The Mech Touch



The Heavensword was a beautiful weapon.

Some fine weapons looked like nothing more than an average standard-issue product that could readily be picked up from a weapon rack.

Other weapons looked like they belonged in a gallery or a museum.

The Heavensword definitely fell into the latter category.

Many people used different words to encapsulate its beauty, appearance and presence.

The words sacred and heavenly were often used as descriptors.

In truth, no word could ever fully describe the majesty and the transcendent nature of this relic weapon.

The sword already looked ornate in its sheathed form. It possessed a white and sacred appearance and clearly looked as if it had survived through the ages.

There were many rumors flying around about the quality of the weapon.

Ketis could immediately recognize that it was at least a masterwork weapon, though it far surpassed any other masterwork that she had ever seen up to this point!

Just the act of pulling it out of its sheath completely changed the surrounding environment.

Even though the Heavensword Saint did his best to suppress the fluctuations of the mighty weapon, he was too weak to tame the enormous amount of energies locked inside its form.

Ketis widened her eyes when she realized that the Heavensword Saint wasn't as impressive as she previously thought.

Every swordmaster was a literal master of the sword. They could wield any sword and tame even the most unruly of blades.

Whether it was physical swords, electrified swords, plasma swords or more exotic sword types, a qualified swordmaster possessed the ability to harness all of them. Perhaps they needed a little time and practice to get a grip on the more advanced technological features of the weapons, but eventually they should be able to prevent their swords from going out of control.

Sword saints should be even better in this regard as they could not only wield every sword to a superhuman degree, but also change it by baptizing them with their willpower!

Just as how ace pilots were able to transform their ace mechs into stronger and more fitting machines over time, the more powerful sword saints should theoretically be able to do the same with their swords!

As the Heavensword Saint fully unsheathed the sword which granted him his current title, Ketis practically dropped her jaw when she realized the truth of the powerful swordsman state.

Ketis' thoughts turned into a mess of confusion even as Sharpie worked harder than ever to keep her mind sober. The Heavensword's dense and uncompromising domain constantly battered her mind and steadily drained her recently boosted willpower.

Just staring at the glowing blade of the Heavensword was enough to knock ordinary people unconscious!

"Sir… you…"

"Hm, you have noticed it, I see." The old man in robes gently replied. "You have picked up on it remarkably quickly. I see that your education and work experience as a mech designer is availing you well."

It took a few more seconds for Ketis to compose herself. "Your sword… the Heavensword… does not appear to be under your control. Instead, it looks the other way around. The Heavensword… has you under its thrall."

She had heard how the inheritors of the legendary Heavensword gave up their previous swords and the swordsmanship they had developed throughout their lives in order to take up the mantle of the Heavensword Saint.

Ketis thought that this was a chance of a lifetime to swordmasters. Anyone who obtained the blessing of the Heavensword would instantly break through to the rank of sword saint without exception!

The wielders of the Heavensword even mastered the right sword style to utilize this sword in combat as well, allowing them to use the sword as it was meant to be used.

She realized that all of the Heavensworders who spoke about this inheritance mechanism had been affected by a positive bias.

While their assumptions and expectations were not wrong, they were missing the darker side of this phenomenon.

A more complete and unflattering description of what went on was that the Heavensword had become so powerful that no swordmaster could ever tame its powerful and domineering essence.

"I used to be a fencer when I was a swordmaster." The Heavensword Saint spoke. "I wielded my fencing sword with precision and finesse. Those days are over now. I have not forgotten how to wield my old weapon, but I have lost the foundation that I built up over many decades that enabled me to strike faster and punch through any form of defense. The Heavensword does not need all of that. It demands a different wielder, one who performs slashes with force and one that constantly desires to spread heaven to the wider galaxy."

Those words sounded horrifying to a true sword practitioner like Ketis.

She understood what the saint was conveying. She could clearly see and feel how the bond between the man and his sword had turned into a demonic embrace that caused the weaker party to take on the traits of the stronger party.

In normal cases, it should have been the swordsman who imprinted his will and self onto his weapon.

Instead, the Heavensword's rich energies and whatever traits its original wielder passed on caused the blade to be so unshakeable that they transformed the subsequent holders without any other consideration!

This was a horrifying process and one that robbed any hard-working swordmaster of his or her life's work.

"Why?" Ketis asked.

"That is a long story. You should easily be able to guess many of the reasons with your intelligence. However, when it comes down to it, the Heavensword needs a wielder, and it is better for that person to be a vetted swordmaster than a tyrant who will get lost in its power. A weapon as ancient and powerful as this has many demands. If it is not satisfied, nobody knows what it will do. You can say that aside from preserving our ancient swordsmanship heritage, our state exists to contain its desires."

