Chapter 89 – The Idler (3)
Even if I die, even if my descendants die, we shall not vanish. The stars we dread of will be inherited by those who followed us. Thus, our fla shall burn eternal. Even if its light fades, even if it becos too faint to see, soday it shall blaze again. And when it does, it will beco a Light, guiding all the lost souls who wander in the dark.
Ah. At last, I understood.
The Light never sought to be a god. It longed for the Age of Stars—It loved the stars.
So it wished to beco one.
A star in the firmant, shining bright, illuminating the path for those who must walk it.
...
I opened my eyes.
The mana swirling within my body had reached a fever pitch—boiling, burning. My skin, my muscles, even my bones felt like molten steel. Every breath I took seared my throat.
Through the darkness, he walked toward .
“Finally done running?”
As the fighter strode closer, I felt a presence stirring around him.
“You bastard—!”
Hidden fighters who had masked their presence until now—assassins, judging by their timing—sprang from the shadows. It was a perfectly coordinated ambush.
But the man didn’t even move. He simply swung his blade twice.
“Ugh…”
That was all it took.
The ambushers’ heads and torsos fell separately to the ground.
He didn’t even glance at their corpses.
“Stop running. It’s getting boring.”
“……”
“You’ve no idea how tedious this is for , do you? Or are you using to clear out the other trash in here? If that’s what you want, fine. Give five minutes—I’ll wipe out every last one of them except you.”
He spoke of killing n as if he were talking about cleaning the dust in his house.
But to , his words didn’t sound light. Because he could. If he wished, he really could annihilate everyone in this Infinite Duel in minutes.
“Forget it.”
“Good choice. I was getting sleepy anyway.”
I forced my mind to focus as he approached.
This ti, I would ignore everything else—the crowd, the sounds, the scent of blood—and focus on him.
Not the battlefield. Not the noise. Just him and .
Sharpening my senses like a blade, I felt my 「Line」 expand, filling a wider world.
And the man stepped right into my range.
“This ti, I’ll go easy. Try not to wet yourself—”
I didn’t answer. I was struck.
The thrust was fast—even I was surprised by my own speed.
But he avoided it.
“Oh?”
He twisted his waist, narrowly evading my thrust with inhuman grace.
In midair, he casually flicked his heel into my chest.
The motion looked effortless—but the impact was not.
“Damn it—!”
The shock rippled through my body.
He’d barely tapped , yet it felt like being hit by a warhamr.
『Mana Shock.』
Liam’s voice echoed.
『The difference in the power contained within your bodies is too vast. A man at his level doesn’t need a blade—he can channel mana anywhere, even into a casual touch. It’s enough to wound you without striking.』
If I hadn’t retreated quickly, I might’ve suffered a serious internal injury.
As I steadied my breath, pain still rippling through , I frowned. I’d never felt anything like it before.
Just how wide was the gap between us?
『And that’s not all. You saw it yourself—The Idler’s sword knows no form. It flows freely, adapting to circumstance, like the sea itself.』
“……”
『And it’s fast. The Rhapsody sword is among the fastest sword arts in all the continent. You’ll barely be able to follow it with your eyes.』
He rubbed his neck and began walking again—calm, almost lazy, as though out for a stroll, not in a duel to the death.
Sha burned in —but I couldn’t afford it. If his arrogance made him careless, I would use it.
『All of the Five Great Houses’ sword arts are like that. When you face one for the first ti, you’ll find yourself thinking: “Is this truly swordsmanship? Is the man wielding it even human?”』
“……”
『The Karavan sword I will teach you is the sa. But it is far too much for you right now.
To perform even the most basic movent of Karavan’s sword, one must be at least a 「Sword Runner.」』
I drew in a deep breath.
『So you must burn yourself, soar for even a mont. If not, you’ll collapse before you can even begin.』
“…I know what happens if I wield a forbidden sword.”
『Can you do it?』
“It’s not can I. It’s I must.”
『Well said.』
Through dizziness and pain, I stepped forward. He mirrored .
When we were close enough for our blades to touch, we struck at the sa ti—my thrust against his swing.
By logic, my thrust should have landed first. But his swing was faster. Far faster.
“Son of a—!”
Clang!
My blade was deflected. Before I could recover, fire exploded in my shoulder and flank—two hits landed before I even saw him move.
It was like lightning—only results, no process.
『That alone won’t save you. The Karavan sword will only place you on equal ground. The rest—the victory—you must claim yourself.』
My muscles quivered. I nearly dropped my sword.
But I couldn’t.
The fight wasn’t over.
I clenched my grip, channeling 「Twilight」 into my blade. Fetel’s knightly swordsmanship unfolded along its edge.
Our blades clashed—Binding.
If I used the technique properly, I could perhaps use his strength against him. Maybe bridge the gap.
But—
“Trying to use technique on ?”
With a sickening hiss, his sword slithered along mine like a serpent. The instant I saw it, I let go of the hilt.
My sword fell; I caught it again after a quick roll backward.
A second slower, and my hand would’ve been severed.
“Sorry. Even the swordmasters in my household couldn’t beat with technique.”
My breathing turned ragged.
‘He’s… not just fast. His technique is razor-sharp.’
No—“razor-sharp” wasn’t enough.
He knew exactly what to do in every situation. Even sharper than Seol Yoon—the prodigy herself.
I gritted my teeth and raised my guard again.
But—
“Gonna block again?”
Wrong move.
“I can already tell how you’ll react.”
Clang! Clang!
By the ti I realized what had happened, my legs nearly gave out.
My armor was damp—not from sweat, but blood. Holes had been punched through the plating.
“Four more? No, maybe three. That’s all it’ll take to break your legs.”
