Chapter 230
Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 230. New Era (1)
The age of peace had ended. A new era had arrived.
The glorious land that once enjoyed prosperity—the Central Continent—had become the fiercest battlefield. The Conquest Army of the Great Land and the aerial legions of the Sky Empire clashed without yielding an inch. As the mightiest empire on the continent joined the war, the Conquest Army finally learned why the Sky Empire was called the Sky Empire.
“…Are those bastards infinite in number?”
Day and night changed endlessly as the Sky Empire’s armies assaulted the Conquest Army without pause. Under the authority of the Father Who Never Sleeps, the Conquest Army fought continuously, skipping sleep and meals entirely. After several engagements, the Sky Empire realized this—and began deploying golems and machines instead of humans. They constructed temporary forts, reduced the Conquest Army’s numbers, then withdrew. Denied blood to feast on, the Conquest Army began to wither.
But charging into those forts blindly was impossible. Across that wide open plain, any ground assault would be obliterated by the firepower raining from the Empire’s skies.
Worse—the aerial legions continued to grow in real time. Forces from the Black Archipelago were landing along the coasts. Mercenaries of the Arman Union joined them from the seas the Black Archipelago controlled. Under the lead of the Sky Empire, the “Peacekeeping Alliance” began appearing, one faction after another, to exterminate the Conquest Army.
There was only one way to overturn this war.
A being who could shatter strategy and tactics entirely.
The Descendant of Khan had to step in.
But if he stepped in now, the road he must later walk would narrow.
The Father Who Never Sleeps was protecting him for the moment, but once his karma accumulated too greatly, the Seven Lords and Nine Goddesses would summon him to the heavens. And the moment the Descendent of Khan vanished into the celestial realm, the Eastern armies—who depended on him as their spiritual pillar and absolute monarch—would collapse instantly. That could not be allowed. Even if he must one day depart, it could not be now.
“Can you open another Gate?”
“Impossible.”
“Why not?”
“The Archmages from the Magic City Oz have all joined their side. To counter that, we would need at least the top-tier ‘Wavecatchers’ of the Six Free Cities—or the Witch Elizabeth herself. If not them, then at least high shamans…….”
“So it’s impossible for you?”
“We aren’t true mages. We’re magi-engineers. We can operate arcane devices and use magi-mechanical engineering, but… in pure magic, we cannot compete…….”
The Sky Empire was gradually revealing its cards. While the Great Land fell into a defensive posture, it had few decisive plays remaining. And the Sky Empire had begun its specialty—“herd hunting.” Rather than costly battles, they forced the Conquest Army to bleed with minimal losses of their own.
To seize the upper hand, spiritual resources were needed. But the Conquest Army had no high-tier spiritual beings.
The Wavecatchers of the Six Free Cities? The Six Free Cities had been conquered by the Iron Kingdom. Most Wavecatchers now served the Iron Kingdom. Even attempting to buy them was meaningless—the wealthiest family on the continent, the Golden Clan who held all the continent’s gold, stood with the Empire. The masters of gold would do anything—truly anything—to erase the Great Land that killed their youngest son.
The Witch Elizabeth? Those proud Witches would never aid this side. They belonged to the Sky Empire. Under the protection of the mightiest empire, they would remain neutral at best. Witches—born amid the horrors of war—despised war. And even approaching them risked provoking the Father of the Sky. If one of the Seven Lords sang a song of wrath, the Conquest Army would fight not the Sky Empire that day, but endless lightning.
The high shamans? The strong shamans were Orcs and Elves. Elves were the most closed race alive; they would not help. Asking Orcs was simply folly. The phrase “fighting a war with Orcs as allies” did not and could not exist. Green muscle-brained monsters—they were calamities as enemies, and as allies.
“For now, we endure.”
Thus the Conquest Army attempted to hold out with repeated clashes— though it was entirely meaningless.
They did not know the truth: the Great Empire Velma’s resources were near-infinite. The largest continent in the world, blessed with endless abundance, a land where famine had not occurred once in centuries. To attempt a “war of endurance” against an empire born of divine blessing was simply impossible.
Of course.
“Endure. Longer.”
There was always a variable. And this time, the variable appeared again.
Across the sea— the Kingdom of Iron.
Summoned by a certain being who longed for chaos to sweep everything.
***
I had learned new information about the “Sword of Heaven.”
Jerome Stone, King of the Dwarves. As the apex of his race and the ruler of a nation, he was far closer to the “truth of the world” than expected. Naturally. Even if portions of history were erased, if it truly happened, not everyone would forget—especially kings whose nations existed before the erasure.
But even the information Jerome Stone shared was only a fragment. Even a king did not know all of it. Who were the ones who wanted to erase Karavan from history? What were their intentions?
The Sword of Heaven—there was no way he did all this alone. There must have been others aiding him. Those who bore immense malice—those who wanted Karavan annihilated utterly.
But before that, there was something else I needed to confirm.
“Master.”
I asked Liam:
“Can a Dragon become a Swordmaster?”
「Impossible.」
Dragon. Swordmaster.
The strongest race among the Seven.
The strongest individual among all beings. Could both exist in one?
“I also believed it was impossible. Every Swordmaster recorded in history was human.”
「Correct. Do you know why only humans became Swordmasters?」
“I do not.”
「Because humans are the most lacking among the Seven Races.」
Lacking?
