Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 576: The Weapon of War and Survival

CH576 The Weapon of War and Survival

***

When Alex arrived within the trial space, he found himself standing in a black void of complete emptiness.

Confused, all he could do was wait for the familiar voice of the Heaven and the Earth that usually announced the nature of the trial.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.

The voice echoed almost immediately.

”The Heaven and the Earth is an unending battlefield— a poisonous jar into which all denizens are thrown and forced to compete against one another. A vast struggle, a ceaseless competition, where only the strong —usually those without fatal weaknesses— can survive and prevail.”

”To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to accept the reality of this lifelong battle which has shaped the Heaven and the Earth, as well as all its denizens.”

”To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to be willing to compete within this lifelong struggle.”

”To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to shed all weaknesses in order to survive and prevail within this eternal battlefield.”

”O ye who seek the Legacy of the Heaven and the Earth... shatter your weakness and stand amongst the Strong!”

The final declaration reverberated across the void.

Suddenly, numerous figures materialised before Alex.

Towering energy avatars appeared in the darkness, each one possessing indistinct facial features yet clearly defined forms.

Every avatar held a different weapon.

Sword. Spear. Halberd. Hammer. Axe. Bow. Knife. Staff. Whip. Baton...

The avatars towered over Alex, each radiating a powerful aura that seemed inseparable from the weapon they wielded.

It was clear that every one of them had dedicated their entire lives to mastering their chosen weapon.

Even standing still, the way they held their weapons conveyed a terrifying level of proficiency.

Each of them gave off the unmistakable impression that, with their chosen weapon in hand, they were unrivalled beneath the heavens.

Then, all at once, the avatars raised their weapons and pointed them toward Alex.

Hum—!

A crushing pressure burst forth.

The force from the weapons struck both Alex’s body and mind simultaneously.

’Weapon Intents!’ Alex realised instantly.

Reacting on instinct, he gathered his Spiritual Force and resisted the various weapon intents attempting to invade his being, pushing back against them with everything he could muster.

It was obvious that these faceless individuals were not even exerting their full strength.

Yet even so, Alex felt as though he were on the verge of collapse.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he managed to push back the oppressive force of the weapons.

Well... almost all of them.

All except one.

Alex dropped to one knee as this final weapon intent continued to press down upon him, relentlessly suppressing his body and spirit.

The other weapon intents withdrew.

Their avatars retreated silently, leaving behind only the one whose weapon intent Alex had failed to repel.

Now only that towering avatar remained in the void with the Legatee candidate.

Through sheer stubbornness and iron will, Alex endured the suppression for a little longer and forced himself to look up at the gigantic figure.

Suddenly, a glint flashed within the avatar’s indistinct eyes.

The glint flared into a brilliant light that flooded Alex’s vision, blinding him and forcing him to shut his eyes.

-

The next moment, Alex felt a gust of wind brush across his face.

The air felt fresh.

But noticeably thinner than what he was accustomed to.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

He found himself standing atop a picturesque mountain peak.

The place carried a similar immortal ambience to the Heaven–Earth Concordance Stele Mountain, where they were currently undergoing the trials.

Yet it was also... different.

Alex stood upon a lone peak within a vast mountain range of jagged summits.

Each mountain rose like a blade thrust defiantly toward the heavens, their sharp peaks piercing the sky.

However, the peak beneath Alex’s feet was the sole exception.

Unlike the others, it did not end in a natural summit.

Instead, it formed an impossibly perfectly level plateau.

It looked less like a natural formation and more like the remnant scar left behind by a legendary strike.

As though some ancient Sword Immortal had once cleaved the crown from the mountain with a single, unimaginable slash.

At the centre of this clearly artificial plateau stood an ancient sword.

It was embedded deep into the ground.

The weapon itself looked old and unassuming —almost plain— yet it carried an indescribable weight of presence.

Perhaps that was why Alex had instinctively formed such an impression of the mountain.

Suddenly, a phantom appeared beside the sword.

’No...’

Alex corrected himself.

’That’s no phantom.’

