Chapter 216. The Truth (1)
If Leo had to name the single worst moment of his life, he would've answered without hesitation that it was the day Caron set foot in Azureocean Castle.
That was the day he had been beaten to the verge of death. Even now, just thinking about it sometimes made his whole body tremble uncontrollably.
But Leo was beginning to think that moment could no longer hold the title.
It was because there weren't just one or two—there were three Carons now.
"...Which one's the real you?" Leo asked, his voice tight with dread.
"You tell me, Leo," one of the Carons said with a smirk.
"Yes, take a guess," the second Caron added.
"If you get it wrong, you die," the third one said.
There were three identical faces and three identical voices. There were three equally terrifying versions of the same man. Leo couldn't even begin to tell which one was real.
Just one Caron had been terrifying enough. But three... It was unbearable.
Worse yet, the three of them were having a casual conversation.
"This is nice," one commented.
"I can't keep it going too long though," another said.
"This consumes way too much mana, and the efficiency is lower than expected," the third noted.
Leo thought that if there was a hell, surely this was it. The devil himself had split into three.
But the hell didn't last forever.
Thwack!
The Caron on the far right gave Leo a playful smack on the back and said, "Come on, Leo. You can't even tell who your real cousin is?"
"How could I?" Leo cried.
"The mana's different. Can't you feel it?" Caron asked.
Fssshhh.
With that, the other two Carons dissolved into smoke, their bodies disintegrating into wisps of dark blue light.
"I'm satisfied," Caron muttered, nodding to himself as he checked his core.
Even maintaining three clones at once had drained an absurd amount of mana.
"I haven't been able to fully absorb the ability yet. It'll take more time," Guillotine said.
Can't you speed it up? Caron asked silently.
"It will still take less time than absorbing a Demon King's full power. So don't worry too much," Guillotine answered.
Like a true demonic sword, Guillotine had devoured the Doppelganger Lord's soul in its entirety.
At this point, Caron figured Guillotine might as well accept that it really was a demonic sword.
"Still, this ability is insane," Caron said.
Although the clones weren't all that efficient yet, with time, he knew that they would get better. And once they did, the ways he could use them would multiply.
Caron nodded faintly and turned his gaze to the pristine white sword lying on the ground. He muttered, "The doppelganger's ability was just a bonus. This... This is the real prize."
As incredible as the new ability was, the true reason Caron had entered this dungeon in the first place was that sword.
It was Rigor, the Sword of Eternal Frost, a sword said to appear only in legend. And indeed, it lived up to its name. The white blade emitted an overwhelming chill, even from a distance. Just touching it made Caron feel as if it could freeze him solid.
Caron glanced at the sword briefly, then turned his gaze toward Luke. He asked, "You said the royal family ordered that sword to be retrieved, didn't you? So what are you going to do now?"
At the question, Luke slowly shook his head and quietly replied, "Our mission has failed. You were the one who defeated the doppelganger. The sword is yours."
"I was under the impression that the Imperial Guards completed their missions no matter what," Caron said coldly.
"...There's nothing to be gained from clashing with you in this state," Luke replied, averting his eyes. "And..."
He bit back the rest of his sentence, and in response, Caron stared at him.
"Once I take care of this sword, I'll be asking you a few questions, Sir Luke. I think you already know what I'll start with." Caron said, his tone turning cold.
"I... I..." Luke stuttered.
"The royal family knew this dungeon would appear," Caron continued, his voice sharp. "They sent the Imperial Guards north with perfect timing. And the doppelganger holding this sword—it had absorbed part of Sir Cain Latorre's body. What do you think will happen when that story reaches Azureocean Castle?"
When too many coincidences lined up, they couldn't be called coincidences anymore. This was a sign that someone had planned everything from the start.
Doppelgangers absorbed their victims. So if they had absorbed the Imperial Guards before the dungeon break, then doppelgangers disguised as guards could have infiltrated the Imperial Palace itself. And with their stealth capabilities, bypassing even the magic wards protecting the palace wouldn't necessarily have been impossible.
"If the lord makes a wrong choice, it's the knight's duty to correct it," Caron said firmly. "I don't want to see you, Sir Luke, walk down the wrong path."
His words carried clear resolve.
