The New Sword God

The New Sword God

Year 408 of the Armored Dragon Calendar, one year after Rudeus was born.

In the Northlands of the Central Continent, at the dojo of the Sword God's Holy Land.

Early in the morning, light snow drifted down, frosting the dojo's rubble in white. The Sword God's Holy Land, once boisterous and filled with the hum of swords, had now fallen deathly silent.

"Ca... Cain Brand wins!"

The refereeing swordsman widened his eyes, and upon finally collecting himself, hurried to announce the victor.

With a loud thud and a clatter, a wooden sword rolled away. The man in front clutched a wrist that had long since deformed and fractured, his gaze filled with shock and frustration as he stared at the young man before him, who had short black hair and wore white swordsman attire.

As a Sword Emperor of the Sword God Style, he had actually lost to a mere twelve-year-old boy?!

The boy, whose black hair and handsome face still retained a hint of youthful naivety, slowly withdrew his wooden sword and gave a slight bow to the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Pardon me, but this match is my victory."

The man in the front clicked his tongue, a reluctant look in his eyes as he slowly stepped aside.

Sitting in the master's seat of the dojo, a blue-haired man had a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. The scars on his profile and the corner of his eye made his smile look somewhat menacing.

He stood up, dressed in a beast-skin jacket, his gaze as sharp as a blade. Staring at the boy who had dared an uphill battle, he grinned broadly!

"As expected of the disciple I've set my sights on. I never thought that at such a tender age, your Sword God Style would already reach this level. I noticed your talent right from the moment I picked you back then, but I am very curious as to what exactly has been sustaining you to attain this kind of power!"

The boy named Cain raised his gaze calmly, taking a deep breath as he met the eyes of this peak human powerhouse: the Sword God Gal Farion, who was also his master. Without a trace of servility or arrogance, he spoke.

"I am going to surpass the gods. How could I possibly stop my steps here!"

At just these words, the numerous swordsmen present were all stunned into sitting frozen in place. Surpass the gods?! Was he joking?

There were numerous gods in this world, such as the Dragon God and the Demon God. In the realm of human swordsmanship, there were also those given the titles of Sword God and Water God, and even magic could grant one the title of Divine Rank upon reaching a certain domain.

Yet, a gap existed even among gods.

Everyone knew that the Divine Rank among the human race was merely a title, whereas true gods were beings that mortals could never surpass no matter how hard they struggled for a lifetime.

Take the top four of the Seven Great Powers: the Technique God, the Dragon God, the Battle God, and the Demon God. They were the ones truly worthy of the word "god."

To think of surpassing them was undoubtedly daydreaming; each of the top four of the Seven Great Powers possessed power beyond mortal imagination.

"Heh,heh,hahahahahaha!"

Just when everyone thought Cain had gone mad, the Sword God Gal before him threw his head back and laughed heartily! He laughed so thoroughly that tears even leaked from the corners of his eyes.

"Is that so? So this is your dream?! It seems I still underestimated you. The target you wish to surpass is one I can no longer help you with, because even someone like me is not nearly enough in front of them!"

The Sword God scratched his short blue hair as various scenes from the past flashed through his mind—that terrifying man with triple-lidded eyes, the Dragon God Orsted. He was the nightmare of his entire life.

The Sword God looked toward the disciples kneeling at the side.

"Gino!"

"Ah!" Gino, who had been kneeling off to the side and daydreaming, jumped in fright.

"Give him your sword."

Gino swallowed hard, glanced at the Sword God Gal, and then at the serious-looking Cain before tossing over his own matched sword.

"But after all, I am still the Sword God. Draw your sword! Kill me, and the position of Sword God is yours!"

Seeing the silver-white longsword sliding toward his feet, Cain furrowed his brow slightly and gripped the wooden sword in his hand a bit tighter.

"Master, may I use a wooden sword?"

"Heh, what? You just spewed wild boasts and now you're worried about your own life?"

