The Age of War.

In that age of madness, when every form of life died as though it were nothing, humans were insignificant. Of the seven races, they were born the most trifling. They possessed neither superior bodies nor eternal lifespans, nor were they especially brave. Despite their weakness, they could not even unite. Even as the madness of the Age of War reached its peak, humans were busy fighting one another. The continent’s six other races laughed at their stupidity.

Even if every human united against the other six races, survival would be difficult. How could they still be fighting among themselves? To the six races, humans were truly foolish. Even as their blood stained the world, they could not become one. Their allegiances remained divided among kingdoms, empires, archipelagos, republics, and the like. Human nations did not even cooperate. At the slightest opening, they went to war. Indeed, to the six races, it seemed humans would destroy themselves through infighting if simply left alone.

And in fact, wars fought among humans cost them half the members of their race. The six races, watching those foolish, meaningless wars, needed only to intervene just after the fighting ended, annihilate the exhausted armies, and seize their lands and wealth. Thus, the human population, already halved, was halved again.

The dozens of human nations had dwindled to fewer than ten. Across the vast continent, dead humans outnumbered the living. More humans died by spear and sword than were born. Only then did they realize something was wrong. Who would possess the broadest, most fertile lands after the war, who would own the most gold and treasure, who was the most glorious sovereign—none of that mattered. Their race’s very survival was threatened. At this rate, it seemed the continent would have six races, not seven, when the war ended. Humans were on the verge of vanishing from this land entirely...

Only when the crisis was upon them did humans hastily rally together. But those who gathered were far too few, and all were utterly exhausted. Endless war had left everyone hungry, everyone broken, everyone sick of the fighting. In short, humans had grown far too weak. Far too weak to face the other six races.

Their visibly diminished numbers were halved yet again.

By then, every human bard was singing of the end. Devout priests and the pope left their temples to curse the gods. Priests and nuns became drunkards, sprawling in the streets and running riot. The drunkards who had always wallowed in drink and pleasure went to the empty temples, sobbing as they offered clumsy prayers.

Please, let us live.

The royals, duty-bound to protect their people, were pondering how to save their own lives. The nobles had fled long ago, and the soldiers who should have defended their countries turned their spears and swords on civilians. Armed soldiers looted food, remained perpetually drunk, and busied themselves raping women they saw in the streets. Everyone believed humans would disappear by the end of this war anyway. And so no one wanted to fight. Instead, they sought whatever pleasure they could before destruction arrived.

It was a profoundly “human” sight.

Having seen humanity’s ugly true face, the other six races could not stop mocking them. How could such a dreadful race exist? What made those things any different from monkeys...?

Every living creature on the continent was certain the human race would perish.

Until five banners flew over the battlefield.

“...?”

From that day on, the six races other than humans could no longer mock them. These were great beings, seemingly forged by gods who wished to end the Age of War. Through their great deeds, the horrific Age of War concluded with victory for insignificant humanity. With everything ending in the blink of an eye, humans gave the five families responsible for those astonishing feats a name.

The Great Families.

* * *

The residents of the steel city of Perma loved the 「Arena」. This circular stadium, where fascinating duels were always unfolding, was their source of vitality and a part of daily life. Naturally, what its passionate spectators loved most was the Endless Duel. It was the main event, a tradition dating back to when the Arena was still a fighting pit. The fierce battles fought inside the circular stadium, with lives on the line, set spectators’ hearts racing.

But this Endless Duel was a little different. Most of the spectators gathered here had watched the previous Endless Duel, and those before it. Compared with those past contests, this one was progressing far too quickly. The pleasure of the Endless Duel lay in desperate struggles in the mud, fighters tearing into one another. But the duel unfolding before them now was nothing like that.

“Huh...”

Before this Endless Duel, the Arena’s planners had introduced a “fence” to speed things up. They hoped fighters would encounter one another sooner and fight more fiercely. But the event was proceeding far faster, and far more overwhelmingly, than they had intended. At this moment, the spectators felt they were watching not the Endless Duel but Beast Duels, where condemned prisoners and savage beasts were caged together and made to fight. And because Beast Duels were conducted with the prisoners restrained, they were also called execution ceremonies. Yes, what was unfolding there now was not a duel, but an execution ceremony. Not an equal contest, but one-sided slaughter.

One person had thrown everything off. That fighter did not behave sensibly. The moment the duel began, he headed for the center, where the most fighters would gather. Once there, he slaughtered everyone he encountered. The killings were carried out with incredible speed. No matter how long it took, he never needed more than three seconds to cut an enemy down.

With the contest progressing far too quickly, the Arena’s planners tried to identify the fighter rampaging inside. That was not difficult. Publicly, they promised complete anonymity, but the special helmets and armor actually bore serial numbers that only Arena personnel could identify.

If the rampaging fighter proved to be a wanderer without backing, or some nobody who had entered just to slaughter weaklings, the planners had no intention of letting him get away with it. They were already itching for retaliation after the witches’ bullshit had brought the War Duels to such an absurd conclusion. They had no way to touch wives beloved by a god, but that did not mean the Arena’s planners were pushovers. Within the steel city, at least, their power was immense. Truly immense.

