The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth-Chapter 384: The Duty of the Defeated

“Push forward! Victory is ours!” Tiren shouted.

The gates of Tatur were on the verge of collapsing.

Amid the chaos, where friend and foe clashed in a blur of steel, a lone horse surged forward, dropping the enemy soldiers like leaves, their death cries filling the air.

“Go.”

Nain Darhon, spotting movement from the frontlines, raised his staff and pointed forward, sending the undead servants around him charging at full speed.

Crack—! Crash...!

The troops summoned by his magic moved with such agility that it was hard to believe they were undead. They cut down the imperials with terrifying speed.

“...?!”

However, Nain Darhon’s confident expression quickly soured as he saw his soldiers’ fate.

Thwack—!! Crunch—!!

The knight riding on horseback took them down swiftly, shattering their skulls or severing their heads outright.

“Those are undead! Take their heads! Blue Knights, lead the defense! Make sure you burn them after taking them down!”

Neigh—!!

The knight’s horse crushed a severed head with its hooves. Nain Darhon could only stare, taken aback by how quickly his servants fell.

“Breaking through my soldiers with sheer strength... when even the Dawn Council couldn’t stop them? What a freak.”

Kuwell MacGovern surged forward once more, wielding Yulstern with unrelenting force. This time, the Digons braced for his onslaught. Three stocky warriors hefted a massive anti-magic shield—but it was futile. The barrier shattered in two beneath the sheer power of Kuwell’s attack.

“Ugh...!!”

And the warriors collapsed along with the shield.

“I thought the absence of the Platinum Dragon would turn the tide... but it’s the opposite. In the case of the dragon, we would’ve recognized the power gap immediately. But to see this difference in strength between fellow humans... Even as a Sword Master, that man is on a whole other level.” Anthem Howard shook his head, impressed once more by Kuwell’s strength.

“How’s the plan going?” Dushala asked, steady and focused.

“Proceeding as expected,” Anthem observed calmly, as though he had predicted Kuwell’s domination on the battlefield.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Kuwell brought down Yulstern, shattering the lock and sending the gate hurtling backward. The soldiers behind it, unable to withstand the force, were also sent flying.

“The gate is open!”

“Follow Sir Kuwell’s lead!!”

“Huraaaay...!!”

“What a monster,” Miliana murmured as she descended from the wall, catching some of the allied soldiers.

“But this is as far as you go. The Platinum Dragon is no longer here to protect you, and you failed to rescue Cruah. Everyone says you’re the greatest swordsman out there. Perhaps you really are that exceptional, but still, that’s as far as you go!”

With that, Miliana drew her twin swords, Arc and Gale, and stepped into Kuwell’s path.

“Even if you’re the greatest swordsman, you can’t change the outcome by yourself!”

As their blades clashed in a sharp, resounding strike, Kuwell cast Miliana a fleeting glance.

“...!”

And then, Kuwell delivered a powerful kick to Miliana’s abdomen, her body bending violently as a sharp gasp escaped her. She was flung back, crashing into the wall.

“Stop!”

At that moment, Serica Lauren’s Frozen Spear and Mikhail’s Blades of Wind hurtled toward him.

“Haaaah...!!”

Serica swung her spear erratically, targeting all of Kuwell’s vital spots.

“The Black Slash...?” Kuwell frowned slightly as he faced her.

Clang—!

After parrying her attack, Kuwell twisted his sword at an angle, pressing down on her spear and lifting it up with a circular motion.

Woosh!

Serica was yanked up along with the spear, as if she were weightless.

“...!!”

As Mikhail’s Blades of Wind streaked toward him, Kuwell seized Serica, still gripping her spear, and used her as a living shield against the incoming magic assault.

“Shit!”

Just before the Blades of Wind could reach Serica’s neck, Mikhail hurriedly redirected his magic upward, flinging the Blades of Wind into the sky where they dissipated with a sharp whoosh.

“Urgh...!”

Mikhail dropped to one knee, blood spilling from his lips as the veins on his hands throbbed painfully. Redirecting his magic projectiles at the last moment had put a massive strain on his body.

