The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 351: Tactical Moves (1)

Suddenly, the doors of the barracks swung open, and a soldier rushed in with urgency.

“What is it?”

“The Marquisate of Vestal has fallen.”

“What?”

Murmurs spread throughout the barracks. Though they should have been celebrating the victory, the Digon warriors hesitated, glancing at Miliana to gauge her reaction.

“How? That novice strategist was dragging things out for days. How did it fall so quickly?”

“Well... according to the report, our lord joined the battle at the marquisate.”

“Just as I expected...”

“If that's the case, it makes sense.”

The warriors calmed down, voices of agreement filling the room.

“Why are you all so relieved?”

Gulp—

Miliana’s icy words caused the warriors to tense up, swallowing nervously.

“You all heard that, right? It means we lost the first move. Kanotcho.”

“Yes.”

“Assign Digg 5,000 cavalry troops, not 1,000. Digon’s pride won’t tolerate this. We’ll settle the fight by tomorrow. After that, we march north to the marquisate.”

With her command, the air in the barracks grew heavy with tension.

“Understood.”

“Dismissed. Prepare for tomorrow’s battle.”

“Yes, ma’am!!” the warriors answered resolutely and were about to leave when a scout’s urgent shout came from the distance.

“We’ve got trouble!! A-An unidentified entity has been sighted in the skies above the front line...!!”

At the frantic report, Miliana’s face hardened as she turned her gaze upward.

“Kraaaaaa—!!”

At that moment, a sharp roar echoed across the sky. A pair of massive wings cast a shadow over the earth, blotting out the heavens.

“...!!”

***

“Hah... hahaha...” Python, struggling with the stakes embedded in his wings and all over his body, looked at Karyl and let out a low, sinister laugh.

“Why are you laughing? Have you finally lost your mind from the pain? It’s only been a day. There are people who’ve been imprisoned for a thousand years. You shouldn’t be breaking down from something like this.” Allen jabbed his hand into the dragon’s flesh as he spoke.

“Gah!! Kraaah...!!”

Allen dug into Python’s throbbing wounds with his shadowy hands, ripping away chunks of the dragon’s hide. Despite being a mighty dragon, Python couldn’t suppress his agonized screams.

“You will... lose this war,” Python spat the words like a curse, gritting his teeth as he glared at Karyl.

Karyl, who had been quietly gazing over the deserted marquisate, turned his gaze toward the dragon. “And why’s that?”

“You planned to use me as bait to draw out Enuma Elashi and Cruah, didn’t you? I’ll admit you’re formidable, but your subordinates? They won’t be able to handle them. You arrogantly believe you can take on all the dragons yourself,” Python sneered. “But I’m afraid you’re mistaken. They will head to different battlefields.”

“Hah! Do dragons have no loyalty to their own? You speak of this like it’s something to be proud of,” Allen Javius growled, his eyes piercing Python.

“It’s not about loyalty to fellow dragons. It’s about Narh Di Maug. Or should I call him Neil Blanc? That one would care more about the empire’s victory than your life.”

“No matter how great you are, there’s only one of you,” Python growled, turning toward Karyl. “You know as well as I do that you can’t fight the dragons scattered across different battlefields. Heh...”

At those words, Anthem and the other warriors’ expressions darkened.

So he saw right through us. Anthem clicked his tongue.

They had been able to overpower the Red Dragon here because Karyl and Revol were present, but elsewhere, things would be different indeed.

The Free Army’s strongholds are in the southern region, where the Digon tribe and the Fonein Fortress are located. Even though Lady Miliana and Sir Greys are Sword Master-level warriors, facing a dragon alone would be difficult. We need to act... Anthem shot a worried glance at Karyl.

“We’ll see. I don’t think it’ll go the way you’re expecting,” Karyl merely snorted, despite Python’s grim warning. It was as if he had expected those words from the dragon.

His nonchalant reply left everyone confused, their heads tilted in bewilderment.

***

“It’s the Green Dragon!! Everyone, fall back! Its breath is acidic! If it touches you, you’re dead!” Kanotcho warned as Cruah flew toward them.

“What should we do? Perhaps we should move the main camp..."

“We don’t have time to move the supplies. Besides, there's no place to hide on this plain. If we panic and scatter, the enemy will flank us.”

“But if we get hit by the imperial army and the dragon at the same time, we might not be able to secure a retreat.”

Miliana snapped at Kanotcho with sharp resolve, “You will lead the First Army! Hold the center defenses strong. Takao, Umon, you two will intercept the dragon in front of Kanotcho’s central army. You can take all the shield-bearers with you.”

“Understood.”

“We will follow your command.”

“And Haso, Bashun, each of you will take 10,000 troops and guard the left and right flanks. Whatever happens, don’t let that old man Jarvant reach the center.”

With the shield-bearers all assigned to the first two, Haso and Bashun’s armies would be left with only the vulnerable warriors for defense.

“Yes.”

