Chapter 240: Advance (2)
Chapter 240: Advance (2)
There was a man who never became the protagonist.
‘Sir Petel, please... leave.’
Daisy still remembered that day vividly.
‘Why won’t you go? Why?’
It was a battlefield where volleys of fire arrows and magical bombardments rained from the sky. A wilderness where the spears and blades of seasoned soldiers clashed, and lives were snuffed out amidst a chorus of screams. In that hellscape, you protected me.
In the chaos of the slaughter, atop a swaying horse, I pushed you away and spoke.
Leave, Petel.
Abandon me.
Go and live your own life.
I am a woman of ill omen.
I have nothing left to give you.
If you stay by my side, you will only lose everything.
So, please... leave.
“And once again, everything has vanished.”
The fleeting memory of the past scattered like ash.
Daisy looked down at the branch member of the White family, who lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up thick clumps of blood. The words he had just spat out felt surreal, almost impossible to process. To think that a man who was one of the Six Masters and the head of one of the Five Families had died so futilely. Yet, Daisy accepted his words as the cold truth.
Reality was often nonsensical like that. It had been true on the day her family vanished, at the moment her father disappeared, and during the long years she lost everything and plummeted to the rock bottom of existence.
It was also true when her Petel was gifted an incurable disease by the gods as a "reward" for his hard work and loyalty. Beyond the bleak scent of blood, Daisy saw the absolute being slowly approaching. No one here could stand against that Executioner. Just as she, in her young and weak days, could not resist the forces that destroyed her life.
Yes, this was a repetition.
A cycle of loss.
And in the midst of this irrational destruction, there was no longer a guardian knight to shield her.
However.
“Swordmaster Carlos.”
She could not simply stand still.
“Swordmaster Carlos—!”
Even if everything was to be stolen from her again.
She would not let it be taken as pathetically as before.
She would at least make her voice heard.
She would struggle, somehow, to survive.
“I, Daisy White, address you. In accordance with the laws of the Iron Kingdom Chervil, Swordmaster Carlos, cease your threats against me immediately. This is a violation of the Iron Kingdom’s regulations and a breach of Continental Law. I will not say it twice. Withdraw, Swordmaster Carlos!”
Daisy shouted as if vomiting out her pent-up resentment.
“Hurry and—”
But her cry never reached the absolute being. Before Daisy could even finish her sentence, the blade in Carlos’s hand drew a line through the air. It was a strike that defied common sense and distance. The sword of the most powerful Swordmaster on the continent aimed straight for the noble lady’s throat.
And then.
“…!”
Suddenly, Carlos’s eyes widened.
His sword, which had been swung with effortless ease, came to a dead stop in mid-air. A brief opening was created. The fastest sword on the continent, Rhapsody, did not miss that gap. Instead of his brother, who had collapsed in a panic, the other brother moved. Edan Rhapsody—the young man rumored to have inherited Hugo Rhapsody’s talent in its entirety—drew a wave with his blade.
“Carlos.”
Arhan wasn't the only one who held a grudge against that Swordmaster.
Edan Rhapsody remembered the broken soul of Toma Rhapsody; he remembered the tragic end of their kind butler, Joseph; and he remembered the moment the Six Free Cities and his family fell into ruin. His accumulated rage and a torrent of unbearable emotions surged, forming a literal wave of steel.
The world came to a standstill.
In that frozen world, Edan Rhapsody became a streak of light, pouring out every ounce of his strength. With the roar of a crashing wave, his sharp blade drew countless lines, swinging to end a single life. In that split second, Edan Rhapsody roared as if purging his very soul.
And then.
“Ah.”
As he delivered his final strike, Edan Rhapsody saw Carlos’s face—it didn't have a single scratch. The sword Edan had swung with everything he had hadn't left even a trace on the body of the continent’s strongest Swordmaster. Not even the faintest mark.
