Kirmelt Canyon, Galatrick.
Now, this place is more often referred to by the derogatory term ‘Grave of the Sword’ rather than its sacred name. For decades, no human has set foot here, and humanity dared not even think about approaching Galatrick.
The idea of expanding the front lines toward Galatrick was considered madness, let alone reclaiming it.
And there was a good reason for that.
In this place, known as the Grave of the Sword, the most feared calamity of all, a tangible embodiment of death, lingered.
Ganikalt, the Death’s Blade.
Ever since the day the Kirmelt Canyon crumbled and humanity retreated, that presence has always been here.
To approach Galatrick where the most feared calamity resided was seen as an act of suicide. So much so that humanity designated the area around the Grave of the Sword as a “forbidden zone.”
“But that’s ancient history now.”
Kalt swallowed hard.
The Death’s Blade is no longer here. That dreaded calamity, according to my senior, has taken root deep within the Phantom Territory.
“Ganikalt is not there.”
“The Death’s Blade will be waiting for challengers at the farthest reaches of the Phantom Territory.”
There’s always a reason when my senior speaks with such certainty, something he usually isn’t prone to. Hence, Ganikalt shouldn’t appear here.
It can’t be here.
“What is that?”
Then what is that?
“Why is that…?”
A slope made of stacked ruins.
Standing on top of the slope, Kalt pointed toward the center of the canyon. The temple that Kuntel spoke of, the trial place of the sword practitioners. Now, a single sword was stuck in the center of the fallen temple.
A massive greatsword.
With holes in its blade.
That is the symbol of calamity. The Death’s Blade, Ganikalt, was embedded there. There’s no way he could forget that sword. As Kalt shuddered, Lac frowned.
“There’s no decay flowing from the sword.”
“What?”
“I mean that greatsword.”
Lac gestured toward the greatsword stuck in the temple’s center.
“Normally, decay would ooze out from the holes. Just like how starlight flows out of the sword I possess…”
Lac grabbed at the air.
Suddenly, what appeared was another greatsword that was exactly the same as the one embedded in the center of the temple. From the holes in that sword, platinum starlight streamed down.
“Certainly…”
Kalt slowly nodded.
There is only one sword lying there. He feels no hint of death present anywhere. After a brief exchange of glances, Kalt and Lac descended the slope.
SWISH.
Sliding down the slope, they approached the sword with steady postures. Even though the distance was close enough, no change occurred with the embedded sword.
‘Just within reach.’
Yet, neither Lac nor Kalt reached out to the sword. Their instincts were ringing alarms. Unconsciously, they both felt they shouldn’t reach for that blade.
WHOOSH.
Kalt picked up a pebble rolling on the ground and threw it at the sword. The moment the pebble touched the embedded greatsword…
CRUNCH.
It crumbled to dust.
As he squinted to examine, a cool blade aura enveloped the greatsword. An aura sharp enough to shred anything that approached.
“This is insane.”
Kalt clicked his tongue.
To have an aura without even touching the sword is utterly absurd. There couldn’t be two beings capable of such nonsense.
“Even if there’s no decay, I think it’s still the Death’s Blade. I don’t know why it’s here, but…”
“…It seems we can’t touch it.”
Kalt nodded.
Just as Lac said. Kalt lightly swung his sword, but it merely bounced off with a CLANG! sound. Maybe it would be possible if he hit it with a proper angle but…
‘…It wouldn’t be good to provoke it.’
Kalt’s intuition warned him.
While wary of the sword embedded in the ground, Kalt gave Lac a nod. The gaze pointed toward the ruins of the temple.
“We’ll finish searching for the Holy Grail as quickly as possible. I have a feeling we shouldn’t linger here.”
They would retrieve the grail and leave this place.
Kalt was clear on his mission.
“Understood.”
Lac nodded and gestured to Natida. As Natida descended the slope, Lac rummaged through the rubble. Kalt slowly steadied his breathing.
“Haah…”
Breathing steadied.
