After a long moment, Sora realized he had been absent from the battlefield for a long time. He pulled himself together and took in the situation.
'Netsu and Hiyoko… they're shaking in fear. They were protecting me from Tian Long this whole time,' he immediately noticed, sensing their emotions through their [Soul Link].
Turning his gaze toward his opponent, he was surprised to find her still standing silently in the same place as before.
Then, a voice echoed directly in his mind.
"Sora, looks like that dragon woman wants to let you prepare for the fight. As soon as she saw your [Sword Intent] getting stronger, she crossed her arms and started smiling! Keep doing your weird meditation and get even stronger! We'll wake you if that bitch so much as lifts a finger."
Smiling at Hiyoko's tone and words, he shook his head.
"No need. I'm done," he replied aloud. "I might need your help, though, so be ready to support me if you see an opening."
Netsu and Hiyoko nodded in sync and stepped aside, leaving room for Sora to return to the battle.
Taking advantage of the time Tian Long had granted him, he focused on the changes brought by [Faith in the Sword].
He felt the transformation in the focus and sharpness of his [Sword Intent], quickly gauging his gains.
'A thousand times the concentration compared to before, and a [Sword Intent] with a hundred times the quality… The difference is colossal.'
Thrilled by the discovery, he knew that wasn't all.
'My understanding of the sword has skyrocketed too... I've never gained this much power in so little time.'
As the euphoric rush from the power-up surged through him, he struggled to keep his calm.
Gradually regaining control, he tightened his grip around his sword and closed his eyes.
------------------------------
Seeing Sora focus on the battle, Hiyoko flapped her wings and took some distance.
She resumed communication with Netsu.
'I bet you three lucky feathers Sora's going to kick her butt without our help,' she said in a playful tone.
Netsu, as always, cooled her off.
'Big sister, we must support Master with all our strength. Wagering on his victory or defeat would be a show of disrespect toward him.'
Used to these answers, she didn't retreat.
'You're just scared of losing your resurrection ashes… I thought a phoenix who wasn't afraid of death would have a bit more backbone than that…'
Seeing irritation flicker across the phoenix's face, Hiyoko mentally rejoiced. He was about to fold.
'I'm not afraid... Three grams. I bet you three grams of resurrection ashes that Master will need us before the end of the battle.'
Satisfied, Hiyoko grinned and turned her attention back to Sora.
He had taken a stance she found familiar.
Floating in the air, sword in hand, a silhouette was forming behind him.
When the ethereal entity fully materialized, Hiyoko stood speechless.
'Wait… Is that Aunt Kara's [Sword Manifestation]? He finally mastered it!' she thought.
But it wasn't the same as Kara's.
This one was just as massive, but its appearance was entirely different. It was a human figure wearing a white mask, long blond hair cascading behind it, and pale skin. It was draped in a long, flowing black coat that danced in the wind.
Hiyoko tried to look into its eyes.
She regretted it immediately.
A wave of dizziness struck her. A sharp headache followed, intensifying until she had no choice but to look away, gasping for air.
'He's terrifying… But that form—doesn't it remind you of Ralph?' she asked Netsu, her thoughts racing. 'Don't you think it looks like our master… before?'
Hiyoko's tiny heart pounded violently in her chest. 'Netsu!! That manifestation—it looks like him! Don't you think it looks like Ralph?!'
The phoenix locked eyes with the entity, before looking away in panic.
'It does look like him…' he said. 'Aunt Kara once told us that a [Sword Manifestation] isn't a projection of oneself. It's a being born from one's mastery of the sword—shaped by memories, experiences, and the ideals of its wielder. If it resembles Ralph Eden so closely… then maybe that's how the entity sees Sora.'
Hiyoko looked at the being behind Sora again.
Unlike Kara's manifestation which radiated an aura of pure swordsmanship, full of vitality and warmth, this one felt… strange.
