Chapter 747 Interlude 12-2- Vale Blade and Cosplay
Chapter 747 Interlude 12-2- Vale Blade and Cosplay
?Evan materialized in the Core Sector teleporter, 1500 meters below ground, and approached the imposing adamantine doors ahead.
"I may hate your guts, Arlan Maddox, but I don't hate what you left for me."
Evan remarked with a smirk as he stepped into the expansive room. He gazed at the crimson runes adorning the floor and ceiling.
Beneath the tiles he stood on lay dozens of Transcendent Level magic stones, powering these runes. Any attempt to breach this place would trigger a surge of Transcendent Magic power on the intruder.
"Unlock Security for Items 001 and 002."
[Affirmed. Disabling Rune Defences. Powering down Combat Golems.]
As the runes lost their light, Evan walked forward and headed right for the pedestal in the centre of the room, where two items were placed atop a cushion inside a reinforced glass box.
It was a small Palm-sized Shield and a Sword Hilt.
"The 'Gazebind Aegis', and the 'Vale Blade'.
Looking at how small it is, you wouldn't think this is one of the most powerful shields on the planet."
Evan examined his hands, adjusting the artifacts he wore. He slid the Doubler (Bracelet) higher up his left arm and removed another bracelet to make room between the Doubler and his watch.
Opening a glass box, he retrieved a palm-sized shield, fastening its strap securely onto his arm.
"Now, then. You're MINE."
Evan released his magic power, infusing the shield with his destruction essence to erase Arlan Maddox's Imprint and replace it with his own.
The moment he did that, the shield burst into a shower of light, disappearing into his hand, leaving behind a golden rune identical to the seven-sided geometric shape of the shield.
"That's good… As expected of a Legendary Grade weapon."
The shield was designed in a way that he could summon it at will from—and send it away to—a parallel dimension of sorts.
As Evan had the Inventory skill, it automatically connected itself to his inventory.
Next, Evan took the Sword Hilt and instructed the AI to teleport him to the Training Hall. Once there, he scattered a handful of magic stones on the floor and directed the AI to absorb them.
"Show me the strongest Epic Level samples you have."
[Here, Administrator.]
An illusory board with a list of ancient monsters that had gone extinct came up and Evan nodded before asking it to deploy them all.
[Are you sure, Administrator?]
"Yep."
[Very well. Deploying.]
The AI absorbed the magic power from the stones, and the hall filled with energy as it conjured twelve monster projections, each with a Level 500 power, each releasing roars that reverberated throughout the Complex.
One of the monsters lunged at Evan, slashing with its six-clawed paws. Instantly, Evan's rune glowed and the Gazebind Aegis materialized. It was no longer the small palm-sized shield; now it was twice the size of Evan's forearm.
**BAMM!!!
Evan deflected the monster's claws with the shield, absorbing the attack's kinetic energy and preventing himself from being pushed back.
"That's good…"
Evan pushed the monster away with his shield, then leapt into the air to dodge a slashing blade tail aimed at him.
He waved his hand and conjured an array of fireballs, hurling them at the monsters below. Some monsters erected magic shields to defend themselves, while others took the brunt of the fiery onslaught with their bodies.
With most of the monsters focused on dodging or blocking the flames, Evan raised the Gazebind Aegis and declared.
"Alright, Everyone.
Look at ME!"
The moment Evan said that, the shield flashed with light and simultaneously, it was as if an invisible force ensnared the bodies of all the monsters and turned their heads in his direction.
"If you guys were real, I would have had my pick of skills now."
Evan muttered as he dropped to the ground and told the AI to disable the projections.
For the Hero of Mimicry whose ability required Eye Contact, then what better ability could his weapon have than a 'Taunt' that forcefully shifted the awareness of up to ten targets at once?
|Gazebind Aegis
Type; Legendary Shield.
There was once a Gorgon 'Race Queen' on Planet Aidos with Amber eyes so captivating they seemed to pull people in.
She desired for all to admire her eyes, but most turned away, either attacking her or escaping her presence.
Driven by her longing, she created an Artifact to protect herself from their attacks, compelling all who gazed upon her to 'admire' her eyes, even if it was against their will.
By the time she was slain by the 'Demon King of Destruction' during the 'Great Valmone War', billions of souls had already been turned to stone by her beautiful, enchanting Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
Equip Bonus; 10% Total Damage Mitigation.
Abilities;
Forcefully shifts the Awareness of a maximum of 10 designated targets to the User's Eyes.
Within 30 Seconds of receiving an attack, further Mitigate all Damage by an additional 10%. Occurs once every minute.
Size Manipulation. |
"Billions? The Demonic Hand's still got rookie numbers compared to this."
Evan muttered as read the description of the Shield, pitying the poor souls who had been petrified by this Gorgon Queen.
He then moved his focus to the Equip Bonus and the second ability of the shield, two things that made him smile.
'Total Damage Mitigation.'
Physical, Elemental, Mental, Energy, Spiritual and whatever. All were mitigated simply by having it equipped.
"Now then."
Evan brought out the Sword Hilt and summoned his trusty partner who had accompanied him for over two years, the Unforged.