From here on, the next move belonged to Luke. It was up to him whether he would continue to hide the foul truths of the royal family until the bitter end, or if he would choose to expose the conspiracy veiled in shadows.
It wasn't an easy decision. And Caron, understanding that, decided to give him a little time.
"I'd like your answer once I've dealt with this sword. Do you understand?" Caron asked.
"...Yes," Luke replied quietly.
"Take a moment to recover. I hope you make the right choice," Caron added.
Letting out a small sigh, he turned and began walking slowly toward Rigor.
Crackle.
As if the sword had sensed Caron's approach, a sudden wave of icy wind surged from Rigor, rushing straight toward him...
But it never reached Caron.
"How dare this arrogant bastard," Guillotine said. A dark blue light surged from it and devoured the cold aura without hesitation.
"Owner, this thing's got an ego, too. Doesn't feel like dark mana, but it's old. It's best not to let your guard down," it warned.
"So, it's not a demonic sword?" Caron asked.
"No, it's not a demonic sword," Guillotine answered.
"That's good enough. If even you—a demonic sword—couldn't do anything to stop me, what could this relic possibly manage?" Caron said.
"I told you I'm not a demonic sword!" Guillotine argued.
Caron ignored Guillotine's grumbling as he stepped right in front of Rigor. He instructed, "Leo, can you step back for a moment?"
"Do you need help with anything?" Leo asked.
"Not really. It's pretty obvious this thing is going to resist, and probably hard. Just keep your mana flowing. Pluto, barrier," Caron said.
Meow!
The sword was ancient, and with a lingering ego inside it, this wasn't going to be easy.
Caron blanketed the entire area in darkness using Pluto, isolating the space completely. Then, he reached out his hand toward Rigor.
That was when it happened.
Crackle!
A cold unlike anything before exploded from Rigor, frost bursting outward with terrifying force.
Whoosh!
Unfazed, Caron released his mana. Thanks to the dark mana he had absorbed from the Doppelganger Lord, he had no shortage of it.
"What's with this sword acting so arrogant?" Caron remarked.
It was just a sword, yet it dared to test a human. Its arrogance made Caron grin wickedly as he shouted, "Guillotine? Mind knocking some sense into this antique?"
Whoosh!
Caron poured mana into Guillotine, then raising it high above his head, he looked down at Rigor and whispered, "You're gonna get smacked. Let's see how long you keep resisting."
Perhaps it caught a glimpse of the madness flickering in Caron's eyes. Because then, for the first time, a voice echoed in his mind. It was a voice he had never heard before.
"W-Wait! Human! Let's talk... Let's talk it through...!"
"Too late, you bastard!" Caron replied.
Boom!
And with that, the merciless beating began.
***
Flash!
After a while of Caron beating down Rigor, a brilliant white light engulfed Caron's vision, and the next moment, an illusion unfolded before him.
An endless snowy plain stretched out as far as the eye could see. From within that icy landscape, which was undoubtedly a creation of Rigor's, a young man with white hair appeared.
"You absolute lunatic!" the young man shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Caron. "Who the hell beats up a sword like that? I've seen a lot in my life, but you? You're a whole new breed of crazy!"
"What are you? A demon?" Caron asked dryly.
"Do I look like a demon to you?" the young man answered.
Slash!
Without hesitation, Caron slashed Guillotine at him.
The young man flinched and stumbled backward, but he wasn't fast enough. His hand was sliced clean off and dropped to the ground. But instead of blood, cold air hissed from the wound.
"Seriously, are you actually insane?" The young man gaped.
"Sometimes, I'm sane," Caron said coolly.
"...Are you a demon? No, you're definitely not one... but it feels as if you're carrying a Demon King's power," the young man said.
Then, he lowered his gaze to the sword in Caron's hand. He said, "A sword that was forged in the deep sea of the North Sea. An execution sword shaped by dragons... That's Guillotine, isn't it?"
"You know about Guillotine?" Caron asked.
"I've only heard rumors. One of my previous masters was Rael Leston. The swordsman who appeared a hundred years after him—Yuan, the Sword Saint—was the one who wielded me last. You've heard of him, right?" the young man replied.
