The Mech Touch

Ves never spoke about the fourth statue. He even commanded the Black Cats to delete all of the footage and reports about it in the internal database.

He wasn't able to delete the records on the fourth statue of the Lifers themselves, though.

It was a lot harder to keep his creation a secret when he made it in a busy place. Ves had created his four statues during a crisis when he was stuck in a metropolis on a highly-populated planet. He probably didn't have the luxury to ensure that he was able to maintain total secrecy.

Though most people still didn't know what this supposed fourth statue was capable of, Ketis was different.

She was not an ordinary Journeyman but also a swordmaster. That boosted her awareness and sensitivity towards the sort of creations that Ves had made to a greater level.

It also helped that she frequently collaborated with Ves on a number of mech design projects.

Whenever Blinky or Alexandria connected their minds to their design networks, she was able to gain a more direct glimpse of what went on in his overactive mind.

Though this glimpse was not as comprehensive as she wished, she was still able to catch stray thoughts from him that somehow got past the various filters.

She learned that Ves considered the statue behind this gate to be his most powerful yet also his most dangerous creation.

He feared its glow even as he yearned to unlock its secrets.

It was so dangerous that he did not even dare to let any Larkinson get close to it. The fourth Aspect's lethality was no joke and he did not want any of his clansmen to die due to negligence!

Due to these concerns, Ves had always locked it away. If he did anything with it, he made sure to be alone.

"That's not entirely true." She corrected herself. "You know what's inside, right?"

The cat that she had called back to her arms looked around for a moment.

"I'm talking to you, Lucky. You've been with Ves when he has been experimenting with this statue, right?"

"Meow meow!"

"I'm aware of the risks. Don't worry. I'm different from other people. Do you doubt my strength?"

"Meow…"

"Thought so. Can you help me get inside? Ves hasn't given me permission to proceed further. While I am sure I can break this gate through different means, I don't want to leave a mess behind. I need your help in order to unlock it. Can you do that?"

Lucky looked quite uncertain about this! "Meow!"

"Don't worry. You don't have to do anything by yourself. I've already studied the locking mechanism. I will transfer instructions to you that will tell you what to do. If you do everything right, the gate will unlock without breaking or setting off any alarms."

As a mech designer, she possessed more than enough engineering knowledge to know how to disarm the lock. It was trivial for her to come up with solutions.

The real problem was trying to get past this barrier without setting off any alarms. The security systems in the workshop were not totally worthless in that regard.

"C'mon, Lucky. Aren't we comrades in arms? Back me up again this time."

After Ketis persuaded Lucky a bit more, she finally got the cat to fulfill her request.

The reluctant gem cat phased through the gate and fiddled inside according to her instructions. This was not a complicated job for a cat that had been trained in sabotage.

Soon enough, a beep rang through the workshop and the gate slowly slid open without any further commotion.

The alarms that Ketis feared didn't ring this time.

Though she didn't expect a bunch of guards to show up, she did not want to deal with Ves at this time.

She vaguely knew what to expect and she had made her own considerations.

Lucky was still a worrywart though. As soon as he completed his job, he flew back to Ketis and made strange motions with his paws. He exaggeratingly patted his own head before spreading his limbs outwards.

"Meow meow meow. Meow meow!"

It was too bad that Ketis did not understand cat speech. She grinned and rubbed his head.

"I already said it's going to be fine. I don't intend to push my limits. I just want to borrow a bit of help, that's all. You can stay close and be ready to pull me out if I ever fall in distress. Is that okay?"

"Meow." Lucky nodded with relief.

"Good kitty."

Ketis caressed the gem cat a few more times before she turned to face the Aspect of Transcendence that was stored inside.

Since the lighting inside this enclosure was off, the organic statue looked a lot more ominous than it should.

The Aspect of Transcendence's expression was the most active one of all. Whereas the other ones looked peaceful or calm, the fourth statue's face looked excited as it also raised its arms in the air.

It looked as if the Aspect of Transcendence was about to receive the grace of a god.

Of course, the Aspect of Transcendence's appearance was not as important as its glow.

Ketis could more clearly feel the hint of madness and brilliance that the Aspect of Transcendence was promising.

She briefly paused when she sensed an air of bloodiness and heartlessness that she associated with killing.

Though she was familiar with this air herself, it was highly disturbing to sense it from an organic statue. The other three Aspects of Lufa did not possess this trait at all. This meant that the Aspect of Transcendence was truly an oddity.

"I'm not here to judge. I'm here to find enlightenment."

She did not let her discomfort stop her from fulfilling her second objective. She carefully stepped forward and made sure to maintain her mental defenses at this time.

Swish swish!

Her Bloodsinger flew in front of her body and attempted to communicate with her while barring her way forward.

