Moyo blitzed through the training ring, Ashe coating his body, Skatha staring stoically, weaving low and high as he dodged her condensed authority. He blinked beside her, Ashe coating his elbow as he brought it crashing down on her neck, Skatha the silent didn’t even turn as she used a finger to stop the attack, dispersing the Ashe on his elbow before grabbing him and slamming him into the ground. Moyo felt his sight go dizzy, bringing his arm up on reflex to guide his side as she slammed a kick fused with condensed authority into his side, sending him sprawling to the other side of the ring.
Moyo groaned as he got up,
“This isn’t working” he coughed out,
Oh?, explain
He shook his head, getting his bearing,
“you’ve been bashing me around like a heap of trash for the past two hours, nothing’s changed” he said, trying his best not to let his frustration leak into his voice,
Skatha nodded along, her black blank mask bobbing with the motion of her head,
Good, you understand,
He looked up straight at her, confusion marring his face,
You fight with brute strength, an anathema to high-ranking duels, you will lose terribly
“My dance of Sango, it’s a sword fighting skill I developed, it works” he replied,
A skill you unconsciously tailored towards your brute strength, show me
And he did, invoking his dance of Sango he gathered momentum as they clashed, Skatha using a hand to fend off his stacks as she dropped hers on his body, watching impassively as the titan took the attacks, gathering the energy before attempting to finish her off in one hit. It felt more like a dream to him, one minute they were throwing hands, moving to the silent beat only he could feel, and then the next minute he felt his legs leave the ground, seeing himself in air even as he tried to bring his fists to bear on any part of her body.
The titan crashed to the ground with a resounding crack, his strength leaving him even as his dance of Sango ebbed away, its rhythm disrupted with a finality only someone of Skatha’s caliber could accomplish. He laid there for a few seconds, staring up at the conjured skies of the training ring. He had been spending a lot of time on the ground these days, always at the other end of beatings whenever he couldn’t bring his titan’s might to bear on an opponent.
He saw her move close to him, gesturing for him to get up which he silently did,
Observe
With silence and a yearning to understand where he went wrong, he watched, watched as she took to the silent rhythm of his dance of Sango with wide eyes, unwilling to believe she could flawlessly copy the skill after seeing it once. Down to his move the releasing of all the accumulated energy he gathered, she finished the move and turned to him, no signs of hard breathing whatsoever,
That is your dance of Sango, yes?
He nodded,
“How are you able to replicate it so flawlessly?” he asked,
Personal skill, now watch and see a better version
The first move she made had Moyo jolting to his feet, Digi Aye activating as he stared at her. She had taken a single step, but it had carried all the power of his final move,
You depend too much on the aether of your enemies’ attacks during battle, when you have enough floating around,
“Aether?” he asked,
The absurd idea that he could use raw aether to power his dance began to move around within his head, watching as she threw a punch that rivaled his strongest attack. With dedication he watched the routine, seeing as she moved with pure power blazing through her,
The path of the crushing blade should infuse its tenet, the ability to crush with every move, every swing of your blade, irrespective of you bringing your gravitational ability to bear on your opponent
That was the longest speech he had heard her say, and he felt it etched into his soul, she finished, leaving the field a crater of mess as the training ring struggled to keep up the projection of a field under her onslaught,
Onslaught,
It was the best way to describe what he had just witnessed,
“And how does this help me to withstand an ascender using bloodline abilities?” he asked,
She snapped her fingers as an image of Kenuran appeared in his draconic form, red blazing eyes, a long tail with flames at the end, sharp black claws on each hand and an impenetrable hide of dragon scales adorning his body. Then an image of him appeared, this one covered in the purple tinge of his authority, mantle activated and dominion.
The two clashed in a shower of sparks, projected Moyo using dominion to fend off the attacks of Kenuran’s claws, Ashe taking the brunt of the flames that surrounded Kenuran he had no idea of. The most astonishing fact was that the projection of the titan blade could match up to the speed of the dragon, blow for blow till eventually dominion grazed the dragon, digging below the protective scales and into the skin of the Kenuran before releasing intent accurately to severe the limb from the shoulders,
“That wasn’t a killing move” Moyo murmured,
It’ll take more than that to kill the hatchling of the red jaw herself, it’ll take another bloodline ability
Moyo glanced at Skatha,
“Ashira” he said,
She nodded,
Fighting the heir of house Dracon is already a feat unattainable for most of the archailect, save a few great houses. The mere fact that you could places us in good standings, however, ending the spawn of Azar is left for another member of the great houses.
