Chapter 395: Preparing for the Hunt

“Karyl?” Miliana called out as the doors to the vault opened. She had been waiting at the entrance all this time.

“Let’s go back.”

Seeing Karyl walk out with a blank expression, everyone looked at each other in surprise.

“Are you alright?”

“Was there any trouble?”

Karyl merely shook his head.

“Hagane.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You and Alteman are the only two who met with Kaye Aesir. However, he probably didn’t inform Alteman, his companion, about your contract, did he?”

“I believe that to be the case,” Hagane affirmed.

“In that case, you’re the only one who knows about the power he left behind. But do you also know how Kaye Aesir obtained it?”

“No, but there’s one thing I can tell you... He is someone from beyond the realm.”

“A being from beyond the realm... So he’s not an ordinary human. Or is he even human at all?”

Hagane merely looked at him with a peculiar expression. Though Karyl had anticipated it to some degree, he nodded with increased confidence in response to Hagane’s reaction.

The Dimensiona Spiral... It contains Dimensional Power, or in other words, Divine Power. However, in this dimension where the Yula already exists, there can’t possibly be another fragment like it. It must be an artifact from another dimension

. Karyl organized his thoughts.

Now, the question was, how had Kaye Aesir brought a fragment from another dimension here?

Karyl’s eyes glimmered. His perspective had shifted significantly since the moment he first began to master magic.

What if, instead of bringing an object from another dimension, he himself is from another dimension?

Thump—

Karyl’s heart was racing, but he quickly quelled the surge of excitement at the prospect of yet another mystery, forcing himself to stay composed.

Indeed, the answer lies in uncovering his true identity.

As always, Karyl turned to the clues before him: Hagane’s claim that Kaye Aesir was not of this world, and the Dimension Spiral he had acquired.

Strangely, he felt the Thousand-Year Ice Cave might hold the answers he sought.

“By the way...”

Hagane pulled out a small vial.

“While waiting for you, I learned more about our two fallen comrades. If the Black Spores are the underlying cause of their condition, applying this to their foreheads should awaken them.”

Karyl glanced at Miliana, who nodded in affirmation.

“To my knowledge, the Black Spores induce powerful hallucinations. Is there another aspect of these spores that I am unaware of? Why was the Wooden Cloud so intent on obtaining them from you for cultivation?”

“Hallucinations... That is indeed the primary effect of the spores, but they can be used in many ways. Hallucinations, after all, are simply a matter of the mind.”

With that, Hagane snapped his fingers, and black smoke rose from him, coalescing into a single figure, whose visage was most familiar.

It was Agares, one of the four Demon Knights.

“He’s the one overseeing the flora of the Demon Realm. The transaction with the Wooden Cloud was likely his doing. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. They sought to create a god with the Black Spores.”

“A... god?”

“Indeed, a repulsive notion, one that only humans could conceive. Although, I have to say, it’s rather intriguing—using hallucinations to give birth to an illusionary god.”

“Are they trying to make people worship an illusion?”

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Well, if everyone sees the same illusion, that illusion becomes reality.”

“How vile.”

“It’s certain they planned to spread the Black Spores across the continent,” said Agares.

At that, Karyl’s memories of his previous life resurfaced. After the principality fell and the empire rose to power, Rael Stalen of the Wooden Cloud became the leader of the Blue Roar, a cult of fanatics.

“So that’s what the Blue Roar was really about.”

However, their leader was already dead. Now, the only thing left was to eradicate the rest of the cult.

“Why did you make a deal with them?” Karyl asked with a frown. “Surely you had something to gain.”

“Sacrifices,” Hagane answered on behalf of Agares. “They agreed to offer sacrifices during specific months in exchange for cultivating the Black Spores.”

“Human sacrifices, yes?” Karyl asked.

“Yes.”

Swish—

The next moment, Karyl swung his sword at Agares. The demon couldn’t even react; when he realized what had happened, he was already on the ground, cleaved in two. He stared at Karyl wide-eyed.

