Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 61 : Chapter 61

Chapter 61 – Gale (2)
You once told me that I was like the wind. And I agreed.
My life had been like a single strand of wind.
***
The memories flowing in from the sword were almost violent. They shook my very being, like waves crashing onto the shore. It was difficult to dispel the thick emotions and memories that poured into me. I was nothing more than a 「Sword Walker」—a mere novice, a boy who still knew little of life’s joys and sorrows.
But the former master of 「Gale」 had been a 「Sword Runner」—a seasoned wanderer who had roamed across the continent. His voice, vivid and commanding, devoured my heart and resonated in my soul. If this continued, I would no longer be Arhan; I would become that wanderer from the Eastern Continent—and I would never return.
“Move!”
“Block them─!”
“Protect the mage!”
Were those charging figures beastmen? Or were they trained soldiers breaking through the barren plains to invade the Labyrinth City?
The woman sprawled on the ground—was she the mage Dorothy? Or a stranger who had rushed to help me during the 「Race Duel」? I couldn’t tell.
The memories swallowed my mind and dyed my soul with the color of wind.
“Ugh─”
“Die… ghk.”
The mage squeezed her eyes shut. In that instant, my body became the wind.
With a light thrust of my sword, I pushed aside the beastman lunging toward me. As he was flung back, I slashed at the air. A sharp shreee sound rang out as his body twisted, red lines etching across his furred skin. Blood sprayed, and the whirlwind from my blade tore through his thick hide without mercy. The cry that followed sounded almost like a whimpering dog.
Thud. One beastman fell.
“Ah—”
Behind the fallen beastman, more enemies surged in. A new vision unfolded before my eyes—a world made of “Paths.”
They were unlike the “Paths” I had seen before; these ones were marked by arrows pointing in specific directions, and those arrows shifted whenever my blade moved.
It was a force that could disturb the flow, twist it, and break it—the mystery of 「Gale」.
“What the hell!”
“Magic? No… it’s different—”
My body moved on its own, ignoring my will.
The sword that unfolded in my hands was far beyond my ability—powerful, elegant, and beautiful, much like Seol Yoon’s.
A perfect circle was drawn. From its center, the beastmen were lifted into the air and hurled away as if caught in a storm.
But the closer my sword came to perfectly reproducing the Gale, the fainter my consciousness became. The world before my eyes wavered, again and again.
Was I Arhan? Or the wandering swordsman who lived through a desolate age?
My mind spun in confusion—until my master’s voice called to me.
「Do not be swept away by the wind, young descendant.」
That solemn voice.
「Have you forgotten my words?」
Eyes sharp as blades appeared before me.
「No steel is ever carried away by the wind.」
My pounding heartbeat echoed through me—and within that sound, I heard my master’s heavy tone.
「Was the steel you carried lighter than a wanderer’s blade? It should not be so. Do not lose yourself.」
“……”
「Remember, young descendant.」
That voice reverberated through my soul.
「The purpose you swore to uphold the very first time you held a sword.」
Those words could not be ignored.
The roaring wind inside my mind vanished as if washed away, replaced by a single blazing memory. No other memory, no other life could ever cover the mark that moment had left on my soul.
— I’ll let you live. Forget this day and live your life.
Helplessness.
— Blame your family.
Fear, resentment, hatred, anger, sorrow.
— If you inherit the blood of Karavan, I will come for you again—wherever you are.
Vengeance.
— Only a Swordmaster can kill another Swordmaster, young master.
The butler’s words cut deep into my bones. The moment I heard them, I took up the sword. Even with clumsy hands, when I first grasped the heavy blade, I made a purpose both foolish and clear.
Only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster.
So— I decided to become a Swordmaster.
“Haa…”
I came back to my senses.
I reclaimed myself.
That didn’t mean the memories of 「Gale」 were gone. The life of that wandering swordsman still flowed through my blade. But now I wasn’t swept away. I accepted it. Like steadfast steel, I faced the gale head-on.
I was the one who would do the devouring.
『For you, I became the wind.』
The dwarven-forged steel sword in my hand was now only half a blade, broken. My hand gripping it was soaked in blood, and the air was thick with the scent of scorched earth.
Then came the final memory of 「Gale」’s former master.
