Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 88 : Chapter 88

Chapter 88 – The Idler (2)
Those who bore the name of 「Rhapsody」 carried within them the blood of The Idler. The blood of the man known as the “Lazy Idler,” the founding ancestor of their house. And that blood came with an eternal curse—an endless, suffocating drowsiness.
No matter how long they slept, they could never shake off the sleep. Because of that, the descendants of the Idler lived hazy, indistinct lives. No delicacy could truly please their tongues; no embrace of a beautiful woman could stir their hearts. Wealth and fame alike meant nothing.
There was only one moment when the descendants of the Idler could escape that curse. Only when they wielded the sword. Only when they met a worthy opponent who could make their lungs burn for air did they truly feel alive.
They could only see the world clearly when a blade was at their throat.
Only when blood splattered could their hearts beat fast enough to drown out the sleep.
“Never seen something like this before?”
Toma Rhapsody also carried the blood of the Idler.
That was why this fleeting moment of wakefulness felt so precious.
The thrill—the freedom—he could never feel in the Free City where everyone treated him with fearful politeness. Right now, he felt as though he could fly.
“Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“……”
“If you want, I can show you again. That strange thrust of yours—try it once more. I’ll keep showing you. As many times as you like. I could do it all day if you asked.”
Toma didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted the fighter before him to keep shaking him awake.
As his heartbeat quickened, the man before him flinched slightly, readying to move.
Toma’s eyes narrowed.
What would it be this time—another thrust, or a slash? It didn’t matter. Anything new, anything extraordinary would do. Even if it meant taking a wound—no, especially if it did.
If blood flowed, wouldn’t that make him truly awake?
If the wound pierced deep enough to graze his organs—perhaps this cursed drowsiness would vanish completely.
“Come on then—”
But.
“...Hm?”
The fighter’s move was unexpected. With a sharp whump, the man kicked up dirt. A cloud of dust rose, blinding the air for an instant—and then he turned his back and ran. Far.
Toma stood frozen for a moment, then watched the retreating figure and started after him.
Hide-and-seek, then? Not bad. Perhaps the man needed time to think. Toma could understand that.
Accepting his own rationalization, he began to move again—until a presence flickered nearby.
“You bastard, where do you get the guts to—”
Crash!
The crumbling wall of an old structure burst apart, and a dark figure lunged out from within.
The grin that had been lingering on Toma’s lips faded instantly.
‘Pathetic fool…’
Without even looking, he thrust his sword. He felt the familiar sensation of blade piercing flesh and bone. No scream followed—only silence. Another life, snuffed out.
Without a glance behind him, Toma resumed walking. The rush he’d felt before began to fade. In its place, the heaviness crept back in. Sleepiness. Dull, suffocating drowsiness.
Because that one had been too weak. To feel exhilarated one moment only to plunge into dullness the next—it was unbearable.
Grinding his teeth, Toma chased after the fleeing fighter again.
To drive away the sleep.
To see the world vividly once more.
But even now, when he thought he’d cleared the field, weaklings still crawled around. Tedious, boring, worthless things.
Pests that made him tired just by existing—vermin that couldn’t entertain him in the slightest.
Biting his lip, Toma raised his sword.
Each thrust claimed a life. Every motion erased someone silently.
Yet even in the midst of this massacre, Toma had to stifle a yawn.
These worms will never be enough.
Never.
***
The sky darkened.
Thunderclouds swallowed the heavens.
Evening descended, and the inside of the Arena grew chillingly still.
In that artificial city, there was no sound of people, no chirping of insects—only heavy silence.
Within that silence, Liam spoke.
「Are you planning to run all the way outside the barrier?」
“It’s not running. It’s a tactical retreat.”
「Don’t make me laugh.」
I looked up at Liam, shaking his head. That tch sound of his tongue burned through me.
“Then what else should I do? None of my techniques are working against him.”
「You sound frustrated.」
“Of course I am! My master said the Steel Line—the Line of Iron—could never be broken. But what happened earlier? It was shattered. Effortlessly.”
That sight replayed endlessly in my mind.
The Line.