“If this is just a clone created from your power, it won’t die from this. But hearing about demons using humans as sacrifices makes my blood boil, even if that’s typical for your kind.”

“It is understandable.” Hagane simply nodded, making no objection despite the apparent damage he had suffered from having his clone struck down.

“Demons can peer deep into the human mind, which makes you better at identifying people than us,” Karyl remarked.

“Do you have an order you wish to give?” Hagane asked, wiping a trace of blood from his lips.

“I order you to eliminate every last remnant of the Wooden Cloud in the human realm.”

“I will gladly carry out that command. I shall unleash the Dream Demons at once. They’ll wipe them out without fail.”

Hagane appeared unfazed by the pain—instead, he seemed captivated by the power Karyl had displayed in cleaving the Demon Knight in two.

“Open the gate.”

A dimensional gate materialized in the skies of the Demon Realm. Without a moment’s hesitation, Karyl stepped through

***

Wooooong... Wooooong...

Karyl slowly opened his eyes. An all-too-familiar landscape unfolded before him, and as he looked around, he saw the people who had accompanied him to the Demon Realm.

“We’re back, then.”

“Well, this is rather anticlimactic.”

“Huh? We made the Demon King kneel at our feet,” Miliana argued.

“Well, it’s not like

we

did much.” Gordon Fabian chuckled. “So, what’s the plan now?”

“There’s much to be done. I still need to visit the cave you told me about, and getting used to Kaye Aesir’s power will take some time.”

When Karyl opened his palm, the translucent shard came into view.

“Hmm... So this is his essence?” Gordon eyed the fragment with curiosity. “Judging by the look on your face, I assume you’re not going to offer further explanations.”

“You know me well. Besides, you yourself wouldn’t tell me more about that cave.”

At that, Gordon gave a smirk and shrugged. “Fair enough. Is there anything you need from me?”

“Nothing in particular, but if you have the time, please meet with Kuwell McGovern. I’ve already asked Tiren to speak to him, but he’s likely staying at his mansion.”

“What, you think he’ll listen to me?”

“I’m not trying to get him to swear loyalty to me. I simply want him to come to the palace on a specific day.”

“Specific day?” Gordon repeated.

“On New Year’s Eve.”

“Huh... We’re one month away. Time flies, eh?”

Indeed, time had lost all meaning amidst the chaos of war. Now, everyone realized how time had slipped by.

“Well, if this is about delivering a message, it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll take the airship and drop by his mansion. I’m done walking.”

“Speaking of the ship, I think Calypson has reinforced it a bit.”

“That’s great. Well, seems like we part ways here. The Guidance Mercenary Gang will step aside. Now, it’s time for your free nation to shine.”

Gordon waved his hand lightly as he spoke.

“Pass along my regards to old man Valvont, will ya? He’s probably still around, emptying the storeroom’s liquor.”

“Sure thing.”

Karyl sent him off with a faint smile.

“We’ll meet again soon.”

Their next reunion would be on the battlefield.

***

“

Cough

...!

Cough

...!

Gasp

...!”

Upon returning to the castle, Karyl immediately gave Hagane’s medicine to Suan and Israphil.

“Oh...!”

“Are you alright?!”

Just as Hagane had said, the two of them woke up without much trouble, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wh-Where... am I?”

Israphil looked around, his voice croaky. A maid brought him some warm water, which he managed to sip down, but as he noticed the dark figure standing before him, he hurriedly tried to rise.

“Don’t bother. Just lay down.”

“Master...”

Allen Javius clicked his tongue as he looked at Israphil, though he was clearly relieved to see him awake.

“My lord, how did you...”

Suan struggled to rise and knelt before Karyl in greeting.

“Yes, you should be bowing. Are you fully conscious?”

Israphil looked at Suan in confusion.

“This guy...” Allen clicked his tongue. He and everyone else knew that Suan wouldn’t simply lie down, even if Karyl told him to.