『At that blue dawn, I swept away everything that threatened your tomorrow.』
『The Lord of the Labyrinth City imprisoned me by the city’s law.』
『You wept bitterly as you watched me being locked away.』
『Thinking back, I shouldn’t have done that.』
『I should have swept you away, not the army.』
『To a faraway world where you’d have nothing to fear.』
***
At that blue dawn, I was imprisoned in the spire of the Labyrinth City—the price for driving out the invading legion. The Lord had merely acted according to the law. If I’d wanted to fight the legion, I should’ve officially joined the city’s forces as one of their swordsmen. But I hadn’t. I’d simply cut them down under the pale light of dawn.
The moonlight beyond the spire window was dim.
The curved crescent resembled your smile.
You had made me into a romantic fool.
The moon glittering between the clouds looked as though the heavens themselves were smiling.
I did not feel lonely. My life has always been solitude.
You were merely someone who passed by for a moment.
After you left, my world grew old and faded.
Everything that wasn’t you turned to dust and lost its meaning.
The Lord asked if I regretted it.
I said no. In this age soaked in endless wars, I was glad that you were not swallowed by hatred.
Let it be me who’s drenched in blood, who cuts withered flowers under crimson skies.
Let it be me who sleeps restlessly, my worn sword always at my bedside.
Even if I never see you again, that’s fine.
I could live a lifetime on the sweetness of a single fleeting dream.
How many souls had my sword swept away?
How deep had the blood run across the wastelands?
Was it justice—or evil?
At that moment, none of that mattered.
The world was wind, and in the end, all would be swept away and forgotten.
But the night sky did not smile upon me after all.
On that blue night, I heard a scream.
“Help me.”
It was your voice.
The moment I heard that piercing cry, I left the spire.
The guards were lax, the ropes that bound me were loose, and the iron bars broke with a single kick.
Outside, the Labyrinth City was burning. Its blue walls were red with blood, and beneath the flames lay countless charred corpses. So many lives now slept beneath the moonlight. The crescent moon still shone bright—as though it smiled gently upon the eternally sleeping.
“Please, help me.”
Sword in hand, I went to you.
You were in a pitiful state.
Your white silk nightgown was burned and torn. The pale skin I’d only ever imagined was exposed, marked with bruises and blood.
Your beautiful face was streaked with tears. You looked at me, trembling, sobbing—calling my name.
“……”
I cut down the guards clutching your hair, harvesting their necks like grain. The moonlit blue blade danced, scattering crimson blood. You closed your eyes tightly and let your body fall into my arms.
Your sobs, your tears, your trembling body—they were all cold.
“I only wished… for today.”
Once you calmed a little, you spoke.
“I didn’t wish for anything grand. I only wanted this terrible tomorrow to be replaced by an eternal today. So why—”
The Labyrinth City fell. It was a common destruction.
Though we’d repelled one invasion, the second and third came soon after. I saw the savage soldiers raging below the blue walls—knights in iron armor, mounted on warhorses, laughing cruelly.
I knew their faces.
They were soldiers from my homeland—the soldiers of the 「Great Land」, conquerors of the widest realm on this continent. No city lord could stop them, no wall could hold them back.
Carrying you on my back, I fled—but not far.
The continent’s fastest legion allowed no survivors.
The mounted soldiers surrounded us. At their head stood a general with a spear—an opponent I could not defeat, a legion I could not sweep away.
You were sobbing. But I did not give up.
For you, I could become anything.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“In the name of the Ever-Waking Father, I demand a sacred Trial of Combat.”
“…Are you serious?”
The Trial of Combat—an ancient rite of the 「Great Land」.
“Yes.”
In honor of the Ever-Waking Father, their supreme god, it was a sacred duel. If one faced every foe and prevailed, no matter the circumstances, the victor’s life would be spared. Before me stood over ten thousand soldiers—each a seasoned warrior.
“You’re insane.”
“……”
“Do you even know what that means? In the Trial of Combat, we don’t grant our enemies a clean death. We’ll crush your gut under our horses’ hooves, pierce your belly and chest with spears, spill everything out—and shove it back into your mouth. The Ever-Waking Father loves blood, death, and agony.”
“I know.”
“Then so be it.”
I knew it was madness.
There was no chance of victory.
But—“You, why—”
“I chose it because I love the fight.”
For you, I could do anything. Truly, anything.
“You’re lying.”
“……”
“Liar.”
You were wise.
