It’s been almost two years since Gramps’ funeral, and the end of my second year of secondary school is just a few weeks away.

"Where are you going this summer, Asriel?" Leo asked.

"To America, I guess," I answered truthfully.

"Woah! That’s awesome!...a vacation on the other side of the world!" Leo exclaimed excitedly.

"You’re staying there, aren’t you, Asriel?" Ash suddenly said.

Ash had always been perceptive about things like this.

"Yeah, I’ll be there for a while," I admitted.

"So that’s why… It’s been so fun this past year," Leo said, a little downcast.

"We spent so much time together…

playing, chatting, and even having sleepovers", Leo added.

"It felt like these last few months, you were trying to do everything that made you happy," Ash stated.

"Kinda…" I replied with a small smile.

"So, when’s your flight?" Ash asked.

"Two days from now," I said.

"Then we should hit the arcade, eat some roasted meat, and crash at Ash’s place for a sleepover," Leo suggested enthusiastically.

"Might as well," I agreed, considering that Leo’s birthday was coming up in a month.

"So let’s make one more happy memory together," Ash said.

"Tomorrow, usual place?" Leo asked, excited as usual.

"Sure!" I replied happily.

"Ash?" Leo pressed.

"Looking forward to it," Ash said with a nod.

I could hear the slight sadness in their voices, but this was for the best, one last good memory before I left.

That night, I logged into Arcadia Online one last time to bid farewell to my guild and take part in the game's first-ever Cross-Server Battle Royale.

It had taken me over two years to build a character that matched my real-life agility.

My entire guild had even skipped the event just to watch and support their Guild Master.

The Battle of the Masters, a one-against-all event where 100 of the highest-ranking players were dropped into a randomly generated battlefield spanning ten kilometers in diameter.

No item restrictions.

No rules.

The battle would only end when one player remained standing.

I equipped Kotetsu, a legendary-class uchigatana based on a famous sword crafted by the legendary swordsmith Nagasone Kotetsu, one of Gramps’ favorite blades.

For armor, I wore Skywalker, a lightweight set crafted from Aetherium a lightweight rare ore

and Wind Dragon Zephyros’ scales and leather.

The Skywalker set boosted movement speed, attack speed, and magic resistance while doubling the user's stamina.

Meanwhile, Kotetsu removed the normal attack speed limit, allowing more than four strikes per second and grants armor penetration based on the user’s attack power.

However, its major drawback was that the defense-ignoring effect also applied to the wielder, making it a double-edged sword.

In essence, I was a swift, lightly-armored swordsman with solid magic resistance but for me there is almost no room for error.

The Swordmaster class was one of the most controversial ultimate classes in Arcadia Online.

It had only three active skills:

Flash Step , A high-speed movement ability that grants brief invincibility during activation (also available in other classes).

Elemental Blade , Coated the user's weapon with all elements, allowing attacks to bypass barriers and strike even ethereal beings.

Swordmaster’s Art , Arguably a passive skill, but one that allowed the user to wield every sword technique in Arcadia and in the real world.

The only catch? You have to execute it yourself.

Normally, active sword skills follow a predetermined pattern, once activated, they always produce the same effect.

However, Swordmaster’s Art allows the user to replicate sword skills based on the user's own perception of the sword skill/technique.

In simpler terms, it grants complete freedom in wielding any type of sword.

The drawback? It relies entirely on the user's imagination and interpretation, meaning the effectiveness of an attack varies depending on the wielder’s skill and understanding.

In other words, Swordmaster’s Art is a direct reflection of the user's swordsmanship.

Some players loved this level of freedom, but most despised it.

The passive abilities of the class didn’t help much either.

While some increased innate attributes like speed, strength, magic resistance, defense, and vitality, the actual gameplay experience was vastly different from how it sounded on paper.

A body moving at twice, even three times its real-world speed seemed like a dream, but in practice, players often crashed into walls or tripped over their own feet.

The in-game effects were manageable, but the real-life side effects were far worse, many players reported motion sickness, disorientation, or even feeling like the world around them was moving in slow motion.

For most, the class required inhuman reaction time and was simply too impractical.

But for a few, Swordmaster was invaluable, a class that transcended human physical limitations, something every swordsman dreamed of.

A class that was either extraordinary or completely useless.

I stopped by our Guild Castle, where my guildmates were gathered, waiting for the event to begin.

All my guild officers sat together in one corner, while hundreds of members eagerly watched a large, screen-like projection, a newly added Guild Castle feature.

"Guild Master! Good luck!"

"Enjoy the event, Guild Master!"

"You got this!"

My guildmates cheered as I waved back, opening my event invitation.

Only a few minutes remained when I arrived at the preparation venue.

