Sora raised his hand and used a massive amount of Life Force to heal the injured.
As their wounds closed and strength returned to their bodies, so turned their heads toward him and greeted him.
Without wasting ti, Sora asked the question burning in his mind.
"What's going on here?" He pointed at the sky where figures clashed fiercely. "How is he overpowering everyone?"
The nearest player, One Hundred-Seven, answered. "We all chose different classes related to weaponry, swordsmanship, and combat. He t the criteria for a Mythic class, while most of us only have Legendary ones, so he was ahead of us from the start. His class is based on a cultivation-style sword mastery. He just reached the level beyond Sword Intent—he calls it Sword Domain—and wanted to teach us."
Pausing, he gestured to the injured figures around him and added, "That's his way of teaching."
Sora didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the explanation.
"What's his class called?"
One Hundred-Seven responded, "Sword Immortal."
Sora nodded and turned his gaze toward the sky, watching the battle unfold.
One Hundred-One hovered in the air before One Hundred-Sixty and spoke in a calm tone.
"You rely on skill trees, buffs, combos, critical strikes, and damage multipliers to boost your power. I prefer to walk a different path."
One Hundred-Sixty shook his head. "I don't think we should abandon other thods just to follow the sa swordsmanship you're learning. Why not work together and forge an alternate, even stronger path?"
One Hundred-One lifted his weapon, his gaze locked on it. "You don't understand. This Swordsmanship… it's beautiful. It is on a different level. And I'm afraid it cannot be tainted."
Noticing Sora watching them from below, he exhaled and added, "Let's end this spar and discuss later. Get ready."
One Hundred-One's entire being exuded sword intent, forming an invisible pressure that warped the air around him.
The twenty Alter Egos surrounding him unleashed their own techniques.
One of them, who specialized in Energy Swords, summoned thousands of floating blades and sent them flying toward One Hundred-One. His attacks were fast and powerful, aid at overwhelming his opponent.
But One Hundred-One remained still.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword traced a single arc in the air. A wave of sword intent rippled outward, colliding with the energy swords. In an instant, the entire barrage shattered.
Another Alter Ego, who focused on Heavy Sword Techniques, charged forward. He swung his heavy sword in an attempt to cleave One Hundred-One in half.
But again, One Hundred-One moved effortlessly, stepping aside at the last mont and redirecting his opponent's blade toward another attacker.
He didn't even need to attack.
Sora focused on the battle, managed to understand so things. 'I was wondering where all that Sword Intent was coming from. It's a lot of energy after all. Way beyond what he should be able to wield at his level.'
He activated [Psychic Hold] and [Mana Eyes].
He could see an aura with the shape of a sword surrounding One Hundred-One's body.
'So that aura has an effect similar to [Loved By Mana] that is rapidly transforming the mana in the surrounding into Sword Energy. And he transforms all of that into Sword Intent... Interesting.'
Staring at the others who were using small amounts of Sword Intent he sighed, 'With their low reserves of mana and low levels, they can't compete.'
Realizing brute force wouldn't work, the remaining Alter Egos attempted a variety of tactics—switching up their attack patterns, focusing on speed, using feints, or even attacking with pure instinct.
None of it mattered.
Eventually, one by one, the Alter Egos fell back, gasping for breath, their energy reserves drained.
One Hundred-One stood in the center, untouched.
"You said you would teach us. But you keep on showing off," one of the exhausted Alter Egos complained.
One Hundred-One exhaled slowly, lowering his weapon. "I wanted to start with a practical example. What you've witnessed was the difference between those who wield the sword… and those who beco the sword."
"I'm not particularly proud of how I acquired this strength, but I believe in it. Trust , brothers. Forget everything you've learnt before. Throw away your classes, and start over. I will do the sa. I know I will reach the top, but I don't want to walk on this path alone."
Sora, watching from below, narrowed his eyes.
'Is he right? Wouldn't it be a sha to miss the opportunities we could gain by trying everything possible?'
While Sora was lost in thoughts, One Hundred-One appeared before him and spoke,
"I've heard from the brothers of the Soul Company they didn't lose anything upon rging and coming back to life. Instead they gained countless insights and mories that helped them in their new lives. To help everyone decide for themselves, I wanted to suggested doing the sa for our Sword Company."
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Sora listened to the suggestion, and looked toward the others, "What do you think? Want to rge back and absorb everything the others learned?"
One by one, they nodded.
One Hundred-One turned to Sora. "Then let's begin."
Sora took a deep breath and raised his hand. Using his [Alter Ego] skill, he willed their return.
