I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

Elizabeth...was gone, it took but a second and she had been teleported away, but Rena was okay. She was continuously feeding mana into the ring that linked her to Elizabeth, the same as she was doing with the ring that linked her to Rossie.

It was what allowed her to sleep calmly at night, it was what allowed her to not have panic attacks whenever she went to the bathroom alone. It was what allowed her to take a shower in peace during the morning before exercise and in the afternoon before going to sleep.

It was thanks to this gift that she could sleep soundly, knowing that both Rossie and Elizabeth's souls were hugging her pitiful excuse of existence.

Was it wrong? Some may think so. A few of the martial artists that she had become close with had said that her view on relationships was flawed. That no matter how much mastery she had over the blade, her understanding of love was flawed.

She cut the arms of those who said such things.

She needed not other people's opinion on that, she was aware that she knew not what Love was. How could she? She had lived all her life hated and despised, hers was a body that no one would love, or at least was.

It was till Rossie...Till the woman that she had hated as much as one could help her, till that wonderful woman indulged in Rena's issues and helped her grow a new body free of the corruption and taint that she had been painted over.

Till the most wonderful Goddess of all accepted her for who she was, told her that her body was lovely and if that wasn't enough, she went one step ahead and even after Rena chose to accept her most ideal body, her Goddess remade her back to who she had been before.

But that all was meaningless at the moment, because Elizabeth had been taken away from them. And while Rossie checked and made sure the magical circle that would let Elizabeth travel to them worked, she was then taken away too.

Not Rossaline, but Rena herself.

She had no doubt that Rossaline would also be teleported away after this of course, but that was something to deal with later.

"So?" Rena said doing her best to gaugue the woman who was to be her trainer. Rena trusted implicity whatever Elizabeth decided, but even she would be somewhat wary of who was to train her.

Even while she had proved to be someone who knew some martial skills.

"So?" Amelia said, imitating what Rena had asked with a weird smirk, "Already planning to decapitate this neck? I'll let you know, most people think I am a Saintsworths because of my genius."

"....That matters not to me, the only family I care about is Elizabeth's family, the Starbright." Rena said shaking her head and shrugging, "The Saintsworths mean nothing to me."

"...Well, that is a shocker; I had planned to do this great reveal where my greatness didn't come from that weird bloodline." Amelia said laughing, "But this works well too for me, so. I assume you are questioning if I was the right choice or not?"

Yes, Rena was wondering that she had felt the skill set of someone who was a master of many skill sets.

Not in the way Elizabeth or Rossaline did, not by the use of a skill, but her instincts told her that Amelia had shifted from a researcher to a full-blown warrior.

A brawler, a swordswoman, a spearwoman, an archer, a gunner, a martial artist...

Amelia had felt like someone who had a full dedicated build for each of those skillsets, something that should be impossible, while there were people like Lily who built their skills to compensate for something they didn't have, most did as Rena had done.

Built their skill set to enhance what they arleady had, that was the norm.

"Yes, I know what I felt. I know what my instincts told me, but even right now. I find it...hard to believe." Rena answered truthfully.

"Well, you are right..." Amelia said nodding as Rena felt the weird shift in the woman's mana and body, then, as there seemed to be a shift in the woman's body, as if it was about to break, "[Ingrain]"

The woman's body stabilized, her mana calmed down. "But you are also wrong." The blonde woman said smirking as a katana materialized into the blonde woman's hand, "Want to test it?"

Rena's back hair rose as she felt a sense of danger, true and honest danger.

Her instincts screamed at her, that this woman was dangerous. Not in the sense that she had a stronger presence, how the body and muscles shifted. As if she was a seasoned warrior, when a few minutes ago she looked almost as fragile as Elizabeth in the morning.

No security on her stance, her back slightly curved, a small hunch on her back even.

All of that? Gone, now the woman stood straight as if she wanted to pierce the heavens, her arms and legs stood strongly, Rena could not see any opening.

And yet...

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"As you wish," Rena said as she summoned [The Sword of her Heart].

