"Last Quarter Art meaning: Horizontal, Precise, Purposeful!" Eiran muttered.
This was the opposite of First Quarter's vertical dissection—purposeful strikes meant to cleave targets. Last Quarter was a horizontal slash, also purposeful but carrying less strength than the vertical one. However, it contained a certain precision that the First Quarter lacked.
Last Quarter aimed for cuts, no matter how small that could be effective unlike the First Quarter, which demanded cleaving the target completely.
Eiran didn't grasp the meaning fully but performed with ease. It was the easiest technique. It felt like he was attacking something fast and only wanted to nick it slightly.
In just two hours, he had completed the 100 movements and a new brand skill formed.
Brand Skill: Sliding Moon Art
- New Moon Art: Silent Edge
- Waxing Crescent Art: Lunar Fang
- First Quarter Art: Judging Blade
- Waxing Gibbous Art: Rebound Redirection
- Full Moon Art: Moonlight Waltz
- Last Quarter Art: Severing Path
___
Severing Path was about disruption by attacking to injure.
"Waning Gibbous Art meaning; Stillness, unpredictability, Change Stance," Eiran muttered.
Waning Gibbous was only effective when fighting—going into sudden halt and stillness before striking back.
But it also worked when doing nothing with blade in hand, then attacking fast from multiple angles to surprise an opponent. This was similar to Waxing Crescent, but the blade was already drawn.
The movements were so easy that he didn't need longer rest. In just an hour, he had completed 100 slashes.
Brand Skill: Sliding Moon Art
- New Moon Art: Silent Edge
- Waxing Crescent Art: Lunar Fang
- First Quarter Art: Judging Blade
- Waxing Gibbous Art: Rebound Redirection
- Full Moon Art: Moonlight Waltz
- Last Quarter Art: Severing Path
- Waning Gibbous Art: Phantom Pulse
"The last one!" Eiran said, preparing his mind before proceeding after several hours of rest.
"Waning Crescent Art meaning; Final Flourish, retreat!"
Immersing himself in it, his heart beat with its meaning. It flowed in his blood as his brain expressed it through his body.
He moved like wind after several strikes, flickering from his last location. It was meant to be a final strike followed by retreating into New Moon and hiding one's presence.
What made it different was that it could push the body beyond normal limits to deliver strikes that would confuse opponents or make them hesitate, allowing the user to escape.
Eiran found his hand vibrating as the Forge Form established a link after the skill became branded.
---
SSS Rank Potential
Talent: Celestial Blood
Borne Trait: Essence Vessels
Brand Bind: Forge Form
- Bind Link: Small Palace
- Bind Link: Royal Uniform
- Bind Link: Lunar Etherion Relic (Blade)
Brand Skill: Nameless Blood Art
Brand Skill: Sliding Moon Art
- New Moon Art: Silent Edge
- Waxing Crescent Art: Lunar Fang
- First Quarter Art: Judging Blade
- Waxing Gibbous Art: Rebound Redirection
- Full Moon Art: Moonlight Waltz
- Last Quarter Art: Severing Path
- Waning Gibbous Art: Phantom Pulse
- Waning Crescent Art: Final Veil
---
The blade was a relic of the past, now bonded to Eiran's Forge Form—but with problems. The Talent Energy wasn't flowing through it like the Royal Uniform.
In fact, the Forge Form was having difficulty syncing with it. Eiran stopped it from trying; as long as there was bonding, that was fine.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. With ease, he entered New Moon. His thoughts silenced as his brain rested. His body relaxed completely.
The New Moon could be used this way—to fall asleep faster or throw away distracting thoughts. Its use wasn't dependent on fights or sword clashes.
"Whoever created this knows what they're doing!" Eiran said.
Tomorrow was the tenth day, and Nyara was still deep asleep. Thanks to her being a Power, her body wasn't harmed by slumber and inactivity.
Even so, she turned and shifted on her own, occasionally releasing deep sighs.
Eiran had ensured his blood essence soothed her entire bloodstream as she slept. She would only wake when free from her mental breakdown.
He rested for hours before standing. He wore the Royal Uniform and prepared his mind.
His mind at New Moon transitioned to Waxing Crescent.
As the sword touched air, streaks of light from nowhere landed on it, adding weight. Eiran almost fell but held on as the blade was drawn and slashed forward slowly.
The blade's white body began peeling away, revealing black obsidian metal underneath. It lit up before dimming down.
"Wow!" Then he became thoughtful. "What is it consuming from the atmosphere?" Eiran asked. The hand holding the sword slumped down, tired.
"Hmm!"
Eiran walked to the door and pushed the black blade outside. It became heavier as light rays came from elsewhere and landed on it, making it glow before dimming.
"It is consuming..." Eiran fell silent. The Forge Form was also reacting, and the link was growing stronger.
Ensuring no more weight was added, Eiran sheathed the blade and tried again.
Silent Edge cleared his mind, then Lunar Fang was faster than Eiran could react—he only realized when he saw the blade in hand and felt fatigued.
Judging Blade was strong, demanding much from him.
Then Rebound Redirection became a small series of blade movements that flowed into Moonlight Waltz—a dance that would capture any onlooker's attention and Phantom Pulse brought the dance to abrupt halt.
Calming everything before he exploded into strikes at angles he had not moved before the movement bleed into Severing Path, a subtle but precise cut as it connected with Final Veil.
A pulse went through his body as his movements continued on their own while keeping the meaning in mind as he repeated the sequence.
