The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 460: The Battle of Pharel (4)

Thud.

Aidan placed the heart in his palm into a small vial. The broken shell crumbled away, scattering in the wind.

In death, the insect that had once plunged the whole continent in fear was no different from a fly.

[What do you intend to do now?]

“What else do you think?”

He stared at the blood staining his two swords.

Crackle...!

A flash of electricity ran along the blades, vaporizing the blood with rising smoke. Remarkably, what he had slain was not merely Lice’s main body. Having crossed the strait, he had sliced through the dust traps set by gnomes and cleaved through the insects hidden within. His blades were coated in the blood of countless bugs.

And yet, Aidan seemed unaffected by his own feats.

“First, I’ll see the gods’ faces.” He sheathed his blades. “Then, I’ll figure out where these blades have to stab to maximize their suffering.”

[Now that’s a sentiment I can get behind.]

With that, Kungen enveloped Aidan.

“They may have created the world, but they are not our masters. We decide our future.”

Boooom...!

A sharp explosion echoed, and the ground around him caved in, engulfed in black smoke as though a bomb had detonated.

The spot where he had stood was now empty, save for a black trail scorched into the ground, marking the direction of his dash.

***

“You...?”

“How...?”

Though it wasn’t impossible for him to be here, the gods couldn’t hide their surprise at the old man’s sudden arrival. His face was hardened with fury, as though the slightest provocation would make him erupt.

“Well, it seems we have another candidate,” one of them remarked.

“...I do not partake in the petty games of humans,” the old man replied, glaring at Karyl.

“So just a spectator, then? That’s not too bad either. The larger the audience, the more fun,” Karyl quipped.

“...”

The old man clenched his teeth. Given his usual calm and composure, this rare display of anger could only mean one thing.

“No way...”

“You’ve stopped the Calamity?”

“Duh, it was just some insects. Calling it a Calamity feels like overkill to me. I mean, do you run screaming from gnats in the summer?”

Krrrk...

The snake-lipped woman burst into laughter at Karyl’s taunt.

“What nonsense... are you spouting?”

“Settle down. Manifesting power outside your domain is a violation of the rules, or have you forgotten?”

“Silence! Do you think it’s acceptable for a mere human to wag their tongue at a god!?”

BOOOOOOM!

At that moment, a massive, opaque magical shield—similar to a tower shield—descended from the sky and embedded itself into the ground.

Crack! Crack!

BOOM!

Simultaneously, enormous stone walls erupted from the ground around the magical shield, splitting the earth beneath them.

“Maktuun...!”

The old man slammed his fist into the stone wall blocking his path. A sharp shockwave burst forth, and although the magical shield behind the wall successfully absorbed the blow—vibrating violently—the man behind it staggered back several steps from the impact.

“Are you alright?”

“Your timing was perfect. Looks like you’ve mastered Automata. Good work, Suan.”

Karyl glanced at the man who had intercepted the elder’s attack.

“I have no issues wearing Automata, though manifesting it through the gauntlets is still a bit rough. Nevertheless, it’s enough to hold them off. Are these the gods you spoke of, my lord?” Suan asked, flexing his wrists, which still tingled from the old man’s blow.

“Yep, you just took a blow from a god. That’s some bragging rights right there. You’ve proven yourself, Suan.”

“Haha, I suppose getting beaten half to death by Gordon Fabian paid off.”

A lopsided smile lingered on Suan’s face. He felt as though he had finally accomplished the one thing that had eluded him all this time.

“Aidan stopped the Calamity,” Karyl said bluntly.

“I expected as much from him.”

“Y-You...!!” the elder growled at Suan. “How dare you meddle in the affairs of gods? Do you have a death wish?”

“You still have the gall to act all high and mighty after begging for help? Your Calamity is no more, so now, you’re no different from the others. If you’re ready to forfeit your chance at the Divine Throne, you should shut your mouth and get going. Or rather, you should beg for mercy, like the others.”

“...What?”

“Yes, you in particular should prostrate yourself before me and grovel. Then, maybe, I’ll let you go.”

“...You madman.”

Bzzzzzz...

From the old man’s sleeves, insects resembling Lice began pouring out.

“Oh, bugs again? And I was actually looking forward to this...”

But just before the swarm could fully emerge, the old man glanced down at the blade of lightning pressed against his neck.

“Maktuun, and now Kungen? Such trivialities only serve to irritate me. Do you truly believe something like this could kill me? The ignorance of humans is astounding...”

“I might not kill you, but I can make an opening. The moment you release those bugs, you lose any chance at claiming the Divine Throne. Isn’t that right? You’ve hastened to play your hand because you’re scared.”

Still catching his breath, Aidan tightened his grip on his blade, which crackled with lightning. Having crossed the strait in a single leap, his body shimmered faintly with residual energy.

“It’s been a while. If you want to fight, go ahead. I’ll use everything I have to stop you.”

