Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 69 : Chapter 69

Chapter 69 – War Duel (4)
The 「Wings」 possessed by 「Sword Runners」 were a kind of symbol.
Wings formed from the radiance of mana were proof that a swordsman’s power had transcended their own body— that their existence could now influence the world around them. But that didn’t mean those wings were physical organs capable of flight. They were merely a symbol.
However, certain warriors of the Iron Kingdom’s northern wilds did not see it that way. They bestowed the title of 「Valkyrie」 upon their greatest warrior women, and to them, a Valkyrie should soar through the skies and strike like the battle angels described in myth.
Combat efficiency or technical difficulty meant nothing to them. These barbarians, far removed from civilization, cared little for such refined reasoning. To their minds, if you have wings, you must fly. That was all.
To those versed in the sword, it was madness— the kind of foolishness that defied all reason.
They laughed at the inefficiency of trying to manipulate mana purely to fly rather than to strike. Yet when one among the Valkyries succeeded, no one laughed anymore.
When the first flight was achieved, the entire mountain range erupted in celebration— the barbarians gathered, singing and feasting as though a god had descended among them.
Centuries passed since that first ascent.
For hundreds of years, every Valkyrie who spread her wings believed it her duty to fly, to fight gloriously in the air like the angels of legend. And so they forged their own style of combat— how to sustain flight, how to slay effectively from the skies, and above all, how to fight beautifully.
It might have begun from foolish dreams, but centuries of refinement turned it into reality. When a perfect Valkyrie finally appeared in the world, no one dared mock them.
They stood in awe— just as those barbarians had, long ago— because what they saw before them was no longer human, but divine.
To all who beheld them, the Valkyries truly looked like battle angels out of myth.
***
Every 「Sword Runner」 was granted two weapons.
The first was acceleration— the very essence of the Runner. The moment one gained wings, they could accelerate themselves beyond human limits. That was the true reason they were called “Runners.” Their speed surpassed the extraordinary and reached the transcendent— rivaling the teleportation of mages, striking and killing in less than a heartbeat.
The second weapon was their Mystery— the manifestation of one’s conviction, faith, or way of life. A unique phenomenon born from their soul, shaping the nature of their sword. Like my 「Gale」, which conjured storms and tore through the flow itself.
Valkyrie Maia, too, was a 「Sword Runner」. And she invested both of her gifts— acceleration and Mystery— entirely into becoming the battle angel of legend. Thus, her violence was simple. No complex, magical technique resided in her blade. She simply soared and struck— her sword and spear piercing through men, each blow taking a life.
But simple did not mean weak.
Even that single, pure strike shattered the enemy’s momentum completely.
“Loose! Loose the arrows!”
“She’s too fast— we can’t aim!”
“Then bind her with the spell!”
“It’s not working!”
The acceleration of a 「Sword Runner」 was transcendental.
To the soldiers of the Great Land, Maia appeared in several places at once, cutting men down faster than their eyes could follow. To those without mana— she was a divine apparition, a phantom out of legend.
Even to my eyes, the Valkyrie’s battle was dazzling.
“She’s stronger than that knight I fought before.”
「Of course. The ‘ghosts of the battlefield’— that title originally belonged to the Valkyries. When they first appeared during the Age of War, all believed that the furious gods had sent angels to the battlefield.」
The mounted cavalry were helpless prey before her.
Their spears pointed upward, but they could not follow her movement. Their thrusts stabbed empty air while their comrades fell one after another. When her work was done, Maia simply drifted back to the skies, hovering above like judgment incarnate.
“Where are the chants!? What about the spell!?”
“T-the casters are all dead, sir!”
A 「Sword Runner」 could reach any place visible within an instant.
Maia’s first targets had been the chanting soldiers in the rear. With a single beat of her wings, over a dozen men fell silent— as if a ghost had passed through them.
“What do we do!? What do we do about that!?”
“That’s not the issue! The shamanic corps are dead— the barrier won’t hold much longer! At this rate—”
Because Valkyries were not mere berserkers— they were warriors who knew how to win. They did not fight blindly for glory; they struck at the heart.
Maia had not rushed in for attention. She was a seasoned warrior who knew exactly what to destroy.
“Archers! Fire! Fire the burning arrows again!”
At her command, the rear fortress rained fire once more.
The sound of drums, the cheers of soldiers— and then the screams.
The Conquest Army, scorched by the flaming storm, began to crumble. The tide of battle was turning.
