'…Have I been moved?'
Even when he suddenly lost his sight, Ruin didn't waver.
One of the basic qualities required of a shadow was an unshakable heart—fudōshin (不動心)—the ability to remain composed in any situation.
'The smell hasn't changed. My body feels like it's floating in midair—there's no surface beneath me. So it's only my vision that's been taken away? Or is my sense of touch blocked too?'
Lacking information, he focused all his senses on grasping his surroundings.
"Ah…"
'Hearing's still intact. That means it's most likely just my sight that's been cut off.'
But that was as far as he could go.
'A spell? A trap? Or some sort of soul summoning?'
Weighing the possibilities, Ruin tried to figure out his current situation.
Then—
'Are you going to see this through to the end?!'
A humming, resonant voice reached his ears.
— Ding!
You have resisted an external intrusion.
A system message followed.
Vision will now be restored.
Ruin snapped his eyes open.
He found himself floating alone in a pitch-black void.
'What in the world…?'
— Whoosh.
A sound reached his ears as black mist began to gather before him.
It swirled and shifted, slowly taking on a different shape—
Humanoid, though far larger than any human, even bigger than the ogres who ruled the forests.
'A giant?'
Once fully formed, the being opened its eyes.
A piercing blue glow flared outward, and crimson pupils blazing like fire fixed themselves on Ruin.
Another system notification rang out.
— Ding!
You are facing the true form of the "Grave's Sovereign, Sword-Spirit."
'That's the Grave's Sovereign Sword-Spirit?'
As he tilted his head in puzzlement, the giant—black-haired, red-eyed, with a frame like a mountain—spat out a curse.
"So you are of his bloodline. Damn that worthless wretch!"
'What?'
Startled, Ruin simply stared at him in silence.
At that moment—
— Ssshhhk…
'Hm?'
A sticky, ominous black aura began to seep out of Ruin's own body, as if it were responding to the Sword-Spirit's hostile glare.
"Ha! The wretched thing still struggles to the very end. Fine, then—let's see which of us survives."
A dark energy gushed forth from the giant's body.
But while Ruin's aura was a murky, tainted black, the Sword-Spirit's was a pure, dense, untainted black.
"I'll erase your very existence!"
The moment the two forces clashed—
— Ssssshhh!
There was a searing sound as the black taint leaking from Ruin's body began to melt away.
"Ghhk!"
A raw groan escaped him at the surge of pain.
"Khahahaha! Be erased!"
The Sword-Spirit's energy flared explosively, engulfing Ruin entirely.
"Uaaaargh!"
The agony was overwhelming.
— Ssssshhh!
The sinister energy that had clung to Ruin's body was steadily burned away.
"Huuhhkk…!"
His vision dimmed; it felt as if he might lose consciousness at any moment.
"Rhein-Graim… stay awake. If you faint now, that thing will slip back into your body."
"...?!"
The Sword-Spirit's sharp words struck his ears, and Ruin bit down hard on his lower lip.
All his life as a shadow, no pain had ever broken him.
He had become a legend as Subject 1872 because he never yielded—once he resolved to stay conscious, he endured to the end.
— Ssssshhhk!
"Ghhhk!"
The pain only intensified, but Ruin bore it.
"That's it… yes, that's it!"
Then—
— Crackle, burst!
Something ruptured with a sound like an explosion.
"That's it!"
The Sword-Spirit's voice rang out, full of satisfaction.
"Haa… damn. That hurt like hell…"
The crushing pain that had been tearing at Ruin's entire body vanished, leaving behind only a boneless exhaustion.
But then came another system message—
The Grave's Sovereign Sword-Spirit has devoured the Blade's Curse.
The Blade's Curse has been dispelled.
'…Huh?'
Hearing the notification, Ruin quickly pieced together what had happened.
So the giant, called the Sword-Spirit, had just consumed and removed the Blade's Curse—the hereditary curse of the Kaphtalen line that had been coiled within his body.
The sequence of events made sense… but one question lingered.
'Why, though?'
Was he supposed to chalk this up to a mere stroke of fortune?
"..."
Of course, in all of history no one had ever entered the Sword Gathering Rite carrying the Blade's Curse.
But still—was that enough to explain what had just happened?
As Ruin's thoughts tangled with questions—
"Who… are you?"
The Sword-Spirit finally spoke.
"You clearly bear his blood… yet why are you still shackled by that filthy lineage's yoke?"
