I still in disbelief. Atroxia, is in my hand. I actually got a sacred blade.
"You are the Arch-Sabre, right? A contestant from the Hero Armament Championship. I will go straight to the point, as a sacred blade wielder, right now, I'm sure you can feel a different sensation from usual."
"True," I replied.
"That's the power of every sacred blade, only a chosen wielder can feel the sensation, but I will explain this later, I want you to discover the power of Atroxia. Atroxia is one of the most mysterious blades of all but, I know you can do it. Take this skill chip and install it in your SACRED device, its skill name is Levitate. You can levitate with this skill, for 30 minutes. Let's kill that dragon."
He gives me the skill chip and go back to fight the dragon. I insert the chip in a skill slot on my sacred device. After installing the program, the chip is now empty, so I just discard it.
"Evans… is that really…" Elea talk with her faint voice.
"I don't know yet, but I think so…" I answered to her.
Once again, I tried to lift the rubbles on Elea's leg and unexpectedly, I am able to lift it. I think my physical strength got multiplied by a huge difference than before. I carried Elea in my arms. Her legs are severely injured to the level I couldn't bear to watch it.
"Activate Levitate."
[Levitate(A-rank): Grants user the ability to levitate and move freely on the air for 30 minutes.]
Apparently, levitate is an A-rank skill that I have ever used in my life for the first time. A second after activation, I start floating and the able to move my body on the air is natural as I want to walk. I moved outside the arena in a location of people that injured are being treated. Lilith is there, healing most of the wounded by a strange power.
"Lilith!"
"Evans!? Oh my god!! What happened to Princess!" Lilith shocked as she saw Elea's crushed leg.
"Lilith, can you heal Elea?" I asked.
"Oh my god, this is too much… I'm not sure…"
"Please, we have no time!"
"I will do what I can, lay her down right there."
I put Elea down on the spot Lilith pointed to me. While healing Elea, Lilith looks at me.
"What is that sword Evans?"
"This? I am not sure either. Richard says it is one of the sacred blades, named Atroxia."
"That is Atroxia?" Lilith shocked.
"Yeah."
Looking at the sabre, it's had a quite threatening design, the aura it's unleashing is clearly different from any of sword I have ever wield, but it has the same feeling when I hold my bow, the power rise by my emotional state.
"I have to go."
"Alright, take care of yourself."
"Got it."
I fly back into the arena, seeing Crysdraga is still rampaging and most of the dragon-slayer are critically injured. Prince Richard is panting hardly. I take a deep breath. I notice that my body are somehow improving itself, I feel so calm and currently at my top form. My senses are so sharp that I can almost focus to everything at my surrounding to a certain extent.
"I will get you, you damned dragon. Here goes."
I storm directly to the rampaging dragon, swing the Atroxia to the right shoulder. Without wasting time, I get behind its neck while smashing its crystals at the same time by spinning my body and the sword. My movement are incredibly precise and connected to each of strike I landed upon Crysdraga. The vicious dragon did try to pound me as I move but my reflex is significantly better that usual making every single of its attack are utterly useless against me. While I am doing the attack, some of the dragon slayer watch me in complete awe. They start to talk to themselves.
"How is he swerving his movement so quick?"
"Yeah, it's just bewildering…"
"He is as good as the prince, or perhaps better…"
I do not intent to hear their conversations but it's just that is how good my senses are right now.
"That's masterful Arch-Sabre!!" Prince Richard praised.
"Thank you!"
"But we need to end this quick, it's getting stronger!" he advised.
"Roger!" I agreed to him.
All of sudden, the crystals on Crysdraga body extended to a certain length but I am able to avoid it. Crysdraga unleashing a powerful, pressing roar to the surrounding followed by barrage of crystals from its body. I successfully deflected all the attacks directed to me.
"HUMAN!!"
T-the dragon… speak?
The voice from the dragon surprised everyone at the scene.
"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THAT BLADE!!" Crysdraga shouted in a roaring manner.
"What do you mean—"
Prince Richard's unleashed the Radiance Strike at the dragon before I could finish my question.
