Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 427: The Legendary Weapon, Three Month Hell

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Previously on Gathering Wives with a System...

The group arrives at Sword Empress's manor, disguised as a university student's home, where Vale misunderstands her youthful appearance as a deliberate choice. They enter a sealed basement chamber that warps space and suppresses their physical enhancements, equalizing their abilities in a vast, unfinished white expanse. Sword Empress distributes wooden weapons and begins training them in combat techniques, stressing the importance of fighting when weaker, and promises to teach the devastating Moon Sundering Slash to worthy students. Catherine reveals the space as a hyperbolic time chamber, where one hour outside equals one month inside.

A heavy silence descended.

“You’re joking,” Isaac whispered.

“I’m afraid I’m not,” Catherine answered. “This area allows entry only once each year, and just five individuals may go in together. There’s additional information. It exerts intense strain on the soul. Should a person of frail resolve attempt to enter, their soul might shatter completely.”

Vale’s face transitioned from thrill to gravity.

Isaac shut his eyes for a moment.

Soul strain.

That clarified the subtle burden he’d sensed upon arrival. It wasn’t overpowering as of yet, yet it lingered, weighing down subtly.

Sword Empress drove her wooden sword into the soil.

“Time passes differently within, yet the toll builds up as usual. Weariness, psychological drain, and soul strain will gather. Exit is possible whenever desired, but after leaving, re-entry is barred for this year.”

She gazed at each of them sequentially.

“I expect you to stay inside for a minimum of three months.”

“Master... isn’t three months the full duration available yearly?” Catherine interjected.

Sword Empress eyed her briefly. “Indeed. Why do you ask?”

Catherine compressed her lips tightly.

Briefly, it seemed she desired to elaborate. Isaac could nearly perceive the deliberations unfolding in her mind. Then she merely shook her head.

“Nothing,” she murmured softly.

Sword Empress observed her a moment more before dropping the subject.

Without further speech, she extended her hand to her waist and unsheathed her sword.

Isaac identified it right away.

Ezkavorn.

It matched the weapon she’d attempted to release partially prior to battling the N’theris Serpent a few weeks prior. At that time, merely loosening its seal had sparked a clear boost in her power. When she had unleashed it entirely in subsequent fights, the transformation proved staggering.

Even at present, merely viewing it prompted Isaac to instinctively stiffen his stance.

Sword Empress wielded the blade several times across the barren white expanse, probing the atmosphere as though loosening up. Then she channeled mana into it.

The sword started to shine.

Silver radiance undulated along its edge, and its form altered.

The blade contracted and broadened.

In the instant that followed, it morphed into a sleek, silver baseball bat.

Catherine abruptly trembled.

Isaac spotted it without delay. Her pupils constricted to narrow lines as she fixed her gaze on the bat, resembling one beholding a deadly foe. No pretense marked that response. It stemmed from pure instinct.

Vale furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter with you?”

Catherine offered no reply. She gulped instead.

Sword Empress positioned the bat over her shoulder.

“This is [Bat]. It serves as a fabled training instrument once imparted to Sword God by the War God. Across my prior life and this current one, I’ve guided numerous valued pupils using it.”

‘Isn’t that merely a baseball bat? That brings to mind, this marks my initial encounter with a baseball bat in this realm,’ he pondered.

Sword Empress surveyed the trio.

“You appear doubtful. Step up, one of you. I’ll showcase its value,” she declared.

Alice advanced simultaneously with Isaac.

Vale shifted as well.

Yet prior to any managing more than one step, Catherine acted swifter. She discreetly seized Alice’s sleeve and yanked her rearward, then tugged Isaac gently.

Isaac glanced at her in surprise.

Catherine evaded his gaze.

“Excellent. Courage to advance is commendable.”

Sword Empress nodded approvingly, observing Vale.

Vale halted abruptly.

He gradually swiveled his head, realizing he alone progressed.

Sword Empress motioned offhandedly. “Attack me with all your might.”

Vale clenched his wooden sword tighter. He paused for an instant, then charged ahead.

His steps remained firm. Intense practice over the recent days had merged his extensive fighting background with a marked enhancement in power.

He struck smoothly at her shoulder.

Sword Empress reacted.

The bat glided ahead like a serpent, its trajectory arcing past Vale’s sword with seamless accuracy.

The bat grazed his shoulder.

Nothing more.

Vale cried out.

The yell erupted from his throat uncontrollably. He staggered rearward, collapsing to one knee as though his shoulder had burst apart.

Isaac’s eyes sharpened.

That blow hadn’t appeared forceful. It had scarcely touched.

Vale gripped his shoulder, his breaths coming in gasps. Perspiration streamed down his brow in moments, and his frame quaked.

But then his features altered.

“...What?”

His respiration hitched.

An odd expression passed over him.

The ache persisted. It burned fiercely, piercing and dominant.

Nevertheless, another sensation blended in.

Relief.

Isaac observed perplexed as Vale’s countenance contorted, not solely in torment, but in a more intricate manner. It resembled indecision between wailing or exhaling deeply.

“It feels— “ Vale panted. “It feels off.”

Similar to tasting tart and sugary simultaneously.

The blend of agony and solace felt peculiar.

He remained kneeling for multiple seconds before gradually rising.

He peered at his shoulder.

It appeared utterly normal.

Not a single mark existed.

Actually, a change had occurred.

Vale examined his forearms.

“The scars have vanished,” he whispered.

The faded marks that once dotted his skin had been wiped away entirely.

He tested his shoulder rotation carefully.

The lingering ache from their latest drills had faded as well.

Every bit of built-up weariness from the preceding days had evaporated instantly.

Sword Empress offered a subtle smile.

“The bat won’t injure you. Rather, each contact heals your weariness and wounds,” she clarified.

“So you mean—”

“Being struck benefits your physique.”

A quiet fell.

Catherine sealed her eyes momentarily.

Sword Empress went on, “Rest assured. I’ve adjusted the Bat’s training level to the lowest. Alongside the pain, comfort accompanies it. This aids adaptation of body and spirit. Following one month, I’ll eliminate the comfort feature.”

Catherine quivered.

Even Alice retreated a pace. She recognized that whatever provoked Vale’s scream had to inflict excruciating torment.

Isaac detected another detail.

The phrasing of Sword Empress’s final remark carried a nuance. Her smile varied little, yet it seemed icier.

“Hold on,” Vale uttered deliberately. “Thus, if struck, we endure severe pain. Yet healing follows.”

“Correct.”

“And should we evade hits?”

“Your wounds and tiredness persist.”

Isaac grasped it at once.

This space already nullified their boosted attributes. It burdened their souls. Weariness would amass ordinarily.

Yet the bat dispelled tiredness.

Implying—

Sword Empress leaned the bat on her shoulder once more.

“Strikes from the bat prevent sleep or unconsciousness. Contact erases exhaustion. Hence, true rest demands exhaustion without impact,” she stated flatly.

Vale fixed his stare on her.

He parted and shut his mouth repeatedly like a fish, speechless.

Alice breathed out gradually. “To sleep, then, we must dodge you until collapsing from sheer fatigue.”

“Precisely.”

“And if struck—”

“Pain will surge,” Sword Empress stated serenely. “Followed by complete revitalization.”

Isaac nearly chuckled.

Absurdity defined it.

Ingenious, yet absurd.

He inwardly damned the devious War God for passing this regimen to Sword God.

Sword Empress rapped the bat gently on the floor.

“Approach now, all of you. Or I’ll advance to you,” she warned.