Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 578: Enlightenment; Intent!

CH578 Enlightenment; Intent!

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[Ultimate Quickdraw Art: Death Phantom Razor]!

The final bits of power inside his frame were summoned by Havel, who then released the supreme skill from his Quickdraw Sword Style.

Swoosh!

As if time itself dragged on, his sword cut across the sky at astonishing velocity, aimed right at the koi drifting in the pool.

Miss!

Miss!

Miss!

Every one of the three parallel cuts missed its mark entirely.

Havel crumpled down onto his knees in exhaustion.

That frantic assault had missed completely, using up the very last reserves of power he possessed.

With his head drooping, he gazed emptily at the weapon gripped in his palm.

Agony and frailty tore through each part of his form.

But none of it filled his mind.

Havel's thoughts fixated solely on his sword... and the odd feeling that had surged when he swung moments ago.

’I felt it...’

’I felt something push back against my blade.’

’I was right!’

Even though the blow had fallen short, Havel pushed away the hopelessness trying to swallow him whole.

He zeroed in on the one bright spot instead.

His strike had truly quickened compared to earlier.

Thanks to that boost in pace, he had at last detected the barrier shielding the koi from his attacks.

’Faster...’

’I need to slash even quicker...’

Still, putting that into practice proved far from simple.

He lacked the power to even climb back up from his knees, let alone raise his sword again.

Moments ticked by while Havel fought to muster the vigor needed to get on his feet.

Every try wrapped up identically...

Defeat.

His reserves were just too depleted to spark any change.

Havel held fast to his unyielding resolve regardless.

Giving in at this point meant certain starvation.

’Get up!’

’Get up!’

’Get up, damn it!’

The commands thundered inside his head, repeating endlessly.

He wouldn't yield.

He wouldn't submit.

At long last...

Drip!

Deep in his anguish, Havel sensed a droplet fall into his power reservoir.

A fresh burst of vitality raced across his body.

Without pondering its origin, Havel directed the surge straight to his arms and legs.

Then awareness hit him.

It barely sufficed for a single closing move.

Victory meant a shot at living on.

Defeat spelled his end.

Havel hauled himself up from his knees bit by bit.

He dropped into his attack pose, ready to launch once more.

Right then, his mentor's voice rang in his thoughts anew.

—

"Death Phantom’s Razor is a tussle with the phantom of death. If you win the tussle, you live and gain the right to wield its scythe. If you lose... you die."

—

’I will survive!’ Havel bellowed silently.

In that moment, all that lay between him and the koi in the pond vanished from sight.

Reality shrank down.

Nothing remained but him and the fish.

One last swing...

A frantic blow that would seal his fate.

[Ultimate Quickdraw Art: Death Phantom Razor]!

The identical pinnacle method exploded outward.

Yet this round brought a huge shift.

One...

Two...

Three...

And at last...

Four!

Havel funneled his absolute final strength into the skill.

He shattered his boundaries at last, compelling a fourth parallel slash to emerge.

Crack—

Shatter!

The blistering pace demanded for that extra cut let Havel finally slip beyond the barrier guarding the pond.

From within, the shield fractured outward, its safeguards crumbling once Havel's sword pierced its surface layer.

The ward crumbled.

Now the seven koi in the pond stood utterly exposed.

Regrettably, a minor issue arose... Havel had utterly exhausted every scrap of power left.

He sprawled limp along the pond's edge, eyeing the fish lazily swimming below the surface.

Snagging one would demand hardly any work.

Yet he couldn't muster the energy to twitch a single digit.

Consciousness slipped away as his sight faded to haze.

Starvation loomed, set to claim him.

With even a sliver of power remaining, he might have chuckled at the bitter twist of dying like this.

Destiny proved a harsh tyrant indeed.

And so...

Darkness swallowed Havel's vision.

Death claimed him.

Or that was his belief.

-

Abruptly, Havel's eyes flew wide.

He discovered himself perched within the pavilion.

A partially devoured roasted fish sat clutched in his grasp.

Opposite him lounged the stunning elven swordswoman, serenely munching on her own fish.

"Did you enjoy your fish?" the elf inquired.

