Chapter 3: The Sword Contract

“Sis, what is a Sword Contract?”

“It’s a Sword Contract. If you want to become a qualified magic swordsman, forming a contract with a sword is only natural.”

In the Katrana family’s hall, as the girl made her next movement, the air seemed to freeze.

She stood quietly in the dark depths, her jet-black hair cascading down behind her like a waterfall. In the frozen air, only the mithril longsword in her hand gave off a cold radiance.

Holy light flowed, first illuminating her long legs tightly wrapped in white full-body stockings. The pure white fabric clung like a second skin, without a single wrinkle, extending upward along the graceful lines of her legs, outlining firm and smooth thighs, all the way to her waist, seamlessly merging with the outfit on her upper body.

That pure white bodysuit did not look bulky at all. Instead, it perfectly set off her beautiful figure. The tight cut clung to her undulating body, outlining her slender, supple waist and her straight, relaxed shoulders and back.

She stood quietly there, her entire aura seeming like a different person from before. Her posture was as straight as a pine, her legs together, her weight shifted slightly back, giving her the tension of a coiled spring ready to strike. She was filled with the unique soft curves of a young girl, yet also exuded a tempered, battle-hardened agility.

Her jet-black hair fell along her smooth back, the tips just brushing the curve of her waist and hips wrapped in white stockings. The extreme contrast of black and white looked especially breathtaking under the holy light.

‘Did Sis get a beauty treatment?’

‘No, I can tell. The Sword Contract changes the human body greatly.’

“Although many sword styles can be learned directly, if you want to use sword techniques, you cannot do it without a Sword Contract. Only by resonating with your sword and becoming one with it can you bring out the sword’s power more completely.”

As she spoke, she took out her mithril longsword and showed it off in front of Rekulai. “So you need to work hard from now on, and then you can be like me and form a contract with a powerful sword in the Royal Capital Secret Realm.”

Rekulai said instinctively, “I think what matters in a sword isn’t the infusion of magic power or whether the sword is good or bad, but technique and heart.”

“You’re just good at talking.” His sister did not really refute what her brother said, said it offhand, but then began to deeply ponder the meaning of those words.

The reason her sword had improved so quickly was not only her natural talent and hard work, but more importantly, she could always discover many problems she had not noticed during practice matches with her brother. That was her brother’s strength.

But this stupid little brother, why did he never learn anything from her? She had worked so hard to communicate with him through the sword.

Ah.

Fool.

“Holy Light’s Servant. This is the name of my sword. With it, I can infuse more magic power into the sword and use magic and sword techniques. An ordinary sword, if it has not formed a contract, cannot resonate with the sword. Even if a sword technique is used, it will not be perfect.”

“I see.”

After Claire finished speaking, silver-white light flickered in her palm. A magic circle appeared, wrapped around the outside of her arm, then extended along her arm to the hilt and even the blade. With a swish, after the halo magic circle trembled violently, the sword vanished in an instant.

‘Kind of cool. There’s even a special effect when she puts the sword away.’

“Wow, amazing!”

“So now you know you need to work hard, right?”

Rekulai nodded blankly, his eyes shining.

“I’ll work hard!”

Claire shook her head helplessly at Rekulai’s robotic reply. Her gaze gradually sharpened, and she said seriously.

“Then go to the training grounds. Let’s see whether you’ve been training properly while I was away, Rekulai.”

“Okay..”

…..

Speaking of the Sword Contract, the relevant setting was already from seven years ago. Before I reincarnated, in that <Chloria Fantasy Land> I read, the setting mentioned that in this world, the sword is almost the endpoint of every combat system. Those who can wield a sword well are beings standing at the pinnacle of the world.

A sword can be infused with magic power. Likewise, while casting magic, one can also coordinate with the magic being used to display powerful sword techniques.

Magic warriors, or magic swordsmen. That is the general term for such beings. Compared to mages, who are physically frail and have longer incantations, the status of magic warriors is almost on a different tier, as if there were a gap in the ladder.

No matter which country a magic warrior goes to, they are undoubtedly respected and admired, yearned for by people.

Of course, only countries with certain different cultural customs are exceptions, but they still need magic warriors.

Even so, another problem cannot be avoided.

A single magic warrior cannot face a nuclear bomb alone.

