"Now that you've made it this far, I've already seen your moral character. All I have yet to witness is your strength with the sword." The guardian of the ninth floor revealed himself .
He was wearing a white robe which amplified the aura of purity he was eluding unintentionally. This man didn't have to explain himself, it was evident to Ace that he was someone who lived for the sword.
That man picked up the sword because that's all his mind is devoted to. That was the first impression he gave Ace.
"Guardian of the Sword Tower, please show me what your definition of the sword is." Ace requested politely, his sword leaving its sheathe valiantly to face the strongest opponent they have met until now.
"Of course, that's the purpose of my arrival here. If you intend to meet the nine sword masters that control the Sword Court, then prove to me that you are worthy to see their sword unsheathed." The guardian replied without backing down, his elegant longsword drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
"Young boy, you may make the first move." The guardian said with his sword pointing towards the ground, the ground beneath the guardian trembling in fear as energy gathered into his sword.
Ace infused his Scarlet law into his sword, drawing a crescent in the air which went on a rampage, threatening to rip the air apart while advancing towards the guardian who raised his sword slowly.
*Zwoop*
The crescent was nullified as though it had never appeared, the sword from the guardian had devoured Ace's attack as though it was some delicious meal.
How is this possible? Thunderstruck, Ace stopped in his tracks for a moment, giving the guardian the time to prepare his second attack.
"Don't let your guard down in a battle." The guardian reminded before dispersing this attack of his.
"Thanks for sparing my life." Ace thanked the guardian from the bottom of his heart.
"Raise your sword again, the battle is far from over." The guardian demanded as he leaped into the sky, not with his cultivation, but with wings of feathers that were formed by his sword law.
"I cultivate the angelic sword law that represents purity, I was granted divine strength capable of anything. My attacks are a symbol of calamity that doesn't bring about destruction, my speed is faster than that of what your eyes can capture, my heart is one you can never see through."
The guardian raised his sword and sliced down, drawing an arc in the sky which collided against Ace who only had time to raise his sword.
"Argh!"
Stabbing his sword into the ground after receiving the impact, Ace and his sword slided meters away from the guardian, carving a deep mark on the solid ground.
Vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood, Ace raised his head. His determined eyes staring right into the eyes of the guardian who wasn't backing down either.
It was a battle of determination and will to win over the other. Ace was determined to face those that were stronger than the opponent he was facing regardless of his fate in this battle. The guardian was faithful to its role and responsibility to stop anyone from meeting the nine sword masters of the Sword Court.
To be more exact, the nine Sword Supremes from the Sword Court. That was the title they were recognised with.
The guardian felt his mind shaking for a moment, the split moment of distraction losing him the visual battle. It had been distracted by this youth who had destroyed his mental fortitude with a relentless tidal wave of regret.
What if he had chosen to rise even higher and attempt to defeat the Sword Supremes of the Sword Court? Would he have a different future where he stands at the peak while others look up to him as a legendary figure to be respected?
*Swoosh*
As someone who has been through countless battles with his life on the line despite his young age, Ace seized the opportunity and charged towards the guardian with his sword stabbing towards the guardian without any law infused into it.
He was relying only on his physical strength and swordsmanship which he obtained after an infinite amount of time spent on grueling training each and every single day.
"I have been foolish to rely on external laws to strengthen my sword against a young boy like you." The guardian descended onto the ground and retracted his wings, embracing the impending attack with his sword as the boy and guardian exchanged this one move which contained all their feelings.
I can't give in here right now, the sect and Charlotte are still waiting for me, the system and its origin are still waiting to be discovered by me. That was the only notion which Ace had right now, but this was more than enough.
His sect was the one which gave him the courage to challenge the world at some point of time after it developed.
Charlotte was the one who accompanied him and brought back some sense in him before he lost himself to the harsh reality of the cultivation world.
The system was the one who gave him a new lease of life right when he was at the brink of death at that surreal death moment.
As for the guardian, it wanted to release its pent-up frustration and anger for having restricted itself thinking that it was already at the peak.
The guardian wanted to return to his previous self and glamour when he was young, it was late, but it would never be too late.
Two sword masters, each more determined than the other collided against each other, neither willing to give in as both of them sent the other retreating backwards.
But this was only the beginning as the guardian and Ace exchanged moves with each other again and again.
Their blood stained the ground which had already dried up by the time the two of them fell onto the ground helplessly. Their body was completely deprived of the slightest stamina to stand up right now.
The guardian thought that it had ended up a draw and was about to tell Ace that his journey had ended here, but that young boy had proved him wrong.
Ace stood up against the cries and screams of his body, his torn muscles were screaming in pain with him trying to stand up, his arms hanging to the side of his body listlessly, but this was it, he stood up, he won the battle with a brittle smile as blood flowed down his face.
Stabbing his sword into the ground, Ace asked weakly, "Have I passed the test?"
The guardian sighed and broke out in laughter, "Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Of course, of course. You may proceed to the top of the tower now, the moment you step through the door, your injuries will be healed."
"Thank you for the intense fight. I hope that we get to face off against each other one day, in a true battle with our cultivation and sword laws."
"If that day comes, let's hope that we can be allies." The guardian laughed before guiding Ace towards the peak where the nine Sword Supremes are residing at right now before returning to recover his injuries.
He had plenty of time considering that even the Sword Scholar and Cody had only reached the eighth floor of the Sword Tower.
Right now, thirteen days have passed since the opening of the Sword Tower. As Ace was racing against time, he had to fulfill his goal in coming to the Sword Tower within the stipulated amount of time because of the promise he made with the sect.
As for spreading the fame of his sect, that would have to wait until he leaves the Sword Tower.