The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 321: The Platinum Dragon’s Lair (2)

“All of these... are bodies?”

Miliana was still in disbelief.

“It’s not impossible, not even surprising. Alteman outside is living proof. Why do you think the Slelfs came into existence? During the Magical Era, sorcerers didn’t just experiment on elves—they used gnomes, dwarves, and all other races as test subjects,” Allen explained, his voice barely above a whisper, as he surveyed the massive laboratory that was the dragon’s lair.

“I’m not defending our research. It was unethical, but necessary. There’s always a dark shadow behind progress, and the development of magic was no exception,” Allen went on. “Even the advancement of medicine came through dissecting the human body and studying it. The same goes for magic. It progressed through applications and experiments.”

“That’s insane. You’re saying you don’t defend your actions, but you certainly don’t seem to regret them either,” Miliana snapped, glaring at him.

“It’s a matter of conviction.”

“That’s nonsense. How is what you did any different from what this Platinum Dragon has done?”

Bang—!!

Miliana wrenched one of the coffins from the wall, her face filled with frustration.

“The dead deserve respect, whether ally or foe. Even if you use a body for experiments, you should at least feel guilt for their death.”

The coffin was empty. As it crashed to the ground, it shattered, releasing nothing but a cloud of dark dust.

“Guilt? Don’t be childish. Feeling sorry after killing someone, is that your idea of reverence for death? That’s nothing but self-consolation. There’s no such thing as a sacred death. Once you’re dead, that’s it. A body is just rotting flesh, nothing more. You either use it to summon the undead or throw it away.”

“You...!!”

Miliana glared at Allen, clearly enraged, but she didn’t say anything further. It was crystal clear their convictions were fundamentally opposed.

Throughout the long history of the continent, who could truly say what was right or wrong? The empire had spilled much blood, but in return, it had sheltered countless people within its borders. So was that bloodshed truly all evil?

“That’s enough,” Karyl finally intervened, breaking the tension. “What matters is that the dragon was conducting experiments here. And these corpses probably weren’t just human.”

“It’s proof our suspicions were correct,” added Allen.

“What kind of experiments, I wonder,” Karyl mused.

"Hard to say..."

Karyl picked up one of the broken pieces of the coffin Miliana had shattered.

Buzz...

For a brief moment, a faint light flickered along his fingertips as he held the fragment.

“Hmm?”

Karyl was about to examine it further when something echoed through the hall.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

Footsteps—heavy and deliberate.

“What is that?” Miliana instinctively placed her hand on her sword and moved behind Karyl.

“Grrrrr...”

At that moment, a low growl resonated from deeper within the lair.

“Monsters inside a dragon’s lair?”

“Maybe it’s one of the dragon’s pets,” Allen suggested.

“Or perhaps it’s a sentinel guarding the dragon’s secrets,” Karyl proposed, his gaze fixed ahead.

Boom—!!

With a sharp explosion, something lunged at them from within the smoke.

“...!!”

Miliana hastily drew up her mana, casting Dragonization on one arm to shield her face.

Thud!!

The overwhelming force knocked her off her feet, sending her crashing to the ground.

Crash!!

She bounced like a ball, only to be launched again by another hit, smashing into a wall several meters away.

“Gah...! Ugh!”

Blood spilled from Miliana’s mouth as she struggled to stand, her body shaking from the overwhelming power of the attack. This was the same woman who had tamed the wild wyvern and ripped apart Burgusters, taken down in an instant.

Zzzzzzz...

As the dust began to settle, revealing the glowing red eyes of the creature, Allen’s voice echoed softly.

“It’s a Chimera.”

Once the dust had cleared, the creature’s grotesque form came into view.

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“But what an abomination...”

[I know it’s an artificial creature, but I’ve never seen one like this,] Ramine added, disgust clear in his voice.

The creature was a horrific sight. Its skin was crimson as if drenched in gore, and its head resembled that of a frog. Its torso was shaped like that of a massive locust, with large hind legs, and its wings were transparent like a fly’s. Moreover, pus oozed from its head as though it had festering sores.

Still, the horrific sight triggered something familiar in Karyl’s mind.

The first Tarak.

The Ten Disasters.

Strangely enough, parts of this Chimera resembled each of the first Tarak. Its blood-like skin mirrored Blood, and its frog-like appearance resembled Hekhet, the second Tarak to emerge in his previous life.

The creature before them was a grotesque amalgamation of those Tarak.

[Its appearance is bizarre, but what’s even more unsettling is the energy it’s emitting,] Ethereal said, eyeing the Chimera warily.

[Exactly,] Duaat’s voice came in, heavy with contemplation.

[How does it possess both light and dark magic simultaneously?]

“Light...?” Karyl muttered.

[Yes, though darkness dominates it, I can sense the presence of light. As one of the two powers, I can say for sure—Rasis’ power is inside that thing.]

At that moment, Karyl remembered the blonde-haired man from the Thousand-Year Ice Cave. The man, who was linked to the Spirit King of Light, had been missing in Karyl’s past life after the seal had been broken.

If this Chimera is a product of Narh Di Maug’s research, it could mean that the Platinum Dragon has a connection to the Spirit King of Light.

If that was true, it also meant that the Platinum Dragon could be linked to the events surrounding the Thousand-Year Ice Cave.

“So what are you gonna do?”

“What do you think?” Karyl smirked. “You said it yourself. If we want to know what this thing is made of, we have to dissect it. We’re taking it down.”

“Karyl, be careful,” Miliana warned, leaning against the wall. She glanced at her injured arm—the one she had used to block the Chimera’s attack. It was bruised and swollen, completely useless now.

At this rate, I won’t even be able to grip my sword, she thought bitterly.

In a single blow, the creature had neutralized her most powerful defense.