Cain shook his head slightly, pressing his lips together as a complex emotion was hard to conceal in his gaze.

"No, I was picked up by you, Master. To point a real sword at you... I cannot do it!"

"Hah, how lukewarm!"

With that, the Sword God Gal thrust the golden-bladed Demon Sword Flute into the floor, slowly taking the wooden sword handed to him by a nearby Sword Emperor.

The two stared at each other for a moment, simultaneously raising their wooden swords and assuming the grand upper stance.

"That's... the starting form of the Blade of Light?!"

The Blade of Light was the proof of King-class mastery in the Sword God Style. Only swordsmen capable of executing the Blade of Light were qualified to become Sword Kings of the Sword God Style.

"Hah, who does he think he is, fighting Lord Sword God? In my eyes, swapping to a wooden sword just means he's afraid of dying."

"Lord Sword God, defeat that brat and uphold the dignity of our Sword God's Holy Land!"

They were so loud. How annoying.

Gino thought to himself as he watched the match indifferently from the side, while beside him, the petite figure with long blue hair, Nina, furrowed her brows tightly.

Father wouldn't lose! Everyone who had ever challenged him was taught a harsh lesson. Father was the strongest! He would never lose!

Yet, watching the two towering, fierce auras colliding in the arena, Nina gripped her hands together slightly.

Father would win... right...

Behind Gal, the two Sword Emperors narrowed their eyes, clicking their tongues in astonishment as they looked at the fierce aura emanating from Cain, which was no whit inferior to that of the Sword God Gal.

To possess such remarkable swordsmanship and battle aura volume at such a young age—after this boy, he would undoubtedly become one of the premier figures in their Sword God's Holy Land, and indeed the entire Sword God Style.

Even if he lost this time, once Lord Sword God grew old, he would surely pass the position on to him. How should the rest of them conduct themselves then...

There was no doubt that deep down, the two Sword Emperors had also tacitly acknowledged the demon boy whom the Sword God had picked up from the Demon Continent, but they also began to worry about their own futures, for they too wanted to be the Sword God.

"Master is truly formidable!"

Cain watched Gal, whose battle aura burned fiercely upon his body like a raging flame, and tightened his grip slightly on the wooden sword.

Heh, refusing to attack and waiting for me to make a move?

Feeling the razor-sharp battle aura rising from his opponent, Gal felt a stinging pain in his cheeks, as if he were facing a rampaging Red Dragon that had opened its cavernous maw and roared in fury at him!

Cain, you fellow... It seems the ferocious beast has cast aside its youth and bared its fangs at me.

Just how far have you grown? Let me use the sword in my hand to test your mettle!

Everyone sat up straight, the arena so quiet a pin could drop.

Until a single snowflake drifted slowly from the dojo window, landing on the floor between the two and melting.

Blade of Light!

They swung their swords simultaneously! The harsh hum of blades echoed endlessly through the dojo, moving at a speed far too fast for even swordsmen of the Sword God Style to clearly catch—a clash between the Divine Rank and the Divine Rank.

The two figures crossed paths in an instant. The Sword God Gal still held his grand upper stance, his expression stern.

Cain held the exact same posture, except that a few seconds later, he dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

At last, Cain took a deep breath, pushed himself up with the support of his wooden sword, turned around, and bowed very respectfully to the Sword God Gal.

He looked down at the still-intact wooden sword in his hand, a trace of lingering affection in his eyes as his fingers stroked it delicately for a moment, and then resolutely and respectfully placed it upon the floor.

Following that, amidst the gazes of everyone, he slowly walked out of the dojo.

"Heh, as expected, the Sword God is the greatest."

"He actually dared to offend Lord Sword God! Someone like that should be expelled from the Sword God's Holy Land!"

"Right! He isn't worthy of using the Sword God Style!"

"Whew... Father really won after all. That's such a relief."

