Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 53 : Chapter 53

Chapter 53 – Race Duel (2)
The wind never stayed anywhere. It either swept along or swept others away.
That nature of the wind resembled my life. All my life, I had either been swept along by something or swept others away. Perhaps that was why my sword had taken on the same nature.
Back in my homeland, they used to say that a sword reflected its master like a mirror.
“You have many good sayings in your homeland.”
“...It’s a good place.”
“You said you came from the Eastern Continent, right?”
“Yeah. A vast empire on the wide plains of the east.”
“Then you’re a person of the ‘Great Land,’ aren’t you?”
“That’s one of its names.”
My sword had never been loved by anyone. Neither had I.
Who could love a storm that never stayed still—one that drifted endlessly, sweeping and being swept away? To everyone, I was someone destined to leave. I thought the same. I believed that, just as I had wandered endlessly, one day I would vanish from this world like the wind.
“I envy you, you know.”
But why was it, then—that at some point, my wind had found a center?
“I want to live like you, free and unbound, wandering wherever you please.”
Even the fiercest storm had an eye at its center.
Even a whirling tornado that tore through the land had a still point within it.
“But I can’t. I’m carrying too many burdens. My shoulders are too heavy to soar through the sky like the wind.”
At the center of my 「Gale」—was you.
“So sometimes, please blow by me. At dawn, just once in a while. Set me free, even if only for a moment. I’d like that.”
“...”
“When I’m with you, I feel alive.”
You probably never knew it, but I was no longer just a simple gust.
A wind with a center could no longer remain a mere breeze—it became a storm, a tempest.
“Can you do that for me?”
When you asked that of me, I had thought the same thing. That I too felt truly alive only when I was with you. But I couldn’t say it out loud.
My heart was pounding, your floral scent unusually vivid, and the faint shimmer in your eyes made it impossible to speak.
The moment I saw you in that pure white silk nightgown, for the first time in my life, I found something I could call a purpose.
I would continue to live like the wind. That was the way I was born, the way I had always lived. I couldn’t change my nature or my fate. But perhaps there was one thing I could change.
“Gladly.”
I would no longer be the wind that was swept away—but the wind that swept everything away.
If I could become a great wind, I would become a single fierce gale and sweep you away.
I would scatter all that tormented you, blow away all your burdens, and when nothing remained but you alone, I would let you soar freely through the sky.
“...Thank you.”
You couldn’t have known. Because of your one sentence, I had decided to become a storm.
That I had decided to become a wind that would blow only for you.
“Then next time, I’ll tell you my name. When you come again, call me by it.”
You could never know what a great resolve that had been for me. But it didn’t matter whether you knew or not.
“My name is Dorothy.”
That tiny smile that followed your lovely name was more than enough.
“A mage from the magic city ‘Oz’ of the Sky Empire Velma.”
Yes—that smile was enough.
“Dorothy, the Mage of Oz…”
To become the storm that would sweep you away.
...
...
A vivid memory surged, scattering my mind. I barely held onto consciousness as I opened my eyes, and time, which had stopped, began to flow again. Though the memory of the 「Gale」 had been long, in reality, only a moment had passed. From the hand that held the sword, a subtle power began to seep out.
「Control it completely, young descendant.」
That faint power spread from my palm to my wrist, forearm, and finally to my heart. Once there, it coursed through my blood vessels, reaching every corner of my body.
And with that, my body felt weightless—like a feather. No, lighter than that.
Yes—like the wind.
『To sweep you away, I had to become a stronger wind.』
My second heart, the 「Mana Heart,」 pulsed violently. 「Paths」 spread throughout my body, granting me superhuman strength. But it didn’t stop there. The unknown force coating my body made me feel so light that I almost believed I could soar into the sky.
『Faster, stronger, freer wind.』
The world slowed. And slowed again.
