Swordmaster-to-Be! (2) The Myriad Swords Lover
Her ability can be summed up like this. Steel Communion Method usable at all times (swords only). Sword skill training gets a 9999% proficiency bonus (estimated).
Just hearing that far, you might go, "Eh? What's that?" Like, others get this as a passive or basic skill, but she's got it as her unique trait? Lame~ Total lame~ You could totally say that.
But come on, for someone on the level of a Martial God, there's no way her trait would be lame, right?
"I can hear the voices of all swords. So, I instinctively know how to wield them best. If we're talking pure 'swordsmanship', I'd know the most in the whole gallery."
"Might be rude to ask, but I'm a total noob at sword arts, so... um, that..."
"You mean, how big is the gap? Hehe, I get it. You only know how deep the water is once you're in it. Meaning, only those who can dive deeper really grasp the depth. For a newbie like you, this Myriad Swords Lover constitution probably doesn't seem all that impressive compared to Sword Heaven or AngerControlGood's traits."
Swordmaster-to-Be explained it from the basics, like a teacher dealing with a total newbie.
"Simply put, walking the martial path is like climbing your own mountain. And every mountain's size and shape is different. It's not just about what weapon you use— even with the same weapon, different sword styles make it vary. Quick Sword, Tyrant Sword, Heavy Sword, Complete Sword, Illusory Sword, Variable Sword—they're all different, and sword shapes change it up too. You've seen Sword Heaven's sword, right?"
"Uh... well."
Well, not sure if I can say I've seen it. Sure, I've watched Sword Heaven's sword demos dozens of times. It's the Martial God Gallery's regular event that pops up once cooldown's done—the Frozen Flame Brawl, where you get sick of watching Black Sky and AngerControlGood's power fest.
But, "What I see isn't really swordsmanship—it's more like an ice storm raging and fire pillars erupting."
How's that even a sword duel? It's straight-up magic battle. To me, their sweaty sparring looks less like peak martial clash and more like Sun Call and Bulldog fighting over hunting turf.
"Hehe, yeah, I guess it could look that way to you, NewbieTip."
Swordmaster-to-Be nodded like she totally got it. Then she kindly added more explanation.
"But you did see it properly, actually. That's the pinnacle of their sword and spear arts. They're both going all-out to beat each other, so no need to show anything else. Think about it—their feats get more refined with each round, but the techniques don't really change, right?"
"Yeah, sure."
Even my beady eyes could nod to that. Sword Heaven's eye-storm didn't suddenly turn into snow-bing, and AngerControlGood's fire pillar didn't become a Giants baseball bat outta nowhere.
That was exactly Swordmaster-to-Be's point.
"Exactly. It means even those two at the absolute peak of sword and spear are just walking their own paths. Sure, at their level, they could learn any sword or spear style, but there's still a gap between what they excel at and what they don't. And that gap? Pretty huge. But not for me."
With that, Swordmaster-to-Be spread her arms wide. Hands out flat too. Then the two swords strapped to her back vanished—and reappeared in her open palms.
One was a cross-shaped sword blazing with holy fire. The other had a blade frozen like an iceberg.
"Left-hand sword is Holy Flame Cross. Right-hand is Frost Heart. As you guessed, totally different attributes and properties. Swing styles and results differ too."
Next, she swung the two swords in opposite directions.
Holy Flame Cross: Ten Flame Brand
Frost Heart: Ice Heart Vein Sever
BOOOOM!!!
Left and right of her, totally different scenes unfolded. To the left, cross-shaped flames rained from the sky, carving a massive fire scar across the horizon. To the right, a towering iceberg over hundreds of meters erupted from her feet, filling half the sky.
"...Insane."
Centered on where Swordmaster-to-Be stood, the world split into a boiling lava plain on one side and a frozen glacier on the other.
It's like Aokiji vs. Akainu here.
Swordmaster-to-Be recreated the Frozen Flame Brawl solo—without even messing up her breathing. I felt it deep: Martial God seats aren't won with rock-paper-scissors.
"What do you think?"
What do I think? In a real fight, I'd be dismembered in 0.01 seconds flat. But obviously, that's not what she meant.
