A chill went down Justine's spine while cold sweat formed. Her Energetic Vectorization was alarmed after she felt an extraordinary energy signature beside the wave of Sword Energy
She could not understand the energy signature at all with Energy Contemplation. Not a single equation or variable was analyzed in the energy signature
"That was not Jude's! That was someone else!"
Justine muttered in panic
"Who else has the power similar to this energy signature? Alucard? The Old Man? No. Philip? There's no way!"
Justine did not believe Philip has another set of ability and it was the Sword Potential. Justine was not present when Alucard stopped Philip's sword attack on Jude and the terrain was repaired before she arrived
Philip only revealed four abilities during their conversation earlier but she believed that he had six
Justine was initially meditating about Philip's ability of Fate Control and Future Vision. She believed that it was impossible for him to have those kinds of abilities in such an age
She would believe him if he was a thousand or a million years old like Alucard, who possessed Pureblood that had 100 blood related abilites, and Jude, who was stuck as the sole Sword King in the world for a million years
But Philip was only 24 years old
She thought that he recieved these abilities through divine intervention, an artifact, ancient bloodline, or inherited abilities
She thought hard and deep and thought about his past that he shared. His suffering, his despair, his despearation, and his willingness to die. Perhaps due to these harsh events in his life, he managed to manifest these abilites
But it was still blurry and vague in her mind
"Controlling fate of anything and seeing the absolute future? That's the level of a god!"
{𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥... 𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵}
"But Philip is a regular human and if he is constantly using Fate Control, then there should have been repercussions whenever he used it, right?"
Justine tried to understand it the best that she can but she failed everytime. She just could not comprehend the full extent of Philip's abilities, until she had an epiphany
"Could it be? If Philip could control the fate of anything and anyone... Was he the one responsible for the transition of the Mysticism Age?"
Justine ended up with a conclusion. She thought about this because she is aware that fate can be small in scale or universal scale. If the transition of Mysticism Age cannot be explained and it just suddenly happened, then it would be obvious that Philip was the one responsible for it to happen since he has the power to control fate
"Nah, it couldn't be! His power of Fate Control is non-existent before the transition of Mysticism Age which, I'm sure, empowers all abilities"
In the end, Justine contradicted herself amd denied her conclusions. She wanted to believe and trust in Philip even though he is very mysterious
"What's happening to me? Why am I acting like this?"
She then realized that she was acting strange as she placed her hands on her red cheeks
She then broke her lotus position and lied on the bed and stretched her limbs
"That strange energy signature... I'll have to ask him about it tomorrow"
Justine prepared to sleep and tucked herself within the blanket
"Oh yeah, I wonder where he's room is supposed to be?"
Justine closed her eyes. She never noticed the unsuspecting stone suitcase that was above the empty office table inside the room
~~~
As the shattered fragments of the wooden sword disappeared, the glowing white lines on Philip's forearms, legs, and necks retracted into his skin. He then opened his eyes and it returned to normal
"S-sir Philip?"
Jude spoke after the scene died down. Philip slowly turned his head to Jude
"Who are you?"
Philip sighed deeply and sat back down on the wooden chair
"What do you mean? I'm just Philip. I'm not some kind of god or a devil"
"Is that so? I apologize for asking such a strange question, Sir Philip"
Jude warily walked forward and sat back down to his seat. He looked at his sword the was leaning againt the table and the wall and he could see that the sword was slightly trembling
"That's fine! Why do you ask anyway?"
"It's just that I couldn't sense your Sword Potential past a certain level"
"Really?"
