Chapter 112 - Fragment (1)

The treasure of the Caravan family.

The sword wielded by the Caravan family’s founding ancestor, its greatest family head, and the most powerful swordmaster in history. Judging by what my father had told me, it had been forged at least five hundred years ago, yet it remained excessively sharp. A blade whose keen edge gleamed as though it could cut through anything at this very moment.

I was not yet a vessel capable of melting down all the towering arrogance contained within that blade. And so, what I had digested was only a tiny fraction of a fraction of it. To put it another way, I had swallowed only a fragment. A fragment of a sword whose limits I could not even dare imagine.

“Whew...”

This was different from anything I had felt before.

I saw no memories contained within the sword. I saw nothing of the life of its former wielder. No landscape from the distant past unfolded before me. Only a snatch of a voice passed through my mind. Not the voice of Liam, who had grown old and vanished, but that of the great swordmaster who had cut down an era.

「Are you disappointed?」

An incomplete fragment.

From it, I gained neither supreme swordsmanship nor a swordmaster’s absolute authority, nor arcane power like a natural cataclysm that could resolve any predicament. I gained only one thing.

“No.”

Caravan.

A trace of steel.

I had drawn just a little closer to its former glory.

Feeling the new power stirring within me, I said,

“... This is more than enough.”

* * *

Edan Rhapsody narrowed his eyes.

Flames of unknown origin had spread onto the wooden stick in his hand. The fiercely burning flames gave off no heat. He felt not even warmth, let alone scorching heat. Like an illusion.

‘Parlor tricks.’

He knew what this was. The arcane. The unique authority possessed by a swordsman who had reached the rank of 「sword runner」. The limitless possibilities wrought by those who had unfolded worlds of their own.

‘A little bothersome.’

The instant he faced the flames, he also recognized the authority they held. It could be summed up in a single word: dismantling. Flames of dismantling that burned everything.

The flames kindled by the insignificant fighter were dismantling everything. The three pairs of wings Edan Rhapsody had manifested, the ocean’s path that ruled the makeshift dueling ground, and even the second heart beating inside his body. Despite his wealth of experience, he had never seen or heard of such arcane power. It was unprecedented. Watching the flames eat away at his greatness, he murmured inwardly,

‘A power brimming with malice toward the world.’

How bitter a grudge did one need to possess to grow fangs like these? Through what eyes must one view the world to give birth to such arcane power? An incredulous laugh escaped him.

‘No wonder Toma lost.’

For the briefest moment, interest stirred in Edan Rhapsody’s heart. The Idler’s blood, eternally seeking pleasure to escape boredom, had begun to boil. He could clearly see the insignificant fighter’s dazzling potential. Fangs that were unimpressive now, but would one day grow sharp enough to reach even him. Yet his interest soon cooled.

Now was not the time.

Edan Rhapsody had come here as an avenger. Whether or not this was a budding talent who would one day become an excellent swordsman, he had a duty to break and trample the insignificant fighter who had sullied the honor of Rhapsody. As the second son of a Great Family, and as the brother of a younger brother who had been broken.

“Whew.”

Edan Rhapsody cut away his interest and curiosity. Once he excised his emotions, what remained was not a human being, but a single sword. A cold blade that fulfilled only the duty assigned to it.

He looked at the mysterious flames engulfing his body. The flames endowed with the authority of dismantling had already swallowed one pair of wings. Those greedy flames would not stop at his wings. They would devour everything he had built and reduce him to an insignificant human. The will contained in those flames was that vicious.

But this was no desperate crisis.

If he wished, he could shake off these paltry flames with ease. Unprecedented arcane power or not, it was useless before the authority of a 「sword expert」. The moment he manifested and donned his armor, the authority of Inviolability would take effect. These parlor tricks would then vanish instantly, without a trace.

‘I cannot do that.’

Yet he did not manifest his armor. Had he not made a promise before the duel began? He would use only three pairs of wings. A member of the Five Great Families must uphold the sacred rules of a duel, even at the cost of his life.

Besides,

‘There is no need.’

A restriction like that could have no effect on the outcome of this duel.

None whatsoever.

“...”

Edan Rhapsody slowly raised his head.

The insignificant fighter was glaring at him, wreathed in flames. A pair of wings had sprouted from the back of the fighter, who stood firm. Their shape was rather unusual for wings. They were unlike a bird’s wings, and unlike a butterfly’s. They consisted of nothing but a framework. A colorless framework resembling steel girders. Chilling wings that looked as though sword blades had been stitched together.

‘... Nothing but parlor tricks.’

Edan Rhapsody took a step as though strolling through a garden at midday. In the fleeting instant between his sole leaving the ground and touching it again, he vanished and reappeared. Like a mage’s teleportation. The wooden stick in his hand traced a picture-perfect trajectory. A basic thrust. Its target was the blade of the sword held by the insignificant fighter. With this thrust, he intended to break the fighter’s sword. Once he had rendered him helpless, he would drive defeat deep into his bones. Break him so he could never rise again, trample him, strip him of everything he held, and utterly ruin and destroy him. In the manner of the Great Families.