"Unfortunately, getting the materials to take you to Phase 2 is easier said than done.
So, while I cannot upgrade you, I'd give you something that'd enhance your power temporarily."
He drew his hand across the blade's edge as he spoke, but even though he did so on the sharp edge of the blade, his fingers were not sliced off.
The boy made the sword float into the air before thinking about the Dungeon he got the Sword from.
"Maybe I should go back to Geto and check how many times that dungeon has been cleared.
I hope they haven't triggered 'Spider Nemesis' Cheisnih's appearance."
'Spider Nemesis' Cheisnih was a Level 500 monster that spawned when the 'Spider's Nest' Dungeon had been cleared a certain number of times, and it was the monster who killed the first owner of the Unforged Vanquisher Evan wielded.
"If they trigger that thing then Geto would wish they rather had a dozen more Xakons."
The boy muttered to himself, making a mental note to visit Geto City again before holding out the Vale Balde.
Despite being called the 'Vale Blade', all that was in Evan's hands was just the hilt of a Sword. There was no 'Blade', so to speak.
The reason being; that this weapon needed a Symbiotic Relationship with another weapon to show its power.
It needed a different weapon to serve as its 'Base', and Evan planned to use the Unforged for this.
"First, let's take off my artifacts."
Evan did as he said and removed all the artifacts he wore. Because he had taken off the Doubler, the Unforged had returned to its base state.
|Unforged Vanquisher (The Unforged)
Type; One-handed Sword.
What was left behind by a once great adventurer who perished at the hands of the 'Spider Nemesis' Cheisnih.
This sharp sword can seemingly pierce through anything. When swung, one can almost see the rift it tears in the air.
Effect;
Scoring hits on opponents increases overall attack power by 5% for thirty seconds. This effect can be stacked a maximum of five times. Can only occur once every ten seconds. |
He held the Unforged in front of the Vale Blade and repeated the imprinting process before saying.
"This is your new 'Base', Vale."
The hole in the Sword Hilt where the blade was supposed to be suddenly widened as the Hilt absorbed Evan's magic power.
As Evan inserted the Unforged, the Sword Hilt released tiny robotic appendages that pierced the Unforged's blade and circuit-like lines appeared on the blade, merging them into one weapon.
It resembled the Unforged but had a modified hilt.
Checking the Sword's description, Evan saw the Unforged's Attack Boost had increased from 5% to a base of 7.5%.
With the Doubler bracelet, this boost could now reach up to 15%, lasting for a minute, stackable up to 10 times, and renewing every 20 seconds, unlike the previous 10%.
But if this was just the effect, then there was no way Evan would have joined a war just to get it.
"Summon 5 Bladewraith: Raja projections."
[Deploying.]
Evan dashed towards the Bladewriaths, his weapon glowing with infused magic. As he clashed with the first one, a massive explosion of magic power erupted, obscuring the area with dust.
**BOOM!!!
When the dust settled, Evan grinned at the sight: his sword had cut through the first Bladewraith's weapon and sliced its torso clean off.
As the remaining four charged, he swung his blade sideways, activating the 'Blade Cannon' skill.
Five fist-sized bullets of dense aura shot out alongside the slash, punching clean holes through the second Bladewraith before splitting it in twain.
"Energy Amplification."
Evan muttered as he unfurled his wings and took to the air, to dodge the attacks of the remaining three before dismissing their projections.
The First of the Vale Blade's Weapon Skills enhanced the Ability of the Sword used as a Base, while the Second Amplified the energy infused into the sword by 1.5x.
But still, this was not the Sword's Main Ability.
"Get me Sub-Administrator 4."
[ERROR. Sub-Administrator 4 is an Inv-]
"Override Default Protocols."
[…
Initiating Teleportation.]
Evan silenced the AI and had it relay a message to Roselia through the intercom. Moments later, she teleported in beside him. Her eyes narrowed as they landed on the familiar hilt of Evan's weapon.
"Can I test this thing with you?"
"…"
She was all too familiar with the capabilities of the Vale Blade, having faced its wielder multiple times before. While she knew about its 'regular skills', the sword's unique ability remained a mystery to her.
Despite trying various appraisal and analysis skills on the blade, she had never managed to uncover its unique skill. Only the Previous Seven Heroes, who had aided Arlan Maddox in discovering the weapon, knew of its true potential.
It was like a person's skills.
The Ability Enhancement and Energy Amplification Evan used earlier were the Normal Skills, and Roselia had seen the sword display many other Normal Skills.
'Let's see where this goes…'
Roselia summoned Vanitas, its dark red lines glowing, and took her stance. Evan, his Mystic Eyes shining, mirrored her, adopting Roselia's 'Origin Sword' base stance.
A second later, they lunged at each other, their blades clashing with sparks and creating shockwaves that damaged the surrounding walls.
"This thing just cleaved through a Level 500 monster projection and here you are blocking without breaking a sweat."
"Oh, I assure you, I'm putting in much more effort than you think."
Roselia replied to Evan as she increased the strength in her arms and pushed him back. She stomped her foot on the ground and released a shockwave to destabilize his footing before charging in.
