After a moment of profound silence, Dante let out a small sigh, his piercing gaze fixed on John. "As I mentioned earlier, I intend to pass on my own sword art to you," he said, his voice carrying the weight of authority. "To learn it, however, you must first create a new sword art based on the basic sword technique."
John nodded his head, his expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Yes, I understand that part," he replied hesitantly, "but just a little while ago, you said you didn't intend to pass on your sword art to me or something along those lines."
Dante paused for a moment, his eyes shifting to John's immobile left arm. "I had a change of heart," he spoke softly, his voice tinged with a hint of regret. "You will need this since you can't use your main weapon for the time being, and I feel partly responsible for your arm."
"If you're doing this out of pity, then I want you to stop right now," John said, his brows furrowing into a frown.
Dante shook his head, his resolve unwavering. "That's not the only reason," he replied firmly. "Now that I intend to name you my successor, you need something that represents me. It will be your own sword, built on my sword art."
John looked puzzled, his confusion evident on his face. "Huh?"
Dante sighed, realizing he needed to clarify his words. "Let me explain what I mean," he said patiently. "You see, although I will be teaching you the World-End Sword Art, your interpretation of it will differ from mine."
Dante continued, his voice carrying the wisdom of a master passing on his knowledge. "The World-End Sword Art is not just a mere sword technique. It is a school of thought, a philosophy. Each generation of the school has to create their own unique interpretation of this art and infuse it into their swordsmanship. The foundation has remained the same for the past 2000 years: the basic sword technique."
Pausing for a moment to ensure that John was fully attentive, Dante went on. "To truly understand the meaning of the World-End Sword Art, you must first create something that belongs purely to you. Only then will you be able to grasp the essence of this art and add it to what you have crafted."
John rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Sorry, explain all of that from the start. I'm quite confused," he said, trying to make sense of Dante's explanation.
Dante let out a sigh and nodded, settling himself on the ground. He was about to embark on a history lesson that would take some time. "Haaah, let me give you a detailed account of the origins of the sword art and how it has been passed down through the ages," Dante began.
"First, let me ask you how much you know about the dark ages," Dante said, looking intently at John. "2000 years ago, there was a war that lasted over a century. Almost all information from during and before this period has been lost."
Dante continued, "The story goes that the creator of the world-end sword art was once a mere soldier, struggling to survive amidst the horrors of the long brutal war. At one point, when he saw the lifeless bodies of his comrades and enemies strewn across the battlefield, he felt as if he had witnessed the end of the world."
Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Dante went on. "He survived the end of the conflict and tried to rid himself of the haunting images, but they persisted. The trauma of what he had seen weighed heavily on him until he finally gave up."
"Gave up?" John asked, his face furrowing in deep concern.
Dante smiled widely at John's reaction. "Yes, he gave up trying to erase those memories. Instead, he channeled all of it into his sword and his training, creating the world-end sword art as a result."
Nodding his head subconsciously, Dante continued, "Of course, he wasn't as powerful as some of his successors, but the sword art grew stronger with each passing generation, with each apocalypse they faced."
Dante's smile faded, replaced by a solemn frown. "The world-end sword art was forged by someone who had known nothing but war in his life, and it was meant only for those who had experienced the brutality of war."
Dante cleared his throat and got up, his tone serious. "For now, this is all the information you need. You are still decades away from learning everything, but I will slowly provide you with memories of our predecessors so that you can see and absorb them all. Who knows, perhaps the world won't need it after you."
John raised his hand high in the air, eager with curiosity. "I have so many questions," he exclaimed.
Dante shook his head, his expression serious. "Not now. I couldn't explain everything if I tried. Just go with the flow for now. Some things just take time, something you have plenty of."
John let out a light sigh, relenting. "Fine, I won't ask anything for now. But please answer one thing for me. What do you mean by transferring memories of our predecessors?"
Dante paused, taking a moment to think before responding. "The way the World-End Sword Art is passed down is by the teacher showing the apocalypses of themselves and their predecessors to their student. Your proficiency will only increase the more you see."
"But that would mean two thousand years' worth of memories," John said, his confusion evident on his face. "How can one even transfer so much, let alone comprehend it?"
Dante chuckled lightly. "No one after the first ten generations has ever managed to reach the memories of the founder, but all their memories are transferred to us. It's just that we are unable to see the next memory until we have seen everything before it."
"Anyway, I won't start the transfer until you join the academy, so don't worry. Just try making your own sword art, and I will help you with it," Dante said as he shook his head.
John furrowed his brow. "Wait, if you weren't going to teach me right now, why did you bother telling me so much information?"
Dante shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows. "Why else? To make sure that you are mentally prepared for the multiple hells of Earth that you will see."
"Huh?" John looked puzzled.
"Now, start with the basic swings and keep on doing it until I am satisfied," Dante said, suddenly shifting his focus and acting as if he had never spoken his previous words.
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A week passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already time for John to leave to meet the high dwarves. During most of that time, John was either studying with Oberon, training with Dante, discussing the future of the duchy with Dante, or trying to finally form his core, something that still felt far away, but he was steadily progressing towards.
Standing inside Dante's office, John was dressed in fur clothes to fend off the cold of the north. He rubbed his arms, feeling the chill in the air. "Hold on, Nicholas is coming with me?" he asked.
"Yep, the old bugger has nothing better to do anyway, so I'm sending him with you to make sure you don't get into any unnecessary trouble. Also, it's not even winter yet, and you're this cold?" Dante said, lightly nodding his head with a teasing smile.
"Haaaah, whatever," John replied, shaking his head at Dante's mockingly amused expression.
"So, how long until he will be here?" John asked, furrowing his brow.
With a shrug, Dante replied, "I don't know. He doesn't know how to ride a wyvern, so he'll be coming on a horse. He should be here soon though."