"Honoring the moon of the Ninth Heaven, radiant in its clarity. Aligned with the star of the greedy wolf, its killing intent subtly concealed within."
Miyabi murmured in awe and then asked Sol, "Can you tell me the name of this sword? And of that sword technique?"
There was no doubt—her heart was stirred, stirred intensely.
Such flawless, overwhelming swordsmanship was the pursuit of every swordfighter.
"The sword is called [Aurora]. The move is called [Crescent Slash]."
Sol watched more Ethereals flooding in and spoke lightly.
He had last seen Ethereals swarm like this when clearing the Cretan Hollow in Fourteenth Street.
Back then, he had used a taunt skill to provoke the mindless Ethereals into a frenzy.
Seeing such a sea of Ethereals again brought a faint sense of nostalgia.
"Crescent Slash, huh?"
Hoshimi Miyabi paused briefly; the name felt apt.
But since Sol had displayed a technique, she certainly could not fall behind.
Showing one's blade technique before Sol and receiving an excellent evaluation.
Having already regarded Sol as a titan in the martial arts domain, she now sought his acknowledgement of her swordsmanship.
A new training objective surfaced—and she immediately enacted it.
She quietly activated her breathing method; her ruby eyes sharpened.
"Although Section Chief Miyabi is always prepared for combat, she really is taking this much more seriously now."
Harumasa snapped his twin short blades into a bow and fired an electrified arrow.
It struck a grotesque Tyrfing and felled it instantly.
Even in the middle of battle, he immediately sensed Miyabi's heightened seriousness.
He couldn't help looking toward Sol—so this was the man who put pressure on their sword prodigy?
Even he felt a rare rise of passion in his blood.
He stepped forward, ready to join this contest of martial prowess—
Cough! Cough!
His lungs burned. His eyes suddenly cleared.
Forget it. With this frail body, he absolutely should not meddle in a battle between monsters.
Elsewhere—
Hoshimi Miyabi drew her blade cleanly, high-heeled boots tapping against the ground.
Her fox ears trembled in the wind as she shot into a cluster of Ethereals like an arrow.
A single slash—chill-white frost mist formed in the air, slowing the Ethereals' movements.
A sweeping cut—ice-blue brilliance bloomed, and large swaths of Ethereals shattered.
Those merely brushed by the frost edge had limbs instantly frozen into ice.
The blade technique was called [Miyuki].
Fond of frost and winter, she had shaped her sword style around ice and snow.
This was one of her proudest techniques—born not beneath serene snowfall, but upon the battlefield, steeped in blood.
She turned toward Sol, eyes bright. "How was that technique?"
"Outstanding."
Sol did not hold back praise; emotion surged fully.
From his perspective, this was the craft of a blade master.
If gods existed in this world, then Hoshimi Miyabi would surely be one particularly favored.
So young, yet already standing at a height unreachable for countless prodigies across history.
Of course, she could not surpass the cheat-like insights he had gained from thousands of draws—but he would never belittle genuine genius simply because he had cheats.
If everyone had a system, who wouldn't be a prodigy?
He was simply fortunate.
"Mm."
Hoshimi Miyabi nodded lightly, a hint of joy at being recognized.
It had been too long—far too long—since another combatant on her level had acknowledged her.
Because long ago… she had already surpassed all who once stood at her level.
Showing one's blade technique before Sol and receiving an excellent evaluation. (Completed)
She turned forward once more and let frosted flowers bloom across the Ethereal ranks. Her blue-green haori fluttered like a banner.
A one-eyed spirit followed at her side, its presence sharpening her ghostly aura.
Large numbers of Ethereals froze into blue-white blocks of ice and shattered into etheric light.
Anby's eyes sharpened; her thunder-cutting blade was fierce as she and Nicole held the front line.
For some reason, she absolutely did not want to lose here.
With tremendous strength augmenting them, the two navigated the Ethereal tide with ease.
Tsukishiro Yanagi guarded the right flank, her long-bladed naginata crackling with lightning. One Ethereal after another dissolved beneath the flashes.
Though technically a staff officer, she was far from weak.
Baal, positioned near Belle, glanced over several times. She had a younger sister who also wielded a naginata—and also lightning.
With Yanagi combined with Harumasa and Soukaku, that flank became impenetrable; not a single Ethereal could slip through to threaten Belle or Wise.
"Everyone's incredible—but Belobog Heavy Industries isn't here to play second! Put your backs into it!"
Koleda Belobog shouted boldly, unwilling to let Section 6 outshine them.
Belobog Heavy Industries would never fall behind!
She swung her massive hammer with fierce momentum, smashing Ethereals apart.
"Roger, President!"
Ben hefted two long seismic jammers and swept aside several Ethereals.
"Brother, hit harder! Let's rush together!"
Anton charged ahead, the drill on his arm sparking wildly.
Grace fired waves of plasma from her gun, unleashing large-area destruction. Ethereals dropped in clusters within seconds.
Sol couldn't help thinking—if Grace's in-game stats were anything like this, the community never would have bullied her into becoming "Grace-less." He wouldn't have suffered so hard back then, either.
Though the Ethereals still surged forth, showing no signs of decreasing—
Their formation continued advancing, firm and fast, cutting through the horde as though the Ethereals didn't exist.
Like an iron warship cleaving across the sea—no storm could sink this vessel.
"Ah! So cool! So amazing!"
Belle sat atop Hans the excavator, feeling her blood boil.
[Fairy expresses confusion: "Master, what exactly are you excited about? You and Assistant No. 2 are the ones being protected."]
"Oh."
Belle snapped back to clarity, shaken out of her sudden passion.
Right. She wasn't doing anything. Other people were defeating the Ethereals. Maybe she shouldn't be feeling fired up…
"Hmph." Belle snorted proudly, adjusting her posture for comfort. "Even if I didn't do anything, it was still hard work for me."
Besides—who said she did nothing?
She had given everyone the direction, hadn't she?
And given how close she was with Sol… every Ethereal he cut down absolutely counted as partly her contribution!