Moyo thought deeply, pieces coming together,
‘The ruler deduced as much” he started,
“It was never my place to defeat Kenuran or even win the tournament, I was meant to buy more time, plus house thousand blades intends to avoid the fallout of the tournament, shift the ire of the dragons on another house that can weather the attack, match them blow for blow, if not break their strength” he completed,
He glanced again at master Skatha,
The hardest part is admitting the fact that you aren’t some destined one, you have done that, now advance
He nodded and bowed,
“Thank you” he whispered gratefully, fighting back the urge to protest,
He wanted to be the one to end the dragon, he had pushed himself too hard and too far to deny himself that victory, but he had always been pragmatic and realistic with himself. At his current level of strength, he was no match for Kenuran should the dragon decide to play all his cards, he had no choice than to get stronger in any way he could.
Meditate and train with what I have given you, you will remain in the ring till I say otherwise
With that last message, she left, fading from the training ring. A message appeared in the air,
Train with the projection of the improved dance of Sango, progress to dueling with Kenuran when you have acquired the improvement, ignore the passage of time – Skatha.
Moyo got to his feet, watching the projection take form, the voice of Skatha echoing around the chamber in its cold indifference,
The dance of Sango must be an extension of the path of the crushing blade, it is to be broken down and refined into the very steps and moves that give the path of the crushing blade its name.
The projection of Skatha moved, one leg extended as she began with an underhand stroke of her blade,
The first step dictates the path, it is to be carried out with all knowledge that it aims to disarm the opponent and leave them vulnerable to the next series of attacks,
The blade hummed with intent, but it carried with it raw aether, bursting at the seams but guided by the intent the blade carried. The attack broke the guard of a training dummy that had appeared, and from its perceived aura diamond rank. The dummy stumbled, Skatha moving into its guard, her blade coming sideways,
The next attack must aim to shatter every defense be It mantles or forged armor, enabling the third strike to finish the opponent,
The blade struck with Ashe now coating it, carrying along with it the intent in the blade and the aether that fueled every move. The dummy saw its protection shatter, leaving its bare body to withstand the last attack,
The third and final attack must carry with it the culmination of all the moves so far, it must carry with it the indomitable will to crush, a finality to the fate of every opponent that faces the path of the crushing blade,
The third and final movement saw Skatha bring down the blade in an arc, the air screaming with Ashe, mantle-fueled aura, intent, and pure aether that came crashing into the opponent, crushing every bone in the body of the dummy.
The dummy broke to pieces before turning to dust, the projection of master Skatha fading away,
The path of the crushing blade, now begin
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Moyo did so in earnest.
***********************
Skatha silent blade walked through the corridors leading to the pseudo domain of the ruler of house thousand blades, frowning at the ache she felt on her hand. She glanced at her hand, seeing the mark that faded away slowly,
“Such force, such pure brutal efficiency, marvelous, isn’t it?” a voice said in her head,
She knelt immediately, the voice of Altair thousand blades ringing in her head,
A diamond shouldn’t wield such force, logic dictates he should constantly rip his muscles, causing hindrances in battle, but he does so without even being aware
“The skill bestowed on him was a worthwhile investment, wouldn’t you agree?” Altair asked again,
Skatha paused, putting her answer together,
Indeed, but my concern is not of the skill, it is the result of a being like that
She felt the ruler’s amusement in her mind,
“You fear he could turn against us” Altair said, voicing her opinion,
An ascender like that at master, at ruler or heaven forbids, a jade
Leaving the sentence open to the ruler,
“a truly accurate deduction silent blade” the ruler stated,
“However the titan blade is an enigma, a staunch supporter of freedom and self-dependency, as long as we don’t impinge on his free will, I believe we have an ally”
As you wish, my ruler
“Besides, it wouldn’t be bad tying him to the house, young Raina perhaps?, she has shown interest in him” the ruler said,
Skatha shook her head,
The stellar blade would have his head before the day was over
The heard Altair chuckle, wincing at the subtle power he exuded in her mind,
“a joke, perhaps you’d fancy him, hmm?” the ruler asked,
Five centuries too old for him my ruler, perhaps another member of the silent clan?
She could find one of her extended family members, however she had doubts he’d want to be with someone who was sworn to an oath of silence,
“A joke my guardian, a joke, honestly, it feels like I’m the only funny ruler in existence” Altair said with a sigh,
Skatha didn’t inform the ruler his entire court laughed at his jokes behind his back, just not in the face of a ruler who could wipe you out of existence before the laughter left your throat, better that way.
“He belongs to the Kairos girl, last thing I want is to have issues with them, we’re not ready yet” the ruler finished,
Skatha nodded,
Indeed, your orders?