As the giant questioned him, Ruin calmly replied.
"And by 'him,' who do you mean?"
"Why, of course—Belion, that damned wretch."
"..."
The name that left the giant's lips was one Ruin knew well—
A figure who had shaken the entire continent over a millennium ago, leaving behind countless legends now regarded as myth.
'Belion Rhein-Graim… the founding patriarch of the clan, the Sword Emperor.'
That very name had come from the Sword-Spirit's mouth.
"That one suffered greatly as well because of that foul yoke."
'What? Belion Rhein-Graim carried the Blade's Curse too?'
The revelation was shocking, but Ruin kept his expression still.
The Sword-Spirit continued.
"But no longer shall that wretched brood dare to touch the blood of Rhein-Graim. Not so long as I exist!"
— Boom!
With a single stomp of his foot, the very space trembled.
The giant radiated overwhelming presence and oppressive might.
"Yet you… why—"
"Well, I was simply born this way."
"What?"
"Not everyone is born of Rhein-Graim blood, after all."
"Hah! And what bloodline do you hail from, then?"
Scoffing as if in disbelief, the Sword-Spirit asked.
"The Kaphtalen line."
"Kaphtalen?"
The giant tilted his head in puzzlement.
Ruin found that natural—after all, in a thousand years, only the Four High Houses had endured.
Kaphtalen was not among them.
The Sword-Spirit then snorted.
"To think the great blood of Rhein-Graim was once overcome by something so paltry… pathetic."
'Something so paltry…?'
In the past, Ruin might have let such words slide.
But now—
"What did you just say?"
"I said it's pathetic. Why?"
"..."
Ruin stared silently at him.
To him, neither Rhein-Graim nor Kaphtalen was above the other.
They were simply the lineages of his father and mother.
A faint, bitter smile curved his lips.
'Am I letting this rattle me…?'
For the first time, his unshakable composure was stirred by anger and irritation.
"Haa…"
With a short sigh, he shook his head and then smirked faintly.
"In other words… the Rhein-Graim bloodline is no longer as 'great' as it's said to be, is it?"
"What?"
"If it was overcome by something so trivial, isn't it laughable to call it great? In the end, the curse entered my body."
"That was because you—"
"So you're saying I'm not truly of the Rhein-Graim line?"
"Ghhk…"
The Sword-Spirit bit his lip, unable to retort.
Ruin pressed on, then lowered his head slightly.
"Whatever the case, I am grateful you freed me from the curse."
Then—
"But regardless of my bloodline, don't presume to judge who I am."
"..."
"Anyone who dares spout such words—I want to kill them on the spot."
"What?"
At Ruin's cold declaration, the giant stared at him for a long moment—
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! To say you want to kill me… I haven't heard those words since he was alive."
"Pardon?"
"No, you're right. I retract my words. To belittle you solely for your bloodline was wrong of me."
Surprisingly, the Sword-Spirit admitted his fault without hesitation.
But Ruin shook his head.
"No, that's not it."
"What?"
"The one you owe an apology to is not me, but my mother's house—the Kaphtalen line you dismissed as 'something so paltry.'"
"..."
The giant stared at him blankly.
"I have already—"
"Shall I make myself clearer?"
There was not a hint of retreat in Ruin's gaze.
The towering Sword-Spirit's expression grew complicated, and then his voice turned sharp.
"And if I refuse?"
"This place… is my inner world, isn't it?"
"…What?!"
The giant's eyes widened in surprise.
Ruin's lips curved in a faint smile.
"You intruded into my inner world without permission. And I…"
— Ding!
"Celestial Seamlessness" is preparing to eradicate the foreign presence within the inner world.
In an instant, Ruin summoned the power of Celestial Seamlessness, intent on burning away the Sword-Spirit completely.
— Fwoosh!
"W-Wait, what are you doing?!"
The giant's form was suddenly engulfed in fierce flames.
"I could erase you here and now."
"H-Hold on! Calm down! Let's talk—just talk!"
Perhaps because of how sudden it all was, the Sword-Spirit cried out in panic.
But Ruin's gaze remained steady.
"Will you apologize?"
"Fine, fine! I get it! I'll apologize! Ka… what was it again?"
"Kaphtalen."
"Right! The Kaphtalen line is not something paltry. I spoke in ignorance—my apologies."
