Vain - Last Struggle - Supression - Understanding Sword Concept - Intervention of the Sword God - Anger

"..."

"..."

"...l.p"

"...lip"

"P..lip!"

"Philip! Wake up!"

"!!!"

Philip woke up from his trance and light returned from his eyes

*BOOOOOM*

A loud explosion then occurred in the distance and alerted Philip. He pulled himself up and sat

"..."

Philip didn't speak, he knows exactly what was happening without asking Sheena, who is on his left. His eyes are glazing and he is emitting an overbearing aura

"What are we going to do?"

Sheena asked in worry. She knows she won't be able to fight Zxhst head-on and consulted Philip

"You won't be able to do anything... But, you can grab Justine, Celine, Tenshi, and Mark"

Philip was harsh in his words, but Sheena didn't receive it in a bad way

"Alright! I'll do that!"

The three upgraded super magnets revolved around her and chunks of metal flew and combined on her legs

"Construction!"

The metal chunks constructed themselves and turned into high-tech boots. She then went ahead and touch them to upgrade them. The boots upgraded into some streamline patterns and extensions that made the boots like robot legs designed for aerial or space battle

She knelt and she disappeared instantly. Supported by the upgraded boots, she ran across the area faster than Celine and Justine could. Unless if Justine terminally increased her velocity

After Sheena disappeared, Philip looked to his right. He saw the ten Blood Swords, that he conjured earlier, stabbed on the ground

"Ten swords... Ten chances..."

~~~

Sheena ran across the terrain and grabbed the closest one to her, Tenshi. As she went towards her, anarchy ensued around the area as black sand flew around in the atmosphere, constant earthquakes are happening, and rocks, liquid, and gasses were thrown around

Sheena then picked up Tenshi and went towards Celine. At this moment, a body flew by past here and crashed on the ground. She looked back and saw a man with a large gaping hole on his stomach and his right arm was mangled

She picked up Celine and decided to go towards the Heaven's Truck and come back later. She could only carry two at once

After she arrived at the Heaven's Truck, she placed Tenshi and Celine on the ground, under a magical tree. As she was returning, a body of a girl tumbled on the ground without the lower half of her torso. It was then that the lower half of the torso rolled on the ground as guts and blood splattered everywhere

Sheena frowned

'These are the squadron leaders from different branches... I couldn't believe they are being handled like this, despite being a leader...'

Sheena then stopped in her tracks

'What if I'm next? I'm just a member! They are leaders! They're stronger than me! I'm a sheep waiting to be eaten by a dragon!'

Fear grew within Sheena. She began to tremble and her knees weakened

'No, I have to save Justine and Mark! I can't back down now! I'll sacrifice my life if I have to! It's also because it's Philip's command!'

Fear suddenly disappeared in Sheena's mind

'Yeah! Let's go!'

Sheena ran once again and she arrived in front of Justine. Little did Sheena know, Philip was looking at her in a distance with his hand pointed at her

Philip removed her fear and his pool of negative energy increased. He didn't know this was happening and he only know that he's controlling Sheena's decision by affecting her fate. Surely, there's a different ability in play here

"Justine!"

Sheena called out for Justine

"What happened to you?- Oh no..."

Sheena saw Justine's right hand that was cut

"Help me get out of here before I lose control"

"..."

Justine begged for Sheena and she could only nod in agreement. She then carried Justine in a princess carry and ran back towards Philip, instead of the Heaven's Truck. Sheena figured that she would feel more comfortable if she's next to Philip

"What are you doing here, Upgrade?! Get the hell out of here! It's too dangerous--"

As a man was making Sheena leave, a flash of light occurred and the man was suddenly cut vertically in half. The split body fell next to her. Sheen's eyes shook, but she closed it and tried to remove the swelling fear and disgust inside her

"L-let's go..."

Justine urged Sheena to go. She has her right arm wrapped around Sheena's neck and her cut arm on her stomach. The bleeding has already stopped after Justine manipulated the flow of blood

Justine won't be able to reattach her cut hand by manipulating her Life Energy and accelerating the healing process of the cells, nerves, tissues, and bone because her hand disappeared into dust particles after Zxhst cut it

Sheena ran towards Philip, who was kneeling, and a head of a girl flew by while blood is spurting from her neck. The left part of her brain was missing

Eventually, Sheena arrived next to Philip and placed Justine down behind him

"Bring Mark here also"

"Okay!"

Sheena quickly left

"Philip, tell me! Do we really have a chance in beating this guy?!"

Justine asked in genuine worry and concern. She was lying on the floor as she is very exhausted. She was drastically weakened because her left hand is missing. Her hands are crucial for manipulation vector and energy

Then, in the distance, Zxhst was holding a man by his head. The man screamed before Zxhst gripped his hand and popped his head as blood splattered and rained everywhere

"We have plenty of chance to beat him"

That was not a lie

"Then, we must hurry up! The longer we let this on for longer, the more people will die!"

"I'm trying my best. I'll try to comprehend and understand Sword Concept right now"

"What?! Alright, I trust you! You got this!"

Philip smiled from Justine's encouragement and he slowly stood up while he wrapped his hand around the hilt of a Blood Sword and pulled it

At this point, the final squadron leader reinforcements have died by getting stabbed on the heart. They responded to the emergency call by Sheena, but their combined powers weren't enough

They fought and died without even getting to know their identities. Perhaps, if Mark is fighting with them, they might have had a chance of overwhelming Zxhst

Sheena then arrived before Mark. He was slumping on the ground while his eyes are empty and staring in the distance

"Squadron Leader Mark! Thank you for fighting for the world!"

Sheena stood straight and saluted Mark. The corner of her eyes was tearing up, but she chose to be brave. She then knelt and picked Mark up. She ran back to Philip, who swung the Blood Sword forcefully to the right

"Sword Concept: Basic Horizontal Slash!"

Zxhst was menacingly walking towards Philip. After the sword wave infused with Sword Concept lt went for him, he blurred and the sword wave went past him. He used teleportation and dodged the sword wave

By using Sword Concept, the Blood Sword on Philip's hand shattered into dust

Philip went ahead and picked the second Blood Sword and extended it to Sheena

"Upgrade"

Sheena immediately touched the Blood Sword and the sword became sharper, stronger, and more durable

"Sword Concept: Basic Chop"

Philip swung the Blood Sword downwards to Zxhst. He blurred once again and dodged the sword wave. The Blood Sword shattered into dust

*SHING*

Philip pulled the third Blood Sword from the ground

"Upgrade"

"..."

The Blood Sword was upgraded. Justine went ahead and lifted her right hand and tried to contemplate the Sword Concept

Philip then closed his eyes and concentrated. A wide area of Sword Domain was erected around him and everyone could feel it. His Sword Aura also started to blaze and his Sword Potential increased

He was on the right track

