The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 462: The Battle of Pharel (6)
“You’ve really made a mockery of our sacred Exordiar,” Yula muttered to Karyl, her face twisted in ager. She wore a robe like the others, but the fury she radiated far surpassed the elder’s.
“Sacred, my ass,” Allen snorted, dismissing her overwhelming presence.
“If using humans as pawns is what you call sacred, then you guys fighting each other must be the real Holy War.”
“Silence! If you keep running your mouth like that, I’ll erase you on the spot.”
“Am I the one you should be angry with? Look, they’re the ones trying to kill each other.”
Woosh!
Yula promptly rushed at Allen, aiming to cut him down with the side of her palm—but Karyl was just as fast, slashing at her wrist with Polsetia’s sword.
CLANG—!!
The blade bounced off Yula’s wrist with a deafening metallic sound.
“Don’t take your anger out on those who have done nothing wrong,” Karyl muttered, hiding his surprise at the fact that his all-out strike had inflicted no harm on Yula.
“You...!” She glared at him with a vicious scowl.
“Hold it right there. Using your power outside your own realm violates the rules, but since Exordiar began, you’ve been using your powers in your own dimension, haven’t you? That’s also against the rules as it could alter the outcome.”
The woman with the serpentine lips crossed her arms, leaning against Pharel’s wall as she addressed Yula.
“You stupid bitch! Is this the time to go on about rules? The gods are fighting each other because of that human! What were you thinking when you killed the Sixth?”
Yula’s fury boiled over, but the woman remained unfazed.
“What was I thinking? Well, I did it because I wanted to,” she said with a wry smile.
“...What?”
“Don’t act so noble, Yula.”
She deliberately called Yula by her name, then covered her mouth as if to feign surprise—a gesture of sheer mockery.
“Well, since this is your dimension, it doesn’t matter if I call you by name, does it?”
“...”
Yula clenched her fists hard, as though she wanted to kill her on the spot.
[Hmph. Why is it that gods are so reluctant to have their names spoken aloud? Every single one that’s appeared so far has refused to use theirs, claiming this world isn’t their own.]
Allen observed the scene, speaking telepathically to Karyl.
Who knows? It’s said that Spirit Language is a kind of Divine Power passed down to humans since ancient times. Words carry power. Maybe it’s part of their regulations, but it’s something we don’t fully understand.
[Or maybe it’s their weakness.]
Karyl nodded slowly.
But this didn’t apply to Yula, as they were in her dimension. Besides, learning the name of a god from a foreign realm wasn’t easy, and their priority was Yula herself, not the others.
I thought killing them all would stop the Calamities, but as long as Yula is alive, nothing will truly be resolved.
[Exactly. We just need to focus on our world. We’re not gods. We don’t need to worry about other dimensions.]
Having made up his mind, Karyl fixed his gaze on Yula. The remaining four gods were now watching the two of them intently.
The Tenth God. Karyl once again reminded himself of the one deity he absolutely had to kill.
“Greed corrupts humans, but that’s not something you’ve bestowed on us. Gods themselves were born with greed.”
“...You’ve deceived me well,” Yula muttered.
Karyl gave a slight smile. “I didn’t deceive you. You just didn’t realize it. If you knew that Xeck-Mut’s Pharel was here, you should’ve considered the possibility of the Dimension Spiral still existing.”
“If it was here, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about it.”
“But you didn’t, did you?” Karyl sneered at her response. “Of course, I kept it hidden. This power belonged to a special race. It’s one of your creations, but this one isn’t bound to you.”
“...Demons, surely.”
Ssshhhkk...!
No sooner had she spoken than Hagane emerged. Karyl could have used their pact to summon the Demon King at any time, but he had refrained from doing so.
“Just as I expected... You truly are incredible.”
“Save it. Haven’t you grown tired of just watching from the sidelines?”
Hagane smirked bitterly at Karyl’s reply but soon took his place behind him, standing alongside Suan and Aidan. Although his intentions remained inscrutable, the Demon King’s presence was undeniably more pronounced than that of the other two.
“Hagane, when I created this world, the Nephilim embraced their role differently from the demons. Unlike humans, they were granted complete autonomy.”
“I’m aware. Gods are beings woven from both light and darkness. Naturally, where there is light, darkness must also exist. That’s why, when you created your minions, you bestowed the spirits with the Two Powers and gave races like the Nephilim and demons a purpose.”
Hagane turned to Yula with a sly grin. “And so, you left humanity in between under the guise of freedom. But in reality, you just left them in chaos.”
“How cunning. So are you aligning with chaos and planning to rebel against the gods because darkness is also a blessing of ours?” asked Yula.
“Blessing of the gods?” Karyl scoffed. “When I obtained the Dimension Spiral, I caught a glimpse of the gods’ world. Gods, born from the Rift, are essentially no different in their origins from Spirit Kings or humans. Their dimension is the only thing that sets them apart.”
“The origin of humans...? Don’t be ridiculous! Are you suggesting that humans were born the same way as gods? No, you’re merely the puppets crafted by my hands!”
Yula clenched her fists tightly, looking as if she wanted to obliterate Karyl right then and there. However, she couldn’t lay a hand on him. She knew all too well that if Karyl died, no one else would be able to challenge Pharel.
Karyl himself was aware of that, which allowed him to taunt and provoke Yula—unlike back in the Spirit Realm. Of course, it was a dangerous gamble, one that could spiral out of control if Yula impulsively forfeited her throne.
Humanity’s fate quite literally depended on the god’s temper.
Even so, it must be done.
Yula’s reaction was a key part of Karyl’s plan.