“Magic like Kaye Aesir’s, huh... Looks like Lord Berchi Blano was right. In a way, you really are talented.”

As Kuwell advanced, Serga bypassed the two of them, quickly entering Tatur’s fortress.

Szzzz—!! Crash!

He muttered an incantation, and the protective barrier surrounding Tatur melted away like wax.

“But that’s merely a blessing, hardly the fruits of labor. That’s why you can only use basic magic.”

With that, Serga gestured with his fingers. In the next instant, glowing chains materialized, binding Mikhail’s arms and legs tightly.

“Ugh...?!”

Mikhail struggled to break free, only for the chains to tighten even further, squeezing him with increasing force.

“Without Karyl, you’re just a bunch of amateurs. Tatur has fallen.”

Serga cast Mikhail a disdainful look, as though he were an annoying insect that had to be stomped out.

But then, as if waiting for this exact moment, Mikhail shouted with determination, “Now!”

Shiing—

Sharp, dark tendrils suddenly shot up from beneath Serga’s feet, wrapping around him tightly.

“What...?!”

Serga looked around in bewilderment, wondering how he had managed to miss a magic trap.

“You think you can show off in front of me, you insolent brat? You dare speak to me of magic? You’re a thousand years too early for that.”

“Nain Darhon...” Serga gritted his teeth.

“But Mikhail, you deserve some scolding yourself. How are you worse than old Thompson over there? Have you learnt nothing from the Dawn Council?” Nain Darhon clicked his tongue, gesturing toward the Ulkas Guild, who were also locked in battle.

“It seems you still lack resolve.”

“Tsk! How dare you...!” Serga growled, now lying face down.

Thud!

Miliana firmly planted her foot on the back of Serga’s head, pressing his face into the ground.

“Watch your mouth.”

“Mmph...! Mmph...!!”

Serga struggled to rise, but the more he tried, the harder Miliana pressed her foot against his head. He resisted with all his might, but it felt as though some tremendous weight bore down on his skull, crushing any attempt at movement.

This wasn’t just Miliana pushing down hard.

What kind of mana is this...?!

Rather than being overwhelmed by the pain, Serga trembled with shock. Even though he was a 7th Class Great Sorcerer, he felt like he was being crushed by Miliana’s tremendous mana.

Woosh!

Miliana flung one of her swords. It whistled past Kuwell and Serica, lodging itself into the wall with a resounding thunk.

“...”

Kuwell, about to strike down Serica, lowered his sword and looked over.

“Everyone, stand back.”

Miliana looked down at Serga with a smirk. She also glanced at Mikhail and the fallen Serica, clicking her tongue.

“Serica, you too. Once this war is over, both of you will receive some proper training. But for now, fall back...”

Then, she shifted her gaze to Kuwell.

“You should have stayed down. In my eyes, you’re no different from these kids. If you attack again, I’ll make sure you never rise again.”

“Yeah, sure,” Miliana scoffed. “I only spared you because you’re Karyl’s father, even though you’re not blood-related. If it weren’t for that...”

Crack—

Her arm sprouted scales.

“Argh...!!”

She grabbed Serga by the neck and glanced back at Kuwell.

“...You’d also be writhing under my foot now.”

With a growl of frustration, she hurled Serga aside like some rag.

“And look closely.” She pointed to the sky. “Dawn is upon us.”

“...Huh?” Kuwell looked at her with apparent confusion.

“The day has passed. You’ve lost.”

“Don’t be absurd,” he scoffed. “Tatur’s gate has fallen, and the imperial army is advancing as we speak. You won’t be able to defend Tatur, no matter how hard you try!”

Then, with resolve in his eyes, he declared, “I shall claim victory for the empire, right here.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“...?”

That was the moment Kuwell realized something was off with the imperial army. On top of that, he could hear an unusual buzz coming from the distant main camp. His instincts, honed over years of experience in battle, told him that something was unmistakably amiss.

“Looks like the rear already knows. By now, Karyl must have taken the capital.”

