The Great Sword is not the Main Body!
Chapter 198 – Prayer

A hollow, empty void.

A tattered soul drifting through it.

How much time had passed in this state?

How long had I been here?

I didn’t know, but one thing was certain,an immense amount of time had passed. I had long since grown numb to the pain of my soul being worn down.

Then, when did I become trapped in this incomprehensible space?

Not once had I ever thought about that before.

I didn’t want to know. I never wanted to find out.

All I wanted was for the pain of my soul being shaved away to finally end.

But now… it was different.

After an eternity upon eternity had passed.

Now that I had grown used to this indescribable pain, and the ember of my soul had begun to burn again.

Now that an unidentifiable distortion had appeared in the emptiness of this void,

At this moment when I could finally think clearly again, I had to force myself to think straight.

I had to recall my past and retrace my identity to make it clear once more.

But I couldn’t remember.

Like this empty space, nothing remained.

Nothing that made up who I was had endured.

Even so, I refused to give up.

I clung on desperately.

I didn’t stop thinking. I kept trying to recall.

Maybe that desperate desire had reached the distant distortion that had risen before me,

Snap.

With a jolt that shook my soul, my memories began to return one by one.

I had been a human.

The daughter of a poor rancher.

But I hadn’t been ordinary.

I had been exceptional, more than anyone else.

Swords? I mastered them.

Spears? I mastered them.

Shields? Fists? I mastered them too.

I had the talent to handle everything with ease,everything except magic.

Squelch.

But I had no money.

No status. No backing.

All I and my family had was a run-down ranch.

So I gave up on my dream of becoming a knight.

To earn money, I became a mercenary.

In the early days, I was discriminated against for no other reason than being a woman, but I stood tall. I never cowered.

Instead, I squared my shoulders and glared them down.

Because behind me stood overwhelming talent.

I had the strength to crush anyone who dared to disrespect me with such worthless reasons.

Still, I was only human. I couldn’t completely ignore it all.

The power I couldn’t have weighed me down.

Invisible hands persistently bound me.

No matter how much I struggled or thrashed, I couldn’t break free.

So I decided to become a madwoman.

So terrifying that no one would dare touch me.

So insane that no one could even look at me.

So feared that none would dare even speak my name or deeds aloud.

I cut off the wrist of the man who grabbed my chest.

One month in prison.

I ripped out the tongue of the man who constantly harassed me.

Three months in prison.

I tore apart the lower body of the bastard who rubbed himself on me while drunk.

Two months in prison.

I smashed the skulls of those who drugged and tried to rape me.

Innocent verdict.

I severed the limbs of a noble who took my family hostage and hung them on the imperial gates.

Execution. But I escaped.

From a small village, to a small town.

From a small town, to a big city.

From a big city, to the heart of the Empire.

My relentless march eventually came to a halt in a back alley of the capital.

Because I saw someone even crazier than me.

No, someone truly insane.

Her first impression felt like a wild beast.

Messy, dry blond hair.

Sharp eyes. Jade-colored irises.

A crooked smirk. A foul mouth.

Tall, solid build. Long limbs.

Unlike me, she had been different from birth.

Truly unhinged.

And above all else,

An overwhelming thirst for victory.

Crunch!

And so, the one who had been acting insane met someone who was truly mad.

That was the beginning.

The first color to ever enter the dull, grey world I had only ever run from in my life as a mercenary.

Our first meeting was rough.

Back when I was still pretending to be crazy, drunk on my own talent.

When I was endlessly arrogant,

She said to me,

“What the fuck are you looking at, bitch?”

So, without the slightest hesitation,

I punched her in the face.

That fight raged on from midday until the sun rose again the next day.

There was no winner.

Because thirty-three guards had to step in to stop us.

We were so exhausted we couldn’t even resist as they dragged us to the Empire’s prison.

Three days passed.

Three days later, we visited the most popular tavern in the back alley and had drinks.

And then, we became comrades.

We became each other’s teachers, and students.

We became friends.

It wasn’t a peaceful relationship.