“Ensure the other diamonds are ready for the next round, we have no time to waste, the cult have shown their presence, he comes” Altair said as his presence left her mind,
Skatha involuntarily felt her hand straying to her blade that shimmered close to her, the mantle-forged weapon that was passed down from mother to daughter in the silent clan,
The weapon Rohan had used to kill her mother after wrestling it from her grip,
She felt the weapon hum,
Soon dear ancestors, soon
She stood and began walking back the same way she came, servants clearing the way and bowing as she passed without so much as recognizing their presence,
You shall taste the blood of the betrayer
******************************
Ashira had awoken from the slumber she had placed herself under, summoned to the training room where she saw the master Skatha awaiting her presence. Alvar, Raina, and Lothar stood next to the master, she glanced around,
“where’s Moyo?” she asked,
Busy, I will be taking you all at the same time
Ashira startled, took a step back, Alvar nodding at the master,
“She speaks through messages” he said,
She nodded,
“he’d be sad to miss this session” she said,
The titan has his own path to follow, you have yours, let us begin
They nodded, stepping into the stasis pod and then appearing in a training ring, its stimulated setting being a large field. Master Skatha appeared, sitting on a boulder,
You all have your paths to take, but like all diamonds, assume it straightforward she started,
No, the path to master is a complete understanding of everything your path entails, down to the smallest detail. Nothing can be left behind, hence your ascension would be ruined and your paths ending at diamond
They all nodded, Skatha snapped her fingers, four versions of herself manifested into existence,
Each of you would be under the tutelage of a clone linked to me she said,
Ashira threefold style, yours is the most complete of paths, house Kairos sculpted you into the perfect killing machine. However, in this tournament, all cards would need to be used, and that includes your bloodline abilities, we would be working towards extending the duration
Ashira followed a clone into another setting, totally cut off from the rest of the team and master,
Transform, let us begin child of monsters the clone said,
Ashira felt the process taking over her, the pure power that came with the transformation that threatened to tear her by the seams, her skin became grey scales, her tail hardening into a sharp edge with poison dipping at its tip, her eyes a baleful yellow that screamed pure power and her claws golden, condensed intent screaming to be let loose.
She attacked before the clone could tell her to begin, the instinct born of the feral state she had transformed to. Just as fast as she had attacked, she got slammed into the ground, the rage wiped away from her mind as she gasped, the transformation fizzling to mist,
First lesson, rage doesn’t mean efficiency, again
************************
Alvar sol blade, you wield the power of a literal sun, a burning star, yours is the most offensive of paths, a direct weapon of pure destruction. You however haven’t lived up to your expected potential, you are held back by your mentality, we shall work on that.
The next clone moved as Alvar followed, passing through a doorway to appear in a pitch-black realm, glancing around and calling his HUD to ensure he wasn’t blind. The darkness was so thick, he couldn’t even see his hands, the voice of the clone however echoed around him,
You will summon your mantle, you will blaze with your aura for the duration of this training and you would use your intent as a searchlight to find my location even as I aim to attack you, begin.
Alvar immediately blazed to life with a shout, his golden blade in hand as he shot out his intent in all directions, waiting for a confirmed hit. The moment his intent attack fizzled away, he got slammed sideways, crashing into a building he hadn’t known was there,
Intent and aura work in tandem, your mantle should blaze with not just the light of the sun but the heat as well, again.
*********************
Raina stellar blade, yours is the cold and precise path befitting the wielder of moonlight. Your path revolves around the calm and collective methods of eliminating foes by blindsiding them and shattering their bearing with the anti-gravitational attributes of your path. You are in fact the anathema of the titan blade, able to neglect whatever damage he decides to inflict on you. However like your cousin Alvar, you haven’t attained the height of your path, we shall work on that.
Raina followed the next clone to another reality where she fell to the ground, the gravity of the reality pounding down on her with all the fury of a master. The clone stood in the distance,
Your mantle and authority must work in tandem with your aura to allow you to move without hindrance. Your intent must also carry a sliver of your authority in order for it to move faster and farther, an almost featherlike motion, I will begin my attacks the clone said,
The clone swung a blade, the intent attack moving silently through the air but carrying enough power to decimate a mountain. Raina poured her entire authority into her limbs, willing it to propel her away from the attack, the motion blasted her clear of the attack radius, sending her flying through the air with no control over her limbs.
The clone appeared in the air above her before she could react, slapping a palm attack directly on her back and sending her crashing back down into the ground below with a painful crunch,
Regulate your authority, you’re not fighting to flee, you fight to attack, again.
*********************************************
Lothar diamond blade, your path is focused on defense, yours is a path of pure endurance, similar to that of the titan but more linear. The patriarch expects you to reach the top 8 at least, and we shall be working on ensuring your diamond defenses live up to the expectations.
