Chapter 53: Racial Duel (2)
Chapter 53: Racial Duel (2)
The wind never lingers.
It is either swept away, or it sweeps everything else along with it.
That nature mirrored my own life. I have spent my existence either being carried by the current or forcing everything else into my wake. Perhaps that is why my sword took on such a form.
In my homeland, they say the sword is a mirror that reflects its master.
“Your homeland has many beautiful sayings.”
“...It is a good place.”
“Did you say you came from the Eastern Continent?”
“Yes. From the East. A vast empire in the heart of the infinite steppe.”
“So you were a person of the ‘Great Land.’”
“Some call it that.”
My sword was never loved by anyone.
Neither was I.
Who could love a gale that wanders endlessly without a destination, easily diverted or destructive to all in its path? To everyone, I was merely someone who would eventually leave. I believed it myself. I thought I would wander incessantly until one day, like the wind, I would simply vanish from this world.
“You know... I envy you.”
But why?
At some point, my wind found its center.
“I want to live like you—drifting wherever the wind takes me, bound by nothing.”
Just as an eye exists at the heart of a raging storm.
Just as a core exists within a whirlwind that threatens to consume the world.
“But I suppose I can’t. I carry too much. My shoulders are far too heavy to fly into that sky like the wind.”
At the center of my ‘Gale,’ there was you.
“So, please... blow toward me every now and then. Blow toward me at dawn and let me be free, if only for a moment. I would like that.”
“....”
“When I’m with you, I feel alive.”
You might not have known, but I was no longer a mere breeze. A wind that has found its center is no longer just a gust; it becomes a storm, a cyclone.
“Can you do that for me?”
When you asked that of me, I thought the same thing.
That I, too, only feel truly alive when I am with you.
But I couldn't bring myself to say those words aloud.
My heart pounded as if it would burst. Your floral scent was intoxicating, and your tear-rimmed eyes sparkled with a brilliance I couldn't look away from.
Looking at you in your snow-white silk pajamas, I decided on a purpose for the first time in my life.
I will continue to live like the wind. I was born this way, and I have lived this way; I cannot change my nature or my fate. But I can change one thing.
“Gladly.”
I will no longer be the wind that is swept away. I will be the wind that sweeps everything else aside. And if I become a great enough storm, I will be the gale that carries you away. I will blow away everything that torments you, scatter the burdens you carry, and let the version of you that remains fly high into that sky.
“...Thank you.”
You probably didn't know that with those few words, I resolved to become a storm. That I resolved to become a wind that blows only for you.
“Then, I’ll tell you my name this time. Call it the next time you come.”
You probably didn't know how much that resolution cost me.
But whether you knew or not didn't matter.
“My name is Dorothy.”
A single, small smile as you whispered that lovely name was enough.
“A wizard from ‘Oz,’ the Magic City of the Great Empire of Velma.”
Yes, that smile was enough.
“Dorothy, the Wizard of Oz...”
Enough for me to become the storm that would sweep you away.
.
.
.
The vivid memory made my head spin. The moment I caught my sinking consciousness and opened my eyes, frozen time began to flow again. The memory of the ‘Gale’ felt like a lifetime, but in reality, only a split second had passed. A subtle, sharp power flowed from the hand gripping my sword.
「You must control it completely, young descendant.」
The power started from my palm, surged past my wrist and forearm, and settled into my heart. From there, it spread through my blood vessels, saturating my entire body.
My body became weightless.
Like a feather.
No, lighter.
Like the wind itself.
『To sweep you away, I had to become a stronger wind.』
My second heart, the Mana Heart, throbbed powerfully. As the Path extended throughout my body, the strength of a superhuman was granted to me. But it didn't stop there. The mysterious power coating my skin made me insanely light. I felt as if I could take flight at any moment.
『A faster, more powerful, and more relentless wind.』
The world slowed to a crawl.
Slower. And slower.
『To achieve that, my sword needed to resemble the wind even more.』
『The wind, by nature, is invisible to the human eye.』
『By the time you realize it, it has already brushed past your cheek. Even if it appears and suddenly vanishes, no one should notice.』
『Yes, no one.』
In the slowed world, my body moved with a mechanical precision. The mysterious power allowed for actions that surpassed my physical limits. The sword in my hand moved at an unbelievable speed.