The violent, unyielding force that only the Karavan family could manifest had been snapped apart by that man’s sword.
It had never happened before.
Not once. Not even the Knight who’d reached the level of a Sword Runner could do it.
But he—he’d done it so easily.
「I have never lied, nor boasted falsely. The Line of Iron can be broken by no one, my young descendant.」
“Then—”
「If it is a perfect Line of Iron.」
Liam looked straight at me.
「Did you truly believe that such a clumsy, incomplete Line could withstand a descendant of a Great House? And of all the Great Houses—one descended from the so-called Lazy Idler, master of quick blades?」
“……”
「Do not sulk, young descendant.」
He was right. It was sulking.
「You’ve been lucky. The fact that you’ve beaten your previous opponents at all is a miracle. You know that yourself, don’t you? The Iron itself has no fault—only its wielder’s lack.」
“……”
「Do not waver. Do not doubt what is true. Doubt only what must be doubted, and face the truth firmly. As iron does.」
Between that fighter and me lay a chasm too vast to cross.
I was inferior in every way—technique, power, speed, everything.
Even the special blood in my veins couldn’t bridge that gap anymore.
Because just as I bore the blood of Steel, he bore the blood of a Great House.
And thus, before me stood a wall.
「Despair, do you?」
An unscalable wall.
「Perhaps you should. From ancient times, the Five Great Houses have been that kind of wall to swordsmen. Born with talent that reaches the summit, surpassing those who devote their entire lives to mastery. A cruel inheritance.」
“……”
「And yet, others look at you the same way. The power to devour swords and instantly absorb the achievements of others—what an incredible gift that is.」
Liam’s gaze softened.
「Young descendant.」
“Yes.”
「What do you think would have become of you, if the blood of Iron had never flowed in your veins?」
The question stung more than I wanted to admit.
“...I’d have died as a worthless boy.”
Without the gift to devour swords, I’d have been nothing. Not even a Sword Beginner—just a dull, clumsy child swinging a blade without purpose until despair consumed him.
My hands trembled.
My master was reminding me of my own insignificance.
Yes… everything I’d achieved was thanks to this cursed blood.
If that blood had flowed in Seol Yoon’s veins instead, she might have changed the world already. If it had been in Fetel’s, he’d have become something far greater, more brilliant than I could ever be.
「No.」
“...?”
「I told you, didn’t I? Your true talent lies elsewhere.」
Liam shook his head.
「You have no talent for the sword. You’re a dullard with no athletic grace, whose body—even after devouring the Orc’s sword—barely reached the level of an average swordsman. You have no spiritual sensitivity. Without the Heart of Steel, your Mana control would be pitiful.」
“Then—”
「But.」
Liam smiled faintly.
「You have the talent to become a hero.」
At that moment, a murderous presence filled the air. Like countless needles pricking my skin—it was approaching fast. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. He was already here.
「Even without the blood of Iron, you would have become great someday. Even if you had lived as a mere man, ignorant of swords—you would have become a hero, a flame to stir the hearts of many.」
“……”
「That is your destiny.」
My body trembled still.
「Even if you were not Karavan—but merely Arhan—you would have risen to greatness.」
“……”
「I swear it upon my heart, my path, my wings, my armor, and the blade forged from my very soul, young descendant.」
His words made my heart pound harder. My chest felt as though it would burst.
The tension bled away.
「So tell me again—do you despair?」
“No.”
「Then what?」
My mind grew clear.
“I want to win. How can I, Master?”
「As I said, there is no fixed method.」
“I know. I just need to know one thing—how can I leave even a single scratch on his body?”
Liam chuckled.
「There’s an old saying—only a Swordmaster can kill another Swordmaster.」
“……”
「And another, quite similar—」
A satisfied smile formed on his spectral lips.
「Only a Great House’s sword can face a Great House’s sword.」
“……”
「That saying is exaggerated. True, the swords of the Great Houses stand far above all others, but there are countless techniques that can reach comparable heights. In the end, what matters most in a sword is not the technique, but the soul and the will within it.」
I exhaled slowly.
