The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 415: Blood (5)

[Dissecting it...? Hah, brilliant! How come I never thought of that? Turning the monster meant to terrorize humanity into a stepping stone toward godslaying...]

Allen Javius let out a low laugh as he watched Karyl walk toward Blood.

“Good. Very good. Makes me want to see the look on Yula’s face.”

He circled Karyl from above in his dark, shadowy form, clearly pleased.

“Watch carefully now. Tarak are born of the gods, but it’s a creature of darkness. That’s why you need Holy Power to counter its venom.”

With a wave of Karyl’s hand, the wings of Rasis fluttered once, and the light they emitted slowly wrapped around him.

In my past life, we fought the Tarak using the Church’s power. Back then, I believed this was a divine war fought for the gods.

But now, the priests’ Holy Power was no longer necessary—Rasis could produce the same, if not greater, Radiant Power. In his current state, Karyl held a greater advantage than ever before.

“But you showed me there’s another way. That alone is impressive.”

The knights looked up at him, faces glowing with pride. But just as Viola had said, Karyl couldn’t fight all battles by himself.

They hadn’t said it aloud, but even though their shield formations had made up for the gap in magical gear, the absence of Holy Power was still a clear disadvantage.

Karyl had slain Rael Stallen, the so-called saint. That alone made it difficult for any priest to help him now. But that didn’t mean he had no plans for the Church.

After all, Yurin Huygar was still in the picture. Karyl already knew he would become a key piece in this war, but he kept that to himself for now, not wanting to shift the focus from the knights’ victory.

Shing—!

Karyl swung Arc, and the glowing blade shot forward like a beam of light, striking Blood right in the heart.

Brrrrrr...!

The creature shook as it clutched its heart with both hands, trying to resist.

“The most vicious thing about the Tarak is that they always hide their full strength until the very end. They lull you into dropping your guard. The heart might be its weak spot, but unless you destroy it completely, that thing won’t die.”

Blood reached toward Karyl as if trying to say something, but no sound came from its mouth.

“Shhhh... Sshhhhhk...”

The Tarak’s body let out a strange screeching sound, almost like metal being scraped. Its from slowly turned to black ash.

Crunch—

Karyl grabbed the creature’s head without a hint of concern. Its skull was already half-shattered from the earlier shield strike.

“Destroying the heart isn’t easy either. You can’t just stab it whenever. You have to hit it right after its third expansion.”

“Third?”

“Grk... Grrk...”

“Exactly. Miliana, your attack wasn’t bad, but you lost your chance when you dodged the blood it spewed. By the time you struck, the heart had already started to contract again.”

Karyl pressed his hand over what remained of Blood’s face, as if covering its nonexistent eyes and mouth. He then thrust his sword again, into its chest, ribs, shoulders, over and over again.

He was relentless, brutal, but no one felt pity for that monstrosity.

“We call those phases. If you strike at the wrong time, not only will it not die but you might trigger an explosion instead. The resulting blast would be stronger than a Great Sorcerer's magic. It could level this entire field.”

“...”

Several knights swallowed hard, a shudder passing through them.

“Heh... Relax, you scaredy cats. I’m here to keep that blast in check. And besides, your commander’s standing right in front of it. What are you so worried about?” Allen flashed them a smirk.

“One blast like that could wipe out an entire battalion. We’re talking thousands, no, tens of thousands, dead in an instant.”

Thunk—

“KRAAAAAAAGH...!!!”

Karyl thrust his blade in Blood one last time, wrenching a distorted, monstrous scream from the Tarak.

“These creatures are cunning bastards. They always look like they’re about to die... but as you can see, I’ve stabbed it multiple times with a blade imbued with the power of light, and it’s still not dead. Don’t forget that they like to play dead. Look at its eyes. They’re always looking for an opening.”

BOOOOOOOM...!!

Just then, as Karyl raised his sword to sever Blood’s head, the creature exploded with a thunderous roar.

“Khk...?!”

“Wh-What the hell...?!”

A sandstorm erupted with the force of the blast, and the nearby knights were thrown back like ragdolls, unable to hold their ground.

But even with everything around them in chaos, Gordon Fabian and Kuwell MacGovern stood completely still, their focus locked onto Karyl.

“You’re thinking the same thing, aren’t you, Kuwell?” Gordon said, his tone making it clear he already knew the answer.

However, Kuwell didn’t say anything in return.

“I might’ve brought you here, but we both know no one could ever drag you anywhere. Maybe it’s time to be honest about that.”

“That’s between me and Karyl.”

“Sure. Just don’t forget. He’s not the same orphan from the northern immigrant tribes you used to know.”

The two of them traded words that only they seemed to understand. Miliana glanced in their direction, watching them carefully with a faint flicker of awareness.

“...Is that its real form?” Aidan muttered under his breath, staring ahead.

Everyone turned to look. Miliana tensed up, unable to suppress the chill that ran down her spine.

A deep, rasping breath echoed out as Blood’s body began to swell at an unnatural rate, growing to the size of a dragon.

What had looked more or less human moments ago was now hunched on all fours, towering over Karyl and his people like a vicious beast. It slammed its hands against the ground and let out a thunderous roar aimed straight at Karyl.

Each step it took made the earth quake. The ground split beneath its feet, and its massive paws sank deep into the soil, leaving footprints that looked like craters.

