Sword Devouring Swordmaster

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 143 – The Temple (4)

One of the Nine Goddesses. The divinity worshipped by the Order of the Sun, the one who ruled over the lofty light of day—the Great Goddess Revrua.

The moment I saw her blazing form, my thoughts froze. I had once felt the touch of divine power when the gods delivered heavenly punishment to Toma Rhapsody. But only now did I truly understand. What I’d felt then had been nothing but a fragment of divinity—just a trace. The presence of a god directly descended into the mortal world was beyond imagination, beyond words, beyond all comprehension.

「Forsake the path of Steel, last of the Karavan line.」

One of the Nine, who had descended into the world, looked directly at me. Her eyes, carved from flame, were dazzlingly beautiful—no jewel in existence could match them. Awe and adoration flooded my mind. It was an ecstasy so overpowering I wanted to throw everything away and pledge myself to the Order of the Sun right then and there.

「I say again: you are a being who brings tragedy. If you wish to keep the grain of happiness you still hold, turn back now. Become insignificant once more. Return to being a meaningless boy, a speck ignored by all.」

But— Even in that overwhelming ecstasy, I did not kneel. I did not bow my head.

“No… I refuse.”

Because something far greater than awe or bliss burned within me. Something that could not be suppressed, silenced, or extinguished. A vengeance that would never die—a scar carved into my soul. A purpose that not even gods could halt so long as I still drew breath.

“It’s too late.”

「No, it is not—」

“It is too late. If you wished to stop me, you should have come sooner—before I lost everything. At the very least, you should have appeared after I lost it all, and punished the one responsible. You should have rewarded the faithful, and made the guilty pay their due.”

「……」

“I know you are great, Goddess. But—”

One of the Nine Goddesses? Not enough. Even if all Nine Goddesses and Seven Lords stood before me and told me to stop, I would not. I would sooner break than bend, sooner fall than yield.

“No one has the right to tell me to stop. No one has the right to command me to let go—to give up. Not a single soul in this world.”

The crushing weight of divinity lessened slightly. I raised my head and met the eyes of Goddess Revrua. Her form wavered—like a candle flickering before the wind.

「…A cub of a lion is still a lion.」

“……”

「Truly… you are Karavan.」

The burning woman’s figure began to lose its brilliance. And then, the Goddess spoke again.

「I can hold you no longer. Your ancestor comes to drive me away—the master of all blades, who once carved out the midday sun itself. The one who defies every law and order of the world.」

“……”

「Remember this, last of Karavan.」

As her blazing form began to fade, she whispered her final words—「The heavens will watch you.」

***

“Haaah…!”

When I opened my eyes again, the presence of Goddess Revrua was gone. The sacred flames had vanished, leaving only the ‘Torch of Serenity’ rolling on the ground—its light completely extinguished. The once divine torch had turned black, like a spent matchstick. It seemed impossible to rekindle.

‘…The Monks went through the trouble of lending it to me.’

They had said it didn’t matter if I lost it or extinguished it, since only members of the Order could use it properly. Even so—it was disappointing to see it destroyed so quickly. I even felt a little guilty.

“Tch.”

Damn it. Just when things had been going smoothly, fate had decided to slap me again.

The Nine Goddesses and Seven Lords— the greatest beings on the continent, creators of the seven races and the world itself— one of them had descended before me to warn me to stop.

‘The scale’s gotten absurd.’

The unwelcome guests who once visited the ruined Karavan estate were nothing compared to this. Now, for the first time, I could truly feel the weight of my goal—how impossible, how ridiculous it was to seek the death of a Swordmaster. And how many enemies the name “Karavan” truly had.

“Just now, one of the Nine Goddesses—the Sun Goddess Revrua—manifested before me. You saw, didn’t you?”

「I did.」

“Can this even make sense? That an all-powerful creator, one of the gods themselves, would appear before a mere human—a lowly Sword Runner—just to tell me to stop?”

「Unbelievable, yes. But if you are a Karavan, then it is entirely possible, young descendant.」

Liam’s expression was calm.

「And there’s the matter of location. The Sky Mountains are close to the heavens, after all.」

“……”

「In a place so near to the sky, with the last of the Karavan holding one of the Sun Goddess’s sacred relics in hand—she must have thought this the perfect moment to strike. A chance to break the Karavan’s will.」

Liam looked at me.

「Normally, she wouldn’t dare approach—too wary of me.」

“You mean she’s afraid of you, Master?”

「Indeed. She wouldn’t so much as glance this way, let alone interfere. To the gods, the Karavan line—or rather, I—am a being to be feared.」

The Nine Goddesses and Seven Lords feared him? It sounded utterly insane. Even in fiction, such a line would be laughed at. Yet somehow, it didn’t sound like a boast or a lie coming from him.

I stared blankly for a moment, then asked,

“What exactly did you do when you were alive, Master?”

「I fought many.」

Liam’s tone was flat— dry as the wind.