Philip then suddenly became lost in thought. His Extreme Self-awareness ability activated in the middle of resonating with the wooden sword
First of all, he learned that the Eye Vision ability and Clairvoyance has resurfaced. He did not know why or how but he could see that he achieved the conditions for it
He remembered having the Eye Vision imaginary ability since he was a little child. He always strain his eyes to see at far away places. He even tried to use it to see distant stars in the night sky and assumed that he could see the stars up close. He also used Eye Vision to see small objects with accurate details like the strands of silk and thread on a fabric and cloth, the miniscule edges of a piece of paper, the jagged edge of the wood after being sawed, and the pores and hair follicle on his skin
As he grew up, he has forgotten the ability since he deemed it useless, the same way he has forgotten the Supreme Sense of Measurement because it overloads his brain
On the other hand, the Clairvoyance ability was a little vague back then. One, he could see the future accurately within the day and two, he could pinpoint the event that was happening in another place with accurate detail without seeing it
He thought that these two conditions were Future Vision in the same and dismissed Clairvoyance. Little did he know, it was completely different
How could see what was happening in the present with Future Vision? Future Vision was for seeing the future, not the present. Clairvoyance is for seeing the present in another place at the current time at the same time
Philip could facepalm hismelf at being ignorant when he was young
After seeing the origin and source of wooden sword, apparently the sword was an important tool to shape and start the universe. It was just flying around the explosion in point blank and started cutting particles like a chef's knife that prepares the ingredients for a dish
Until the sword was caught by the Primordial Remnants and was found after 14 billion years
The wooden sword also had a name, it was Primordial Fission as per its purpose since the birth of the universe
After the resonance was finished, the Primordial Fission shattered and disappeared. Philip was sad that he lost a good sword but it works out well since the sword has found its purpose again and it incorporated itself into the current universe as its very existence drifts through the universe like flower petals that fly into the sky
At this point, Philip's deep thoughts was interrupted by a voice
"Sir Philip?"
"Ah, yes?"
Philip jolted
"Would you like me to explain why I couldn't sense your Sword Potential after a certain stage in relation to the Universal Mastery Stages"
"Ah! Please go ahead!"
Philip manipulated the emotions in his head and removed his thoughts. The past is the past and he needs to dwell in the present. He is very interested in the system that measures someone's potential
He listened attentively and closely
"Currently, there are 17 Universal Mastery Stages that I know of"
~~~
The first stage is the Beginner Stage. A person at least needs to unlock their potential and handle aspect, expertise, or equipment
The second stage is the Advanced Stage. A person needs to at least win against a same stage or higher in a battle of skills and potential
The third stage is the Expert Stage. A person should at least be able to use their melee as a projectile, or their projectile as melee
In this case, if a person was using a sword, they should at least release a Sword Wave or Sword Thrust as the most basic sword projectile. Spear Wave and Spear Thrust for spear and like so
For bows, guns, and anything that deals with projectile, they should at least be able to defend and fight during melee while using their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment
The fourth stage is the Professional Stage. A person should at least be able to focus their potential unto their aspect, expertise, or equipment to possess a stronger strength
The fifth stage is the Master Stage. A person should be able to manifest an aura by themselves that has the power to intimidate anyone within his presence
Upon stepping into the Master Stage, the person can learn or use at least three skills and abilities of their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment
The number of skills and abilities increases by one the higher the stage is reached
The sixth stage is the Grandmaster Stage. A person should be able to create a domain by themselves according to their aspect, expertise, or equipment
Upon stepping into the Grandmaster Stage, the person can learn or use at least one technique or art of their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment
The number of techniques and arts can be increased by one the higher the stage is reached
The seventh stage is the Duke Stage. A person must be able to divide, split, or destroy a more powerful opposing force that is thrown unto them
The eight stage is the King Stage. A person must create their Personal Technique to be able to set foot on this stage. They must master the technique and make it their own that no one will be able to learn it
The ninth stage is the Lord Stage. A person must create or find the most suitable item or weapon and bind it to their souls as a Soul Artifact that represents their aspect, expertise, or equipment the best. They are also needed to use everyday object into their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment to cope up with their lack of item whenever it is needed