Kalt pulled the sword blade down low.
SWISH, the blade made a low ringing sound.
His senses sharpened more than ever.
Standing before the calamity’s greatsword, Kalt felt an unshakeable foreboding. There was no trace indicating such looming trepidation. Even the future glimpsed through hyper-senses felt calm.
Yet, he felt uneasy nonetheless.
It wasn’t the feeling of a superhuman’s senses. It was the instinct of a soldier who had survived on the battlefield for years. That instinct was ringing alarms. Something was about to happen.
Kalt didn’t overestimate his instincts.
Yet, he wouldn’t dismiss them lightly either.
With the lowered sword, an aura thrummed to life.
A piercing aura like no other. TAP, TAP as the debris touched the blade tip, Kalt squinted. His senses, sharper than ever, absorbed all information—what enters his vision, the vibrations in the air, the flowing wind. He felt everything.
And because of this…
Kalt was able to react.
KREEE, the cry of a beast resembling an eagle echoed from the sky. Since a while ago, something had been circling above the Grave of the Sword in a certain trajectory; its movements suddenly changed.
SWISH, Kalt’s head snapped up toward the sky.
What caught his gaze was a beast soaring high above. The moment he caught sight of its roiling body, Kalt’s hyper-senses rang alarms. Information required to predict the future surged in. Based on that information, Kalt saw a few seconds into the future unfold before him.
There was no hesitation.
Kalt immediately swung his sword.
Perfect stance, perfect breath, perfect strike.
As the unleashed blade aura shot skyward, the maw of the beast in flight went wide open. Out popped a gigantic arm, larger than the beast itself.
CRACK, CRACK.
The massive arm, extending from the beast’s throat, bent at the elbow. Grabbing the beast’s lower jaw, the creature’s body swelled even larger, and then another arm emerged from its throat.
One hand for the lower jaw.
The other for the upper jaw.
In an instant, as both arms were flexed wide, the maw of the beast split open. SPLAT, the sound of muscles and flesh tearing apart filled the air as the beast’s body was ripped to shreds. Blood and chunks of flesh sprayed in all directions.
What burst forth from the torn maw was a huge creature. Perhaps it was once human.
CRACK.
As it fell to the ground, the beast grabbed hold of a gigantic greatsword on its back. The moment it grasped the sword, it was no longer a mere beast. Those glimmering blue eyes shone brightly at the pinnacle of beastly existence.
The King of Beasts, Barta, had appeared.
*
The King of Beasts gripped the sword.
Born as a mindless entity, the being rose to the realm of transcendence once it grasped the sword. At the very moment it seized the blade, Barta was no longer just a beast. Wielding a sword, it strode the path of transcendence as a dignified warrior.
Even in an unstable stance falling to the earth, even in the face of an incoming blade aura.
Barta’s stance remained unwavering.
A sword master must generate flawless strikes regardless of the situation. Barta’s eyes flashed a vivid blue. Six fingers gripping the sword creaked with tension.
WHOOSH!
The scabbard tied to his back shattered with a loud KRAK. The giant greatsword that erupted from the broken scabbard was riddled with holes like rotted fabric.
SWISH.
Barta swung the greatsword.
With the flow of air drawn, a perfect line marked by his strike. The blade aura released by Kalt was engulfed by Barta’s strike, meeting the ground with a tremendous resonance.
BOOM!!
Dust clouds billowed up.
Debris caught in the onslaught soared into the sky. As the debris fell with a THUD, another KAPOW! echoed out.
Something landed with a thud.
As the dust clung to the air settled, revealing the King of Beasts—Barta. Those vibrant blue eyes. An enormous form, two to three times larger than a human. What he held was the massive greatsword.
“……”
The King of Beasts, Barta, gazed at the human.
Slowly, Barta’s mouth opened wide, releasing a long breath. After pouring out steam-like noise, human language followed.
“Human.”
The beast spoke in human language.
“I ask.”