— Shhhhhh…
As soon as the words left the giant's mouth, the flames consuming him receded.
"Phew… damn it. What on earth are you? A ten-year-old brat being this extreme?!"
The Sword-Spirit let out a deep sigh of relief.
Ruin's expression was as calm as ever.
"I am still grateful you lifted the curse."
"Huh?"
The giant stared at him, exasperated, then waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. No need to thank me. Those wretched things trespassed in my domain—I was obligated to annihilate them."
There was clearly some deeper connection between the Sword-Spirit and the Blade's Curse, but that was a matter for later.
For now—
"There's something I'd like to ask."
"…Now what?"
"What is your relationship with Lord Belion?"
"And why should I tell you that?"
"If you don't wish to answer, that's fine."
Ruin simply nodded.
The giant's stance immediately shifted to a guarded one.
"What are you doing now? You're not going to burn me again, are you?"
"…What do you take me for?"
"A lunatic…?"
— Fwoosh!
"Whoa, whoa! I was kidding—just kidding!"
The Sword-Spirit flailed at the sight of a small flicker of flame.
For all his imposing appearance, he acted more like an inexperienced, blunt youth.
'What is this being…?'
Ruin couldn't quite figure it out, but his exchange with the Sword-Spirit made one thing clear—
This being was closely tied not only to Belion, the founding patriarch, but perhaps to the Rhein-Graim clan itself.
Then—
"If there's nothing more to say, then leave."
The Sword-Spirit's voice turned firm, as if issuing an expulsion order.
Ruin gave a small nod.
"..."
"What? Why are you still staring? Get out already."
"But… how do I get out?"
"What?"
"You were the one who brought me here, weren't you?"
"..."
The giant looked momentarily dumbfounded.
Ruin watched him, lost in thought.
'So the founder of Rhein-Graim bore the Blade's Curse as well…'
The Sword-Spirit had let it slip almost offhandedly—
But for Ruin, it was invaluable information.
The man revered as the mythical Sword Emperor had once carried the curse.
'I could probably sell that to the information guild for quite a fortune.'
Already he imagined himself sitting atop a pile of gold.
"Hey, this is your inner world. If you don't know how to get out, who will?"
"That may be so, but since you brought me here, shouldn't you at least show me the way out?
Or should I try lighting another fire?"
"You lunatic!"
The Sword-Spirit shouted, while Ruin remained calm.
Finally, with a groan, the giant muttered, as if giving up.
"Unbelievable… how can you act so much like him? Ugh, fine. No point arguing. I'll send you back myself."
"…?"
"I brought you here, so I'll send you back. Satisfied?"
"Ah, thank you. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so if you could be quick—"
"Silence!"
The Sword-Spirit snapped furiously, then transformed back into a whirling black mist.
— Whirl, whirl…
It surged around the void, swiftly wrapping around the floating Ruin.
— Whoooooosh!
The storm-like black energy enveloped him.
Then—
'Now, be gone!'
The Sword-Spirit's short command echoed—
A sharp black light gathered and shot toward Ruin's body.
But—
— Ding!
You are currently undergoing the Grave's Sovereign Sword-Spirit's trial.
The trial cannot be forcibly ended midway.
'W-What?! What's going on?!'
The Sword-Spirit's bewildered voice rang out—
Summoning failed.
— Klang!
Something shattered, and the black lights rushing toward Ruin all dissipated.
The Sword-Spirit re-formed into his humanoid shape and cried out in a panic.
"What's going on?! Why won't it work? What did you do?!"
"Me? I didn't do anything."
"Then why did it fail?!"
"Well…"
Ruin's voice trailed off, a corner of his mouth twitching.
"…Could it be because I'm still in the middle of a trial?"
The system message had made it clear enough.
So Ruin posed the question.
"What?"
"The trial. The Sword Gathering's trial."
"N-No! That's impossible! This isn't a trial!"
"Then why can't I leave?"
At his question, the giant's face flushed red with frustration.
"How should I know?!"
"Then I suppose it is a trial."
"Grrr… no, it isn't!"
The Sword-Spirit shook his head furiously.
Ruin only shrugged.
"Just give me any trial you like. If I pass or fail, I'm sure I'll be sent out automatically."
"Why would I test the likes of you? I never give trials except to those with the highest talent in swordsmanship and a flawless body and spirit!"
"…Huh?"
Ruin blinked at the giant's answer.
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T/N:
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