Sword Devouring Swordmaster

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 142 – The Temple (3)

Azure Heaven.

A mysterious place beyond the mid-slope of the Sky Mountains—a place known as the Tomb of the Adventurer, a height conquered by no one but dragons. It was also the place the old adventurer had reached in the memories contained within 「Flight」.

Once I decided to make that my goal, there was no reason to hesitate. But before I began, there was something I had to do.

“Tom.”

“Yes, Young Master. So you’ve finally made your decision? Whatever it is, I’ll follow your will. I’ve already prepared everything. If we are to climb the mountain—”

“Please, go back.”

“…Pardon?”

To climb the mountain— I had to do that alone. With no one’s help.

“Why, may I ask?”

“I want to climb with you, Tom. You are my dear friend, and your company brings me joy. But to obtain what I seek, I cannot have any companions. To truly understand the soul bound within this blade… I must be alone.”

The final memory of 「Flight」— What the old adventurer had felt was an unbearable solitude. His yearning for light and for flight had been born from that loneliness. For perfect assimilation, I too had to become solitary.

Tom looked troubled at my words.

“It’s dangerous.”

“I know. But please, listen.”

“……”

“Do not stay here to guard me. Instead, return and protect my domain. The continent will soon fall into chaos, and even my fief will not remain safe. If you, Tom, guard the Karavan lands, then I can have peace of mind—because my most trusted friend will be watching over them.”

“…But still.”

“I will return, Tom. I swear it.”

I didn’t know how long it would take to fully absorb 「Flight」. I didn’t yet know the true scale of what it meant to claim a legend. Nor did I know how arduous it would be to climb from the Sky Mountains to Azure Heaven. In short—I knew nothing.

While I secluded myself on this mountain, the outside world might plunge into chaos. Ian Cherville would not stop, and the storms of turmoil would only grow stronger. But I decided to stop worrying about that—for now, I would focus solely on my sword. Just as my master said—to achieve my desire the Karavan way.

“Do you remember what we talked about before?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I met you before my Promotion Match against Seol Yoon. You told me that sometimes, avoiding a fight can be the wiser choice—that it’s fine to hide until the storm passes.”

“……”

“At the time, I pretended to be a bold warrior who couldn’t run from battle. But truthfully, I’m a coward. I doubt too much, I fear too easily. Even now, I’m afraid—to climb this mountain alone, to die meaninglessly in an unknown land.”

I smiled at him.

“So please, give me a handful of courage—like you did then.”

Tom fell silent for a moment. Then he said quietly,

“Caretaker Tom. Lover of the Hall of Honor, fan of Warrior Liam, and friend of Young Master Arhan—cannot refuse that request.”

“……”

“Then promise me one thing, Young Master. You must return. Come back, and let’s have the long discussion we never finished—about swords, about souls. There are still too many stories left untold. And this old man has no young companion to talk with but you.”

Tom embraced me.

“I promise.”

And thus, I sent Tom away as well. He said he would descend the mountain, stop by the Sky Empire to inform the others, and then return to the Iron Kingdom. A wise choice. Sherizik and Audrey were likely waiting, not knowing what had happened.

Before leaving, Tom added one last thing.

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“If you ever meet a true dragon, remember this—”

His voice trembled.

“Dragons never grant mercy. Any mercy they offer is false, deception. Remember that, and you might survive.”

***

Everyone was gone. Now, of all who had left the Iron Kingdom with me, I was the only one remaining. And with no one beside me, the solitude felt heavier than I expected.

It was strange. I had spent so long dreaming of revenge alone, yet after traveling with others, solitude now felt foreign.

Right. Humans are not meant to live alone.

We are incomplete and fragile creatures.

It felt like I had returned to where I started— back to the days right after the Karavan domain became a land of death. Back to when there were no neighbors, no Liam—only me, sharpening my sword of vengeance. Back to those days when I mindlessly struck wooden posts in the manor yard…

“They’ve all left, haven’t they?”

“Yes.”

Yet because of that, I could be certain— After I endured this, I would no longer be the same.

Just as Seol Yoon had left for the Eastern Continent to change herself, I too would become someone different when this was over.

How long would it take? No one knew.

When I asked the Monks, they told me that ascending to Azure Heaven was no different from suicide. Even with companions, the climb would take months. Alone—it might take a year or more.