The mouth on its chest opened wide, revealing rows of jagged fangs, ready to devour Karyl.

“Remember what I said about the Nephilim and the Tarak? In the end, they all scream the same. If they scream, it means they feel pain. And if they feel pain, they must be afraid of dying.”

While everyone else stood frozen, caught off guard by Blood’s transformation, Karyl remained calm, speaking firmly and tossing something at the creature’s feet.

“That’s its final form. It only shows that when its trap has failed. And that means it’s afraid.”

Karyl slowly drew Polsetia’s blade. Even though it had no visible edge, it gave off the distinct sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air with every movement.

In the blink of an eye, Karyl vanished from sight. A streak of pale dust swept across the field behind him, showing the path he had taken as it lingered in the air.

Blood’s chest-mouth opened again. Inside, a bright red heart pulsed, completely exposed. It looked like the perfect target.

That’s the bait.

Of course, Karyl knew it was a trap—a fake vital point laid bare on purpose. Anyone who fell for it would pay the price. Even now, the creature was trying to lull its enemies into lowering their guard.

Karyl kicked off the ground, darting through the battlefield at dizzying speed, weaving around Blood’s front, back, and flanks as if he were teleporting from one position to the next.

As he reached the creature’s back, he dropped into a low stance, bending one knee and stretching his other leg out to guide his momentum into a wide arc. His sword followed through in a smooth, cutting motion.

Polsetia’s blade drew a glowing, precise line across Blood’s waist, which lit up with a pale blue hue. Then, the sword sank into the beast’s flesh like a serpent lunging at its prey.

However, Blood didn’t even flinch. It immediately raised its thick, muscular arm and swung at Karyl. The claws on its hand gleamed like sharpened blades, each one capable of cleaving through steel.

As the murderous claws came down, Karyl flipped backward into the air, narrowly avoiding the strike. Blood slammed its massive foot into the ground, but Karyl was already out of the way.

The First Stance: Crown Posture

While still in the air, Karyl shifted into a counterattack, reaching for the Freezing Talon.

Colorless Air Sword, First stance: Second Unicorn Posture. freeweɓnovel-cøm

The Freezing Talon’s blade rang out sharply as Karyl swung it with precise force.

Despite its massive frame, Blood reacted instantly. Its eyes locked onto Karyl, and it parried each strike with surprising precision, matching him blow for blow. A storm of strikes collided in midair, ringing out with a constant clashing rhythm.

Just as Karyl drove Lakna deep into the creature’s body, a thick stream of blood erupted from Blood’s mouth.

“Watch out!” Miliana shouted in alarm, knowing what was to come. She had already been hit by that crimson spray, so she knew well how dangerous that thing was.

Annihilation Strike.

It happened in an instant.

Karyl slammed both of his blades together with full force, as if he had been waiting for that exact moment.

CRAAACK...!!

The violent clash of steel burst through Blood’s spray of blood, scattering it into the air.

Karyl charged straight through the crimson mist. He reached the giant mouth embedded in Blood’s chest, grabbed both the upper and lower jaws, and pulled them apart with his bare hands.

“There are many ways to deal with a Tarak, depending on the specific creature. Blood might seem like a living creature, but it’s really closer to smoke than flesh.”

Crunch... crack...!

Blood desperately tried to close its mouth, but the more Karyl pulled, the wider it opened. The jaws trembled, looking like they might snap at any moment.

“How... How is he tearing its mouth open so easily?”

“Grrk...!!”

The creature seemed like it was trying to speak, but only a strained, garbled moan came from its mouth.

Snap!

Thud—

With one final pull, Karyl ripped the jaws open completely, and chunks of flesh scattered across the ground.

The onlookers could only stare in disbelief, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

Hssss... Sssszzk...

The torn pieces of meat sizzled and burned the moment they hit the ground, releasing plumes of black smoke.

“But when this thing feels truly threatened and enters its beast-like state, that’s when you can actually tear it apart.”

Thump, thump, thump...

The creature’s heart was visible now, beating strongly in its chest. A piece of Grey’s broken sword was still lodged in it, but the wound had long since healed. The heart had absorbed the blade fragment as though it were part of its body.

The others were once again stunned by the creature’s resilience.

“Now then... where should I start cutting?”

Karyl looked at the heart like a butcher picking out a slab of meat, almost savoring the thought.

“...Could we ever fight like him?” Aidan murmured, more so to himself, eyes locked on the monster in a daze.

“Probably not.”

Perhaps Karyl had heard him.

Without hesitation, he sliced off Blood’s left leg, the severed limb hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Karyl hooked it with his sword and flung it toward Allen.

“But there’s a way.”

“...What?”

Aidan looked up at him. Everyone else did too. All eyes were on Karyl.

“There’s a way to grow stronger than you are now.”

Karyl looked at the group and met their gazes with a calm certainty in his eyes.

[So that’s what he was aiming for.]

Allen Javius understood now. Karyl could’ve taken Blood down easily, but he had stepped back and given Miliana the chance to fight first.

He had done it to show them the difference in power. And then, right after, he had given them a way to close that gap.

What they were feeling wasn’t despair. It was the start of something else— the kind of frustration that fuels the hunger to grow stronger.

“What... What is it?” Aidan asked, his voice quivering.

“The answer is in the tower,” Karyl said curtly, having waited all this time to tell them.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l