He received many challenges from other swordsmen, and he won them all. His opponents, skilled though they were, were no match for the speed, power and accuracy of his blade. Some of his challengers were maimed or seriously injured after dueling with him. Many were killed outright.
The more duels the swordsman fought, the stronger he became. His strokes with the sword became lesser and fewer, until his skill was such that his every strike became a killing blow. Many of his opponents died from a single sweep of his sword. He became known far and wide as the ‘unbeatable swordsman’.
The unbeatable swordsman became proud of his skill. And when the other swordsmen stopped challenging him, he began challenging others himself.
Fear swept across all the land, for the unbeatable swordsman challenged anyone he saw to a duel.
The swordsman relished the power accorded to him by his skill with the blade. He began to bully the people who refused to fight him, calling them cowards. He concluded that cowards served no better purpose than to serve the strong. And since none could match him with the blade, he expected everyone to serve him. And so he made the people do his bidding everywhere he went.
Not long after however, word began to spread that another swordsman had wandered into the land. Like the unbeatable swordsman, this swordsman too won all his fights. Unlike the unbeatable swordsman however, people were talking about this swordsman not with fear, but with awe and reverence. And the strangest thing was, none of his opponents died from dueling with him.
All who knew and heard about this swordsman said one thing in common:
“He carries a sword with no blade.”
When news of this reached the unbeatable swordsman, he laughed condescendingly at the people.
“You are being foolish! You are making this story up just to scare me! How can a swordsman win his fights with a sword with no blade?”
But news and rumors about the other swordsman persisted. Soon, not a single inhabitant of the land has not heard about the swordsman with the sword with no blade.
The unbeatable swordsman became irritated and jealous at all the attention the other swordsman was getting. He began challenging more and more people to a duel, hoping that the people will spread his stories and talk about him more. And though news of his bullying did indeed spread, the people never stopped talking about the swordsman with the sword with no blade.
Finally, the unbeatable swordsman decided he had heard enough. He would look for this swordsman with the bladeless sword and challenge him himself.
“I will defeat this swordsman, and then the people shall revere and fear me once more.” He concluded.
And so the unbeatable swordsman wandered all throughout the land searching for the swordsman with the sword with no blade.
His searched for days. He searched for months. He searched for years. And though he heard the same stories everywhere he went, he could not find the swordsman with the bladeless sword.
The longer he searched, the angrier and more obsessed the unbeatable swordsman became. Finally, he exclaimed to all whom he met:
“I shall never again draw my sword unless it is to defeat the man who carries around the sword with no blade!”
Because the unbeatable swordsman stopped challenging people to duels, the inhabitants of the land became less and less afraid. They no longer hid for fear of being challenged by him. Farmers began tilling the land, and the shopkeepers began to sell their wares. Soon the land became peaceful and prosperous once more.
The unbeatable swordsman however, did not relent in his search. Everywhere he went, he was greeted by the people:
“Have you found what you were looking for?”
At first he answered them with a haughty “that’s none of your business!”
But the unbeatable swordsman became quiet the longer his search continued, and he later began answering the people’s questions with just a silent shaking of his head.
He also became gaunt and thin from all his searching, that when the inhabitants of the land saw him, they began to take pity upon him.
In each town that he went, the children would run up to him and greet him, then shout to the rest of the town:
“The unbeatable swordsman is here!”
The whole town would come out and give him food and drink and share stories with him. When they asked about his search, the unbeatable swordsman’s reply was always the same: he bowed silently and shook his head.
After decades of searching, the unbeatable swordsman began to lose hope that he would ever find the swordsman with the bladeless sword. He grew more somber and forlorn the more his hope faded, and soon ceased to speak at all unless it was to ask:
“Have you seen the swordsman with the sword with no blade?”
Then one day, the unbeatable swordsman came upon a very poor town. Unlike the other towns, no children ran up to greet him. The inhabitants of the town seemed downcast, their women quietly sobbing and moaning in despair. Even the animals and the trees of the town looked to be in mourning.
For the first time since his search, the unbeatable swordsman asked a different question of the people:
“What has happened here?”
“The land is under a curse!” the people wailed. “Our wells have dried up, and now there is no water. We cannot till the land to grow the things we need to live. Our children have all died from hunger and thirst.”
“Have you tried digging deeper into the ground for water?” the unbeatable swordsman asked.
