Byroad

"Rance IX"

- A shining red sword. Though the Helman Army did not recognize the face of the man, there were none among them who didn't know of the enchanted sword Byroad and its owner.

About
Byroad (バイ・ロード, bai rōdo, alternatively written as バイロード, bairōdo) is an enchanted sword that has been passed down through several generations of generals of the Leazas Red Corps. It is easily identified by its blade, which is close to two meters in length, and the deep crimson color that it radiates at all times.

Byroad possesses a Magical enchantment that allows its blade to extend itself to be several times greater than its already massive size, giving it an unmatched amount of reach, as well as preventing it from ever breaking or degrading in quality over time. Despite these amazing attributes, the blade itself is actually quite dull, giving it a much lower amount of cutting power than even the most common swords. In addition, it is deceptively lightweight for its size, making it awkward for even a seasoned sword wielder to use. As a result, it is traditionally used exclusively for ceremonial purposes, with its beautiful and intimidating appearance serving as a symbol of the incomparable power of the Red Corps, rather than for actual combat.

In spite of its many drawbacks, the flexibility granted to Byroad by its magical enchantment makes it the ideal weapon for Rick Addison, the 13th general of the Red Corps, whose transcendent swordsmanship allows him to wield it with a phenomenal level of speed and precision. The sheer force behind Rick's blows is enough to compensate for the sword's lack of sharpness, while its unique ability to elongate itself allows it to enhance the range of his special skill By La Way to strike a much wider range of enemies. It is because of this that Rick has become the first Red Corps general in the history of the nation of Leazas to actually use the sword in combat, to the point where it has over time grown to become a signature of Rick himself rather than for the Red Corps as a whole as he has achieved global infamy as the "Red Reaper of Leazas".

In the year RA0010, Rick was forced to retire from his position as general of the Red Corps due to sustaining grievous injuries while fighting in the War of the Brutal King, with both his title and Byroad being passed down to his protégé and the prince of Leazas Zance Leazas. Through a combination of diligent training and exceptional natural talent, Zance was able to wield the sword as effectively as his teacher, allowing him to inherit his legacy as the Red Reaper. Zance himself eventually passed on the rank of general and possession of Byroad to Rick's son Sturm Addison at some point during the early Blank Era, though it is unclear if Sturm similarly possesses the talent necessary to use the sword and succeed his predecessors as the Red Reaper.

Trivia

 * Byroad appears as an equippable weapon under the name "Reaper's Sword" (死神の剣, shinigami no ken) in the Alicesoft game Persiom. It can be obtained after successfully clearing a Kaiju floor in the Hades Labyrinth.
 * Byroad appears as the ultimate weapon of the alternate universe version of Rick Addison in the Alicesoft game Mamatoto. In the same game, Rick is also capable of wielding two similar swords known as Royroad and Tearoad.
 * In its appearances in both Rance IV and Kichikuou Rance, Byroad can be equipped by characters other than Rick with no ill-effects, in direct contrast to its appearances in later games establishing that only Rick is capable of wielding it effectively. Notably, its description in Kichikuou Rance makes mention of its poor cutting power despite it having no impact on gameplay.
 * The means through which Byroad is able to sheathe itself onto the back of Rick's armor have been given two slightly inconsistent explanations. While discussing the sword in the Rance IV Hint Disk, Purin, Rick's creator and character designer, explained that its handle attaches to Rick's armor magnetically and instantly encases the blade in a sheath that magically disappears as soon as it is drawn again. In contrast, Orion, the Rance Series' lead artist, stated that Purin told him the blade itself disappeared entirely when sheathed, magically reforming as soon as the handle was drawn again, while discussing Byroad in the Rance VI Rough Art Collection. Whether this information changed between the releases of the two games or if Orion simply misunderstood what Purin was saying is unknown.
 * Byroad physically resembles the iconic beam saber weapon used throughout the Gundam franchise, particularly in how it is drawn from the shoulder of its wielder's armor. Several other aspects of the Leazas Army, particularly in relation to Rick, also take direct design inspiration from Gundam.
 * The word "byroad" refers to a road that is traveled less frequently than a main road, possibly in reference to the Red Corps' role in carving out paths through enemy lines during military combat.
 * Byroad's name is translated as "By Lord" in the English translation of Kichikuou Rance.
 * Byroad's appearance is possibly based on the Zweihänder, a two-handed sword used primarily during the 16th century that was notable for its incredible length, which caused it to function closer to a pole-arm in combat rather than a conventional sword.