“You gods said it yourselves, didn’t you? That your history is defined by conflict.”
“Don’t equate the petty greed of humans with our conflicts. We fought each other for the sake of our dimensions,” she explained with marked indignation.
“The conflict I’m talking about goes back even further than that.”
“...What?”
“You came from the Rift, born through conflict. At first, there was only a desire to exist, which condensed into a struggle for survival. That force gave way to will, and that willpower created you gods.”
Karyl lightly tapped his temple. “This comes from the Lord’s memories, so I know it’s true. That’s why you instinctively fear humans, because their freedom mirrors the very will that brought you into existence.”
“...”
The serpent-lipped woman listened with intrigue, while Yula stared at him as though all her lies had been laid bare.
“And so?”
“You must be harboring resentment against the Lord for granting humans free will.”
“You... know about that?” 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
“But you’ve misunderstood.” Karyl slowly walked toward Yula. “Just as you gained your will while emerging from the Rift, we too—from the Mythical Era through the Magical Era and into the present day—have been firmly holding onto our will as we processed the world.”
His tone grew firm. “Will isn’t something you gave us. It’s something we found ourselves.”
“So what, you intend to keep defying us?” Yula scoffed. “You, of all people, who must know better than anyone how the Bladers met their end, especially the one bound by the Master Key contract.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And yet, despite knowing the outcome of the Great War of the Spirits and Gods, where all the Bladers gathered to rebel, you dare play these schemes? You might think that things are going according to your plan now, but even if you all unite against me, you stand no chance!”
Yes, I know just how powerful you all are.
Yula’s outburst merely caused Karyl’s gaze to sharpen.
If I can’t kill her alone...
Karyl looked around himself with the corners of his eyes. The First and Third Gods were still locked in battle.
Then I’ll need to balance the scales.
The next instant, Karyl’s sword pierced the back of the Fifth God, wrenching a pained groan from him.
“Ghah—!”
Unlike Yula, the Fifth God succumbed to Polsetia’s blade.
“...”
As the Fifth God collapsed into Karyl’s arms, the towering First God regarded him with a hardened expression. At first, he seemed surprised by how easily the Fifth had fallen to the attack, but then he noticed the Dimension Spiral glowing on Karyl’s arm and let out a low sigh.
“The stipulations were that the victor would be given a chance. But aren’t you breaking your own rules by interfering in our battle?”
“The outcome was already decided, and you know it. Your opponent, the Fifth God, was no match for you from the start.”
Karyl slowly drew his blade across the Fifth God’s throat.
“Just as humans are divided between those who wield swords and those who practice magic, it seems you gods are also split between those suited for battle and those who aren’t. The Fifth and Sixth Gods never stood a chance against you.”
“You have a sharp eye,” the master of Blood remarked calmly. He cast a cursory glance at the Fifth God’s corpse, feeling not the slightest hint of sorrow.
[So the fact that your attack worked on him but not on Yula means either this god truly wasn’t a combat type, or that gods only possess special abilities within their own respective dimensions,] Allen remarked.
[At a glance, Yula doesn’t seem like a god of war. If that’s the case, we’ll have to watch out for any special abilities.]
Karyl nodded in agreement.
Peculiarly, the gods who unleashed plagues and afflictions seemed weaker in direct combat.
“As I promised, I will grant you another chance. But as long as Yula, the ruler of this dimension, remains, no matter how mighty you are, victory will be unachievable.”
“So now you’re telling us to kill Yula? Seriously... How have we gotten to a point where humans can push gods around like this?”
“If you don’t like it, you’re free to side with her. But know this—Yula will sit on the Divine Throne for far longer than the Lord ever did. With her in power, there may never be another war like this.”
“...”
“If you want to claim the throne, rebellion is your only option. Ask yourselves, would it be easier to fight her now, while she’s still in the same position as you, or later, when she has ascended to her throne and consolidated her power?”
Karyl slowly raised his sword. “The choice is yours.”
“...You’re truly something.”
The man stared at him and shook his head, while the serpent-lipped woman smirked.
“From here on out, things won’t go your way,” Yula growled at Karyl, her voice low and threatening.
At the same time, the remaining four gods gathered behind her.
“So this was your real goal, to pit us against Yula,” one of them remarked.
It was then that the elder who had killed the Fourth God drove his staff in the ground and spoke up. “What a cunning bastard.”
Before they knew it, Karyl stood with three gods at his back, while Yula and her four remaining gods faced him, the Tower of Pharel standing off to the side between them.
“Unlike them, we have no other options. Whether we like it or not, we’re forced to follow your lead,” said the elder.
“Even if you stand with three gods of war, it’s still just the three of you and a single human. Do you really think you can fight me, the ruler of this dimension, as well as the other four gods?” Yula sneered.
“So that’s why,” Allen murmured, nodding as if he had figured out why their earlier attacks had failed to reach Yula.
“Thanks to you all getting tangled up in your little brawl, I was able to buy plenty of time.”
Karyl stepped forward from among the gods.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, the golems stationed around them began to rise slowly, one by one.
“The ruler of this dimension... It seems you’ve forgotten one thing.”
At that moment, numerous wyverns soared through the skies, their wings beating loudly.
“Raise the banner!” someone shouted.
In the distance, a cloud of dust marked the advance of countless soldiers charging toward the battlefield. A massive blue banner rose above the ranks, fluttering in the wind.
Waaaaahhhh...!
The earth trembled with the roar of the advancing army.
“You may have created this world,” Karyl said, turning to Yula with a steady gaze, “but we’re the ones who live in it.”
With conviction, he declared, “You do not rule this land.”