It followed a single path. A single, perfect line.
『If it is the wind, it must be so.』
It wasn't my body swinging the sword. The enormous power surging through the blade was forcibly dragging me along. The sword was trying to wield me.
I could not let myself be swept away.
My body was not yet mature enough to fully utilize the ‘Gale.’ I could never handle the recoil of a single full-power swing. I had to control it. The sword must not wield me; I must master the sword.
I must not be swept away.
“Phew—!”
I tightened every muscle in my body. The resulting pressure immediately reinforced the Mana Heart. That power acted as a leash, preventing the mysterious force from running wild.
It was a feat a Sword Walker should not be capable of.
「Yes, that’s it, young descendant.」
If an ordinary Sword Walker had tried this, their second heart and their Paths would have shattered instantly. But my heart and my Paths were different.
「What steel in this world is ever swept away by a mere wind?」
My heart and my Paths were forged of steel.
“Hup!”
The fluctuating power was gradually suppressed. The compressed energy was trapped inside my body instead of exploding outward. The wind dwelled in the breath I inhaled and exhaled. A silent gale.
I feel like my body is going to explode.
The wind swirling inside me was calm yet violent. I began to vaguely understand the nature of this power.
The opponent I fought as Petel’s proxy... the power that knight used.
The realm I aimed for. The standard for a true powerhouse on this continent. A special power granted only to Sword Runners.
Wings.
The power felt in the Gale was uncannily similar to Wings. That was why my body was screaming. This was a power not yet permitted to me.
“Whew.”
With a single breath, my heart pounded with a thrilling intensity. But it did not burst. The blood of the Great Steel flowing through my veins held my body firm. Feeling the tremors in every fiber of my being, I slowly closed my eyes.
When I opened them, another's memory unfolded.
『One must not be swept away by anything.』
My stance shifted. I held the sword lightly, as if it might drop at any moment. It felt as if I were holding a reed rather than a blade. I held it precariously, swaying as if in a gentle breeze.
『For your sake, I decided to become a wind that is not swept away.』
While maintaining that fragile stance, a faint line appeared before my eyes. Beyond that line, an arrow was screaming toward me. I stared at the projectile and swung my sword along the line. The blade, swung as if limp, traced a curved trajectory.
『Not something that is swept away, but a wind that sweeps everything along.』
The next moment, the arrow curved, following the trajectory of my blade. The arrow, which had been fired in a lethal straight line, spun harmlessly and fell to the ground, its momentum vanished. The mysterious power that had dwelled in the arrowhead was gone, extinguished like a lamp before a hurricane.
“What in the—”
The Elf standing ahead finally showed an expression. Perplexity flickered across his indifferent face—a look of utter disbelief at the sudden turn of events. But it didn't last. After a brief freeze, the Elf reached for his quiver to notch a new arrow. He intended to continue the battle.
I had no reason to let him.
『Nothing remains unshaken before the blowing gale.』
Tak.
I kicked off the ground.
My body shot forward at an incredible speed. It wasn't a leap; it was a movement comparable to a wizard’s Teleportation. For a brief moment, I was a gust of wind.
『The falling leaves tremble.』
『Rotten branches shake, and the trunks of deeply rooted ancient trees sway.』
It was a speed bordering on the power of the Wings possessed by Sword Runners. A high-speed movement that defied common sense.
The distance between the Elf and me vanished in an instant. The Elf’s face, once a distant target, was now inches away. I could see his pupils shaking violently. The lush thicket swayed, and leaves fell in all directions. Before they could even touch the ground, my sword moved like the wind.
『The tall zelkova tree that shaded the sky is uprooted and rolls upon the ground.』
『Countless rocks are broken and shattered, strewn across the fields.』
With the distance closed, the Elf abandoned his bow. He drew a dagger from his waist, intending to clash in close quarters. It was no amateur technique; it was a lethal, skilled strike that reminded me of the Assassin of the Free City, the former master of ‘Fang.’
The two daggers stabbing from my blind spots were a genuine threat.
However.
『Before the swirling wind, all things fall equally.』
Compared to my ‘Gale,’ the Elf’s blade was insignificant.