"...Is this even possible?"
"What exactly are you asking?"
"Not just wielding arts with polar-opposite properties, but unleashing them simultaneously in one instant. Is that possible?"
Me, Jung Kkeokma. I'm no full-fledged martial artist yet, but I figure I'm at least a martial hobbyist. Even if my theory game's lagging behind the gallery pros who etch arts straight into their bodies, I could tell this was straight-up nonsense.
"Not long ago, I accidentally tried running two different arts at once in one body... and it was impossible."
That was when I made Hope, juggling Crimson Flame Tempering Art and Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture simultaneously. I needed power beyond limits, couldn't handle it with just my arms, so I ran Crimson Flame through my whole body via Yin-Yang's meridians.
That was some seriously crazy shit. Even gallery vets who'd crossed countless limbs warned me never to try it again—it'd drive you nuts.
Running inner energy from Art A through Art B's meridians is like off-roading a truck on the sidewalk. Specs don't match, purpose doesn't match—road gets wrecked, vehicle gets smashed.
I survived and evolved into Human X thanks to Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture being the most harmonious art in the universe. Plus, no clashing attributes. Barely lived.
Which means—even with the most harmonious arts and no attribute clashes—your body can still get fucked.
Yet here was Swordmaster-to-Be, unleashing two arts at perfect extremes in one body, simultaneously.
Was this even possible?
"How the hell did you do it?"
I asked, not believing it. Sweet Swordmaster-to-Be smiled brightly and answered.
"Swordsmanship boils down to two meanings. I swing the sword. The sword swings itself. Normal swordsmen are the first. I'm the second."
"S-sorry, I'm just high school grad, so koans aren't my thing..."
"Simple: Do I make the sword do my sword art, or does the sword do its sword art?"
"Wait, what? No way..."
A week ago, I'd have thick-skulled my way into asking "what?" But not today's me. Thanks to a special experience just days back.
"You hear the sword's voice... and let it do the sword art it wants?"
"Spot on!"
Swordsmen train talent, cultivate paths, invent techniques to master swords. Because they're the ones wielding—not the swords themselves.
Not being the sword itself, they grind bones to refine, probe, find the right answers.
But can they ever find the truest answer? People can't fully understand each other—how could you grasp a sword's mind, different species, not even call it a species?
For that unanswerable riddle, Swordmaster-to-Be found another solution.
"Swordsmen unleash sword arts, but the true agent is the sword. So, the essence of sword arts lies with the sword."
Thus, Swordmaster-to-Be—who communes directly with swords—is strongest in sword arts.
Flawless logic. I nodded like a level 6 Malphite stacked with Tank Trinity: Nin.Ba.Dum.
"I get it completely. Why you're my sword teacher."
"Hehe. Feels like you really acknowledge me—makes me happy!"
Swordmaster-to-Be looked just like the bubbly girl she appeared. A Martial God at her level wouldn't need my approval, but she was purely thrilled anyway. Made me even more curious.
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Ask ten!"
"Nah, not that... uh, so does that mean you've mastered ten sword arts like the one just now?"
She showed up packing ten swords total. Hard to gauge her realm exactly, but each strike looked on par with Black Sky or AngerControlGood's miracles.
If she could unleash those miracles simultaneously with all ten... pure combat power-wise, she'd be top-tier in the gallery.
But that was my arrogant misunderstanding.
"Huh? Ah, I see the mix-up."
"What?"
"These kids I'm carrying are extra stubborn, so I'm just airing them out. And I told you—my constitution's called Myriad Swords Lover."
"What does that..."
"If only ten swords loved me, wouldn't that name feel too light?"
Swordmaster-to-Be flicked her hand. Casual motion, but the world shook.
RUMBLE RUMBLE?—The world tore open, revealing a new one.
"Told you—Myriad Swords Lover."
What draped over us was a vast battlefield stretching to the horizon. Filling every inch—
"Meaning, the one loved by every sword in the world."
Countless swords of every type.
The moment I saw it, I realized. What I'd just started grasping about these Martial Gods was merely the tiniest tip of an iceberg.
