The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth
Chapter 439: Battle against Hekqet (4)

Chapter 439: Battle against Hekqet (4)

CRASH!

The ground caved as Karyl stomped down, sending rubble exploding in all directions. With a thunderous roar, like a cannon blast, he surged forward—each step compressing the air beneath him and releasing shockwaves that hurled him ever higher.

He zigzagged through the sky at breakneck speed, closing in on the enormous Hekqet, who lashed out with his long, slimy tongue.

Spurt!

Saliva flew from his tongue like a cascading waterfall. As the droplets hit the ground, thick, black smoke rose into the air.

[That’s some potent venom... I’ve never seen a creature like this before. His spawns weren’t even close to this level, right?]

Allen Javius clicked his tongue as he observed the vapor rising around them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

But Karyl paid no attention to the poisonous fumes, charging straight through the smoke. He was moving at such tremendous speed that behind him, a hole seemed to appear in the smoke. Within a moment, he was gone, and the only sign indicating where he was heading was the swirling smoke behind him.

“It doesn’t matter how potent the venom is, if I can just evade it.”

With that, Karyl infused Lakna with mana and thrust it straight at Hekqet’s crown.

Caught off guard by the assault, the Tarak swung his massive trident in a desperate attempt to parry. But Karyl twisted midair, evading the strike, and followed up with another precise thrust.

The Second Stance: Unicorn Posture

Karyl raised his sword above his head and spun, unleashing a whirlwind of cutting winds in every direction.

“Ghrr...”

Though his sword struck Hekqet’s chest directly, the creature’s armor remained unscathed, not even a scratch marring its surface.

“...”

Karyl narrowed his eyes at the sight.

[What kind of armor is that? If not even your strikes leave a mark...]

“It’s not really armor, as it’s part of its body. In any case, it’s insanely durable and good at absorbing impact.”

[Alright, I wasn’t asking for a whole lecture, you know?]

“I’m merely telling you why this would make for great armor material.”

With that, Karyl launched himself forward.

“Fly.”

The wind surged around him, propelling him directly into Hekqet’s face.

“Ghaaah...!!”

The monster thrust his trident at him, this time prepared.

“Blink.”

Karyl’s figure flickered, and the trident pierced only air. Reappearing behind the Tarak, he leapt forward again, launching himself onto his massive shoulder.

The move was deceptively simple, but the execution itself was extraordinary. Though similar to the Blink spell from earlier, this leap relied solely on raw physical prowess.

The seamless combination of magic and movement might seem trivial, but it was a masterful feat. Even with consecutive casting, there was a delay between the spells. For swordsmen fighting sorcerers, exploiting that moment of delay was a key strategy.

But Karyl managed to eliminate that gap entirely, using his physical abilities to bridge the transition between spells. This flawless technique was just one of the many he had developed to battle Yula herself.

“Ghraaaa...!!” Hekqet roared as Karyl perched on his shoulder, his blade poised for the final strike. The monster’s trident spun as it lunged toward him, releasing a sharp shockwave.

BOOOOM...!!

Everything nearby was shattered by the sheer force. A hill that had stood tall moments ago now bore a gaping void, as if a colossal beast had taken a bite out of it.

Clink—

Karyl glanced at his armor’s side and tore off a piece that had been destroyed.

[What destructive power... You’re telling me that’s just brute strength? Not even a dragon’s breath could do that.]

Allen Javius frowned, astonished by Hekqet’s power.

“To think humans would dare interfere in the Oracle War.”

Hekqet slammed his trident into the ground and fixed his gaze on Karyl. With each guttural word, mucus oozed from his slick skin.

Thud... Thud...

The earth quaked with each step Hekqet took.

“Get your words straight, you frog bastard. It’s not us interfering in some Oracle War. It’s Yula trespassing on our land.”

Karyl’s eyes remained locked on the creature.

“Your lands were created by Yula, so they are her domain. You are also her creations, so you ultimately belong to her.”