~~~

What am I understanding wrong? I successfully used Sword Concept without suffering any backlash that other day

What changed?

Maybe I should start all over... Start from the scratch

What is Sword? What is the meaning of Sword? What is the true meaning of Sword? What is the truth of the reality of the Sword? What is the concept of a Sword?

...

A weapon with a long blade and hilt with a guard, used for thrusting, striking, slashing, and cutting

No... That's the literal meaning of Sword

Theory of Literallity? Sure, but this is Sword Concept. It's also different from the concept of Sword

...

I think there are multiple meanings of a Sword... Different beings and existences can have a general idea of the meaning of a Sword and they each have a different interpretation and perception

So, there are multiple meanings of a Sword...

Let's try it... A Sword that pierces and cuts

"Sword Concept: Sword Thrust!"

*PANG*

The Mana Avatar was injured but it wasn't enough. The Blood Sword also still shattered on my hand. I'm not close

*SHING*

"Upgrade"

But what if... Having many meanings to a Sword only dilute its very concept? The power is being scattered and it's not being focused on a single point?

But when I used the True Recoiless Technique, which focuses all power and energy into a single point without wasting anything, the sword still shattered? Let me try again...

"Sword Concept: True Recoiless Technique: Basic Slash"

*VWOOOM*

*SHAAA*

A powerful sword strike was created and Zxhst had to dodge it. Even so, the Blood Still shattered

Zxhst was surprised, he quickened his pace towards me. I don't know why he's not teleporting to me and end me quickly. Won't he regret it if I completely understand Sword Concept?

*SHING*

Anyways...

"Upgrade"

This is the fifth Blood Sword. I need to take it slow as my chances are diminishing

The very true meaning of a Sword...

...

...is used to cut...

...is used to separate...

...is used to kill...

...is to be used to save someone...

Is used to achieve your greatest desire!

"Sword Concept: True Recoiless Technique: Sword Art: Linked Massacre Sword"

The Blood Sword performed several slashes until it shattered into dust. Zxhst's was struggling to dodge the slashes and he was slashed across his arms and torso

Even then, Zxhst continued to walk towards me

That Sword Concept worked! But something's still missing that the Blood Sword still shattered

*SHING*

"Upgrade"

The sixth Blood Sword, there's four left... I wonder why Zxhst is taking his time coming to me. There should be at least three minutes left before the timer reaches zero... I should have enough time

Desire... The driving force of fate... Fate... The natural flow of someone's story... What is my desire?

What drives my sword? Why do I swing my sword? What is my goal?

To protect the people I care about the most. For survivability and revenge. Death...

*TING*

What is my Sword's purpose?

To slay my enemies and meet stronger enemies as a consequence... Therefore, I would meet my death and the end

"!!!"

