So What Is Sword God Actually Doing?

"Ah, Lily!"

I arrived at the spot Yena had pinned for me through our brief chat exchange. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠She waved both arms at me like a windmill, and it was plain as day that her vessel had grown noticeably thicker since the last time I'd seen her.

At this level, she shouldn't have any real trouble with it.

Half of Spear's Roar would be well within her reach now.

"This is your castle?"

"Yep. It's mine, alright."

Yena had invited me to her castle. Come to think of it, she was the guildmaster of -Ye-, and there had been a time when she raised an absolute ruckus trying to recruit me into her guild. She'd only given up once she realized it was a pointless endeavor.

People bustled busily about Yena's castle. From the looks of it, the place had its own residents, along with a handful of users mixed in.

Yena waited patiently while I took in the sights, then cleared her throat—ahem—and spoke up.

"Siege Warfare. You know about it, right?"

"To some extent."

Siege Warfare—a contest where two sides vie for each other's castles, and whoever seizes the enemy stronghold first wins. A tournament under the name 'Mock Siege Battle' had already been held back in April, and I'd even taken the championship with a record of three wins and zero losses.

Having heard my explanation, Yena nodded.

"Exactly. The Mock Siege Battle is a miniature version of Siege Warfare. Unlike the Mock version, which plays out like an AOS match, real Siege Warfare has no leveling or progression."

The rules weren't all that different from the Mock version—destroy the Core, player limits, revival restrictions, and so on. Where it diverged was that there was no growth or balancing through special monsters.

"There are buffs and defensive or offensive items, of course, but they don't mean much to rankers. That's exactly why the gaps can get even more overwhelming."

The process itself was simple.

First, two groups who each held a castle declared a Siege War against one another. One side could refuse, of course—but declarations of war, spheres of influence, and any number of other external factors could force the conflict all the same.

Both sides marshaled their forces, smashed through the enemy's defenses, and the first to destroy the opposing 'Core' claimed victory. If your Core fell, you lost and were obligated to pay a 'reparation' to the victors—gold coins, special currency, that sort of thing.

"Of course, there are cases where a side loses their castle because they simply can't afford to pay... but that's a bit of a gray area."

"How so?"

"Well, most castles sit on kingdom territory. No matter how big the duel is, if a guild just up and seizes a castle, it can turn into a dispute between kingdoms."

Yena shrugged.

"A few guilds aren't like that, but most users manage their territory under the pretense of guarding it for the kingdom."

"Hmm..."

"And if things ever get truly desperate, the kingdom itself will sometimes step in with support. Better that than losing the castle outright."

"Then a group that didn't care about inter-kingdom politics could just annex a castle, couldn't they?"

"I suppose? It's not like there are many outfits like that running around, though..."

"......"

She was right—it genuinely wasn't common. The continent existed in a state of delicate balance among everyone except a single absolute power, and no kingdom was bold enough to tip that scale.

Well, if one were to go looking...

"...The odds of Sword God joining a Siege War?"

"Zero."

When I asked about the chat that had been popping up so often lately, Yena shook her head firmly.

"He hasn't shown his face in over a year, and you think he'd join a siege? He's not that type to begin with, and even if he did show up, he's someone who could destabilize the entire continent..."

Frankly, Leo joining would be far more plausible.

Yena laughed—haha—then suddenly froze, went wait, wouldn't that be dangerous too...? and shuddered.

...Sword God, huh.

I was looking forward to it.

A labyrinth carved full of the scars of swords.

The mighty monsters who had lived in this space, sprawling dozens of floors underground, died just like that.

"A mad monster is coming!"

"Run, everyone, run!"

"GOOOO!!"

Why, exactly, would monsters be the ones fleeing?

They were strong enough to beat down even a young dragon, and their wild ferocity outstripped an ogre's. As if that weren't enough, they even possessed intelligence, capable of moving strategically to match their opponents.

Ssha-gak—

But what good was any of it?

Pukwakakakakak!

Before a calamity, none of it meant a thing. Strength, willpower, a keen mind—nothing mattered.

Chwaak!

"Nothing special on this side either, I see."

The violet sword, radiating an aura every bit as sinister as the beasts' own savagery, slid back into its sheath.

He—Sword God—surveyed his surroundings, the violet gleam of his eyes burning in the darkness.

'Normal' monsters of level 110 lay strewn across the floor like trash in the street, and nobody thought twice about it.

This was not a place granted to today's users. These were high-difficulty monsters that could only be seen after the next update—the 'Great Cataclysm'.

Level 110 meant creatures as powerful as a world boss. Ordinary users struggled to handle even a single world boss—so what of a dungeon crawling with dozens, hundreds of such things?

As of now, this was a place that could never be cleared except by Sword God and Leo.

'No—one more person.'

A new powerhouse, the one who'd claimed the title.

Tik.

The sword slid slightly out of its sheath. Then back in. Out again. And again...

"...Hmm."

His current level was 96.

Just as it had been before level 90, his experience bar had slowed to a crawl once more. If he kept pushing, he could certainly reach his target of 100—but—

'...If it comes to that again.'

He had already experienced it once. Would a second time really be impossible?

No. Not at all.

'If anything, the possibilities are overflowing.'

"Lily Elbrit, was it..."

He found himself wanting to meet her.

Ding-ring!

Sword God frowned at the mountain of messages piled up yet again. He had blocked everyone except the rankers and a select few users—and still this much had accumulated.

Sighing, he read the Empire's correspondence first. Whatever else was true, Sword God held an imperial title and territory. Not that he ever used them.

"...Three of them."

Duke of Yellow Embers first.

"...The Empire."

So the rumors were true—the Empire really was gearing up for war. He'd heard it had been thwarted by Lily Elbrit.

War, though... that was something he'd have to think about.

"Next is..."

"...She held out longer than I expected."

The main quest: Schism.

He had sided with the Empire, but the Empire of today had grown far too bloated. Relative to the land it held and the influence it wielded, its power was concentrated far too heavily in the hands of a select few.

The factional struggle between the Duke of Magic Extremity and the Duke of Spirit Divinity, in particular, was worsening by the day. The Duke of Yellow Embers of the imperial bloodline and the Saintess Nea were holding the line, but how long could that last?

As far as Sword God could see, the Empire could tear itself into three pieces at any moment and nothing about it would be strange.

'Whether it's three pieces or two, though, remains to be seen.'

He checked the last letter.

"Leo."

So Leo had chosen the Duke of Spirit Divinity after all.

The Duke was Leo's master, so it went without saying. If he instead went to the Duke of Magic Extremity, he would presumably end up crossing blades with Leo.

Under ordinary circumstances, he might even have welcomed that. He wanted to test this strength of his, grown so much stronger than a year ago.

And by all accounts, Leo had grown far stronger as well.

But things were different now.

'Which side will Lily Elbrit align with? Given her closeness with Leo, the Duke of Spirit Divinity? Or will she refuse to choose the Empire at all?'

Leo no longer interested him much. What he wanted to test himself against was the new power in the world—Lily Elbrit.

Sword God erased two of the three letters, letting his gaze linger on only one.

'The Duke of Yellow Embers.'

A man like that would know something.

Sword God set his steps toward the Empire.