"The Blood Odachi doesn't belong to anyone yet. It's still waiting."
"Waiting for who?"
Haruno asked sharply from behind him. She looked tired but not weak. Mizuhara tilted her head slightly.
"You."
The silence that hit afterward felt heavier than the bodies outside. Even Phaser blinked.
"Wait. You're saying—"
"I'm saying," Mizuhara interrupted casually, sheathing the Odachi she summoned in a motion so fluid it almost made sound itself hesitate, "that the Blood Odachi has been waiting for her for centuries. Out of all the humans and Fluxers that tried to claim it, only Haruno Nishikata has ever been the sword's choice."
"And yet she doesn't have it."
"That's because she hasn't passed the trials. The Blood Odachi has three. Fight me and win, kill the Worm of Ezmutheria, and then defeat the Frost Dragon. No one except a few have ever survived the first one."
Enheduanna chuckled softly, brushing her nails against her chin.
"And no one's even seen the dragon."
"Correct. The Blood Odachi doesn't like the weak. It doesn't like those who beg for power. It wants someone stubborn enough to defy its own influence"
Phaser shifted, rubbing his temples. "You must be immortal because you're its keeper, right? Then what about the others? Like the people with the other Treasures?"
"Same thing. Every Primal Synsiline Treasure has a keeper from long ago. We were given one task. We have to protect the treasure until someone passes the trials. Until then, immortality is both the gift and the curse."
"Right," Phaser muttered. "And how many people have tried taking the Odachi from you again?"
Mizuhara turned toward him.
"Five thousand, seven hundred and twenty-eight."
Phaser blinked. Enheduanna froze. Even Haruno gasped.
"Wait. Did you just say five thousand seven hundred and—"
"Yes. Every single one of them tried to claim the Blood Odachi since 1 A.D. Most were Fluxers. Some were humans. A few were half-breeds. I do not know why they all turned human.."
Enheduanna finally asked. "So how come Haruno's still alive then?"
"That, is where it gets complicated. Out of those five thousand and seven hundred, one hundred and seventy-three were Haruno Nishikata."
Haruno's eyes widened. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Time looped itself one hundred and seventy-three times. Every time you failed, time folded back. The trial reset. And you were born again, always drawn to this place, always to the same blade."
Phaser stared at her, trying to process it. "You're saying time reset because she failed your sword test?"
"Yes, because the Blood Odachi's trial was crafted by the Hidden God of Chronology himself. His trials bend causality, erase timelines, and reroute destiny. Every failure meant another cycle, another Haruno."
Haruno's fingers trembled slightly. "And you remember all of it?"
"Every single one. All one hundred and seventy-three of you. Each one came here in a different way. Some as soldiers, some as thieves, others as assassins or even nobles. Every one of you fought me. Every one of you died either to the worm, me or the blade. Only the 173rd got to the dragon but lost. You're the one hundred and seventy-fourth."
"And you still want to follow him instead of me?"
That made Mizuhara turn sharply. Her expression softened, which not something Phaser ever expected to see.
"Because I want to. I've seen your face a hundred and seventy-three times, Miss Haruno. You came to me as a savior, a warrior, a tyrant, a broken soul. Each time, I thought maybe you'd finally do it. Maybe you'd finally pass the trial."
Her gaze flicked toward Phaser now.
"But I've never met him. Across all the recursions, Master Phaser, you have never appeared. Not even once. That's why I followed you the moment I saw you."
Phaser blinked, caught completely off-guard. "That's it? You just felt like it?"
"Yes. For the first time in forever, I wanted to make a choice that wasn't bound by fate or divine orders. I chose to follow you because you are the variable that doesn't belong in the recursions. And if the Hidden God of Chronology put you here, then you are here to fix something."
Phaser let out a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of glitch in a divine algorithm."
"You probably are," Enheduanna said, folding her arms with a smirk. "But that's what makes you interesting."
Haruno stayed quiet. Mizuhara's eyes glowed faintly red again as she turned back toward the fire.
"This timeline is holding by a thread. If Haruno fails again, it will loop once more. But if you two do something different this time, something that breaks the flow then maybe, just maybe, the cycle will finally end."
"So what, the Blood Odachi's gonna rewrite time again if we screw up?"
"Yes. So try not to die. You'll fight the Worm of Ezmutheria alone. If you can't kill it yourself, the Blood Odachi won't accept you. You could skip fighting me, and you could skip facing the Frost Dragon, but the Worm? That one is non-negotiable."
Haruno didn't even flinch. "Then I'll do it. When the blizzard stabilizes, I'll go."
