The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

Chapter 280: The Rothschild Family (5)

[Gyaaaaahhh―!!!]

The puppet shook violently. Although it resembled a male elf, identical to Zarka, the cry from within was high-pitched and feminine. The walls of the Settling Basin quivered, and Anthem and Kay stood frozen, their faces etched with anxiety.

Crackle...!!!

Boom!!

Following the explosion, icy shards splintered like glass, scattering in all directions like sharp daggers.

“Ugh?!”

Kay and Anthem quickly ducked and turned their heads away to avoid the flying shards.

“...”

However, Karyl kept his eyes fixed on the frost that had escaped from the puppet. The smoke that had dispersed like clouds began to coalesce again. The shards that had flown at him melted away before they could even touch him and then quickly evaporated, consumed by the intense heat of the Flame Dragon’s aura that emanated from him.

Hissss...

[Hah... Hah...]

The gathered frost gradually took on a human form—a woman. Her hair was soaked, as though she had just emerged out of a lake, and she was breathing heavily.

“This is impossible...” Kay Rothschild muttered to herself in disbelief as she witnessed the scene.

“It seems the seal is broken. No need for any further excuses; now we can embed the soul into the puppet.”

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty at Karyl’s words.

“At last, we’ve finally met...” Karyl murmured.

He was lightly brushing his hand against her cheek and lifting her face to meet his gaze.

“...Ethereal.”

[Only a dragon on the side of the gods could break the seal. But... how can a human wield the power of the cursed Flame Dragon?]

She looked at Karyl with disbelief, exhaustion etched on her expression.

“The cursed Flame Dragon, you say... Some found peace by making a pact with that dragon, so it’s not all that surprising.”

Karyl showed her the back of his hand.

[Ramine... Have you managed to remain in the human realm by borrowing the power of those aligned with the gods? And you still call yourself a spirit who led the Great War of the Spirits and Gods!!]

At Ethereal’s outcry, a wave of frost burst forth, engulfing the entire Settling Basin.

[Don’t be so quick to judge. I had my reasons for forming a pact with Riseria.]

[Reasons? You clung to him because you didn’t want to be annihilated. All the other spirits were trapped in an endless abyss, oblivious even to their own existence. But you...!!]

The frost hardened and coalesced into spikes, raining down on Ramine.

Crash...!

Boom...!!!

Dozens of icy spikes pierced Ramine.

[Calm yourself,] he told her with a bitter expression, making no effort to restore his shattered form.

[Calm myself? Perhaps killing you here would be the only way to quell my anger.]

[Without Riseria’s magic, the Spirit Realm would have completely vanished!]

Ramine’s flames erupted violently as he shouted at her, his expression weary but resolute.

[That’s precisely why I made the pact with him. Riseria used his magic to preserve the Spirit Realm, offering me solace. In exchange, I agreed to lend my power only to the dragons.]

[Is that what you call your subjugation? A pact?]

At that, Ramine’s expression darkened even more.

[There was no other way to preserve the Spirit Realm. There were still Spirit Kings who stubbornly remained. I couldn’t just let them die.]

[Spare me the excuses. I shall not speak any further to a traitor like you.]

[Ethereal...!!] Ramine shouted again, this time with great frustration. [The Riseria you despise so much is dead, killed by human hands. And his heart now belongs to Karyl. Also... Duaat has awakened as well, thanks to him.]

[What...?]

For the first time, Ethereal turned her gaze toward Karyl.

[You may not believe it, but this human before you claims he will awaken all seven Spirit Kings.]

[That’s impossible.]

[That’s what I thought too, but you’re the third one already. He’s basically halfway through awakening all seven. He’s broken seals that no one else could, all on his own.]

[....] @@novelbin@@

[Even if you can’t trust me, I reckon you can trust Duaat, who despised the dragons more than anyone else. Isn’t that right, Ethereal?]

Karyl shrugged as Ramine tried to reason with her.

“Are you guys done? I don’t have the luxury to explain the gap of thousands of years or what happened. You’ll figure out the rest in due time, once you’re under my command.”

Ramine smirked bitterly at Karyl’s audacity, as if expecting nothing less from him.

“And you should trust me, not Duaat. Ethereal, the one you should direct your anger at is not Ramine, but the gods.”

[How dare you speak so lightly. Do you intend to revive the Great War of the Spirits and Gods?]

“Why not?”

“...!!”

“Uh...?!”

Kay and Anthem’s eyes widened in shock at his bold declaration.

“Not now, but I promise you one thing.”

Karyl’s voice dropped to a whisper as he locked eyes with Ethereal.

“That war is not over yet.”

[...]

He chuckled softly as he noticed her unsteady expression.

“And you’ve got it all backward. Instead of being angry with Ramine, shouldn’t you be thanking me first? I’m the one who freed you from your seal, after all.”

