NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76
EP.76 Side Story, The Betrayer (4)
On a moonless night, rain falls on the black grasslands. Raindrops plop against the leaves. The rain-soaked grasslands feel chilly, shrouded in a sinister atmosphere.
In the damp air, Kuntel gazes at his sword. The blade, drawn from its sheath, glimmers in silver.
A sword made from rare metal.
It is the sword bestowed upon him as a recognized Sword Master from the Sacred Site of the Sword. The blade, companion for several decades, feels like a part of Kuntel’s very being. It is his life.
“….”
Kuntel reflects on his life.
The first thing that comes to mind is his hometown. He remembers the day it crumbled before a calamity.
Kirmelt Canyon, Galatrick.
A place that produced numerous Sword Masters.
It was brought to ruin by a single calamity.
Ganikalt, the Death’s Blade.
Kuntel recalls the image of the calamity that single-handedly destroyed Kirmelt Canyon. When he faced that menace, he couldn’t even grip his sword. He froze, dropping his blade.
– Aren’t you going to hold your sword?
At that moment, the Death’s Blade asked Kuntel, who had lost his grip.
– Your hometown is burning. Your master is dead. Kirmelt Canyon is crumbling. I am the one doing this. And I stand before you now.
The questions were stark.
It felt as if something obvious was being asked.
– Aren’t you going to wield your sword?
Kuntel couldn’t respond to that question.
– You aren’t a knight, then.
As Ganikalt dragged his great sword along the ground, he passed by Kuntel. Blood splattered wherever he walked.
– Not worth killing.
With those words, the calamity departed from Kuntel’s side. The Death’s Blade slaughtered numerous Sword Masters that day, burying their corpses along with the canyon.
And Kuntel ran away.
It has been thirty years since that shameful past.
For thirty years, Kuntel has sharpened and honed his blade.
It’s been a long time since he joined the ranks of the Sword Masters. However, Kuntel has not overestimated his abilities. He has continued to swing his sword. Not a single day has gone by without practice.
He believed it was a tribute to the swordsmen buried in Kirmelt Canyon.
With that sharpened blade, Kuntel aimed at the Demon Lord’s Army. When his sword was raised for humanity, Kuntel felt a sense of fulfillment.
Sword Master, Kuntel.
He has made a name for himself as a Sword Master. He has amassed achievements on par with the Heroes in numerous battlefields.
That’s why Kuntel harbored expectations within himself.
He thought this time his sword would reach that calamity. He believed he would devour the Death’s Blade and the other three calamities.
But, what was the result?
It did not reach.
Not even Gletus, nor could he pierce through the mist she had laid. He could only slice through a wisp of fog.
Kuntel looks at his dulled blade.
The chipped blade seems to mirror his life.
He tried hard, yet it did not reach.
As he aged, his body grew frail. His physique has peaked and is now in decline. Kuntel smirked wryly at that truth.
“How futile.”
That murmur dissolves among the raindrops.
As he tries to inhale while pushing the blade back into its sheath.
Splash.
“….”
Amidst the sound of rain, footsteps can be heard. The steady footsteps halted in front of a tent. Kuntel, gripping the hilt, peered into the tent.
“….Raniel?”
There stood the Ashen Mage.
He was outside the tent, getting drenched in the rain alongside Remia the Archery Master. His expression was grim.
“Kuntel Uncle.”
Slowly, Raniel opened his mouth.
“Call Heinkel and Kyle immediately.”
—
“No matter what, we must stop it.”
Raniel’s first words were just that.
Late at night, in front of the commanders and Heroes gathered in Kuntel’s tent, Raniel spoke.
“I scouted the fortress. And inside it, I found Gletus. He looks just as described in history. White hair down to his waist and green eyes.”
Raniel pointed to the hastily drawn blueprint of Rodimel Fortress, hung on a makeshift stand.
“Here, in the hall of Rodimel Fortress, the Betrayer Gletus resides. There is only one beast guarding the hall—a Carapace Dragon made from a Black Dragon.”
A beast made from a Black Dragon.
At those words, the commanders of the Western Front turned pale. The primary battleground of the Black Dragon is typically the Eastern and Northern fronts. It’s rare to see the Black Dragon appear on the Western front.
However, it is not something they have never encountered.
Black Tempest, Belial the Black Dragon.
The imprinted calamity symbolizes fear. Some commanders rubbed their foreheads and spoke up.