He would not die easily.

Edan Rhapsody intended to keep his word to the letter. This fighter would learn how vast the world was, and how merciless the five pillars ruling that vast, vast world could be.

The wooden stick tore through the air.

And so its tip collided with the cold steel blade. In the midst of that collision, a different sound rang out from before. The ringing of a sword. At that clear note, Edan Rhapsody’s expression twisted.

“...?”

It was not swept away.

Before the waves, it did not break.

Frowning, Edan Rhapsody looked at the insignificant fighter. He had not moved a single step. For an instant, the fighter looked like steel to Edan. Like immovable steel that always held its place on the shore at the edge of a raging sea.

“Ah...”

From far away came an inexplicable exclamation from his pitiful younger brother, Toma Rhapsody, who was watching the duel. Edan Rhapsody could not understand why his brother had made that sound.

Why he had exclaimed, why his eyes sparkled as though he had witnessed something radiant. Why he wore the expression of a boy who had recalled something he had forgotten.

“Brother.”

His younger brother tried to say something.

“Brother, no. Wait...”

But the noise of battle was louder than his cracked, hoarse voice.

* * *

My body is hot.

My heart is heated like the sun, and the blood flowing through my veins is like molten iron in a furnace. Even the sword in my hand is insanely hot. I cannot tell whether what I hold is a sword or a tongue of flame. Either way, I do not care. Sword or flame, I must swing it.

“Hah—”

A single breath grants me superhuman strength. Now that my wings have sprouted, the strength granted to me is closer to that of a man of iron than a superhuman.

Edan Rhapsody lifted his foot.

In that minor movement, I saw the instant that would soon unfold. Suspicion. My Suspicion, which missed not even the smallest clue, revealed what lay ahead with something close to foresight.

Edan Rhapsody spreads his wings. With a movement close to teleportation, he will arrive right before my nose, and I will fall without even knowing what happened. My awakening as a 「sword runner」, my newly awakened arcane power called “the flame of Suspicion”—none of that can serve as a shield before a seasoned 「sword expert」.

I must bring out another shield.

“Hup!”

The sword of the distant past that the fragment had shown me.

Forgotten history.

A forgotten era.

The greatest family, established by the greatest swordmaster. A great authority that only those bearing the greatest bloodline flowing through his family could manifest.

‘The Wings of Steel are more powerful than any other wings.’

A trace of steel.

The moment I recalled it, a voice flowed through my mind.

『I was born in war.』

My heart beats. As my heart of steel pounds, Mana as hot as molten iron overflows into the steel veins extending from it. After circulating throughout my body, the Mana flows toward my wings. Unusual wings, unlike ordinary ones, connected to my heart as their root. Toward the Wings of Steel.

『A phoenix rises from the ashes.』

The wings that have blossomed on my back are unlike ordinary wings. Unlike those of birds or insects. Their appearance is too alien to call them the wings of a living creature at all. They look as though sword blades have been stitched together. What are these wings for? No one has told me. Yet I know how to use them. It was engraved in the fragment, and engraved in the steel bloodline flowing through my body.

『The world threw me into the fire.』

All paths are connected.

The authority demonstrated by a sword runner’s wings binds the connected 「path」 and its master more tightly together. Like tying a rope and pulling from the other end, that is how they move at such extraordinary speed. But can the concept of “pulling” be used only for movement? No. I clearly saw it within the fragment. The possibilities held by the Wings of Steel.

『The world threw me into the fire.』

How was steel born?

Steel was born to stand against the world.

Steel was born to stand against the age.

It was born to bring down things greater and stronger than itself. It was born so that it would not break even when unreasonable, incomprehensible ordeals descended upon it. So the essence engraved in Caravan’s blood is not absurdly overwhelming strength. Nor is it speed too great for the eye to follow. Caravan’s essence is steel. What is the essence of steel? It is simpler than one might think.

『The world broke me and crushed me.』

Hardness.

It is not the strong who survive.

Those who survive are strong.

Master told me that even after everything had crumbled, Caravan had stood firm until the very end.

『Yet the world could not kill me.』

The moment I recalled that, every line extending from me converged into one. The converged line took the shape of neither a straight line nor a curve. It looked like a single point. That point had formed on my sword. At the same time, the shape of my wings began to change. The wings resembling steel girders expanded greatly and rooted themselves deep in the ground. Like a gravestone erected over a grave, never to move.

「That is not what this authority was originally meant for...」

With my body fixed in place, my sword was fixed at the location marked by the point as well. The authority of my wings was still active. Infinite acceleration. But that acceleration was not activating to make me move quickly. It acted in every direction simultaneously. It was acceleration meant to keep me from retreating no matter what ordeal descended, to hold my position perfectly.

「But that application is not bad, either.」

And so the sword of Immovability unfolded.

Now unable even to flee, I glared at Edan Rhapsody.

“Come—! Edan Rhapsody!”

Everything is hazy.

I cannot predict what magnificent swordsmanship he will unleash.

I cannot imagine how overwhelmingly I will be trampled.