"THERE ARE NOTHING TO BE TALK ABOUT! YOU ARE A MONSTER, BORN TO KILL AND HUMILIATE INNOCENT HUMANS! I WON'T LET YOU ROAM FREE!!" Prince Richard exclaimed.
Everyone at the surrounding looks like they don't aware and some were surprised with sudden shout from Prince Richard. Perhaps only me and the prince can understand this creature language.
"GROOOOAARRRGHH!!"
Once again, the dragon unleashes a deep, powerful roar. Then the pair of wings that was completely destroyed are growing back instantly. Crysdraga ascends to the sky with its wing. I and Prince Richard followed it as quick as I can because it's already 18 minutes since I activated it.
"WIELDER OF SACRED BLADE, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILL OUR FOREFATHER DRAGORATH, SHALL DIED BY MY POWER TODAY!!!"
"We won't let you do that!" I replied.
We both charging at him with our full energy.
"YOU BOTH ARE UNWORTHY OF THOSE SACRED BLADE, YOU TWO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF HOW POWERFUL THE POWER THE BLADES HOLD!!"
Crysdraga unleashes his barrages of crystal from his whole body.
"Oh no! The barrages will hit the citizens!!" Prince Richard stated his worries.
In an instant, a magical barrier is forming in a shape of extremely vast cube container, confining Crysdraga, me and Prince Richard inside it, simultaneously trapped all of the barrages inside. At the edges of the container, there are a lot of abundant dragon slayers holding the magic. A dragon slayer from the group right behind us approaching the prince.
"Please forgive our late arrival your highness, I am Mercury Stellar, Leader of Military Dragon Slayer division have arrived with three hundred of backups. My team and I will first work on strengthening the barrier before joining the fight, is that alright, your highness?"
"It's okay, I rather you work on the 'Execution Zone' than joining the battle, looks like our sacred blades are quite effective against the dragon."
"Your sacred- blades? This person too?" The man pointing at me.
"Yeah, he is the one for 500 years after the Arthur Astrea, the next wielder of Atroxia, The Eternal Sabre."
The man and everyone behind him are surprised after hearing that. Well, if this is truly Atroxia, I suppose that kind of reaction is acceptable.
"I understand your highness. Then we will support you from the outside."
"That will be a great help, thank you leader," Richard thanked the man.
"My pleasure, your highness."
The leader return to his previous spot, continues on strengthening the barrier.
"Prince… I mean, your highness—"
"Feel free to call me Richard," Richard replied casually.
"Eh! But that's too…"
"It's okay, you called my sister Elea right, I have never once heard a guy called her that. So please call me Richard too."
"Ah… I understand… then… R-Richard…"
"Yes?"
"What was that 'Execution Zone' thing?" I asked.
"Oh, this magical barrier confinement spell name, 'Execution Zone'. Apparently, it's an SS-rank spell."
"SS-RANK?"
"Yeah, I bet you are surprised. This is the first time it has been activated inside a city. This skill is extremely powerful to confine a SS-class, several S-class and abundant of A class all the way to E-class monster. Only a human can go inside or outside of it. Anything trapped inside will literally be imprisoned. But as you can see, it requires a massive amount of magical energy to initiate and maintain."
"I see…and by the way, you can call me Evans," I replied shortly.
"Understood, then let's continue our fight, Evans!" Richard proposed.
"Yeah!"
We both dive forward to Crysdraga, continue on damaging its hard body.
"GET AWAY FROM ME HUMANS!!" the hurting dragon enraged.
Crysdraga released the barrages of crystal again, but we dodged them.
"Radiance Strike!!"
The dragon groans in pain. I think Richard is starting to get the feel of the "Radiant Strike" move for a while now. He's been striking the dragon with that constantly and I can see it is getting stronger each time. I bet my blade have some kind of moves too. I just keep on slicing it's the hard, shiny body of Crysdraga. But Crysdraga is exceptionally persistent. Every time we wounded it, it just restored by to normal.