「Elves live forever. They do not age. Thus they do not crave strength quickly, nor struggle desperately for it. With the World Tree protecting them, they have no need to push themselves.」
“……”
「Demons? They are born strong and live as Watchers, guarding the Wall of Despair in the North. What matters to them is honor. Even death is not feared if they are remembered honorably—for they are Nobles of the Night.」
Elves. Demons.
「Dwarves are weak, but possess an unmatched talent for defending what they hold dear. They unite as one and fight common foes—calling each other brothers even without shared blood.」
“……”
「Orcs? They find joy in battle, born as powerful warriors, fighting eternally under the belief that after death they join their ancestors. Beastkin? Born of beasts, they dominated forests save for the fae, masters of the hunt, never knowing hunger.」
Dwarves, Orcs, Beastkin—five races explained.
「But humans?」
“We are weak.”
「Humans live short lives. They know no eternity. They lack certainty in faith. Humans—naturally skeptical—could not trust the gods purely. Even knowing they would return to the gods after death, they feared death excessively.」
“……”
「Despite being the same race, they did not trust one another, nor respect one another. They degraded the noble dead for the sake of power and politics. Even the deaths of heroes were twisted to look small and shameful.」
“……”
「They are so weak that without training they are useless, without learning they are foolish, and even if they gather, they doubt each other so much that forming a unified whole is nearly impossible. Humans are an incomplete race.」
“……”
「But because they are incomplete, humans can transcend.」
Because they are incomplete—they can transcend. Liam said so.
「Because they are weak, they crave higher heights. Because they cannot trust others, they rely on themselves and form “convictions.” Because they are never satisfied, they keep climbing—higher, faster, more. No race possesses infinite desire like humans.」
“……”
「I am half-Dwarf, but it was my human blood that allowed transcendence. Buried in ashes, I could bloom as fire. I was born with humanity’s infinite potential.」
Liam looked at me.
「Thus: a Dragon who is also a Swordmaster cannot exist. The strongest race, blessed with eternity, gifted strength merely by aging—how could such a race possess “lack”? And lack is essential for transcendence.」
“That may be wrong. Depending on the environment, it could vary.”
「Is that so?」
“It could. What you know is not the entire world.”
I looked at Liam.
“You have never been wrong about the sword. But because you are too great, you do not realize how many kinds of beings exist.”
「…….」
“So instead of insisting it is impossible—answer one thing. If a Dragon existed who was both a god’s Great Warrior and a Swordmaster—how powerful would he be?”
「When I was with you, I saw Carlos myself. I felt no dragon-aura from him. He was—」
“I am only asking theoretically. Please answer.”
A moment of silence.
「A god.」
“……”
「He would possess power comparable to the Seven Lords.」
“How strong is that, exactly?”
A crucial question. The answer arrived:
「Before I ascended, Liam Karavan could have traded five exchanges with him.」
“Five… exchanges?”
「This is far beyond what you imagine, young descendant.」
Liam’s eyes shone.
「Among all living beings in this age, not a single one could survive even one exchange against me. Unless your “hypothetical” existed.」
“……”
「The Father Who Never Sleeps—whom your people call the God of War—fought me and was defeated in seven exchanges. Now do you understand?」
Damn. I understood perfectly.
‘He’ll be even stronger than I imagined.’
Swordmaster Carlos. I was getting closer to my enemy. And the closer I approached, the more clearly his strength took shape. And the clearer it became, the more monstrous it appeared.
Of course, Carlos might be weaker than I imagined. But in my mind—he must be stronger than reality.
Why?
‘I need to assume the worst.’
Only then would my revenge not fail.
‘Less than a year remains.’
In one year, I would turn nineteen. And once I passed eighteen, Swordmaster Carlos would show no mercy. Which meant I had a single year to become a Swordmaster.
Not merely a Swordmaster— but the greatest Swordmaster on the continent, surpassing the “First Sword.”
This was not something I should do. It was something I must do. Absolutely.
「Where will you go now, young descendant?」
“I visited the Golden Vault—so there’s only one place left.”
I tightened my grip on my sword.
“I’m returning to my territory.”
Time to go back. To my land.
***
The path from the Dwarf Kingdom to the Iron Kingdom was harsh.
The Great Empire Velma and the Sky Empire were deep in war.
The imperial leisure I remembered no longer existed. Amid that tension, I had to travel discreetly, leaving no trace. A carriage would take at least ten days—but with the war, no outsider could hire one. It would take far longer.
Collapsed buildings, weeping civilians. Soldiers gripping their spears in fear. I passed among them quietly. My travel was mostly through mountain routes. There, I occasionally encountered hidden Conquest Army troops of the Great Land. I killed every one I found.
After three days traveling drenched in blood—As I neared the outskirts of the Sky-Empire, I met an unexpected figure.
“Boy.”
A woman who shimmered golden from head to toe.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
“……”
“You must have somewhere important to be.”
A woman I had never seen. Yet the moment I saw her, I knew.
“Let me ask one question.”
This woman—
“Do you know Zeppelin Gold?”
—was a Swordmaster.
“You should answer quickly.”
And there was only one female Swordmaster alive on the continent.
The master of one of the Five Great Houses.
A transcendent being from the Age of War.
“Time is the most expensive thing in the world.”
Martina Gold. The Mistress of Gold had arrived.