Yuan, the Sword Saint, was the man who had once been hailed as the greatest swordsman on the continent. Yet for all his fame, there was almost nothing about him in the records. He was just a name that had come up in passing when Caron studied the empire's history.
Caron gave a slow nod and asked, "What is this place?"
Rigor shrugged and answered, "This is a mental realm that I created. If an ego sword reaches a certain level, we can manifest something like this."
"My sword can't do that," Caron said.
"That's only because you haven't unleashed all my abilities yet! Once your Coming of Age Ceremony is over, I can totally do this too! It's also because Rael placed a seal on me—" Guillotine tried to explain.
"Excuses," Caron muttered.
Still, it seemed clear now that this world had been shaped by Rigor.
Caron nodded again and confidently said, "Then make me a chair."
"That's easy," Rigor said.
Flash.
With a flick of Rigor's finger, a chair made of snow materialized beside Caron.
Caron sat down with ease, crossing one leg over the other, then looked at Rigor with an amused expression. He remarked, "A sword this powerful, capable of crafting whole worlds out of snow... and you got taken out by some low-level doppelganger? That's hard to believe."
Rigor sighed and replied, "My ego only awakened just now. I don't know how or why, but... A Demon King's power had been restraining me all this time."
Caron's thoughts drifted briefly to the past.
Even Guillotine had once followed him under the name Luin in his previous life. Back then, too, Guillotine had been unable to awaken because of a Demon King's black mana. That Guillotine had been Luin was a truth certified by his family's Guardian Dragon.
Without a doubt, that proved a Demon King's mana could suppress ego swords.
"I'll trust you—for now," Caron said.
"You mean that?" Rigor asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I've been through this kind of thing too. And to be honest, I'm not really interested in the past of an ego sword. At the end of the day, your purpose is simple. You're a sword. You cut down enemies—that's it."
It was a single sentence that cut straight to the essence of things. Rigor seemed to like that response. He gave a satisfied nod.
"How a sword is used... That's up to its master," Rigor said approvingly. "Not bad, human."
"From here on, there's only one thing you need to do," Caron said.
He stabbed Guillotine into the snow and placed both hands on its hilt, flashing a wicked grin.
"Convince me why I shouldn't destroy you right now. If I don't like what I hear, I'm smashing you to bits," Caron continued.
Rigor blinked wide-eyed at the sudden threat, then said, "I'm Rigor, you know? The legendary sword? The one that every human dreams of holding just once?"
"Do I look like I care? I've already got Guillotine. Another ego sword would just be noisy. What use are you to me?" Caron replied.
It wasn't empty bravado. It was a cold, brutal truth.
Rigor began to suspect this man could really destroy him. Caron's eyes, gleaming with raw madness, were proof enough.
"How about dual wielding? One of my past masters used—" Rigor began, but was cut off.
"Yeah, no," Caron interrupted.
"I've got a unique ability to control monsters. It depends on the master's mana capacity, but it could be really useful—" Rigor added, but was cut off again.
"You control monsters? What are you, a demonic sword? Now I really want to destroy you," Caron interrupted once again.
The conversation was completely one-sided.
Rigor continued to ramble on about his potential, but Caron picked at his ear as if he was listening to background noise, clearly uninterested.
It was hard to say how much time passed..
"Seriously? There's gotta be something you want, human. I'm telling you that I'll give you anything!" Rigor shouted.
"See, the thing is... For someone who's supposed to be begging, your posture's way too stiff," Caron said.
"What the hell are you saying?" Rigor asked.
"Do you want to get melted down? Start over in a forge somewhere?" Caron threatened.
It was a sentence more terrifying to a sword than any threat of death. Only then did Rigor fully grasp the situation.
Thankfully, he was a quick-witted blade.
Thud.
He dropped to his knees before Caron and cried out in a desperate voice, "Please! Spare me! I'll do whatever you ask!"
Apparently, that was the right answer.
Caron nodded, clearly pleased. He said, "Now that's the attitude. Finally, we can have a proper conversation."
"Y-Yes, of course," Rigor stuttered.
Even to a legendary ego sword, Caron Leston was an uncompromising mad dog.
"Well then," Caron said, a wicked glint in his eye. "Let's begin."
And the demon's mouth began to move.