"I have been slashing and pounding for a while now, but I don't seem to see the end!! I have another 3 minutes until the Levitate skill deactivated!"
"Yeah, I agree. You see Evans, about Atroxia, I have read several abilities of Atroxia and the most popular among them is the ability to sharpen itself for every swing. I am not sure how you can figure it out, but I think you must feel something different than the first time you swing the sword right?"
"That's true, I did feel my slashes feels powerful than before."
"Try to focus on that more. Get the feel. I am sure you can do it."
"Alright."
His words and intonation are so different than the first time he talked to me. This time it's soothing and encouraging. I take a deep breath, focusing on my sabre, feel it… just like when I am training with gramps. Just in that one second, my memories flashes as I close my eyes.
"GRAMPS!!!" my little me were screaming for my grandfather on an event that I could not clearly remember.
My mind is focused solely on the sword and the dragon. I moved and started slicing all over the body of Crysdraga without stopping a single second. Every swing that I hit upon its body, I can feel it… the blade itself is getting sharper and more powerful than before. But…
"More!"
I can feel it…
"More!!"
My concentration on the fight is slowly…
"MORE!!!"
Consuming my consciousness.
"MOREE!!!!!!!!"
In the heat of moment, I unexpectedly unleashed a phenomenal, tremendously violent slashing force right between its eyes, pushing through all the way to the end of its body. Just then, I realise that I am not being myself until I slowly regain my awareness.
"What is…" I said right when I gained my consciousness.
"YOU BELONG…WITH US… ARCH… SABRE…" Crysdraga uttered its final words.
Crysdraga body was cleanly cut into halves and fall directly onto the ground, totally flatten the grand arena.
"Arch…Sabre?" I asked to myself.
I am confused right now. Why? Because every single person right there is looking at me, with a disbelief look, including Richard. The barrier has been undone. Everyone was kind of keeping their distance from me.
"W-what happened?" I asked.
Suddenly, my body start to descend to the ground with gradually increasing speed. It's because the Levitate skill has reached its limit.
"Evans!" Richard called out to me.
He dives directly to me as quick as lightning, instantly catch my hand then slowly putting me down on the ground.
"Thank you, Richard," I thanked him for saving me.
"My pleasure."
Then he also landed to the ground.
"Evans… are you okay?" he asked.
"Hm? Yeah why?"
"It's just—"
"EVANS REINHARD, DROP THE SWORD AND RAISE YOUR HAND!"
"WHAT?!" I staggered.
The leader of the dragon slayer and his whole gang surrounds me from all direction with their weapon in a ready position.
"Leader Mercury, what is the meaning of this?" Richard asked.
"He is an extremely dangerous man your highness. To let someone like that to roam free, it's the same as letting another SS-class level monster with the ability to destroy the land anytime to walk freely!"
"Why do you think like that? He is the one that killed the SS-class monster to save the entire city!"
"But he is basically a walking disaster your highness!! To cut through a Grand Dragon and destroyed an SS-rank magical barrier simultaneously… IT'S FAR TOO DANGEROUS!!"
"ENOUGH!!" Richard shouted.
The leader slightly lowered his head.
"I… broke the barrier?" I asked with full of curiosity.
Richard turned his face to me slowly.
"I will explain it to you later," he replied with a slight concerning face.
"Leader, I will deal with this myself, you can go back with all of your man."
"I… I understand," the leader responded and returned to their base with all of dragon slayers.
"Evans, can you spend your time at my room tonight?" Richard invites kindly.
"Your room?"
"Yes, at the castle."
"E-eh… is it okay for someone like me?"
"It's okay, I'm the who invites you after all."
"Well… but I need to make sure my mom and sister is safe first."
"They have been secured and safely brought to the castle."
"Eh? The castle?"
"Yes, I ordered my men to bring your whole family to the castle, even your father."
"I-is that… alright?" I ask with guilt.
"It's okay… you don't have to be feeling guilty or worried. Your family will be within emperor family care starting from now.
"I-I see…"
Richard smiles and tap on my right shoulder.
"Let's go," he said.