He followed the last clone through another door to a reality where he floated around, unable to control his weight in its entirety. The clone appeared, floating serenely through the air,
your path enables your aura and intent to have a heavy effect, you are to infuse your mantle and authority with this heavy effect, allowing you to attack me all the way below, begin the clone said as she floated down,
Lothar gathered his intent and aura, his diamond mantle blazing as it began to struggle against the anti-gravitational realm, struggling to drop him below. He sent an attack that screamed through the air before diverting halfway to the ground, careening wide. The clone looked up at him,
Try harder, again.
***********************
Skatha silent blade sat and observed the diamonds, watching as they slowly but surely whittled away at the task she gave them, unaware they were actually in a time training chamber, where every hour was a day. She saw an apparition take shape as master Duval came into being, looking around, his gold mask with his golden eyes beneath looking at her.
“I must confess, I had no idea you would take this training seriously” he said,
The patriarch commands it, I will it she responded,
He nodded, looking at the images of the diamonds fighting, his gaze pausing on Alvar for a fraction more of a second, Skatha noticed it,
He is a true sol blade, burns bright with the wrath of a star she said,
“And still it wasn’t enough for even I to hold back the darkness” Duval replied,
So you’ve heard, he comes she said, Duval nodding,
“we’ve all heard, all masters are on alert and have sworn by the archailect to work in tandem to end this threat once and for all” Duval replied again,
Skatha shook her head,
It wasn’t enough the last time, we lost half our numbers, what makes this time different? She asked,
“This time I’d rather die than let that disciple of the Grim leave with his sorry excuse of an existence, he has taken too much from us” Duval snarled, tearing away his mask,
A face scarred and burnt in a way no elixir or power of the archailect could heal came into focus, Skatha clenching her fists. The sol blade had been a new master when the archailect witnessed the catastrophe that was the Grim, he, like numerous other masters, had answered the call of the brigade to combat the evil.
All had been going well till they met the disciple of the Grim, the masters staying behind to fight Rohan while the rulers went after the other master and leader of the cult of the undying hand, the Grim.
The battle had been bloody, and the masters had been slain one by one, dying at the corrosive and cursed edge of Rohan’s blade. Duval had dueled the undying hand one on one and had lost to his dismay, his burning realm of an entire sun being snuffed out in the darkness of a realm so bleak and terrifying, it gave birth to blights. It had taken the arrival of brigade generals and the supposed vanquishing of the Grim and the other rulers to get Rohan to retreat to the fringes of the archailect.
Duval had been lucky to be left alive, although many would argue that fact due to his fate. Altair had taken his injured son back into the deepest world controlled by the house, hoping time and the rich abundant aether would heal the scar. It had been over fifty years and the scars were still as fresh as the day they had been inflicted. Skatha had been a master then also, following at the heels of the ruler and seeing the devastation left behind,
Entire planets were lost, some needed to be purged of all life or destroyed in their entirety lest they become staging grounds for assaults by the abyss. Rulers had then decided to take the fight to the abyss, the old monsters who had reached the pinnacle of the archailect and had become jaded by the passage of time volunteering to permanently hold the front lines.
She wondered if the idea for the new rank called jade was from the rulers, turning back to the sol blade, she watched him put the mask back on,
“He took too much from me” Duval whispered,
Is the patriarch aware you intend to go on some suicidal attack? She asked,
“I have no wish to needlessly waste my life, however, I will do my best to ensure he dies, and if it boils down to going along, then I humbly lay my life” Duval replied,
Skatha glanced at the image of Alvar as he slowly got around wielding his sun lance ability with deadly precision, defending with his sunbeam and attacking with the lance coming easily to him after an entire week in that reality,
He’s too young to hold the clan she said,
“The titan holds an entire clan and an entire continent, surely the son of a master can do better” Duval replied,
She turned to him,
He’s no titan blade Duval, he can’t handle the things the titan has and will face
Duval nodded after a second,
“true” he simply replied,
Skatha honestly hoped she had convinced him out of his suicidal tendencies,
“And the titan?” Duval asked,
Skatha waved her hand, showing the titan crushing the stimulation of his improved self,
In a week he totally changed his fighting style, revamped his dance of Sango, where did the patriarch find this monster? She asked,
Duval chuckled,
“Some backwater planet, no idea how he spotted him, just be grateful” Duval murmured,
The image showed the titan summoning the bloodline Kenuran form into being, the two clashing in a shower of attacks that tore the landscape,
“Such improvement” Duval said in awe,
“The round of 64 shouldn’t pose a threat to them, to him in particular” Duval continued,
Skatha nodded, watching as the titan slowly began to ingrain his gravity affinity into every swing, the bloodline Kenuran dodging most of the attacks as Moyo struggled to increase his speed,
I doubt anything short of top 8 would be an issue for him she thought to herself