The sky above the battlefield was still gray and heavy.
Snow drifted slowly through the cold wind. The ground was white and silent except for the distant sounds of battle echoing far away.
Duke Sant stood on the broken snow-covered earth.
His body was covered in blood.
His ribs were broken. His jaw was loose. Every breath felt like knives stabbing into his chest.
Yet he did not fall.
Slowly, Duke Sant raised his hand and grabbed the left side of his chest.
His fingers pressed tightly against his clothes as if he was trying to pull sothing out from inside his own body.
His breathing was rough.
"It has been a year..." he muttered quietly.
"...since I reached the peak stage of Grandmaster."
A small tired smile appeared on his face.
"I wonder if I can reach the Ascended stage now."
He slowly closed his eyes.
For a mont nothing happened.
Then—
The world changed.
The wind stopped.
The falling snow seed to slow down.
The battlefield that had been full of noise suddenly felt quiet.
But in truth, ti itself had not slowed.
Only Duke Sant’s mind had changed.
His thoughts began to move faster. Much faster than normal. Because of that, everything around him felt slow and distant.
It was a strange feeling.
A very strange feeling.
It was similar to the mont when a person faced death.
When soone saw danger coming but had no way to escape.
No way to stop it.
In that mont the mind sotis drifted away.
mories appeared one after another like pages of a book being flipped by the wind.
However this mont was not about death.
This mont was about sothing else.
It was about reaching enlightennt.
It was about stepping into the next stage of existence.
The Ascended Stage.
Before soone could reach that stage, they would experience sothing special.
Sothing that only happened once in their life.
A mont that could never be repeated again.
This mont was called—
Rembrance.
Duke Sant stood still on the battlefield.
His body did not move.
But inside his mind—
His entire life began to pass before his eyes. A warm mory appeared first.
A mory from long ago. A mory from when he was still a small child.
A tall man stood in front of him.
The man had a strong face and sharp eyes.
In his hand he held a sword.
The man slowly placed the sword into young Sant’s hands.
"Here is your sword, son."
"You will be the next patriarch of our family."
"So make sure you are worthy of that title."
The young boy looked at the sword with shining eyes. His small hands could barely hold the weapon properly.
But he was extrely happy.
That night he swung the sword again and again in the courtyard. He did not stop.
He kept swinging.
Again. And again. And again.
Until his arms beca numb and his body collapsed from exhaustion.
The mory slowly faded.
Another mory appeared. This ti he was older.
About fifteen or sixteen years old.
He was standing in the large courtyard of Akron Academy.
That was the place where the greatest talents of the empire gathered.
Duke Sant rembered the young faces around him. So of them were his rivals.
So of them later beca his closest friends.
There was the young man who later beca the Emperor.
There was the current dean of Akron Academy. There was also Vined’s father.
At that ti they were all full of pride and fire.
Every day they fought. They competed in swordsmanship.
Magic.
Strength.
Speed.
None of them wanted to lose.
But strangely, those endless fights slowly turned their rivalry into friendship.
They laughed together. They drank together. They dread about the future together.
Another mory appeared.
One day during his final year at the academy, Duke Sant was returning ho in a horse carriage.
The road was quiet. The horses were moving slowly.
Suddenly—
Bump!
The carriage shook slightly. The driver quickly pulled the reins.
Duke Sant stepped out of the carriage with a frown.
He expected to see soone injured.
But when he looked forward—
A young girl stood there.
She looked perfectly fine.
However the milk jars she was carrying had shattered on the ground.
White milk spread across the dirt road.
The girl looked at him with burning anger.
Without warning—
Smack!
Her hand hit his face.
"Can’t you see I was crossing the road?!" she shouted.
Young Sant stood there in shock.
His cheek hurt.
His mind was blank.
He blinked and muttered without thinking.
"But... lady... I was not even driving the carriage. Why did you hit ?"
The girl did not care. She continued to argue loudly.
Their first eting ended like that. They separated in anger.
But fate had strange plans. Later they t again by coincidence.
This ti the girl looked calr and more mature. She apologized for her behavior that day.
After that they started talking. Then they t again.
And again. Little by little they beca friends.
Then they beca closer.
Even closer.
Eventually—
They fell in love.
Their marriage was not easy. Many people objected.
The girl was a commoner. But Duke Sant did not care.
He ignored all criticism and married her anyway.
The mory shifted again.
A few years later his wife beca pregnant.
Then one day—
A baby girl was born.
Duke Sant still rembered holding that tiny child in his arms.
Her little fingers wrapped around his thumb.
He smiled softly in the mory.
"Elena..."
"Elena Sant."
That was the na he gave her. Elena grew up quickly.
She beca more and more beautiful each year.
But what made Duke Sant proud was not her appearance.
It was her personality. Her kindness.
Her intelligence. Her talent.
She shined brighter than anyone else.
Duke Sant was extrely proud of her.
However the family retainers were not satisfied.
They constantly complained.
"My lord... one day Lady Elena will marry and leave the house."
"What will happen to the Sant family then?"
"You must think about an heir."
In the end—Duke Sant had a son.
He nad him Veer Sant. The na ant bravery.
The two children grew up well.
Ti passed peacefully.
Until one day Elena returned ho from the academy.
She stood in front of him with a nervous face. Then she said sothing shocking.
She had fallen in love.
Duke Sant felt sothing strange in his chest at that mont.
Jealousy.
His sweet little princess loved another man.
He wanted to know who it was. When he heard the answer he froze.
It was Vined.
The son of his close friend.
Still—
A father could not give away his daughter so easily.
Duke Sant secretly arranged a test.
He created a situation where Elena was betrothed to the younger brother of Duke Ravan.
Vined had no choice. He had to fight for her.
The duel was fierce.
In the end—
Vined won.
He proved that he was worthy. Even though Duke Sant acted grumpy and stubborn...
He allowed the marriage.
Later that night—
He secretly cried. Because his daughter was leaving ho.
The mories continued to flow. Years passed. His hair slowly turned gray.
Then one day he received news.
Elena had given birth to a son. His first grandson.
Later another grandson followed.
Vivian.
Edward.
Two boys full of life. The mories slowly faded.
Duke Sant blinked.
His eyes opened again. The battlefield returned.
Snow still fell from the sky.
Only a single mont had passed in the real world.
Across from him—
47 was slowly walking closer.
But Duke Sant now had a sharp grin on his face.
"So this is how Rembrance works..." he muttered softly.
His hand tightened against his chest.
Rembrance was not simply recalling mories.
It was about strengthening the soul.
Every mory.
Every emotion.
Every joy and regret.
They all gathered together and ford the core of the soul.
And the soul—
Was the key to reaching the Ascended stage.
Duke Sant looked at 47 calmly.
47 was approaching with the black scythe raised.
"What are you grabbing, you dying old—"
47 suddenly stopped.
A white light began shining from Duke Sant’s chest.
47 stared in confusion.
Duke Sant smiled.
"Nothing much."
"I think I am just tired."
He slowly pulled his hand outward.
"Let finish this."
Sothing appeared in his hand.
A pure white hilt.
It looked like the handle of a sword made entirely from light.
47’s eyes widened slightly. Duke Sant slowly pulled harder.
The blade began to appear.
A shining white sword slowly erged from his chest.
47 stood there in stunned silence. Duke Sant looked at him calmly.
"It is ti to end this."
He pulled with all his strength.
The sword fully erged.
The white blade shone brightly in the gray sky.
Duke Sant spoke softly.
"Soul Sword."
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