“Even if we have to sacrifice ourselves, we’ll hold them off.”

Despite the danger looming over them, both men responded resolutely to her command.

“Summon the second battalion immediately. Position the 10,000 cavalry I assigned to her behind the central army. The target of our spear has changed.”

“The target of our spear...? What do you mean?” Kanotcho asked worriedly, sensing that Miliana had a new plan.

“We will take the dragon’s head.”

At Miliana’s words, the Digon warriors shuddered, and how could they not? They were about to hunt down a dragon, an absolute being beyond human reach.

But in the face of despair, Miliana’s unwavering resolve reignited the fighting spirit of the Digon warriors.

“One more thing...” Miliana exhaled. “I will be the second spear.”

At that moment, all the warriors of Digon chastised themselves for their earlier complacency. They realized that their queen had not yet given up.

“Follow the queen!!”

“Raise your swords!!”

“The Digon hunt begins!!”

“Woooaaaaahhh...!!!”

The warriors’ battle cries surged, lifting the energy of the battlefield to its peak.

***

“The queen of Digon? She’s not bad, for a human. Though not particularly strong, she possesses draconic mana. But even that is a meagre amount of power. In the face of a dragon’s overwhelming strength, they’re nothing more than sacrifices.”

“Overwhelming strength?” Karyl chuckled faintly. He then grabbed Python’s jaw, forcing his head downward to look at him. He could see his own reflection in the massive eyes of the beast.

“How come I’ve seen none of that? Hmm?”

“Ghrr...Ghh...”

“I would advise you against underestimating humans. Take a good look at yourself. You’re at my feet, and in the end, you will all submit.”

“What, absolute obedience, is that it? Don’t make me laugh, human! If you think you’ll make us bow to you with mere power, you’re gravely mistaken. Do you really think we’ll lower our heads to a mere human?!” Python roared defiantly. He was nearly hysterical.

Karyl, however, maintained his composure. “Oh yeah? Then why did you submit in the first place?”

“...What?”

“I’m talking about when you betrayed humanity and became the gods’ dogs during the Great War. Was your submission to the gods so proud and justifiable?”

Python had no response to Karyl’s question.

“In the end, you submitted to the gods’ power. You’re convinced that the gods are all great and mighty and humans are just ants? That’s nothing more than self-consolation. It’s not that your species was of great importance. You just submitted before overwhelming strength.”

“Ghhrr...!”

Karyl twisted Python’s vulnerable scale, causing the dragon to wince.

“If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I’ll find out bit by bit.”

“You wretch... Do you think us dragons will remain idle? Enuma Elashi and Cruah will annihilate your army, and in the end, they’ll tear you apart!!”

“Python...”

The moment Karyl calmly called his name, Python felt an eerie chill run down his spine, his defiant arrogance vanishing at once.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I don’t believe things will go the way you expect.”

“...What?” Python’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“And do you really think you’re in a position to worry about anyone else? You should worry about your own future. As you said, Miliana’s draconic mana might be lacking, but I’m a different story. As a Red Dragon, you should understand that better than anyone.”

Fwoosh...!!

Karyl’s palm turned red-hot, glowing like a branding iron.

“Grr... Kraaah...!!”

Smoke rose from where his hand touched Python’s forehead, and the dragon’s scales started to melt with a sickening sizzle.

“You know whose heart I hold, don’t you?” Karyl’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

At that moment, Python was gripped by a terror that was akin to standing before the Flame Dragon.

“Do you really think I would have started this war without the proper preparations? The target may have changed from humans to dragons, but that’s the only difference. Rest assured my blade is sharp enough to cut through dragons as well.”

***

“Hold the formation!!”

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“Hurry!!”

The dragon flying toward the Digons was getting closer. The imperial army, led by Jarvant, felt their morale soar to new heights at the sight of Cruah’s arrival.

“...This won’t be easy,” Kanotcho muttered with a bitter smile.

“When has war ever been easy?”

Miliana’s response elicited grim chuckles from both Kanotcho and Digg. The battle ahead would be fiercer than anything they had faced before.

“Let’s go.”

Miliana unsheathed her twin swords, Arc and Gale, and gave a firm pat to the side of her Cargon. The tension was palpable on the battlefield. Everyone kept their eyes on the frontlines, their faces taut with nerves.

“Well, well, we just managed to escape from the dragon’s holy ground, and now there are dragons flying over the continent?”

Suddenly, Miliana froze in shock, turning her head to the voice coming from behind her.

“...!!”

“...!!”

As a Sword Master, she couldn’t believe someone had managed to sneak up on her, especially in the midst of battle.

“I don’t like the look of that one... but let’s see if we can catch it.”

It wasn’t just one voice. A group of men stood there—faces gaunt and haggard, their once-pristine white uniforms now little more than tattered rags.

Miliana scoffed in disbelief at the man, speaking of a dragon as if it were nothing more than a piece of meat.

“...Aidan?”