Even if I die, even if my descendants perish, we do not vanish. The stars we dreamed of are carried on by those who follow in our wake. Thus, our flame burns eternally. Though it may fade for a moment, though it may become too faint to find, it will flare up again one day. That blazing flame will become a lamp, guiding all sentient beings wandering in the darkness.
Ah.
Only then did I realize.
It was not a lamp I wished to become.
I yearned for the Age of Stars; I loved the stars.
And so, I wished to become a star.
A star that shines in the firmament, brightly illuminating the path you must tread.
.
.
.
I opened my eyes. The mana circulating through my body was now white-hot. My skin, muscles, and bones felt so scorched they might melt. Even my breath felt like liquid fire as the man walked through the darkness toward me.
“Given up on running, have you?”
As he strode closer, several presences suddenly flickered around him.
“You bastard—”
Fighters who had been lying in wait, concealing their presence, suddenly lunged.
Among them were those who seemed particularly skilled in ambushes. It was an exquisite surprise attack. Yet, the man didn’t break his stride. He merely flicked the blade in his hand a couple of times.
“Ugh….”
The matter was settled in an instant. The ambush failed, and the fighters who had aimed for his back rolled on the ground, their heads severed from their torsos. The man didn’t spare a single glance at the corpses.
“Stop running. It’s getting tedious.”
“….”
“You have no idea how boring it is dealing with this lot, do you? Or did you want to use me to clear out all the riffraff participating here? If that’s what you want, I’ll gladly oblige. Just wait a moment. I’ll sweep away all the leftovers besides you within five minutes….”
He spoke of slaughtering people as lightly as if he were dusting a house. But to my ears, his words didn’t sound light at all. He was exactly the kind of man who would do it, and he had the power to back it up. If he truly intended to, the fighters in the Infinite Duel would be annihilated like prey being hunted.
“Forget it.”
“Right. Good choice. I was about to die of boredom anyway.”
I focused my mind to its absolute limit as I watched him approach. First, I shifted the target of my Doubt solely onto him. Instead of trying to handle every variable by aggregating the sounds and smells around me, I decided to concentrate only on the two of us.
I whetted my mind as if sharpening a blade to its extreme. As I did, the world encompassed by my Path expanded slightly. An area wider than before. The man stepped defenselessly into the range where I could unleash my best attack.
“I’ll go a bit easy on you this time, so don’t be so scared—”
I didn’t answer his chatter.
Instead, I acted. A thrust so fast it surprised even me. But he wasn’t caught.
“Oh.”
With a sharp twist of his waist, he narrowly avoided the thrust. His movements were closer to a beast’s than a human’s. Having dodged the attack by a hair’s breadth, he floated into the air and lightly tapped my chest with the sole of his foot. The motion was light, but the impact was anything but.
Damn it.
My entire body vibrated. It felt that way even though he had merely touched me. It was similar to the beastman warrior I fought earlier, yet fundamentally different. My head ringing, I hurriedly took a step back.
「It is Mana Shock.」
“….”
「It happens because the disparity in the power held within your vessels is too great. At that level of mastery, one can imbue mana not just into a sword, but into any part of the body. He is using that to suppress you. He doesn’t even need to strike; mere contact can cause internal injuries.」
If I hadn’t pulled away quickly, I would have been seriously wounded. I frowned, recovering from the shock as I steadied my breathing. It was a sensation I had never experienced before.
Just how great was the gap between us?
「That is not the only thing to watch out for. As you just saw, the sword of a Lazy Idler is not bound by fixed forms. It unfolds freely and smoothly according to the situation. Like the sea.」
“….”
「Furthermore, it is incredibly fast. It will be difficult even to follow with your eyes. Among the swordsmanship existing on the continent, the sword of Rhapsody is arguably the best when it comes to pure speed.」
The man rubbed his neck once and then began walking leisurely again. His gait looked like someone taking a stroll. It didn’t look like the posture of someone engaged in a duel where lives were on the line. It was humiliating, but I didn’t have the luxury to feel insulted. If he was going to act arrogantly, I had to exploit even that.
「The swords of the Five Families are all like that. They make any swordsman encountering them for the first time think: Is this even swordsmanship? Is the person wielding it even the same kind of creature as me?」
“….”
「The Steel I will teach you is the same. However, that sword is a blade far too great for the current you. The Caravan’s sword, which shines brighter the higher one’s realm, has Sword Runner as the minimum requirement just to perform its basic movements.」
I took a breath.
「So, you must burn yourself somehow to soar, even if only for a moment. Otherwise, far from wielding the Caravan’s sword, you will collapse before you can even begin.」
“…I know. What happens if I wield a sword that isn’t permitted.”
