Chapter 230: New Era (1)
Chapter 230: New Era (1)
The era of peace was over.
A new era had dawned.
The Central Continent, once a glorious land of prosperity, had become the most brutal of battlefields. Neither the Conquest Army of the Great Land nor the Sky Legions of the Central Continent would yield an inch. As the most powerful empire on the continent stepped forward, the Conquest Army finally understood why the "Sky Empire" bore its name.
"…Are their numbers infinite?"
As day and night cycled countless times, the armies of the Sky Empire besieged the Conquest Army’s positions without pause. Under the authority of the Father Who Never Sleeps, the Conquest Army continued to fight without eating or sleeping. The Sky Empire realized this after several engagements and pivoted, deploying golems and machines instead of humans. They fought by building temporary fortresses, steadily thinning the enemy's numbers before retreating. Deprived of the chance to sate their bloodlust, the Conquest Army began to wither away.
Yet, blindly charging the fortresses was impossible. Across the vast, open plains, any ground assault would see the warriors of the steppe wiped out by the overwhelming firepower poured down by the Sky Legions.
Furthermore, the Sky Legions were swelling in number by the hour. Troops from the Black Archipelago landed along the coastline, and mercenaries from the Armand Alliance joined from the seas controlled by the Black Archipelago. One by one, the "Peacekeeping Alliance," led by the Sky Empire, was appearing to exterminate the Conquest Army.
There was only one way to change the tide of this war.
A being capable of rendering strategy and tactics meaningless.
The Descendant of Khan had to step forth.
However, if the Descendant of Khan acted now, his future path would be narrowed. Though the Father Who Never Sleeps protected him for now, the moment his karma accumulated excessively, the Seven Chief Gods and the Nine Goddesses would summon him to the heavens. And the moment the Descendant of Khan vanished to the celestial realm, the Eastern army—having lost its spiritual pillar and absolute monarch—would be annihilated. That could not happen. Even if he had to leave someday, that moment could not be now.
"Can we open more Gates?"
"It is impossible."
"Why is it impossible?"
"The Archmages from the Magic City Oz have all sided with them. To counter them, we would need at least the top-tier 'Wave Catchers' from the Free Cities, or perhaps Witch Elizabeth. If not them, then at least some high-ranking sorcerers…"
"Is it impossible for you all?"
"We are magitech scholars, not professional wizards. We can handle magical tools and utilize magic-engineering technology, but… in the field of pure magic… it is beyond us."
The Sky Empire was slowly revealing its hand.
Driven into a corner, the Great Land did not have many decisive cards left. The Sky Empire began its specialty: the "herding hunt." Instead of engaging in constant, wasteful clashes, they minimized their own losses while forcing the other side to bleed. To gain the upper hand, spiritual resources were needed. However, the Conquest Army lacked high-level spiritual beings.
The Wave Catchers of the Free Cities?
The Free Cities had been occupied by the Iron Kingdom. Most Wave Catchers had fallen under the Iron Kingdom’s rule, and trying to bribe them with money was pointless. "Gold," the wealthiest family on the continent that held all the world's wealth, was on the Empire's side. The masters of gold would do anything to destroy the Great Land, which had murdered their youngest son. Truly, anything.
Witch Elizabeth?
There was no way those prideful women would help this side. To begin with, the witches belonged to the Sky Empire. Protected by the most powerful empire, they would prefer to remain neutral. Witches, born from the tragedies of war, loathed conflict. Furthermore, attempting to approach them might incur the wrath of the "Father of the Sky." If one of the Seven Chief Gods sang of his rage, the Conquest Army would have to fight infinite lightning bolts instead of the Sky Empire that day.
High-ranking sorcerers?
Most powerful sorcerers were Orcs or Elves. The Elves, being the most isolationist race, would offer no help, and asking the Orcs for help was an exercise in futility. The phrase "waging war in cooperation with Orcs" was a logical contradiction. Those green masses, whose brains were made of muscle, were nothing short of a disaster—whether as enemies or allies.
"For now, we hold out."