Elizabeth and Rossaline had asked her to not use it again, this sword that symbolized Rena's belief and her Soul. A sword that she couldn't remember any moment where it looked pretty.

She always saw this weapon as a bloodthirsty weapon drenched in blood; not once had she thought it was a nice weapon. And perhaps that was why the sword also didn't seem to answer willingly to her. Rena could summon and wield it, but there was no sword and body unity.

Not to any degree, or at least there wasn't.

"Hmm....Bummer, it doesn't look like I can break that one." Amelia said as her eyes shone in golden light, Rena felt naked in front of those eyes.

And she didn't like the feeling.

So she acted, following her instincts and grabbing the sword, she cut down. It was the simplest of techniques, one of the few lessons she had taken when little from a random dojo Akira had brought her to.

An horizontal cut, the most basic of the basics.

And yet, the one attack that Rena had the most trust in, Rena executed her attack with her belief in herself, her belief in that it was the most sure way to know. And more importantly, with the belief that if she could defeat this woman, then she would be able to return to the apartment to wait for Elizabeth and Rossie to return.

She would be there, waiting, caressing the ring that joined her Soul to the woman she loved. Watanabe Rena was many things, not a single one of them was a good one.

But she would be loyal, she would be patient, and she...

"*Clink*"

"Clink?" Rena couldn't help but say, she had expected her attack to either connect or be parried, and yet. What she heard was the sound of metal hitting metal.

It should not be possible, her sword was one made out of an ideal turned into reality. It was not mundane metal that could be blocked or parried.

It would be either defeated or it would defeat others, it was part of the reason why Elizabeth and Rossaline had told her to not use it so willy-nilly, because if worst came to worst, the sword would break.

And with it, her Soul would come after.

This sword was the embodiment of who and what Watanabe Rena was after all.

"It is a dangerous Sword," Amelia said bringing Rena out of her astonishment, the woman had hit Rena's Katana with her own, and hers came atop. "But nothing that can't be dealt with."

"How?" Rena asked, the only one that had managed to do something against this sword had been Elizabeth...

Not even Akira was willing to cross blades with this sword, everyone else had been either burned or sliced clean.

"Well, there are ways to do this, some do it the easy way, that is to say. Enveloping their own swords in Ether, or what you call your [Idea]. You channel what is what makes you You into Idea, fill the weapon to the brim, and the effect is somewhat similar to what your skill is doing." Amelia answered as she summoned another sword and she made it shine in golden color.

It was brief because after a second or two, the weapon burst at the seam and turned into fragments of light.

"It is not a good method, as you can see, if the weapon is not good enough it will break apart," The woman said shrugging, then brandishing the katana she herself had summoned she played around with it, as if it was an extension of her body...

Just how Rena wished she could wield her [Sword of My Heart].

Wait....

Could it be?

"The easier and more manageable way, is one that is impossible for almost everyone within Zaanam," The woman continued speaking, "And that is to use the exact same skill against you, this way, the skill will perfectly counter you, honestly. It is a nonissue for most people with weird skills like you. Since the chance of someone else getting the same skill is close to nill, more so with skills so niche as yours."

"Niche?" Rena asked confused, "If it is that much of a niche skill, then how is it that...Are you using a similar one then?"

It was impossible for Amelia to be using [The Sword of my heart], as this was a god-given skill to them, as much as Rena could guess from how the whole Akira debacle and what she had managed to piece together from Elizabeth and Rossaline.

"Not similar," Amelia answered shaking her head and balancing her katana on her index finger, "The same."

"...The same?" Rena asked, confused, looking first at her own katana, a fiery red katana drenched in caked blood; she could feel the cracks hidden within the blood.

Her sword was breaking, or better said, it had broken once before.

It was only because of Elizabeth that the sword could be used again, and yet... when comparing it with Amelia's katana.

That sword was in perfect conditions, it was complete, pristine even, and the shine of it was a dangerous one. Rena could feel herself being cut in half by that weapon, even from this distance after they separated from each other.

Rena could feel the certainty within that sword; if Amelia had wed it, that weapon would be sharp enough to cut her; there would be no material, defense, magic, or skills capable of protecting Rena from the damage.