But I stand against him.

“I! Will not run! Or retreat!”

And then,

“I said, co—”

The instant Edan Rhapsody’s foot lifted and touched the ground again, he appeared before me.

“...!”

There was no longer any room to speak.

Holding my breath, I thrust my sword out.

CLANG!

A tremendous crash rang out. The shock wave transmitted through the sword was insanely powerful. It felt as though my head were splitting and my limbs were being pulverized. But the sword was still in my hand. I could fight.

“—!”

I endured the wave that crashed over me.

But I must not relax. The waves do not end with one. 「Rhapsody」 is not a wave, but an endless sea. Waves are merely the natural phenomenon produced as the sea moves. What I must face is not a wave, but the sea. A sea that could sweep away someone like me with laughable ease.

“Ugh—”

I took a short breath.

After blocking the basic thrust, I racked my brain. Where would the next thrust strike? My lower body? My upper body? Or would he aim for a vital spot to disable me in a single blow? It was difficult to win this sort of battle of wits. Reacting after seeing Edan Rhapsody move was impossible anyway. Then I must predict it. With my Suspicion.

“—”

It felt as though my brain would burn up.

But I had to think.

I recalled Toma Rhapsody’s thrusts. There was a difference in skill, but ultimately it was the same kind of swordsmanship. Recalling the thrusts he had shown me, I assumed a defensive stance.

CLANG.

I could not see it, but I felt a scrape at the tip of my sword. Had I blocked it? I did not know. Rhapsody’s sword was the fastest on the continent. I must not even think of following it with my eyes. If I felt anything, I had to move straight into the next action.

CLANG.

I blocked another.

This was close to a miracle.

The moment I blocked that one, I saw Toma Rhapsody’s eyes among the spectators beyond Edan Rhapsody, watching me through the crowd of knights. Light was returning to the young master’s clouded eyes. As though he were recalling a radiant past. Like a noble lady remembering a forgotten lover.

Not much longer.

I must hold out longer.

‘Damn it. It feels like well over ten seconds have passed.’

Apparently our youngest young master’s memory was worse than I had thought. There was no time to curse Toma Rhapsody. Now that this had begun, there was only one way to stop it: Toma Rhapsody remembering the truth. My role was to buy time until then.

“—!”

Sword collides with sword.

My breathing sounded loud.

For a moment, I even had the illusion that time had stopped.

I could clearly see the earth flying up, even the shapes of the grains of sand within it. The smell of hot sweat and the warmth of the beating sunlight were intense. In that instant, the world reflected in my eyes lost its color. With every color gone, the world became black and white. In that monochrome world, the spectators disappeared, along with the insignificant residents I had to protect. Only the sky and earth, two men, and two swords remained. Within the shabby dueling ground, I parried the oncoming sword, again and again.

CLANG-CLANG!

Sparks flew.

The ends of those flying sparks seemed to connect to Edan Rhapsody’s body. To my eyes, they looked like a path. A path made of fire. A harsh, rugged path of flame that no sane person would even consider walking. The brilliantly shining path of flame split the monochrome world in two. Instinctively, I swung my sword along it.

My stance?

That, too, formed through instinct.

It was not a swordsman’s stance, but one like a blacksmith hammering iron. A broad movement full of openings. A vertical cut, raising the sword overhead and bringing it down. It could carry the full weight and force of the blow, but wasted much of that force, and no master would allow it to hit. That was why such a movement was never seen among swordsmen. There was no way someone as skilled as Edan Rhapsody would fail to exploit my opening.

But I chose that path.

“—”

CLANG!

It sounded like a hammer forging a sword.

Edan Rhapsody blocked my sword.

Merely by tilting his wooden stick at an angle. At the same time, his stance shifted subtly. Now I could tell what that stance was preparing for. A thrust. Where was it aimed? My eyes. Edan Rhapsody intended to rob me of my sight. I could not tell whether he meant one eye or both. Perhaps it would pierce my eye and bore a hole into my head, ending my life then and there.

As expected, he had not missed that opening.

But...

“...!”

What I had swung was no ordinary vertical cut.

Steel.

The swordsmanship passed down through Caravan.

Of all the swords that existed on this continent, the heaviest sword.

CLANG!

After the vertical cut, an explosive roar erupted, and Edan Rhapsody lost his balance. The ground beneath his feet caved in. With a cracking sound, fissures appeared in the wooden stick in his hand. As though a thunderbolt had struck him without warning from a clear sky.

「Young descendant.」

Edan Rhapsody’s eyes wavered.

For the first time, I saw bewilderment.

「You know what comes next, even without my telling you, do you not?」

I did not revel in superiority.

Instead, I prepared the “next movement” I had seen in the fragment.

「Tell those who have forgotten history. Tell them who brought the cruelest era under control, who stood at the pinnacle when the world was falling to ruin, and who was the victor who stood until the very end, even when everything had crumbled.」

“...”

「Who stood at the pinnacle of the Five Families.」

The second Steel.

「Make them pay for daring to forget Caravan, my descendant.」

Honing.