As soon as I thought those words towards Justice, the sword began glowing brightly.
I unsheathed it and many new messages appeared on my status menu.
{Manual class change activated by: 'Justice'. Arcane Executioner > Arcane Fencer(T)}
{New skill(s) gained: J.Justice Strike LV.EX, J.Punishing Stab LV.EX, J.Blood Price LV.EX, J.Judgement Thrust LV.EX, J.Righteous Execution LV.EX.}
{New abilities gained: Justice Form Two: Chain Weapon, Justice Form Three: Guillotine.}
"Iris, you might want to step back..." I said.
Isabella and Iris both watched in awe as I read the runes on Justice.
"JUSTICE, HEAR MY CALL! HE THAT JUDGES THINE ENEMY IS THE JUST ONE!!!"
There was an powerful burst of magic as the runes glowed bright crimson and my arms were covered in spiked chains.
Interestingly enough, they weren't causing me any harm.
But I knew what these chains were capable of.
I decided not to activate Guillotine right now as I had no idea what that would do. At the same time, I dispersed the chains and put Justice away.
"Isabella, is Honor communicating with you?" I asked.
She nodded.
"I don't feel right using this sword..." She said.
"Please do this for me. Walter would want you to use it if you had to anyway. I'm sure he would be proud."
"I see. Honor wants to formally ask permission from you as well," Isabella said.
"Umm...you have permission to be Isabella's sword?" I said uncertainly.
Isabella paused for a moment as if she were listening. Then she smiled and held the sword close.
"Honor, I accept your temporary contract.
At once, the sheath disappeared from the massive blade and she held it up high. The runes shifted slightly and she read them.
"HONOR, HEAR MY CALL! SHE THAT RESPECTS THINE ENEMY IS THE HONORABLE ONE!"
Finally, the sword changed to a massive battle-ax.
Then Isabella changed it back and put the sword down to her side.
"Mizik, it seems like Honor can become larger to suit the wielder in its third form. It's called: 'Heavy Weapon'."
"That thing must be able to hit incredibly hard then..." I said.
"You two never cease to amaze me," Iris chimed in.
We looked at her and she was smiling.
"I was worried about being attacked by the Overlords, but now I plan to issue a statement to them."
"Telling then what, exactly?" I asked.
"Not to attack or risk losing more of their numbers. You two seem to be strong enough to repel them again. At least for the most part..." Iris said as she glanced at my arm.
Every time I was reminded of it, I felt a surge of anger in my chest.
Then, Iris disappeared.
Seconds later, I heard Justice speak to me.
[Easy now. We will have our satisfaction, mighty Overseer. May I call you Mizik?]
Sure. I'm counting on you to help me prepare for that fight.
[Very well. It shall be my greatest honor to personally aid the Overseer! But as soon as Vengeance is within your grasp, I will make myself scarce. Honor will likely do the same.]
As long as I can use Vengeance again, it doesn't bother me.
[But of course, Mizik. Now, I would have you understand my philosophy.]
Fine. What is it?
[He that judges thine enemy is the just one. Judgement is meant for everyone and not just the wicked. Good and evil are all subject to having their actions weighed by the law of the Creator. You must give back to all who interact with you. To those who do good, do good in kind. To those who do evil, punish them.]
Sounds simple enough...
[One would think, but that fool Tyranus wanted to treat everyone harshly instead of rewarding good deeds. It was a shame. He was quite powerful for someone so capable of warping my philosophy.]
I'll do whatever I can to fulfil this philosophy until I get Vengeance back.
[Excellent. I may be lenient with you because of your status, however. Please, use me to your advantage! You'll find me more than capable!]
Shortly after my talk with Justice, Iris returned.
"I talked with Novak and told him that I had two secret weapons capable of slaying his Overlords if he wasn't careful. Both of which are unaffected by the Abyss Engine."
"What!? You can just...teleport there!?" I asked.
Iris nodded.
"It's not safe in the slightest, but it's possible. Moments after I arrived, three Overlords attacked me and tried to activate an Abyss Engine. Novak stopped them and I simply told them my message. Then I left."
"So we're serving as deterrents now?" Isabella said.
"Yes. You two should be enough to stop them. Unless Kazuma arrives with an Engine himself. But I don't think that's likely..."
"He would have to kill us before we can destroy it. After that, Dante can take him," I said.
"Indeed. I have confidence in you two. Would it be alright for you to resume training?" Iris said.
"We can. I need to learn how to fight with this arm. But also, it might help if she goes easy on us," I said.
Iris smiled and gave us a cheerful nod.
"Then it's settled. You two will continue learning from Leiso."
* * *
After that, we began a new routine.
Since I planned to use Vengeance again at some point, Leiso still taught me about this world's weapons.
I had to also learn a new way of fighting with a rapier and Isabella had to learn how to use a greatsword.
Being now labeled as an Arcane Warrior meant that she didn't have trouble lifting the weapon. Although she mentioned it was far too heavy for a normal human being to use effectively.
Fortunately, neither of us were normal human beings.
Isabella also found it hard to fight offensively. She wasn't used to that sort of thing at all.
Still, she made a strong effort to defend with the sword itself.
I was also very surprised to learn how much experience Leiso had with so many different forms of weaponry.
