Chapter 227: Match (1)
Chapter 227: Match (1)
Despair had arrived.
The entities that had lurked in the shadows for centuries finally revealed themselves. The dwarves, who had long ignored their deepest fears, were forced to face their ancient natural enemies once again.
Their ancestors had left warnings in the annals of history. However, the actual sight of these predators rising to the surface was more horrific than anything they had ever imagined. There was no brilliant future; hope was trampled far too easily.
A dark, suffocating despair.
At the moment when the world seemed to be dyed pitch-black, a flame was lit within the realm of the dwarves. The one who held that flame was a young boy.
The moment the boy swung that flame, he became hope itself.
* * *
“Die?”
The Red Dragon Balakar stared at Arhan. A tiny human had appeared amidst the crumbling Dwarf Kingdom and the dwarves trembling in terror.
“Who? To whom?”
Balakar knew of the Caravan. In truth, any Dragon was bound to know the name. The Old Dragons—the ancient ones who crouched within the Nest of the Azure Sky—always warned the young: Beware of Steel. Beware of the Caravan. Do not stand against them.
To the Dragons, the Caravan was a formless fear. But what of this human before him, this ‘Descendant of the Caravan’? To Balakar’s eyes, this ‘Caravan’ was far too insignificant. Balakar thought to himself: Had the great Dragons truly wasted all those years fearing such a lowly race? For a creature like this?
“Show me all you like! Your petty tricks mean nothing!”
Balakar drew upon the Authority flowing through his blood. Simultaneously, every ember existing within the Dwarf Kingdom converged toward him. Natural flames and the artificial fires stoked by the dwarves merged into one. The furnace flames that could melt any steel, the magma slumbering beneath the mountain range—everything that possessed heat became Balakar’s flesh. Having constructed a body of blazing fire, Balakar wrenched his maw open and exhaled his breath toward the insignificant human. It was a manifestation of pure violence intended to incinerate both soul and body.
And then.
“You will never—!”
The voice echoing from Balakar’s mouth suddenly vanished. Was it only his voice? Every sound in the vicinity was extinguished in an instant. Along with the disappearance of sound, all light vanished as well. Amidst the pitch-black blackout that swallowed the area, Balakar’s eyes trembled. What is this?
“—!”
The eyes that could pierce through all worlds—even the eyes of a great Dragon could not peel back this darkness. While his reptilian eyes gleamed, the world remained shrouded in gloom. Within the absolute darkness, Balakar froze for a moment. Soon, a flick echoed in the void, and a flame bloomed. The flame had ignited at the tip of a sword.
The blade cradling the flame was the only thing shining in a world filled with darkness. The swinging ember drew a perfect arc, and in the next moment, Balakar’s body was hollowly sliced through. As Dragon blood sprayed, Balakar screamed in horrific agony. But no matter how wide he opened his maw or how much he vibrated his vocal cords, no sound escaped.
Immediately after cleaving Balakar’s body, the ember at the tip of Arhan’s sword vanished. The moment the spark died, darkness returned. A world of absolute silence where neither sound nor light existed. Faced with this incomprehensible phenomenon, Balakar spewed flames again and again with his mouth agape. Yet, the darkness did not dissipate. He could not even tell where his invisible enemy was.
Come out, you insect.
Come before me and challenge me fairly.
Caravan, come to me!
Red Dragon Balakar shouted with all his might, over and over. But his voice only swirled inside his mouth, failing to echo outward. Within this bizarre phenomenon, Balakar felt an indescribable emotion. An incomprehensible occurrence, an unknown power, and a death that was drawing closer. Entrails and blood dripped from his belly. Only then did Balakar realize the true nature of the emotion he was feeling.
Fear.
* * *
『How happy were the ages when the starry sky could be seen, and the map of the paths that could and must be taken could be read?』
The Lantern burns.
Combusting from head to toe, a power not permitted to me surges within. For a brief moment, I wield a Sword I have neither digested nor understood. With a flick, I strike the match within me. In that instant, the world falls silent, and a harsh winter arrives.
“—!”
Souls of many colors.
The Dragons, each possessing a different hue, cannot hide their bewilderment before this unknown power. Enveloped in darkness, the Dragons cannot offer any resistance. It is only natural. This is the sword of a Swordmaster. It is an absolute power that only a Swordmaster can resist.
“This is... this is unreasonable—”
The Red Dragon babbles something.
But soon, darkness returns, and the creature’s voice vanishes. Amidst the silence, an ember flares, and the moment the lit match is swung, the Red Dragon’s body is hacked to pieces. As I swing the sword again and again, a crushing burden weighs down on my body. It is the horrific sensation of every bone shattering and my muscles melting away. I cough up blood in the midst of the agonizing pain. The moment my consciousness wavers, the power the Sword provided vanishes.
The fragmented Red Dragon soon regained its strength. The scattering pieces turned into embers to restore its physical form. In that moment, it glared at me and exhaled flames.
“Ca-ra-van—!”
The Red Dragon’s breath was of a different caliber than that of ordinary Dragons. It was a horrific flame that scorched not only armor but also the body and soul. The violence of the spirits dwelling within the fire tore my body apart. It wasn’t just that creature’s breath. The breaths of the other Dragons, who had been silent in the darkness, all aimed for me at once. My entire body was split apart, scattering into dust.
But I do not die.
『But man is not made for defeat.』
My soul, which was being dragged toward the spiritual world, is anchored to the mortal realm. Centered around that fixed soul, the pieces of my collapsing body are fitted back together. I reject death and return to life. To fight, and to fight more. The will of an old warrior who stood against the world until the moment he died—the legend built by that will holds me to this world.
