Chapter 170 – Awakening

Crackle, crack-crackle.

The tiny fissures that had appeared in the fabric of space quickly sealed themselves.

And amidst the settling calm,

“[So? What do you think?]” Kartia asked, a smug grin plastered across her face as she slammed Frey into the ground.

So…?

“…Incredible. Uh, incredible and amazing… and really cool, and…”

I wanted to say something grander, more fitting of the spectacle I’d just witnessed, but I was so utterly speechless that no other words came to mind.

Kartia chuckled, ruffling my hair with a playful roughness.

“[Did you sense the intent I imbued in that strike?]”

“V-Victory.”

“[Right. The same intent as my unique ability. You understand why, yes?]”

“Because… it’s the most familiar, the most deeply ingrained…?”

“[Exactly.]”

From Kartia’s slash,
From the intent infused within Frey,
From the core of her very being,

I’d felt an overwhelming desire for victory.

More than desire, it felt like an obsession.

A stark contrast to Kartia’s usual lighthearted demeanor. It was unsettling, almost terrifying.

“[That was only 10%.]”

“Only… 10%…?”

“[Yes. 10%. At my peak, I could only reach 50%. You’ll likely reach my level. No, you’ll probably surpass it.]”

“R-Really?”

Kartia nodded, raising a finger.

“[What was the first rule?]”

“Only use it once a week…!”

“[Right. Until you fully master this power, until it becomes second nature, only once a week. And there are three weeks until Brunhilde is summoned. Which means… you have two weeks to perfect this technique.]”

“Two weeks…”

“[Think you can do it?]”

Could I…? Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

If I were being truly honest, I thought it was impossible.

But… ultimate technique or not, when I considered the battles ahead…

I had to get stronger.

“I can do it.”

“[Good. Now, pick up Frey, and I’ll walk you through it.]”

Kartia stepped back with a warm smile, pulling Frey from the ground.

I mirrored her movements, summoning my own Frey and adjusting my stance.

“[The first step to mastering an ultimate technique: Divine Sword Unity.]”

“D-Divine Sword Unity…!”

“[You know what that is, right?]”

“…Not a clue.”

“[…Right, of course. Divine Sword Unity is the state of perfect harmony between you and your sword. You become the sword, and the sword becomes you. That’s Divine Sword Unity.]”

“Ohh… Wait… So, earlier…”

Earlier, when Kartia had used the ultimate technique… she’d seemed to become Frey. Kartia was Frey, and Frey was Kartia… a strange, almost mystical fusion…

“[Exactly. You’re a quick study. That is perfect Divine Sword Unity.]”

“Wow… How do you achieve that?”

Kartia tilted her head.

“[What do you mean? You’ve already done it.]”

I tilted my head, mirroring her confusion.

“Huh…? I have…?”

“[Yes. You know that feeling? Like you’re not swinging the sword, but swinging your entire body?]”

Swinging my body…?

“I… I think so…? Maybe…?”

“[Hmph. So you weren’t even aware of it. That explains the occasional breaks in your flow. I see.]”

Kartia dragged Frey across the ground, muttering to herself. Then, a mischievous grin spread across her face.

“[Don’t worry. You’ll get it soon enough.]”

“How…?”

“[Before that, hold on.]”

Kartia suddenly dismissed Frey, then gasped dramatically.

“[It was her! She did it!!]”

“Huh?”

Click-clack, step-step, rustle-rustle.

Footsteps approached rapidly.

“Noah! What in the world was that?! Are you insane?! Are you trying to attract every Beast in the vicinity?! Or are you announcing our presence to the Masters?!” Serr’s voice was sharp with alarm.

“N-No…”

“Noah, that was incredibly reckless. It’s only thanks to Serr, Lady Rubia, and even Delia—who’s currently unconscious—erecting barriers that we avoided a catastrophe.” Hermilla added, her voice laced with concern.

“Ugh… I… I didn’t…”

“[Whoa… She even knocked Delia unconscious. That was close. Seriously, Noah, you can’t just unleash power like that without any regard for the consequences. Is that how I taught you?]”

“B-But… sniff… I-It wasn’t me…”

***

“[Wow… That’s some serious devotion. How did Rubia even figure it out?]”

Just as Kartia said…

Rubia had uncovered the truth.

While Serr and Hermilla had been busy scolding me, Rubia, ever perceptive, had found the real culprit.

As always, Rubia’s the best!

“Hehe… Rubia’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“[…Yeah. Amazingly perceptive.]”

