“Everyone, don't be alarmed. There has been no mistake!”

The announcer spoke in a cheerful voice.

“This was intentional! Those who chose Han have been assigned to the Great Land! Those who chose the Great Land have been assigned to Han! We deliberately arranged for you to be placed on the opposite side from the one you chose!”

For some reason, I thought I could hear laughter mixed into his voice.

“After all, having every fighter from the eastern continent fight for Han, while everyone else chooses the Great Land and becomes an invader... isn't that terribly clichéd? Predictable, boring, and exactly what you'd expect! So we've made it more entertaining for you!”

Madness.

There was madness in that voice.

“You fighters from the eastern continent who were trembling with rage! Fight as soldiers of the Great Land's conquering army, the very army that destroyed your countries! Destroy your own homelands, recreated in the spirit world, with your own hands! And you opportunists who planned to join the conquering army and enjoy the invasion! Despair before overwhelming military might and show us just how ugly you can be! Entertain the audience—and us!”

Right.

This was nothing new.

“There is no preparation time in the War Duels. That is what war is, after all.”

These bastards had always been crazy.

“Now, go out there and fight!”

Absolutely fucking insane bastards.

* * *

Han.

A peninsula on the fringes of the eastern continent.

A country swept up in the War of Conquest launched by the Great Land and erased without a trace. The peninsula that had vanished into the forgotten corners of history was now recreated through the witches' arcane power.

Han's camp, recreated in perfect detail, was shabby.

There wasn't a single decent weapon in the barracks. Old iron swords and helmets, crudely made armor, and bows with slack strings. Rickety beds fit only for slaves, and wooden floors crawling with centipedes.

Countless fighters stood scowling in the neglected barracks.

“Why am I stuck in a place like this...?”

Every one of them had chosen the Great Land. They had wanted to play the attackers, enjoy an exhilarating battle, and unleash destruction and violence alongside the Great Land's conquering army. Now, however, they could no longer do what they had intended.

Most of the fighters looked dissatisfied. But I had no time to concern myself with how they felt. Whether the situation was fucked or not, the War Duels had already begun. I had to know how to make use of the circumstances I was given.

'The equipment I put on beforehand is still here.'

Even after entering the spirit world, I still had my equipment. The dwarven gear Dwight had given me protected my body. That was a relief, since every piece of Han's equipment was of abysmal quality. The things hanging on the wall were unusable garbage. Swing one of those old iron swords, and it would break during the fight. Wear that crudely made armor, and it would fall apart without stopping so much as a single enemy arrow.

'And just as the Great Land's conquering army has been recreated, the defending army has been recreated here.'

Outside the barracks, there were many soldiers besides the fighters. Unlike the unmotivated fighters, Han's defenders had grim faces but burning eyes. They knew the Great Land's conquering army was coming, yet they hadn't given up. They would be dependable allies in these War Duels.

Besides...

“So they've switched our sides. It's a nasty prank, but now that it's begun, we should give it our best.”

“Turning the tables from the losing side makes for an entertaining duel, too. Didn't Goddess Lepri herself say that overturning an unfavorable battle is a splendid thing?”

Not every fighter lacked motivation.

Some, like me, had quickly accepted the situation.

And...

“You ill-bred fighters! Stop whining and gather round! Will muttering change anything?”

One fighter in particular was visibly burning with enthusiasm.

“Aren't we fighters? A bunch of idiots who know nothing but fighting! So shut up and fight! There's nothing uglier than grown men whining!”

A decidedly orcish way of speaking.

When I first heard those words, I thought an orc had shouted them. But unlike the manner of speech, the voice was rather lilting. Despite the effort to speak forcefully, it had a feminine quality. That impression was correct. The person shouting in the middle of the fighters was a woman.

“Besides, isn't this a fine opportunity? Instead of fighting Han's army—a defeated army from an already fallen country—we get to fight the Great Land's conquering army, one of the continent's greatest invincible legions! If you're fighters, surely you've dreamed of facing them at least once! And here, you don't even have to worry about fucking dying! You can fight to your hearts' content!”

She had an unusually solid build for a woman. Skin tanned bronze, a small suit of armor protecting only her vital points, and an excessively thick greatsword in her hand. Her abundant hair was tied up, swaying like a horse's tail. Her appearance immediately brought to mind a powerful warrior woman.

Those who saw her froze for a moment.

