OP Sister Chapter 530: The Realm Of Sword Masters

Listen While Reading Recommendation: multidimensional

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I sighed with relief after unequipping the strange Trait that Vulcanus left me as a parting gift.

“Fortunately, this Dragon Madness Trait is partially sealed…”

Although all Traits grant benefits and power, they can also carry strange restrictions and penalties. Something called “Dragon Madness” clearly has an issue, so for now, I’ll keep it sealed.

Reading its description, it appeared to grant an incredible talent for Alchemy, Dragon Magic, and Soul Manipulation, but the more this Trait is used, the more the mind erodes, leading to madness like Vulcanus’s.

“Ugh, I don’t know if I should use it… Maybe I’ll sacrifice it to upgrade another Trait later.”

It’s possible to sacrifice Traits to strengthen others, though leaping between Grades requires dozens of Traits.

For now, accumulating a bunch is fine.

My ability to fuse things isn’t at the level of a Legendary Grade Trait, let alone an Epic Grade Trait, so I cannot combine them.

If I tried forcibly, my Dao Root would explode, and I would die instantly.

My Seal of Frenzy cannot help. Martial Arts control the Body and the Mind, but Dao Roots are the deepest part of one’s soul.

Even if I exerted my utmost effort, I would likely explode.

So for now, I decided to set it aside and save it as upgrade material for future Traits.

After that, I relaxed, feeling the energies within my body blossoming.

“Ah, I think that’s it…”

Even if I don’t “devour” Vulcanus directly, I still gain some of his power by killing him. Sensing this energy, I guided it to my Cosmic Heart and refined it further.

Fortunately, the cosmic essence was just enough for my Cosmic Heart to advance to the next stage.

[Congratulations, your Authority as a Constellation is solidifying further.]

[Your [Cosmic Heart]: [Rank 2: Dwarf Star (Initial Stage)] has advanced to Middle Stage.]

[You gained +10,000 Cosmic Energy.]

“This time, I didn’t gain a Skill. I haven’t consumed his soul fragments but fusing them into an item could create something better. Maybe my dragon skills could grow stronger, but I have grander plans for this.”

I plan to use Vulcanus’s body and soul fragments for several purposes, such as commissioning Hilda to craft a stronger set of armor and accessories, feeding Gram, and creating something in the volcanic land.

Something like an Alchemy Cauldron, but as large as a volcano.

I need it to refine the cosmic materials I possess.

Hilda can do it, of course, but I must refine them myself to create a proper Spiritual Formation for Yggdrasil to grow well.

To achieve that, I’ll need many items to enhance the chosen location further.

With my Celestial Gestalt Class, this grand plan shouldn’t be impossible, as long as I keep gathering materials and preparing.

“Uroboros and Vulcanus’s sacrifices won’t be in vain. I will ensure their power saves all of humanity, just as you righteous ones wished!”

As I laughed alone in my room, I noticed several consciousnesses around me stirring.

[“You’re awake already? Quite early today, huh, Anna?”]

It was Gram.

“Yeah, I felt refreshed. Having this Immortal Body helps a lot. I don’t need to sleep more than a couple of hours a week, actually.”

[“That’s surely nice and convenient. Now give me some dragon hearts! I know you have them!”]

“Heh, you helped me defeat Vulcanus. Didn’t you absorb anything from it?”

[“Not really, what I slashed was just his damn astral avatar. But you gathered his blood and flesh, right?”]

“Yes, I got his upper torso, so I’ll give you two of his five hearts.”

[“He had five?”]

“Elder Dragons have five or more Dragon Hearts. The stronger the dragon, the more hearts they develop,” I explained. “Shouldn’t you know that as a dragon-slaying sword?”

[“I… well, uhhhh. I just forgot, okay?! My other half is with your brother, after all!”]

“Okay, sure. The dragon hearts are damaged because my technique pierced them all. I hope you don’t mind. I’ll save another for emergencies, and I’ll use the other two as materials for the Great Spiritual World Tree Formation.”

[“The what of what?!”]

“Dragon Hearts are great vessels of power. If I repair and modify them into Cores, they could serve as two of the five cores I need for the Formation… That’s why I also need a giant cosmic-level cauldron to build… Hm, maybe I could ask the demons for help.”

[“Hold on for a moment, I don’t get it!”]

“You’ll understand when the time comes. Anyway, time to eat, Gram.”

I rushed to the wilderness where I had placed two huge Dragon Hearts.

They were the size of trucks, made entirely of crystallized cosmic power and dragon mana.

“Yummy, right? I bet you’re drooling.”

[“Just let me slash them already!”]

Gram trembled with hunger and excitement.

After feeding on false dragons for a while, he finally got to feast on a true dragon, an Elder Dragon, a direct son of a Constellation born with cosmic powers.

“Then…”

SLASH! SLASH!

