Even if I die, even if my descendants die, we shall not disappear. The stars we dreamed of shall live on through those who followed us. Thus our flame shall burn forever. Though its light has faded now, though it is now too faint to find, one day it shall blaze again. That blazing flame shall become a lantern, guiding the suffering souls wandering in darkness.

Ah.

Only then did I understand.

It was not a lantern I had wished to become.

I longed for the Age of Stars, and I loved the stars.

That was why I had wished to become a star.

A star shining in the heavens, brightly illuminating the path you must walk.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes. The Mana circulating through my body was now blisteringly hot. My skin, muscles, and bones were so hot they felt ready to melt. Even my breath felt hot as he walked toward me through the darkness.

"Done running away now?"

As he strode closer, I suddenly sensed people around him.

"You bastard—"

Fighters had been lying in hiding, suppressing their presence. They seemed especially skilled at ambushes. Their attack was exquisitely coordinated. Yet he did not move a single step. He merely swung the blade in his hand a couple of times.

"Urgh..."

That settled it. The ambush failed, and the fighters who had attacked from behind tumbled across the ground, their heads severed from their bodies. He did not spare the dead fighters a single glance.

"Stop running. It's getting boring."

"..."

"You have no idea how tedious it is dealing with these things, do you? Or are you using me to get rid of all the riffraff who entered? If that's what you want, I'll gladly oblige. Just wait a little. I'll clean up every last piece of trash except you in five minutes..."

He spoke of killing people as casually as dusting his house. But his words did not sound casual to me. He was more than capable of doing exactly that, and he was the sort of bastard who would. If he chose to, every fighter in the Endless Duel would be wiped out. Hunted down like prey.

"Enough."

"Good. Wise choice. I was already so sleepy I could die."

Watching him approach, I concentrated as hard as I could. First, I made him the sole target of Suspicion. Instead of combining the sounds, smells, and other sensations around me to account for every variable, I decided to focus on him and me alone.

I honed my mind as sharply as a blade whetted to its utmost edge. The world filled by my 「path」 expanded a little. My reach was broader than before. He stepped defenselessly into the range where I could unleash my best attack.

"I'll go a little easier this time, so don't chicken out—"

I did not answer him.

Instead, I acted. My thrust was so fast it startled even me. But it did not catch him.

"Oh."

He sharply bent at the waist, narrowly avoiding the thrust. His movements were closer to a beast's than a human's. Having dodged by a hair, he floated into the air and lightly kicked my chest with the sole of his foot. The movement was light. The impact was not.

'Fucking hell.'

It felt as though my entire body was ringing. All he had done was touch me. It was similar to what the Beastfolk fighter had done earlier, yet different. With my head ringing, I hastily stepped back.

「That is Mana shock.」

"..."

「It happens because the difference in the power contained in your vessels is too great. At his level, he can put Mana into any part of himself, not merely his sword. He is using that to crush you. He does not even need to strike you. Mere contact can inflict internal injuries.」

Had I not pulled away quickly, I would have been seriously hurt. I steadied my breathing to recover from the shock and frowned. I had never experienced anything like it.

Just how vast was the gap between us?

「That is not the only thing you must watch for. As you just saw, the Idler's sword is not bound by fixed forms. It unfolds freely and fluidly according to the situation. Like the sea.」

"..."

「And it is exceptionally fast. You will struggle even to follow it with your eyes. In terms of speed alone, Rhapsody's sword could be called the finest swordsmanship on the continent.」

He rubbed his neck once, then began strolling toward me again. He looked as though he were out for a walk, not engaged in a duel with his life at stake. It was humiliating, but I had no time to feel humiliated. If he insisted on being arrogant, I had to exploit even that.

「The swords of the five families are all like that. They make swordsmen encountering them for the first time wonder: Is this really swordsmanship? Is the bastard wielding it even the same kind of creature as I am?」

"..."

「The steel I am about to teach you is no different. But that sword is far too much for you as you are now. The sword of Caravan shines ever brighter as its wielder rises in rank, and the minimum requirement for performing even its basic movements is to be a sword runner.」

I exhaled and took a breath.

「So you must somehow burn yourself up and take flight, if only for an instant. Otherwise, far from wielding the sword of Caravan, you will collapse before you can even begin.」

"... I know. I know what happens when you wield a sword beyond your reach."

「Can you do it?」

"It is not a question of whether I can. I must."

