Chapter 2891: Out of the Shadows (1/2)
Ketis suddenly realized that there was more to her living sword intent than she initially realized.
The 'pet' that Ves created in her mind was not just a personification of her sword intent. She already knew that its nature was beyond her understanding, but she always figured its purpose was relatively simple.
Aside from keeping her company, Sharpie also assisted her in performing her superpower and deepening her insights into sharpness.
Its presence constantly inundated her mind with sharpness, allowing her to develop a more profound feel for the concept.
In turn, as her comprehension of sharpness continued to rise, Sharpie grew even sharper.
In essence, Ketis formed a mild positive feedback loop with Sharpie. Their symbiotic relationship meant they constantly stimulated each other.
She was well aware that she was probably the only mech designer who possessed this unique advantage. The gift that Ves had given to her was such a splendid boon that she would have never been able to progress her nascent design philosophy so much without its assistance!
Ketis conveniently ignored the fact that Ves treated her like a test subject.
Ever since she obtained Sharpie, she always assumed that her sword intent only came in a single form.
Yet today, she discovered that this assumption was wrong!
Sharpie was capable of shifting its focus from sharpness to annihilation. It was as if her intangible pet had exchanged one coat for another. The effect this had on her mentality and superpower was groundbreaking!
”This is impossible.”
Even though she had only come in touch with the local swordsmanship tradition for a short amount of time, she knew it took years or decades for even the most devoted swordsmen to achieve this effect!
She was well aware that even the best prodigies had to master a sword style step by step in order to dig out its full potential.
Many other swordsmen invested an even greater amount of time, only to come away with nothing! Interim Director Fred Walinski was a little luckier than most people by being able to drag himself to the level of a pseudo-sword initiate.
It took at least half a century of constant training and practice for him to be able to reach this point!
Compared to Fred, the progress that Ketis made was so ludicrous that she couldn't even begin to explain.
She only read and contemplated the scriptures for a couple of hours. Throughout all that time, she hadn't been able to accept their concepts.
Logically speaking, that should have prevented her from channeling the power of annihilation.
Yet the abnormally smooth and straight cut through a solid stone wall proved otherwise.
She looked blankly at Shiva, the weapon that had once again become a vessel that had brought the Annihilator Sword Style to life.
Everything that had happened just now had an undeniable connection to Sharpie. Though a part of her felt terror at the unfathomable and uncontrollable nature of an entity that occupied a part of her mind, Sharpie quickly took off its annihilation coat and put on its familiar sharpness coat again.
Her sword intent felt much more familiar to her again. Her suspicions faded away. A smile appeared on her face.
”No matter what you, you'll always help me, right?”
Swish!
That was enough for her. Sharpie was still a part of her, and she was a part of Sharpie. Neither of them could exist without the other.
”We're two sides of the same coin.”
A day later, the Swordmaidens returned to the arena. While their participation in the mech combat tournaments were close to ending, they still had some fight left in the personal combat tournaments.
Ketis was scheduled to fight in two different matches. In the morning, she would be entering the arena by herself. In the afternoon, she had to win a group match.
The Swordmaidens planned to debut her new identity through these two matches.
”You are not just Ketis Larkinson the Swordmaiden and mech designer anymore. Your battle garb should reflect that.” Fred Walinski said as he tapped the protective suit issued by the arena and caused it to project an image over the chest area.
The emblem depicted a planet that had been cleaved apart by an enormous sword!
Ketis stared dazedly at the symbol that represented the Annihilator Sword School. She had only seen projected emblems like these on the protective suits of other seeded competitors!
”Hey, don't be nervous. You are the interim director of the Annihilator Sword School and a citizen of the Heavensword Association. I called in every single favor I had left in order to rush the applications. Everything is official and final now. While I haven't been able to convince the government that you're qualified to be a sword initiate, you can take care of that yourself by showing off your power in the arena. The public will decide.”
Commander Sendra came close and patted Ketis on the shoulder. ”Don't forget our plan. You're the star now, so act like it. People won't take you seriously if you don't have the swagger to back up your new identity.”
”I… will try my best.”
The transition was too abrupt. Ketis didn't have enough time to process all of the rapid changes.
For so long, Ketis always viewed herself as a background character. Compared to more brilliant personalities such as Ves and Gloriana, she was merely the mech designer obsessed with swords.
Now that she was asked to step into the spotlight, she felt the light was unbearable. She wasn't used to facing the galaxy by her own merits!
”This isn't me.” She said. Her nerves were already starting to get to her. ”I'm not cut out to be famous. I'd rather just be one Swordmaiden among many!”
”Hey!” Sendra pulled her in a bear hug. ”There's nothing to be afraid about! You're a fighter, not a coward. You wouldn't have become a sister of ours if you only knew how to hide behind others. Didn't you kill dozens if not hundreds of enemies with your sword? You never showed any fear back when you fought against pirates and other dangerous scum!”
”That's different! I trained for that! This is different. I never thought I would become a public personality.”
”Well, tough luck, Ketis, because you can't avoid this battle. Do you want to hide behind the patriarch's shadow forever? Grow up, girl! You'll become a Journeyman soon! Do you think you can continue to stay unnoticed forever when you have gained enough qualifications to design mechs alongside the lead designers of the Larkinson Clan? We need you to stand your ground if you want to secure more benefits for our fellow sisters!”
She snapped out of her daze. She realized she bore more responsibility now that she had accepted the inheritance of the Annihilator Sword School.
While she still held many questions about the sword school and her ability to channel its distinctive sword style, she knew that there were more important priorities to worry about.
Everything that happened to her was only a means to an end! The goal had always been to empower the Swordmaidens! As long as she did her best to follow the new plan, she could single-handedly reverse their sorry condition and make them stronger than ever before!