I swung Gram twice, slashing both hearts. They split, and all their energy transferred to his blade and sword soul.

At the same time, the two dragon hearts turned white and transparent, as if made of glass, then collapsed into dust, dissolving into particles of light, leaving nothing behind.

FLUOSH!

“Ohooo! Ohohohoooo!”

Gram laughed as he flew from my hands, floating in midair and awakening his true divine power.

The skies rumbled, and the ground trembled as Gram hovered, black and white clouds surging from his body, shaped like dragons.

His voice grew louder, no longer just in my head. He could now speak with his Sword Soul without needing a mental connection.

“I’m almost there! Yes! Anna, give me a sword to fuse with!”

“…What?”

“I didn’t tell you?! Ah, I need to merge with a sword to evolve to my next stage!”

“Oh, alright.”

“Maybe two would be nice.”

“Two?! Why?”

“Because I lack my other half, so I need more to compensate. Divine Swords imbued with Souls like me evolve through absorbing dragon hearts and combining with other similar magic blades. You’ve got a sword from an angel before, right? A celestial blade.”

“Yes, I can give you eight Blood Swords I got from the Vampires back then. They can compensate for one blade, right?”

“I think so… But the other?”

“No way I’m giving you the sword my master gifted me! But I’ll ask Oblivion if he wants to.”

I looked at the angelic sword I obtained, Oblivion.

He had already accepted my power and allowed me to unleash his celestial power.

However, he was not yet comparable to Gram, though still quite strong.

“Oblivion, are you okay with—”

“Of course I am, master. You don’t even need to ask.”

“Huh? But…”

“I am a sword. If I can merge with another to become a stronger blade and fulfill my purpose better, then that’s good. It has been eons since I was wielded by my old master… To think I would be given the privilege of fusing with a divine blade of the caliber of the legendary Gram, I am grateful.”

“…Alright.”

I released the swords as Gram merged with them all, his old, worn blade regaining its beautiful luster while growing longer and sharper.

He gained a golden, divine aura, shaped like a large, serpentine dragon coiling around him. His silver blade absorbed this spiritual dragon, imprinting it into the metal like a golden painting.

A bright yellow and purple jewel appeared in the middle of the sword’s handle, and I felt Gram’s Aura envelop his entire being.

Then, he absorbed his aura and descended slowly into my hands.

The moment I grasped Gram, our connection deepened, mirroring the bond I felt with Hilda.

His Soul and Heart connected with mine.

My Dragon Heart overflowed with power, then began to crack and fall apart.

“W-What?!”

I was confused, but Gram began melting into my hand as my Dragon Heart crumbled.

“Gram?!”

“Anna, accept me into your heart! You don’t need a flimsy Dragon Heart… Let me become your Dragon Heart instead!”

“That’s possible?!”

“It is. Allow me to show you my true power!”

Gram melted into my hand, fusing with my skin, flesh, and bones.

He was no longer an external tool.

He became part of me!

SLAAASH!

My Dragon Heart was slashed and pierced by his blade.

I felt sharp pain for a moment, but I endured.

I let my energies fluctuate, helping him stabilize.

Eventually, as the Dragon Heart collapsed and vanished, I didn’t feel weaker.

Something far stronger replaced it.

It wasn’t a crystallized essence, but a spiritual organ linked to my Spirit Body, Soul, Cosmic Heart, Immortal Body, and… Consciousness.

Within my Spirit Body, Gram’s blade floated, countless veins of molten silver and gold intertwining with my own.

Sword Energy, a form of Ki, flowed through every fiber of my being.

“A-Amazing…!”

It felt like I could summon Gram’s power anywhere, in any form.

“Is this the true power of Divine Swords?!”

Not even my brother achieved such a connection with his version of Gram.

Perhaps because he never interacted with it or formed a bond like I did with my Gram.

“Indeed, Anna. Now that I am your heart, you are a true Sword Master. If you continue to hone your blade, you could ascend to become a Sword God.”

“Are these Swordsman Ranks?”

“In the world of Swordsmen, there are many ranks. The lowest is when a swordsman manifests a faint Sword Aura around their blade, called an Awakened Swordsman.”

“Later, when they can manipulate their Sword Aura into fine Silk, called Sword Threads, which can divide and attack from many angles, enabling incredible techniques, that’s a Sword Hero.”

“The third stage is Sword Master, when they weave Sword Threads into their physique and merge with their sword, transforming a once-physical tool into a spiritual weapon that grows alongside the swordsman!”

“I see…! So that’s why you wanted to eat swords.”

“Yes, to gain enough mass to spread through your Physique, since you’re already quite strong. Besides, you won’t need other swords now that you’ve merged with me, heh.”

“I’ll still use the others…!”

“You’ll need to merge them with me later anyway. Why not practice your sword and see what you can do now?”