「You understand well.」

Suppressing my dizziness, I stepped forward. He approached in time with my steps. The instant we came within sword's reach, we extended our blades simultaneously. I thrust; he swung. By any common-sense reckoning, my thrust should have reached him first. But his swing was faster than my thrust. Much faster.

"You fucking—"

TING!

My thrust was knocked off course. Just as I forced my sword back onto another trajectory to counterattack, burning pain flared in my shoulder and side. I had allowed two attacks through. Yet I had not seen how either was delivered. Only the results remained, without the process. Like a bolt of lightning flashing down.

「Of course, that alone will not solve everything. The sword of Caravan will merely place you and him on equal footing for that instant. You must seize the opportunity to defeat him yourself.」

My muscles trembled.

I nearly dropped my sword. But I could not do that. The fight could not end yet. I opened my eyes wide and held on to the blade. I put 「Twilight」 into a single step. A knight's swordsmanship unfolded at the tip of my blade. My swinging edge met his sword. Binding. In this situation, the knight Petel's swordsmanship unfolded with orthodox excellence. If I wound my blade around his and used his strength, perhaps I could overcome the difference in our ranks. But—

"You're going to try technique against me?"

With a chilling sound, his blade slid along mine. Like a snake. The instant I saw his sword darting in, I released the hilt. Then I lowered my stance, caught the falling sword again, and retreated. A moment later, and my wrist would already have been lying on the ground. Severed cleanly.

"Sorry, but even the men at our manor lost to me when we sparred on technique alone."

My breathing grew ragged.

'This bastard's swordsmanship is no joke, either.'

No, it went well beyond that. He knew exactly how to respond in every situation. Judging by that exchange, his technical execution was sharper than Seolyun's. Yes, his swordsmanship was more precise even than that prodigy of the ages.

I gritted my teeth and took a defensive stance.

But...

"Going to block again?"

That was the wrong answer.

"I'm starting to see how you're going to move, though."

CLANG! CLANG!

By the time I came to my senses, my legs were giving way. I nearly collapsed. Barely forcing strength into them, I retreated. The clothes beneath my armor were wet. Sweat? No. I was bleeding. Looking down, I saw holes punched all through my armor.

"Four more? No, three should put your legs out of commission."

"..."

"Surely this isn't all you've got? Please tell me it isn't. You were fun earlier, weren't you? At this rate I'll fall asleep again. You suddenly ran off, so I got my hopes up..."

Despite his glib chatter, his sword pursued me relentlessly and lethally. With nothing more than basic thrusts, he twisted every one of my attacks off course and punched holes in me at the slightest opening. Every wound he inflicted hindered my movement. Even now, my legs were shaking violently. It had nothing to do with willpower. My nerves had been damaged.

He approached. His thrusts seemed to skip several movements. His wrist would flicker, and before I knew it there was already a hole in my body. Reacting after seeing the attack was impossible. Then what? I had to anticipate it. Responding once I saw his muscles move would be too late. Faster than that, I had to question where and how he would attack. I had to question endlessly.

「Do what you do best, young descendant.」

TING!

I knocked his sword aside.

「Question endlessly. No living creature in this world is without weakness.」

Once I deflected his blade, he thrust from another direction. But I did not need to see it. My 「path」 was telling me its direction. I swung my sword and cut through empty air. As I scraped through the air, the flow of the paths approaching me twisted. 「Gale」. The wandering swordsman's swordsmanship knocked his thrust off course. A gust blew. His path twisted, leaving a gap, and I did not let that opening escape. But—

"Now that's interesting."

His body spun. His sword moved like a whip, and my attack landed somewhere entirely unexpected. It was just like when my line had bent earlier. After his extraordinary movements, my attacks were diverted and bent toward strange places. As though I were trying to cut water with a sword...

「Are you beginning to understand?」

This time, sharp little punctures opened in my wrist and elbow. My left arm went limp against my will. Damn it.

「That is the Idler's sword inherited by Rhapsody. The 'Spiral Sword,' modeled after the boundless sea.」

Spiral Sword.

The name suited the shape of his swordplay perfectly.

"Whew."

Having lost a considerable amount of blood, I was growing light-headed. I had reached the point where breathing no longer restored my stamina at once. As my body grew heavier, a crackling sound came from behind me. The fence. It had shrunk so far that it was now approaching my back.

"The Arena's clowns did a fine job this time. Thanks to them, you can't even run anymore."

"..."

"What are you going to do? You must have more to show me, right? Otherwise, surrender now. I've never met anyone as entertaining as you. If you learned something more useful than that pathetic swordsmanship, if you had enough time to hone your strength... I think you'd make a very entertaining toy."

