Outside of Mika’s body, her family watched her with bated breath as they felt her enter a state of enlightenment.

That was already shocking enough, as she was only a child that just turned 1-year-old, but what shocked them the most was the sharp, oppressive air that surrounded her.

‘Olivia!’ Elizabeth screamed inwardly, pulled her oldest daughter to the side, and shielded her with Mana.

She was the only one in the family that hadn’t begun cultivating, so she was the most in danger of being hurt by the violent fluctuations coming from Mika.

Seeing Mika go deeper and deeper into her enlightenment, Cain and Elizabeth started setting up barriers not only around them but Mika as well.

Although they were worried about Mika, she might not have this chance again for the rest of her life. They were willing to risk the safety of their baby so that she could finish her enlightenment. That’s how important of an event this is.

Nobody made a sound as they continued watching Mika with rapt attention, not daring to look away. Enlightenment was an infrequent occurrence, not just for Mika but for them as well. They might not use the sword as their primary weapon, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be gained.

Meanwhile, Mika was currently re-experiencing her entire life in mere seconds as she worked on comprehending the next Realm of the Sword Path.

The first Realm of the Sword Path is about reaching the point where a sword becomes an extension of the body, like another limb. Only when one can perfectly fuse the sword with their body without consciously thinking about it can one say they are at the Peak of the First Realm of the Sword Path.

Essentially, the sword has to merge with the body and become something akin to another limb.

However, this is easier said than done. One has to think about how they want to strike, when to strike, when to counter, when to block, and they even need to know when they should sheath their sword!

All of this is done consciously and only becomes more natural through hard work and experience. Talent also comes into play, but that only determines how quickly one understands these concepts.

Mika has been at this stage for a long time and has always sought more but was always unable to reach it. It always felt like she was stuck behind a massive locked gate that refused to open for her no matter how hard she tried. And try, she did.

Now, it’s like the floodgates have been opened, and all the years Mika spent trying to further her swordsmanship were flowing through her mind like a raging river.

All the techniques she learned, the techniques she created, all of her notes and comprehensions, and even the things she took inspiration from were all repeating themselves in her mind.

The aura surrounding Mika’s body was getting stronger, but the enlightenment hadn’t ended yet, as she still hadn’t been able to comprehend Sword Intent.

It could be said that she was at the Pseudo-Sword Intent Realm but wasn’t quite there yet.

However, that’s when scenes of her life, not only as a Swordsman but as a human being, started to play in her mind.

Throughout her entire life, she was always uncompromising, unyielding, and unwavering in everything she did.

She never kneeled in front of those of higher power or status. She never cowered in the face of adversity. Her determination to reach the peak and unveil her full potential, not only as a swordsman but as a human, was unmatched.

If she didn’t like something, then she would change it. She showed respect to those who deserved it and ignored those who lost it.

She was born for the sword, lived by the sword, and even died by the sword.

This was her creed. Her resolve. Her values.

For her, this is what it means to be a Swordsman.

To Mika, simply using the sword isn’t enough to be called a Swordsman. Everyone can wield a sword, but not everyone can be a Swordsman. To her, a Swordsman isn’t just someone who wields a sword but is someone who truly understands the essence of the Sword and uses it with a goal in mind.

Whether that be protecting the weak and innocent or something as simple as the desire to kill, it could be anything. A true Swordsman is someone who has their own set of values and determination, and they stick to these values even in the darkest of times.

Being a Swordsman is more than just waving a sword around; it’s a way of life.

Finally, when her mind reached that point, it felt like she’d finally taken a step through that gate that had blocked her for so long.

On the other side of that gate was an overwhelming might that threatened to cut Mika into a million pieces. It felt like countless swords were pointed at her, just waiting for her to step through.

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However, Mika felt no danger from this place. Instead, she felt like the countless ethereal swords around her were at her beck and call. She didn’t know what she could do with them yet, but she would certainly find out later.

Then, with a thought, she stepped through that gate into a whole new world!

Mika sat down in the center of these swords and continued with her enlightenment. Although it was almost over, she knew this opportunity might not come again, and she wanted to make full use of it.

Mika subconsciously knew that she couldn’t strengthen her new Sword Intent by much, even if she used up the rest of her time in this state of enlightenment.

So instead, to commemorate this event, she decided to devise a new technique. Or at least an incomplete version of one.

