Zenon's lungs burned as he sucked in a desperate, jagged breath. The metallic scent of blood and the choking ozone of Axiom energy were gone. In their place was the cloying, sweet aroma of expensive incense and aged Mythellian wine.
His golden eyes snapped open, darting wildly. He wasn't in a crater. He wasn't dying. He was standing.
The weight on his head was the first thing he noticed. It was a heavy, cold circle of gold and sapphires, the worthless crown he had once despised. He looked down at his hands. They were clean, pale, and free of the scars he had earned over a decade of desperate survival. He was draped in the royal silks of Historia, standing atop the dais of the Great Cathedral.
"Prince Zenon?" a muffled voice whispered from his side. "The High Priest is waiting. The vow, Your Highness."
Zenon didn't answer. His heart was hammering against his ribs. Thousands of nobles were staring at him, their faces a blur of expectation and hidden scorn.
This was it. The day the world ended. The day TAC111 turned Earth into a playground for the Galaxy Network.
Suddenly, a flicker of blue light danced in the corner of his vision.
[System synchronization: 100%]
[Host: Zenon Van Darius]
[Current rank: Mortal (Level 0)]
[Innate trait: Infinite swordsmanship talent (Origin-grade)]
'It wasn't a dream,' Zenon realized, his grip tightening on the ceremonial sword at his hip. 'The Axiom... the spaceships... TAC111... it's all coming.'
A cold smile touched his lips, one that looked entirely out of place on the unserious prince. Ten years ago, he had been the weakest Rank 10 master. This time, he wouldn't wait for a gift from the monsters who enslaved them.
He looked up at the cathedral's vaulted ceiling, as if he could see through the stone to the cold vacuum where the Galaxy Creators were already preparing their cameras.
'Damn them.'
"Huh? Prince Zenon?" The muffled voice spoke again.
Zenon looked to the side where the voice came from. The owner of the voice was a young man who had the same rough hair, golden eyes, and porcelain skin as Zenon, though his hair was much longer, forming a ponytail in a shade of yellow.
'Xavier.' Zenon felt something heavy lift from his chest seeing Xavier again, but almost immediately, his expression darkened, remembering what had happened to his trusted butler and best friend.
Zenon looked around and saw his parents, King Brian Van Darius and Queen Freila Van Darius, seated separately from the crowd on elegant thrones, not far from the altar where the High Priest was waiting.
Xavier's brow furrowed, his golden eyes searching Zenon's face for the usual hint of a joke or a weary sigh. Instead, he found a cold, sharpened steel in his master's gaze that he had never seen before.
"Your Highness? Are you unwell?" Xavier whispered, leaning in closer. "The High Priest is starting to look... impatient."
Zenon didn't blink. He looked past Xavier toward the thrones. His father sat with his jaw clenched, his eyes full of familiar disappointment. His mother didn't even look at him. She was busy adjusting her lace sleeves, her indifference as sharp as a blade.
They were waiting for the disappointment they called a son to speak his vows. They had no idea that in less than ten minutes, the very stone they sat upon would be stained with royal blood.
'Ten minutes,' Zenon thought, his fingers twitching toward the hilt of the ceremonial sword. 'They will invade us in ten minutes.'
"Prince Zenon!" the High Priest finally snapped, his voice booming through the cathedral. "Step forward and receive the blessing of the Heavens!"
Zenon stepped forward, but he didn't head for the altar. He stepped toward the center of the dais, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"Zenon! What are you doing?" King Brian barked, half-rising from his throne. "Get back to the Priest! Don't make a mockery of this day!"
Zenon didn't reply. Instead, he drew the ceremonial sword. The jewel-encrusted blade looked like an ancient relic, a pointed-tip blade with a hilt made of jewels and metal.
"Zenon! Can't you hear me?!"
Zenon smiled, looking directly at a patch of empty air where a camera drone was about to phase in.
[Weapon detected: Unranked sword]
[Algorithm: Weak]
[Would you like to use your daily weapon evolution?]
Zenon didn't reply immediately, contemplating. He was still new to this, so he had to make sure his decisions were right.
'Weapon evolution doesn't sound bad, though.'
'Yes.'
[Evolving...]
The ceremonial sword glowed for a second, surprising everyone except Zenon, who was already used to seeing the awakened use all sorts of supernatural abilities. Still, it was heartwarming seeing him use that privilege... indirectly.
The glow dimmed.
[Evolution denied]
[Requirements not met]
"Huh?" Zenon felt a pang in his heart. Ignoring everyone in the hall, he walked out, leaving them in awe.
"How come everyone's surprised by that?"
He walked through the castle and then out of it. Outside, it was noon. Birds were chirping, a calm wind blew, and there were beautiful, tall green trees under a cinematic sky.
[Requirements to evolve: User must have the abilities of a slain opponent stored in the [Bank]. Those abilities are gifted to the weapon the user wishes to evolve]
Zenon sighed. So all he had to do was kill an opponent with supernatural abilities.
"That isn't fair. I don't even have any abilities. Or wait, do I?"
He had learned from the awakened in his first life how the system works, so all he had to do was summon it with his mind. If he thought it was there, it would materialize.
Alas, it worked.
[User status]
[Name: Zenon Van Darius]
[Level: 0 (Mortal)]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Innate trait: Infinite swordsmanship talent (Origin-grade) [One skill available]]
[Bank: Empty (0/10 slots)]
"One skill, huh?"
He immediately assessed it.
[Skill identified: 'Flowing water: Still point']
[Type: Martial arts / Sword technique]
[Rank: Mortal (Growth-type)]
[Description: A defensive-counter style. By perceiving the 'still point' in an opponent's vibration, the user can deflect any physical strike with zero effort, returning the force tenfold.]
"Flowing water?!" Zenon gasped.
In his past life, this skill could only be mastered if one reached Rank Five. It wasn't even meant to be a supernatural ability.
He smirked. "For something that calls itself the swordsmanship training system, this sure is easy."
Well, he shouldn't be so confident yet.
He stared at the sky. "Now all I have to do is wait for them to invade, for the portals to appear for the first time, and then I kill one creature. How hard could it be?"
As if replying to his thoughts, reality groaned.
"It's ten minutes already?"
[Earth and Tower Reality TV show has successfully contracted with Galaxy Online]
[Syncing the streaming system to World 518, Earth]
[Successfully synced]
Zenon didn't move, watching and listening as the streaming system landed on Earth, but the last message, a personal notification, appeared on his system.
[You have one Ember Stone in your system. Would you like to purchase a content creating system?]