"... Heh heh."

"So if you're scared, say so now. If you get any more broken here, you might not be able to entertain me later. I'm telling you I'll let you live. And that's not all. If you agree to become my own personal toy, I could give you plenty of presents. If you're hungry, I'll treat you to the finest delicacies. If you want honor, I'll spread your name far and wide. If you want women, I'll put more than a hundred stunning beauties in your arms. If you have a sworn enemy, I'll cut off their limbs and give you the chance to kill them however you please. What do you say?"

Before me stood a swordsman immeasurably stronger than I was.

Behind me was a fence that would grind my whole body apart at the slightest touch.

Standing on the brink of death, I found his offer incredibly sweet.

「Not a bad offer.」

"..."

「He is probably speaking the truth, young descendant. Those lazy idlers have always bestowed anything upon those who amuse them. That fellow might truly put some treasure of nature in your hands. Rhapsody never spares anything for amusement. They live for a single moment of fun.」

It really was terribly sweet.

「Does that perk your ears up? Are you tempted? If so—」

"Heh. Heh heh heh."

「Ah.」

But...

「Yes. There is no need even to test you. Such a temptation could never work on the most stubborn bastard I have seen in my long life. What could possibly sway a madman like you?」

I was never particularly fond of sweet things.

"Can you really give me anything?"

"Yes. There is nothing on this continent I cannot—"

"Then can you cut off the swordmaster Carlos's head and bring it to me?"

If I liked sweet things, would I ever have shoved swords reeking of iron down my throat, crunching them up and swallowing them?

"What the..."

"Then can you tear off the Iron Prince's limbs and bring them to me?"

"..."

"If you can't even do that, I don't particularly want to become your toy."

I drew in a sharp breath.

It was a different breathing method from before. One that took in exactly a handful of breath.

He stared blankly at me for a moment before speaking.

"You're insane."

As that handful of breath swirled through my body, I heard the fence approaching. While I listened to it, he and I stood in a perfectly straight line.

"Thanks for the compliment."

My heart pounded in the silence. I had used Lantern's arcane power correctly. But it was not enough. The moment I felt that lack, I held my breath inside and added another handful. That was still not enough. I had to burn more. Only by burning more could I reach where I wanted to go. This was not enough to take flight. Not this much.

「... Young descendant.」

My body felt as though it were burning.

Along with it, I even imagined the entire world was on fire. Amid that illusion, the scenery before my eyes began to change. The evening sky became a blue sky, and the moon above became a blazing sun. It was the sun that burned the world. Not a merciful, warming sun, but one that burned everything equally.

「Listen carefully. You must swing exactly as I tell you.」

As the sun rose over my world, Master, who had always remained at ease behind me, slowly approached. His rough, wrinkled hand slowly settled over mine.

Then...

「You can do it. You can.」

My mind went blank.

At the same time, a distant voice reached me, just as it did when I consumed a sword.

『Suspicion.』

The voice sounded familiar somehow.

It could hardly have been otherwise.

『Ironically, humans drew one step closer to the gods not through faith, but through doubt.』

Because...

It was my own voice.

* * *

"What is that?"

In the stands of the stadium hosting the Endless Duel, amid the densely packed crowd, the Iron Prince Ian Chervil murmured.

"I have seen the swords of countless men, but never anything like that... Do you know what it is?"

"..."

"I asked whether you know what it is. Why do you not answer, Carl..."

When no answer came, Ian Chervil turned to look at his executioner. Sitting motionless in the stands, Carlos wore an expression quite unlike any Ian had ever seen on him. His face, usually as tranquil as an inanimate object, was badly contorted. His aloof eyes were wide, his pale face flushed red. Even his breathing had grown ragged.

"It cannot... be..."

The Iron Prince's executioner.

Carlos ignored his master's question and stared at a single spot. Inside the circular stadium. At the duel unfolding there. At a fighter driven to the very limit.

"Surely... surely it was completely gone. I confirmed it with my own two eyes. How..."

Sword Demon Liam.

The sword held by Arhan Caravan.

It was clumsy and crude, far inferior to what Carlos knew, but he recognized it nonetheless. He could not fail to recognize it.

Because it was—

"How can that exist in this world again—"

The sword said to have vanished into the shadows of history long ago. The great sword that had ended the Age of War and brought the vast continent and its seven races to their knees. The sword that had dominated an age, making even the nine goddesses and seven chief gods tremble.

The sword that had symbolized Caravan.

It was steel.