She just said that living for over 1,500 years truly gave her plenty of time to learn. In addition, that combat knowledge saved the lives of her and her allies on numerous occasions.
While training, I discovered the things that Justice is truly good at. He explained it to me.
Vengeance was a sword that specialized in offensive melee, ranged, and magical attacks.
Justice focused on offensive melee and ranged attacks.
I could attack from a distance using chains and even got a chance to test out Guillotine.
It was a devastatingly powerful form that I couldn't wait to use on Kazuma.
I wasn't sure why, but Justice felt stronger than Vengeance in general combat. Although he wouldn't let me believe that.
Justice told me that the true power of Vengeance far surpassed all other swords. They called it the Omni-weapon.
In fact, the reason Justice felt stronger was simply because it was easier to use.
For Isabella, it was a radical change.
Bravery specialized in defensive melee and support.
Whereas Honor focused on offensive melee and powerful area of effect attacks.
The weapon could change its size and use powerful strikes that shattered the ground while leaving craters in its wake.
It made me wonder if Isabella should even worry about getting Bravery back...
But she still loved that sword. To her, it was the thing that allowed her to fulfill her promise to Aria and me.
Besides...if she would be my unbreakable shield, I would be her sword...or her gun...staff...whatever weapon she wanted me to be.
One of the things that made Vengeance so powerful was its versatility. Becoming any weapon at all and capitalizing on enemy weaknesses.
And since we had to adopt a new fighting style, we decided on something that would be beneficial to us. For now, at least.
I would still focus on attacking, but Isabella would make sure to stick by my side as an offensive wall.
Attacks directed at me would be deflected or blocked with the blade itself.
Enemies that came too close for comfort while I was preoccupied would get cleaved to pieces by Honor.
This fighting style was acceptable to Honor and was somewhat reminiscent of Walter.
The man who had spent the final years of his life using Honor to protect Isabella. And now she used it to protect me in the same way.
We once again continued this routine for quite a while.
* * *
After a few months of training, we were sent to a mountain military facility with Leiso during the school break.
During the last break that we had in the previous year, we simply stayed on campus and continued our training.
This time, however, Leiso was feeling much more paranoid.
She wanted us to be in an unknown location where we wouldn't have to worry about being assassinated.
I wasn't aware of this being an issue at the time, but Michael had apparently killed three Attendants posing as allies and even students trying to get close to us.
Leiso remarked that despite his insufferable personality, Michael was actually great at his job as an investigator...and also a lethal assassin. So we started training within the harsh, cold environment up in the mountains of Arcadia.
There was a base up here and...
I may have mentioned that the machine known as an 'air conditioner' was a miracle of engineering. This was further supported by the fact that we could live and sleep comfortably within the freezing cold environment of the mountains while being nice and warm.
Nevertheless, we made strong efforts to continue gaining strength.
Isabella wasn't allowed to use any of Honor's secondary forms, by the way. Additionally, crushing attacks were not permitted as the quakes could cause avalanches.
On top of this, I was quite surprised at how respectful the soldiers here were. Not a single one of then ever hit on Isabella. None of the female soldiers said anything negative to me either.
Although it was probably because Leiso was here.
When she wasn't training us, she was running inspections and drills for the soldiers. Over time, we'd grown to truly admire her. Leiso was easily the hardest working person we had ever met and her soldiers revered her for it.
One day after training, I checked my skills.
I recalled that Tyranus had used a particular skill that I was interested in, and I currently didn't have it.
When I looked for it, I received a message.
{Skill: Lightspeed Slash cannot be used. Requirements not met. Current requirement: Innate Talent.}
Damn...
[Something wrong, Mizik?]
Yeah, I can't use Lightspeed Slash. Why is that, Justice? Tyranus could use it just fine.
[Because he possessed an innate talent for it. Lightspeed slash is not an ability that I possess. That was a unique skill only he had.]
What sort of talent?
[One that is hereditary. He got it from his mother's side, if I recall. It was quite impressive and part of the reason I chose him. He wasn't joking about being a genius.]
That guy? Really? Was he actually that important!?
[Absolutely. Tyranus had a leveling limit of 130. A rarity. He was a truly gifted individual.]
Is there no way for me to use instant sword techniques?
[It is possible with a proper tutor. But it will require years of honing your abilities. Besides that, I would suggest forgetting about such things. You are the wielder of Vengeance. That blade is far stronger than any trick or technique you could possibly learn.]
I'll keep that in mind, but it feels like Vengeance doesn't possess many strong skills...
[Most of its abilities are supplementary to your other skills or basic attacks. They are meant to be used at the same time for devastating attack power while moving with the flow of battle and constantly adjusting. Also keep in mind that Vengeance has to hold back its true power to prevent its wielder from suffering harm.]
Why is that?
[Because the sheer amount of power that it possesses could erase you. If it seems lackluster, it is because Vengeance is only using a fraction of its power.]
I see. Thank you, Justice.
The thought that Vengeance could potentially be far more powerful than I thought was exciting.
I couldn't wait to get it back. I already had plenty of ideas on how to utilize it.
In the meantime, we had a lot of work to do.
For the next two years, we would periodically return to the mountains between school times.