Thus, the Conquest Army continued the constant clashes, attempting to endure a war of attrition. Of course, it was a meaningless effort. The Conquest Army did not realize that the resources of the "Great Empire of Velma" were near infinite. It was the largest continent in the world, with resources springing forth from every region—a land so fertile it hadn't seen a single poor harvest in centuries. Engaging in a "stalling" match with a powerful empire built on land blessed by God was an impossibility.
Of course.
"Hold out… longer."
Variables always arise.
And this time, a variable had appeared.
From across the sea.
The Kingdom of Steel.
Driven by a certain being who desired a "chaos" that would sweep everything away.
* * *
I heard new information regarding the "Sky Sword."
Jerome Stone, the King of the Dwarf Kingdom.
As the pinnacle of his race and the monarch of a nation, the Dwarf was closer to the "truth of the world" than I expected. It made sense, actually. Even if a part of history is excised, it is impossible for everyone to be ignorant of a history that actually existed—especially the king of a nation that existed before those events took place.
Of course, the information Jerome Stone provided was only a fragment.
Even the king of a nation did not know everything. Who were the beings who tried to erase the Caravan from history, and what was their intention? The Sky Sword. It was impossible for that being to have orchestrated all of this alone. There must have been others who helped him. There must be beings harboring immense malice who sought to completely eliminate the Caravan.
"Master."
Of course, there was something I had to consider before that.
"Can a Dragon become a Swordmaster?"
「It is impossible.」
Dragon. Swordmaster.
The most powerful of the seven races.
The most powerful individual among all living creatures.
Could these two identities exist within a single being?
"As far as I know, it's impossible as well. Every Swordmaster recorded in history was human."
「Indeed. Do you know why only humans have become Swordmasters?」
"I do not."
「Because humans are the most deficient of the seven races.」
Deficiency?
「Elves live forever. They do not know old age, and thus they do not desire to become strong in a short time. Protected beneath the World Tree, they do not strive particularly hard to be powerful.」
"……."
「The Demon Race? They are born with innate power and live as watchers under the duty of guarding the Wall of Despair on the Northern Continent. What matters to demons is honor. They do not fear death as long as they are remembered honorably. For they are the Nobles of the Night.」
Elves, and then the Demon Race.
「The Dwarves? They are weak, but they possess an extraordinary talent for protecting things. They have fought common enemies by huddling close together, regarding one another as brothers even if no blood is shared.」
"……."
「The Orcs? They find happiness in battle. They are born powerful warriors and fight eternally under the ideology that they will join their ancestors after death. The Beastmen? Born from beasts, they were the overlords of the forest, second only to the fairies. As masters of the hunt, they never lived in hunger.」
Dwarves, Orcs, Beastmen.
Liam spoke of the five races.
「But what of humans?」
"They are weak."
「Humans live short lives. They do not enjoy eternal life. Furthermore, humans lack even a certain faith. Naturally suspicious, they could not purely believe in the gods. Even knowing they would go to the side of a god after death, they feared death to the extreme.」
"……."
「Moreover, despite being of the same race, they do not trust or respect one another. They disparage those who died nobly for the sake of power and authority. Even if one meets a heroic end, their death is often remembered as pathetic or insulting by politicians and monarchs.」
"……."
「And yet, they are born horribly weak. Without sufficient training, they cannot even pull their own weight. Without sufficient learning, they are incredibly foolish. Even when they barely manage to unite, it is difficult for them to form a perfect group because they suspect one another. Humans are such an incomplete race.」
"……."
「However, because they are an incomplete race, humans can transcend.」
Because they are incomplete, they can transcend.
That is what Liam said.
「Because they are born weak, their desire to climb higher is intense. Because they cannot trust others, they trust only themselves and possess 'stubbornness.' Because they possess an endless greed that is never satisfied even after creating their own world, they push toward a higher, the highest point. Because they cannot live forever, they crave to become strong in the shortest time possible. More, faster, higher. Among the seven races, none possess a 'limitless greed' like humans.」
"……."
「I am a Dwarf half-blood, but because I have human blood mixed in, I was able to transcend. Because I was buried in ashes, I was able to bloom as a flame. Because I was born with the infinite potential that humans possess.」
Liam looked at me.
