Supreme Swordfiend

Nothing remained of Leon in the house he'd called home.

Fresh paint, new floorboards.

Scents that brought no old memories to the fore, instead triggering a feeling of loss as Leon took in where he had once spent his days.

His old room stripped bare.

His worldly possessions gone.

Running a finger across the old bed frame, Leon lay on the mattress, blood staining the sheets.

He didn't particularly care.

The swordsman had accepted the weakness of those around him and resigned himself to lesser tasks.

Peeling himself from the bed, Leon slowly pulled his aching bones toward the bathroom.

The shower had been ripped out of the wall, bare wires still exposed.

For a second he entertained the idea of reducing the house to rubble.

Only for a second, then the lethargy struck Leon down, floor tiling scarred by his armour as he lay upon the ground.

He took solace in knowing he'd been right.

Today had been awful.

Setting aside his family and friend, disregarding a military attempt on his life, ignoring the fact he'd sold his skills in exchange for knowledge.

Leon now knew for certain his parents were dead.

His father would never have left the house or let it be re-decorated- he'd scrimped and saved for years to buy it.

He wasn't here.

Which meant his bones lay buried somewhere, presumably alongside Leon's mother.

He'd prepared for this and the sense of loss still surprised him.

So Leon lay on the cold tiles, just for a moment.

Just long enough to still his racing mind.

A small voice in the back of his head whispered to him.

They would have only been burdens.

Too old to fight.

A pair of weaknesses had ceased to exist- why should he weep over that?

They'd served their purpose in raising him.

Jin too- a weakling lost to a higher power.

Did he really care?

He could be replaced.

It would have been easier if they'd all been dead.

As those thoughts presented themselves Leon gnashed his teeth.

Emotionless logic, a utilitarian view of the world which only searched for loss and gain.

He allowed himself to relish in negativity, the emotional indulgence dispelling his ennui and sharpening his focus once more.

Feeling the Void Aegis roil as it morphed into its base form, Leon rose from the ground.

He had a job to do.

The last of the sun's rays vanished and night came upon the world.

Out in the street, the Federation army having long since departed, stood an anvil and a smith.

A pile of unsorted miscellany lay behind the smith, arms and armour aplenty, all of it wrapped in lizard hide.

Leon had only two cores of value remaining.

The core of the Desert Despot screeched with resentment while being hammered into shape.

It yielded a spear, the same one the half-scorpion, half-naked woman had fought with.

Leon tossed it to the pile, not even bothering to look at the description.

The Oceanic Apex's core sucked Leon in.

A predator at the pinnacle, with no foes worth fighting.

The agony of power unused.

Then joy as a human descended to the depths.

Elation as the beast breathed its last.

The Megalodon submitted to Leon, the victor of their bout, and offered a choice.

A greatsword, its size rivalling Bladeless, constructed of thick black metal, length embedded with the Apex's pearly teeth and bones. A weapon of malicious intent.

A vision of Leon wielding the blade, its weight shifting as he needed. Light as a feather on his back, an immovable mass on his foe's neck. Wounds left bled profusely, knitting together slowly and the blade sucked in Leon's water mana with no resistance. A weapon that demanded the wielder charge ahead, consequences be damned.

Black Death- a sword that promised to be as deadly as its namesake.

In the other vision, Leon saw a smaller greatsword, a blade made of what appeared to be standard steel. Upon its length, Leon saw scripture scrawled in a tongue born not of men, but of beasts. A language of violence. It recorded the victory of a vile son of man against a champion of the abyss.

With it in hand, Leon's ability to channel mana- whether that be through a circuit or the blade itself- would experience a marked increase. Better still, the sword strengthened his connection to the air, showcasing an acrobatic combat style that made use of dramatic flips and suicidal spins. Every beast fled the blade, as though encountering their natural enemy, the thicker their bestial blood, the harder the edge cut.

Abyss Brand- enemy of all beasts, the symbol of mankind's supremacy.

Leon acted on instinct, hammer bashing the core into his chosen sword.

A blade of steel, engraved with Leon's triumphs emerged from his labours.

Pulling the Sunlight Greatsword from his back, Leon lovingly caressed the blade, offering a silent thanks for its service before stowing it away.

One day it would emerge when Leon had time to learn of true smithing and enchantment creation.

Today he required the surety of steel.

Abyss Brand slid onto his back, taking its place as an armament in good standing.

Aside from the spear, Leon sold the rest, a hefty harvest earning him a thousand credits.

Still too poor to afford anything of value and still locked in the Tutorial's markets, Leon shifted gears.

He meditated, drawing the meagre ambient mana in to replenish his exhausted stores.

The pop-up came at midnight.

"Tutorial Concluded! Terraforming Complete! Please stand by for full integration!"

Like a switch had been flipped, the atmosphere erupted with mana.

Leon felt as a fish returned to water, his body supping eagerly on the ambient energy, aches and pains fading to memory.

The machine god continued, its cheer undampened by the death sentence it gave.

"Planetary protections disabled! [H] Grade dungeons now active! [H] Grade resources now available! [H] Grade mutations successfully triggered!"

"Quest Received, A Worldbreakers Trial! You have made enemies of those aiming to subjugate your homeworld. Force them to submit or end their lives. Such is the path of a Worldbreaker.

Progress- 0/127

Reward- Pending Admin Approval- Please Standby!"

Mentally swiping away the notifications, Leon's eyes turned to the night sky.

He witnessed the rain of shooting stars, each one another foe to vanquish

Forcing back a grin, Leon felt a ripple in the world beside him, a blue vortex revealing a welcome sight.