“……”
“This isn’t it, is it? Tell it’s not. You were fun before. If you’re done already, I’ll fall asleep again. You ran earlier, so I expected more…”
He spoke casually, lazily. But his blade was rciless.
Even the simplest thrusts twisted my attacks aside, each counter cutting holes into my body.
He was targeting joints, tendons—places that crippled movent.
My legs were trembling; nerves screaming.
He approached again.
His thrusts seed to skip entire movents—a blur of wrist, and then, suddenly, another wound.
I couldn’t see the attacks.
So I had to predict.
I had doubts.
To suspect every faint twitch before it began.
『Do what you do best, young descendant.』
Clang!
I parried his blade.
『Doubt endlessly. There exists no living being without a weakness.』
He thrust again.
Without relying on my eyes, I felt my 「Line」 shift—guiding .
I swung through empty air, bending the flow around .
「Gale.」
Ronin's sword distorted his trajectory; wind howled between us.
A hole opened in his line. I seized the opening—But—“How interesting.”
He spun.
His sword cracked like a whip, deflecting my attack completely.
Just like before—like when my Line had been broken.
My blade couldn’t bite, couldn’t connect. Like trying to cut water.
『Now you see it, don’t you?』
Pfft.
Pain shot through my arm. Holes opened in my wrist and elbow—my left arm went limp.
『That is the Rhapsody’s inherited sword art—the 「Spiral Sword」— a blade modeled after the boundless sea.』
The na suited it perfectly.
“Huuh.”
Blood loss blurred my vision. Breathing didn’t help; my strength wouldn’t return.
Behind , I heard a faint crackle.
The barrier.
It was closing in.
“Those Arena planners really outdid themselves this ti. Now you can’t even run.”
“……”
“So what’ll it be? Surely you’ve got more to show . Or surrender now. You’re entertaining—I’ve never t anyone like you. If you just learn better swords, sharpen your power—oh, you’d make a wonderful toy.”
“...Heh.”
“Co on, don’t be scared. If you give in now, I’ll spare your life. You’d have fun, too. I could give you treasures, fa, won—anything. If you hunger, I’ll feed you the finest dishes. If you crave glory, I’ll make your na known across the continent. If you want won, I’ll give you a hundred beauties. If you have an enemy, I’ll tie them up and let you kill them yourself. So? Tempted?”
Before stood a swordsman so powerful he might as well have been a god.
Behind —the barrier that would shred to pieces on contact.
At the crossroads of death, his offer was honey-sweet.
『A tempting offer.』
“……”
『And he’s not lying, young descendant. The Idlers always rewarded their amusents. For the sake of their joy, they’d spare no gift. He might even grant you treasures beyond price. The Rhapsodies live only for pleasure.』
It was sweet indeed.
『Your ears perked up, did they? Tempted? Then—』
“Pfh… ha, hahaha.”
『Ah.』
Of course not.
『I should’ve known. No temptation would ever sway soone as stubborn as you. You’re mad—but I’ve never t one more resolute.』
I’d never had much of a sweet tooth.
“Anything, huh? You’ll give anything?”
“Yes. There’s nothing I can’t—”
“Then bring the head of Swordmaster Carlos.”
If I liked sweets, I wouldn’t have swallowed bitter, bloody steel down my throat to grow stronger.
“What…?”
“Or maybe, tear the limbs off the Iron Prince and bring them to .”
“……”
“If you can’t even do that, I’m not interested in being your toy.”
I inhaled. Just a handful of air—a precise, deliberate breath.
He watched in silence, then said,
“You really are insane.”
That single breath whirled through my body like a storm. Behind , the barrier humd louder.
He and I now stood in a perfect line.
“Thanks for the complint.”
My heart pounded in the silence. I’d triggered the Light’s mystery correctly—yet it wasn’t enough.
I needed more.
I drew in another handful of air, fusing it into the first. Still not enough.
I had to burn hotter. Brighter.
Only then could I fly.
『…Young descendant.』
It felt like I was burning alive.
The world itself seed to burn with .
The night sky turned blue again; the moon beca a blazing sun.
Not warm nor gentle—but an impartial, consuming sun that burned everything.
『Listen carefully. Swing exactly as I tell you.』
The sun rose within my world. My master—always calm, always behind —stepped forward and placed his calloused hand over mine.
『You can do it. You alone can.』
My thoughts went blank.
Then, as when I’d once devoured a sword, I heard a voice from far away—
『Doubt.』
The voice was familiar.
Of course it was.
『Ironically, mankind did not reach toward gods through faith—but through doubt.』
Because that voice…
…was mine.
***
“What in the world is that?”
In the spectator stands of the Arena—packed with thousands— the Iron Prince, Ian Cherville, muttered in disbelief.
“I’ve seen countless swords in my life, but never one like that… Carlos, do you know what it is?”
“……”
“I asked what it was. Why don’t you answer, Car—”
Ian turned—and froze.
His executioner, Carlos, sat beside him. But his expression was unlike anything Ian had ever seen.
The calm, stoic face of the continent’s greatest Swordmaster was twisted in shock. His once serene eyes were wide. His pale face flushed red. His breath ca ragged.
“Impossible…”
Carlos—the Executioner of the Iron Prince—didn’t answer.
He stared fixedly into the Arena.
At the duel unfolding within.
At the fighter driven to the brink.
“No… I saw it destroyed. With my own eyes. How can it…”
The blade of the Sword Demon Liam.
The sword is now held by Arhan Karavan.
Rough, unpolished—far cruder than what he rembered—but unmistakable.
Because it was—
“How… how can that exist again in this world—”
The sword long thought lost to history.
The blade that ended the War Era, that brought the vast continent and seven races to their knees.
The sword that made even the Nine Goddesses and Seven Lords tremble.
The blade that symbolized the House of Karavan.
The Steel.
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