The Soul Artifact is bound to their souls. The stronger the soul of the person, the stronger the weapon will be and vice versa. The person and the artifact will benefit each other until their deaths or destruction
The tenth stage is the Emperor Stage. A person must be able to manipulate their aspect, expertise, or equipment without touching them. There is no limit to the number that a person can manipulate. The stronger the mind, the more number and easier they can manipulate
There is also a prerequisite to manipulate their own Soul Artifact without touching them
The eleventh stage is the Monarch Stage. A person must create their own Ultimate Technique that uses their own Soul Artifact. The Ultimate Technique must always be more poweful than the others and should not be able to be learned by anyone
Once an Ultimate Technique is created, it can never be changed into another technique again. It can only be strengthened and empowered or enchanted to become above others
The twelfth stage is the Sovereign Stage. A person must be able to command any respective aspect, expertise, or equipment that doesn't have any respective wielder. They will follow the person's every command
There is a chance to command a Soul Artifact that is several times weaker than its contracted soul
The thirteenth stage is the Missionary Stage. A person should be able to manifest their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment with the power of mind
The fourteenth stage is the Saint Stage. A person must learn and discover at least one World Skill of their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment
A World Skill is a skill that can affect the very nature and order of the world
The fifteenth stage is the Demigod Stage. A person will be able to receive Divine Intervention from the respective aspect, expertise, or equipment God to protect its own power from being taken away from them
The sixteenth stage is the God Stage. A person must be able to take the power away from the former ruler of their respective aspect, expertise, or equipment to take and step foot on the stage for themselves
There can only be one entity in a God Stage of a respective aspect, expertise, or equipment
Finally, the seventeenth stage is the Law Stage. The person in the God Stage must create a new law that must approved by the other respective aspect, expertise, or equipment Gods
Only a few laws has been implemented for over the course of 4.5 billion years because most Gods are selfish enough to not allow anyone reach the Law Stage
No one in the records has shown the existence of a person stepping into Demigod Stage to Law Stage
~~~
"That's all the mastery stages that are in my knowledge. I learned this from the book that was left by my mentor 1.8 million years ago"
Jude explained the Universal Mastery Stages to Philip carefully. The first stage to ninth stage had clear explanations and descriptions, whereas the tenth stage and above had vague descriptions
"So, there could be Sword Mastery, Spear Mastery, Bow Mastery, Alchemy Mastery, and such"
"Why is it called Universal Mastery Stages?"
Philip understood why it was called mastery stage, but why universal? He knows what universal meant, but in this day and age, names and words are powerful and its meaning and concept affect the very structure and system of the universe
That's what Philip believed at least
So, is the Universal Mastery Stages applicable to the whole entire universe, or just in Earth?
"It is because masteries doesn't only cover weapons or expertise, but everything that can be used in combat or quality of life"
Philip thought so, but it didn't escape the fact that there is a possibility that there are aspects, expertise, amd equipment available in the universe itself
"I see... What stage are you in?"
"I'm at Sword King, Sir Philip"
"Is it that hard to step into Sword King stage?"
"It's not that hard... It's just that I've been stuck as a Sword King for one million years"
"What? Is it because of your Reverse Sword condition?"
"Yes"
"What is the Reverse Sword condition anyways? Tell me in full detail"
"As you wish"
Reverse Sword is an extremely rare condition that can fall onto a Swordsman. Reverse Sword makes it so that the Swordsman switches their offensive talent and defensive talent
So, if Jude were to attack with a slash, his sword would instead defend rather than deal damage as the sword struck the target. It'll deal small blunt damage but it lost its purpose of the slash
If Jude were to defend, he would instead attack with no meaning behind it. This is the reason why Jude became too injured trying to defend from Philip's attack earlier
Of course, as a Sword King, Jude has been trying his best to cope up with his condition. He needed extreme concentration to switch meaning between offense and defense to properly attack or defend
This means that if Jude were to attack with a slash, he would immediately switch to defense and the attack would eventually connect. This works only half of the time
This is also the reason why Jude has been inactive for quite some time to find something that will remove his condition
"How did you get the condition in the first place?"
"Apparently, I was born with it... I only found out about it when I became the Sword King"
"Are there other Sword Kings in the world?"
"As far as I know, I am the only Sword King in this age. There are Sword Masters and a few Sword Grandmasters. My mentor was a Sword Monarch. He died when confronting a God"
Philip could only nod after hearing the death of Jude's mentor. He really didn't care but at least he should show sympathy
"You said you're a Sword King, right? What Personal Technique have you created?'
