Supreme Blades
Chapter 2. New Power
Cassian woke up still inside the same locker. The sword that had been driven into his head was now in his hands. Precisely in the palm that had previously been missing.
He felt no pain. No fatigue, no emptiness, no fear. All he felt was pure strength and lightness.
Cassian stood up and climbed out of the locker. Almost immediately he noticed the changes. His body had become physically stronger and larger in build. Such drastic alterations were impossible to miss.
He stepped outside. The school courtyard was filled with mutilated bodies of students and teachers. Among them were his friends. But looking at them, Cassian felt nothing.
Suddenly, one of the monsters leaped down from the roof of the gym behind him. Cassian didn't even realize how he dodged. He had always been fairly agile, but now it was something else entirely. Reflexes, reaction, instinct — everything had become far sharper.
The creature lunged at him again. While the monster was still in the air, Cassian reacted, swung the sword, and cleaved it in half. The entire sequence took less than a second.
For the first time in my life, I finally feel real power, Cassian thought.
"One thing I know for sure. I'm not giving this power to anyone, and I'm going to use it to the fullest," he said aloud.
The school had fallen silent, but explosions still thundered across the city. Screams hadn't stopped. Cassian's gaze immediately caught on the aftermath of the tragedy. Then he smelled it.
The scent hit his nose sharply and heavily. A sickly-sweet, cloying smell of fresh meat, still warm. Steam rose from the torn bodies. Only now did Cassian truly register what was happening around him.
He vomited.
He tried to step aside and stepped on someone's intestine. On the stairs lay a body. Or what was left of it. The torso had been ripped in two, connected only by intestines that stretched across the steps. As if someone had tried to crawl, leaving a thick trail of guts behind.
Cassian turned away, took a step, and nearly stepped on a head. The face was crushed flat. One eye had been popped out and dangled by a nerve. The jaw was twisted to the side. The skin of the face and lips were torn. Blood still flowed from what remained of the face, mixed with clear mucus.
Nearby lay a severed part of an arm. Just a bloodied bone. The skin, with ragged, protruding veins, lay separately, as if it had simply been torn off the bone.
Against the wall of the gym was a pile of lifeless bodies. Or rather, what was left of them. The severed heads had faces frozen in panicked screams.
Cassian vomited again. Apparently, even if he felt no emotions toward these bodies, the smell and the overall sight still did their work.
Suddenly another one leaped.
Cassian didn't react in time. The sword flew out of his hands. With its stone claws the monster knocked him to the ground and ripped open his chest with a single strike.
Cassian screamed in pain. Despite his newfound strength, he could still feel pain. But to his surprise, he didn't die.
The monster continued tearing at his insides while Cassian lay there staring at the sword. And suddenly the sword rose and began to hover in the air.
What if… The thought flashed through his mind.
Cassian mentally directed the sword toward the monster. And it worked. In a single second the blade sliced through the creature's body, cutting it in two.
Cassian reached out and mentally called the sword back to him. The blade shot forward and returned to his palm.
But what's the point? I'm still going to die right now. Is there really no way to survive? he thought.
At that moment the sword began to glow again — just as it had when it was driven into his head. The lower half of the blade turned fiery red, while the upper half remained black, as if completely devouring the light.
And then something else happened.
The tissues of Cassian's body began to regenerate. They didn't simply return to their place — they grew back anew, like in some species of reptiles. In time the pain disappeared.
So the sword can be controlled with the mind. And it can help me recover, Cassian realized.
I wonder who that person was who left it to me. Maybe he drove the sword into my head to bind me to it.
A couple of hours ago such a thought would have seemed absurd. But now it felt perfectly logical.
At that moment the female voice sounded in his head again.
"New level. Say aloud or mentally 'Open status' to view your progress."
What? The voice in my head again? Though honestly, it's hard to surprise me anymore, Cassian thought.
"Open status," he said aloud.
A menu appeared before him.
[Status]
Name: Cassian Vale
Age: eighteen years
Level: 2
Physical abilities: 20
Connection with the sword: 20
Unknown
Unknown
Overall condition: 14 out of 20
Skill: none
Bonus: none
Title: none
What is this, some kind of stat menu? Cassian thought.
How does the system know my name and age?
Though its very existence was just as shocking. The sword was clearly linked to him. And most likely had access to his thoughts, since he could control it mentally.
"Help," the voice sounded again. "If you say 'Open status' aloud, the menu will appear as a physical visualization visible to other beings. If you say the command mentally, the menu will be visible only to you."
"I'm never going to get used to this voice," Cassian said.
"Help. Say aloud or mentally 'Close status' to close the stat menu."
"Close status," Cassian said.
If you think about it, this is a full-fledged leveling system, he realized.
And I can become stronger. Logically, that means I need to kill monsters.
Cassian headed toward the school gates to leave the premises. Right at the entrance lay three corpses.
One had intestines spilling out. The face was torn apart, but it was still recognizable. The second was in a sitting position, leaning against the wall. Or rather, what was left of him. His body was no longer whole, and the severed head lay a couple of meters away. The third lay face-down; his stomach had been pierced straight through. Cassian didn't look at his face.
The blue bracelets on their wrists made it clear that these three had been his closest friends.
Cassian sharply turned away and walked out through the gates.
I still don't know what's happening beyond the school. I don't know what's happening in the whole world. What is this voice in my head, and what exactly is this Royal Battle?
But I need to pull myself together and figure it out. Especially now that I have the power to stand up for myself.
Thoughts kept spinning nonstop in Cassian's mind.