“I wish I had a worthy opponent.”

“Well, you do—yourself.”

“…Right.”

I smiled, walking toward a wide grassland, and summoned an Ego.

A Swordsman Ego had recently formed, so I summoned her before me.

She was a phantasmal being with a silver, metallic hue.

She wielded a single sword made of her ethereal body, gazing at me with sharp blue eyes.

“She’s ready anytime. Summon my power.”

“Summon you?”

I considered it, raising my hand.

FLUOSH!

At that moment, my energies and Gram’s soul and power surged from my hand, forming a sword in an explosion of light.

“Anna, you possess sword-related skills, but you never truly learned the blade from your masters. You learned their personal cultivation techniques instead. That’s why I’ll teach you.”

“Gram, you’re becoming my master?! You?”

“Hmph! Don’t underestimate me. I am an incredible, ancient sword!”

FLASH!

Suddenly, from my Aura, a golden, serpent-like dragon manifested, with a long white beard and sharp red eyes. It glared at me.

“This is my Sword Dragon Spirit Avatar. I will instruct you with it from now on.”

“You can even manifest like that?!”

I was constantly surprised, but the battle began early. My Swordsman Ego attacked mercilessly, swinging her blade at me.

“Ah!”

I swiftly retaliated with a swing of my blade, dividing a single slash into many.

However…

“Hmph!”

She slashed through all my sword energy attacks instantly with a single shockwave, striking me.

BOOOM!

“What…!”

I was surprised, looking up as the sword ego vanished, reappearing behind me.

Her sword rushed toward my back.

I barely evaded, but it grazed my shoulder, slicing through my flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Damn, is she going berserk?!

“Hey, calm down and listen! Stop it!”

“Prove me… show me what you’ve attained…!”

She ignored me, swinging her ethereal blade and unleashing a storm of sword energy attacks.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

I quickly focused, furrowing my brows and swinging Gram.

“Now, step forward, swing your blade horizontally, and release the accumulated power within your Upper Dantian, where I reside!”

“Okay…!”

TRUUUM!

“?!”

I was astounded as a massive shockwave of silver sword energy surged from my attack, nullifying her initial assault.

I didn’t use any skill or martial arts.

Just raw strength and Gram’s guidance.

“Good! You know, mortals view Sword Masters as gods, but this is merely the beginning, Anna. You haven’t seen anything yet. Beyond this lies the Realm of Sword Saints, then Sword Demigods… and later, a Sword God.”

“If becoming a Sword Master and fusing with you is just the beginning… what can a Sword God even do?!”

“Heh, you’re getting excited, aren’t you? Now show that cocky ghost what you can do!”

“Yes!”

My ego rushed toward me without hesitation.

I swiftly leaped away and swung my blade downward, releasing a shockwave of sword energy.

She countered with a similar attack, and both canceled each other out.

Then, she appeared behind me, her sword aiming for my heart again.

I predicted it, having spread my Aura and Mana Senses around. I detected her footsteps several meters away.

I moved gracefully, dodging the attack and unleashing a horizontal slash per Gram’s instructions.

The slash pierced her upper torso, dividing her in two…

Wait, what?

“Heh…”

Gram smirked as if he had orchestrated it.

Now, I face two sword egos.

“Gram, did you hijack my Myriad Self Arts or something?”

It might be possible, now that he’s part of my body, but…

“I did a little something. I want you to take this seriously, Anna. I dislike how much you rely on flimsy things like Skills. It’s good to extract power and knowledge from them, but you must embrace the power born from your own body, soul, heart, and mind.”

“Think of skills as mere tools. Even the most glorious-sounding skill is a tool that will eventually wear down and be discarded. What matters is what you learn from it and how you manipulate that power without needing the skill itself. Myriad Self Arts is perfect for this transition.”

Skills will never truly become obsolete, but he’s right. Eventually, I’ll surpass them all, even at max level, and they’ll become weak and useless.

That’s why Ascended Skills are introduced later, created only through sacrificing dozens of skills and many materials.

Ascended Skills are like Artifacts bonded to our Dao Roots and Souls, among the few “Skills” usable later on.

That doesn’t mean I’ll stop using what I have. I’ll master every Skill while following his advice.

But yes.

He’s right.

“Once you absorb the power of Skills, you must apply them to your own techniques to create something new. Myriad Self Arts surprised me when you began developing it, but it’s still in its earliest stages and relies on your existing skills. If they were sealed in another dimension, you’d become incredibly weak.”

“…I know.”

“That’s why you must start honing your unique swordsmanship now, Anna. When you killed Vulcanus, I glimpsed it. You created the first form. But it’s crude and flawed. You must pursue a deeper meaning. Put your life on the line and understand the profound philosophy behind wielding a sword.”

While Gram lectured me, I dodged the two sword egos attacking from both left and right.

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