“Then, should we give up on Rodimel Fortress?”
That opinion was valid. Rodimel Fortress is a strategic stronghold. However, if that statement were true, it might cost them less to relinquish it.
“No.”
Yet, Raniel shook his head.
“Even if it means destroying Rodimel Fortress, we must stop Gletus here.”
“Why must we do that?”
“Gletus is creating beasts at Rodimel Fortress. And the base consists of three things.”
Raniel spread his three fingers.
“A skeletal structure made of human bones.”
“The remains of Hetchling, which Belial protected until the end.”
“And finally…”
As he folded down his last finger, Raniel said.
“The living, fused bodies and souls of Holy Knights.”
“…What did you say?”
“Using the remains of Hetchling and the Dragon Heart as the main components, they will assemble human bones. The living bodies, fused with the bones, will provide flesh.”
Raniel replied, grimacing.
“That’s not a Bone Dragon.”
Flesh was attached to the skeleton.
The material for that flesh consists of living humans.
Those who are alive yet wish for death are no longer human. They are offerings for sorcery. What do you call a dragon made of offerings that can be utilized at any moment?
That was something even Raniel could not comprehend.
It’s just that the very existence is alien.
He could easily guess, though, what kind of effect such a completed dragon would have on the battlefield.
“It’s a beast made entirely of offerings that can be utilized for sorcery.”
Raniel spoke his thoughts.
“A living sorcery will wreak havoc on the battlefield. To be honest… if we can’t stop it here, it is highly likely to become a nuisance of Black Dragon caliber.”
The expressions of the commanders grew sour. They sighed and rubbed their foreheads. They too agreed with the Wise One’s words.
This place must be stopped.
They cannot allow a new calamity to be born.
So the remaining question is one.
Who will stop it?
The Betrayer, Gletus.
Who will seize back the fortress occupied by that calamity, and who will vanquish the beasts arising from it?
It is impossible for mere knights.
Not even the blade of a Sword Master could reach it.
The opponent is a calamity that surpasses what humanity can contend with. And there has always been one way to face such calamities.
The Hero.
All gazes turned towards the Hero adorned with the Holy Sword.
As if waiting for this moment, Kyle slowly rose from his seat. He approached Raniel.
“The situation is clear.”
He asked Raniel.
“When will we do it?”
He does not ask how they will do it.
As always, the Wise One will devise the plan. He need only swing his sword in accordance with the command.
“I’m ready.”
With a thud, Kyle nudges the hilt of the Holy Sword.
Raniel turns his head to look at the dark grasslands. The rain continues to fall.
Beyond the pouring raindrops, Raniel gazes at Rodimel Fortress perched on the cliff.
Then, he replied briefly.
“At dawn.”
When the night fades and the morning arrives.
When the dawn settles upon the grasslands.
“That time is the right moment.”
Kyle nods. The leader of the knights, Heinkel, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, asked.
“Do you need support?”
The answer to that question is always the same.
“Please stand by.”
Raniel said.
“We four will go.”
In the face of an extraordinary calamity, their number is insignificant. Raniel knew that well.
Especially in this case.
—
The black fields bordering the Demon Realm.
As the sun rises over the vast horizon of the grasslands, on a cliff overlooking the entire dawn-soaked expanse lies an ancient castle.
In the towers of that ancient castle, four figures perch.
Having successfully infiltrated from the underground waterway to the tower, they are now targeting the heart of Rodimel Fortress.
“It feels disgusting.”
Feeling the life stirring there, Sara furrows her brow. The writhing life feels artificial. It is a blasphemy in itself.
“Are you okay?”
“I have to be okay.”
To the Saint’s question, the Wise One replies.
Blessed by Sara, Raniel nods a couple of times. He loosens his fingers and tests the ground with a few steps.
The blessing upon him enhances his physique.
It is a form of enhancement different from spells, and he steadies his breath while adapting his body.
“Remember the operation, okay?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I’m all ears. I remember everything, human.”
“Just saying it in case you forget again, pointy-eared boy.”
With a grumble, Raniel flicks his wrist.
As he positions himself, he glances at the Hero, who has placed a foot on the tower.
“Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
At that response, Raniel smirks and smiles. After exhaling once more, he gestures upward.
“Fire, Remia.”
The Archery Master launches an arrow. The arrow, connected by a taut line, flies straight and firmly embeds itself in the opposing castle wall.
