawing at Karyl. Since his return, he had only been genuinely surprised twice, and both times, it was because of Kaye Aesir.

Of course, there were things he hadn’t known with certainty, like the betrayal of the Platinum Dragon, or the alliance between the Church and the Wooden Cloud. However, by picking up the clues along the way, Karyl hadn’t been blindsided by those revelations.

But the existence of two Thousand-Year Ice Caves was just as unforeseen as Kaye Aesir being a swordsman.

Of course, linking those two revelations just because they were unexpected was absurd. Since the Platinum Dragon incident, Karyl had resolved not to let assumptions interfere with his plans.

When I return, I’ll meet with Alteman to uncover the truth, and then I’ll head to the other Thousand-Year Ice Cave that Gordon mentioned.

Feeling that his thoughts had finally coalesced, Karyl looked forward. Although he still couldn’t see anything, he could sense he was nearing his destination.

Vwoooom...

At that moment, a faint tremor came from within the darkness. Karyl knew something was ahead—something containing Kaye Aesir’s essence.

Tap, tap, tap...

Unlike before, he could hear his steps echoing, as though he had stepped on land from water.

“...What is this?” Karyl murmured, staring at the object before him. It was a small piece—about the size of a fingernail—hovering in the air and slowly spinning, shaped like a hexagonal prism.

“So the essence he left behind wasn’t a sword or a spell.”

He sighed softly, lowering his guard with slight disappointment.

[This is incredible.]

[How could this exist...?]

[Unbelievable...]

But unlike Karyl, the Spirit Kings seemed befuddled by the tiny object.

[Why is this here?] Ramine dared to ask, his voice trembling.

[Good question. Yula dwells in our dimension, yet there’s another fragment here...] Mael murmured, equally surprised.

Their reactions managed to spur Karyl’s curiosity.

“So you all know what this is?”

[Of course.]

[This is the very power of the rift that brought us into existence. This is quite literally a force that constructs worlds.]

Karyl’s lips twitched slightly, bemused by how dramatic their explanation was for how underwhelming the gem-like object seemed.

“A force that contrasts worlds? Are you saying this tiny piece is like... a god?”

[It’s even greater than that.]

“...What?”

[It’s not Divine Power. That’s the power individual gods emit into the world—more of a trait than anything. But dimensional power... surpasses even that.]

“Something beyond the power of the gods...?”

Mael paused for a moment.

[Dimensional Power. That’s what we call it.]

Though Karyl tilted his head at the unfamiliar term, the mere mention of it caused a stir among the Spirit Kings.

[This is a Dimension Spiral.]

The shard that hovered before Karyl was from a time before the birth of the gods, predating even the Mythical Age. It had existed since the dawn of all things.