"....That is not a sword like mine," Rena said as she gulped and looked at her own sword, shame weighing her down, "Mine is a weapon that is about to break, patched and mended by other... While yours seems like a weapon ready to kill gods."

"That is a fair comparison I guess," Amelia said nodding, "But I can guarantee, this is [The Sword Saint Paradigm Shift], so this is truly what you could achieve...Or should have achieved."

The what?

Rena...should have achieved that? She felt pitifully weak compared with the blonde woman. That singular exchange had told her everything she needed to know.

The blonde woman had a better body, her muscles were ready and prepared to react, her body supported her technique perfectly, her sword was both sharp and resilient.

The techniques she could gleam only for her stance and that singular exchange were enough of a proof about it.

Rena would lose this fight.

"But I am not able to do such things," Rena said, pointing out the obvious, "How are you capable of that? Is it the difference in power that big?"

Amelia shook her head, "Actually, the difference is smaller than you think, level-wise and stat-wise, anyway." The blonde woman said while shrugging. "You have the advantage stat wise as far as I can see, you will outgrow me before you past me in level. What are you, in the fifties?"

"Level Fifty for now, Elizabeth hasn't leveled in quite some time." Rena said shaking her head, "I think she is due soon, but hasn't gotten around to do it."

"...That is a very dangerous mindset." Amelia said, sighing, "But that is not my problem, the thing is...you are more powerful than me stat-wise, you will outgrow me; I am a [S-Tier] because of my skill set and because of what I contribute, not because of my power."

"It surely doesn't feel that way," Rena said, sighing in defeat.

"My power, my skillset, and what I do is this. I shift the way the world perceives me and adjust to the needs of those around me." Amelia said as the katana turned into a pair of knuckle dusters, the body slowly seemed to reacondition itself and soon the stance that Amelia had changed ever so slowly.

"So...what is that you do then? Change your skills to multiple martial arts? What are you doing, sealing and unsealing some of your skills?" Rena said as she let the [Sword of her Heart] banish, "That seems like a waste, even if you can wield this flexibility."

"That would be such a waste of power, and I don't want to even suggest you to do such a thing yourself." Amelia said shaking her head, her knuckle dusters fading away into a motes of light that transformed into pens who settled on Amelia's pockets, "No, my powerset allows me to shift the Paradigm I am, I can be what I am most of the time, a researcher that touches upon the fabric of reality..."

Amelia shrugged as she started using skill after skill, surrounding the blonde woman with blue screens that manifested, each displaying some graphic or data, all relevant —and all about Rena.

From the state of her body, to the state of her weapons, her mana concentration and where was her mana channels the weakest... And if that wasn't enough, the last data showed the state of her crumbling Soulscape.

"So.... you are like Elizabeth in that you can change to whatever you need?" Rena asked, trying to not look too closely to the state her Soul was, perhaps that way Amelia wouldn't notice either?

"Nice try, but honestly...I don't care," Amelia said shaking her head, "Why is your Soul this bruised? Probably trauma, you all that deal with magical girls somehow always have trauma, can't you live a normal life? Probably not, not with Fate's meddling pen dancing above your heads."

...she didn't care?

"No, even while it is interesting data, you are a darling of fate." Amelia said sighing, "Meaning, I will not touch you, at all. If I could get away with it I would stay as far away from possible, there is a reason I never left the Tower after it got made. I will return there at some point, but for now..."

Amelia turned her eyes to Rena, "We shall train you to something better, first by fixing your horrible skillset, then we will move into the Soul issue if we have remaining time. I doubt it, since it seems as if it is being fixed...meaning fate has some plan for you, so that we will leave alone."

That.... was reassuring? Rena knew not what to feel, but if Amelia truly could change her skillset as needed, then... perhaps she could help her too?

Rena knew Elizabeth could shift what made them who they were, but changing only skills? That could be useful, perhaps Elizabeth could look at this and make this her own skill? It would help her greatly.

Yes, Rena would tell Elizabeth about this tonight when they went to sleep. Elizabeth would be so happy about this...