Even Nina, who had a fairly friendly personal relationship with Cain and Gino, patted her small chest and revealed a relieved smile.

However, the expressions of the two Sword Emperors standing behind the Sword God were utterly solemn. Their eyes widened, their postures trembling uncontrollably as they remained shocked to the core, looking with sheer disbelief at the petite retreating figure.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Sword God had lost...

"Silence!!!"

The Sword God Gal let out an angry roar, his gaze sweeping like an enraged lion over the terrified crowd of swordsmen.

Their words were an insult to him! Their mocking expressions toward Cain were like pouring salt and chili water onto his open wounds!

Crack! At that moment, an extremely faint crisp snap sounded from the wooden sword held by the Sword God Gal.

Unprovoked, a deep crack split horizontally across the tip of the wooden sword in the Sword God Gal's grip. His brow furrowed for a moment, then slowly relaxed, and the scarred corners of his mouth curved into a smile that looked somewhat menacing.

Hmph, that brat...

"Cain won. He's amazing, truly amazing. Did you see that, Nina?"

"Eh? What kind of nonsense are you dreaming up, Gino? Clearly, Father won!"

"No, as unbelievable as it is, Nina... the Sword God lost."

Nina froze completely. What on earth was this guy saying?! Why couldn't she understand him? Gino, whose body was beginning to tremble slightly from excitement, remained oblivious to Nina's thoughts, wearing a somewhat reminiscent smile instead.

During the previous exchange between Cain and the Sword God Gal, both had executed the Blade of Light almost simultaneously. At the very start, the Sword God Gal's speed had indeed been faster than Cain's.

Yet Cain's execution of the Blade of Light was utterly flawless. Arriving later yet striking first, he had directly deflected the Sword God's descending Blade of Light!

Not only had he deflected it, but while Gal was readjusting his posture, Cain had unleashed a two-hit combo of the Blade of Light almost simultaneously, targeting both the wooden sword and the wrist with which the Sword God held it. Pity though—for reasons unknown, he had only swung to strike the wooden sword, and forcing himself to halt the technique midway had thrown Cain's breathing into disorder for a brief instant.

"Amazing! Truly amazing."

With a soft thump, Gino's head was lightly struck by Nina's puffed-out cheeks.

"What are you spouting nonsense for, Gino! Clearly, Father won!!"

"O—okay, your father won, heh." Gino scratched his cheek, a helpless and submissive smile on his face, though his gaze couldn't help but stray toward the back of Cain as the latter departed through the dojo doors.

"Truly amazing..."

Thump! Watching the heavy wooden doors of the dojo close, Cain Brand let out a slight sigh.

He had lived in the Sword God's Holy Land since childhood, and he knew all too well what the consequences of challenging the Sword God would be.

He looked down at his empty hands, which bore only a thin layer of calluses.

"At least let me take my wallet out..."

Actually, whether he took it or not didn't really matter; Cain's total assets didn't even amount to a single Asura Silver Coin.

"I suppose I've been swept out the door by my master, haven't I..."

Right now, he was penniless—truly and physically destitute.

At that moment, a transparent blue panel appeared beside him.

[Host: Kain Brand Reiback]

[Age: Twelve years old]

[Personality: Optimistic, mature, steady, extreme willpower, slightly chuunibyou, unbelievable lack of sense of direction.]

[Race: Undying Devil Race (Mixed-blood)]

[Magic: Beginner-class Water Ball, Beginner-class Earth Magic]

[Total Mana: High]

[Special Ability: Chantless water magic.]

[Swordsmanship: Water God Style: Beginner-class]

[North God Style: Beginner-class]

[Sword God Style: Divine Rank]

[Evaluation: Lower-tier Powerhouse]

[Note: Attack without defense, unmatched under heaven.]

[Proficiency System: Bound]

[Rank Classification: Beginner-class, Intermediate-class, Advanced-class, Saint Rank, King-class, Emperor-class, Divine Rank]