「Can you do it?」
“It’s not a matter of whether I can, but that I must.”
「You understand well.」
Suppressing my dizziness, I stepped forward. The man approached in sync with my steps. The moment we were within range, we both lunged simultaneously. I thrust; he swung. Logically, my thrust should have landed first. But his swing was faster than my thrust. Much faster.
“You son of a—”
Clang!
With a metallic ring, the trajectory of my thrust was diverted. The moment I tried to force my sword back on track to counterattack, a burning pain flared in my shoulder and side. I had allowed two hits. Yet, I hadn’t even seen the attacks. Only the result remained, without the process. Like a bolt of lightning flashing down.
「Of course, that alone won’t solve everything. The Caravan’s sword will merely place you and that man on the same level for that moment. The opportunity to finish him is yours to seize.」
My muscles trembled.
I almost dropped my sword. But I couldn’t let that happen. The fight couldn’t end yet. I gripped the sword tight, my eyes wide. I imbued Twilight into a single step. Knight swordsmanship unfolded from the tip of my blade. My edge collided with his sword. A binding. In this situation, Sir Petel’s swordsmanship unfolded classically and excellently. If I could wind around his blade and use his strength, I might overcome the difference in realm. However—
“You’re going to try techniques against me?”
With a chilling sound, his blade slid along mine. Like a snake. The moment I saw the sword burrowing in, I let go of the hilt. After releasing the sword, I lowered my posture, caught the falling blade again, and retreated. If I had been even a moment later, my wrist would have already been on the floor. Cleanly severed.
“Sorry, but even the old men at our mansion lost to me in technical sparring.”
My breathing grew ragged.
This bastard, his swordsmanship is no joke either.
No, it was beyond that. He knew exactly how to respond to any situation. Looking at the recent exchange alone, his technical perfection was sharper than Seol-yoon’s. Yes, he was wielding swordsmanship even more acute than that once-in-a-generation genius.
I gritted my teeth and took a defensive stance.
However.
“Going to block again?”
That was the wrong answer.
“But I’m starting to see how you move now.”
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out repeatedly. By the time I regained my senses, the strength was draining from my legs. I almost collapsed. I barely managed to brace myself and retreat. The clothes I wore under my armor were damp. Sweat? No. Blood was flowing out. Looking down, I saw holes pierced through my armor.
“Four more times? No, three more and your legs will give out.”
“….”
“Surely this isn’t the end? Please tell me it isn’t. It was fun earlier, wasn’t it? At this rate, I feel like I’m going to fall back asleep. I had high expectations since you ran away so suddenly….”
Contrary to his nonchalant chatter, his sword targeted me relentlessly and lethally. With basic thrusts alone, he distorted the trajectory of all my attacks, and the moment a gap appeared, he punched a hole in my body. The wounds he inflicted were all in places that restricted movement. Even now, my legs were shaking. My nerves were damaged, regardless of my willpower.
He approached. His thrusts seemed to skip several motions. If his wrist blurred, a hole was already in my body by the time I realized it. It was impossible to react by sight. Then what? I had to anticipate. If I waited to see his muscles move, it would be too late. I had to Doubt where and how he would attack, faster than that. I had to Doubt endlessly.
「Do what you are best at, young descendant.」
Ting! I parried his sword.
「Doubt without end. There is no living creature in this world without a weakness.」
Once I parried it, he thrust from another direction. But it was fine even if I didn’t see it. The Path was showing me the direction. I took a swinging motion and cut through the air. As I scraped the air, the flow of the path approaching me twisted. Gale . The Ronin’s sword diverted his thrust. A wind blew once. As his path was distorted and a hole opened, I didn’t miss the opening. However—
“This is interesting.”
His body spun. His sword moved like a whip, and my attack landed somewhere completely unintended. It was the same as when the line had bent earlier. Following his bizarre movement, my attack was parried and diverted to a strange place. As if I were trying to cut through water with a sword….
「Are you starting to get a feel for it now?」
Slash.
This time, holes were pierced in my wrist and elbow. My left arm hung limp, independent of my will. Damn it.
「That is the sword of the idler inherited by Rhapsody . The Spiral Sword , modeled after the infinitely unfolding sea.」
Spiral Sword.
It was a name that suited the way he wielded it perfectly.
“Whew.”
My mind was growing hazy due to the significant blood loss. I had reached a point where even breathing didn’t immediately restore my stamina. As my body grew heavier, a crackling sound came from behind me. The barrier. The barrier had narrowed so much it was now right behind my back.
“The clowns of the Arena did a good job this time. Thanks to them, you can’t even run away anymore.”
“….”
“What will you do? Surely you have something left to show me? Or just surrender now. I’ve never seen anyone as interesting as you. If you learned something more useful than that pathetic swordsmanship, and if you were given enough time to hone your strength… you’d make a very fun toy.”