「Therefore, a being who is both a Dragon and a Swordmaster cannot exist. Why would a member of the most powerful race, guaranteed eternal life and gifted with immense power naturally as time flows, possess deficiency? Deficiency is the essential ingredient for transcendence.」
"You can't know that for sure. It might be different depending on the environment."
「Is that so?」
"It could be. What you know, Master, is not the entirety of the world."
I looked at Liam.
"Master, you have never been wrong about the sword. But because you are so great, you do not realize that there are truly many different beings in this world."
「…….」
"So, instead of saying it's absolutely impossible, just answer me one thing. If there were a being who was a Dragon, a Proxy Warrior of the gods, and a Swordmaster all at once, how powerful would they be?"
「Young descendant, when I was with you, I saw Swordmaster Carlos myself. I did not feel the aura of a dragon from him. He—」
"I am simply asking. Please answer."
A brief silence followed.
「A god.」
"……."
「They would possess power comparable to the Seven Chief Gods.」
"How powerful is that, exactly?"
It was a crucial question.
The answer came soon after.
「The version of me before I ascended? They could perhaps exchange about five bouts with Liam Caravan.」
"Five bouts…?"
「That is far more incredible than you think, young descendant.」
Liam’s eyes flashed.
「Among the living creatures breathing in this era, there is not a single one who could survive exchanging even one bout with me. Unless the 'assumption' you just made is true.」
"……."
「The Father Who Never Sleeps, the Chief God you call the 'War God,' lost to me in seven bouts. Do you understand what that means now?」
Damn it.
I understood perfectly.
It means he's even stronger than I imagined.
Swordmaster Carlos.
I was getting closer and closer to my nemesis.
And the closer I got, the more concrete his strength and level became. As his power was revealed in detail, the terror of the strength he harbored only grew. Of course, as Liam said, Swordmaster Carlos’s strength might be lower than my imagination. However, the Swordmaster Carlos in my head had to be more powerful than the actual Carlos in reality.
Why?
I should make even worse assumptions.
Only then.
Only then would my revenge not fail.
There is less than a year left.
In one year, I will be nineteen.
And the moment I pass eighteen, Swordmaster Carlos will no longer show me mercy. Therefore, I must become a Swordmaster within a year. Not just any Swordmaster. A Swordmaster among Swordmasters. I must become the strongest Swordmaster, one who can surpass the "Foremost Sword of the Continent." This isn't something I should do. It is something I must achieve. Without fail.
「Where are you going now, young descendant?」
"I've stopped by the Golden Treasury, so there's only one place left."
I adjusted my grip on my sword.
"I'm going back to my territory."
It was time to return.
To my land.
* * *
The road from the Dwarf Kingdom to the Iron Kingdom was treacherous. The Great Empire of Velma and the Sky Empire were in the middle of a war, and the leisure I remembered the Empire having was gone. Amidst the tense atmosphere of war, I had to move secretly, hiding my presence. Even by carriage, it would take at least ten days to reach the Iron Kingdom from here. And since there was no way for an outsider to use a carriage during wartime, the return journey was bound to take much longer.
Ruined buildings, sobbing people.
I slipped past soldiers who stood tense with their spears leveled. I moved mainly by crossing mountains. And in the mountains, I occasionally encountered the Conquest Army of the Great Land hiding in secret. Every time I ran into them, I cut them down.
Three days of traveling while stained with blood.
When I had reached the outskirts of the Sky Empire, I encountered an unexpected person.
"Child."
A woman shimmering in gold from head to toe appeared.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"……."
"It seems you have somewhere you must reach quickly."
It was a woman I had never seen before.
But the moment I saw her, I knew.
"Let me ask you one thing."
This woman...
"Do you know of Zeppelin Gold?"
She was a Swordmaster.
"You had better answer quickly."
And there is only one female Swordmaster currently existing on the continent. The master of one of the five great families. A transcendent being who had existed since the Age of War.
"Nothing is as expensive as time, after all."
Martina Gold.
The Matriarch of Gold had appeared.