novelraw Chapter 476: Brother of Swords [2]
Chapter 476: Brother of Swords [2]
An even greater wave of violent bloodlust crashed onto Heinz. He could only grimace at that, but held his ground regardless. The madness-infused voice of Axel reached his ears, "You can really talk a lot of shit, can’t you? Not knowing the limit, which should not be crossed...."
Heinz tilted his head and stated, "You misunderstand me, Axel Nomrad...."
"I’m not here to comfort you..."
"I’m not here to spar with you..."
"I’m not here to listen to your sad stories..."
"I’m simply here to hold an honest conversation..."
"Not that of the words, but with the sword..."
"So, pick up the damn sword, and fight me."
"Not with your mana...."
"Not with your strength...."
"Nor with your techniques...."
"But with your emotions..."
"Everything that you feel, pour it all into the sword, every single emotion you have, don’t control, don’t regulate it, just let it flow like a river."
"Don’t be a fucking coward, and run from your wounds and show me..."
"Who you truly are underneath Axel Nomrad...."
"Prove it to me that I am wrong and you’re right..."
Axel, after a lot of hesitation, picked up the sword. He knew why Heinz was doing this: someone else had done it for him in the past. It was because of what he went through in the trial that he was trying to help him. In the same way, Heinz was once helped when he was on the verge of being lost.
Axel stopped that train of thought and decided to listen to his friend’s words, and just like that, he did not think, he did not control, he did not let his mana flow into the sword, he did not let his runic eyes work their magic. Nor did he let the runic circuits or any other facet of his dual aspects activate.
Axel bent down, picking up the worthless-looking sword with his bloody and broken hand. The pain was immense with even the minute movement of his fingers, as he was actively keeping his body from using any mana or lingering demonic energy to empower itself.
With a sigh, he stopped regulating his emotions, letting them all flow in their wild, chaotic manner, but emotions were fundamentally abstract, without any energy working between them as a medium; how could they, in themselves, affect a physical object? That was the catch.
And the truth was, it would not. As he gripped the sword handle tighter with his bloody hand, fresh pain overloaded his mind again. His heart bled the countless emotions onto the worthless sword. At the same time, Heinz also held in his hand the same exact replica of the worthless sword he had given Axel.
They did not disappear from their positions, like seekers of their power level would, not dashing forward at a dizzying speed, invisible to mundane eyes; rather, they ran like any other normal human towards each other, sword in hand, albeit much faster...
"KRAAANG"
The moment their bronze metallic swords met, the sound resonated cleanly through the area, followed by a notification of prime, a mechanical voice whispering in both of their ears at once.
[The ritual of ’True Sword Resonance’ has started.]
[Depending on the ’Sword Resonance’ created between the two parties. The reward shall be distributed.]
[If the minimum threshold of ’Sword Resonance’ has not been achieved. The proportional price will be taken.]
Axel’s mind didn’t even register the flashing notifications or the voice; he had immediately entered the state of Sword Flow from the very first clash. Letting go of so many limitations and thoughts that bind him, without actively thinking so much, and not trying to be cautious every single second.
His sword, body, and mind became one, as easily as breathing. According to the wave of flowing emotions, his body and sword moved differently, every single move before and after synchronized impossibly well.
But each of his even the most minute movements was like an expression, an emotion.
Each of a different kind,
Varying intensity,
Conveying different intents.
Painting a picture only the opponent could see.
It was an art, a story he was telling.
His hand ached very badly with every clash, but ignoring that, he completely lost himself in this otherworldly ritual.
Heinz also moved according to his own rhythm, a unique frequency of his own making, remembering his own story, conveying without a single word spoken. At the same time, with each clash of the opponent, like a pulse of information spreading through the sword, he felt the weight of Axel’s struggle.
His pain, his love, and his lost obsession. The weight of his impossible responsibilities, his purest emotions, as well as his impossible conviction. Also, the bottomless despair that had almost overtaken him in every possible manner.
Not only that, strangely, there was not only one stream of despair, not one pact of unfathomable negative flow, but multiple, almost as if he were carrying the burden of countless minds, all their negative thoughts. Weighed on him alone.
Equally, Axel felt the untold struggles Heinz had endured from the moment of his birth.
The hunger of the people born on the streets,
The disregard of the nobles,
The pain of being expendable,
The hopelessness,
The struggle to strive forward,
The loss of his loved ones,
The crumbling will to live,
The rage to become something more,
And the will to prove this world wrong,
The choice to make this world a better place,
All the notions that shaped the character named Heinz Gil, Axel felt in his very soul. And that indomitable will filled with such pain, yet still holding on, it touched him more than anything else. Almost driving back some amount of the encroaching despair on his soul sanctum, gushing out from his 2nd aspect chamber.
As if a two-way mental link had been opened between their core emotional beliefs, their sword paths began to assimilate, both in their movement, stances, attack angles, and patterns, as well as in their techniques; they became but a reflection of one another.
Like you were fighting your mirror, a copy of yourself instead of someone else, though with conflicting beliefs. As if already in silent agreement, with a subtle smile on both of their faces, they parried one last attack on each other.
And in that last clash, Axel won, as Heinz dropped to his knees, under that last assault.
And Prime Nexus whispered in Axel’s ears,
[Complete Sword resonance has been achieved between ’Axel Nomrad’ and ’Heinz Gil’]
[Your skill has evolved, ’Runic Swordsman’ > ’Runic Swordmaster’]
[’Axel Nomrad’ and ’Heinz Gil’ have both received the title ’Brother of Swords’]
[Both parties have received the condition-based unique technique ’Song of the Swords’]