But...

“... Is this real?”

Once they had identified him, the Arena’s planners stopped making plans to teach him a lesson. They even began burning the plans they had casually scribbled down, leaving no trace.

“It’s probably accurate.”

“F*ck.”

The Arena’s planners were among the Iron Kingdom’s finest examples of people who bowed to the strong and bullied the weak. And the fighters rampaging out there were not people that clowns whose influence extended no further than the steel city could afford to touch.

“... Why would the youngest son of a Great Family join an event for lowborn scum?”

The fighter’s profile, brought by an apprentice planner, showed a face the Arena’s planner knew very well. For anyone who had risen to a certain position, not knowing that face would have been stranger.

“Everyone listen carefully. We knew nothing about this. We never identified him, either. That spoiled young master coming all this way to mingle with fighters... we knew nothing about it. Nothing.”

The rulers of six free cities.

The youngest son of the 「Rhapsody」 family.

Toma Rhapsody.

“Remember this. One wrong word gets out, and every last one of us is dead. And assign a referee to him. It won’t happen, but if—if that young master looks to be in danger, bring him out immediately.”

“Do we really have to? That goes against the tradition we’ve upheld. Besides, however exalted his family may be, surely he would gracefully accept the outcome of a fair duel—”

“Shut up! Do as you’re told!”

A rising star who had quickly become an accomplished swordsman and made a name for himself despite having taken up the sword only recently. But Toma Rhapsody was not famous because of his skill.

“You have no idea how overprotective that spoiled young master’s father is.”

Toma Rhapsody’s father.

Hugo Rhapsody, one of the most influential people on the continent.

“I don’t want to test how far that monster will go. Understand? So do as you’re told. Please...”

He was the continent’s most famous doting father.

* * *

Boring.

Drowsy and sleepy.

Was entering a mistake?

Those three sentences summed up the honest feelings of Toma Rhapsody, the fighter who had slaughtered over a hundred humans and turned the Endless Duel upside down.

‘I came because of the rumors, but there’s not a proper fighter here. Just weaklings. Crossing swords with the gardener would be more fun than this...’

Boredom washed over him.

By now, Toma Rhapsody regretted entering the Endless Duel. If he had known it would be like this, he would have taken a long afternoon nap instead. Had he been wrong to expect so much?

Life in the Free City was unbearably boring for Toma Rhapsody. His father was overprotective, shielding him no matter what happened. As a result, although he had learned swordsmanship, he had never once fought a proper duel. He had experienced the heart-stirring sword fights of chivalric novels only in his dreams.

The people of the Free City thought suicide preferable to seriously dueling Toma Rhapsody. They knew what the 「Rhapsody」 family could do, and they knew very well how far its patriarch, who cherished his son to an abnormal degree, might go. Thus Toma Rhapsody could live in safety. And thus he had lived without ever once feeling his heart race.

“Huaaam.”

He wanted to drive away the lethargy weighing on his body, even for a moment. If he could do that, Toma Rhapsody was willing to mingle even with lowborn scum. His father would not like it, but still.

Yet his lethargy had not faded. Sleepiness washed over Toma Rhapsody as he dragged his heavy body forward. There was only one reason he was walking of his own accord, despite his intense hatred of moving.

‘Those wounds on that beast’s body... those were interesting.’

A fighter who had fled from somewhere. After killing that fighter with a single stroke, Toma Rhapsody had been intrigued by the marks on the corpse. A swordsman who had attained a certain level could infer what had happened simply from the sword marks on a body. And so Toma Rhapsody had reached a simple conclusion.

This one was different.

That conclusion alone was reason enough to move.

Toma Rhapsody walked and walked.

Eventually, he encountered a fighter. The man acted the instant he saw Toma Rhapsody, aiming the sword in his hand at him.

Without fleeing.

He had neither seen the fighter’s face nor exchanged words with him, but the moment Toma Rhapsody saw him, he was certain. This was the fighter he had been seeking.

Pleasant sunlight spilled down.

His lethargy abating somewhat, Toma Rhapsody grinned and slowly raised the sword in his hand. The blade had a rather unusual shape. Its length was abnormal, and it was exceedingly thin. Shaped like an awl, it looked terribly fragile. It seemed impossible to hurt anyone with it. But a sword’s worth depended on who wielded it.

This blade’s owner was a descendant of one of the five families, a rising star watched by countless swordsmen.

“Hoo...”

The fighter drew a heavy breath. Hearing it, Toma Rhapsody thrust lightly with his sword. The long, thin point shot forward in a straight line. The breathing fighter adopted a defensive stance in response to its trajectory. A textbook decision. And cleanly executed.

But wrong in this situation.

“...!”

Toma Rhapsody twisted his wrist once. The twist traveled through the blade, and the abnormally thin steel bent like a whip. Its curved tip moved past the opponent’s sword, raised to defend. The fighter reacted swiftly. Another defense? No. An evasive maneuver, abandoning his sword. Dishonorable, but wise. It was the only way to avoid this attack.