You knew my heart.
“What changes, then? What will that achieve?”
“……”
“Can you defeat that monstrous army?”
“That I do not know.”
“No—you do. Even if you win, nothing will change.”
You wept bitterly.
“Even if you somehow survive, nothing will change. If I live, countless lords will summon me again. I’ll be thrown back into war after war. Even if I survive those, I’ll keep fighting until I die, until I return to dust. That’s my fate. Now I see it clearly…”
“……”
“So don’t. Don’t do something so meaningless. Let’s just die here. Don’t fight this cruel world—let’s just die together…”
Perhaps you were right.But you didn’t know—what I dreamed of.
“Don’t worry.”
I had already decided. For you, I would become the wind.
“You need only remain as yourself.”
A wind that could sweep away anything.
“So just watch.”
The next day, the army of the Great Land took me to Ferma, the Iron Kingdom’s city of steel.
They wished to display my execution before all—to show their authority. There, a massive Arena awaited.
The audience roared with laughter.
The legion soldiers surrounding me wore blank faces, and in the corner, you were crouched, crying. The only things I was given were crude armor and a single sword.
They all mocked me. But I saw none of it.
I saw only you—sobbing.
Your tear-streaked face overlapped with the bright, innocent smile I once knew.
— My name is Dorothy.
Would you remember that small, loving smile, when you whispered your name?
— Dorothy, from the Mage of Oz.
That smile was what made me become the storm.
“The Trial of Combat begins—!”
At that blue dawn, as I gazed upon you in your white silk nightgown, I had made my vow. To become not a wind that’s swept away—but a wind that sweeps all else away.
Would you ever know that? No—never.
“Kh…!”
As sharp spears pierced my body, you closed your eyes. My shoulders shattered, my knees collapsed, crimson blood poured as my entrails spilled, yet you did not open your eyes. Tears glimmered beneath your lashes. I watched only you—your trembling lips, your pain, your sorrow.
Even as spears shattered my bones and hooves crushed my flesh—even as jeers and laughter rained from the crowd—they could not break my soul. My soul was made entirely of you.
Pain, dust, and blood could not bring me down. My heart was calm—utterly calm. And in that stillness, my sword gently sliced the air. As it did, my wings gleamed brilliantly.
“You… once told me…”
Blood frothed in my throat.
“That I was… like the wind.”
I squeezed out the last of my strength. When I swung, my blade broke—clean in half. The shattered edge spun, clattered against the ground. Laughter erupted from the crowd.
And then—
“I agree… with that… too.”
The wind blew. It gathered around my sword, forming a roaring vortex.
The raging gale lifted your body into the air.
Just as you once said—you became the wind.
“My life… was like… a single strand… of wind.”
A wind beyond nature surged upward.
The legion realized something was wrong and screamed to seize the woman. But how could mere humans grasp the soaring wind? You rose, higher and higher, toward the smiling sky.
Some soldiers drew their bows—but I did not allow them to shoot.
With my broken sword, dragging my shattered body, I thrust at their throats. Blood sprayed, and one more soul seeped into the desolate plain.
A riderless horse kicked me back. Even as I spat blood, I did not release the broken blade.
A spear pierced my back. A boot struck my skull.
Still—I fought.
I did not stop.
My eyes followed only you.
“Fly… away. Become a wind… swift and wild… that no one can ever catch.”
Like my broken sword, my body shattered and fell apart.
But even torn to pieces, I would not fall—not until you disappeared beyond my sight.
“Yes… just as you… said…”
Your image blurred. I could not tell if it was because you drifted away—or because my consciousness was fading.
The sounds of the world ceased.
Dorothy from The Mage of Oz was carried away by the vortex, far, far into an unknown world.
“Like a gale…”
The blinding sunlight filled the sky.
I never knew if you flew away completely, fell midway, or simply faded into the wind.
That answer belonged to the heavens.
For only the heavens knew where the wind would blow.
Yes—only the heavens…That was the end of a wanderer.
...
When I opened my eyes, the sword in my hand was surging with a fierce wind.
I fully understood the final secret it held.
A drowsy stillness settled over me as I looked ahead—at the fierce battlefield, at the warriors locked in combat.
And then, I saw it—a “Path” unlike any I had ever seen before.
「Young descendant.」
“Yes.”
I knew exactly what I had to do.
「Sweep them away.」