6.18.
Drip. Drip.
Sounds and movements ceased as everyone took in the sight before them. Blood spilled over his clothes, a pool of red beneath his feet.
‘Hah.. why does this.. happen..’
Even though Schwii will tell him to stay safe.
Even though Evelyn hated that he always hated doing things alone.
Even though Leticia would feel wronged for not being able to do anything.
The taste of iron in his mouth, the feeling of pain which wrecked to tear him to the ground.
Yet, he was still standing.
Everything around him began fading, he felt himself being compressed further, and further to his core instincts.
His right hand burned, the crest lit up in an ominous purple.
Brilliant blue eyes faded into a shade of toxic purple, the grim expression on his face loosened up as his body relaxed.
A bright purple flame burned around the area of his open flesh, spreading all across the ground, as if the blood were oil.
Sequence flicked the spear in his hands, now possessing a metallic gleam to it.
“What an usual gift. I hadn’t expected that you could stand after all that,” Sean was the only one standing before him.
“...”
“I didn’t have any intentions to kill you of course. I’ll be sure to punish whoever that successfully kills you though.”
Sequencee responded by swinging his spear.
A portion of the ground was gouged as the fake image of Sean dispersed into smoke. The knights which were standing behind combined forces, using various gifts, magic and a shield formation to dissipate the impact.
“Now, now. Don’t be so mad. I said that it was just a mistake, didn't I!”
Sean’s clones rushed in at him at once.
[Unique Magic: Xerox]
[Activated Skill: Remote Down]
[Universal Magic: Break Magic]
[Unique Skill: Invalidate Gift]
[Support Magic: Augment]
[Support Magic: Clothed Aegis]
[Support Magic: War Song]
[Unique Magic: Mana Link]
[Unique Trait: Split Damage]
The combination of gifts from the knights behind Sean. The multiple clones were shining in a subdue light from the gift of [Support Magic: Clothed Aegis]. [Support Magic: War Song] and [Support Magic: Augment] boosted their overall abilities; [Unique Magic: Mana Link] and [Unique Trait: Split Damage] reduced the mana expenditure and damage taken. [Activated Skill: Remote Down], [Universal Magic: Break Magic] and [Unique Skill: Invalidate Gift]
were somewhat a sort of debuff, one functioning similarly to a non-fear inducing bloodlust and the other two working in tandem to reduce his ability to call upon other tools in his arsenal.
Though, it seems that beside [Activated Skill: Remote Down], the other two debuff gifts didn’t do anything to stop his unusual magic–
Drawing their blades together to form a close knit web of attacks which should be impossible to block. A tap of the sharp end of the black dragon spear on the ground generated five purple orbs.
The attacks clash with lighting sparks spreading far and wide, if not for [Support Magic: Clothed Aegis], Sean’s clones would’ve been dead by now. Furthermore, as the person himself wasn’t the main body, the magic of one source was multiplied to five.
[Universal Magic: Break Magic]
The lightning orbs Sequencee created dimmed at the swift command of the gift.
Two twirled their bodies in the air to push down another strike. Two more landed, regained their stance and attempted to cut down the magic through, while the last one sacrificed and tossed himself directly at Sequencee.
Against the force of [Activated Skill: Remote Down], Sequencee raised his spear in a diagonal to redirect the angle of the blade of the Sean before him before having it crash into the blade of the Sean which was to the right of him. The Sean to the left of him slammed into a magic barrier. His purple orbs of lightning exploded, sending four of the decoy stumbling backwards instead of to their deaths.
The Sean closest to him swung his sword forward, to which Sequencee stabbed his spear in counter while pulling back.
Cling– Clash–
The spear blurred into multiples, applying some effects of illusion magic, multiple wounds were inflicted against the clone.
Sequencee hoped to utilize [Illusion Magic: Universal Haze], to spread a dense mist around him, but it was again countered by [Unique Skill: Invalidate Gift].
A dance of clashing blades happened between the two while the other four decoys got into position for another charge.
Moving towards Sequencee’s flank, he swung his sword upwards to deflect Sequencee’s crude swing of the spear.
Unlike a normal spear where the shaft was smooth enough for the swords to slide through, giving the swordmaster some leverage in using momentum, the black dragon spear had plenty of rigid edges which kept changing in form. Sean was unable to use his usual techniques in countering users of a halberd.
An illusion of a spear came from the upper right and lower right. Not knowing which was real, he jumped back. Then came a spear motion stab headed right to his heart.
Twisting his body to the side, the real blade sliced his thigh.
Instead of blood, mist poured out of the wounds.
Finally, the four clones moved.
As someone who had decided to give up the spear and focus all his efforts on magic, was there a need to swing around this weapon?
No. It was obvious from his show of spearmanship that his skill was lackisidial.
Stored inside were years of energy which hadn’t been used, packed so densely that only a delicate touch was needed to release it. He could use it much like a combat-ready magic staff.
With all the practice to perfect his magic control, trying to tame this beast was now possible.
The function the tuner locked– this was one of them.
Access to mana which had been accumulating within the artifact.
Sequencee drew an arc in the dirt.
And from the ground in a crescent shape before him, a space cracked open and dense purple flames spewed out fanning outwards.
Aegis cracked.
Two Seans sacrificed themselves to flames.
The other three, using the two sacrifices as foothold, they jumped, bodies covered in flames.
Individually, Sequencee could tell that Sean was stronger than Lancet. Yet despite this, when put up against Sequencee’s overwhelming mastery in magic, it was weak.