Just then, Naelle appeared from the hallway, brushing snow from her hood.
"The storm's calming down. You can actually see ten feet ahead now without freezing your eyelashes off."
Haruno nodded once, then turned to Mizuhara.
"Then I'll return when it's time."
"Make sure you do. Because if you fail this time, I will remember you as the 174th, not the last."
Haruno smirked faintly. "Then you'll remember me as the final one."
With that, Haruno and Enheduanna walked out, their figures swallowed by the darkness. Naelle followed, giving Phaser a small wave before she disappeared after them. The cave fell silent after everyone left, save for the faint creak of the structure and the hum of distant wind. Phaser exhaled and glanced over at Mizuhara.
"You really like putting people through hell, huh?"
"It is not my desire to do so. It is the sword. I just do what it demands."
He chuckled. "Sounds like you're married to it."
"You could say that. But unlike a spouse, it doesn't talk back."
"You sure?"
"The Blood Odachi isn't just a weapon. It's a soul, one born from the Hidden God of Chronology's essence. Every Primal Synsiline Treasure carries a spark of him. That's why they all have their own rules, their own personalities, and their own keepers."
That caught Phaser's interest. "So, how many keepers are like you right now?"
Mizuhara looked up, her eyes still closed.
"Nine. Nine out of thirteen Treasures are currently awakened and bonded to someone."
"Nine, huh? So that means—"
"Yes. That means nine people in this world are wielding something that was made directly by the Hidden God himself."
"Damn. So far, I only know five, including me."
She tilted her head, intrigued by the statement.
"List them."
He started counting on his fingers.
"Me, obviously. I've got Neveolus. My sister, Xaessia, has the Bracelet of Amizerq. My friend Verdamona wields Vightwhip. Thales has the Azure Sword. And then there's Hinesia. She's got Indiviris."
Mizuhara's eyes flickered for a moment, like she was searching through some old mental archive.
"Neveolus, Amizerq, Vightwhip, Azure Sword, and Indiviris. Five are accounted for. Plus mine, the Blood Odachi, that's six. Which means three are claimed and unknown."
"You can feel them, right?"
"Yes. Keepers are attuned to the frequencies of each Treasure. We can sense when one is awakened, even from halfway across both worlds. I cannot pinpoint their locations or names, but I can feel their existence. The resonance is faint, but it is there."
He chuckled lowly, folding his arms.
"So, what's the ranking? Is there a strongest?"
"Mm. Each Primal Synsiline Treasure has a ranking based on how much power was poured into it. The strongest is the Scarab of Transformation. It's the only one that can rewrite the wielder's biology completely in body, mind, and soul. Second strongest, Azure Sword. Third, Neveolus. Fourth, Blood Odachi. The rest fall in various levels beneath those."
"So Neveolus is third, huh? I knew it was strong, but I didn't realize it was that high on the list."
Mizuhara gave a small smile.
"Neveolus was the Hidden God's favorite creation. He even built a temple for it himself called the Temple of Chronology. Whoever holds Neveolus inherits that domain. If you're its wielder, Phaser, then the temple and the entire Fluve Field belong to you."
He smirked. "I turned it into a palace."
That made her laugh, genuinely this time.
"Of course you did. The god builds a temple, and the first mortal with style turns it into a mansion."
"Palace," he corrected, pointing at her. "There's a difference."
She rolled her eyes, still smiling faintly.
"Either way, it's yours. But that means you carry responsibility, whether you like it or not."
"Responsibility, sure. I'll get to it. But tell me something. If you're gonna serve me instead of Haruno, what exactly can you do? What's your use, aside from cutting through people like paper?"
Mizuhara's gaze sharpened a little, but there was amusement there too.
"You're direct. I like that. I know real history and not the kind written in books. I've existed since the beginning of AD. I've seen civilizations rise, fall, burn, and rebuild. I can also navigate the Fluve Fields without getting torn apart by spatial distortions."
She paused, brushing a bit of snow off her sleeve.
"However, I cannot teach you what Neveolus really is. Because if you're wielding it without understanding it, you're holding the third-strongest artifact like a toy. If Haruno passes her trials and survives the Worm, then I'll tell you the rest. Until then, consider this partial trust."
He exhaled, watching her closely.
"So you're holding back on me."
"I'm protecting you. Some things can't be known before their time."
Phaser was quiet for a moment, then nodded and extended his hand.
"Fair enough. You want to serve me, right? Then fine. I'll accept it. You can be my subordinate. Just don't stab me in my sleep."
Mizuhara smiled faintly, placing her cold hand in his.
"I only stab people who bore me."
"Good. Then we'll get along just fine."