“In that case, your life doesn’t belong to you either,” Karyl sneered. “So your death wouldn’t matter, would it? I suppose this is just a fight between creations.”

“You insolent—”

“Yes, I’ve heard it all before, from those winged bastards. Guess what. They all lost their heads.”

The earth shook violently as a massive shadow appeared where Karyl stood.

CRASH...!!

Hekqet’s enormous foot came crashing down, but Karyl dodged at the last second. A crater marked the spot where he had stood.

“Hmph...!”

Holding his breath, Karyl kicked off the ground and landed on the creature’s leg, still buried in the earth. He sprinted up the near-vertical surface until he reached Hekqet’s chest.

“How dare you compare me to the Nephilim?!”

Whoosh—!!

Hekqet swung his trident in a wide horizontal arc. Karyl shifted his weight midair to evade the massive blade—only for the weapon to surge upward a moment later, targeting him again.

Fwoosh—!!!

In the midst of the assault, Karyl’s Ein Trigger blazed to life, emitting a searing light that blinded Hekqet and scorched his face.

Shnk!

At the same time, Karyl drew the Freezing Talon from and hurled it with all his might at the Hekqet’s foot. The blade embedded itself into the creature’s flesh, and frost quickly spread over the leg from the impact point.

“Haaa...!!”

Exhaling sharply, Karyl hurled Lakna into the air and opened Polsetia. The pages of the Grand Grimoire fluttered in the wind, revealing a blade hidden within its depths.

The sword burst forth, glowing with radiant energy as Karyl grasped it. Rasis’s faint light also shimmered behind Karyl, empowering him.

Then, with surgical precision, Karyl drove the enchanted blade into the narrow gap in Hekqet’s armor—toward the pulsating heart.

“Grrrk...!!”

But Hekqet retaliated swiftly, releasing his trident to swing his massive fist at Karyl. The punch landed, and it was devastating, even though Karyl had raised his arm to shield his face.

BANG!

The blow sent Karyl hurtling hundreds of meters across the ground, rolling and skidding until he finally came to a stop.

“Karyl!!” Allen Javius shouted urgently, already chanting a spell.

Sssshhh...!

Black tendrils coiled around Hekqet, trying to restrain him before he could lunge at Karyl. But the Tarak seized his trident and swept it in a wide arc, dispersing the dark mist in an instant.

“What in the...?!”

Allen stared in disbelief, stunned that the Tarak had nullified his spell with just brute force.

“Ghraaaa...!!” Hekqet roared triumphantly, pounding his chest as he looked down at Karyl, who lay motionless on the ground.

And then—

VROOOOM...!!

Out of nowhere, a massive black object soared through the air with a deep, resonant sound, heading straight for Hekqet’s head.

CRASH!

The Tarak managed to block it with his trident, but the impact still made him stagger.

BOOM! BOOM!

Another projectile rushed toward the creature before the first had even hit the ground. Hekqet quickly adjusted his grip on the trident, bracing for the next strike.

Sssshhhk!!

At that moment, a net sprang up from the ground, tangling around its trident and hindering the Tarak’s movement.

THUD!! THUD!!

Massive axes—the kind used by combat golems—slammed into the Hekqet’s skull one after another. A huge boulder followed, threatening to crush the creature.

“Karyl!”

Miliana rushed to Karyl’s side, helping him to his feet. Meanwhile, Hawat, having used up all his axes, grabbed whatever boulders and rocks he could find and desperately hurled them at Hekqet.

“Get out of there!”

“You insolent fools!!”

Enraged, Hekqet leapt into the air with astonishing speed, his massive form seeming weightless. In an instant, he reached Hawat and snatched his face with his enormous hand.

BOOM!!!

Though nearly as large as Hekqet himself, Hawat was hoisted with ease, his legs left dangling before his head was slammed into the ground.

“Foolish Giant... I can’t believe your kind has endured.”

Hekqet’s grotesque tongue slithered out, coiling tightly around Hawat’s neck and strangling him as the Tarak drove his trident toward his chest.

“No!”