None of the fighters who heard her shout insulted or mocked her for being a woman. The reason was simple. Her scant armor left her forearms, the area around her collarbones, her calves, and much of the rest of her body exposed. And the exposed bronze skin was densely covered in purple tattoos. Those tattoos meant only one thing.

“... A Valkyrie.”

「Valkyrie」.

A title bestowed only upon the greatest warrior women among the barbarian warriors who lived in the rugged mountain ranges at the northernmost edge of the Iron Kingdom. Valkyries had many distinguishing traits, but their greatest symbol was their 「Blood-Colored Skin」: purple tattoos inscribed in their traditional manner.

“A warrior woman from the north has come all the way down here?”

“A Valkyrie's words are worth hearing. Besides, who knows what might happen if we don't listen? You can tell from the way she speaks—those barbarians are lunatics, practically no different from orcs.”

A stir ran through the crowd.

Amid it, Liam spoke.

「A Valkyrie. It's been a long time since I've seen one.」

“...”

「The times really have grown much more peaceful, though. In my day, Valkyrie was a title for those who had reached at least sword expert...」

Liam smiled, stroking his chin.

「Whatever their level, they're quite entertaining warriors, young descendant.」

“... Whenever I get involved with people you describe that way, Master, it never ends well.”

「Hoho, but it's fun, isn't it?」

“...”

「Barbarian warriors have their charm. Sometimes they do things even more audacious than orcs.」

The instant I heard Liam's words, I made up my mind.

'I'd better stay away from her.'

There were lunatics on this continent capable of doing things even more audacious than orcs? The mere thought made me start trembling.

But...

“Oh! You there, wearing that old helmet! Aren't you Sword Demon Liam?”

As always, my life never went smoothly.

“Excellent! Come over here! I've watched many of your duels! Of all the fighters I've seen, you're the bravest! And your duels are magnificent! A great warrior who never retreats, no matter who the enemy is!”

“... Pardon?”

“You may be wearing a helmet, but I can tell just by looking! A single glance is enough! Don't be shy—come here! Naturally, you'd want to fight the Great Land's conquering army, wouldn't you? You don't have to say it—I know! Great warriors always understand one another!”

“I'm not a great warrior.”

“How modest! But everyone here knows! Sword Demon Liam is a great warrior!”

Fuck.

I had no idea how she'd recognized me through my helmet, but the Valkyrie had singled me out. She even rattled on without giving me time to answer. Her way of speaking reminded me of a certain green race whose brains were steeped in fighting.

“Sword Demon Liam! Fight the oncoming conquering army with me! I want to stand beside you at the very forefront, where we can be the first to fight the enemy! What moment in this world could be more glorious?”

“No, wait...”

“If any of the other fighters object, speak now! If there's a greater warrior than the two of us, step forward! I, Maia, the sixth Valkyrie of the Lakota Mountains, will personally test your qualifications!”

“...”

“Hmm! It seems there are none!”

The other fighters fell silent as though they had never been making a racket. Then they kept their mouths shut, save to chant, “Liam! Liam!” as they applauded.

'Damn it. I was planning to watch from the rear before making my move.'

My weapon, Suspicion, grew stronger the more time I had to read my opponent's information. Taking an enemy apart based on the smallest scraps of information, then striking their weakness in a single move—that was how I fought. But now I was supposed to stand at the very forefront and fight the enemy first? I was not pleased about that at all.

“I'm truly glad to share this glory with you, Sword Demon Liam!”

The Valkyrie who had introduced herself as Maia laughed heartily, oblivious to my feelings. Even without seeing her helmet-covered face, I felt I could picture her expression. No doubt it was an open, utterly thoughtless smile. Just like those fucking orcs.

'This isn't good.'

I didn't like the direction things were taking.

So I intended to refuse to take the foremost position, even if everyone around me complained. Honor and fame didn't matter to me anyway. The Sword Demon's reputation plummeting, being treated as a coward? Not my concern.

But...

「Try doing as the Valkyrie says, young descendant.」

Liam offered a new path.

「You can do it. It will be entertaining, too.」

“...”

「At your current level, that is.」

I looked at Liam's face.

Then I realized he wasn't joking just to screw me over. Liam was sincerely recommending that I take the very front.

And Master was never wrong.

At least when it came to the sword.

'... My current level.'