Philip couldn't help but ask, he was pretty excited to learn more about the sword. Jude fixed himself and reached for the tools that was on the table
There was the metal tweezers, a box full of round cotton balls, a flask that has a viscous fluid inside, and a 6-inch needle with a diamond tip
"This is an ordinary metal tweezers. Their purpose is to hold these special kind of cotton, Sponge Cotton that was cultivated by Mei'er"
Philip looked at the tools and listened carefully. Jude picked up a cotton ball with the tweezer and grabbed the flask. He also grabbed his sword and placed it across his lap
"The liquid inside this flask is a special kind of oil. It was made by Vanessa and she called it Quenching Reactive. It's purpose is to make the blade of the a sword as hard as possible by compressing the molecules without changing the shape or mass"
Jude took a dab of the oil with the cotton and smeared it above the surface of the blade. Philip noticed the chips and gaps across the surface. He was curious as to why the swlrd was designed like that
After Jude smeared the surface of the blade with the Quenching Reactive, he took the needle with a diamond tip
"This is an ordinary needle with a diamond tip. Although I like to call it as Impurity Chipper. It's purpose is to chip away the impurities in a sword"
Jude started to draw lines and curved across the blade that had the Quenching Reactive smeared above. The blade created gaps and chips on the surface of the blade
"What is the purpose of all of this?"
Philip asked. It seems that he was dejected that the sword was being brutalized, like it was being vandalized. Philip somehow didn't like this since he believed that it was cutting away the essence of the sword but he decided to know at least why
"This is my Personal Technique, Sword Limit Treatment Technique. It unleashes the full potential of the sword itself and becomes imbued with power. Every sword as a different limiting treatment and I have trained my eyes to see the lines inside the sword that are needed to by chipped away"
Philip was impressed at Jude's Personal Technique. He now understood why it seemed like Judes was destroying the sword. He commended Jude for creating a unique technique rather than an offensive or defensive Personal Technique
Well, it makes sense because of his Reverse Sword condition
"By the way? What is the level of my Sword Potential and which stage would I belong?"
"I'm going to be honest, Sir Philip. Your Sword Potential is so high that I couldn't sense the full extent and limit of your potential. This also means that you already passed my stage and I can't pinpoint where you belong"
Philip was speechless. How could he have a higher Sword Potential than Jude, who has lived for over a million years?
There only could be one explanation, it's possible that it's because of the transition of Mysticism Age or his Fate Control. He couldn't remember controlling any fate of related to sword at all. Perhasp it was just his love in sword
Perhaps there was someone intervening outside of his comprehension. Someone was giving this much Sword Potential in him. It could also be perhaps because of the Primordial Fission but it's unlikely since he already had this Sword Potential during the Mystical Test back then
Anyways, he accepted it anyway and he feels cool just by having it, especially he really liked swords
Now that Philip thought about it, if Jude has been stuck in Sword King stage for a million years, then what stage should Jude be right now?
Philip became curious and interested. He decided to help Jude in his condition
"What if I told you that I can somehow remove your Reverse Sword condition?"
Jude abruptly turned his head at Philip with wide eyes. He then relaxed his body and spoke
"Nah, I doubt it, Sir Philip. The Old Man couldn't find any cure and even Vanessa couldn't remove it. I'm happy to be living with this condition for millions of years more"
Jude shrugged his shoulder and gave Philip a gentle smile
"Thank you, Sir Philip, for your consideration. I appreciate it"
"What if there's actually a chance?"
Jude's face became tense again and trembled. He wanted his condition to be remove so he could be stronger and explore more of the meaning of the sword. He was expectant and there was a sliver of hope and light that was being presented in front of his eyes
He reached for that sliver of hope and light even though he knows that it won't work or happen. At least he should try it and be respectful to the Homeowner with his offer
Even if he would talk with the devil, he would do it
"What do I have to do, Sir Philip?"
Jude turned his head towards Philip with eyes full of conviction, hope, and expectations
"You don't have to do anything, I'll just touch your forehead with my finger"
Jude was confused at Philip and his methods. He just let Philip do what he needed to do
Philip extended the two fingers on his left hand, the index and the middle, and closed the rest of the fingers
He then stood up and walked to Jude and placed the two fingers on Jude's forehead
Philip closed his eyes and concentrated. Jude saw this and closed his eyes also. He was praying and hoping with his entire heart
A few moments later, Philip's consciousness was pulled to somewhere else