We weren’t the type to laugh and smile together.

We fought because she looked like a beggar when holding a fork.

We fought because my nightgown looked like something a prostitute would wear.

We fought because our morning faces were too damn ugly.

Fistfights were normal. And when things got extreme, we’d stab each other.

But since she too lived a life of the blade, we could laugh it off over a drink.

Like that, we stuck together for a long time, amassing wealth and fame we had only ever dreamed of.

Then one day,

A great war broke out.

A senseless war, triggered by the sudden madness of the Angels.

Of course, even back then, war was constant.

But this new war was unlike anything we had ever experienced.

An unknown power called a “Unique Ability” manifested in all beings living on the land.

That became the greatest reason the tide of war changed.

The landlord’s daughter spewed fire.

The boy from downstairs emitted sword aura.

The always-quiet man controlled gravity.

The flower shop girl summoned tree roots.

The annoying brat wielded steel.

And the poor delusional kid who claimed to be a mage summoned lightning.

The restaurant hostess said she could see the future, and the mute child fired a slingshot with perfect accuracy.

In that chaos,

In this newly altered world,

Those of us whose Unique Abilities had not awakened could never sleep with our legs stretched. We couldn’t wash in warm water. We couldn’t sit by a fire and chat.

We held swords instead of forks.

We wore armor instead of pajamas.

And instead of morning faces, we greeted one another covered in blood.

But,

It wasn’t miserable.

Hard, yes,but it was fun.

It was joyful. It was exciting.

Because we had partners who supported each other.

Because we had comrades we could trust and rely on.

We didn’t break. We kept moving forward.

And then, forward, always forward.

After endless battles, change finally came to my dearest friend.

Her awakened Unique Ability was,

[Victory].

A guaranteed outcome.

A twisted victory, achieved at any cost.

Humans, once pushed to the fringes of the war, raised their heads with her leading the charge.

But the war was already nearing its end.

Shattered battlements.

Crushed wings.

Purified miasma.

Burned forests.

What remained were the beastkin howling with savagery,

The dragons ruling from the sky above,

And the humans who rose with the Sword of Victory.

Wham!

The beastkin could reach the high heavens but could not pierce a dragon’s hide.

Humans couldn’t reach the heavens but could pierce a dragon’s hide.

And so, these different races formed a pact.

Then,

They struck down the dragons.

They tore off their wings, ripped their jaws,

And finally, severed their necks.

But that wasn’t the end.

Right after the dragon hunt ended, beasts beyond comprehension revealed themselves.

They called themselves Beasts of the End.

These so-called Beasts of the End set fire once more to a world that had barely tasted peace.

But the pact forged for peace did not burn away.

Humanity did not break.

The Sword of Victory did not shatter.

Sharpened through countless battles and experiences, that sword withstood even their overwhelming power.

It cut through the bitter cold of winter and brought forth the warmth of spring.

It set the blood-drenched Red Moon and welcomed the rise of a new sun.

It extinguished the hellfire that had scorched the world, letting brilliant flowers bloom from blackened ashes.

It carved deep scars into the great ash tree.

And then,

Clang!

A being known as the [Observer] appeared.

Wings that covered the sky.

Breath that melted the earth.

Eyes that couldn’t be looked upon.

A tongue that nullified and cast all magic. Skin that could never be cut.

The Ancient Dragon, Sirinias.

That being looked at my dearest friend.

And my friend glared right back.

Then, just like always,

She grinned like a madwoman, giggling, while raising her head.

She straightened her shoulders and stepped forward.

She raised her middle finger.

Drew her sword.

As her figure grew farther and farther away,

I watched her back and also drew my sword.

A heavy, clunky greatsword.

A sword with no practical use.

Something I only carried for show.

To display my thorns.

A greatsword.

A completely different kind of blade from the slim saber she carried.

I raised it and stood by her side.

Raised my middle finger and acted like a madwoman.

I wished with all my heart,

That I could remain by her side forever.

And in that moment,

Change came to me as well.