* * *

“The might of the Great Land, the Khan Empire, now seems to pierce the heavens. Every country on the eastern continent has been engulfed in flames and reduced to ash, their souls resting beneath pools of blood without solace. The beastlike conquerors' blades spare neither women nor children nor the elderly. They say that wherever they passed, only death remained.”

“...”

“Now, only we remain. The only place on this continent that is not their land is this small, humble peninsula.”

Atop the walls, Han's general, recreated through the witches' arcane power, delivered his speech in a ringing voice. His level wasn't high. At best, he had only just entered the sword runner rank—a level unworthy of the title of general. Yet the fighting spirit in his eyes burned with astonishing intensity.

“If we lose today, our parents, our sons and daughters, and our wives will be defiled by the conquerors. And what will happen after they are defiled? They will rest beneath pools of blood. More wretchedly, more miserably than livestock. Not only your families. My wife, my parents, and my young daughter will suffer the same fate.”

“...”

“That is why we cannot lose. We must not lose.”

The general continued.

“History may not remember us. Our chances of defeating the Great Land's legions, which have never known defeat, are exceedingly slim. But we must fight. Even if we are not remembered, even if no glory awaits us at the end, we must take up swords and spears. Because we are human. Because each of us is a father, a son, a husband.”

History is written by the victors.

Here, the history of the defeated, to whom no one paid attention, was being recreated. As the general continued speaking, the ground began to rumble. Dust rose beyond the horizon. Along with the trembling earth came the thunderous sound of hoofbeats. A mass of iron-armored warhorses began to appear, the terrifying conquering army mounted upon them.

“The legion of the sun that will never set has arrived.”

The general spoke plainly as he gazed at the conquering army.

“Loose the fire arrows.”

That became the signal for war.

Burning arrows rained down beneath the bright blue sky. They had been fired by squeezing every last drop from their scarce resources. Yet the rain of arrows achieved little. A dazzling light flashed once, and a barrier as transparent as glass formed. The arrows lost their force and fell straight to the ground. It was a magical defense deployed by the conquering army.

An arcane power that Han's army neither understood nor possessed. But Han had already suffered far too many defeats to fear such arcane forces now. Instead of screaming in terror, they calmly drew their swords and spears.

And...

「The Great Land. A vast empire founded by Khan, the fourth swordmaster to appear on this sprawling continent, after he united the great grasslands. They learn to fight before they can walk. Instead of studying letters, they learn to ride horses and wield spears and swords. To them, war is a game.」

At the very front of those drawing their swords and spears stood the Valkyrie Maia and me.

「The many countries of the eastern continent mocked them as savage fools. They laughed at them as beasts no different from orcs. But after the first conqueror began his conquest, no one could do so anymore.」

“...”

「For on that day, every country on the eastern continent faced a god of war descended upon the earth, young descendant.」

The Great Land's army was drawing closer in an instant.

Truly, in an instant.

「The Great Land's legions are powerful. At least on land, there can be no legion stronger than theirs. Even if the Khan Empire had no swordmaster, their conquest would have succeeded.」

“...”

「You get to face such a legion. Doesn't that excite you?」

“I'm not sure.”

I could see the iron-armored warhorses.

Studying their individual forms, I breathed slowly. A short breath filled my lungs, suffusing me with Mana. My second heart opened a 「path」 within my body, helping me see the world with clarity.

「Young descendant.」

I gripped my sword.

「You have fought quite a few powerful foes.」

I closed my eyes, then opened them.

「The trials that tormented you. Those countless hammer blows have made you harder than before.」

“...”

「In this moment, you will know for certain that none of those moments were wasted.」

Soon, distinct straight lines appeared in the gaps of the oncoming legion. The lines, densely connected like a spiderweb, were incredibly clear. I knew what they were.

The sword was showing me the path I needed to take.

“Whew.”

I drew a deep breath.

With it, the wind entered me.

「Show the conquerors of the eastern continent.」

With the wind within me, my body leaped far ahead.

Right before the mass of charging warhorses.

「What the true summit is.」

I saw their fluttering flags. Beneath them, I saw soldiers with eyes wide in shock. Even though it had happened in an instant, the commander reacted quickly. His mouth opened, a ringing voice about to burst forth.

“Wai—!”

But I was faster.

Of course I was.

『To sweep you away in an instant, I had to become a stronger wind.』

For in that moment, I was a gust of wind.