"Is the sword alive?"

"Not literally." The saint shook his head. "It is not alive in the same sense as people such as you and I. It is neither alive in the same way as your clan's impressive living mechs have come to life. This sword… is an echo of its original swordsman. That individual was so powerful that for many generations since his passing, his undying imprint is much more powerful than many swordmasters put together."

Ketis could not even imagine how powerful that individual may have been!

None of the living mechs that she was familiar with had ever come close to being able to do this much.

She eyed the Heavensword's hilt with considerable dread. Would holding it turn her into another 'clone' of the first-generation wielder of this cursed weapon?

"I mean no harm to you, young swordmaster." The Heavensword Saint said, and Ketis could feel his sincerity in his words. "I have already satisfied the demands of the Heavensword. It is much more docile when it is content. Take it with confidence. It will not bite. At most, it will test you to verify whether you are worthy enough to even hold it. That should not be an issue from what my men and I have observed."

She did not sense any malice from the start of this meeting. The Heavensword was oppressive and demanded her to submit to it as if it was a god, but it respected her refusal on account of her mental fortitude.

Seeing that the situation did not look too fishy, Ketis slowly approached and lifted up her arm.

The weapon was ancient.

That was the first impression she received when she initially held the blade.

From the metal to the materials that made up its hilt, Ketis could more clearly feel the immense traces of time that had marked the sword.

The second aspect about the sword that she noticed was that she underestimated the extraordinary power contained in this sword.

There were entire facet about the Heavensword that radically altered her impression of how much damage it could do when it was utilized to its full potential.

She looked at the glowing blade in shock.

Despite the rather compact dimensions of this sword, she felt that she could destroy an entire capital ship with a swing of this weapon!

She could split a city in half and permanently rearrange the landscape of an entire planet if she had the strength to channel its vast power long enough!

"There's a huge pool of energy locked inside this sword!" She exclaimed as her hand tried to maintain a firm grip on the weapon. "This… this is unheard of. Whoever forged this blade is incredible."

"You are most likely correct." The Heavensword Saint spoke. "According to the sparse sources that we have left, the Heavensword was ostensibly created by a god."

Now that the latest inheritor of the relic had let go of it, his presence had softened considerably. He seemed almost human now that he no longer held the source of much of his acquired strength.

Ketis paused at the mention of a certain word.

Having only recently exited the Nyxian Gap rather recently, the word had a negative connotation to her and many Larkinsons.

"A… god?"

"No mortal hands or sterile machine has forged this blade, do you not agree? You are a maker of swords as well as a wielder of one. You should be able to judge the veracity of this claim yourself."

Ketis took a deeper look at the sword and studied all of its details and nuances.

The materials were absolutely indecipherable to her. She recognized none of the metals used in the alloys.

The quality of the weapon was impeccable. Having worked alongside Gloriana on numerous projects, Ketis had developed a good eye for quality, but the sublimeness of the Heavensword clearly surpassed any of the masterworks that she had witnessed before.

The difference in quality was too massive. Whoever forged this weapon not only mastered his craft to the best of what humanity today could match, but also seemed to push his sword smithing ability to a level beyond this impressive height!

Although Ketis had far too little clues to decipher the identity and the details of the maker of the Heavensword, her deep analysis of this ancient and historical relic allowed her to discover another important detail.

It was one that actually caused her to shake her arm and almost lose her grip on the incomparably precious weapon.

"The Heavensword… is not a masterwork." She whispered. "I know what masterworks are like. Although this sword resembles them a lot, its fundamental qualities are not on the same level at all. I hadn't been able to realize the truth before because it feels oddly lethargic in this aspect, but this is no masterwork. It is a qualitatively greater sword, one that completely transcends what masterworks are supposed to be. If I am not wrong… this may be the best sword in the possession of humanity!"

Her entire mind was blown by this realization!

The Heavensword Saint did not deny her assertion. "You have learned a truth that few have learned. Not a single new swordmaster who I have invited to hold this sword has ever been able to make this distinction. Again, your background as a mech designer has made you far more capable than a typical swordmaster. Properly speaking, the Heavensword is indeed more than a masterwork. According to the classification used by the Mech Trade Association, it is more appropriate to describe it as a grand work."

A grand work.

A legendary creation that Ketis had only learned about a relatively short time ago. Grand works were the kind of objects that only Star Designers get to create!

Just the thought that she was holding the work of a swordsmith who was comparable to a Star Designer made her feel as if she was already staining the Heavensword by holding it in her hand.

Though the weapon itself did not mind her grip, Ketis couldn't help but feel that she was not yet worthy to hold such an incredible fine work.

Her vision of what swords could become had changed forever this day.