Scenes of all the techniques she’s ever learned or created flashed through her mind, but for some reason, she knew that wasn’t enough.

She was now in a new world with a new source of energy; Mana. Her new technique has to incorporate this new kind of energy as well.

Although Mika has never used Mana before, she at least knew her affinities: Fire and Darkness.

Scenes of nature flashed through her mind as she tried to picture any natural calamities that contained these two elements. Not only that, but she wanted it to match her personality as well because she understood that the more affinity one has with a technique, the easier it’ll be to use.

Soon, a picture of a volcano appeared in her mind, always calm on the surface but waiting to explode at a moment’s notice.

Mika can relate to this as she always strives to stay calm in every scenario but is always ready to explode with a force that will leave many stunned.

Though sometimes she may be a bit hotheaded and lose her composure…

‘But what volcano isn’t a little hot?’ Mika thought with a slight smile.

The main reason why a Volcano was the first thing to come to mind was that not only can it explode with a surprising amount of force, but it contains both of her affinities after it explodes.

Not only can the lava volcanos catch things on fire, but the soot released from a volcanic eruption blots out the sky, and if it’s inhaled, it can even act like poison and kill someone.

At least, that’s how Mika understood things, so that’s what she will base her technique on.

The best Martial Art Mika thought of to combine this idea with was the Iaido Martial Art, a style focused on a quick and surprising burst of power.

The premise of this technique is that it doesn’t matter what position or stance she’s in; as long as she’s steady like a mountain, she’ll be able to explode with the force of a volcano. Then her blade will be coated with Darkness and surrounded by flames.

Her goal is to have the flames burn away the outer flesh of her target and prevent her opponent’s body from healing when the Darkness invades their body and starts wreaking havoc.

It sounds a bit confusing, and Mika knows that she won’t be able to complete the technique now, but that’s okay. She can work on perfecting it later.

Knowing what she wanted, Mira’s comprehensive abilities spiked, and she started simulating this technique.

Outside of Mika’s body, even though they could feel the oppressive Sword Intent surrounding Mika, her family could tell that her State of Enlightenment was almost over and was expecting her to wake up at any moment.

What they didn’t expect was that instead of opening her eyes, Mika brought the knife in her hand to her hip to simulate a sword sheathed at her waist.

Then all of a sudden, the knife was coated in darkness and surrounded by flames, and in the next second, she slashed.

*SWOOSH!*

The knife hit nothing but air, and the elements surrounding it fizzled out, but she wasn’t done.

She extended her arms and held the knife in a horizontal position. In her mind, though, it was a sheathed sword.

The same thing happened again. Mika drew the knife out of the imaginary sheath with flames and darkness surrounding it and slashed.

She continued this process in a few different positions until she ran out of Mana, and her enlightenment ended.

The knife in her hand turned to dust. It was just an ordinary knife that hadn’t even reached [F– Rank].

Then, she finally opened her eyes.

A wave of exhaustion hit her, and she fell on her butt. However, before her bottom could even touch the ground, Mika was scooped up by her Mother.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Elizabeth asked in a gentle voice while cradling Mika.

However, Mika ignored her question and just stared at them.

Her eyelids felt heavy, and she knew she would fall unconscious any second, but before doing that, she wanted her family to understand why she wished for a sword.

She flashed the brightest and proudest smile she could muster while staring at her family and said only one word before falling asleep.

“See?”

Everyone stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do, but they understood what Mika wanted to say. Her wish for a sword wasn’t unfounded. She seemed to have a natural talent for it!

They didn’t know that Mika already had a sword, Chigatana.

The only reason she asked for one and the reason why she decided to show off her talent now is that she can’t just take Chigatana out of nowhere and start training with it.

What if it gets confiscated? What if her parents think it’s too dangerous for her to keep it right now and take it away?!

She’s not going to let her parents hold it hostage!

That’s why she wished for a sword. She wants to start training but can’t just pull Chigatana out of her ass and swing it around.

Naturally, her family had no way of knowing this, and who knows what they would do if they did. They probably already thought of her as a little freak, and she could only imagine what they’d think if swords started appearing in front of her.

Mika’s thoughts weren’t exactly wrong, but they weren’t right either.

Mika’s family would never think of her as a freak. A monstrous talent? Yes. But they would never think badly of her.

It took her family several minutes to wake up from their stupor before all five turned to look at each other with deadly serious expressions.