Sword Selection Ceremony (5)
- DOONG! DOONG! DOONG! DOONG!
With the solemn beating of drums, the Sword Selection Ceremony began.
The Sword Selection Ceremony was a ritual in which each participant was bestowed with the sword that matched their talents best.
What kinds of swords would the children here encounter?
- DENG! DENG! DENG!
As the priest rang the large bell, the boys and girls sitting in the front row of the participants' seats began to walk toward the Bladelake.
There were seven of them.
The Sword Selection Ceremony was held in groups of seven per batch.
"We're the last group."
Next to him, Yuria whispered quietly.
"Yes."
Ian was in the last group simply because he had arrived the latest, but for Yuria, being last was about making her the highlight of the ceremony.
Since an early age, Yuria had shown talents beyond her peers, attracting the Elders' and vassals' highest expectations.
They were all convinced that she would draw a legendary sword at the ceremony, so to build anticipation for the event, the protagonist was scheduled last.
'Of course, not even the elders or vassals would've expected Yuria to draw Genesis, the divine sword of the first family head.'
In the 1,500-year history of House Hisperion, the divine sword Genesis had only appeared three times—including Yuria.
The first was the founder, who established all the foundations and systems of House Hisperion before ascending.
The second was the 5th head, a swordsman so outstanding that he was still unfailingly mentioned as the greatest swordmaster of all time, and who surpassed the founder in swordsmanship.
And both of them had lived over a thousand years ago.
'Yuria drew the legendary divine sword that no Hisperion had been able to claim in a thousand years.'
Each time Genesis appeared, house Hisperion entered an unprecedented golden age.
The founder laid the greatest groundwork for the house under the sky, and the 5th head led them to prosperity beyond imagination by defeating the Dragon Lord in war.
The system the founder made was so neat and efficient—as if brought from the distant future—that even 1,500 years later, most of it was still adopted as is. The war trophies seized from the Dragon Lord by the 5th head of house remained crucial assets, widely used by Hisperion's elite swordsmen.
With such a background, Yuria being chosen by Genesis brought turmoil both within and beyond the house.
'The aftermath was tremendous.'
Not only was the succession order of the next head overturned, but the factions centered on direct descendants were greatly shaken, and it had a major impact on Hisperion's international relations.
'But...'
Yuria, who drew Genesis, was unable to lead the house into a golden age.
'Instead, the house fell into ruin...'
It was not a problem of Yuria's talent or qualities.
She surely had the makings to lead the house to a previously unseen height.
But...
'That vessel was crushed before it could even mature.'
At only twenty-five, she became the head, but the grand dukes of the demon realm, who had the might of demigods, were simply too powerful for her to handle. The wounds from the Hisperion civil war were so severe that recovery was nearly impossible, and humanity, lost in its own interests, turned its back on Hisperion.
In the end, all these misfortunes overlapped, and Yuria's brilliant talent was destroyed before it could fully blossom.
― KKUK!
Ian clenched his fist tightly.
'This time, I'll protect her. No matter what.'
So that Yuria's brilliant genius could bloom gloriously.
'That's why the sword I receive at this ceremony is so important.'
It was unlikely Ian would be chosen by Genesis, but if he could at least be bestowed a top-tier legendary sword comparable to it, his future plans would go much smoother.
― TOK TOK.
Lost in thought, Ian felt Yuria gently tap his shoulder.
"What are you thinking so hard about? Focus. It's almost our turn."
At those words, he looked around; most of the participants were already seated, hugging their swords.
There were only twelve children left without swords.
Seven received swords in each round, so after another seven, it would be Ian and Yuria's turn.
'Will Yuria be chosen by Genesis again this time too?'
And what kind of sword would he encounter?
There was no way to know until he saw for himself.
Ian waited silently for his turn.
― CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
― DOONG! DOONG! DOONG! DOONG!
Soon, the front group of seven finished receiving their swords, and it was Ian and Yuria's turn.
― DENG! DENG! DENG!
As the solemn bell echoed, Ian and Yuria, with three other boys and girls, walked toward the Bladelake at the center of the hall.
'It's been a long time since I've seen this pond too.'
He hadn't seen it since the lands of Hisperion fell to the demons.
Ian looked at the Bladelake.
Every now and then, from the abyssal depths—deep as a precipice—something flashed like a shooting star: the gleam of a blade.
'One of Hisperion's ancient mysteries.'
The Bladelake was also crafted by the founder—an artifact 1,500 years old.
No one knew what the bottom of that abyss was connected to.
'You couldn't enter it anyway.'
Though it appeared as a calm pond, true to its name, the Bladelake had the properties of a blade. If you dipped your bare hand in, it would come out a bloody, shredded mess.
'Only cold weapons are accepted by the Bladelake.'
Of course, in 1,500 years, people had tried to enter.
Some went in wearing protective gear, others used magic to survey the bottom.
But reportedly, no attempt succeeded in revealing what was truly down there.
'Well, that's not what matters right now.'
What mattered was that Ian was finally able to meet his sword.
'In my previous life, this was a regret and a curiosity—I never thought I'd experience it like this.'
Who could have predicted it?
That he would turn back fifteen years and stand here at the Sword Selection Ceremony.
'What will my destined sword be?'
― DOODOONG! DOODOONG! DOODOONG!
The drumbeat changed rhythm.
It signaled that all preparations for summoning the ancestors' swords were complete.
The boys and girls stood in a circle, as if surrounding the Bladelake.
― CHWARRRR! CHWARRRR!
For a moment, the priests standing behind them shook their bells...
― CHWARRRR...
And soon, the sound faded into silence.