I took the reins of the horse Maia had left me and shifted my weight forward. I had never learned to ride— but I knew how.
『A knight must move as one with his horse.』
My old comrade, Fetel. A man who had mastered every art a knight should possess— of course he had known how to ride. Drawing from his memories, I moved naturally with the horse beneath me. Amidst the chaos created by Maia and the fortress archers, I rode freely.
For a 「Sword Walker」 among soldiers who couldn’t even wield mana, cutting through the melee was child’s play.
“Do not panic! Regroup and— guh!”
Even more, Maia focused her attacks on the officers— the heads.
Once the command was severed, the body would fall apart.
Leaderless soldiers stood dumbly and were cut down where they stood.
It seemed, for a moment, that Han’s side had seized the early advantage.
But then—“Press forward! Do not fear death! The eternal sun watches over us! Khan protects his warriors— advance, advance!”
The army recreated in this spiritual world was no ordinary force. It was the Great Land’s Conquest Army— the mightiest land force on the continent.
They had never failed, never suffered defeat. And they would not start now.
Even if the descendant of Khan himself was not recreated, his warriors— his Great Warriors— were.
“Warriors of the plains! Did we not swear to break their walls before sundown!?”
The Arena had set the victory condition for Han’s side: Defend the fortress until time runs out.
If we lasted, we would win.
Why, then, would the Arena— a place that thrived on brutal spectacle— grant such a merciful rule?
The answer was simple.
It wasn’t mercy.
“Hold tight to your reins!”
Because lasting that long would already be a miracle.
“The eternal sun rides with us!”
The earth thundered. From afar came a presence far greater than before.
A rider on a crimson-armored horse, galloping impossibly fast— a beast that could scarcely be called a mere horse. Upon it sat a giant of a warrior wielding an enormous polearm.
And then—“Hah— now these are worthy foes!”
A spear of light shot toward Maia. She barely dodged the first, but the following volley forced her down from the skies.
The thrower— a warrior clad in azure armor— had eyes like sharpened steel.
The Great Warriors of the Plains.
“It’s an honor, mighty Conquest Legion!”
Even from afar, I could feel it— their overwhelming presence. And they were not the only ones. From the flanks, killing intent erupted like wildfire.
Not ordinary soldiers— but fighters.
Warriors dressed differently from the Great Land’s army, wearing varied armor and helmets— the duelists of the Arena.
“Oh, this is going to be fun!”
They were the ones who had originally chosen the Han faction—skilled warriors from the Eastern Continent, at least 「Sword Walkers」 or higher. Now, they were pouring in among the Conquest Army’s ranks. And among them, one presence burned brighter than all.
A familiar figure in a black helmet— black hair gleaming beneath the sun, her eyes cold and indifferent through the visor slit.
Seol Yoon.
The 「Black Bride.」She had finally appeared.
“Maia.”
“What is it!”
“That black one— be careful.”
Maia was strong— a 「Sword Runner」, a seasoned warrior, fierce and fearless. But the aura radiating from Seol Yoon was… monstrous.
Why?
I had never seen her fight as a 「Sword Runner」.
The last time I saw her blade was back when she was still a 「Sword Walker」— and I had even beaten her once or twice.
But now— her presence was suffocating.
“I feel it too!”
“Then—”
“That’s why! I want to fight her even more!”
Maia grinned at me, teeth bared.
“Of course— not yet!”
“Not yet?”
“To withstand the storm that’s coming! We still have something, don’t we? The jesters’ little gift!”
The jesters’… gift?
Before I could ask, the gates behind us swung open.
A flood of warriors— the other duelists— surged out alongside Han’s army. Their faces were alight with excitement, spurred by Maia’s and my earlier onslaught. Even the ones who’d been grumbling before now shouted eagerly, as all true fighters would when battle called.
But what caught my eye wasn’t their enthusiasm.
It was the Han general at the front— and what he held in his hands.
The Arena’s earlier announcement echoed in my mind.
“Those who choose the Han faction shall be lent relics symbolizing the Dragon.”
Dragon relics. As soon as the thought surfaced, the general raised his voice.
“To aid our valor, His Majesty has bestowed sacred treasures upon us! Weapons once used by our ancestors to protect this peninsula!”
His gaze turned to Maia and me.
“It is right that those who first proved their courage should be the ones to bear them. Choose, brave ones— choose your weapon to stand against the enemy’s might!”
And at that moment, a voice echoed inside my head.
『Select your Dragon Relic.』