「Still, your current swords are far too crude compared to Rhapsody’s. They suit you—they match your level—but they are not enough to break the Idler’s blade.」
My heart beat evenly. Steadily.
「Such is your misfortune. So, will you run again?」
“No. I told you—it’s not running. It’s a rearward advance.”
「Hah. Ridiculous.」
“I’m serious.”
The oppressive aura was drawing closer.
“I needed time to understand what happened. To grasp the bizarre way he shattered my Line. I hid in the dark for that reason—using the other fighters chasing me as bait to slow him down.”
「And? Was the result satisfying?」
“No. I still don’t understand what trick he used, nor did I get to see more of that miraculous sword.”
「Yet, you do not despair?」
“Yes. I’ll fight. To the end.”
He was far beyond me. But I couldn’t run.
Even if the trial was beyond what I could bear, I had to face it head-on.
That had been decided the moment I first chose to hold a sword.
Even if this ordeal crushed me, I couldn’t step back—just as my father once lost his sanity and faced Swordmaster Carlos head-on.
Even if I became a mad knight out of some chivalric novel—like the Knight of La Mancha—I would fight.
If I crumbled here, I could never face the greater enemies waiting ahead.
This was only the beginning.
The foes I would one day confront would be stronger, more hopeless, more unreasonable.
This broken world had already stolen from me—my home, my family, my peace.
To hold my sword against such a world, I had to become stronger.
I could not let an Idler block my path.
“I ran to buy time. But I gained nothing. I still don’t understand. I don’t even know how to win. But one thing’s certain—if I run away completely, even if I survive, I’ll never be able to draw my sword again. Ever.”
「……」
“It’s not about whether I can win or not. It’s that I must. To keep moving forward. To climb higher.”
My breathing steadied.
From the darkness came the sound of blades clashing. The other fighters hidden around the Arena had launched their ambush.
But, as expected, it was meaningless. The clashes never lasted beyond two strikes.
No screams—only the dull thud of bodies falling.
「Excellent.」
The air reeked of blood.
「I’ll say it again. Only a Great House’s sword can face another Great House’s sword. Or one of equal greatness.」
The scent of death thickened.
「But the swords you hold are pitifully crude. The blade of a mercenary woman, the dagger of a nameless assassin, the weapon of a third-rate knight, the crude steel of an untrained Orc… such things can never face a Great Sword.」
“……”
「However—you have me, your great master, do you not?」
Liam’s voice reverberated through the oppressive air.
「Young descendant—ignite your Light. Burn your heart.」
“……”
「And for a single moment, take flight.」
I understood what he meant.
The mystery of the 「Light」—the brilliance that transcended one’s limits.
He wanted me to use it, to reach the level of a Sword Runner, even if only for an instant.
But doubt crept in.
What difference would that make? He too was a Sword Runner—and one so powerful he could slay an average Runner effortlessly.
Would reaching that level, even briefly, truly change anything?
「A moment is enough.」
“……”
「That is the minimum requirement to wield Steel.」
His next words dispelled my doubt.
「I told you—only a Great House’s sword can face another.」
Thump.
A heavy heartbeat echoed in my chest.
「It’s early, but I’ll grant you a fragment of our sword.」
The pulse spread from my chest through every vein.
「A sword once lost to time, but once at the very peak of the Five Great Houses—the most revered, the most feared. The greatest sword of this continent.」
Heat consumed my body.
「The sword of Karavan.」
As if my entire being melted, my master’s voice thundered.
The complete ignition of the 「Light」 began.
My heart burned like fire, and a voice resounded in my mind.
『From ashes shattered, the phoenix is born.』
A voice both sorrowful and magnificent.
『Even if I perish, even if my descendants perish, even if my stars perish—we shall not vanish.』
A voice like flame.
『Even if we die, our dreams will not fade—they will endure.』
『Even when day arrives, the stars do not truly disappear.』
A voice so bright it could fill the world.
『How blessed was the age when one could gaze upon the stars, and read in them the map of the path we must walk.』
My eyes opened.
『And how blessed was the age when that starlight illuminated our path so clearly.』
In my hand—burned a sword of flame.