In the stillness, the high priest spoke softly.
"Sword summoners, step forward in order."
At this, the girl on Yuria's left took a step forward.
From here, it was entirely up to the participants.
The girl stretched her right hand over the Bladelake and shouted.
"O great ancestor sword spirit, follow the light and descend upon me!"
There were no fixed words for summoning a sword.
You could call your sword as you wished.
The phrase the girl used was simply a conventional one.
― CHWAAAAAK!
Soon, her destined sword shot out, piercing the surface. The high priest gave a brief explanation.
"Breshar! The sword of a hunter who slaughtered countless vampires. Tracy Skal of House Skal. At her call, Breshar has responded."
Polite applause and excited murmurs rose from the crowd.
― CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
― RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
"Breshar...? Never heard of it."
"I hear it's the sword that fought against vampire clans a hundred years ago."
"It didn't slay a lord-class vampire, but it killed plenty of them."
"It's not a famous sword, but it's definitely that of a fine swordsman."
"Not bad at all. Though who knows what Lord Skal will think."
― CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
Watching this, Ian chuckled softly.
'They clap on the outside, but are busy giving their own verdicts.'
The ceremony proceeded smoothly, participant after participant.
"O great ancestor sword spirit, follow the light and descend upon me."
"Revarian! The great and honorable barbarian chieftain's greatsword. Colhen Meriweather of House Meriweather. At his call, Revarian has responded."
― CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
― RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
"O great ancestor sword spirit, follow the light and descend upon me."
"Jertis! A sword made from the fangs of an abyssal monster. Torebo Swift of House Swift. At his call, Jertis has responded."
― CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
― RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The two boys received reactions no different from the girl.
After several rounds of such applause and verdicts, it was soon Ian's turn.
'Hugo Greysel. My father. I bet he's somewhere out there watching.'
Among the packed spectators, somewhere, Ian's father, Hugo Greysel, was probably sitting.
'You never once expected the invisible, ignored fourteen-year-old to make his way here on his own strength. Now just sit tight and watch what kind of sword I pull.'
The Sword Selection Ceremony bestowed greater swords based on the participant's talent.
And at present, Ian's talent was not much inferior to Yuria, the greatest genius of the age.
Gifted with natural swordsmanship, honed skills, the Authority of Projection, and even a body restored from damaged mana circuits and dantian.
'Genesis might be too much, but if it's a treasured sword on the level of the sword of the Swordmaster Patriarch himself, I could easily draw it.'
With that conviction, Ian reached out his right hand.
"Follow the light. To me."
He boldly shortened the usual summoning words.
― SPLASH!
At his call, the Bladelake trembled violently.
― GURGLE! GURGLE!
― BUBBLE BUBBLE!
Suddenly, the water boiled and spouted up to waist height.
― CHWAAAAK!
At last, with a mighty spray, a massive greatsword shot up.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The exclamations came from two people: Ian and the high priest.
The colossal greatsword landed perfectly in Ian's hands.
Ian gripped the hilt with both hands and slowly examined his destined sword from top to bottom.
'This... is my destined sword?'
Teeth missing everywhere, rust eating into every inch—a pitiful sight.
Even the center of the blade was snapped clean in half.
'My god... Fantastic.'
And yet, Ian was completely satisfied with his sword.
'This is the blade used by the Grand Duke of Gluttony...!'
This was a sword Ian could never forget.
A devouring, evolving weapon that grew stronger the more it fed on the flesh and blood of the mighty.
It was Vladiark, the massive sword once used by the Grand Duke of Gluttony.
'Vladiark came out of the Bladelake?'
He'd always assumed, with its very name, that it was a weapon carried from the demon realm.
Though it startled him to see it here, it wasn't actually impossible given the circumstances.
At that time, the Bladelake itself had fallen to the demons.
The demons must have found some way to extract the swords enshrined in the Bladelake.
'So, the sword used by the Grand Duke of Gluttony... was my destined sword?'
Right now, it was a starved, battered shell. But in Ian's previous life, it had appeared completely different.
It wasn't broken, or chipped, or rusty; it gleamed with a vivid luster.
'The Grand Duke of Gluttony turned it into a monstrosity.'
No one knew exactly what or how much he'd fed to Vladiark.
But it was certain that countless powerful beings' flesh and blood were devoured.
'It was wartime, after all.'
Each time he devoured a comrade, after every battle, vladiark's power grew dramatically. It was a nightmare for Ian and humanity at the time.
'Even...'
That greatsword, growing endlessly alongside the Grand Duke of Gluttony's rampage, eventually shattered Genesis, the divine sword.
'Yuria lost her dantian and became crippled in that battle.'
It still gave Ian goosebumps to recall it.
The shock when Yuria's Genesis shattered like glass under the Grand Duke's relentless blows.
The despair when, in the next thrust, Yuria's dantian was pierced through.
So this sword...
'If nurtured, it could become even stronger than Genesis...!'
― WOONG! WOONG!
The sword resonated—so soft only Ian could hear.
The broken greatsword glowed faint red, crying out for blood.
'Of course. I'll let you eat and drink to your heart's content. What better sword could I find for revenge?'
Though this sword played a decisive role in Yuria's and House Hisperion's downfall, he felt no resentment.
It merely served its master's will.
If there was bitterness, it would be toward the Grand Duke of Gluttony alone.
Ian felt nothing but awe and joy at having acquired this sword.
'Grand Duke of Gluttony...'
Just as you did to Yuria—
'I want to drive this blade into your gut without delay.'
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Damn, nice way to give his sword a backstory...
I'm guessing those who are ignorant will sneer at him more.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】