*WOOOSH*

My arm acted on its own and swung the Blood Sword to the left without me realizing it. A long line of white glint flashed in a straight line and went towards Zxhst

Zxhst couldn't react at all and Mana burst from his chest, where the horizontal cut was placed

The glint went further away and cut part of the cyclonic storm in the distance. The clouds rolled and dissipated, revealing the bloody solar eclipse in the sky

Zxhst's face was stunned this time. His eyes shook and then he quickly dashed towards me. Looks like he wasn't expecting that I'll improve my understanding of Sword Concept

But of course, the Blood Sword shattered on my hand again. Though, it wasn't dust this time, it was chunks of the sword

*SHING*

"Upgrade"

The seventh Blood Sword. There's one or two more points that are still missing

...

I think I understand now... My connection to the Sword itself and how I used the Sword. That's what's missing

It seems Zxhst is now hurrying up to get to me. I'm not scared though... I would like him to kill me, but before that, I will respond accordingly. That's the thrill of life and my motto

It also seems Justine is now angry. What happened to her hand? Did Zxhst cut it off?

Hm...

This changes things... Justine is trying to push back Zxhst using all vectors that she can contemplate, while Sheena is trying to block the projectiles that Zxhst is throwing using metal debris, scraps, and chunks

"Construction!"

She has constructed a giant shield and upgraded it... This will buy me enough time

I want to go all out because Zxhst hurt Justine. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. The Blood Sword might shatter if I purposely exerted my power without controlling it

*FWIT*

"!!!"

Yet again, my arm acted on its own and swung the Blood Sword upwards

The upgraded shield was split into two and opened the doors to the surprised Zxhst. The vertical glint of line hit him across his body. He was blown away along with the sword wave and it also cleanly cut the ground as the sword wave pushed Zxhst

"GAH!"

Zxhst spat out blue liquid. This should be his blood that is liquid Mana

"PHILIP!!!!"

He screamed my name for the first time. Does he recognize me as a worthy opponent or dangerous being that deserves his recognition?

He hovered in the air and his aura blazed. Hundreds of Mana Balls conjured around him

*SHING*

"Upgrade"

The eight Blood Sword. I have to make this count

But why did my arm acted on its own? Maybe it's its response to my anger and revenge or drive to protect the people I care the most? That's most likely

"Reconstruction!"

Sheena repaired the shield that I split into two

...

My connection with the sword...

...

Heed my call, Blood Sword!

*WRRRRR*

The Blood Sword responded by vibrating and glowing with red light

A connection has been established! Is it that easy? It couldn't be, right?

...

I see, I understand the desire of the Blood Sword... I understand it...

A Sword that is willing to sacrifice itself for its creator's growth

I thank you with my entire being. Your sacrifice won't be in vain. I will use your very concept!

"Sword Concept: True Recoiless Technique: Sword Art: Deflection"

My arm swiped in different directions and the Blood Sword was pointed in different directions as the hundreds of Mana Balls came towards me

The large shield block most of it but several more went around the shield and aimed for me

But with my Sword Art, all of the incoming Mana Balls were deflected back to Zxhst. Smoke and dust exploded around him

I'm sorry, I had to replicate a certain ninja's ability

The Sword Concept was successful! Is what I thought...

I looked down on the Blood Sword on my hand and it has cracks all over its body. One swing, the sword is gone

Thank you

I stabbed the Blood Sword on the ground and gave its proper burial

Respect

...is what I've given to the Sword

There's one thing left to do

*SHING*

"Upgrade"

The ninth Blood Sword... I must strike Zxhst with this last Sword for insurance...

It's how I use the Sword... I'll think about all the anime, manga, and novels that I've seen regarding advices on how to use a sword...

...

...he does not cut what he sees, but what is in his mind. Place the blade where it should be and let it guide you. You are not the one who cuts, the blade is the one who cuts. The sword is no different...

...after 38 years, I learned how to cut through steel. I just kept swinging my blade again and again and again and again, and in 80 years, I could cut through any evil spirit, demon, and monster. In 200 years, I had learned to cut anything in the visible realm. In 500 years, I could cut through invisible matter. In 800 years, anything and everything in this world, curse, karma, even...

...a divine sword that is born from a mortal's soul, shall be able to cut the gods...

...a sword is an extension of my body...

...sword intent, sword wave, sword potential, sword domain, sword...

(Mortal, are you trying to surpass me? The Sword God?! I won't allow it!)

"Gah!!!"

*CRACK*

~~~

Philip abruptly opened his eyes after he heard an overbearing voice in his mind. He was sweating profusely and he coughed out blood

The Blood Sword on his hands also shattered without having to use Sword Concept. He then went ahead and pull the tenth Blood Sword but it also shattered before he could even touch it

Justine also fell down on her back after she has reached her limit. The red marking around her limbs disappeared and the red underglow on her hair turned back to being blonde

"Philip! What's wrong?!"

Sheena asked since she was beside him. She could also no longer see any red swords on the ground

"No..."

"..."

Philip didn't respond. Negative energy exploded from within him and drowned Justine and Sheena

Sheena had to grab Justine and run away from Philip

Philip stood up and raised his arm in the air. His anger was overwhelming and collapsed the ground and shook the air

The shield fell on the ground and Zxhst looked at Philip with shocked and panicked eyes

"Sword Concept..."