“This is—”
Carlos didn't even spare a glance for Edan Rhapsody. He continued to look only at Daisy, as if Edan wasn't even worth noticing. Infuriated by such blatant contempt, Edan Rhapsody tried to swing his sword again. He wanted to at least grab the man's ankle, to force that arrogant gaze toward him. But he could no longer swing his weapon. Edan Rhapsody’s sword was shattered, and the wrist that had held it was twisted at a grotesque, sickening angle. Edan didn't even know when it had happened.
But if one has no teeth, one must bite with their gums. Gasping for breath, Edan Rhapsody tried to block the arrogant man’s advance with his bare hands, prepared to throw his very body into the path if he had to.
And then.
“Carlo—”
With a sickening crunch, Edan Rhapsody’s body was sent flying into the distance. The young man, who had been burning with fighting spirit just a moment ago, lost consciousness instantly. It was so simple, so futile.
Having brushed off Edan Rhapsody like a nuisance, Carlos resumed his stroll and soon reached Daisy. His eyes were not fixed on her face. Carlos’s pupils were focused below Daisy’s chest, on her slightly swollen belly.
“Are you carrying a child?”
At the question, Daisy’s eyes momentarily flashed. The Swordmaster’s Restriction. A rule engraved upon the soul that her husband had once explained to her. As the wife of the head of a Great Family, Daisy had heard of the ‘Foremost Sword of the Continent’s’ restriction. A vow that prevented him from harming a life that had not yet reached eighteen years of age. Recalling that restriction, Daisy instinctively stroked her belly. The reason she had burned with a will to live, the reason she had struggled without giving up, the reason she had to keep living despite losing her family and her husband—that reason had now become her lifeline.
“Yes. I am with child. A child of White.”
“…….”
“I know your code, Swordmaster Carlos.”
Daisy’s eyes widened with desperate hope.
“Let me go alive. I will do whatever you command. If you tell me to hide the child’s bloodline, I will. If you tell me to take my own life after giving birth, I will. If you tell me to leave for the furthest outskirts of the countryside and live without a name, I will. Propose any condition you wish. I can even swear it solemnly under the names of the Seven Chief Gods and the Nine Goddesses.”
Thinking this was her way out, Daisy spoke rapidly, her lips trembling. But Carlos did not listen; he merely continued to stare blankly at her swollen belly.
“…No, that is not necessary.”
“…?”
“You must disappear.”
“If you kill me, my child will also—”
Carlos shook his head slowly.
“I can simply cut the child out of your womb while you are still alive.”
“That… that is impossible. Do you know how long I have carried this child?”
“It wouldn't matter if it were conceived only yesterday. I can do it. Even if it is a life the size of a fingernail, I can cut it out, sustain it until it grows into a proper infant, wait long enough until it turns eighteen, and then end its life without pain. It is possible for me, Lady Daisy White.”
His voice was entirely devoid of emotion.
Hearing him utter such unimaginably horrific things so nonchalantly, Daisy felt a primal chill run down her spine. She had lived a rough life since childhood, survived wars, and thought she had seen the worst the world had to offer. But the ‘being’ before her now was on a different plane entirely. An indescribable, ineffable fear was closing in on her.
“If you would just close your eyes for a moment—”
And then.
“You… you horrible… monster.”
Splash. The sound of a wave echoed.
A blade was pressed against the nape of Carlos’s neck. The shimmering tip of the sword trembled, unable to pierce Carlos’s skin, as if blocked by an impenetrable iron wall. The person holding the trembling sword was Toma Rhapsody.
“How… how can a human… how can a human even say such a thing?”
“…….”
“Just… just how did a horrific being like you become a Swordmaster? How can someone like you walk the world so freely? Without being struck down by the heavens?”
Carlos didn't even look at Toma Rhapsody.
He felt no obligation to answer. Regardless of what Toma Rhapsody babbled or how he stabbed at him, Carlos ignored him completely and grabbed Daisy by the hair. Amidst her piercing screams, Toma Rhapsody shrieked and stabbed again and again. But only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster. No matter where one stabs or cuts, a being who is not a Swordmaster cannot inflict even a minor wound on one. Holding the struggling Daisy by her hair, Carlos slowly reached out his hand toward the pregnant woman's belly.
And then….
