Soulscar of Cerberus

*****

As soon as the words left Arthur's lips, it was as if time had been just skipped, because one second Arthur was in the air and the robot was at its chase, but then the next second the robot had been left with many scratches. Obviously, it couldn't be destroyed since it was capable of withstanding even Virtuoso rank attacks. But the elemental core in its right hand had been destroyed, and the stage had also been inflicted with a singular large horizontal slash, which was an outline of the attack because the mana-proof chambers were durable as well.

But the person in the worst condition was undoubtedly Arthur, who was leaking blood from all his orifices and cuts in his body. He lost consciousness, and his body immediately started falling under the act of gravity. But before he could touch the ground, Christopher instantly appeared under him and caught him in his arms.

His right hand, or particularly a small black ring on his hand, glowed, and instantly a potion materialized in thin air. Christopher caught it before quickly pouring it into Arthur's mouth. Arthur's injuries instantly started closing, emitting a green hue. And before 10 seconds could pass, all his injuries had disappeared like they were never there. This was the effect of a high-rank potion!

Christopher calmly looked at Arthur's face as he was comfortably unconscious. As he observed his face, a small smile appeared on his face, and he started walking out of the rooms, sure that the boy was a monstrosity, even greater than him, and the perfect candidate to be his disciple not only for training but also how to handle himself as a Blade heir.

*****

The next day, Arthur woke up to find himself in his bed, where Hades explained the situation to him of what had happened, and he was to never do that again if he didn't want to die. Listening to his warnings 1000 times, Arthur quickly realized his body was fully healed and thought that his grandfather must have used a potion on him.

Taking use of the advantage that his body was healed, Arthur quickly dressed himself and went to the mana-proof chambers, expecting Christopher to already be there. He figured that now that he had displayed his power, Christopher wanted to test his eagerness for training and getting strong as soon as possible because what was the use of power when it rests in stagnant hands?

And just as he expected, the man was already standing there dressed in the same training suit as yesterday, waiting for him by the stands. He nodded towards Arthur and proceeded to grab two swords before walking to the center of the room while giving one to Arthur.

Before Arthur could say anything, Christopher decided to start the conversation by asking the question that had been plaguing his mind since yesterday,

"What is your proficiency in [Blade Art]?"

Arthur knew it was 5.2% when the last time he checked, but he felt that after using the first movement it had changed, so he opened his [Status] window to check,

'[Status]'

Instantly, his status window materialized in front of him,

_____________________

Name: Arthur Blade

Class: [Swordsman]

Title: -

Age: 8 years

Stigmata: Darkness, Death (unmanifested)

Stigmata Affinities: Darkness(Deity) Death(Deity)

Stigmata Talent: Empyreal

Stigmata Rank: Novice+ (N+)

Guardianus: Hades

Weapon Art: [Blade Sword Art: Proficiency 6.9%]

Stigmatical Skills: [Abyssal Shroud] [Umbral Veil] [Spectral Steps] [Obsidian Screen] [Nightfall Blind]

Skills: [Assassin's Apathy]

Pandemonium of the Olympians: [4 Years]

_____________________

His eyes widened in shock at the increase in his proficiency. By just using the first movement of [Blade Art], his proficiency had gone from 5.2% to 6.9%, a 1.7% increase by just one fight!

It was to be noted that for a whole year, Arthur had everyday trained in the [Blade Art], but his proficiency had only increased by 5% in 365 days. But now, in just one fight, it had increased by 1.7%! just one fight!**

But Arthur's excitement was short-lived, as he could feel an inquisitive gaze upon him, and he didn't want to keep him waiting as well,

"It's 6.9%,"

Arthur saw a flicker of surprise pass over Christopher's face only to leave as it quickly as it had appeared. The reason for his excitement was also given to him shortly after,

"It makes sense why you got hurt. The first form of the [Blade Art] is not to be used at this level of proficiency. The Blade Art was first developed by our great founder, William Blade, and it has been honed and practiced throughout every generation of Blade heirs and Patriarchs. This might not be known to you, but the [Blade Art] has 5 forms, each powerful in its own right and each more complex and destructive than the previous one. Each Blade form can only be used when you have achieved a 20% increase in your proficiency.

This means that your first form, it was not to be used until your proficiency reached 20% and then the second till it reached 40%, and so on. Even the first form of the [Blade Art] is not to be taken lightly, the First form of the art, [Chronic Cleaver], is a large horizontal slash that cuts through space-time fabric to travel ahead into it for 1 or 2 seconds. It is capable of catching your opponents off-guard, and its destructive power is unparalleled. I forbid you to use the First form until your proficiency reaches 20%. Do you understand?"

Arthur nodded in understanding, but even if Christopher hadn't forbidden it for him, Arthur wouldn't use the First form again in the future until he gained control over it because of certain gods' warnings. But now that he knew the threshold he had to reach for the First form, his motivation was sparked, and he knew what to practice for.