Havel gaped back and forth from the fish he held to the lady across.

Vitality brimmed through his body— as if hunger had never brought him low.

"What just happened?" Havel blurted out inevitably.

"Divine Enlightenment Koi," the female elf answered, gesturing at the fish in Havel’s hand.

"It creates an illusion of the consumer’s greatest fear in order to bring them the enlightenment they require."

"Congratulations," she added casually. "You have awakened your Sword Intent."

"Not only that, you managed to cultivate it to the third stage despite only being a Second Circle. I suppose the Divine Enlightenment Koi truly lives up to its reputation."

Incredulity filled Havel as he eyed the fish clutched in his fingers.

’A Class 2 (Intermediate) warrior with Tier III Sword Intent?’

Shock gripped him.

No tales of such a wonder had ever reached his ears.

A relic that could spark one's Intent already ranked as a revolutionary boon.

But this fish pushed boundaries further, elevating the fresh Intent beyond its innate level restrictions.

"Thank you," Havel expressed, offering a deep bow to the woman.

The elf flicked her hand away nonchalantly.

"I am only fulfilling a dying wish," she replied.

Her eyes settled on the man nearby— who echoed her people yet differed— prompting a reluctant head shake.

"I had intended to pass on my [Instant Horizon Sword Manual] to you," she said.

"But I can already tell that you would never abandon your current technique."

"That is rather unfortunate."

"It means my sword art will be lost to history."

A gentle sigh escaped her.

She reclined against the pond's shore, facing away from Havel while lazily skimming her fingers over the water.

"You may leave now."

"Your trial is over."

A glowing gateway materialized in front of Havel.

Unlike the specters in prior challenges, the elf appeared too idle to escort him out herself.

Havel inclined his head and rose.

He advanced toward the gateway.

But right before crossing its threshold, he halted.

Turning back to the woman, he spoke.

"What is your name?" he asked straightforwardly.

"I will remember it."

"I cannot tell you my name," the woman responded, not bothering to face him.

"After all, my sword art will remain lost to history because of you."

A wry smile crossed Havel's lips.

"Well, since that old man is pretentious enough to hand out such grand titles, I suppose I can do the same," the woman whispered so softly that Havel scarcely caught it.

"Instant Blade Empress," she declared abruptly.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a mischievous grin playing on her features.

"You may remember me as the Instant Blade Empress."

Havel dipped his head gravely.

"I, Havel Landomas, final disciple of the Phantom Flash Swordsman of the SageShadow Plane, pay my respects to the Instant Blade Empress."

He executed a formal Noble race bow, reminiscent of a kowtow.

Once finished, he stayed down on his knees, heels tucked under, sword laid over his lap.

"You have my utmost gratitude," he conveyed earnestly.

"I will never forget the favour you have done for me today and will forever carry it within my heart."

Awakening and nurturing his Sword Intent was just the start; he had also grasped the vital mindset to advance the [Ultimate Quickdraw Art: Death Phantom Razor], his sword style's crowning move.

For any Phantom Quickdraw Style practitioner, such a chance was priceless.

Gratitude swelled beyond measure in him.

The elf offered no glance to honor his statement.

She merely flicked her wrist idly.

The gateway flared up, yanking Havel inside and expelling him from the trial.

"Sigh..."

Once gone, a faint sigh rippled across the area.

The Instant Blade Empress stretched out on her back, eyes fixed on the pavilion's roof.

"What use is remembering the title of someone who died centuries ago?" she whispered, giving a slight shake of her head.

Her attention wandered back to the koi drifting idly in the lake.

"Phantom Flash Swordsman, huh..."

The words came as a quiet murmur.

"Sounds like the sort of rival who might have pushed me to try harder. Perhaps I might have grown stronger than that shifty old man."

"And if I had, maybe I could have defended our homeland better than he did."

Another head shake followed.

"What is the point of thinking about that now? I am merely a fragment left behind."

"Since my task is finished, I may as well slumber one final time."

A soft laugh bubbled from her.

"To think the end of the greatest genius of the elven race would be just as dull and lazy as the life I lived."

***