A year. A long time.

When I was fifteen, I lost everything. I spent years training alone with a sword manual in my backyard, and that year vanished in the blink of an eye.

Now I am nearing seventeen. And once another year passed—there might not be a next one.

When I turned eighteen— Swordmaster Carlos would not let me live any longer.

Two years. Within two years, I had to become a Swordmaster.

At the very least—to carve a scar into that arrogant face.

All my worries will be solved the moment I become a Swordmaster.

War. Chaos.

For a Swordmaster, such things are trivial. Though Hugo Rhapsody had been foolish enough to break the rules and fall from grace, most Swordmasters never interfered with one another—as long as the laws were upheld. And no one but a Swordmaster could ever challenge a Swordmaster.

My master had been right all along. In the end, the sword decided everything.

“I respect your decision.”

The old monk, Buddha, spoke.

“It will be a path of hardship. Had you been a Monk, you would have achieved great things as well. The road ahead will be difficult, but at its end, light awaits.”

His words were warm. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think—‘I want to test myself against him.’

During the Gold Medal Promotion Match, I had barely won against Monk Helen. What if I faced a stronger Monk—one like the old Buddha himself?

「Don’t be foolish.」

My master’s voice echoed.

「Even in my era, there were no Monks like him, young descendant.」

“……”

「If he threw even a single punch, that new sword of yours might shatter.」

That thought killed my urge to fight immediately. Peace returned to my heart. I bowed.

“May the Eternal Daylight be with you.”

“And with you.”

The greeting of those who served Goddess Revrua. When I spoke, the other Monks joined their hands and returned the gesture.

They were truly good people. They offered kind words and filled my pack with supplies for the journey—food, clothing, blankets, and pillows. Though Tom had already left me well-prepared, they insisted on filling my magic pouch to the brim. It warmed my heart.

「Be careful, young descendant.」

“Yes?”

「They might charge you later.」

If not for my master’s comment, that moment might have stayed peaceful.

“…You may be right.”

It wasn’t impossible, so I hastened my preparations.

***

Before dawn, as the night faded and the first light of day began to rise, I set out.

Helen offered to accompany me as a guide, but I declined. Instead, I asked for one “Torch of Serenity.” Helen looked worried, but Buddha stopped him.

“Let him ascend alone.”

And so—for the first time in a long while—I set out completely alone. The silence, with no one beside me, felt strange. It was like crossing an endless ocean guided by a single torchlight.

‘Well, the torch works… somewhat.’

Just as Helen had said, the Torch of Serenity lost most of its divine power in my hands. Its brightness dimmed until it was little more than an ordinary flame.

The beasts and plants no longer fled from me.

But that was no trouble.

“……!”

“……!”

Because ever since forming my pact with the dragon Aion, I carried a fragment of his Dragon Heart—and the aura of a dragon flowed from me. The beasts sensed the presence of their apex predator, the ruler of the skies, and immediately fled. As for the plants—

“Easy now.”

When I released the power of the Earth Spirit King Gaia, even the monstrous vines bent low. With Gaia’s authority and the dragon’s power combined, the Sky Mountains felt no more dangerous than the hills behind the Karavan manor.

Of course, I didn’t say that aloud. With my luck, the moment I boasted, disaster would surely strike.

It was a calm, quiet climb—until suddenly…

“……?”

Something strange happened.

“Wait—what the…”

The Torch of Serenity in my hand— its sacred flame suddenly roared to life.

The blaze surged high above my head, forming a pillar of fire that resembled the one I had seen at the temple’s heart—the sacred symbol of the Order of the Sun.

And then—

「Karavan. The last of the Karavan line.」

A voice I could not resist echoed around me. It was like my master’s voice—yet unlike his. It carried a divinity and authority that brooked no defiance.

I somehow knew, instinctively, whose voice it was.

「Turn back. Do not ascend to the heavens.」

A god.

「Fragment of a being that should never have been born—return and let the years erase you. Your existence is tragedy, shard of steel.」

The pillar of flame took the shape of a woman— a woman with hair of fire.

She gazed straight at me, her voice resounding with sacred majesty.

「Thus speaks Revrua, Goddess of the Sun. Go no farther. If you climb beyond this point, there will be no return—for anyone. Turn back, now.」

One of the Nine Goddesses— the Sun Goddess Revrua herself— had descended before me.