Christopher continued his lecture, finally arriving at the art which Arthur had been waiting to listen from him since yesterday,

"Since I am here now permanently, you shall be my disciple until your heir ceremony, and I will train you to the fullest in both [Blade Art] and how to act as a future heir of the family. In the future, you will not only need to get stronger but remember you also need to know how to represent yourself as the heir of a Dukedom, a major family, the Blades. From now on, every day you will come here in the morning to train under me, and at night you will come again, but that will be in my office. Are you clear in these instructions?"

Arthur was shocked at the part that not only was he receiving training from a Zenith but also how to behave as an heir, which Arthur was far too happy to learn as he had never been too much in the spotlight of the public in his past life. He eagerly nodded, and this time Christopher didn't hide or hold back the smile coming on his face, and he added further,

"That said, today there will be no training but rather I have something to give you."

Arthur nodded and asked,

"What is it?"

Christopher answered his question as if he expected it,

"Today, I'll give you a special mark. The mark is called [Glyph of the Blades], it's a special mark that not only does it increases your Blade Art learning speed but rather you receive a taming bond with a monster, it will be different from your Familiar, who can also provide you with bloodline abilities but the taming bond only gives you a monster, which you can use in whichever way you want, the more the bond grows stronger, the Beast will also grow stronger. However, the mark is not compatible with every Blades body, your father was unable to inherit this mark because of his low body compatibility.

If you want to receive the mark, that is solely up to you, I will not force you to put your body through unnecessary pain."

Arthur nodded to his words and pondered over his choices before finally coming to a decision a minute later. There wasn't much of a choice really. He had to grow stronger in whatever possible way he could get to fight when the gods would descend, so a little pain was far worth it than losing his life afterward.

"I'm ready. I would like to take the [Glyph of the Blades]."

Christopher nodded impassively before ordering Arthur to take off his upper body suit. Arthur didn't ask his orders and obeyed compliantly by taking off his upper suit. Christopher came to stand behind the back of Arthur before instructing him,

"I'm going to touch your back and channel mana throughout your body, but don't reject it even though your body will urge you to do so. It's necessary for the mark to incorporate itself, so keep your focus on my mana and let it travel through your body instead of rejecting it."

Arthur nodded without looking back, and as soon as his head moved, he felt a foreign sensation seep through his body as Christopher's hand touched his back. Just like he had instructed, Arthur's body started to reject the sensation, trying to push it back as a natural reaction of his mana immune system.

But Arthur controlled his body with full force, and that's when the pain started to hit him as if to let his body go and unleash it. But the pain was negligible for Arthur's pain tolerance right now, and he endured it right back, letting the foreign sensation continue through his body. The pain intensified with each second.

Before long, 4 hours passed, but Christopher remained completely still, and so did Arthur, completely enduring the pain by gritting his teeth. At last, Arthur felt the foreign sensation leave his body as Christopher removed his hand from his back. Before long, a symbol started to form on Arthur's back where Christopher's hand had been.

But before it could process further, a blue window instantly materialized in front of Arthur,

___________________

Do you want to change the mark [Glyph of the Blades] to [Soulscar of Cerberus]?

Y/N

___________________

Arthur's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the window before him, but before he could contemplate further, the voice of Hades echoed in his mind,

[Say 'Yes' for now. I'll explain further about it later.]

Following Hades's instruction, Arthur said 'Yes' and also because he didn't want to keep his grandfather waiting while he contemplated on what to do. But just as he said 'Yes,' the mark's formation suddenly changed at once, and a completely different mark started to form. After 5 minutes, the mark was completed, and Christopher's face was etched with surprise at what had just happened. It was because not only did the mark take 5 minutes to form when it should have only taken 1 minute, but also because the new mark exuded such a malevolent and dark aura that it affected even Christopher, a Zenith+ Menhir! It was as if the mark was trying to unleash all its bloodlust into the air, and just like the aura, the symbol was just as horrifying along with the power it exuded,

The Soulscar of Cerberus materialized as a chilling symbol, featuring the menacing figure of Cerberus, the three-headed hound of the underworld, at its core. Each of Cerberus' heads snarled ferociously, their eyes ablaze with an otherworldly fire. Sinister shadows enveloped the beast, intertwining with its monstrous form like ethereal chains.

Dark, swirling mists encircled Cerberus, evoking the depths of the underworld from which it hailed. The symbol exuded an aura of death and darkness, with Cerberus serving as the fearsome guardian of the realm of shadows. Etched in obsidian, the design captured the essence of eternal night and the inevitability of mortality, embodying the fearsome power of both the mythical creature and the realm it presided over.

Such was the power of Arthur's new mark, the Soulscar of Cerberus.