Thud.
Kyle jumps off the tower, stepping on the taut line.
Behind him follows Raniel. A few beasts turn their gaze towards them.
Thud!
The next arrow shot by Remia pierces through the eyes of the beasts.
KEAAAEH!
Amidst the shrieks of the beasts, Kyle spins and lands atop the castle wall. Immediately upon landing, he kicks off the castle wall and dashes forward. At the end lies a dome-shaped roof.
The movements are seamless.
Beneath the roof is the hall, and in that hall is the Betrayer, Gletus.
Five seconds.
Following Kyle, as he counts in his mind, Raniel anticipates the moment the summoned beasts will detect any anomalies among them.
Before that, we charge in.
While running, Kyle pushes off the ground repeatedly, allowing Raniel to catch up. As Raniel leaps ahead, Kyle steadily strengthens each of his strides, storing up energy.
Raniel lightly jumps and takes to the air.
“Hey.”
Floating mid-air, Raniel clenches his fist.
“I’m going in.”
The incantations embellished on his forearm spark with light one after another. With a flash, Raniel descends.
Smash.
His fist crashes down on the roof as he lands. The moment his spell is unleashed, it shakes the ancient fortress.
KWAAAAAH!
With a loud noise, cracks appear in the roof.
The roof shatters and begins to collapse. Stones fall beneath the hall.
– The hall is guarded by a Carapace Dragon.
Watching the sight.
– Charging in from the front is impossible. It reacts even to small debris, so infiltration is also off the table. And to contend with that while facing Gletus? That’s impossible.
Kyle recalls the plan he heard from Raniel.
– The Summoner mustn’t be given time. That means we have to deal with it all at once. Therefore, we will instead use that overly sensitive Carapace Dragon to our advantage.
“Go, Kyle.”
Kyle nods.
He stretches out his bent knees and leaps. Diving into the collapsing roof, Kyle looks down at the hall.
Amidst a slowed sense of time, he can see the Carapace Dragon moving. The beast coiled in the hall stirs, but its movements are not directed towards Kyle.
– We break the roof to enter.
– Then, the Carapace Dragon will first react to the falling debris. That’s our opportunity.
The Carapace Dragon first reacts to the tumbling debris.
Twisting and turning its body, it grinds through the scattering stones. Beyond the pulverized rubble, Kyle plummets.
Restriction.
Chain.
Chains that soar from somewhere bind the falling rubble. Kyle lands on the grasped stone.
Crack!
The stone he steps on fractures.
Kyle crouches on his knees and gazes down. The Carapace Dragon is climbing up, demolishing rubble.
– Hey, Kyle.
He grips his sword.
Concentrating strength into his toes.
The stone fragment he stands on creaks.
– Do you remember when you slashed the Black Dragon’s wing?
He remembers.
When Raniel lowered that altitude with every kind of spell, Kyle had slashed the Black Dragon’s wing.
At that time, how did he sever the wing?
He didn’t even struggle to swing his sword. He merely held the Holy Sword out towards the beast that came at him.
Like before.
There’s no need to hesitate.
Thud!
Crack! Crack!
Each time he steps on the debris, the chains sway. Using the recoil, Kyle rapidly leaps again, becoming an arrow of flight.
The shaft is Kyle’s physique.
The tip of the arrow is the Holy Sword he wields.
Swish.
He steadies his Holy Sword. A stream of light flows along the blade. As he gathers speed, he pulls the light with him.
Thud!
The last stone he sets his foot on is before the gaping maw of the Carapace Dragon made from the Black Dragon’s skull. The open jaws, which once caught the stones before, now let them in.
– Split it open.
An arrow of a single shot dives into the jaws of the Carapace Dragon.
KAAGHHHHH!
The debris erupts upwards. The Carapace Dragon’s skin splits. It seems it would shed no blood at all, yet it now bleeds.
KGYAHAH!
With a dreadful roar, blood pours forth. Amid the splattering blood, a beam of light advances. The shimmering blade breaks through the Carapace Dragon’s flesh.
SWISH!
Amid the pouring blood, Kyle narrows his eyes.
As he slices through the body of the Carapace Dragon and spins in the air, he swings his sword.
CRACK!
The severing strike splashes blood towards Gletus. But Kyle isn’t the only one targeting her.
Smash.
A shockwave overwhelms the hall’s side. Through the flying bricks, the Ashen Mage gestures, with the Archery Master letting go of the bowstring.