Bending his legs and lowering his waist, Barta locked eyes with Kalt, extending his arm. The long-fingered hand pointed toward the sword lodged in the center of the canyon.
Ganikalt’s blade, the Death’s Blade.
“Can you draw that sword?”
2.
“Can you draw that sword?”
The question from the King of Beasts.
Before the question, Kalt squinted.
It was different from when he faced the Gletus in the traitor’s workshop. The atmosphere surrounding them had changed dramatically. The icy blue eyes sent a shiver down Kalt’s spine.
Kalt tightened his grip on the sword and opened his mouth.
He needed to buy time, after all.
“Why do you ask?”
“I wait. For the master of that sword.”
Barta spoke again.
“I long for the rekindling of that day’s battle.”
Rekindling the battle.
“Therefore, I seek someone who can draw that sword and summon its master here.”
As Kalt listened, the words flowed through one ear and out the other while he glanced at Barta’s back. There stood Natida and Lac, holding their breath. Kalt’s gaze fell on the artifact in Natida’s hand.
Since the dust had begun to rise, Natida activated the artifact. It trembled lightly as if ready for action.
Teleportation device, Gate.
Natida nodded and threw the artifact to the ground. KREEEEE! The sound of space opening caught Barta’s attention as Kalt leapt, charging toward the King of Beasts.
It wasn’t just Kalt rushing in.
Lac, standing by Natida, also drew his Holy Sword, rushing toward the King of Beasts. They needed to buy any time they could, even if just for a moment.
And it was then.
A wind began to blow. A stench of decay filled the air, the smell of death tickling Kalt’s nostrils. His eyes widened with red frustration. He recognized this foul wind.
The wind carried by the Death’s Blade, Ganikalt.
But the Death’s Blade was not here.
What brought about this wind was the King of Beasts himself. As Kalt charged toward the King of Beasts, he saw the blue glow in Barta’s eyes pulse ominously.
In a split second, Kalt lost his focus on Barta’s movements.
WHOOSH.
A silent cutting sound echoed just then.
The streak of the blade aimed not at Lac or Kalt, but at something behind them. Kalt’s face filled with horror. Lac turned back, seeing Kalt’s expression.
“Oh.”
With the Gate opened, a line cut across Natida’s body. Moments later, crimson blood shot up toward the sky.
*
The King of Beasts, Barta, is a learning entity.
Gathering a multitude of information through the sight of beasts, it learns based on that data. Each instance of warning from Cardi echoed in the back of someone’s mind.
“Be careful. That’s an uncontrollable variable.”
“Variable, variable…”
Raniel sighed.
With a map unfolded, she consistently checked Barta’s position. An inexplicable sense of foreboding wouldn’t leave her. Just then, she saw a flickering dot indicating Barta’s presence.
A couple of times the dot blinked, and then suddenly, it disappeared. Raniel’s brows furrowed. Barta’s signal had vanished, and when it reappeared a moment later…
Near the Kirmelt Canyon, Galatrick.
Raniel’s eyes widened.
She felt like her ominious intuition had come true. It didn’t matter how this kind of thing was possible. What she needed to do now was act.
CRACK.
Immediately, she donned her robe and pulled down her gloves. The artifact on the table began to tremble. It meant Kalt had activated the magical tools.
In a few seconds, the Gate would open.
As she readied herself to leap through the Gate, Raniel took a deep breath and activated all the circuits. The moment she stepped through the Gate…
SWISH.
A Gate opened before her.
Just as Raniel was about to step forward, an intense flash flickered from the other side, immediately preceded by an overwhelming surge that crashed into her.
“……!”
BOOMMMMMMMMMM!
A gigantic shockwave surged forth.
With a thunderous boom, the tent ripped apart. Items inside the tent were scattered around. While fragments of the shattered table lay in disarray, Raniel stumbled back, arms shielding her face.
When the rising dust settled, what lay before her instead of the Gate was the wreckage of the artifact lying at her feet.
The Gate had been destroyed.
Forced to close by a power enough to obliterate the open space.
