The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

Chapter 80: A Meeting at Abyssal Rocks

During the Magical Era, the region known as the Blue Road, now called Abyssal Rocks, stood as the sole forested area in the water-scarce southern lands.

"Wow..." Mikhail couldn’t help but exclaim as he beheld the lush greenery stretching across the barren desert. It felt as though magic thrived here, a stark contrast to the rest of the South, where magic seemed to be absent.

The view from atop the serpent's head only amplified the uniqueness of this lush oasis.

At the edge of this remarkable greenery, towering cliffs rose sharply, capturing Karyl’s gaze as he reminisced about a bygone past.

"This area belongs to the Five Great Families, but is also the land of the Digon tribe."

"Indeed. The Spear family, the leaders of the Five Great Families, serve the Digon, who are tasked with guarding the Abyssal Rocks, or so it's said."

Kinu Mukari pointed away from the jungle. "Further west into the Abyssal Rocks lies the stronghold of the Spear family."

"Hmm." Karyl nodded as he sprinkled an unknown powder onto the branches. The white powder ignited upon contact, burning away without a trace yet leaving the branch unaffected.

Intrigued by the sight, Mikhail couldn’t help but ask Karyl. "What have you been doing since a while ago?"

Ever since they entered the Abyssal Rocks, Karyl had been sprinkling a strange white powder on rocks and branches every now and then.

"This? It's ground corpse spider. After it burns, it leaves nothing behind. It’s odorless and colorless."

"Hmm...?" Mikhail tilted his head, still puzzled by Karyl's explanation.

"It's a kind of marker,” Beikan chimed in, coming to Karyl’s aid. “The empire folks might not know, but this is a special marker only we can recognize."

"I see..." Mikhail didn’t understand properly even after Beikan's explanation; he still had lingering questions.

But why leave a marker? Who's even supposed to see this? But he didn't get an answer to those questions.

Karyl brushed off the powder and turned to Beikan. "For now, we won’t go directly to the Spear family. Instead, we’ll ascend the Abyssal Rocks directly and secure the Spring of Vision before meeting the Spear family. This will give us an advantage in later negotiations."

"It won’t be easy. For them, uniting the five families under Lord Karyl would be seen as a betrayal to Digon.”

"Hmm... They're not officially under the Digon's command, are they?"

"Umm, well, yes, but..."

"No problem. Besides, after we conquer the Abyssal Rocks, the Digons will come looking for me anyway."

"..."

Beikan and Kinu exchanged glances, unable to grasp the full extent of Karyl's plan.

***

"Phew."

Karyl sighed, wiping the blood from the blade of his Freezing Talon with a cloth.

Kruk... Kruruk!!

The troll's agonized screams echoed in the air as Karyl stretched, feeling somewhat stiff.

Being a seasoned hunter, he knows really well how to deal with monsters. It’s thanks to him that we’re making such good progress.

The first monster they encountered at the entrance of the Abyssal Rocks was a troll. These creatures were far superior to orcs and were humanoid in form. On top of that, they had abnormally long limbs and protruding snouts with long fangs.

Though they were challenging monsters, with Beikan and Kinu leading the way, supported by Aidan and Mikhail, the hunt became quite easy.

It's impressive how skilled everyone is, considering there are only four of them. They are quite frankly on par with knights, if not better. And even without magic, Beikan and Kinu’s combat abilities don’t fall short of Aidan’s.

Magic was powerful, but it was not everything. Karyl had proven that in his previous life.

Beikan with his sheer strength and physique, is one thing, but Kinu, that guy, is not one to be underestimated either.

Was he also blessed by the wind spirits? His arrows hit their mark every time. Aren't these blessings supposed to be rare? It seems like they’re being handed out quite liberally.

[No, it’s just that the guys around you are monsters. Besides, aren’t you, with your memories from before your regression, the biggest cheat here?!]

Karyl just chuckled.

Kruk!!

Another troll charged at Karyl, seemingly unaware of the power disparity even after seeing the corpses of its comrades.

Krarak...!!

With a click of his tongue, Karyl tossed the cleaning cloth aside and swiftly moved his sword. Leaving a fluid and graceful trajectory, the blade effortlessly split the troll in half, separating its skull from its body. It pierced through the troll and embedded itself in the ground, releasing a powerful boom.