Digg rushed in, using Hawat’s chest as a springboard to hurl herself into the air. Mid-leap, she drew her dagger and slashed at the tongue choking her companion.

Shing!

Blood and bits of flesh flew in the air. Digg had managed to sever the tongue but failed to fully evade the venomous saliva.

“Agh...!”

Her face burned terribly, but she pressed on, hacking at the rest of the tongue.

Freed from the Tarak’s grip, Hawat twisted his body to dodge the trident, but he couldn’t avoid it completely.

The blade lodged deep into his shoulder.

“Aaaargh...!!”

Hawat’s scream echoed across the battlefield. The golem-grade armor he wore was several times thicker than a knight’s armor. It had been forged with reinforced materials like azure steel—and yet, Hekqet’s trident had crumpled it like paper.

“...What an abomination,” Miliana muttered under her breath, suppressing a shudder. She couldn’t believe Karyl had taken a direct blow from that thing and was still breathing.

“Well, that was properly embarrassing...” Karyl groaned, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stood up.

“How do you plan to bring that thing down?” Miliana asked.

“The strategy is simple. Pierce his heart through that gap in the armor.”

“Easier said than done...”

“Exactly. That gap is so obvious it feels like bait. By drawing attacks to that one spot, the Tarak simplifies his defenses. His armor was designed to exploit that tendency,” Allen observed.

Karyl knew that all too well. Many had tried to finish off a Tarak by striking through that gap—only to fall to its counterattack. Still, there was no way around it—you either strike the heart or die.

“So how did you defeat it last time?” Allen asked.

By piercing his heart. The tactic hasn’t changed.

Karyl left out the part where thousands had died just to tear off the piece of armor shielding the creature’s heart. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that to the others.

“You’re not thinking of doing something reckless again, are you?” Miliana asked warily.

[If it’s the heart you’re after, I can obliterate it with a single blow.]

It was then that Mael’s voice slithered into Karyl’s ears. The snake’s ethereal form manifested along his arm.

[Things are different from your past life. You have me now.]

Watch your tongue.

[Hehe. Don’t worry. The others can’t hear me now.] Mael snickered, his serpentine tongue flickering.

Each subtle movement only hardened Karyl’s expression further.

[You don’t need to sacrifice thousands of lives to break that armor. All it takes is your own. Penetrate that gap. Of course, you’ll take his counterstrike full on, but it’s only your body instead of a thousand.]

[You mad snake! Stop spouting nonsense!] Allen growled, his voice boiling with rage.

[Oh, come now, sorcerer. You know as well as I do that his speed alone isn’t enough to dodge Hekqet’s counterattacks and reach the heart. If that Tarak uses bait, so must we. Perhaps even that woman in front of you could serve as a distraction.]

Mael’s tone grew colder, leaving Allen fuming.

[Don’t worry, even if you die, I’ll make sure your wish to sever Yula’s head is fulfilled. I’ll just take over your body and finish the job. Hehe.]

[Even in a situation like this, you’re scheming for his body... I can’t believe this rotten snake is the Master Key.] Allen shook his head.

“...”

Karyl’s gaze remained locked on Hekqet, still standing over Hawat.

[Use me.]

“...!!”

Another voice, sharp like a blade, pierced through Karyl’s thoughts.

[You don’t have to sacrifice yourself.]

“Who is this...?” Karyl asked aloud, his voice trembling.

[If you trust me, I’ll get you to that creature’s heart.]

The voice was cold and resolute, carrying an edge that brooked no argument.

[It’s truly remarkable. For him to speak directly...] Allen murmured, clearly taken aback.

[Indeed, if anyone can turn the tide here, it might be him.]

The Spirit Kings, on the other hand, were unfazed. If anything, they welcomed the new presence.

Startled, Karyl looked down at the emerald gem embedded in the pendant hanging around his neck. It radiated a fierce light.

[You’re as greedy as ever, snake.]

Inside the gem, a vortex churned violently. It was the Wind Spirit King—Psammead, the Raging Gale.