The Cycle of Phantasm: Adust Rain

The headless girl conversated in sign language.

'Unlike many. I'm weak. But my former owner. Trusted me. But I'm not ready. This time. An emergency. I'm willing. To be used. As in need.'

"I really appreciate your kindness."

Frieden then continued.

'Former owner's tied. Had been severed. The name. Is not Frieden. Anymore.'

"I see, so you want me to name you?"

She didn't move again after that. A mean and indirect way of saying that she didn't have any objections.

While naming a MIND isn't really necessary, many of them had the awareness to transform the given name from their owner into power.

It was as sacral to them as it was meant to bond with their owner. Giving a random name won't do.

At that time, my mind wandered around the crevice of imagination. When I put this sea into image, I associated them with the gleaming sun, evaporating the liquid into vapor that soon cools down.

They change into tiny droplets, which form clouds.

The water droplets in the clouds join together to form bigger drops.

When the water droplets get too large and heavy, they fall.

Creating the cycle.

As long as there is a strong light, the cycle will go on eternally.

The cycle that humanity had forgotten.

"Adust," I stated, "Your name will be, Adust.

"Adust Rain."

A strong jolt throbbed into my spine, I was brought to the hellish sparring session once again, at the very same time I attempted my initiation.

Adust's mind has been fully aligned with my goal. Slowly, I brandished her vessel and pointed it onto that pole-incarnation of a man.

While 40% of my mental energy disappeared like a ghost, the disbelief on Hans' face was enough to recover most of them.

"So you did synchronize with it." Hans mildly frowned before throwing the same big grin. "So you've changed! Faust!"

The physical manifestation of the synchronization slowly began to form.

Adust's two straight branches of guard became wider, almost turning itself into that shape of the Zweihander on Hans' back.

The illustration of raging blue waves on the blade became more sophisticated in pattern and it had a bright yellow hue on the edge of every wave.

The handle became twice elongated from the original. It seemed like Adust wanted my proficiency of using a spear to be carried when wielding her, as I have more area to control the weapon's weight and angle.

A weapon with a handle too long to be called as a sword, and a blade too profound to be called as a spear.

My grips were confident and steady.

"You got what you wanted, Hans! Now, be a good sparring mate and help me get the hang of this!"

"With pleasure!"

Despite his giant body, Hans skipped a few meters in a single beat of heart, brandishing both of his first Katzbalger with the power of destructive red clouds, and the third Katzbalger that harnessed the reverse thunder of sky.

Both arms were gripping onto dangerous things. He then swung both of the short swords forward, shaping the wound of the air like an X mark.

My grips quickly shifted to its position, before I swung Adust with its blunt side of the double edged blade.

In response to my goal and the capability of the MIND, a liquid barrier was stretched upward and downward from the center of the swing. At the same time, accelerating forward.

The thunder and the red smoke clashed with the unrelenting tidal. The dichromatic yellow-blue semi-liquid matter that Adust manifested began to slowly dissipate into colorful dust afterwards.

As if we had the same mind, we immediately closed the gap between us and went on for a direct strike.

The sharp clangs filled the enclosed area.

In quick succession, both of us had clashed our weapons more than twenty times within five seconds.

We created and closed our distance many times in that time span. Hans also began to utilize more variation of his Katzbalgers and even began to use all four of them between his fingers like claws.

"Clearly! The stake is absolutely different for both of us!"

"Don't complain about your lack of preparation for money!"

"A single hit to you is a scratch, a single hit to me will literally be the end of my life!"

It had been a long time since I used most of my muscles in this manner. Kinda brought back both bad and good memories.

While I'm half stressed with the unfair stake, I managed to comprehend the way of thinking that Adust had within that momentary time frame.

After all, for one to utilize a MIND, it requires them to have a good compatibility with one another.

It was easier said than done when the only requirement to use MIND, other than the appropriate soul strength to synchronize to begin with—is thought.

Utilizing a MIND is a whole world of visualization.

Imagination is like an input, a command into the wacky-meaning decipher that a MIND was. The MIND then converts the very same input into an output of their own interpretation.

And with many interpreters, came with many languages to be interpreted. You couldn't use a random interpreter to manifest every people's varied ways of thinking and hope for the best result.

Compatibility is the key.

In this case, Adust had the capability to convert all of my intentions and thoughts into semi-liquid matters with the theme of sea waves. All have the constant property of heat conductive, with the hardness and density capable of barricading my ass.

It also had the trait that could nullify a portion of others MIND's manifestation, from what inspected.

Which was the best trait that Adust could choose, as it became a direct counter for most MINDs, basically a pseudo Anti-MIND in the form of a MIND!

It was not as absolute and powerful, but it was enough to weaken numerous attacks that were sent by this aggressive Wolpertinger.

"Haah, I'm on fire now." Hans sheathed all of his Katzbalgers, as he began to crack his fingers. "Your ego strikes me like a match, I'm now burning to the touch."

His arm reached for the giant double handed sword on his back.

The Doppelsoldner had finally brandished his Zwehander.

After all this time, I knew from the start that he wasn't fighting seriously at all.

"Hahaha, you really want to kill me!"

"Relax." He tried to get accustomed with his stance with the beast of a weapon to the front. "I just want to dance."