-1305- Kurogane Ikki's change

The appearance of his Device changed.

This was an extremely incredible phenomenon.

After all, a Blazer's Device is the manifestation of their soul, and its appearance is predestined. Each person has their own unique Device, and it cannot change or be duplicated.

If a Device were to change or be duplicated, it would be akin to a person's soul altering or aligning with another's, which is generally considered impossible.

Thus, while similar types of Devices are common, identical appearances are unheard of. Even with similar Devices, there are always some differences, proving that each person's soul is unique.

However, if a Blazer's Device does change appearance, though unlikely, it's not entirely unprecedented.

In the past, there have been Blazers who lost all their memories, causing changes in their worldview, values, and existence. This ultimately led to a transformation in the appearance of their Device.

In other words, unless one abandons their past self and fundamentally changes their soul through intense willpower and unimaginable training, a Blazer's Device wouldn't change.

Ikki managed to alter his soul three days ago by surpassing his own limits.

"Until now, I repeatedly fought against Altera, getting wounded every day or collapsing from the time limit of 'Ittou Shura,' sometimes both, constantly hovering on the brink of death, where one misstep could mean immediate death."

Fortunately, Shizuku was there to frantically heal Ikki's grievous injuries, saving his life countless times.

During this process, Ikki continually challenged Altera, relentlessly pursuing the strength he desired.

"To survive against Altera, I exhausted all my sword techniques and refined them one by one, otherwise, I couldn't block her attacks."

"To last longer against her, I racked my brain for strategies and tactics, even carefully using and improving the power of 'Ittou Shura.' Without this, the one-minute limit was all I could endure, which was far from sufficient for our battles."

"Simultaneously, to make my sword stronger, I intensely observed Attila during combat. Even though her sword techniques had no pattern or fixed moves, I managed to replicate her fighting style with 'Blade Steal' and incorporate it into my own."

This went beyond understanding the essence and philosophy of swordsmanship. It involved grasping the beliefs, thoughts, and heart of the person wielding the sword, fully mastering them.

Thus, Ikki's 'Mind's Eye' evolved, granting him the ability to not only see through the essence of sword techniques and mimic, learn, and improve them but also understand and predict all of his opponent's actions — the ability known as 'Perfect Control.'

With the abilities of 'Blade Steal' and 'Perfect Control,' Ikki successfully copied Altera's fighting style and reproduced it in himself.

This was the achievement Ikki completed three days ago.

Because he perfectly recreated Altera's fighting style, Ikki understood her swordsmanship and philosophy.

As a result, Ikki could wield a sword identical to Altera's, capable of being as powerful as a heavy hammer or as flexible as a long whip, even using sword energy to create slashes from a distance, cutting down enemies dozens to hundreds of meters away.

Thus, the moment Ikki stepped onto the battlefield, he, like Altera, became a war machine, striking with precision and without hesitation.

This complete change in combat style and personal philosophy ultimately led to a transformation in Ikki's soul, resulting in his Device evolving to a more powerful form to accommodate this change.

Since then, Ikki and Altera's fierce battles have been evenly matched, sometimes lasting hours without a clear victor, even without using 'Ittou Shura.'

After all, Ikki and Altera now shared the same combat style, and Ikki could switch between his own sword techniques and those of Altera, making his combat more diverse and practical, matching Altera's in versatility and effectiveness.

Of course, this was under the condition that Altera only used her innate abilities. If she utilized her magical power, skills, and Noble Phantasms, Ikki would struggle.

However, being able to fight Altera for hours without 'Ittou Shura' showed Ikki's significant improvement in strength.

Just a week ago, even with 'Ittou Shura,' Ikki couldn't stand against Altera, being defeated within moments and nearly killed. Now, he could last hours without it, a remarkable and terrifying progress.

"Though I know Altera wasn't fighting me with her full strength."

Ikki sighed.

"Even now, facing Altera, I feel like I'm confronting a dangerous and terrifying presence. The stronger I become, the more I realize Altera's formidable power. I believe only one person in the world matches such a strong swordswoman."

Who could that be?

Surely, everyone knows.

"I think Attila must be on the same level as the world's strongest swordswoman, known as 'Twin-Wings.'"

Ikki looked at Rozen.

"Though I don't know why such a powerful swordswoman suddenly appeared in this world without any prior rumors, I assume Altera isn't 'Twin-Wings' herself, right?"

Ikki once suspected Altera to be Edelweiss.

However, according to the world's rumors, Altera and Edelweiss had clear differences.

At the very least, Altera didn't use dual swords like the 'Twin-Wings' Edelweiss, who was famously a master of two-sword style.

Moreover, their appearances and the shapes of their weapons were different, highlighting these differences.

Nevertheless…

"The kind of supreme combat swordsmanship only honed on the battlefield suggests Altera must have been an active warrior, so why are there no rumors about her?"

"It's truly puzzling."

Ikki said this without any malice, drawing everyone's attention to Rozen.

To this…

"Don't look at me, if you want to know, ask her yourself, provided she's willing to tell you."

Rozen responded indifferently, causing everyone to roll their eyes.

At the same time, everyone sighed.