Chapter 1
# Warning: NTR in 1st 2nd chapter only #
Before the gates had ever opened and revealed monsters to mark the age of humanities decline, the great Charles Darwin had already revolutionized the world with the theory of natural selection.
In a sentence, it can be described as predator and prey sexual competition. Within the walls, where peace had slumbered in hibernation for hundreds of years, war was often forgotten and polygamy was normalized. In this world, the theory of netori or be netorared was the law of the jungle.
Overlooking a mountain cliff in the still atmosphere, a whirlwhind is forming. A man can be seen swinging a greatsword in a blade dance, slicing the air. The man's sword energy pulsated in waves into the sky. In the cultivation age, where guns were considered toys, the term recoil was now applied to swords instead. While the sword was pointed to the sky, the recoil from the black robed man's sword release caused avalanches below the cliff.
"I can feel the presence of the ninth step sword art, but is still so evasive." Dissapointingly, the man muttered under his breath. This was natural.
The first eight steps of sword art were about enhancing existing structures, speed, power, force and was freely documented by the great sword ancestor Kirigaya Kazuto. The ninth step was a chasm that could not be crossed by standard means, that was creating a sword domain. Experts that had taken the ninth step could summon walls of magical weapons, flying swords, and cause devestating elemental area of effect damage, despite not being mages.
Of course, the number of dao's were like strands of seaweed in the ocean. Not to mention other weapons, there were body cultivators, western occultist demon summoners, palm summoning buddhists and so forth. The world had become a dangerous and superstitious place full of hidden unknowns once again. If one was careless and got their ankle grabbed on the surface of the ocean, they would be dragged to the bottom of the ocean by an old monster.
However, within all these cultivation and magical systems the phrase "Ninth Step" reverberated like an invisible wall. This was because every ninth step practitioner had common similarities: an enhanced lifespan by one hundred years, an overwhelming killing intent and reiatsu (spiritual pressure), and the powers to the mysteries of creation.
The man sighed, and for a brief moment the face Diana, his childhood friend flashed in his mind.
"Augustus, I will wait for you."
Augustus Ceres was the sixth son of a declining branch family Ceres, that is the lowest rank of the nobles. While his family had enough of their own troubles, his life was a living hell in hell as only fifth sons could inherit royalty and his talent was judged low. With polygamous noblemen, the need to limit inheritance was a necessity. He was a human punching bag, and bullied by his sadistic sisters and parents his whole life. Augustus's aim when he left as a zero step swordsman was to silently level up in the frontier, and then to come back and sweep house like lightning, as he believed that only with his true strength could he have a future.
Ten years had passed like that until now. The past five were spent on the eighth step. August compensated with his lack of talent with a head bashing determination.
"Perhaps, my method is wrong. I don't have to fight for the ninth step. The eighth step is incredibly strong. The ninth step will come to me in a moment of brilliance in the near future through meditation."
Besides, very few people trained like him. Humanities expansion and defense was mostly done through magical arrays and defense systems that were fusions of magic and technology. Only when conducting repairs would a team of hundreds of experts venture out. As such the number of eighth step experts did not cross a few thousand.
Augustus rationalized.
"It's time to go home. I wonder how Diana is doing."