Though they had remarkable regenerative abilities, being split in two was beyond recovery, even for a troll.

[Tsk... Could you handle it a bit more carefully? Do you have any idea how much effort went into making that sword? It took decades, decades of pure work with dwarves and elves in the forge to finish it.]

At the end of the day, a weapon is a tool for killing. I’m just using it better than anyone. Besides, you wouldn’t have made it so fragile that it would be damaged by this, right?

[Tsk... You and your sly tongue. You always know what to say.] Allen clicked his tongue as he watched Karyl effortlessly pull the Freezing Talon out from the ground.

It was quite the sight, as beneath him, the corpses of orcs had almost piled up into a mountain.

Krurrurrur...!!!

Above them, the Sand Serpent swooped down next to Karyl, and gripped another troll with its jaw before ascending into the sky.

The sound of bones crushing and the occasional droplets of blood falling marked the serpent’s feast.

[How many is that now?] Allen asked, watching the spectacle. [That thing’s a glutton.]

It’s actually a rather good thing.

Trolls may be formidable to humans, but they were mere prey to the Sand Serpent.

“...Impressive," Kinu murmured, his eyes fixed on Karyl. He had heard about Karyl taming the hill's master, this was the first time he had seen him fight.

"Beikan, now I understand why you pledged loyalty to Lord Karyl. No warrior in the whole of South can fight like that."

"..."

Beikan just nodded and quietly tended to his axe.

"Why are there so many monsters in the Abyssal Rocks that are supposedly blessed by the spirits?"

"The legends of Abyssal Rocks are just that, legends. Honestly, it's rare even in the Empire to see a spirit mage, let alone here where there’s no magic..." Mikhail spoke nonchalantly, catching his breath after their recent battle.

Despite their vastly different appearances, Mikhail, Kinu, and Beikan were astonishingly all of the same age. Initially, Mikhail felt a bit awkward speaking to them informally due to their appearances, but after fighting side by side, he found himself speaking to them more comfortably.

"No, it's different," Beikan interjected, breaking his silence. "While the legends of Abyssal Rocks might be nothing more than legends as you say, the presence of monsters here is odd for a completely different reason. After all, this place is directly under the management of the head of the Five Great Families, the Spear family."

"That's right,” Kinu added. “Tulu Spear, the head of the Spear family, is known for his meticulous nature. It’s highly unlikely that he would leave the Abyssal Rocks unattended..."

While Mikhail, having never met him, didn’t think much of Tulu Spear, Beikan and Kinu Mukari couldn’t shake their unease.

"We'll find out the truth once we reach the summit. From there, we can overlook the Spear family’s territory and see if there’s anything odd."

"Understood."

"Um... Okay."

"But why aren't we riding the serpent up? Wouldn’t it be better to go straight to the top?" Aidan, wiping the blood off his dagger on the corpse of a troll, straightened up and joined the conversation.

"For one, it’s to avoid drawing attention from the Spear family. But the main reason is that the Serpent doesn’t want to go further up. I’ve tried to coax it a few times, but it stubbornly refuses to go beyond this point."

"Eh? That's weird." Aidan didn’t understand. Why would the Sand Serpent, a predator even to trolls, be reluctant to climb the Abyssal Rocks?

"Maybe there’s something waiting for us at the summit."

"Um... Could it actually be the King of Spirits?"

"Ah, don’t joke," Aidan replied, waving his hand dismissively and chuckling.

***

The summit, once seeming so far away, was now right before their eyes. The lush greenery of the Abyssal Rocks' forest had gradually given way to a landscape shrouded in an eerie aura.

"Uh-hum..."

Despite having climbed this far up, the absence of anyone from the Spear family kept the Southerners, Beikan and Kinu, on their guard.

"It looks like we'll make it to the top without much trouble, doesn't it?" Unlike the two, Mikhail, spotting a tomb-like altar in the distance, spoke lightly.

"Indeed. Compared to when we cleared out the Twin-Headed Eagle's dungeon, this is a walk in the park." Aidan also seemed carefree.

"Right?"

The two had expected much harsher conditions upon hearing the sacred name of the Abyssal Rocks. However, the only monsters they encountered were a few trolls and goblins.

"Hm?"

Just then, Beikan, who was leading the way, noticed scattered weapons on the ground.

"...There are bodies here."

