They crossed the streets to a quiet stretch of coast outside the city.
Waves beat rhythmically against the rocks, and the salty sea breeze blew away the worst of the noon heat.
Shane patted his not-quite-full stomach and muttered, "Honestly… I could've gone for two more bowls of rice."
"I'll treat you later!" Erza jumped in at once, eyes bright—her eagerness for magic written all over her face. "So how do I awaken it?"
Seeing how raring to go she was, Shane smiled, thought a moment, and said, "No rush. Try swinging your sword first—look for the feeling."
"Think back to the Tower, to the state you were in when you split those magical shockwaves."
Erza immediately drew the longsword she carried, stepped onto an open patch of ground, focused on the memory, and began cutting in earnest.
The blade sliced the air with swift whooshes; casual as the motions were, they already held a bite.
Watching from the side, Shane couldn't help but sigh—magic or no magic, the girl had a real talent for fighting.
Millianna crouched politely in the sand nearby, chin in both hands, staring wide-eyed at Erza's swordplay, her small face full of curiosity.
After trying for quite a while, sweat beaded on Erza's brow. She stopped, shaking her head, a little downcast. "No good. I can't find that feeling."
Grandpa Rob, who had been observing quietly, spoke up.
"Shadow-swinging may not cut it. Erza-chan, you only burst out under real pressure back there, right? Try recreating the situation—you might catch it again."
Shane and Erza exchanged a look; it made sense.
"You're right—we need external stimulus!" Shane nodded, unwrapping the gray cloth from his right hand. With a flicker of light, the cloth in his grip became a sleek katana.
The blade was narrow, beautifully curved, and flashed cold in the sun.
Saber's power seemed to give katanas a bonus. From last night's tests, this had the best material strength of any weapon he tried.
"I still like spears more…" he sighed inwardly, but he was a pragmatist. A roll of the wrist, a lazy test cut—and every detail of weight, balance, and bite of the edge came back through his palm.
"Come on, Erza," he set his stance. "Don't hold back—come at me like you did then."
Erza's eyes went sharp. She'd wanted to spar with Shane for ages. She lunged without hesitation, both hands on the hilt, a crisp shout on her lips, the tip driving straight for his chest—
Clang!
Katana met longsword with a ringing note.
In the instant of contact, a faint light flickered in Shane's eyes.
A strange sensation surged through him—the katana felt like an extension of his senses.
Through the subtle vibrations in the blade, he could feel the structure and hardness of Erza's sword—could even pick out tiny wear spots from use and weak points where internal stress was uneven.
An almost instinctive intuition for weapons.
"Saber's Phantasm?" he thought, guessing this was akin to [Arrow Construction]—a special sense the Phantasm granted ahead of time.
A frightening ability…
In a life-and-death swordfight, seeing a weapon's "death line" was nearly the same as holding the win.
Take the weapon, and a foe is a bird with broken wings—what fight remains?
Over the next few exchanges, Shane looked casual, but every parry and cut landed precisely where Erza's force would falter—or where her blade was most fragile.
By the third or fourth move, his wrist snapped, the katana tracing a tricky upward curve and striking a "dead point" near her guard—
Crack!
Erza's longsword snapped cleanly!
The broken tip spun into the sand a short distance away; the trailing edge of the katana even left a fine cut on Erza's forearm.
She staggered back two steps, staring, half a blade in her hand.
She felt full of openings before him. Every attack was like handing her weak spot to his blade.
Like a fly in a spiderweb—the more she struggled, the tighter the unseen threads bound her breathless.
"A real… monster…" she muttered, staring at the black-haired boy with the sword—still wearing that infuriatingly mild smile.
Same age as her, and not only did he have magic, he fought with the mastery of a veteran—sword and bow both… Where did he learn it? Was he truly a born genius?
Yet for all her amazement, there was no discouragement in her eyes—only a fiercer flame.
"Hmph!" She sniffed, and without a second thought, grabbed the hem of her simple dress and tore it from just above the knee with a rip, baring long, clean legs—much freer to move.
Then, with brisk hands, she tore a strip from the dress and tied her scarlet hair into a high ponytail.
She gripped the broken blade again, gaze tempered like steel, set an attacking stance, and fixed Shane without flinching.
"Good spirit," Shane nodded approval. "But…"
With a flick of thought, a longsword identical to her broken one appeared at his side. He tossed it to her.
"Use this," he said evenly. "Training with a broken blade teaches nothing. A good weapon… matters too."
Erza caught it; it felt pleasantly heavy. Two test swings—and it moved like it belonged in her hands. Same size as before, but far better than the last one.
Shane watched her grip and posture, nodding slightly.
"So Saber really is special," he mused.
Back at the Tower, he'd tried to lend out the crimson bow to see if anyone else could use it; the instant he had the thought, the Phantasm rejected it violently.
But these Saber-made replicas could be handed off… The freedom was beyond anything he expected—half a dozen applications flashed through his mind.
The depth upgrades weren't wasted—expensive things do earn their keep.
He couldn't help a private thrill and gave a mental thumbs-up to the unknown Saber.
They clashed again.
This time, Erza let loose completely.
She seemed to have endless stamina—her attacks crashed like waves, one after another, heedless of the cost.
Even with numbed arms and a few fresh nicks, she ignored it all, reset her stance, and drove in again.
Clang!
Another heavy impact.
Erza pushed off to retreat half a step, breathing a little harder; sweat dampened the red fringe on her brow, sticking it to smooth skin.
She noticed only a few faint white marks on the blade—and understood more deeply how crucial a good weapon was.
"Not just sharper and tougher… it seems to carry my power better?" she realized.
"Decision made," she thought. "I need to get more gear like this for future fights."
She surged forward again.
This time, the weapon in her hands felt uncannily in sync—like it was subtly answering her will.
Right here, right now, she felt better than ever.
CLANG—
A strike louder and heavier than any before exploded between the blades!
Shane felt the force through his katana spike—and there was a strange resilience to it. His once-easy katana was batted aside by that single cut!
Delight flashed in his eyes. He drew back at once, sheathing the blade with a pleased smile.
"Stop! That feeling—right there in that instant! Hold on to it, Erza!"
~~~
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