WHOOSH!
A moonlit arrow rushes with a trailing glow.
The arrow shot by the Archery Master flies straight towards Gletus.
Kyle’s cutting strike.
Raniel’s smash.
Remia’s moonlit arrow.
That’s enough.
He seized the momentum.
With that conviction, Kyle looks at Gletus. She, too, raises her head to gaze at him. Their eyes meet in the void.
– If you’ve cut through the Carapace Dragon, that should end it.
– There’s always a delay for the Summoner. It’s absolute. They summon their minions from the Otherworld.
Amid the fluttering white strands, her face emerges.
That expression remains utterly expressionless.
– If we swiftly eliminate the Carapace Dragon guarding the hall, we can inflict significant damage before the summoned minions arrive.
She is far too composed.
– Even if we cannot kill her, we can tilt the battle in our favor.
Despite having no minions to protect her, she carries a calm demeanor. This sight sends shivers down Kyle’s spine.
Something is wrong.
That instinct emerges.
“Oh.”
Gletus blinks.
Her green eyes swirl.
“You’re the ones?”
She grinned.
“You killed the Black Dragon.”
She waves her hand.
Her left arm, hidden beneath her garment, becomes revealed. Kyle’s eyes widen as he sees that arm.
It’s black.
It appears as if it has been submerged in shadow.
The black arm, contrasting starkly with her snow-white skin, slashes into the air. To Kyle, it looks as though the air itself is being rent.
And then, the unusual event begins.
From the torn space, something springs forth. What appears is a newly manifested version of the previously slashed Carapace Dragon.
It lunges at Kyle’s slicing strike.
CGRAACK!
And.
GAHGAHGAH!
It is not just one.
GRAAGH!
Five Carapace Dragons leap out from the air. They consume Remia’s moonlit arrow. They deflect Raniel’s smash.
“What the hell.”
As Raniel tumbles from outside the hall, he extends his hand. Ensnared by the light from his fingers, the spell glows brightly.
Chain.
Holding tight onto the chain that grips Kyle’s descending body, Raniel swings it broadly. Kyle, afloat in mid-air, sees.
…What is this?
The Carapace Dragons are collapsing the fortress.
Spinning Carapace Dragons guard Gletus.
Even as Kyle is bewildered, Raniel continues throwing chains. One flies out of the fortress, while the other is hurled towards the tower.
“Remia!”
Remia, still holding Sara, grabs the chain.
SWISH!
The chain flails with Raniel’s mana, flinging wildly. As they are tossed roughly onto the ground, Remia and Sara crash down.
Yet, they cannot afford to feel dissatisfied.
Smash.
Raniel releases the chain and immediately swings his fist.
A shockwave bursts forth towards the skull of a Carapace Dragon rushing at him. Yet, it’s Raniel who gets pushed back.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Unable to withstand the recoil, one of Raniel’s arms snaps. Fractured fingers become bent. A price paid for sacrificing one arm earns him the chance to escape the Carapace Dragon’s radius.
Smash!
Launched away, Raniel is smashed against the castle wall.
“Ugh, damn…”
He shakes off the rubble and struggles to regain his footing. Blood mixes with the spit that Raniel spills.
“….What… what is this?”
Sara, now covered in dirt, raises her head.
“….”
Remia takes a step back silently.
And Kyle.
Kyle bites his lips as he gazes at Gletus.
The five Carapace Dragons have come to a halt.
They bow their heads as if serving their king and withdraw. Between the retreating Carapace Dragons, white hair flutters.
The Betrayer, Gletus.
Emerging from the debris, she waves her right hand.
When she swings her unsoiled right hand, the mist that enveloped the fortress surges inside.
A blue and red glow flickers within the mist.
SWISH!
She slashed with her blackened left arm.
The very air is torn apart. From that ripped space, mist flows out. The eyes of the beasts glisten within the fog.
“It’s broken.”
Gletus murmurs flatly.
“I was on the verge of completion, but now it’s shattered.”
She mumbles, as though filled with regret.
“But, perhaps it’s fine since I have better materials?”
She narrows her eyes.
The murky green pupils focus on the Hero.
“The body of a Hero.”
…Comprehension eludes calamities.
What is typical loses its meaning before them. Before the face of insanity, Kyle struggles to swallow his dry saliva.
He simply could not conceive a method to win.