"It's fine. I can handle myself. I think it is best if you stay outside my mind."

Swish?

"You're another part of myself, so you should know that what I am attempting to do will only be good for you. Don't worry. It will be fine."

She held her Bloodsinger by the hilt and steadily strode forward.

When she entered the range of the Aspect of Transcendence, she already felt a somewhat familiar pressure exerting on her mind.

It was not that different from the glows of the previous two Aspects.

In fact, she was even able to discern that the Aspect of Transcendence was a mutation of the Aspect of Healing.

While the latter merely removed negative thoughts and emotions, the former went a step further and removed a lot of positive elements as well.

What was left were her strongest desires. They became even more prominent due to the sudden isolation in her mind!

Though she hadn't lowered her defenses yet, she could already sense a hint of mania and fanaticism from herself.

"Interesting."

From a professional standpoint, she found it amazing that Ves was able to create a condition where people could not only find out their heart's true desires, but also amplify their strength so that they could help with achieving breakthroughs!

Ketis quickly sat down in the same meditative position. She held her Bloodsinger on her lap and quickly lowered the defenses of her mind.

The Aspect of Transcendence affected her to a greater degree, though not to the same extent as someone weaker.

As she let the danger affect her mentality, she felt as if someone poured a lot of fuel onto the fire in her heart!

It was as if a normal campfire was growing into a wildfire!

She breathed faster as she began to identify and embrace the parts of herself that truly mattered to herself!

Her earlier introspection already gave her a lot of lessons about herself. She had a clear impression of her ambitions, motivations and desires.

Now, the strongest of them stood out and tried to imprint on herself to a greater degree.

She had a hunch that if she was able to merge with them, she could reach a higher state, though she wasn't sure in what way.

"I'm not ready for that." She shook her head.

The activity taking place in her mind and spirit required a lot of support in order to work properly. She was still too young and needed a lot more growth before her mental strength was high enough to take a step forward.

She was not here to seek a breakthrough for herself.

"Instead, it's about you." Ketis smiled as she caressed the blade of her Bloodsinger.

Sharpie was both a part of herself and a separate entity on its own. Ketis didn't fully know what that meant, but from what she experienced and what she figured out by herself, that meant that their advancements were completely separate from each other!

If Ketis wasn't able to improve, that didn't necessarily mean that Sharpie was unable to improve either!

"This is your moment, Sharpie. Use the Aspect of Transcendence to find out what kind of sword you are. Will you choose a merciful blade or a killing blade? Do you prefer to embody another blade instead? No matter what, the choice is yours!"

Sharpie fully understood what Ketis had in mind and tried its best to open up to the Aspect of Transcendence.

It was much harder for it to do so this time! Unlike the other organic statues, the fourth one of the series was not only more dangerous, but was also tainted with the deaths it had induced!

The angel was stained with blood!

For a sword will that was sensitive towards blood and death, Sharpie could not ignore the threat and relax completely!

Fortunately, it did not need to lower all of its gates entirely. Just opening a few windows was enough for the Aspect of Transcendence to exert an effect on Sharpie.

The companion spirit grew more quiet as much of its own distractions faded away.

In terms of life, Sharpie was similar to Blinky and so on. It possessed its own personality, which meant it also possessed its own wants and needs.

The problem was that its age was much lower than that of Ketis. It was a child in a sense and it also behaved that way. It possessed a lot of curiosity and actually entertained numerous different distractions.

It was only when the Aspect of Transcendence quieted all of those unnecessary elements that its true focus reasserted itself.

Unyielding!

Sharpie was the personification of Ketis' unyielding spirit!

As the Bloodsinger began to glow and shake with power, Sharpie became more and more obsessed on Ketis' core obsession as a swordmaster.

When it came down to it, Ketis never wanted to back down no matter how strong her opponent turned out to be. She believed in the depths of her heart that as long as she was a strong enough swordswoman, she could cut through any opponent!

This was her warrior's heart, and this was also the central basis of Sharpie's extraordinary existence!

As Sharpie began to embody this principle to a deeper degree, Ketis and her greatsword began to glow more brightly.

A gray radiance enveloped them all as their unyielding spirits continued to resonate with each other.

Even though Ketis and Sharpie began to experience greater pressure on themselves, their mental fortitude allowed them to endure the strain for the moment.

"Keep going, Sharpie." Ketis broke the silence. "Keep exploring yourself. What kind of sword are you? What kind of sword do you want to become? There are many swords in existence, but only one fits you best. Seek it out and embrace your true self!"

The resonance phenomenon surrounding her form grew stronger as they all united for a single purpose!

Ketis sought to cut through the fog in herself and find the ideal sword for herself!