Alex stared into the eyes of the burly yet athletic middle-aged man before him and immediately realised something. He was dressed in a sleeveless training garb reminiscent to those of the East from Alex’s previous life.

This was no phantom like the ones he had encountered in the earlier trials.

Behind those eyes was a clear mind, a distinct will... and perhaps even a soul.

”Welcome to my Sword-Cut Peak, Legacy Seeker,” the man said calmly.

The man reached out and grasped the sword embedded in the earth, pulling it free in a single effortless motion.

Watching the scene, Alex suddenly felt a strange illusion.

It simply felt right.

As though the sword had always been meant to rest in that hand.

And that hand had always been meant to wrap around the sword’s grip.

The man and the weapon seemed perfectly suited to one another.

’No...’

Alex corrected himself inwardly.

’The man and the sword are not merely suited to each other... they are truly one.’

Alex clasped his hands together respectfully and offered the middle-aged man a small bow.

”May I be granted the honour of knowing Your Excellency’s name?” he asked politely.

”And would Your Excellency please enlighten me as to what I am expected to do?”

”My name is irrelevant,” the man replied, shaking his head slightly. ”I am merely a fragment of a bygone era.”

Then, as though recalling something, he paused.

After a brief moment, he changed his mind.

”You may refer to me simply as the Sword Emperor,” he said.

”For in my lifetime, there was none between the Heaven and the Earth who could match me with a sword in hand.”

Alex’s eyes flashed subtly.

He seemed to grasp what was happening.

Still, he held his tongue and waited patiently.

The Sword Emperor continued.

”You are here because your weakness has been identified.”

He waved his hand.

A sword materialised in the air above his palm.

With another casual motion, the sword shot forward and embedded itself into the ground directly before Alex’s feet.

”Among the origin weapons, your weakness lies with the sword,” the Sword Emperor said.

”This trial exists to remove that weakness and turn you into a competent swordsman.”

”Pick up the sword.”

The command was plain and direct.

Alex frowned.

”I am not a swordsman,” he said calmly.

”And I have no intention of becoming one. I see no reason to pick up a sword.”

”No reason to pick up a sword...?” the Sword Emperor repeated.

”Haha...!!!”

He suddenly burst into loud laughter, as though Alex had just told the greatest joke in the world.

Alex’s brows furrowed even deeper.

When the Sword Emperor finally stopped laughing, the amusement in his eyes vanished.

His gaze turned cold.

When he spoke again, his voice seemed to echo not only in Alex’s ears, but directly within his mind.

”Between the Heaven and the Earth lies an unforgiving crucible.”

”A battlefield of kill or be killed.”

”A never-ending war of survival and death.”

”In this furnace of war, countless weapons have been forged and taken up by warriors.”

”Yet without dispute —without even the shadow of a doubt— the sword stands as the king of all weapons.”

”Do you know why?”

Without waiting for Alex’s response, the Sword Emperor continued.

”Because the sword is the only true armament of war and killing.”

”It has but one purpose.”

”It exists for one reason alone.”

”And in that purpose, it reigns supreme.”

”War... and killing!”

The Sword Emperor’s gaze became unbearably heavy as it pressed down upon Alex’s shoulders.

”You are a seeker of the Legacy of the Heaven and the Earth.”

”Competition. Battle. War.”

”These will become your Fate and your Fortune.”

”No matter what path you choose to walk, you will never truly escape the sword.”

”The sword is the symbol of war.”

”The symbol of power.”

”And the symbol of survival.”

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the oppressive gaze vanished like a mirage.

”Now a choice stands before you. When the time inevitably comes for you to take up a sword...”

”Will you do so then — when you do not know how to wield it?”

”Or will you do so now — when you still have the opportunity to learn?”

”The choice is yours, Seeker.”

Although the Sword Emperor presented it as a choice, the air around him carried a pressure eerily similar to that of Jared.

And if the middle-aged man before him truly possessed the same immovable will as that middle-aged bulwark...

Alex realised something.

There was no real choice here.

Not truly.

Alex sighed.

Then he bent down and picked up the weapon he had never intended to wield — the weapon he had never imagined he would need.

’Let’s get this over with.’

***