「The Nine Goddesses and Seven Lords were merely among them.」

If I listened to more, I might lose my mind. And there was no point. It was all in the past—things long done and impossible to change. No matter how grand the struggles or how impossible the foes, the truth remained simple: I could only do one thing now—become stronger. Hadn’t I already decided that was my purpose?

“Then let’s climb.”

Let’s go. Up—further up.

***

“…And that is how I came alone.”

The city of Aurora, capital of the Sky Empire. Having crossed the imperial border with the Monks’ help, Tom met with Audrey and Sherizik and explained everything.

Audrey was the first to speak.

“He’s insane. Staying there alone? Even Witches don’t climb the Sky Mountains by themselves—it’s far too dangerous! The best rangers in the Empire wouldn’t go alone either, never!”

“It was the Young Master’s will.”

“I understand why he went—to devour the sword’s soul, to interpret its memory. But still—still…”

“Please understand—”

“That’s reckless.”

Audrey bit her lip.

“As a Witch, I should be pleased by his choice. You know why? Because whether he dies up there or not, we can still reach his spirit through the Astral World and fulfill our contract. We can still ask what clues he found within the blade. From a Witch’s standpoint, that’s ideal.”

“……”

“But I thought… I thought I’d become his friend. I was born in this Empire, raised inside the mage tower my whole life, chosen by my master to become a Witch—and in all that time, I never had a real friend. There were the smiling sisters, the kind master—but no one who felt like an equal. That’s why I spent the time in that remote village… was more enjoyable than I expected.”

Her voice trembled.

“If he dies, I’ll be sad. Hailyn will be sad. The kind people in that village will grieve. Maybe they won’t survive what’s coming—they’re not ready yet. I don’t understand… why would he do something so irresponsible.”

As Audrey muttered tearfully, Sherizik gently patted her shoulder.

“It’s not irresponsible.”

“Then what is it?”

“It means he trusted you.”

Sherizik smiled—her fangs glinting softly. It was the kind of smile that could stop the hearts of lesser orcs.

“Witch, return to the village where the descendant of Steel resides. Continue to do what you have—protect it, strengthen it, prepare it for what’s coming. Do it as his friend. As someone who loves that land.”

“…Is that really right?”

“Yes. Then you won’t have regrets.”

Audrey turned to Tom. He nodded.

“If you do that, the Young Master will feel at ease. I too plan to return and guard the fief. I promised him I would.”

“……”

“That will give me peace as well. With your help, my lady Witch, the domain will be in the best of hands. But… are you certain you can leave for so long?”

“…It’s fine. I can always commune with my sisters. Witches are nowhere and everywhere—the essence of our being is spirit and soul. Whether in the Iron Kingdom or here, it makes no difference.”

“Then let’s go together.”

Tom smiled faintly.

“You’re our friend, after all.”

Audrey’s expression softened.

“A friend should believe in a friend’s choice, and stand strong for them. Hailyn will be glad to see you, too.”

“That brat? Yeah… she’ll be bored to death without me.”

The atmosphere lightened a little. Tom then turned to Sherizik.

“And you, Lady Sherizik?”

She snorted and looked away.

“For now, I intend to remain nearby.”

“Nearby?”

“I won’t interfere with his trial, but I want to witness the process of steel being reborn as steel. And if any bothersome insects approach him… I’ll deal with them one by one.”

Audrey nodded approvingly.

“…Then I can rest easy.”

“Rest easy?” Tom asked, puzzled.

“Of course. That reckless idiot won’t die easily now. I was thinking of asking my sisters to protect him, but that’s unnecessary. I don’t even have to ask this old man here to watch from afar.”

Seeing his confusion, Audrey explained.

“Why am I not worried? Simple.”

She smirked.

“Because that orc over there—she’s the strongest one here.”

“……”

“Maybe even stronger than my sisters.”

Tom looked at Sherizik. The orc nodded.

“I can’t say I’m stronger than the Witches, but yes—here, I’m the strongest. Even outside this land, my power holds firm. Among the orcs, I was the mightiest. My father, the chieftain of all orcs, is an honorable man—but when it comes to fighting… he’s rather hopeless.”

***

There are many ways to accept a sword’s soul. And among them, the most effective is to recreate the sword’s memories in reality—to experience the same events its former wielder did.

That was how I’d once absorbed 「Gale」. The ronin’s memory had been tied to the mage Dorothy, and when I’d heard the screams of a mage during the Race Duel, the past and present had overlapped—allowing the sword’s memory to flood into me.

Yes. I’d gone through this before.

That was why I decided to climb the Sky Mountains alone—to absorb 「Flight」. If I could recreate the same conditions as the old adventurer, the process would proceed faster.

And now, in this very moment—

“Ah…”

—I was in exactly the same situation as the old adventurer in 「Flight」.

My body was shattered, unable to move a finger.

My arms and legs were twisted at odd angles.

My torso was riddled with gaping holes, blood pouring uncontrollably.

My vision was dim, fading.At the far edge of that blurred sight stood the towering cliff and mountain—the exact same landscape the old adventurer had seen.

It even felt like the same place.

‘Damn it.’

Of course— this hadn’t been intentional.

Shit.