The other participants stood confidently, many of them equipped with legendary class gear.

Still, I noticed a few players looking uneasy at the sight of me.

I couldn't blame them.

I was probably the only crazy person entering a no-rules battle royale alone.

Several players belonged to the same guild, their matching guild emblems displayed on their gear.

Thirty seconds until deployment.

"Are you underestimating us, Endless Guild Master?!"

A female paladin, Ariadne, spoke in a stern voice.

"Of course not, Miss Ariadne," I replied with a smirk.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I’ll do my best to let everyone have a taste of my blade."

Ariadne unsheathed her sword just as the event abruptly started, teleporting all participants to the battlefield.

"Ariadne’s avatar looks stunning.

If only she weren’t so short-tempered, she’d be perfect," I mused.

I quickly spotted Cassandra and Tristan, standing silently beside her.

That made three members from Avalon, one of Europe's strongest guilds.

The competition was fierce, players from all over the world had joined.

A chill ran down my spine.

It was expected.

This was the first-ever cross-server event, featuring only the top 100 ranking players and dangling a random Forbidden Skill as one of the rewards.

Looking around, I realized I had been transported to a replica of London.

The Clock Tower stood in the distance, surrounded by eclectic styles, and elaborate designs of architecture.

The battlefield was always a randomly generated location based on real-world places.

This time, it was London, most likely the Victorian Era.

Not even a minute has passed and explosions are already echoing across the battlefield.

Guildmates could team up in this event, so multiple players from the same guild had entered together.

To my surprise, a guild is already targeting me.

Walking through the streets, a barrage of deadly arrows suddenly rained down on my position.

With quick footwork, I propelled myself several meters away from my last location.

Judging by the arrows' trajectory, the shooter was positioned at the top Clock Tower.

Before I could react further, three unknown players suddenly closed the distance.

A Berserker from above.

A Phantom from the left.

A Sentinel from the right.

Judging by their emblems, they were from Byakko.

One of Japan’s largest guilds.

With mere seconds to react, I decided to take out the Berserker first and make my way to the nearby rooftop.

But then, I noticed his skill animation… he was about to unleash Earth Shatter, a powerful area-of-effect attack using a warhammer.

Not an ideal move for group combat.

Which could only mean one thing.

The Phantom and Sentinel were illusions made by the Phantom itself using the skill Walking Mirage.

If I attacked either of them, the Berserker would seize the opportunity to land Earth Shatter, crippling my mobility and making me an easy target for the Artillery-class archer stationed in the Clock Tower.

They were probably lying in wait, ready to ambush me mid-air the moment I tried to escape.

They planned this well.

But they overlooked one critical flaw, these old buildings weren’t sturdy enough to shield them from my sword.

I grinned, unsheathing Kotetsu in a flash before leaping a few meters backward.

Severing Style… First Form: Heaven Splitter.

A slanted horizontal slash tore through the air, aimed directly at the Berserker.

Unable to dodge, the Berserker’s body was cleaved in half.

But before he vanished, his eyes widened in shock.

He wasn’t the only one cut.

A kilometer-wide area of buildings had been sliced clean through, now collapsing around us.

The Phantom and Sentinel, caught off guard, leapt from the falling debris, exactly as I expected.

Before they could react, I swiftly eliminated them both with two consecutive quick slashes.

Now with the buildings gone, my cover from the Artillery’s attacks was gone too.

In an instant, a barrage of elemental arrows came raining down toward me.

Astral Torrent a wide area range skill of Artillery one of Archer’s Ultimate Class

“You’re really ruthless, Nao-chan.”

I smirked, thinking of Byakko’s Guild Master, Naomi Kusakabe, as hundreds of deadly arrows closed in.

“Time to run.”

I whispered, dashing out of the blast zone with my agility.

Byakko was part of the Endless Guild Alliance, but when it came to events like this, friendships didn’t count.

Leaving Naomi alone would be a mistake, she had a habit of changing the battlefield entirely when things weren’t going her way.

Instead of escaping, I sprinted straight toward the Clock Tower.

Strangely, Naomi didn’t fire another shot.

When I reached her, she was already waiting for me, a wry smile on her face.

“Earl told me you’re moving to the US,” she suddenly said with a sad tone.

“I was planning to tell the Alliance after this event”, I said.

“So it’s true?” she asked, her voice filled with sadness.

"Yes, I’ll be leaving Endless for a while," I replied.

"We wanted to challenge the strongest Swordmaster one last time.

I hope you enjoy our little challenge, Swordmaster Leirsa," Nao-chan said with a smirk.

"Thanks. It was fun," I admitted.

"I hope to see you again, Swordmaster Leirsa," she added before forfeiting and vanishing from the battlefield.

"50 players remaining," the system announced.