“I told you to investigate the Blood Cave, and you somehow let yourself fall under a curse. Suan Hazer, you would be a dead man if not for the King of Martial Arts.”

“...My apologies.”

“Yes, you should be sorry. I pushed you to grow, and what do you have to show for it? The war ended while you were asleep.”

“Is... Is that true?!”

“Yes...”

Suan and Israphil soon realized they were inside the former imperial palace. While Israphil appeared visibly shaken, Suan took it all in with surprising composure.

“There is no excuse for my failure...”

“The war may be over, but we still have many battles ahead. We need to prepare for an even greater conflict. Your muscles must’ve gone soft from all that sleep. I’m giving you two days to get back in shape.”

“...I’ll be on my feet in a day.”

“Suit yourself. The King of Martial Arts is still here, so go see him and complete your training.”

Despite Suan having been unconscious for quite a while, Karyl gave him only two days to recover—far less than he actually needed.

Thud—

Karyl tossed him something Anthem had brought here—the gauntlets of Kalduan, the Blue Turtle.

“Maktuun, the Lord of Rocks, has concealed himself within the Spirit Realm. To meet him, we’ll eventually need to open the gateway to the Spirit Realm. Ironically, we need the power of all spirits to do that.”

Suan clutched the gauntlets tightly.

“Kalduan is one of the Three Great Divine Beasts, wielding the power of the earth. Though temporary, its power can substitute for the absence of the Lord of Rocks. These gauntlets will serve as the key to opening the gate to the Spirit Realm. You know what I’m getting at, right?”

“Yes! I will master the gauntlets!”

“There won’t be some miracle cure next time. The kind of spirit power required to access the Spirit Realm could easily kill you if not wielded properly. I won’t tolerate any mistakes this time.”

“Understood.” Suan nodded, his face pale.

Though Karyl’s command was quite harsh for someone who needed recovery, it would undoubtedly serve as the motivation Suan needed to push himself further.

“And Aidan.”

“Yes.”

Karyl turned to Aidan and handed him a large box. Inside were two swords.

“These are the Twin Blades, Thunderstrike and Thunderclap, the last of the five legendary Blader weapons. According to Allen, these were crafted

after

Magical Era. The true version of these blades is said to contain the Thunder Spirit King, Kungen.”

Aidan drew the two blades—one was a small dagger, while the other was a slightly longer shortsword.

“Your wind element works well with lightning, and you’re just as good with daggers as the Moonlit Night. I trust you’ll use them well.”

At the mention of Moonlit Night, Zigra looked somewhat wistfully at the blades Aidan was holding. However, lacking mana himself, he knew he couldn’t wield the Twin Blades.

“Together with Suan, you’ll make up for the two Spirit Kings I’ve not yet acquired, so we can open the gate to the Spirit Realm.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, my lord.”

At that, Karyl nodded slowly.

“That goes for you as well,” Allen cut in, turning to Israphil. “When the body is exhausted, the senses become sharper, and the mind more focused. You get half a day of rest, then you begin training.”

“I... I apologize, Master.”

Israphil flushed at Allen’s playful scolding, his reaction dissipating some of the tension in the room.

“And finally...”

Karyl pointed to a calendar on the wall, which only had a single page left, marking the final month of winter.

“It’s time to welcome Yula.”

“...Yula?”

“Yes. Anthem, construct an altar, grand and magnificent enough to be seen from the heavens. Soon, Yula’s messenger will be upon us.”

Anthem Howard raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Karyl’s command.

“And don’t forget to place a coffin beside the altar.”

Noticing Anthem’s increasing confusion, Karyl added in a low voice, “And make sure it’s spacious. Nephilim wings are rather large. Of course, if they can’t be folded inside, we can just cut them off.”

As the final days of winter slipped away and the year was set to change, Karyl reminded himself once again of what was to come.

The god hunt drew near.