“Damn it... If I could just face it head-on, I wouldn’t lose again,” Miliana muttered in frustration. “There won’t be any more like this one, right?”

“There will be plenty more,” Karyl confirmed.

“...What?”

“So train harder. Don’t just aim to become a dragon—become strong enough to kill one.”

At Karyl’s words, Miliana grimaced slightly, the challenge clear in his voice.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

Karyl slowly advanced toward the Chimera. Despite having overpowered Miliana earlier with a single swift strike, the Chimera seemed rather wary of Karyl.

“It managed to put Miliana down like that... I wonder just how strong this thing is. It’s the perfect opportunity to test the power I gained in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave,” Karyl murmured, a spark of excitement flickering in his voice despite the monstrous presence nearby.

“Careful not to bring the entire lair down on you,” Allen warned.

“If it collapses, so be it. This place sickens me, and I’d feel better if it all just fell apart,” Karyl hissed, drawing his Lakna.

Szzzzzzang...!!

A pure, milky white Aura Blade formed from the hilt of his sword.

Zzzzt... Zzzzzt...!

As the violet energy merged with the dragon mana, the blade shimmered with a deep, threatening glow. Karyl pointed it directly at the Chimera. Sensing the danger, the creature took a few steps back, exposing its sharp fangs in a snarl that didn’t match its frog-like head.

“Grrrr...”

Its long tongue lashed out like a whip, smashing into the walls and sending debris crashing from above.

“What the...” Miliana couldn’t mask her trembling. The air around them was thick with magic, to the point of being suffocating. She had never felt power like this before.

Has he surpassed the 6th Class?

Before going into the lair, Allen had mentioned that Karyl hadn’t yet reached the 7th Class, which was why he couldn’t break the multi-layered seals. However, the magic Karyl was releasing now was far beyond anything in the 6th Class.

So, he was hiding his true strength from Alteman, Miliana concluded, a faint smile crossing her face.

It made sense. Karyl didn’t fully trust Alteman yet, even though the man had helped guide him through the secrets of the Thousand-Year Ice Cave. The connection between Alteman and Narh Di Maug was still too uncertain.

That was why Karyl had used the excuse of the seals to separate from Alteman and explore the lair on his own. It was a calculated move, and it seemed Miliana had been left in the dark as well.

Not only has he mastered swordsmanship, but he has also reached the fabled 7th Class. This is truly the pinnacle of human power.

Feeling the weight of the moment, Miliana swallowed hard.

The 7th Class was the domain of the Great Sorcerer, while Sword Masters were considered the peak of swordsmanship. These two paths were thought to be mutually exclusive, each representing the opposite extremes of human potential. No one had ever bridged the gap between them.

For centuries, this belief had gone unchallenged. After all, humans were given only a short life span, and dedicating oneself fully to just one of those paths was already a near-impossible feat, attainable only by the most gifted.

Yet the man before Miliana’s eyes had just shattered that long-held truth.

It wasn’t just a miracle born out of two separate lives—it was Karyl’s relentless will, his refusal to let any opportunity slip through his grasp, that allowed him to break the rules of the sword and magic.

If I’m to follow a man, he must be at least this extraordinary, Miliana thought to herself, her lips curling into a smirk. She had suspected Karyl had gained something in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave, but she hadn’t expected this level of power.

Her smirk lingered as she watched him.

“I guess it’s a shame I’m the only one here to witness the moment history changes,” she murmured to herself.

Suddenly, a surge of mana erupted from Karyl, like a bomb going off. The raw energy made the hairs on Miliana’s skin stand on end, overwhelming her senses.

At that moment, Karyl’s blade shimmered with a pale silver-gray hue.

Sword Demon Technique.

Boom—!!!

With the roar of thunder, Karyl unleashed Lakna’s fury on the Chimera.

VOOOOOM...!!

His sword cried out as though it were alive.

Crash! Boom! Boom—!!!

A storm of sword strikes rained down on the Chimera, sending it reeling. Its head snapped to the side as it skidded across the ground. The floor shattered beneath its feet, and the body parts lying around were scattered as dust billowed up.

Karyl’s assault didn’t stop there. Like a lightning strike, his Lakna came crashing down on the Chimera’s skull. Desperate, the beast instinctively lashed out, its tongue darting out to deflect Karyl’s attack.

Ziiing—!! Zuuung—!!

However, Karyl’s ethereal, silver-gray blade sliced right through the Chimera’s tongue.

“Amazing... Is this what a Sword Master can do with the power of the 7th Class?” Miliana murmured in awe, captivated by Karyl’s overwhelming assault.

“You’ve got it wrong,” Allen interrupted, pulling her from her thoughts.

“What?”

“It’s true he obtained this sword technique from the Thousand-Year Ice Cave, but he didn’t gain its mana. It’s not 7th Class power that’s fueling his attacks.”

“What do you mean?” Miliana asked, confused.

“He’s not fighting the Chimera at full strength, and there’s no 7th Class magic imbued in his attacks. He’s only using the Sword Demon Technique.”

In the Thousand-Year Ice Cave, Karyl had pursued the remnants of the Sword Demon depicted in the murals, perfecting the technique. But even then, he knew it wasn’t complete.

The Blader’s true power could only be unleashed if supplemented by the Great Magic, yet Karyl still refused to accept that fully. After all, he had the wisdom of the Spirit Kings and the knowledge of the Great Sorcerer at his disposal.

“He used us to craft a new technique in such a short time. In a way, that might be his true achievement from the Thousand-Year Ice Cave,” Allen said softly. “The swordsmanship of a true Grand Master.”

Allen’s gaze was fixed on Karyl.

“We named it Annihilation Strike.”

Even amidst the thunderous clashes, Allen’s words echoed clearly in Miliana’s ears, piercing through the noise.