The Blades of Arcane

Chapter 3: The Blade in the shadow

The match was over, and King stood at the center of the stage, his right arm not broken, but heavily damaged from the strain of his demonic aura. The crowd was eerily silent at first, unsure of how to process what they had just witnessed. Then, as if on cue, his younger sister, Elena, broke the silence, her voice ringing out with pure joy as she cheered for her brother. That single spark lit the crowd ablaze, and soon, the entire arena erupted into applause and cheers.

King stood there, basking in the praise, but his focus shifted when he saw Joseph, who had taken that devastating blow, rising to his feet. Joseph's armor, now visibly shimmering with magic, began to repair itself, a clear sign that it was an artifact. Joseph shook off the blow as if it hadn't knocked him out of the ring, and a realization washed over King: Joseph hadn't gone all out. The thought that Joseph could have had more power hidden, if this had been a real battle, stirred something in King-excitement. The idea that a rematch, under different circumstances, could end differently only fueled his desire to grow stronger.

As King was crowned the tournament winner, he played his role well, keeping up his usual cheerful mask. The attention was new, but part of him secretly enjoyed it, even though he had to maintain his persona. The recognition came, but it was mostly from warriors-the mages, especially the younger ones, still didn't fully grasp how dangerous King truly was. But that suited him just fine. He continued to joke and smile, keeping up his charade while his reputation slowly grew.

A week passed, and King's life changed only slightly. He was now getting a bit more recognition from warriors around the Academy, while mages remained oblivious. But more importantly, King began training regularly with Cassian. The two would train after Academy hours, each honing their weaknesses-King worked on his aura control, while Cassian sharpened his swordsmanship. The dynamic worked well for them both, and their sparring sessions were intense but always productive.

Somehow, King had also become Malachi's sparring partner. The prodigy mage needed more combat experience, and King needed practice against high-level mages. While King's natural strength and skill should have given him the edge, Malachi's long-range attacks often kept King at a frustrating distance, forcing him to adapt. The rivalry was healthy, but it gnawed at King that despite all his advantages, Malachi could still keep him at bay with clever use of magic.

What came as a surprise was the new nickname he earned: The Demon Beast. While King still carried the title of The Outcast Blade, his fighting style, combined with the overwhelming power of his demonic aura, left a lasting impression. The name was admittedly lazy, but it stuck, and King accepted it.

Warrior classes continued as usual, though there was a shift in what they were learning. One day, Gideon Valerius led a lesson on the ranking of high-tier warriors, specifically the different subclasses that warriors could attain based on their focus-swordsmanship or aura control.

Gideon explained:

Sword Saints: Warriors who focused heavily on swordsmanship but maintained moderate aura control. They were highly skilled with their blades, able to enhance their strikes with aura but not dependent on it. This was Gideon's own rank, a balance of technique and power.

Sword Gods: Warriors who focused almost entirely on swordsmanship, sacrificing high-level aura control for absolute mastery of the blade. These warriors were known for their incredible combat skills, though their aura abilities were limited.

Aura Lords: Warriors with high-level aura control, capable of using their aura to crush opponents or even mages. They had decent swordsmanship but relied heavily on their ability to manipulate aura.

Aura Immortals: The rarest and most difficult rank to attain. These warriors had such a mastery over aura that they could affect, and even control, the aura of others. Gideon explained that in the entire city, there were probably only two warriors who could claim this title.