However, thanks to his unique gift [Unique Magic: Xerox], he was able to multiply his powers and possess an almost immortal quality.
He could enter a deadly situation and fight foes he would die to without the risk of dying. And that was only one of the many applications to it.
[Activated Trait: Blade Pulse]
The three of them performed the same maneuver. Yet it was one which Sequencee couldn’t seem to counter with his current speed.
However..
The flames which spanned the whole surroundings burned up the grass.
The swords smashed into a bubble barrier and were thwarted off. The three clones were devoured in flames.
The hole in Sequencee’s stomach had disappeared.
Sequencee raised his spear and pointed it towards the knights beyond the field of flames.
Mercilessly, a command left his mouth.
===
Anna was dragging a large case on the ground. Pulling it before Sequencee’s study, she wiped the non-existent sweat off her forehead and knock on his door.
The eleven year old Sequencee who had been diligently reading about magic opened the door and looked at his mother and the big black case in alternation.
“Wow?! What’s this?” his response was delayed.
“It’s your birthday gift.”
“Ah.. I thought.. you already bought me one.”
“Fufu. It’s from your father.”
“What?!”
“Come, open it.”
The small Sequencee, realizing that this was the first time he had actually received anything from his father, bubbled up in joy.
Unclipping the hinges that kept the case shut tight, he threw open the lid.
What he found inside was..
“No.. way..”
A jet black spear.
It was nothing like the majestic World Tempest Spear which Anna owned, but the grim, gothic design of it felt just right for him. He didn’t know why, but the spear seemed to match his wavelength.
Sequencee reached out and touched the flat part of the blade. A cold, scary texture to the smooth surface. Sequencee saw goosebumps rise on his arms as he struggled to contain a grin.
“Why.. all this time, I thought father didn’t care about me..?”
While it Sequencee had always wondered who his father was, it was this gift which truly sparked his curiosity. Before this, he had thought that there was no need to know who his father was, his mother was all he needed. But having received something like this from this mysterious person? There was no way he didn’t want to not thank him.
“He cares about you dearly. The way he shows it is just different.”
“I can.. take this out, right?”
“But of course!” Anna giggled.
Sequencee held the heavy spear with both hands. It was heavy, and even taller than him.
“Wow..” Sequencee couldn’t hide his awe.
He tried to carry the staff as would the training pole, but he found that it was impossible. The weight just didn’t feel right.
“Well, that’s because you haven’t formed a contract.”
“A contract?”
“This isn’t just any spear, it’s a bonafide artifact from the Last Era!”
“Whaat?!”
Everything from the Last Era could be said as an amplification of the current times. Thanks to the peace that has ensued the past 500 years, atrophy has settled in. The people of this era can’t possibly compare to those living in those dark times. The skills required to survive then and now have changed, strength in battle is no longer an absolute need when there are many other doors of opportunity available.
While it could be said that society as a whole had grown complacent, looking at it in another way, the lack of any need for absolute strength has propelled people into a focus for better livelihood and overall satisfaction of life.
“Wow.. and what’s that?”
Inside the case, there were small key-like modules. Two of them.
Anna picked up the note and read it.
“It seems like these are called tuners– ah, no wonder it wasn’t reacting. These tuners are sealing the function of the weapon.”
“Then I need to put it in?”
Following the instruction outlined, he inserted the first tuner. Like placing a bullet in a cartridge, it fit snugly in place.
In Sequencee’s hands, the spear began to glow in a sinister light.
“Wow..”
Instead of revulsion, Sequencee felt a sense of attraction.
A slight pain burn itself into Sequencee’s palms, but he did not let go. Bit by bit, the spear crumbled into a sort of purple-black mist. In scattered throughout Sequencee’s body, enveloping him– absorbed by him, until what was left of the spear had been integrated within him completely.
“Wow..”
“Sequencee!”
Blood dripped from his nose. And the next thing he knew, he passed out.
Splashing into a sea of darkness, he opened his eyes. In the distance he saw a fading light. The water was heavy, yet his body kept sinking.
He opened his mouth and took in a breath of air, it tasted like bitter tea. Unpleasant, though Sequencee could bear this much.
He propelled himself forward with his arms, kicking his legs behind him in whatever random motion in order to reach that purple light beyond.
Minutes, hours– in this realm where time had no sense of flow, his mind felt astonishingly clear and focused. He didn’t feel panicked, somehow, he knew that everything would be alright. As long as he pushed towards the light, he would make it out of here.
Closer and closer he got, the brightness grew greater.
And what he found was an egg.
A translucent egg glowing in a purple light. He saw the shadow of a dragon.
“Wow..”
He crossed the final stretch, his palms touched the warm surface of the egg. A smile naturally blossomed on his face.
He closed his eyes, and felt everything click into place.
The next thing he knew, he found himself inside a hospital room. He got up from the bed feeling completely refreshed. Looking out the window, he noticed that it was the depth of night.
He turned to the couch, and laying there was his mother covered in a woven blanket.
‘I actually passed out.’
Though Sequencee was curious how long it was that he had been out, he didn’t want to bother his mother who was fast asleep. He stretched his hands out and from it the shape of a spear took form.
Unlike it’s form fresh out of the case, the spear had adjusted himself to Sequencee’s physique. It was no longer as long, or as heavy as he expected.
“Wow..”
Seuqnecee had lost count of how many times he expressed his awe.
He knew that this was going to be his buddy for a very long time.
He called it..
The Black Dragon Spear.