“None of us are strong enough,” the people replied. “Our men have all grown weak from lack of food and water.”
“But that’s no excuse!” the unbeatable swordsman replied angrily. “If you don’t dig for water, you will all die! Why don’t you all work together to dig a deeper well?”
“We are afraid that we will lose what little we have in the effort to dig the well,” the people answered forlornly. “We cannot afford to share what little strength we have for others because we need it to first help ourselves. Besides, we are afraid that once the well has been dug, the people will start killing each other to be the first to draw water from it.”
The unbeatable swordsman was exasperated. “You selfish people! Because of your selfishness, you will all die a slow and terrible death from hunger and weakness!”
And the people bowed down their heads in shame.
But then they asked: “Maybe you could help us? You look strong and skilled with the blade. You could help us dig the well and then keep the order with your sword after the well has been dug.”
The unbeatable swordsman thought long and hard about it. Then he answered them in angry resignation:
“Okay, I will help you.”
So the unbeatable swordsman helped the people dig a new well. They spent weeks digging deep into the ground for water, for the land had become hard and unyielding.
When they finally reached water, the people immediately were thrown into chaos. Everyone wanted to be the first to draw water from the well.
But as he promised, the unbeatable swordsman kept all the people at bay with his sword.
“Stop! Stand Back! We will do this in an orderly manner! The elderly shall go first, followed by the women! The strongest among you will draw the water from the well for them and help bring the water back to their houses!”
After everyone had drawn water from the well, the unbeatable swordsman then supervised the men to dig irrigation trenches so that the water could seep into the fields. Anytime that a man refused to work, the unbeatable swordsman would scold and threaten him, saying:
“If you don’t work like everyone else, you will not share in the harvest afterwards!”
And so the unbeatable swordsman kept the order and made all the people help each other.
After months of hard work, all the fields of the town became irrigated and were soon able to grow food. The first harvest was so bountiful, that not only was the whole town fed, they had enough surplus to share and trade with the other neighboring towns as well.
As for the unbeatable swordsman, he stayed in the town to keep the peace and order. He kept the town safe from bandits and robbers, and he settled disputes among the town’s inhabitants. The people all came to him for protection and advice whenever they faced any problems. Even the leaders of the neighboring towns came to him to seek his counsel.
News of the unbeatable swordsman’s deeds spread and he became famous for his leadership.
As the town prospered and grew, the unbeatable swordsman grew older and wiser. He continued to govern the town well although he remained harsh and strict in his leadership.
Then one day, as the unbeatable swordsman was walking along the edge of the town after inspecting the fields for the next harvest, he came across a young man.
The unbeatable swordsman peered at the young man through his old eyes, and recognized in the way that the young man stood that he was a skilled swordsman. The unbeatable swordsman’s old muscles tensed and his knotted fingers grasped the hilt of his sword.
“Who are you? What do you want?” he asked of the young man standing in front of him.
“Are you the one looking for the swordsman with the sword with no blade?” the young man replied.
The unbeatable swordsman’s heart leapt. He had almost completely forgotten about his search.
“Yes, I am. Though I have not searched for him for many years.” he answered back.
“I am he,” the young man spoke. “And I challenge you to a duel.”
The unbeatable swordsman’s heart almost stopped at the young man’s words. But he soon regained his composure and laughed at the young man.
“I have searched for the swordsman with the sword with no blade for many decades before coming to this town. Surely he must be as old as I am now. Therefore you cannot be that man.”
In response, the young man drew out his sword. And lo! No blade protruded from the sword’s hilt!
The unbeatable swordsman was taken aback at the sight.
“Where did you get that?” he asked quietly.
“Accept my challenge, and you shall find out,” the young man replied.
The unbeatable swordsman’s old pride re-awakened inside of him, and he angrily drew out his own sword. Memories of his long and vain search haunted him, and he clutched the hilt of his sword with renewed strength.
“I don’t know who you are or what you hope to accomplish. But you are foolish to fight me with a sword with no blade.” the unbeatable swordsman hissed with the same quiet menace in which he used to issue challenges before.
But the young man holding the sword with no blade was unfazed.
“You come at me with your sword. I come at you in the name of my God.” the young man answered calmly.
Once again, the undefeated swordsman was taken aback with surprise.