CLANG

His sword fell to the ground. Toma Rhapsody thrust again. It was closer to a ray of light than a thrust. Five such thrusts flashed out in an instant. Two succeeded; three failed. Toma Rhapsody frowned at the man before him. Why had three failed?

‘A dagger?’

The man held a dagger in a reverse grip.

A secondary weapon? How had he parried those thrusts with such a short weapon? Toma Rhapsody thrust again. Once more, the thrust failed to pierce his enemy’s body. As though he could see the future, the man placed his dagger precisely in the path of the thrust, at its intended target. He was compensating for his severe lack of strength and speed with technique.

‘Interesting technique...’

The sight pleased Toma Rhapsody a little. So he stopped attacking and picked up the man’s fallen sword. Then he tossed it to him.

As though feeding a dog.

“Show me how you do it with a long sword, too.”

“...”

“Nice trick. The power I sense from you is only 「sword walker」 level at best.”

The fighter caught the sword Toma Rhapsody tossed him and paused. Had his pride been wounded? Seeing that, Toma Rhapsody found himself enjoying this not just a little, but quite a lot. So he decided to indulge.

“You don’t have wings, right? Then, to be fair, I won’t bring mine out either. Let’s fight with swords alone.”

Hearing Toma Rhapsody’s words, the fighter slowly raised his sword and pointed it toward him. After a moment of silence, the man spoke.

“Arrogant bastard.”

“You can be, when you’re strong.”

The man said nothing more. Instead, this time he thrust his sword forward. Even to Toma Rhapsody, who had encountered many styles of swordsmanship, it was a novel thrust. His wrist twisted to its limit, he attacked from an almost acrobatic posture. But novelty was all it had. There was no subtle principle behind it, no refinement, nor was it lethal.

Toma Rhapsody answered the thrust with one of his own.

As he twisted his wrist, his blade curved like a snake and slashed the man’s arm. Blood sprayed. He heard teeth grinding. But what could a wretch like this possibly do? Toma Rhapsody leisurely inhaled. With that short breath, countless 「paths」 poured forth. Golden paths conquered everything around him. The man’s path could not even manifest. Rhapsody’s 「paths」 shone with a brilliant, beautiful radiance. With those paths laid out, Toma Rhapsody’s thrusts rained down like lightning.

Toma Rhapsody did not stop his assault.

A thrust, then another.

Though they were mere basic movements, the man could not resist. Of course he could not. He would not even be able to see these thrusts. Yet that thought raised a question.

‘How did he block them earlier?’

Had it been luck?

His defense had been far too clean for that. Was he more proficient with a dagger? If so, Toma Rhapsody was perfectly willing to wait for him to switch back and resume the fight. Perhaps he should give him some time, he thought leisurely.

And then...

“...?”

Something unexpected happened.

“Oh.”

Toma Rhapsody’s brilliant 「paths」. Amid the multitude that had completely seized the surrounding space, something faint glimmered. That glimmer looked like a line. A single thin, distinct line.

When he perceived it, goosebumps prickled across the back of Toma Rhapsody’s neck.

The next instant, an impossible thrust came from far away, breaking through his rhythmic thrusts. It was a thrust Toma Rhapsody had never seen since first taking up a sword. No, one he had never even imagined.

‘My paths are breaking. Why?’

Watching the paths he had laid out shatter, Toma Rhapsody wondered. His question was soon answered. That thrust contained no subtle technical principle. Mana. Abnormally compressed Mana had taken on the hardness of steel, advancing as it broke everything weaker than itself.

Unyieldingly.

‘Ah.’

Toma Rhapsody smiled without realizing it. The beautifully hardened Mana within that thrust, the sword that steadfastly destroyed everything, was deeply captivating. A sword that advanced by breaking everything in its way? It was freer than any sword in the world. And as a descendant of the 「Rhapsody」 family, which pursued freedom, Toma Rhapsody found his gaze briefly captured by it.

“Beautiful.”

He wanted to watch it a little longer.

But if he stood still, the terrifying Mana it contained would break through his defense, shatter his blade, pierce his helmet and skull, and take his life. He could not allow that. If Toma Rhapsody died, his father would grieve. Toma did not want his father to cry.

Never.

“Truly beautiful.”

So Toma Rhapsody decided to go beyond “basic movements” and show a little more. He had limited himself for fear that revealing more would expose his identity, but he realized this was no time for such complacency. His wrist moved differently than before.

‘Sneaking out without Dad knowing really was the right choice.’

Compressed Mana that resembled a line?

It was a single strike so lethal and solid that even most 「sword runners」 would be struck down before they could stammer a response. Unfortunately for the man, however, Toma Rhapsody was not “most sword runners.” Toma Rhapsody smiled happily. Soon, a different power imbued his sword.

‘See? Getting out wakes me up...’

The great power that had earned 「Rhapsody」 its place among the five families.

* * *

“...”

I could not believe my eyes.

‘What the...’

This had never happened before.

It should not have been possible.

“This...”

The line bent.

“What...”

The path of steel that Master had said no one could obstruct.