It was on the day of the Mock War that my mind was plagued by strange dreams.
These dreams were reminiscent of the ghastly nightmares I used to have in my previous life when I was a kid.
But oh, how different they were from that recurring nightmare! These dreams were as serene as the calm before the storm.
I felt uneasy at first, but after a few times, I began to find tranquility in them.
In these dreams, I am… I mean, Lucas Morningstar is usually seen frolicking with his father in the lush gardens of their ancestral estate.
His father would playfully tousle his hair every time he would visit him during his training.
After playing with him a little, his father would show him a weapon art.
It's always the same technique of a polearm weapon art – a small fraction of a larger, masterfully crafted martial art.
As I gazed at the weapon technique being executed before me in that dream, a spark of recognition flared up within me.
I realized that I had seen that technique in the memories I inherited from Lucas - it was none other than the secret weapon art of the Morningstar family.
Known as the Dawnbreaker, it stood as the most powerful technique among all bladed polearm weapons.
Its strength and precision were unrivaled, and it was a testament to the Morningstar family's unparalleled expertise in martial combat.
It is said that Reynold Morningstar, the present head of the Morningstar family and the sovereign of the West, was a force to be reckoned with in his prime.
Rumor has it that he once engaged in a battle against two Vampire Kings and nearly emerged victorious, thanks to his mastery of the Dawnbreaker weapon art.
This incredible feat only solidified the Morningstar family's reputation as the foremost experts in martial combat, feared and respected throughout the world.
But then, why was I witnessing him practice it in my dreams?
Could it be one of the memories that had been tampered with in my mind?
Maybe instead of being erased or altered, this memory of Lucas' got suppressed deep within his heart which was now recurring to me as a dream?
I… don't know. Every time I get a dream like that, it gets harder and harder to separate the dreams from reality.
My head is a mess.
Regardless of what had caused me to dream about that technique, I decided to try replicating it.
I tried it during the Mock War when I fought against Quinn, hoping it would help me deliver the final blow to the necromancer.
To my surprise, I was able to make it work — or at least a fraction of it anyway.
After that, when I came back from the VR, I started practicing the part that I saw in my dreams. I kept repeating it, trying to recreate it exactly as I saw it.
Unfortunately, I never could truly copy it.
But I came close enough. And even in its imperfect and unmastered state, it's still more destructive than my other Level 3 weapon art.
So to deal the finishing blow, I decided to unleash Dawnbreaker – the strongest weapon art I have in my arsenal.
However, since I still hadn't mastered it completely, I didn't use Embrace Discard and kept my armor on.
I needed my near-absolute defense in case I messed up the execution.
Assuming a swordsman stance, I bent my knees and drew my spear back, channeling mana into the weapon.
The energy flowed out of my body and coiled around the spear, and I gripped it tightly, ready to strike.
Meanwhile, Anastasia was engaged in a fierce exchange of blows with Magnus, effectively distracting him and keeping his attention solely on herself.
They were both skilled fighters. Magnus, who previously didn't register Anastasia as a threat due to her weapon of choice – bow and arrow – was now gritting his teeth while fighting her.
Nero, on the other hand, was readying himself just like me.
As he watched me prepare to land the final strike, he sheathed his sword and placed his dominant hand on the hilt.
I knew what he was about to do.
He was going to use the Longsword of Light – a powerful weapon art that Liz had passed down to him as her protege.
As Nero tightened his grip around the sword, it began to glow with a brilliant azure hue within its scabbard.
He took a deep breath, calming himself and preparing for the coming end of the battle.
It was clear that he was waiting for me, wanting me to make the first move.
Even though he was blinded by the smoke and darkness, he had sensed the immense amount of mana I had accumulated.
I was preparing to unleash a powerful strike, knowing that if I missed, Nero would be ready to deliver a sharp and precise blow to end the battle.
With a nod to Nero, I tensed my calf muscles, ready to spring forward.
Anastasia, too, seemed to sense our battle plan. We didn't even exchange a single word, yet we understood what all of us were thinking.
It was a strange sensation. It was as if we were reading each other's minds on the battlefield….
Like we had fought together countless times before.
In that moment of pure focus, we were one.
Anastasia nodded to herself, and I could see the magical energy from her mana core flowing into her hands.
Two ethereal gauntlets of azure mana manifested around her fists, imbuing her strikes with incredible power.
Anastasia was preparing to unleash her own strongest combat martial art - the Eclipse Bringer.
"Arghhhaaaa!" with a fierce battle cry, she stomped her foot down to acquire proper footing and shot forward with her fist, which was now clad in an ethereal gauntlet of azure mana.
Fwish—!!
With lightning-fast reflexes, Magnus moved his head just in time to dodge Anastasia's powerful attack, narrowly avoiding having his face crushed.