“Your God?” he asked mockingly. “There is no God! In this world, only those with strength rule! Without men like me to govern them, the people will all kill each other! Besides, how can your God help you when he cannot even provide you with a decent sword?”
“I have a sword.” the young man answered calmly, raising the sword with no blade.
The unbeatable swordsman grew exasperated. “But your sword does not even have a blade! How can you defeat someone unless you have a blade to cut them with?!”
“My God will provide the blade.” replied the young man. “And I WILL cut and defeat you.”
For the third time, the unbeatable swordsman was taken aback.
He looked carefully at the young man. His veteran eyes surveyed the young man’s steady stance and the calm way in which he grasped his sword. His swordsman’s instincts told him that this was a very skilled opponent: probably the most skilled he has ever faced.
Most of all however, the unbeatable swordsman was drawn to the young man’s eyes. They were clear and bright as they looked back at him intently. It was as if a fire was lit behind them.
The unbeatable swordsman grew unsettled with the way those eyes looked at him. They seemed to pierce his skin and look deep inside of him. They seemed to be searching for something. The unbeatable swordsman felt that he could not hide anything from those searching eyes. For the first time in his life, the unbeatable swordsman became afraid.
“What are you looking at!” he blurted. “Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid that I will kill you?!”
“No, I am not afraid of you.” the young man answered. “I am looking for that part of you which is most vulnerable. It is this part which I will cut with my sword.”
The unbeatable swordsman grew even more afraid. He swung his sword menacingly at the young man.
“Don’t make me laugh!” he screamed hysterically. “I can kill you anytime I want to, boy! No one has ever defeated me in a duel! I will cut you and you will die! Are you not afraid to die?”
The young man’s unflinching eyes continued to look at him intently.
“I am afraid to die.” he admitted. “But that will not stop me from cutting and defeating you.”
The unbeatable swordsman had had enough. With a wild scream he lunged at the young man. His sword whistled in the air, singing its deadly song.
It hit the young man’s side with full and deadly force. The unbeatable swordsman immediately knew that it was a killing blow.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment. And then all at once, a red spray burst forth from out of the fatal wound, covering the unbeatable swordsman with the young man’s blood.
The unbeatable swordsman cried out in horror. His mind shrank at the realization of what he had done.
“I have cut down an innocent man!” his thoughts screamed.
The unbeatable swordsman’s sword fell down to the ground with a clatter as he fell to his knees. He began to shake and weep uncontrollably. He covered his bloody face with equally bloodied hands, afraid to turn around and see the handiwork of his blade.
But lo! From behind him came the calm voice of the young man:
“I have found that part of you which is most vulnerable.”
The undefeated swordsman’s eyes grew wide at the sound of the young man’s voice. Slowly he turned around to face the source of that voice.
His gaze fell upon the young man’s radiant face. His eyes were full of triumph.
“And I have cut you with the blade my God has given me. You are beaten!”
The unbeatable swordsman watched in horror as the young man began to fall. He caught him just before the young man’s body hit the ground.
The young man’s eyes continued to look at the unbeatable swordsman with their piercing gaze.
The young man then laid the sword with no blade on the unbeatable swordsman’s hand. “You are now worthy to carry the sword of my God.” the young man whispered to him. “Use it well.”
“I do not understand!” cried the unbeatable swordsman.
“You have shown my God that you still have a soul,” the young man replied quietly. “Now use the sword my God has given you to search for the souls of others.”
And with that the young man died.
The undefeated swordsman cried over the body of the young man for many days. Then he buried him in a grave which he dug with his bare hands.
Afterwards, he carried the sword with no blade back into his town. There he continued to govern the people. But instead of fear, the people grew to love and cherish him, for he governed them with mercy and compassion as well as with wisdom and justice all the rest of his days.
The people of his town and the leaders of the neighboring towns all began to follow his example and treated each other with dignity, respect and compassion.
When the unbeatable swordsman finally died, the people found him lying on his bed holding the sword with no blade upon his chest. A look of infinite peace was upon his face.
The people mourned for him a long time. Then they buried him among the elders of the town and put up the sword with no blade on his grave as a marker. And many people came from far and wide to see it.
There it still stands to this day, seemingly waiting for its next wielder.
Perhaps you too have come across the sword with no blade in your travels in the land.
It looks something like this:
