Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 426: Moon Sundering Slash, Hyperbolic time chamber

The jeep came to a gentle halt right before Sword Empress’s estate.

Silent and imposing, it loomed behind towering iron gates, its pristine white walls appearing far too pristine for a supposed everyday university student. Morning sunlight gleamed from the windows, giving the impression of a lavish private domain rather than an ordinary dwelling.

Upon exiting, Catherine scanned the surroundings and grinned.

"So this is Leora’s place? It’s pretty spacious for a college student. She must come from money."

Sword Empress’s brow flickered at the pointed remark, yet she remained silent.

Instead, she strode forward, swinging the gate wide as though the words had completely bypassed her.

Vale trailed just a pace after, though his eyes lingered repeatedly on her retreating figure.

During the drive, he’d learned the full story. Sword Empress played the role of Leora, Isaac’s public-facing maid. He grasped the logic of the facade, but grasping it didn’t mean he could easily embrace it.

A reincarnated soul. A survivor from a bygone time.

Still, she presented herself as a youthful lady, blending in with them like she matched their years.

Out of every possible guise, she’d picked this one.

Vale’s face took on a hesitant look.

He abruptly recalled the elderly woman from the orphanage that had raised him and Celia. She’d constantly attempted to mimic a youthful girl, using babyish speech and acting as if she were merely in her twenties. Even then, it had disturbed him deeply.

Instinctively, Vale eased his pace and put some extra distance between himself and Sword Empress.

Sword Empress proceeded with steady composure, though her earlobes flushed a subtle pink.

No glance backward was necessary for her to sense the doubts swirling in his mind. Isaac and Alice fixated too intently on the estate to spot any oddity, yet Vale’s stare carried a heavy burden. Inquisitive. Critical.

Just Catherine picked up on the mix-up.

She grasped right away that Vale assumed Sword Empress’s mature look was her true form, with the youthful version a willful selection.

Catherine pondered setting him straight.

But then she recalled being pulled into this session’s workout with scant say in the matter.

She concluded there was no obligation to intervene.

They entered the estate.

The inside gleamed with tidiness and order, evidently handled by skilled servants. Several maids dipped in respectful bows as Sword Empress passed through.

Sword Empress addressed one of the maids. "Ensure nobody heads down here."

"Understood."

The maid gave a prompt nod.

Sword Empress unlocked the door to the basement and started down the stairs.

The group trailed after her.

Deeper than anticipated, the stairway narrowed as they descended. The atmosphere turned a touch chillier, and illumination from upstairs dimmed until only inset wall lights illuminated the path.

Down below awaited yet another entrance.

This one appeared far from commonplace. Its exterior shimmered oddly, resembling molten glass. The surrounding area looked subtly warped, as though the very atmosphere curved along its borders.

Sword Empress pressed her palm against a panel next to the doorway. A gentle buzz ensued. Thin rays of light swept over her hand, eyes, and features.

Moments later, a click sounded as the door unlocked.

On the other side lay emptiness.

Or so it seemed to Isaac, at least.

The view resembled contorted emptiness, curling and overlapping upon itself. No clear chamber lay ahead, merely a foggy pale swirl.

Sword Empress advanced boldly and vanished within.

Catherine let out a sigh. "Well, here we go."

She went in after.

Alice followed suit, with Vale right behind.

Isaac entered last.

As soon as he passed the boundary, reality seemed to warp.

His perceptions yanked askew, as if his form had been tugged via a tight rift in existence. For an instant, solid earth dropped away underfoot.

Suddenly, stability returned.

Isaac’s eyes adjusted to reveal him atop an expansive earthen plain.

Dry and solid, the dirt pressed against his boots. Overhead stretched a blank white expanse, void and incomplete, like an artist had skipped adding the azure hue. No clouds drifted, no sun shone, no logical skyline emerged.

Nearby, a modest wooden cabin rose.

Isaac pivoted gradually on the spot.

The area stretched endlessly.

Boundaries eluded his sight. No enclosures or limits appeared. It evoked the sensation of existing in an realm still under construction.

Sword Empress paid no mind to their astonishment. She headed to the humble structure and stepped within.

Silence hung among them briefly.

Isaac curled his fingers.

A sense of unease tugged at him.

He balled his hand and released it, cycling the action. Muscles responded, yet the usual rush of strength had fled.

He attempted to summon his power-up abilities.

Zero response.

Sealed away were his body-related upgrades. Even the constant perks from his powers had evaporated.

A furrow creased his brow.

Not total, the restriction felt. He sensed its delicacy, its brittleness. With genuine intent, breaking it would take mere will.

Yet concurrently, an innate awareness dawned on another fact.

Shattering it would invite expulsion from this domain.

He’d get ejected.

Sword Empress emerged once more, bearing an assortment of wooden armaments. Training blades. Poles. Rods.

Approaching, she hurled one implement toward each person’s toes.

"You must have noticed," she stated evenly. "Your stats, your physical enhancement skills, and your physique-based boosts have all been sealed. That is the effect of this place. Right now, all of you have roughly similar physical abilities."

Vale grasped a wooden blade and gauged its heft. "So we’re basically normal people?"

"Not entirely. Your foundations remain. But the overwhelming difference in raw power has been equalized," Sword Empress replied.

Isaac seized his training sword and gave it a casual sweep.

The swing dragged, feeling ponderous.

Sword Empress went on, "We are going to train in physical combat techniques. I will teach you one of my [Arts]. Weak stats are actually beneficial for this. For example—"

Her finger aimed at Isaac.

"—You’ve been overwhelming your opponents with superior might ever since you became strong. It isn’t wrong. You’ve been efficient, and you use your advantages well. However, it is entirely possible that you will face enemies who are much stronger than you."

Isaac dipped his head.

"You need to be able to fight when you are the weaker one. That is the purpose of this training. I will teach you one of my personal [Art]. If you perform well, I will also teach you the [Moon Sundering Slash]. It is the technique I used to cut the wings of the Catastrophe," she said.

A subtle tension gripped Isaac, Vale, and Alice.

That blow lingered in their memories.

To match such devastation, even Isaac and Alice would need their most potent moves. It hadn’t come off as effortless.

Vale gulped. "You’re serious about teaching that?"

"If you are worthy of it," Sword Empress replied.

Eagerness sparked in the trio’s gazes.

Catherine folded her arms, eyeing them with a touch of sympathy.

"The training is good, but isn’t learning all this going to take time? You told me to clear only today’s schedule." Vale said after a moment.

Catherine interjected prior to Sword Empress’s response.

"This is a hyperbolic time chamber. One hour outside equals one month inside," she said.