“Ridiculous... How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s the king I serve.”

“...What?”

“What, don’t you have that kind of faith in your king? I suppose not. Your king may be a fragile boy you’re sworn to protect, but mine is different.”

Miliana’s mocking words pulled a scowl across Kuwell’s face.

“What... What are you saying?! You dare suggest His Majesty has... fallen? How dare you spout such nonsense!” Tiren snarled, grabbing the mage in charge of communication by the collar.

“B-But... There’s word from the capital...!”

“Silence!” Tiren barked.

“Commander, if this report turns out to be true...”

“Soon, Tatur will fall. Issuing a retreat order now would only cause more chaos.”

“Then, what should we do...?”

Tiren bit his fingernail, racking his brain. The silence in the command barracks was almost unbearable.

“No one yet knows what’s happening in the capital. If we secure a victory here in Tatur... we can regroup the imperial army and march on the capital.”

“Sorry?” The subordinate looked at him, frowning in confusion.

“This war has barely started. Once our backup supplies arrive, we’ll have enough time to fight.”

“That won’t be necessary,” another voice cut through. “Yo. It’s been a while.

“...”

Tiren turned around, his eyes widening in shock as Karyl strolled into the barracks.

“Your supplies are already gone. Kamma took care of it. He used a special kind of poison known only by those from the slums—a powder mix of dung and horse blood treated with a special liquid. A sprinkle on your food, and you’ll be on the floor, clutching your stomach in agony. Check if you like, but your reinforcements should be incapacitated by now.”

Hearing that, the subordinate went pale.

“That... can’t be...”

“Feel free to confirm it,” Karyl insisted. “Again, I’ve seen it myself, so...”

“Commander, without supplies... we can’t keep fighting. We... We’ve lost.”

At this, Tiren drew the subordinate’s sword and shouted, “Shut your mouth! We still have soldiers in the field, and you talk of defeat?”

“You surprise me. Weren’t you more of a realist? You should realize by now that the tide has irreversibly turned against you, and yet...”

“Weren’t you supposed to be in the capital? Why are you here?”

“As I reported, the capital has fallen, and its people have sworn allegiance to me.”

“Bullshit! Are you saying you’ve conquered the capital and returned in a single day? You couldn’t have covered that distance, even with magic circles! You lying piece of—!”

“Believe what you will. Even in a situation like this, you’re still doubting and double-checking, trying to secure safety. You’re just the way I expected you to be.”

“What?”

“You’re right. Even a 7th Class Great Sorcerer couldn’t teleport across the continent. However, that’s merely the limit of human capability.”

“Yeah, so? You speak as if you’ve gone beyond that.”

At that, Karyl couldn’t suppress his smirk.

Whoosh—!

A cold breeze brushed Tiren’s cheek, jolting him to alertness.

“...?!”

When he looked down, he realized his legs were no longer on the floor. He was suspended in the air, flailing helplessly.

“Aaaaah...! What the hell...?!”

Just moments ago, he had been in the barracks. Now, he hovered over the ruins of the capital. As he gazed at the familiar crumbled structures below, his eyes landed on the remnants of the Sun Hall.

Is this...? Am I above the capital?

Karyl grabbed the scruff of Tiren’s neck, pulling him close.

“This is beyond human capacity.”

“What...?”

Rustle—!

Polsetia opened in Karyl’s hand, its pages fluttering like a banner.

“I have gone beyond even the realm of dragons.”

Tiren’s eyes twitched as he gazed at the ruins of the capital, still in disbelief.

“Tiren, I’m giving you a mission. Order the imperial army to retreat, immediately. As a realist, you should know it’s time to shift tactics. And you know well what that retreat order really implies.”

Tiren swallowed hard, unable to speak.

“I’m telling you to gather everyone who stood against me and bring them to me on their knees.”

Karyl’s voice echoed in his ears, a proclamation marking the end of the war. Tiren, perhaps more than anyone, needed to hear those words.

“I don’t just want you to acknowledge your defeat. I want you to surrender to me.”