One by one, they vanished, their Soul Power, knowledge, and experiences rushing into him.
Sora felt his mind expand as countless sword techniques, insights, and refinents flooded into his consciousness. Each Alter Ego had taken a different approach—so focused on speed, others on power, so on versatility, and others on pure defense.
'They had decent progress in two weeks.'
He didn't bother sorting through them all, as it was sothing he left for after the last fusion.
Finally, it was ti for One Hundred-One.
As Sora absorbed him, his consciousness was pulled into a storm of sword intent. It was as if he had stepped into a world of blades.
mories flooded his mind.
One Hundred-One's training replayed before him. His class choice, his dedication, his obsession with the path of the sword. Every slash he had practiced, every duel he had fought, every failure he had learned from.
And then—his skills.
Sora felt himself drawn into the techniques One Hundred-One had acquired.
[Loved by the Sword][Description: Sword Energy will assist the user and minimize rebounds from misuse. The surrounding energy is effortlessly transford into Sword Energy.]
Sora's breath caught. 'This skill… it's indeed similar to my Supre Skill effect [Loved by Mana], but for the sword. That's why his energy reserves seed limitless.'
[Sword Immunity (Peak) (Passive)]
[Description: Swords cannot hurt the user.
Hint: Can be deactivated.]
'A counter to sword users. I wonder how absolute it is. It's only rated as Peak after all... But the fact that it can be deactivated is good. That ans he can still train without relying on it.'
[Sword Intent (Superior)][Description: Using the user's reserves, transforms energy into Sword Intent (Superior).]
'Superior? He wasn't just using common Sword Intent. He was refining it into sothing stronger than what the others could achieve.'
He read the next skill's description.
[Sword Domain][Description: Using ntal Power, expand your will across a space, turning it into a battlefield where your Sword Intent rules. Within this space, all enemy sword techniques weaken, while yours sharpen beyond their limits.Additional effect: Effortlessly transform your Sword Energy into Sword Intent.]
'This is it. This is why no one could match him. He didn't just master his own sword, he also suppressed the other swords.
Everything made sense now.
'These skills have great synergy. He easily refines Sword Energy and uses the [Sword Domain] to change that into Sword Intent. And from his mories, he didn't even bother activating his Sword Immunity when sparring.'
Sora inhaled, feeling his understanding of the sword deepen.
[Faith in the Sword (Passive) (Evolvable)]Description:A Sword Immortal's strength does not co from external power but from their belief in the blade. The more the user relies solely on the sword, the more powerful his sword becos.[Additional effect: Understanding of the sword increases during battles and over ti.][Penalty: [Selfish Sword] – External forces such as magic, soul energy, and enhancents beco unresponsive while wielding a sword.]
'This is vague… But it hints at sothing incredible.'
A voice sounded in his mind, "Do you understand my obsession now?"
Sora sighed and headed inside his [Soul Palace].
He found everyone seated, silent.
He adressed One Hundred-One who had just spoken.
"So you want to walk on this path, relying on the Sword and forgetting everything else."
One Hundred-One answered, "Yes. And if all brothers from my company do that, we'll push each other to grow even faster... No one will be able to stand in our way in the future."
Sora hesitated. He had hoped that each group would blend different skills and classes, creating well-rounded warriors with unique approaches to combat. But deep down, sothing about this path felt… right.
He turned to the others, scanning the faces of the 'Sword Company.' "What do you all think? Are you willing to give up everything else and focus entirely on the sword? You can still train in your personal styles, but if you take this step, you'll have to abandon anything that strays from pure swordsmanship."
A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed his words.
Then, one by one, they stepped forward.
One Hundred-Seven was the first to move, standing behind One Hundred-One. "I'll believe in you. I'm in."
One Hundred-Seventy-Four crossed his arms and nodded. "I'll discard everything else."
One Hundred-Fifty smirked. "We've always spread ourselves thin, chasing different paths, looking for shortcuts to power. Maybe it's ti we put our faith in just one."
Sora let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm out."
The group fell silent again, eyes locking onto him in surprise.
"I've spent too much ti refining everything I've learned to throw it all away. But I won't deny this path could be the strongest. So I need proof.,' he continued. "I trust you all to prove wrong. I'll leave your company alone and focus on working with the other nine hundred Alter Egos in this dungeon to reach the top—my way."
He turned to One Hundred-One. "If you can surpass by then, if your path truly leads to sothing greater… I'll discard everything I've built and follow you into your madness."
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