The third time, Eiran's body flickered from one phase to another, each perfect with meaning deepening within him before returning to the New Moon and becoming silent.
Subtle vibrations went through his body as Blood Art: Growth—adaptation drew more Talent Energy to adjust his physique.
Eiran had become skinny after removing his Royal Uniform. The complete Moon Phases had drained him, because they still didn't use Talent Energy in any movement—all raw physical power.
As he recovered, he returned to normal. He eats, rests, and waits until tomorrow.
---
Nyara was still asleep, no more deep sighs since yesterday. Eiran observed her, confirming that the Celestial Blood Essence had truly fused with her and healed her mind as well.
He stood before the wall, which had changed to show options.
[Royal Court Trial]
Show your raw power and the power of your Royal Court.
[Choose the following]
- Group Trial (recommended)
- Solo Trial
Without thought, it had to be Solo.
[Choose the Battle Ground]
1. Sand (400 Ethio)
2. Winter (500 Ethio)
3. Burning (500 Ethio)
4. Ruin (600 Ethio)
5. Chaos (1000 Ethio)
Eiran chose Chaos without apparent thought. His reason was simple—he needed to push himself to the limit. Only then could he grow.
---
It was a blur. Eiran stood on sand, the sky filled with moving clouds, his hand on the hilt as he pulled it slightly. Streaks of light landed on the blade, making it heavier and glow.
'It's a good thing I practiced this!' he thought before entering Silent Edge's and waiting.
From within the sand, something rose—fully clad in rust-iron armor, holding a claymore. His gaze from the visor was eerie as he gauged Eiran.
Then he lunged.
Fast, but Eiran saw it. His countless attempts to grasp Silent Edge and Lunar Fang had trained his mind to capture speed even without using Instant Shift.
The claymore came down at him. He was already dodging as he launched Lunar Fang.
The location changed.
The warrior was gone, and a wave of heat slammed into Eiran, but his Royal Uniform protected him while his Forge Form's Talent Energy was slowly consumed.
The ground was solid with streaks of lava flowing. A hand burst out, tearing through a lava channel as an armored figure dragged itself out, lava leaking from red-iron armor. Eyes red like coals before it jumped out.
A claymore, red-hot, was pulled from the lava as the figure dashed toward Eiran.
"This is chaos!" Eiran exclaimed. Blade in hand, but he knew he couldn't clash directly. He began dodging as the burning blade came down, but it swerved and followed him.
Blood Art: Haste—Instant Shift.
He flickered ten feet away, but the burning armored warrior jumped and came down at him.
The location changed again.
Cold wind blew. The ground was ice, his boots consuming much Talent Energy to prevent freezing.
He looked around. By now, Eiran was regretting but also excited. His mind raced on how to tackle the fast-changing locations, each different and dangerous.
The ice shattered. A warrior clad in ice armor emerged—lean and slow. His gaze was ice-blue, calm, as he stepped forward with claymore in hand.
His presence, like the burning one's, was oppressive. The Royal Uniform absorbed all the cold, protecting him.
The winter warrior was close, then moved fast. Eiran couldn't track it, but Mind Instant Shift could. Instant Pulse activated Body Instant Shift, and he dodged ten feet away—but the warrior was upon him again.
The location changed.
Hard ground—a large, broken hall with crumbling pillars. Murals whispering old stories in forgotten languages.
He saw nothing, then something rammed into him. The Royal Uniform's force shield saved him as a blade came down again... and the scenery changed.
Eiran appeared exactly where the Sand Warrior was attacking. He was still down when—
'Bang!'
Blade versus Royal Uniform force shield—his body flew into the sand. Another strike came.
Eiran focused and flickered ten feet behind and stepped forward for Judging Blade when a spear rammed into him, sending him back.
Another warrior descended from the sky with a heavy spear.
"Two of them. New Moon!" he muttered, but then the Sand Warrior became the Burning Warrior with claymore coming down.
The heat wave reached him first. Eiran panicked.
'Bam!'
The Royal Uniform's force shield worked its magic, but more than half his right hand's stored Talent Energy was consumed.
The burning warrior swung again, sending him flying. A hound's face rose from lava, mouth open, as rolling flames slammed into him, sending him back toward the burning warrior.
Midway, cold replaced burning as the winter warrior struck down.
'Bam!'
Eiran smashed to the ice ground. His right hand's stored Talent Energy was gone, and the warrior stabbed down, intent on breaking the force shield.
'Bam!'
But it wasn't the winter warrior—it was the invisible one already striking as Eiran changed location to ruin.
These warriors were stronger than the mechanical ones he'd faced, but he was also stronger than before.
His problems were twofold: the location changes.
'Bam! Bam!'
Each change disordered his perception. His entire body went into subtle shock that disrupted any skill or move he wanted to execute.
The warriors chained their attacks. Unlike mechanicals, they didn't stop at single strikes—they always followed with another.
Most annoying was that he was being blown around by strikes, making him unable to stand and dodge attacks properly.
Eiran would have died six times by now without his Royal Uniform's protection.
Instant Shift.
'Bam!'
He used Instant Shift to move, flickering as the location changed. The skill was instantly disrupted, halting abruptly as the winter warrior attacked him upon appearing.
Instant Shift. His mind accelerated. The location changed, and his mental acceleration was disrupted.
'Bam!'
'Damn it. I only have one and a half feet worth of stored energy left.'
And there was no solution in sight.