“...!”
The dagger the Elf thrust was parried by my blade.
A metallic clang rang out.
With a subtle twist of my wrist, the Elf’s dagger was sent spinning into the air. His expression contorted as he lost his weapon. My sword continued to trace curved trajectories without pause, a beautiful dance of connected movements.
The Elf’s body twisted, pulled toward me by the vacuum of my strikes. I shoved my shoulder into his chest, shattering his balance, and struck his temple hard with the pommel of my sword.
“Guh—”
With a single choked cry, the Elf’s body shook violently. The fight was over. The floating leaves finally touched the ground, and the Elf collapsed into the dirt. With a thud, the gale swirling around me went to sleep.
“Haa, haa.”
As I looked at the unconscious Elf, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. It wasn't enough to incapacitate me, but extreme fatigue weighed down my limbs. I caught my breath, holding the sword with a trembling hand, and reflected on the ‘Gale’ I had just unleashed.
The conclusion?
This is one insane sword.
I was right. The ‘Gale’ was on a completely different level from the swords I had devoured so far. In every possible way.
*
The unconscious Elf was deemed unable to fight. Since the elimination criteria for the Species Duel were ‘death or being rendered unable to fight,’ the Elf was promptly expelled by the Arena officials.
But I had no time to worry about him.
「What did you feel just now when you wielded the Mystery contained within the Gale?」
There was no thrill of victory. Such things were unimportant compared to the deeper doubt I had—the curiosity about the sword I had just swung.
“For a moment, I felt like I had become a Sword Runner.”
「Felt like a Sword Runner, did you? That’s not the correct answer, but you’re close.」
The remnants of the ‘Gale’ still hummed in my veins. The sensation that sword provided was more intense than any blade I had ever consumed.
「The Gale contained in the sword you ate is similar to a Sword Runner’s Wings, but it is a power of a distinctly different nature. It’s likely a concept difficult for you to understand yet. Are you not a mere Sword Walker?」
“....”
「But even as lacking as you are, you must have realized how vast the gap is between the sword of a Sword Walker and the sword of a Sword Runner.」
Liam was right. Even though I had only tapped into a fraction of it, the presence of the ‘Gale’ was intense enough to momentarily erase every other blade I had consumed.
「As always, you must realize for yourself exactly what the power contained in the blade called Gale is. It would be meaningless if I told you.」
“Yes.”
「But I’ll give you something that might serve as motivation.」
Liam grinned.
「Most of those who have reached the realm of a Sword Runner possess their own Mystery. They become able to wield Mysteries like magic, not just superhuman strength. Just like the Gale you wielded just now.」
“....”
「And you, who have inherited the blood of Steel, can devour not only the memories but even the forgotten Mysteries contained within a blade simply by consuming it.」
Hearing those words, I finally understood what Liam had meant before.
「I told you, didn't I? That the blood of Steel flowing in our bodies only begins to reveal its true power once Wings have sprouted.」
The greatness of the Caravan was only just beginning.
「I guarantee it. From the moment Wings sprout from your back, you will possess a sword completely different from anything you’ve had until now.」
The ‘Gale’ that had sent shivers down my spine... was merely the first ingredient.
「Well, you still have a long way to go, though.」
“....”
「For now, you’ll have to digest the gale raging inside your body.」
A sword that allowed me to move at such high speeds that I momentarily mistook myself for a Sword Runner. A sword that could erase an Elf’s spirit-imbued arrow in a single swing. A sword that could neutralize an enemy without even touching them, simply by swinging through the air.
「I’ll say it again: be careful not to be swept away.」
First, I must make this sword completely mine.
「No steel in this world is swept away by the wind.」
Fortunately...
“The night has truly come, without a single light.”
“Shouldn't we find a safe place and try to get some sleep?”
“No. You mustn't sleep. Absolutely not.”
There were still more than enough trials left to help me grow.
“The moment you sleep, the Nobles of the Night will come for you.”
“The Nobles of the Night...?”
“Demonkin.”
The Species Duel was not over. It wasn't the end; it was just the beginning.
“Keep your wits about you, small gladiator. The Demonkin you meet at night are just as terrifying as Orcs.”