『Then my sword had to resemble the wind even more.』
『The wind, by its nature, is invisible to the human eye.』
『Before one notices, it brushes the cheek, and even if it vanishes just as suddenly, no one realizes it.』
『Yes—no one.』
In the slowed world, my body moved with a creaking motion. The strange power within me pushed my body past its limits. The sword in my hand moved at an unbelievable speed— following one Path. No, one line.
『That’s what the wind should be.』
It wasn’t me moving the sword—the immense force within the sword was dragging me along.
The sword was trying to wield me.
I mustn’t get swept away. My body was not yet mature enough to wield the 「Gale」 fully. The backlash after a single strike could destroy me. I had to control it. I had to be the one wielding the sword—not the sword wielding me.
I must not be swept away.
“Haa—!”
I tensed every muscle in my body. The pressure I exerted became the pressure of my 「Mana Heart.」 That power became a leash that kept the unknown force within me from running wild.
It was an act no ordinary Sword Walker could ever perform.
「Yes, that’s it, young descendant.」
Had any normal Sword Walker tried, their second heart and their 「Paths」 would have torn apart instantly. But my heart and my Paths were different.
「What steel in this world would ever be swept away by mere wind?」
My heart and Paths were made of steel.
“Hrrgh!”
The raging, mysterious force was slowly compressed. The power, instead of bursting outward, was sealed within me. With it, the breaths I drew and released carried the essence of wind. A quiet gale.
‘Feels like my body’s going to burst.’
The storm within me was calm yet violent.
I had a faint idea what this power was.
‘The power that fool of a knight wielded—the one who fought as a Great Warrior of Fetel.’
The realm I sought to reach.
The realm that defined a true powerhouse on this continent.
A unique power granted only to the 「Sword Runners.」Wings.
The power emanating from the 「Gale」 was almost identical to wings.
That was why my body screamed. Because this was a power not yet permitted to me.
“Huff…”
At a single breath, my heart pounded violently, but it didn’t burst. The steel blood flowing through my veins kept my body firm. Feeling the tremors across my body, I slowly closed my eyes.
And when I opened them again, someone else’s memory appeared before me.
『Never be swept away.』
My grip on the sword shifted. I held it so lightly it seemed I could drop it any second. It wasn’t a sword in my hand—it was a reed. It trembled as though a breeze could sway it.
『For your sake, I chose to be the wind that is not swept away.』
Through that precarious stance, a faint line appeared before my eyes. Beyond it—an arrow flew toward me. I watched the arrow and swung my sword along that line. The blade traced a curved trajectory, as if swaying.
『Not a wind that is swept away—but one that sweeps all things away.』
In the next instant, the arrow’s path bent along my sword’s arc. The straight flight twisted, lost its strength, and fell to the ground. The mystical energy at its tip vanished—like a candle flame snuffed out before a storm.
“What the—”
The elf standing ahead of me showed an expression for the first time. Shock spread across the face that had been so calm. But it didn’t last long. The elf quickly reached for the quiver, preparing another arrow to continue the battle.
I had no reason to simply watch.
『Nothing remains unmoved before the blowing gale.』
With a sharp step, I kicked off the ground. In an instant, my body shot forward at blinding speed—almost like the teleportation of a mage. For that brief moment, I truly felt like a streak of wind.
『Falling leaves tremble before it.』
『Rotten branches shake, and even the deep-rooted trunks of old trees quake.』
It was a speed close to the winged power of the 「Sword Runners.」A superhuman motion that defied reason.
The distance between the elf and me vanished in an instant. The once-distant face was now within reach. I could see the elf’s beautiful eyes trembling violently. Leaves rustled and scattered in every direction. Before they even hit the ground, my sword moved—like the wind.
『The towering elm that covered the sky is uprooted and rolls across the earth.』
『Countless rocks are shattered and strewn across the plains.』
With the gap so close, the elf no longer used the bow. Instead, they drew twin daggers from the waist and met me head-on. It wasn’t clumsy dagger work—it was sharp and precise, reminding me of the Assassin of the Free City, the former master of 「Fang.」
The twin daggers slashed from blind angles—dangerous and swift.