She was aware Sora was not doing it on purpose, she could feel the pressure on her mental defenses, body and soul by simply standing in the same space as the entity. Every feather on her body stood on end at the mere idea of being targeted by Sora's manifestation.
Sora, however, seemed completely unaware of its appearance and the feeling it gave to others.
Tian Long, on the other hand, wore a wide grin. She seemed thrilled by the turn of events and launched the same kind of attack as before. A freezing breath surged toward Sora, while she ascended into the sky to strike him head-on.
But the scene that unfolded before Hiyoko and Netsu was nothing like the one before.
Sora swung his blade in a wide arc.
And behind him, the massive ethereal figure mimicked the motion perfectly.
The impact defied description.
A surge of energy erupted from the manifestation's sword. The air itself shattered. The freezing breath was obliterated, its effect cancelled, and...
Tian Long, caught in the path of the slash, was cut clean in two.
Sora's attack tore through the ground, slicing all the way to the edge of the boundary that marked Tian Long's territory. The mountain split in a straight line.
The lingering energy from the attack spread into the chasm below, devouring what remained of the mountain, until it became a bottomless pit that stretched across the entire territory.
'His [Sword Intent]… It's even more powerful than Aunt Kara's,' Netsu's voice echoed in her mind. Kara relied on her mastery of time to dominate her opponents, but Master's sword intent alone seemed stronger.
Noticing the abundance of raw energy in the air, the volatile elements, and the countless fragments of power left behind by Sora's attack, Hiyoko grew confused.
'I'm sensing elemental traces of all kinds even though Sora abandoned the elements! How is that even possible?'
Netsu responded immediately. 'Through our [Soul Link], I can confirm his affinity with elements really is gone… There must be an explanation.'
As Hiyoko searched the ground, trying to spot the remains of the heavenly dragon queen, Netsu's voice rang out in her mind, this time in a panic.
'We have to help!'
----------------------------------------------------
Sora was falling.
Fast.
His vision was blurry, his mind clouded, and his body utterly drained.
Every ounce of mental energy he had possessed had been consumed to reach his level of power.
His [Sword Manifestation] had burned through all his mana and every form of energy he could absorb from the environment to convert into [Sword Energy]. It dissipated the moment its task was done.
Worse, his stamina was gone, and the toll on his vitality was so severe that his body refused to obey him.
He couldn't move. Couldn't fight. Couldn't even stabilize his fall.
As he plunged downward, his thoughts spiraled.
'Each phase, she grew stronger… And since I didn't get a notification, that means there's another phase. How am I supposed to face her with my energy completely drained?'
Suddenly, something caught him mid-air.
He recognized the warmth instantly.
Netsu.
'I didn't even feel him coming.' He thought.
'Master… We must leave this place. Let's get out of her territory and come back later,' the phoenix suggested.
Sora didn't take long to answer.
'I don't want to retreat. We can't die anyway. Help me recover—and let's try to learn more about her final phase.'
Netsu sighed and began healing him, pouring as much of his own energy into Sora as he could.
"Keep some for yourself." Sora, aware of how absurdly large his energy requirements had become, knew that even all of Netsu's reserves wouldn't be enough to restore his a tenth of his power. He ordered his companion to conserve what little strength he had left.
Using the energy he was receiving to recover his stamina, Sora quickly regained control over his body and attempted to absorb mana to accelerate the process.
But it was no use.
The environment had been completely drained, leaving behind only soul energy. Mana was beginning to reappear, but slowly and Sora wasted no time in absorbing it.
'The mana density increases the deeper it goes… Same with the amount of Soul Power… Could it be connected?'
Relying on [Loved by Mana] to gradually replenish his energy, his gaze drifted away from the bottom of the chasm and toward the floating throne above.
The throne hadn't moved. It remained intact. Not a single attack had damaged it, and despite the mountain beneath it being completely destroyed, it hovered in place.
Sora wasn't surprised when a beam of light shot out from the floating object. He simply followed it with his eyes. The beam, charged with energy, descended into the abyss, illuminating the deep ravine as it passed.