[What do you mean by that?]

Ethereal tilted her head slightly.

“What do you think I mean?”

Karyl extended a finger and pointed at the ground. The others, familiar with the meaning behind that grin, immediately understood what was coming next.

“Bow your head. It means you, too, should swear loyalty to me from now on.”

[What...?]

She looked at him in disbelief.

Step—

But as soon as he took a step forward and his foot touched the ground, the cold aura that had surrounded her dissipated in an instant.

“Let’s not waste time. There’s no need to show you why Ramine and Duaat are under my command.”

Karyl extended his hand toward her. A blazing fire flared up, and within it, concentrated Arcane energy swirled fiercely.

[...]

She remained silent, knowing that his words were enough of an explanation.

“The pieces required to revive the puppetcraft of the Rothschild family are all gathered now. The sorcerer, the spirit, and the icy power to contain it.”

Karyl glanced between Kay, Zarka, and Ethereal.

[One thing is missing. A puppet is also a type of golem. Like all golems, even if I use my power to condense the spirit and seal it, you’ll need a vessel to house the spirit. A sort of heart, you could say.]

“Hmm...”

[Without it, even if you place the spirit inside the puppet, it won’t function properly.]

“This works perfectly. I finally have a use for this.”

[What?]

Karyl smirked and pulled a necklace from his robe, dangling it in front of Ethereal.

[...?!]

“This should serve perfectly as a heart. Necromancy shares a lot in common with magic from the Demon Realm, after all.”

Ethereal stared in disbelief at the necklace of prophecy.

[You... Even in this short encounter, you have managed to impress me, human.]

“There will be much more to come,” Karyl replied with a knowing grin. “So if this is enough to surprise you, you might be in for a rough time, don’t you think?”

With that, he snapped the chain and embedded the pendant into the puppet’s chest.

Vooom...

The gemstone inside began to glow a deep red, pulsing akin to a beating heart.

Karyl watched the puppet intently and whispered, “Let’s begin.”

***

“Anthem.”

Back in the White Bunker after returning from the Frost Plateau, Karyl leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and called out to the man who had returned with him.

“Yes, sir. What do you need?”

Anthem, his complexion still ashen from the journey, silently vowed never to ride a wyvern again, although he was grateful he hadn’t gotten sick this time.

“The things you saw at the plateau must remain confidential. The reason I brought you there, besides the fact that I trust you, is that you’re the only one who understood the secret of the Formation of Loire, which even Kay couldn’t decipher.”

“Thank you.”

Thud—

“However, what you saw was only a fraction of it,” Karyl went on, handing Anthem a scroll. “This is the full text of the Loire Formation, which embodies the secret techniques of the Rothschild family. I want you to prioritize analyzing this. We’ll be taking Kay with us soon, so learn as much as you can in the short time we have.”

“Understood,” Anthem replied with a firm nod.

“And one more thing. I’m going to send someone from one of the Five Great Families of the south, specifically from the Spear family, to this place. Your task is to help her master their formation techniques.”

“The Spear family’s formation... Are you referring to the Fierce Fire Formation?” Anthem asked, quickly recognizing the significance of Karyl’s words.

The Fierce Fire Formation, created by Ordo Spear, the 17th head of the Spear family, was so renowned that its name had even crossed the seas to the principality.

“That’s right. The barbarian tribes are known for using some of the most unique formations. If nothing else, the tactics of the Spear family are worth learning.”

“Of course. Even those in the empire who refuse to acknowledge the barbarians have no qualms about respecting the Fierce Fire Formation. To have the chance to study their formation... It’s an exciting prospect. I have you to thank for all of this, my lord.”

Karyl couldn’t help but chuckle at Anthem’s genuinely enthusiastic response.

“Don’t be too thrilled. This is your assignment. I want you to combine the Formation of Loire, the Fierce Fire Formation, and the existing tactics of the principality to create a new formation that no one can break.”

Anthem nodded resolutely at his words.

“I understand. I will create the ultimate formation, one that even the gods themselves cannot break.”

“A formation that even the gods can't break...” Karyl murmured, looking at Anthem with a curious smile. “I shall hold you to that.”

As improbable as it sounded, Karyl held a sliver of hope that perhaps it was possible. Anthem had no idea, but a future confrontation with the gods was a real possibility.

“However... there’s someone I wish to involve in this research, if you would allow it,” Anthem asked cautiously, his eyes carefully gauging Karyl’s reaction.

“Who is it?”

“You’ve likely heard of him, my lord. A sorcerer known in the principality as the Devil’s Bullet.”

“The Devil’s Bullet...” Karyl’s expression hardened slightly as he recognized the name.

“Yes. Darryl Harian.”

At Anthem’s mention of the name, Karyl’s face tightened even more.

“From the Golden Magic Society?”