But—『Before a raging wind, all things fall equally.』
Compared to my 「Gale,」 the elf’s swordsmanship was nothing.
“...!”
The daggers the elf thrust forward were blocked by my blade.
A metallic clang rang out.
I twisted my sword slightly, and the elf’s daggers flew into the air. Losing their weapons, the elf’s expression twisted in pain. My sword continued, drawing graceful arcs through the air, like a dance composed of flowing movements.
The elf’s body twisted and was pulled toward me. I struck their chest with my shoulder, then smashed the hilt of my sword against their temple.
“Guh—!”
With a strangled cry, the elf’s body convulsed and fell. The floating leaves touched the ground and crumbled, and the elf’s body collapsed into the dirt. With a thud, the gale surrounding me died down.
“Huff…”
The elf lay unconscious, eyes rolled back. Exhaustion flooded me. I wasn’t completely incapacitated, but the fatigue that washed over me was severe. Gripping my sword with trembling hands, I steadied my breath and recalled the 「Gale」 I had just unleashed.
The conclusion? ‘This sword is insane.’
I had been right.
The 「Gale」 was on an entirely different level from the swords I had devoured before—in every way.
***
The unconscious elf was deemed defeated. In the Race Duel, any fighter who died or became unable to fight was eliminated. Thus, the elf who had ambushed us was expelled from the arena by the officials.
But I had no time to care about that.
「What did you feel when you wielded the mystery contained in the Gale?」
There was no thrill from my first victory against an elf. That didn’t matter compared to the deeper question—the curiosity about the sword I had just swung.
“For a moment... I felt like a 「Sword Runner.」”
「Felt like a Sword Runner, huh. Not quite right, but close.」
The remnants of the 「Gale」 still lingered in my body. Its sensation was stronger than any blade I had ever devoured—truly overwhelming.
「The power within the Gale resembles the wings of a Sword Runner, but it is fundamentally different. It’s probably still too difficult for you to grasp. After all, you’re just a mere Sword Walker.」
“...”
「But even someone as lacking as you must have realized it—the enormous gap between the swords of a Sword Walker and a Sword Runner.」
Liam’s words were right.
Even with only a fragment of its power drawn out, the presence of the 「Gale」 was so overwhelming that it erased every other blade I had ever consumed.
「As always, the true nature of the Gale is something you must grasp on your own. If I were to tell you, it would mean nothing.」
“Yes.”
「But I can at least give you some motivation.」
Liam smiled faintly.
「Those who reach the realm of Sword Runners gain mysteries of their own—not just superhuman power, but magic-like abilities. Just like the Gale you wielded earlier.」
“...”
「And you, who inherited the Steel Blood, can devour not only the memories within the swords you eat, but even the forgotten mysteries they contain.」
At that, I finally understood something Liam had once said—
「Remember, our steel blood reveals its true power only when wings sprout.」
Yes. The true greatness of the Karavan family began only now.
「I promise you this—once your wings grow, you will have a sword unlike any you’ve ever known.」
The 「Gale」 that had thrilled me so deeply—was only the first ingredient.
「You still have a long way to go, though.」
“...”
「For now, you must focus on digesting the gale raging within you.」
A sword that let me move with speed close to a Sword Runner’s, erase the enchanted arrows of elves with a single swing, and bring down foes without even touching them.
「Again, be careful not to get swept away.」
First,
「No steel in this world ever gets blown away by mere wind.」
I had to make this sword completely mine.
Thankfully.
“Now the night’s truly fallen—without even a glimmer of light.”
“We should find a safe place to rest, don’t you think?”
“No. We mustn’t sleep. Ever.”
There were still far too many trials left to fuel my growth.
“If we sleep, the nobles of the night will come.”
“The nobles of the night... you mean—”
“Demons.”
Yes. The Race Duel wasn’t over.
“When the moon and stars rise, meeting them means it’s all over.”
Not the end. Only the beginning.
“Stay sharp, Little Gladiator. Demons that walk the night are just as terrifying as orcs.”