The sword should have felt useless in her hand.
It was rusted, chipped, and cold to the touch.
But as Emily wrapped her fingers around its cracked hilt, something changed within her.
Her vision blurred for a moment.
The chaos of the battlefield faded into the background.
She didn’t hear Draghar’s pained growls or the clanking of the Guardian Machina trying to stand.
She didn’t see the monster charging at her with those jagged claws raised.
Instead, her senses tunneled inward.
Something deep—buried and long dormant—stirred awake.
The broken sword began to shine.
The mana coating it became infinitely sharper.
A shimmering white glow spread from the hilt and danced along the edge.
The cracks vanished. The rust peeled off. The blade reformed.
[Sword Aura.]
The moment it surged out of her body, the monster hesitated. Its snarl wavered. Its momentum slowed mid-charge.
Emily stood up.
No, rose.
The sword was still broken.
But now, it was radiating a deadly presence.
Emily felt like she was now seeing a different world.
Somehow, she could predict the shortest sword path to cut down the monster with her sword.
She raised the sword with one hand.
The white aura curled around the blade like flames. Her eyes glowed faintly, reflecting that same light.
Professor Catherine stood up sharply on the balcony, pen frozen above her notes.
“What…?” she whispered. Her eyes locked onto the girl below, then narrowed. “That’s Sword Aura. But how is she using it? It needs years of training.”
The monster roared and lunged.
Emily moved.
She didn’t leap. She didn’t dash. She simply stepped forward, and appeared in front of the monster mid-swing.
The blade moved once.
Just once.
It cut through the monster’s wrist like paper, sending one of its claws flying into the air. The beast howled in pain.
Before it could react, she moved again.
Another step, another cut.
This time across its chest.
White light exploded from the wound.
Tirra hovered above, watching silently. Even Draghar, though battered, stood again, confused by the sudden shift.
Sword Aura wrapped around her blade like a cloak.
She floated inches above the ground, staring at the monster calmly.
The monster charged again, fury overtaking reason. It slammed all six of its arms toward her in a desperate flurry.
She didn’t dodge.
Her body moved through the gaps in the strikes like water parting through rocks. Then, she countered.
The sword traced a crescent arc upward.
White light flashed.
All six of the creature’s arms were severed in an instant.
The cuts were clean. No blood sprayed. The heat of the aura cauterized the wounds instantly.
The beast collapsed to its knees, chest heaving, red eyes wide.
Emily stood before it, sword pointed at its throat.
Then, with one clean thrust, she pierced straight through its core.
The creature’s body convulsed once, then went still.
Professor Catherine stared in stunned silence.
The Zephyrs floated back to Emily’s side. The Guardian Machina managed to pull itself upright, its battered frame twitching slightly as it locked eyes on its master. Draghar limped over and lowered its head respectfully.
Emily let out a slow breath. The sword in her hand dimmed. The aura vanished.
And then, like nothing had happened, the blade cracked apart and returned to its ruined, rusted form. It clattered to the ground.
She blinked.
The heaviness returned. Her knees wobbled, and she dropped to the ground, panting.
“What… was that?” she muttered, looking down at her trembling hands.
The power was gone now, but the memory of it burned fresh in her body.
Professor Catherine landed beside her a few seconds later, appearing like a ghost.
She didn’t speak at first. She just looked at the sword, then at Emily, then back at the corpse of the monster.
“Are you hurt?” she asked finally.
Emily shook her head. “Just tired.”
Professor Catherine knelt down beside the broken weapon and picked it up.
Her thumb ran across the edge. It was dull. There was nothing magical about it. It did not have a single enchantment.
And yet, she had seen what it had done.
“Where did you learn to use Sword Aura?” Catherine asked slowly.
“I didn’t,” Emily replied. “I’ve never… used a sword like that before. I just…”
She trailed off, uncertain.
Professor Catherine’s expression darkened, just slightly. She didn’t press further.
That display hadn’t been accidental. You couldn’t just stumble into Sword Aura. It was the mark of a refined will, a soul honed like a blade.
“Are you recovering your memories…?” Professor Catherine asked in a soft voice.
“Huh?” Emily looked up, confused.
Professor Catherine stared at her.
Her mind was racing.
Emily had never touched a sword ever since she woke up, but she was still ’his’ daughter. The ability to handle a sword ran through their bloodline.
“Is the test over?” Emily asked, still breathing heavily.
Professor Catherine looked at the battlefield. Ruined stone. Summons bruised and battered. A monster that had required everything from her to defeat.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s over. You passed.”
Emily smiled faintly and collapsed onto her back, staring at the ceiling with her arms splayed out.
“I was fun,” she muttered.
Professor Catherine chuckled. “You’ll see worse than ruins if you enter the wilderness.”
Emily groaned, but excited nonetheless.
She wanted to bring Alice with her.
Alice would definitely like going into wilderness.
’Ah, I almost forgot.’
Emily turned her head and looked at the corpse.
She stored it into the spatial ring that the Vice Principal had given her.
“You are taking the corpse?” Professor Catherine asked.
“Yes. I— um.”
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to share why you need it, there is no need to force yourself to answer.” Professor Catherine said gently. “Keep in mind that as an Awakener, you have all the rights to hide your abilities.
“And you should never reveal important secrets related to you to anyone.
“These secrets can be used against you if you are not careful to hide them.”