"It's hard to confirm due to the damage, but judging from the engravings on the weapons, they seem to belong to the Spear family."

As they went near the bushes, they were hit by a pungent smell.

"Ugh..."

Mikhail gagged upon seeing the charred remains resembling charcoal.

"Bodies?"

Having been on alert for the Spear family throughout their ascent, they were quite taken aback by being greeted by their lifeless bodies instead.

"Were they overpowered by monsters...?"

"Why would the guardians of Abyssal Rocks meet their deaths here?"

"No, this isn't the work of monsters."

Aidan quickly examined the bodies and answered Mikhail's question.

"Although the trolls and orcs we encountered did wield weapons, theirs were crude. The clean cuts on these bodies couldn't be their doing."

"You can tell?"

"Yeah."

Mikhail watched as Aidan deftly handled the almost unrecognizably burnt corpses. He once again became curious about his true identity.

"They were killed with weapons and then burnt. And look, the armor is different too. It's very strange. Among the corpses, there's also the armor of an imperial knight."

"Imperial knight?"

"Yes. The color has faded away because of the fire, but the shape is that of a knight’s. Furthermore, the fact that their gear is untouched suggests that the motive wasn't robbery... Could there have been a conflict?"

"Perhaps. But considering the solidarity of the Five Great Families, it's hard to imagine them turning against the Spear family," Beikan replied, shaking his head at Aidan’s speculation.

"Besides, it's highly unlikely for an imperial knight to be here. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"I'm certain."

Conflicts among the southern tribes were not uncommon, but the Abyssal Rocks had never been desecrated like this. The Eimae, Enra, Tashai, and Bui tribes, like the Spear family, held the Abyssal Rocks in reverence.

"If it was a tribal conflict, they wouldn't have fought here. This is the work of people from the empire."

"Hmm..."

Karyl strode past Aidan and inspected the bodies. However, his eyes flickered for a moment, as if recognizing something familiar.

This shape...

“Did you recognize something?” Aidan quickly caught on to the slight change in his expression.

"I’m not sure yet. We need to investigate further."

Though he said that, Karyl recalled a scene from a long-forgotten memory.

"Could the empire be involved in this? Even though they're already busy conquering the north..." Aidan's words hung in the air, causing everyone to fall silent.

The unexpected discovery of the corpses seemed to forewarn of the events yet to happen on the Abyssal Rocks.

"Everyone, stop!" Karyl murmured softly, raising his hand.

Bang!

Without warning, dozens of spear blades sprang forth from the surrounding bushes, aimed directly at Karyl and his companions.

"...!!!"

In the glimmering sunlight shining off of the blades, the party hastily armed themselves against the sudden threat.

"How could this...?"

Was it the perfect camouflage, not even detected by an assassin of the caliber of Aidan? And yet, there were dozens of them.

"It's not your fault, Aidan. It's only natural that you didn't notice."

"Pardon?"

"The spears aren't trembling. They're not held by people. These must have been traps set up in advance, likely to stop intruders... but it seems they targeted the wrong group. You! Take a good look at who you're dealing with!"

Yet, there was no response.

Beikan and Kinu Mukari watched Karyl intently, their tensions palpable.

"Well, fine. We were curious anyway. It’s better to ask directly. An explanation is in order."

Had Karyl detected a presence even Aidan missed?

Karyl stared intently at one spot.

"Tell me, what happened here?"

All of a sudden, Karyl lunged forward, thrusting his hand into the bushes.

"Ugh?!" A pained youthful groan escaped.

With all his strength, Karyl pulled, dragging a masked figure out from between the bushes.

"Speak," Karyl ordered, pressing down on the figure’s neck. They struggled to break free from his grip, but the vice-like hold remained unyielding. Through eyes filled with pain, they glared defiantly at Karyl.

"L-Let me go!!"

"Really? Try to grasp the situation. You're the one who pointed a spear at me," Karyl retorted, regarding the masked figure's outcry as nothing short of absurd. He tightened his grip further, but there was no intention to kill.

"Why are you here when you should be in the village?" With a swift motion, Karyl tore off the mask.

"...!!"

As the face hidden beneath the mask was revealed, Beikan and Kinu Mukari’s eyes widened in surprise.

However, Karyl, as if he had known the identity of the person beneath the mask all along, spoke in a low, measured voice.

"Kayla Spear, daughter of the Spear family."