"H-huh?!"
"Where are we?"
"Where are the others?"
Edward, Lemi, and Ciara found themselves at the very same spot. They were located on a wide expanse of land, white in colour, with presumably nothing to be seen for miles.
"What's this place? This is supposed to be the Nether Cult's base, right? Where's everyone else?" Ciara's voice was beginning to sound irritated, and the frown on her face proved that even further.
Edward looked calm, observing as much of their surroundings as he could. And as such, rather than speak, he kept analyzing everything around him, in hopes that he would understand the situation.
Lemi had been teaching him the art of observation and science… and it was really helpful—especially for training his senses and Martial Perception. It didn't do much for his cognitive abilities, though.
Speaking of Lemi, she was holding a pair of Magic Binoculars, trying her best to survey the area. It was best to figure out where they were before complaining and whining like Ciara.
"There's no point, you guys. You realize our connection is being interfered with, right? I know everyone is alive, but I can't sense where they are… or even communicate with them." Ciara dropped to the white sandy surface, finally sitting down in frustration.
"You've tried your Mind—?"
"Yep! Everything! Our devices don't even work too. The Nether here is really dense. Urgh!"
Edward joined Ciara in her sigh, realizing that she was right. He had just spread out his senses, and yet he didn't sense anyone. He also couldn't connect with Jared and the others.
'Did she already do all of that before giving up so early? Impressive!' Edward nodded at Ciara, smiling proudly.
Well, he soon noticed Lemi's gaze piercing him, and he quickly removed his eyes from the fussy girl.
"W-well, maybe we should keep searching… you know, for clues and stuff… right Lemi?" A bead of sweat fell from Edward's face as he made his appeal to the Half-elf.
"Yeah…" Of course, she just shrugged him off.
The three were still in the process of deciding what to do, or how to find their bearing without Jared when… another unexpected thing occurred.
"Greetings to you all."
"H-HUH?!"
All three jumped back, swiftly reacting to the voice that had greeted them from behind. Once their gazes fell on him, their eyes widened even further.
The man in front of them donned a blue kimono. He had long auburn hair, and a sword was strapped to his waist. His sandals covered his feet, and he had a calm look.
"I welcome you all to the Nether Cult's abode. I am the First Seat, also known as the Martial Blade God. I was of the belief that there would be more of you, but…"
>WHOOOOOOOSSSSHHHH<
In a flash, Edward surged forth with his summoned blade.
An immense burst of energy swirled around him as he swung his blade downward, ready to cut down the foe in a split second. However—
"Hmm… it seems you split up at some point. I can see where the others are. Ah, I see… so that's how it is." The man murmured.
He didn't move from his position, yet Edward couldn't believe what had just happened. His attack… his attack which was full of killing intent… was still stuck in midair.
"Hmmm… that attack isn't capable of getting past my defence. I apologize for that."
>BOOOOOOOMMMMM<
Edward suddenly felt a huge gust of power push him back. He did his best to resist, but—
"Guh!"
—Ultimately, he lost against the current.
Crashing a few meters behind his comrades, Edward slowly rose to his feet, clenching his teeth as he stared at the man in front of him. After that single exchange, he now had no doubt.
"This guy is very strong."
"He said he knows where everyone is! Just how high could his perception be?" Ciara added in wonder.
"Edward, you idiot! Don't run headfirst into danger like that!" Lemi hit Edward behind his head.
Of course, since she was way shorter, she had to jump to reach him. That sight in itself was funny.
"Sorry about that. I just had to know… when I heard that name, I had to know how strong he was."
"And now you know, I guess."
"No. Not yet. I haven't tried everything…" Edward's smile broadened for some reason.
His excited gaze met the mellow one of the Martial Blade God, and one predominant thought assailed his mind.
'Could this guy really be… the originator?!'
If so, how the heck was he still alive? Sure, Edward had read about the path of transcendence in his Martial Books, and how it led to immortality, but he didn't think of that in the literal sense.
But… if that was indeed true, then this man before him was most likely the Martial Blade God himself! The founder of the Martial Blade God Martial Arts… as well as Edward's ancestor!
'Words are cheap, speculation is a waste of time!' If he wanted to find out the facts, he had to get them for himself—by engaging in a conversation of combat.
"Don't even think for one second that you will be engaging him alone." Lemi interrupted Edward's excitement, causing the big guy's shoulder to deflate.
"Well… a guy can dream, can he not?"
"W-wait… hold on, you want to fight THAT?!" Ciara burst out, as her eyes widened.
Clearly, she didn't want to fight.
'We should just use our Spell Cards and get the hell out of here!' Her mind rang.
"Excuse me, but you shan't be leaving for anywhere. I took the time to rid you of your means of escape." The Martial Blade God's tone caused them all to stare at him in shock.
Especially because he was holding all of their Spell Cards in his hand.
"W-WHA—?!"
In a brilliant burst of blue flames, they were all destroyed.
"It's not like teleportation would do you any good, but… it's simply more preferable for you to try your hardest without the assumption of being able to retreat." He calmly added.
Ciara felt like she was growing crazy with what she was hearing.
"See? He won't let us go. We have to fight!" Edward's grin widened, to which Lemi simply sighed.
"As much as I would like to disagree with him, the musclehead has a point. We have no other choice, at this point."
Ciara groaned, slapping her face with her palm. To her, she seemed like the only one who was thinking rationally.
Or was she the only one who knew how impossible it was to beat the guy in front of them?!
"Damnit! We should just fight to escape or something..." Regardless, Ciara understood that they couldn't run without at least subduing the man.
'Even if it's for one second!' She thought to herself.
Victory was definitely not her goal.
"It seems we are all in agreement. That's good. Well, then, shall we get this over with? I still have two other places to stop by. That last one can be handled by the leader himself. Or, well, maybe... her?"
The Martial Blade God placed his hand on his sheathed blade, taking a normal stance as he stared at the three youngsters in front of him.
"This feels almost unfair." He added softly.
"Huh? And why is that? You don't think you're outnumbered, do you?" Lemi raised her voice defiantly.
"No. It's not that. It's just... you won't be able to win. This unfairness can hardly be called a battle, but... I still have my responsibilities."
"Tch!"
The Martial Blade God brought out his blade—a regular-looking blade with no special features at all.
It just looked ordinary, and yet… something about it oozed danger and signified havoc to the three who saw it.
"Forgive my selfishness. However, you three will be struck down right here and now." Thus said the Martial Blade God.