“…Heh.”
“So if you’re scared, say so now. If you get broken any further, you might not be able to entertain me later. I’m saying I’ll let you live. And is that all? If you become my personal toy, I can give you quite a few gifts. If you’re hungry, I’ll serve you delicacies; if you want honor, I’ll make your name known far and wide; if you want women, I’ll give you over a hundred beauties that will make your eyes pop. If you have a mortal enemy, I’ll cut off their limbs and give you the chance to kill them however you like. What do you say?”
Before me was an overwhelmingly strong swordsman.
Behind me was a barrier that would grind my entire body if I touched it.
Standing at the crossroads of death, the offer he made was incredibly sweet.
「It is not a bad offer.」
“….”
「His words are likely true, young descendant. From long ago, Lazy Idlers have always bestowed anything upon those who could serve as their amusement. That man might truly hand you a heavenly treasure. Rhapsody spares nothing for the sake of pleasure. They are a breed that lives for a moment’s fun.」
It was truly, very sweet.
「Are your ears perking up? Are you tempted? If so—」
“Heh… haha….”
「Ah.」
But.
「Right. There was no need to even test you. There’s no way such a temptation would work on the most stubborn man I’ve seen in my long life. What could possibly sway a madman like you?」
I’m not particularly fond of sweet things.
“Can you really give me anything?”
“Yes, there is nothing on this continent I cannot—”
“Then, can you bring me the head of Sword Master Carlos ?”
If I liked sweet things, would I have shoved a sword smelling of iron down my throat and crunched it up to swallow in the first place?
“What the….”
“Then, can you tear the limbs off the Iron Prince and bring them to me?”
“….”
“If you can’t even do that, I don’t particularly want to be your toy.”
I inhaled sharply.
A different breathing technique than before. A technique that inhaled exactly one handful of breath.
The man stared at me blankly for a moment before speaking.
“You’re a madman.”
As that handful of breath swirled through my body, I heard the sound of the barrier approaching. Amidst the sound of the barrier, he and I were in a perfectly straight line.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
In the silence, my heart throbbed. I used the mystery of the Lamp correctly. But it wasn’t enough. The moment I felt the deficiency, I held my breath and added another handful. Even that wasn’t enough. I had to burn more. I had to incinerate more to reach the place I desired. I couldn’t soar with just this much. Not with this.
「…Young descendant.」
It felt like my body was on fire.
Along with that, I even had the illusion that the entire world was burning. Amidst that illusion, the scenery reflected in my eyes began to change. The evening sky became a brilliant blue, and the moon in the sky became a blazing sun. It was the sun that was burning the world. Not merciful and warm, but a sun that burned everything equally.
「Listen well. You must wield it exactly as I instruct.」
As the sun rose in my world, my Master, who had always stayed leisurely behind me, slowly approached. A wrinkled, rough hand was slowly placed over mine.
Then.
「You can do it.」
My mind went blank.
At the same time, a distant voice, like when I had devoured the sword, echoed.
『 Doubt. 』
The voice was somehow familiar.
It had to be.
『Ironically, humans drew one step closer to God not through faith, but through Doubt. 』
Because that…
Was my own voice.
*
“What is that?”
In the spectator seats of the stadium where the Infinite Duel was taking place.
From where countless spectators were packed together, Iron Prince Ian Chervil muttered.
“I have seen the swords of many, but I have never seen anything like that…. Do you know what that is?”
“….”
“I asked if you knew what it was. Why is there no answer, Karl….”
When no answer came, Ian Chervil turned his head to look at his executioner. Carlos’s expression as he sat blankly in the stands was quite different from what Ian Chervil had always seen. Carlos’s face, which always maintained a calm like an inanimate object, was severely distorted. His noble eyes were wide with shock, and his pale face had turned red. Even his breathing had grown ragged.
“It cannot… be….”
The Iron Prince’s executioner.
Carlos was staring at only one place, not even answering his master’s question. The interior of the amphitheater. The duel unfolding there. A certain fighter who had been pushed to his absolute limit.
“It should have completely disappeared. I confirmed it clearly with these two eyes, so how….”
Sword Demon Liam.
The sword Arhan Caravan was holding.
It was clumsy, crude, and far inferior to what Carlos knew, but he recognized it nonetheless. He had no choice but to recognize it.
Because that—
“How is that back in the world—”
A sword known to have vanished into the shadows of history long ago. The great sword that ended the Age of War and brought the vast continent and the seven races to their knees. The sword that had made even the nine goddesses and seven chief gods tremble, the one that had dominated an era.
Because it was the sword that symbolized the Caravan .
It was Steel .