The sound of the fist cutting through the air echoed across the battlefield.
Thwack—!!
Despite Magnus' quick evasion, Anastasia had already anticipated his move.
With blurring speed, she lifted her back leg and twisted her knee, landing a powerful sidekick to the vampire's side.
"Arghha!" Magnus grunted in pain as he stumbled back, the force of the blow taking him off guard.
But Anastasia didn't let up. She quickly closed the distance between them and swung her fist at him once again.
Her movements were fluid and precise, fueled by her fierce determination to end the battle victoriously.
Cling—!!
With a resounding clang, Magnus used his bloodsword to block Anastasia's fist while simultaneously readying his razor-sharp claws to strike back.
Swish—!!!
Taking advantage of the opening, I lunged forward with my spear still pulled back, my eyes fixed on my target.
Magnus was momentarily distracted by the force of Anastasia's attack, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike.
Step—!!
As I stepped into striking range, I readied myself to unleash a powerful horizontal swing with my bladed spear.
But before I could execute my attack, Magnus swiftly sensed my movement and pushed away Anastasia's fist with his sword.
He then seized her by the neck and held her up as a shield against me.
"Heh!" Anastasia, however, didn't falter in the face of danger and instead grinned in amusement.
This was all part of our plan. Well, it wasn't a plan since we never discussed it, so one can call it instincts.
We wanted Magnus to grab Anastasia and use her as a shield against me.
Why? Because now that he had grabbed Anastasia with her left hand, he had left his left side open and vulnerable to attack.
Shing—!!!
Thud—!!
Splurt—!!!
"Arghhhaaaaa!"
Suddenly, Nero appeared beside Magnus and swiftly unsheathed his sword.
At the speed of light, he sliced off the vampire's hand that he had been using to grab Anastasia.
Magnus cried out in pain as his severed limb fell to the ground with a thud.
But he didn't buckle down in pain or stop fighting, no. He knew if he were to stop here, he would most certainly die.
So he began to swing his remaining claw at Nero while also simultaneously trying to dodge Anastasia's attacks.
Cling, Cling, Cling—!!
The sound of metal clashing against metal continued to echo as Nero deflected each of Magnus' attacks while Anastasia tried to create an opening.
Kwish—!!
Without warning, Anastasia fell to her knees and spun in a sweeping motion, aiming to knock Magnus off his feet.
Swish—!!
Magnus jumped up to avoid the leg sweep, but it was a mistake.
While he was in mid-air, Nero spun his body and executed a spinning backslash, aiming for Magnus' unguarded back.
Cling—!!
But Magnus unnaturally twisted his body mid-air and used his remaining claw to block the attack aimed at his back.
But he soon realized his error.
With no footing to move in mid-air and no claws to block any further attack that might come his way, he was defenseless.
He tried to cast a magic spell, but he was too late.
Using this split second, I rushed at Magnus and unleashed a devastating horizontal slash with my bladed spear.
THWOOOSH—!!!
Kach—!!
Thud—!!
The air whistled as my spear sliced through the air, and then, with a sickening crunch, my blade connected with Magnus' neck.
Blood spurted out in a crimson arc as my blade sliced through flesh and bone, and I felt the resistance of Magnus' vertebrae before his head was severed from his body.
His lifeless head dropped to the ground along with his decapitated body before it rolled away a few steps.
It was over.
I dropped to my knees as I felt adrenaline leaving my system. My head felt light, and my heart violently pounded against my chest.
I quickly took off my mask and stashed it back in the pocket space of my smart bracelet along with my spear.
Since I wasn't able to see anything in the dark after taking off my mask, my other senses were heightened to the limit, and I could feel my heart slamming against my chest all the more.
I knew we had won, but still, it was a close call. I mean, Nero is uselessly strong, so it wasn't truly a life-or-death battle for him, but at least for me, it was.
This incident once again served as a stark reminder that I needed to get much stronger than I am currently.
Acquiring relics, getting my potential to Mythical rank, and crafting battle plans won't cut it. I needed real strength.
Haaa.
I sat there in the silence and darkness for what felt like an eternity, lost in my own thoughts. Perhaps Anastasia and Nero were feeling the same way, drained from the battle, so I didn't hear them speaking either.
Around us, the wounded cadets cried out in pain and agony while the unconscious ones lay out cold, but their voices faded into the background as I closed my eyes.
I had survived the first arc of the story, and I felt like I deserved a well-earned rest.
My mind began to drift off as I settled into a comfortable position. The ground was cold and hard, but it didn't matter.
All I wanted to do now was take a short nap. All my tasks at hand were cleared, and I survived, ready to enter the second arc of the story.
