Piers rested on a bed, and soon Zen came in. "Piers, you did well out there," Zen said. "You led the team, took charge, and even delivered the final blow."
"Then am I selected for the Main Branch?" Piers asked.
Zen smiled. "Yes, you are selected."
Piers was happy. "Yeah! Now you'll see how I become the greatest devil holder the world has ever seen!"
"Before that, you still need to learn sword techniques to use your sword," Zen said. "The technique I'm going to teach you is the Phantom Sword Technique."
"Phantom Sword Technique? That sounds cool!" Piers said excitedly.
"Here, take this," Zen said, giving Piers a white book.
"What is it?" Piers asked.
"This is a white arts spellbook," Zen explained. "I can't use it because I'm a devil holder, but you, with your unusual and uncorrupted powers, might be able to." Piers took the book.
"Okay, I'll be sure to learn it while I'm recovering," Piers said.
"Yeah, just don't push yourself," Zen said as he left.
Piers started reading the book. He read aloud, "This book is called The Luminarium. It will introduce you to the workings of gods and their powers. White arts are divided into three segments: Sacred Arts, Hidden Arts, and Forbidden Arts." He thought, "Wow, this looks like something."
Piers noticed there were three sections, one for each art. He read the descriptions. "Sacred Arts are the weakest section of white arts; however, they help the user without any risks. Hidden Arts are stronger than Sacred Arts; however, they carry a certain level of risk to the user and are more difficult to use. Forbidden Arts are the strongest arts among the white arts, and they carry a great amount of risk to the user."
"Okay, now this is getting interesting," Piers thought. He flipped to the Sacred Arts section. "There are so many spells... Lumen Vitae can help restore the body, Sanctus Aegis provides a defensive barrier, Aeris Puritas can cleanse toxins, poisons, and corruption... There are so many! Let's see something that suits me. Yes, Chorus Vitae—a soft chant that can heal the body, spirit, and soul of the user. With this, I can heal myself after using Mephisto's strength at full power. Let's see the chants." As Piers delved into the chants for Chorus Vitae, he saw how complicated they were. "If the Sacred Arts are so difficult, how hard must the Hidden and Forbidden Arts be?" he wondered.
Piers started practicing, but even after he healed on his own, he was still unable to use Chorus Vitae. A week later, Zen returned. "Piers, it's time for your sword practice," he said.
"Okay," Piers said. "By the way, Master, when do we leave for the Main Branch?"
"There's still a week before we leave," Zen replied. "Time to practice."
Piers took out the sword Zen had given him. "Why don't you give it a name?" Zen suggested.
Piers thought for a moment. "Yeah, its name is the Phantom Insignia," he said.
"That's a good name. Okay. I'll show you a move," Zen said. Piers watched as Zen ran to his left side. Zen suddenly became incredibly fast. Piers looked around, but he couldn't see him. He felt a sword behind his neck. "This is called the Phantom Sword Technique," Zen said.
Piers was excited. "It's so strong and sneaky! It might be the strongest sword technique there is!"
Zen shook his head. "No, it's not a match for the Five Great Sword Techniques."
"Five Great Sword Techniques? What are those?" Piers asked.
"Northern Sword Technique, Southern Sword Technique, Western Sword Technique, Eastern Sword Technique, and Central Sword Technique," Zen listed. "Even the greatest sword technique, the Sword Saint Technique, doesn't come close. However, the Central Sword Style is on the decline. Only a few people possess it now."
"I see," Piers said. "I wonder who would possess such a strong sword style and whether they liked training in it." Piers didn't know that when he was Rei, he possessed the Central Sword Style and absolutely hated training it, stopping after he went on his adventure.
"So, want to try using the Phantom Sword Technique?" Zen asked.
"Yeah, I'll make sure I master it!" Piers said.
Zen began to explain the mechanics. "Keep your left leg forward, then start running without any qi to the side. Then, with your qi, jump three times to increase your speed. After that, all you have to do is watch the enemy's breathing and movements to stay out of their sight and slowly creep behind them while making sure your feet don't make a sound. Understand?"
"Okay, let me try," Piers said. He started practicing, and Zen looked away, listening for Piers's footsteps. He heard them, turned around, and pointed his sword at Piers. "You need more practice," Zen said.
At the borders of the principality, Bret successfully infiltrated and looked around the city he had visited. "Unlike our kingdom, the principality seems to have more slums," he thought. "Or maybe it's just my bias."
Bret sat in a restaurant and ordered some grilled chicken. While he ate, he listened to the conversations around him. At a nearby table, a person was saying, "Some people say the Imperial Army is trying to make super soldiers."
"How can they do that?" another person asked.
"They're trying to use artificial bloodlines with herbs and magic gems."
"Do you think it will work?" someone asked excitedly.
"Who knows?"
From another corner, Bret overheard, "Do you know a person has awakened the devil Mephisto?"
"Mephisto? Isn't he a devil king? How is that person even holding him? Shouldn't he have been corrupted and died by now?"
"The powers that person uses are uncorrupted, and he's learning to use those powers."
Bret thought to himself, "It seems like some interesting things are happening in the principality. If I have to prioritize, the super soldier investigation might come first, but the Mephisto case poses a bigger danger. I should investigate both." After eating, Bret paid the shopkeeper and left.