Leaving that problem aside, anyone who wants to become an excellent magic warrior cannot avoid resonating with their sword, that is, ultimately forming a contract, so they can use complete sword techniques.

Sword techniques themselves are the product of the fusion of sword and technique; the two cannot be separated.

And Phoenix Proud Heaven is undoubtedly a genius among geniuses, as if cheating. She has a foot in two boats, forming contracts with two swords at the same time, and she herself possesses extremely powerful magic talent, able to cast mid- and low-tier magic without incantation.

If it were any other minor villain, this would obviously be a headache.

However, because under this worldview many martial arts are family secrets, or information is blocked, the martial logic of each family is not interconnected.

Without magic power and the innate physical enhancement of the people of this world.

It is far less powerful than the world I lived in before reincarnating, where martial arts were widely passed down generation after generation, surviving hundreds or even thousands of years of elimination, with various martial cultures blending together and continuing to this day.

At least, that is what Rekulai thought. All his sword moves were based on mastering the strengths of a hundred schools, stitching them together, then super-assembling and handcrafting them.

His own sword style and sword techniques were all created based on not having formed a contract. Having never had a worthy opponent, Rekulai could hardly hide his inner excitement at this moment.

Seeing this, Claire smiled with relief. She had not expected that after learning her sister had become stronger, her brother would not retreat but instead excitedly rise to the challenge. Yet this child had never won against her even once.

“Good momentum. I won’t hold back either.”

His sister’s gaze turned fierce, her eyes cold. If she was too gentle with her brother during training, that would be cruelty to herself as his sister.

Then the training grounds fell silent, with only the breathing of the two crossing in the empty space.

Rekulai stood opposite, calmly watching Claire. His grip on the sword was not too tight, and his stance could not be called sharp–rather than a real match, he was more like an observer. What he wanted to see was exactly how high the Sword Contract had pushed Claire after it fell upon her.

Claire did not give him much time to think.

Her toes sank slightly, and a ring of air waves suddenly rose from beneath her feet. The ground of the training grounds was shaken into a circle of fine cracks. The air waves were not chaotic, but climbed upward along her legs, like some sleeping power being awakened.

Rekulai’s pupils slightly constricted.

The next second, holy light burst from Claire’s palm. The mithril longsword “Holy Light’s Servant” recondensed in the light, its blade slender, radiance flowing. The holy flame wrapped around it did not burn the air, yet it suddenly raised the temperature of the entire training grounds.

She moved.

No probing, no detours. The first sword went straight for the center line.

Rekulai had been controlling the attack distance well. From his perspective, Claire’s movements grew slower and slower, as if entering bullet time, until she seemed to be completely still.

He first dodged from the left, then took the sharp sword in his hand and stabbed through his sister’s chest. Then he returned to his original spot, dodged from the right, and cut off his sister’s neck with another strike. After that, he returned to the original spot again and sliced his sister in two from top to bottom.

Everything came from his mental simulation. Although he had indeed moved just now, the fatal strike did not land. After confirming the attack was correct.

‘A qualified extra must bring full energy to every battle!’

At a speed invisible to the naked eye, he returned to his original spot, then slammed a fist hard into his own chest, then resumed his original pose and leaned back. Then time returned to normal. Rekulai held his sword horizontally to block. The sound of metal collision exploded, sparks flying. Rekulai violently spat blood and flew backward.

The power was stronger than expected. Rekulai knew clearly that the attack just now was not brute force, but some purer, more condensed power.

While flying backward, the sword he had originally used to block showed a few cracks.

“Really…. too…. too strong. Amazing, Sis.”

Claire felt both heartache and blame. She had not expected her sword strike to be so powerful. But after seeing that Rekulai’s complexion was normal, she did not think much of it and said seriously, “I saw fighting spirit in your eyes.”

“Yeah! I won’t give up just like that!”

“Then come again!”

…..

“Pfft!“

The outcome ended with Rekulai being sent flying four times in a row.

“You always like to act tough on your own.” Claire walked up to Rekulai, looking at her dust-covered brother with feigned disgust. Her slender, jade-white fingers lightly tapped Rekulai’s forehead.

“You know, if I weren’t around, how would you take care of yourself?”

Rekulai merely smiled as if it was no big deal. “People always hold on to something until the very end.”

Claire pouted. “You always love to boast!”