"You're not the only one who can use shockwaves!"
Evan flipped and unleashed an omnidirectional aura shockwave, forcing Roselia to stop. Seizing the moment, he dashed forward, sending out multiple aura slashes.
But to his surprise, they turned into bubbles and floated upwards, popping against the ceiling. What's more, his sword which slashed at her phased through Roselia as if she were an illusion.
"Woman, that's a spatial manipulation ability! How do you have that?!"
"I can have whatever I want."
Roselia replied as she swung her blade down, but the Gazebind Aegis manifested at the last moment and blocked her slash.
'That annoying shield as well…'
A light frown adorned her face as Roselia boosted her mental resistance using a spell and then kicked Evan away, unleashing slashes of her black aura which he countered. They clashed again in a supersonic sword battle.
While they duelled, the AI asked Evan about letting the other Sub-Administrators into the Core Sector, to which he replied offhandedly.
When Eliza, David and Laurene teleported in, Evan and Roselia were in the middle of a heated battle where it looked like they were trying to kill themselves.
However, their use of only swords and weapon skills indicated it wasn't a deathmatch.
Mid-battle, Roselia suddenly had a bad feeling, and her whole being instinctively warned her against clashing blades with Evan.
Unfortunately, she had already swung her sword and there was no time to cancel her motion.
Their blades collided and—
*CLANG!! **BAAMM!!!!
—Roselia's back slammed into a wall in the next second.
"Damn, your Instincts are sharper than people with the Instinct skill."
Evan commented, retracting the energy from his blade and stabbing it into the ground. Roselia, silent, regained her footing, her attention shifting to Vanitas in her grip.
"…what did you do?"
Roselia was certain that Evan had activated his sword's unique ability just then, but its exact nature remained elusive to her.
All she knew, was that the ability affected Vanitas.
When she raised her gaze to Evan again, her eyes widened in disbelief.
On Evan's blade were golden lines running through it like veins. The exact same pattern of lines on her sword.
In that Instant, her brain formed a conjecture she was 99% sure of.
'That last strike…the sudden increase in power…that was Vanitas' ability!'
Evan's wry smile deepened as he saw Roselia's expression, knowing she had a guess. The Vale Blade's unique ability was, in truth, quite straightforward if one pondered it with some depth.
Roselia had never discerned it simply because Arlan Maddox recognized her crazy instincts and never used it against her.
|The Unforged Vale (Enhanced)
Type; Relic Grade Sword.
Fusion between the 'Vale Blade' and the 'Unforged Vanquisher'. Enhanced by the 'Prototype Replicator'.
During an Era long forgotten, there was a 'Hero of Mimicry' who achieved 'Race Queen' status and sought to take more from her opponents than just their Skills, Magic, and Techniques.
Harnessing her Authority over the Universal Law of Mimicry, she forged this blade after years in the 'Sword Grave Valley'.
In homage to the blades interred there, she granted it the name 'Vale'.
Hero of Mimicry Equip Bonus; Amplifies the power of all Mimicked Abilities by 10%.
Abilities;
Retains all abilities of 'Base' Weapon.
Enhances all abilities of the 'Base' Weapon by 50%.
Amplifies infused energy by 1.5x.
Energy Blade Mode.
Unique:
When clashing repeatedly with a designated target weapon, the Vale Blade analyses the weapon's construction and replicates it within itself using the essence of the law of Mimicry.
The aforementioned Ability can only be used by someone who can wield the Law of Mimicry.
Limited Appearance Modification.
Restrictions;
Due to Universal law restrictions, the Vale Blade can only replicate a maximum of 4 different weapons abilities.
Remaining Slots: 3 |
It normally had 2 base Slots, but the Doubler made that 4 and Evan was very grateful that it worked.
'Appearance modification, eh?'
His lips curled up into a grin and he dug into his inventory, pulling up a set of clothes he had prepared beforehand and changed into them.
Evan in these clothes was an imposing figure clad in a black, menacing suit of armour. He wore a helmet with a distinctive faceplate and integrated breathing apparatus and a dark cloak which billowed ominously.
On his chest was a control panel-like box, featuring a series of lights and buttons.
Holding his sword, he used appearance modification to transform it.
The hilt morphed into a cylindrical shape, while the blade was coated with a layer of destructive essence, giving it the appearance of a pure energy blade.
It emitted a humming sound, and behind the mask, Evan couldn't help but smile.
Before everyone's eyes, he brought out a mirror from his inventory and looked himself over before speaking with a robot-esque voice.
[Yep. I definitely look like Darth.]
He then turned to Eliza and passed her a camera, telling her to take pictures as he posed with his LightSabe—correction, the Unforged Vale.
'When I get back to Earth V, I'm definitely posting all of this online.'
After his cosplay of a certain sci-fi movie franchise villain, rearranged his artifacts to optimize the Doubler's effect.
He then made his way to the Outer Sectors to check on the others exploring Arlan Maddox's archives.
As Evan teleported out of the Core Sector, he pulled out a small book labelled 'Otherworld Todo List' from his inventory and checked off 'Getting a Lightsaber'.