“But… why did Serr and Hermilla mistake Kartia’s power for mine?”

Even while being scolded, I couldn’t shake the confusion. Serr and Hermilla were incredibly skilled. They should have been able to differentiate between our powers. Even I could sense a difference. It just didn’t make sense.

“[We share a similar essence, you and I.]”

“Essence…?”

“[It’s not important right now. Just know it exists. Now, shall we resume?]”

Kartia brushed off my question, summoning Frey and stepping back.

I followed suit, readjusting my grip on my own blade.

“[Your body has already achieved Divine Sword Unity, Noah. You’re far beyond that stage. But your mind hasn’t caught up. You’re not consciously aware of it. So, we’ll train your awareness.]”

“Oh…!”

“[First… Hey, ice-brain. Get over here.]”

An ice shard materialized, floating towards her.

“[Coat Frey with a thick layer of ice.]”

The ice shard circled Frey, examining the blade before encasing it in a thick layer of ice with a crackling sound.

“[This is sturdy, right?]” The ice shard wobbled confidently before dissipating.

“What… What are you doing?”

“[Just a precaution.]” Kartia swung the ice-coated Frey experimentally, then nodded.

“[This should do.]” She turned to me, a strange glint in her eyes.

“[Now, before we start, I want to make it clear that I’m not doing this out of malice. This is simply the most effective training method for you, so don’t take it personally.]”

“W-What are you going to—?”

“[It’s simple—]”

And then,

Without a single shred of warning, without even a flicker of precognitive foresight,

Kartia was suddenly right in front of me.

“[You’ll learn… by getting hit. A lot.]”

Crunch!

A crushing blow slammed into my gut.

***

“[Hey! Flailing around like that won’t get you anywhere. Think! Use that brain of yours! No, not about the fight, you idiot! What?! Backtalk?!]” Thwack!

“[Does it hurt? Of course it hurts! I’m hitting you so it hurts! What, did you think you were some kind of prodigy? Sure, you are. But so what? I’m better. Stronger. Does that piss you off? Then think. Not about this fight, but about how your body moves. What? Can’t do it? Then keep getting hit until you can!]” Bam!

“[You have way too many unnecessary movements. Streamline. What? They’re all necessary? Is that why you’re standing here, getting your ass kicked? Hah! I don’t know where you picked up those ridiculous habits… Oh, from games? Those are just for show, completely impractical. And those guys you beat? A bunch of losers. Sirin? She wasn’t even using 5% of her power. That’s how you won. How long are you going to coast on that victory? Hah! Nope, you need more of this.]” Whack, thud, crash!

“[One, two, three, four, five. You idiot! You lost count again! It’s because your brain can’t keep up! Stop being stubborn and just take the hits! What? You think I enjoy this? As if! What kind of teacher revels in beating up their student? Every time you cry out, it breaks my heart. But what choice do I have? This is the only way. What about my grin? What grin? This is my face.]” Smash!

“[Oh, come on! Why’d you dodge?! You were supposed to block! That half-assed dodge is why you broke your arm. Pick one: dodge or block! And commit! What? Can’t breathe? Potion, potion… where’s the potion…? Hang on… Ah, found it. Here. Huh? Wait… this is a stimulant—! Oh, shit. RUBIA! Noah! Breathe! Breathe, damn it! Noah! Oh, thank god, she’s still alive. It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine. You’ll heal… uh… oh… fuck. RUBIAAAAA!!!]”

***

“[Oh, ohhh. Now that’s a clean counter. See? I told you. You just needed to get hit enough. And almost dying really accelerated the process. That concludes Stage One. Well done. You feel it now, don’t you? That’s right. That’s the difference between awareness and… well, unawareness. Alright, Stage Two: Precision. This one’s super easy… well, maybe not for you. Anyway, it’s all about precision. See these scraps of cloth? You’re going to cut them, using only your sword aura. Like this, like that… carefully… ta-da! A truly magnificent rendition of Noah’s stupid face. See? Easy! Your turn. One hit for every mistake.]” Whap!

“[Of course I trained this way! I used to fight like a clumsy oaf. My teacher? Not really a teacher… more like a friend. Frey. She was stronger than me, so she used to beat the crap out of me, just like this. Yeah. That’s right. My surname comes from her name. It’s… it’s no big deal. Anyway, who cares about the past? Let’s train. Get up. We’re sparring. Precision? Obviously, you can train that while sparring. Shut up, I’m right… Huh?! Where the hell do you think you’re going?! You little—! You’re dead meat if I catch you!!!]”