“You—!”
Clang—!
A sound like a hammer striking iron.
With that sound, my fragmented body and armor regain their original form. In the grip that has returned to its original state, I hold a sword without a single scorch mark. I am used to the pain of death now. Pain of this sort can never break me. Never.
“Descendant of Steel, Caravan!”
Dwight’s voice reached me from afar.
“Please!”
The majestic Dwarf General—the middle-aged man who was always so dignified—the hero of the Dwarf Kingdom, burdened with the fate of his nation, was sobbing at this moment. A single dwarf, sprawled on the ground while holding a broken war hammer, was shouting.
“Please, do not lose. I beg of you.”
It wasn’t just Dwight.
“Caravan!”
“Descendant of Steel!”
“Arhan, Arhan Caravan!”
The dwarves were crying out my name. They were crying out the name of my forgotten family.
「Young descendant.」
They were calling for the forgotten Steel once again.
「Show them.」
What I must do is clear.
「Show them what the Caravan is.」
To fight.
「Show them with your own hands why their ancestors did not leave those cramped mountains for all those eons. Show them once again what they feared so much.」
I gripped my sword.
「So that they never forget again.」
My eyes snapped open.
I saw countless paths stretching out. Among them, I saw the line that was connected most firmly. In the next moment, my Heart of Steel throbbed as my wings flapped. Immediately after that flap, I was right in front of the Blue Dragon’s nose. My eyes met its reptilian ones. The moment we locked eyes, the Water Element began to fluctuate. The blood flowing beneath its skin boiled, and the moisture in the air froze.
But it could not inflict the violence of nature upon me. For a Dragon’s Heart dwelled in one side of my chest.
“...You—.”
The Blue Dragon’s pupils dilated.
But it was too late. The ‘Path’ was reflected in my eyes. The moment it appeared, I swung my sword along that path. After a single strike, the Blue Dragon’s body was hacked into ten pieces and scattered. The attack did not end there. A chromatic Dragon is composed of the element itself; water does not meet death just because it is sliced. To kill them, I must cut down and collapse their very foundation.
Demon Ore.
Just before the split Blue Dragon could merge back together, my armor swept down the blade. With a skreech, light dwelled within the sword. I swung the light-imbued sword while spinning in mid-air. Refinement. With a thunderous roar, the Blue Dragon’s body failed to merge and scattered away as mere water. One was dead.
“You son of a—!”
Seeing the death of their kin, the Dragons rushed at me instantly. One against many. Cowardly bastards. But it didn’t matter.
『To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.』
Brilliance.
The moment the light exploded, the Sword Souls appeared around me. With a sharp thud, the swords surged toward the Dragons charging from all directions. They were all formidable souls. Every single one of them was a soul clad in Immortal Armor. Each one was akin to a legion.
“Petty tricks! Again, petty tricks—! How long do you think this will work? All your actions are ultimately nothing more than a struggle. All of it—”
The Dragons, blocked by the souls, soon wrenched their maws open. They seemed intent on pouring out their breaths once more, intending to sweep away both the souls and me in one go. It was sufficiently threatening. But it wouldn’t work. Why?
『How happy were the ages when the starlight lit the way so clearly?』
Because I have recovered enough to use the Lantern once more.
And if I use the Mystery of Combustion contained within the Lantern?
I can use that ‘unreasonable power’ once again.
『Please don’t leave me behind.』
Match.
The power of a Swordmaster.
『Take me with you, Father.』
This time, I won’t let a single one escape.
Not a single one.
* * *
The Dragons thought this time it was truly over.
The bizarre trick he had displayed at first was mysterious, but it was far too powerful. There was no way a human of such low standing could continue to perform such a grand feat. The power that endured their breath? There was no way he could use that for long, either. The Dragons knew the laws of the world. They knew that a creature as insignificant as a human could not defy the ‘Natural Order’ for long.
Therefore, the Dragons were certain that this moment would be the end of the Caravan. He would never be able to block this. The breath would incinerate and destroy the Caravan’s body and soul. The Old Dragons would realize they were wrong, and they would offer praise for the removal of the being that had oppressed the Dragons for so long. Honor, glory, and ecstatic praise—as they exhaled their breath, the Dragons were certain of a brilliant future.
But such a future did not come.
“…….”
The world was extinguished once more.
Absolute darkness.
The breath vanished.
Everything fell silent.
In the darkness, the Dragons realized something had gone horribly wrong. Within the pitch-black void where they couldn’t see an inch ahead, the Dragons roared powerfully with their mouths wide open. But the roar of a great Dragon that should have shaken the entire sky did not echo even slightly.
In the horrific silence, the Dragons remembered.
The Old Dragons. The ancestors had warned them.
Do not stand against the Caravan.
Do not stand against Steel.
The Dragons had looked down upon those warnings. They thought the Old Dragons were trapped in the past, trying to oppress the new generation. However, the actual appearance of their natural enemy rising to the surface—the ‘Steel Bloodline’ etched painfully into the very marrow of every Dragon—was more horrific than they had ever imagined.
There was no brilliant future. Hope was trampled far too easily.
In a world dyed pitch-black, a flame was lit in the darkness. The one holding the flame was a young boy.
The Steel Bloodline, which had been crouching for hundreds of years, finally revealed itself. The Dragons, who had ignored the fear engraved in their veins, were forced to face their ancient natural enemy once again.
Despair had arrived.