Half the battlefield and half the players are left, I thought, gazing out from the Clock Tower.

In a battle royale, the most effective strategy is usually to avoid unnecessary fights, picking off weaker opponents when the opportunity arises.

But I didn’t come here to win.

I came to test my skills and enjoy one last event in Arcadia Online before heading to the US.

Dashing across the rooftops, I searched for my next opponent.

It didn’t take long before I ran into Avalon.

As expected, they were still in peak condition, unfazed by the battles so far.

"You really are crazy, Swordmaster Leirsa.

No wonder not a single one of your guild members joined," Ariadne commented.

"Did you check your kill score?" she asked.

I glanced at it. "Twenty-three."

"Twenty of them were wiped out instantly when you used that sword skill."

"Oops. My bad," I shrugged.

"If I had known you were going to use Kotetsu, I would’ve picked an agility-based class instead of this bulky one," Ariadne grumbled.

"That means you also know my weakness, physical attacks," I pointed out.

"She really wants to beat you," Tristan said, amused.

"She even maxed out her gear to make sure she wouldn’t die instantly," Cassandra added.

"Tristan! Cassy!" Ariadne protested, flustered.

I sheathed Kotetsu and drew another legendary blade, Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

Unlike Kotetsu, which negates defenses, Kusanagi doubles the area of effect for sword skills.

And with its Forbidden Skill: Limitless, it expands the area of effect tenfold.

While it doesn’t bypass defenses, its sheer range is lethal in a melee battle.

I pointed my sword at Ariadne. "Ariadne, I challenge you to a duel."

She grinned. "I gladly accept."

"We’ll make sure no one interferes," Tristan assured.

"Yeah, and we’ll stay just close enough to be in your sword skill range.

So… good luck, Aria," Cassandra teased before stepping away with Tristan.

"You’re not backing away before we start?" I asked.

"With Kusanagi in play? There’s no point," she replied.

"Then let’s begin."

Ariadne had already activated three of the strongest Paladin buffs:

Divine Armor: Negates all status effects for several minutes (stun, slow, petrify, bleed, etc.).

Absolute Defense: Doubles her HP and Defense but drains 5% HP per second.

Dragon Slayer: Increases all stats by 50% and grants 10% HP regen per second.

This was exactly why I brought Kotetsu in the first place, Paladins with maxed defense are nearly invincible in melee.

I had two options:

Stall until her buffs expire…cowardly, and not my style.

Or use Elemental Blades to counter her healing.

I chose the latter, coating Kusanagi with an ice element using Elemental Blade, reducing Ariadne’s healing by half.

Ariadne lunged forward, her Divine Slash charging at full power.

Two seconds..

That’s all it took to fully charge her attack.

With Excalibur, which doubles divine-element damage, her attack was strong enough to collapse the building as she slammed it into the ground.

I dodged, but another player on the lower floor wasn’t as lucky, eliminated on impact.

"Don’t tell me you’re just going to hop around like a rabbit, Swordmaster Leirsa," she taunted.

I grinned and unleashed four consecutive Lightning Thrusts.

Forgetting Kusanagi’s extended range, three of them hit, taking almost a third of her HP instantly.

She immediately jumped back to create distance, but I didn’t let up, relentlessly attacking.

Her HP was already in the red zone, but I knew her game.

She was baiting me, waiting to activate Divine Punishment, the Paladin's signature move.

It reflects 100% of the damage received onto the attacker as a true strike… undodgeable, unblockable.

The only problem is that it required two seconds of uninterrupted focus to cast.

That is the two seconds she wouldn’t get.

With inhuman speed, I darted into her blind spot, delivering rapid strikes before she could react.

Her HP hit zero.

or so I thought.

I forgot or simply it slipped my mind about Divine Favor, the Paladin’s hidden passive that restores 10% HP when they hit zero for the first time.

The system canceled Divine Punishment, but Ariadne wasn’t done.

"Final Moment"

She activated Excalibur’s Forbidden Skill—a final, suicidal Divine Slash in exchange for her own life.

A massive white slash cleaved the battlefield in half, vaporizing two-thirds of the remaining players.

I barely survived thanks to knowing the skill by watching her past fights, but still she took my left arm.

She really never gives up.

No wonder some players nicknamed her "Zombie Paladin."

17 players left.

Switching back to Kotetsu, I reshaped it into a one-handed sword.

Guess I’m stuck using one hand for the rest of this fight.

Most of the remaining players were on the brink of death since healers never participated in battle royales.

Some collapsed from poison, curse, or bleeding, while others fell in double knockouts.

Only after a few minutes the player number quickly dwindles into six.

After eliminating five more barely-alive players, the battle royale that only lasted for an hour came to an end.