“What a relief.”
Clang! A sharp metallic ring erupted.
It was a youthful voice. The moment he heard it, Carlos’s eyebrows twitched. Only then did the absolute being of this place turn his gaze for the first time. Standing there was the life Carlos had failed to end earlier, the last descendant of Steel. Arhan Caravan. A sword that had not yet reached eighteen, but stood on the very precipice of it.
“Because you’re still a bastard who deserves to die.”
Light exploded. In the next instant, ghosts wielding swords poured out. Needle, Fang, Wildness… the souls dwelling in various swords poured their strength toward the Swordmaster, imbued with the same power as Arhan. Yet, not one of them could leave a mark on Carlos’s body.
The realm of the sword on this continent was divided into five stages, but in truth, it could be split into just two: Swordmaster, and those who are not. If one is not a Swordmaster, they can never truly cross blades with one. For they are absolute beings.
“Carava—”
However.
“Who do you think you’re touching?”
If it is a fellow Swordmaster...
“You.”
No matter how great the difference in their realms.
If they are a ‘fellow Swordmaster,’ they gain the qualification. The qualification to clash blades. The qualification to wound and force a retreat.
“Did you just hurt my two sons?”
The sound of waves returned.
Edan Rhapsody, Toma Rhapsody.
A sound of waves far more bizarre and incomparable to the previous two echoed. Immediately after the manifestation of an infinite sea, Carlos stepped back for the first time. In the next moment, a clear line was drawn between Carlos and Daisy. And upon that line, a man appeared.
The one-armed Swordmaster, the Master of Rhapsody. One of the Six Masters, Hugo Rhapsody.
“…Hugo Rhapsody. The descendant of the Idler.”
“Yeah, why are you calling my name? You executioner of innocent children.”
“Why has the one who fled appeared again?”
“Do I have an obligation to explain? If you’re so curious, run along to your master and ask.”
“…You’re quite bold.”
Saying so, Carlos slowly raised his head.
The moment Carlos’s eyes turned toward Arhan and Hugo Rhapsody, a horrific presence spread throughout the area. Arhan felt it. Carlos was indeed different from other Swordmasters. He had felt the auras of Hugo Rhapsody, Martina Gold, Russell White, and the descendant of Khan, but Carlos’s aura was on a level that defied comparison. Overwhelming power. The most powerful Swordmaster on the continent was clearly demonstrating why he held that title.
“Do you think you can fight me, no matter how many of you there are? Descendant of the Idler, even if you brought every other Transcendent here, the likes of you could never be my match. Never.”
Arrogant words.
But everyone knew it wasn't a bluff.
And yet.
“I suppose so.”
Strangely.
Arhan’s expression didn't falter in the slightest.
In fact.
“So what?”
He was smiling.
* * *
The place I rushed to after hearing the warning from my neighbor, Petel, was a scene of pure carnage. The moment I saw Carlos, I felt relieved that I hadn't brought Seol-yoon and my other neighbors. With our current strength, we could never face that damn bastard. And even with sufficient strength, it would be madness to take a large group to face him. Only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster.
As soon as I arrived, I quickly assessed the situation.
I didn't know why Toma and Edan Rhapsody were here. The two sons of Rhapsody, and Daisy White—it was a bizarre combination. But it wasn't a bad one either. Because all of them were individuals connected to different Swordmasters.
‘I was originally planning to use Martina Gold.’
This way, I could save a card.
‘I’ll have to move up the start of the plan.’
The plan begins this very moment.
Right now.
‘Carlos.’
The enemy who took everything from me was indeed terrifyingly powerful. That power was even more horrific in person than I had imagined. I felt that he alone could probably win against all the other Swordmasters combined. Winning now? Impossible.
However.
‘I wonder what kind of face you’ll make.’
Screwing him over?
That was entirely possible.
I’ve waited a long time.
I’ve truly looked forward to this for a very, very long time.
Now, the time has come for you to receive your karma.
Swordmaster Carlos.
‘You should have looked after your master better in a situation like this.’
Look forward to it.
You son of a bitch.