He began to read every single line of text and detail he could find within the pages of the book.
[The Mighty Sword of Eia]
[One of the Seven Mythical Swords]
[History: The sword's creation has never been fully or accurately documented in any official record. Some accounts are based on hypotheticals crafted by scholars, others stem from wild speculations passed down through generations, and many more are nothing more than mindless ramblings from those who claim to know its origins. There is one consistent thread though – one of the great Mythics once held this sword in his arms, and it was blessed during the most powerful awakening ceremony ever bestowed upon any of the seven mythical swords. Its strength is said to be so immense that it can cut through the very fabric of reality itself. When the sword was sealed away long ago, its power was so great that it single-handedly held up an entire massive building without so much as a single tremor.
For more than a hundred years after that, the sword was never sheathed again. Throughout its long history, only three brave or foolish individuals have attempted to awaken it once more. All of their efforts were in vain – the sword did not respond to any of their calls. Worse still, each of those three people suffered a violent shock from the blade and died shortly afterward.
For six full centuries, no one has dared to lay so much as a finger on the sword. It has remained perfectly still and undisturbed through all that time, and it has never shown any sign of rust or decay. This is because it is completely invincible to all forms of matter; not even a single atom can make contact with its surface.
The sword's power is nearly unmatched – it is said to be on par with seventy-four percent of all legendary beings and species across the world. Its presence is so terrifying that even dark elves, who are no strangers to great power, have been known to glimpse it from afar and declare it a divine being or a god. In truth, it is merely an all-powerful weapon capable of blocking even the forces of reality itself. The full extent of its capabilities has never been clearly defined, but these are the most widely known descriptions of its nature and might.]
[Signatured: ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ]
After reading about the sword's incredible power and absolute indestructibility, he felt genuine terror coursing through him. At the same time though, he also felt an odd sense of gratitude – because the sword had ultimately chosen him as its wielder. He had no idea why this was the case, or how such a thing could have happened. He simply knew that he was genuinely glad for it.
"A reality-breaking sword... all of this sounds way too surreal to me... I can't even begin to comprehend a single bit of it."
In fact, he could not even imagine what it must be like for a sword to remain dormant and effectively "debuffed" for six hundred years just because of how monstrously powerful it was. His curiosity was drawn more toward the Mythics themselves than to the swords they once wielded. He found himself wondering if any of those legendary figures were still roaming the world to this very day.
Then he spotted her – the princess, who was searching frantically through the shelves for an important book she needed for her studies.
"Where is it... where is it..."
Maximus made his way over to her and gently waved his hand to get her attention.
"Hey there, what are you looking for?"
The princess continued scanning shelf after shelf, her eyes moving quickly over each row of books as she searched without any luck.
"I'm trying to find a book called The Book of Mana and Magic. I need it for my entrance exam!"
"Oh, you mean this one?"
He reached into the small collection of books he was carrying and pulled out exactly what she was looking for. The princess's face lit up immediately with pure joy, and she threw her arms around Maximus in a tight embrace.
"Oh my goodness! You're the best!"
"Hah... right."
He felt a bit uncomfortable with the sudden tight hug from the princess, but he managed to keep his composure and let her hold on for a moment. After a short while, she finally pulled away and beamed at him before turning to leave.
"Goodbye! And thank you so much for the book!"
He waved back to her as she walked off with a bright, happy smile on her face. Just as she disappeared from view though, a sharp knife came flying through the air toward him. It was deflected at the last second by an unseen force, and Maximus stared in surprise at where it had clattered to the floor.
"So you're the one who has that invincibility."
The voice came from a librarian standing nearby – though he was dressed more like an assassin than someone who would tend to books. He explained that he took on such work for whoever gave him orders, whether his targets were the strongest or weakest people in the land. Maximus felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him; he was growing tired of all the constant fighting and chaos that seemed to follow him everywhere. He reached for the Mighty Sword of Eia at his side, but before he could pull it free, someone placed a hand lightly on his shoulder to stop him.
It was none other than the king himself. His eyes were fixed on the assassin with deep disgust, and Maximus could see the anger burning like fire within them.
"So you're the one responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people."
The figure standing before them simply let out a cold laugh, his face twisted into a sinister smile. He remained completely silent and did not utter a single word in response.
"Say your last words now – before you are demolished!"
With a single powerful swing of his right hand, the king unleashed a massive burst of compressed air. The force was so strong that it shattered solid wood as easily as if it were soft butter. But the enemy they faced was no ordinary assassin. He was incredibly agile and highly skilled, with decades of experience in combat.
The fight was fast and intense, and Maximus soon noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. The assassin was circling around to come at the king from behind, clearly planning to strike at his spine.
"Watch out!"
The king spun around instantly and unleashed a fierce gust of wind that sent the attacker flying backward. But it quickly became clear that this was only a distraction – the figure they had struck was nothing more than a clone or illusion of some kind.
"Crap!"
The real enemy appeared suddenly right in front of them, a sharp dagger held tightly in his hand as he prepared to drive it straight into the king's abdomen.
"SAY YOUR GOODBYES."