Unbound red hair trailed behind her in the breeze, a combat robe that still managed to hug her figure despite the metal and leather that protected her vitals.

A slight smirk played on her lips as she took in the surprised swordsman, pointing her finger toward him while she crossed the gap between them, eyebrows raised in mock surprise.

"The hound lives! Well done swordsman! I, Octavia Caesar, commend your ability to keep breathing! I expect no less of the man I chose as partner!"

Her hazel eyes betrayed softer emotions. Genuine happiness to see him alive.

Leon extended his trust to many people- Zerasos, Uncle Cyrus, Auberon and William, to name a few.

The only one he trusted completely stood before him.

Octavia Caesar.

So he didn't answer, instead choosing to impulsively embrace the woman.

She froze in his arms, her face flushing beet red as she slowly returned the embrace.

Leon's voice came out in a whisper.

"Thanks for coming, Octavia. Been a rough day."

All arrogance bled out of her as she replied.

"I know. We'll get through this, Leon. Together, okay?"

"Together. Right."

Silence, of a companionable kind, reigned as the two watched the invaders approaching.

Leon sat on the curb, idly reclining, while Octavia studied the skies.

As the shock wore off, Leon found questions.

"So you can teleport?"

Flicking hair over her shoulder, Octavia's smug reply dripped with pride.

"Any self-respecting mage should be able to fold space- walking is for the poor or the magically incapable. Go ahead! Praise me all you like! Flattery will get you everywhere!"

"Oh great mistress of magic, your power astounds this humble servant! None are your equal in matters of the arcane!"

"You speak only the truth! How noble! I, Octavia Caesar, am truly blessed to have such a discerning servant!"

Leon laughed for what felt like the first time in years as Octavia preened from the compliment.

As his eyes wandered he noticed her hands moving, mana swirling around them both.

Noticing the look he shot her way, the magical mistress deigned to explain herself.

"Anti-divination, anti-tracking and psychic repulsion wards. They'll need topped up every day. I'll do it in the morning."

"We need these why?"

Leon recognised a truly disdainful look when he saw it.

"Why do we need these? What an excellent question Leon! Well, it might be because a certain someone- not naming names- killed the Oceanic Apex. A feat which should have been impossible- except of course, he had the perfect set of enchanted armour and a suicidal amount of courage. How lucky for him! Now this certain someone has an eight-figure bounty on his head. That's for a live certain someone. They'll still pay out a partial reward for a dead one. Oh, oops almost forgot- at least four of these factions are here specifically for that certain someone- to kill or recruit him at all costs."

Taking a breath, she continued, hands gesticulating wildly as she outlined her point.

"Now I don't know about you swordsman, but I, Octavia Caesar, enjoy sleep. I need sleep to effectively perform as the greatest mage known to the multiverse- if a certain someone were constantly drawing assassins, slavers and other undesirables to my bed chambers, why I wouldn't get any sleep! So we ward. Any other burning questions before the first wave of reprobates make landfall?"

Leon let her simmer down for a minute before opening his mouth.

"So, how was your day? I get the feeling it was rough?"

Octavia had ceased her warding before Leon asked his question, the mage visibly slumping as her mana stores ran lower.

"Rough. I knew it was coming. Still hated it. You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine?"

"Killed a guy, got in a fight with my ex-best friend, went from long lost to rightfully estranged uncle in five minutes, took twelve bullets to the back of my throat to prove a point and killed a woman for information on a god. Who I am certain I will one day kill for corrupting said ex-best friend. So? What'd you get up to?"

"The usual. Crippled a threat to my plans, broke things off with my ex, who swore revenge on me for spurning him, visited my parent's graves, called in a favour with a spider I blackmailed into obeying me and then I folded the space separating us by using the Oath linking us together as a metaphysical guide- oh and if we meet my ex he'll probably try to kill you."

"The usual."

"The usual."

"So. What's our plan?"

"We're going to pick up two or three people we can use. People with loose morals and useful skill sets. After that, we'll hit all the best dungeons and resource locations, then wipe out everyone laying claim to Earth. Easy enough for a warrior and mage of our calibre!"

"What about our families? I have mine protected. What about yours?"

She fixed Leon with the saddest smile he'd ever seen as she replied, almost conversationally, as though he'd asked about the weather.

"None of them survived."

His words rang hollow even as he spoke them.

"I'm sorry."

Perhaps it would have been easier if she'd cried, but that wouldn't have befitted her.

Crossing the gap between them, Octavia crouched before Leon, hands tentatively reaching out to cradle his face, her slender fingers tracing the gaps in his macabre mask, sending little electric shocks down Leon's spine.

Her smile grew worse, somehow miserable and tender at once, voice barely a whisper.

"You know, in her life, they broke Earth in their wars. Left the hollowed husk behind to rot. It took her years to escape, to scrape the money together for a teleport off world. I know you aren't sorry Leon. That's why I chose to roll the dice with you. Don't give me empty apologies- give me fire, iron and blood. Give me a war that will kill them all and set us free. Give me the Swordfiend."

He saw her soul in those soft hazel eyes, a mirror of his own.

Unyielding steel.

This was it.

The final chance to turn tail and flee.

Leon felt in his bones that continuing on his course would be be a one way journey.

Anything less than his best would see him dead.

Just as certainly, Leon knew.

He would not lose to anything that crossed his path.

Taking her hands in his, he answered with appropriate theatrical flair.

"The die is cast, Caesar. All that and more, I promise to deliver."

Rising to his feet, Earth's strongest warrior watched the skies burn with encroaching light, his words audible only to Octavia Caesar, words she would remember until the day she died.

"Millions will die. How exciting."