27 Sapience

When all his summons were expunged of life, he then returned to the city. Even though the ground had previously been stained with enough blood for someone to mistake it as a major battlefield, it was now pristine with a serene nature that resembled the calm before a storm. There was not a single drop of blood remaining anywhere in that region. Not from his training, not from his previous training sessions, and not even from the insects that died there years ago. There was no hint of death there not on the innumerable blades of grass, not on the thousands of leaves comprising the shrubbery, or any other place where those creatures were struck down.

Curiously, she inspected the field only to find the verdant greenery undisturbed.

"Besides invocation, he is also proficient at purification. As for every other branch, there was no progress", Aster stated.

'No progress', she thought with great skepticism. No matter how powerful the person was before, once she summoned them, they would advance to a level of strength that they previously thought not possible or unachievable for them. It occurred to all of them without exception and she knew not the reason why but knew that it was from the same source.

"How would you compare him with the others?"

Thinking back on their fight, the sudden laughter, his first summoning, and the way he trained, he then said in a direct tone, "He's beyond them. Although, he might currently be weaker than them. That will likely change soon. Now that you have returned, your instruction will either be unnecessary or make him even more of a monster"

"Then again, I suppose that training style should be expected", she muttered as she was reminded of Atlas' past. Without constant improvement in that type of environment would lead to death.

"I have a favor to ask of you", he then said with great conviction.

Understanding that he needed strength, she shook her head and said, "I told you before. I am unable to leave this place"

Ignoring her refusal, he then said, "I have found a lead", and took out the artifact. Its fragmented core glimmered due to the high concentration of mana in the air and was encased in an ivory case which was covered in symbols that were etched in.

Drawn in by the markings on the case, she then said, "This seems familiar"

"Then do you know how to repair this?"

Examining the etching around the artifact, they reminded her of her own magic emblem which appeared whenever she teleported to another floor in this tower. He then gave it to her for closer inspection. As her hand came into contact with the artifact, the already fragmented core started to crack further and then emitted a beacon of light that shot upwards.

A great current of magic then flowed throughout the tower. Enough to make even her nauseous. She then felt it. The connection to the outside world was cut off and a subtle distortion began on the upper floors. Activating her teleportation to assess the scale of this emergency, her teleportation was forcefully canceled before she could do so.

[Once ten outliers are gathered, the catalyst shall reveal itself. The prison built by the prisoner will revert with the destruction of the tenth seal and the condemnation of life will be reprised]

____

As he continued walking, he couldn't help but ponder. He did not doubt that creatures that were as lowly as goblins could create a primitive society if given the chance but what truly distinguished them from humans other? With him journeying across worlds, it was inevitable that he would encounter another race that had the capacity for sapience. They might not be human, humanoid, or might even be a completely alien organism that he currently could not imagine or possibly comprehend. How should he evaluate them and how should he handle them?

Judge them based on appearance? Ethics? Morals? Behavior? Appearance? Values? His intuition?

Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to vomit from an influx of energy in the air. When the nausea dissipated, his mind cleared, and he decided that this was all pointless. After all, he was indifferent to the morals regarding killing his own kin even if it was heavily circumstantial. If he had a reason to do something, then he will and if he had no reason to then he won't. As for the summons that were slain by his eccentric training, the reason would be their aggression towards him. They were actually substitutes for when he fought humans though so he wouldn't hesitate to kill them either.

Finally reaching the destination, he knocked gently on the rusty wooden door. When no answer was given, he tried the handle and found it unlocked. Heading in, the sound of heavy metal being struck resonated throughout the stone building with the crackling of fire serving as ambiance.

Despite the dense perspiration caused by sitting near the heated forge, his focus on his craft did not diminish. When half an hour passed, he finally finished his latest creation and cast the weapon.

Turning around, he was then surprised to find Atlas observing with great curiosity.

"How long have you been there?", the blacksmith asked.

"Since you started on that sword"

Looking at Atlas' brow which was devoid of any sweat droplets, he was very doubtful but ignored it.

"Why are you here again? Did you break another sword?"

When he did not respond, he shouted, "It was even coated in mana! For a swordsman, you sure do treat your weapons like shit"

"That is why I came to ask if you could provide me with any unwanted weapons"

Hearing that, the blacksmith started glaring.

"None of them are unwanted", he said in a succinct and final manner.

Helpless, he then asked the smith, "Then can you teach me how to make my own? Then you won't have to worry about me tarnishing your creations"

"You have not taken a proper lesson from me and you're already considering another Master?", a familiar voice said in an amused tone.