A massive shadow fell over Pharel.

Toska, the Golden Dragon, gazed down at the elderly man, maw wide open. The gods’ expressions darkened at his appearance.

“And you, a creation no less pitiful than humans, dare to defy a god?”

“Perhaps I’m no different from a human in your eyes. But just like Aidan said, we can create an opening. Using your Divine Power here means breaking your so-called rules. I imagine the others would be more displeased with you than with us.”

At that, the elder turned around to glance at the other gods.

“...”

He clenched his teeth in frustration, his gaze locked on Karyl. Eventually, the insects crawled back into his sleeves, signifying his conceding.

“Now, only Yula remains,” Karyl said with a smirk. “You’ve been watching us from above, haven’t you?” he asked the elder. “If so, Yula must be watching this scene as well.”

“Indeed,” said the woman with serpentine lips.

“Yula, if you’re watching, come down. You’ve been so desperate to join this fight that you even sought me in the Spirit Realm. No point in playing hard to get now, is there?”

His taunt was met with silence. No dimensional gate appeared.

“Of course. It’s not time yet,” he muttered, letting out a bitter laugh as he steadied himself.

There is no need to rush.

Indeed, had finally reached this point after eons in that tower.

I’ll drag every last one of you smug gods, watching us from above, down to the ground.

Karyl’s eyes gleamed with resolve.

“Alright, let me tell you the terms of the deal I’m offering you. I’m sure you’ve all been dying to know.”

He slowly swept his gaze around. “Who is the god of the Fourth Calamity?”

At Karyl’s question, one figure stepped forward from the group of gods—a frail-looking man with disproportionately large eyes that took up nearly a third of his face, leaving him looking anything but human.

“I told you, I’m not afraid of summer gnats. Still, for the sake of fairness, I’ll give you a chance to unleash your Calamity.”

The man flinched. His reaction was only natural, as the Fourth Calamity was a giant fly-like monster known as Uatchit.

The Fourth Calamity doesn’t worry me too much. The real issue is the Fifth, Hathor.

The Fifth Calamity began with livestock and quickly spread to humans—a plague that doomed everything it touched. Unlike other monsters or magical phenomena, Hathor was a type of pathogen.

To develop a cure for Hathor, you need a sample. We ended up sacrificing almost an entire city to get that sample...

The memories of the screams and dying faces in the plague-ridden city still haunted Karyl. Some had even taken solace in the fact that fewer lives had been lost to the plague compared to the earlier Calamities.

At least soldiers who die in battle have honor.

Karyl had never managed to rid himself of that guilt—sending his own people to the infected city to acquire that sample. That was the reason he sought to strike a deal with the gods—to not have to repeat the sacrifices of the past.

“So, will you unleash your Calamity?” Karyl asked coldly.

The man seemed unable to answer, his eyes wavering.

“If we stop your Calamity, you’ll be no different from the other gods who’ve lost their chances. You’ll end up like him.”

Karyl pointed at the master of Lice, who scowled back at him from a distance.

“But you’re lucky. Unlike the others, you have yet to unleash your Calamity, which gives you the first opportunity to negotiate with me.”

“What?”

“Wait! You said fair chances!”

The other gods erupted in protest, their urgency heightened after witnessing the elder’s defeat.

Karyl smirked, as if he had anticipated their reaction.

“Of course. I’ll give you all fair opportunities.”

“...How can I claim the Divine Throne without unleashing a Calamity?”

“It’s simple.”

Karyl slowly and deliberately pointed at the elder.

“Kill him.”

“Wh-What...?”

“You filthy wretch! You shall pay dearly for this mockery!” the old man roared.

“And you,” Karyl shifted his finger toward the fly-faced man. “If you kill him, I’ll give you another chance at the Divine Throne.” He then turned. “Aidan.

“Yes,” Aidan responded immediately to Karyl’s call, pulling a small glass vial from his coat. Inside was Lice’s heart.

The elder’s face hardened at the sight.

“The survivor will receive humanity’s surrender. And with that, they’ll claim the Divine Throne they covet so much.”

“Wait! How is this fair?! I haven’t even unleashed my Calamity!” the fly-faced god yelled, realizing he had been tricked. But it was far too late to undo what had already been set in motion.

“And as for you two,” Karyl turned to the hulking man and the snake-lipped woman who had already lost their opportunities.

“If you kill the gods of the Fifth and Sixth Calamities, I’ll give you a chance as well.”

The hulking man looked bewildered, but the snake-lipped woman, quicker to grasp the situation, was already setting her sights on her target.

“From now on, it’s your turn to grovel in the mud. Don’t you get it yet?”

Karyl approached the fly-faced god.

“If this war is about deciding who gets to sit on that throne, then fight for it with your lives.”

With that, he seized the god’s face, his finger digging into his cheeks.

“Never toy with humanity again!”