Haruto stood up, his resolve hardening as he pushed through the door of his room. He walked with a steady, purposeful gait toward the workshop, the night air cool against his skin. Outside, the three moons of this world hung in the sky, their silver and pale-blue light bathing the mansion grounds in an ethereal glow.
The moment he stepped into the heat of the workshop, he saw them. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Rutherford stood tall in his impeccable butler attire, his eyes sharp and observant. Asobi was perched on a stool, lazily puffing on her pipe, the smoke curling around her in the dim light.
In the center of it all was Toya. He held the cloth-wrapped blade as if it were a living thing. The rhythmic, starlight-pulse of the weapon illuminated her face. When he saw Haruto, his eyes lit up with pride and excitement.
"Look at this, Haruto!" he exclaimed, her voice vibrating with energy.
"It's finally done! With this, we're going to absolutely destroy Kallen tomorrow. This isn't just any blade—it's my masterpiece, my own soul-forged weapon!"
Haruto stepped closer, his eyes fixed on the bundle in Toya's arms.
"Let me see it," he said, his voice low. "Take the cloth off. I want to see what we've actually built."
Rutherford stepped forward, his pocket watch snapping shut.
"Time is short, Master. You've kept me waiting long enough. Let us complete the bonding process immediately."
Toya didn't need to be told twice. With a sharp tug, she pulled the heavy cloth away.
A blinding surge of Golden Light erupted, flooding the dark workshop and drowning out the glow of the three moons outside. Haruto had to shield his eyes as the radiance filled every corner, reflecting off the soot-stained walls. When the light finally stabilized, it revealed a long, majestic blade that pulsed with raw, ancient power. It didn't just look like a weapon; it looked like a law of nature forged into steel.
"My masterpiece," Toya whispered, her voice trembling with pride.
"The vessel is complete."
Rutherford approached the blade with a reverent expression. "Finally," he murmured.
"A worthy vessel."
As his fingers brushed the hilt, the sword didn't just stay in his hand—it began to Pixelate. The golden light broke into thousands of digital shards, swirling in a vortex before slamming directly into Rutherford's chest.
Rutherford gasped, his back arching as the soul of the blade merged with his own spirit essence. He let out a long, heavy breath of relief, his entire aura stabilizing into something far more dense and terrifying than before.
"Are you satisfied now?" Toya asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
"You have your weapon. You have your body."
Rutherford adjusted his cuffs, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.
"Finally... I am whole. I am complete."
The celebratory mood in the workshop came to a screeching halt. Toya had been beaming, punching the air with excitement.
"Kallen won't even know what hit him! We're going to show them what we're made of!" she cheered.
Rutherford, standing taller and more imposing than ever with the blade merged into his soul, gave a sharp nod.
"Indeed. Though remember, as your weapon spirit, my true power is reserved for when your life hangs in the balance. But even a fraction of me will be enough."
Haruto looked down at the floor, his face shadowed by the dimming forge light. Then, he looked up, his expression cold and dead serious.
"Toya... Rutherford..." Haruto's voice was steady, but it cut through the room like ice.
"You won't be using that weapon tomorrow. Rutherford, you are not to participate in the duel."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Rutherford's eyes narrowed, his posture stiffening. He thought Haruto was perhaps testing his discipline or making a tactical joke. Asobi stopped puffing her pipe, the smoke hanging frozen in the air as she squinted at Haruto, trying to read his HUD for a glitch.
But it was Toya who took the hardest hit. The smile on his face didn't vanish instantly; it wavered, his eyes blinking in confusion. "Wait... what?" he asked, a nervous laugh escaping his mouth.
"Haruto, come on. That's a bad joke, even for you. I literally just poured my soul into that forge. Rutherford just finished the sync! You're... you're joking, right?"
he stepped forward, searching Haruto's face for any sign of a smirk or a wink. But there was nothing. Only the "Real" Haruto remained—the one AETHERIS had stripped down to his rawest, most cautious form.
Haruto didn't look back. His voice was flat, devoid of the excitement they expected.
"No. There are reasons... reasons I can't explain right now. We just can't use this weapon."
Toya froze, his face pale.
"Wait... 'We'? You mean you aren't going to use a weapon also?"
Haruto simply nodded once, a sharp, mechanical movement, and turned on his heel. He walked out of the workshop, leaving the stunned silence behind. Toya shouted after him,
"Haruto! Wait! You can't be serious!" but Haruto didn't stop. He couldn't. If he looked back at the hurt in Toya's eyes or the confusion on Rutherford's face, he might break.
He pushed himself down the corridor, heading for his room. But the "overclocking" AETHERIS had mentioned was taking its toll. The sheer mental weight of the Divine Harvest, the "Kill Order," and the exhaustion of the day finally slammed into him. The walls of the corridor began to spin. His vision blurred, the three moons outside the windows merging into a single, blinding streak of white.
His knees buckled. Haruto reached for the wall, but his fingers slipped. He collapsed onto the cold floor of the hallway, his consciousness fading as the "physical boost" fought against his sheer exhaustion.
Haruto's eyes flickered open, his head throbbing with a dull ache. He wasn't on the cold floor of the corridor anymore; he was tucked into his own bed. The moonlight filtered through the windows, casting long, soft shadows across the room.
As he shifted his weight, he felt a warmth beside him. He looked down and saw Aetherna fast asleep, her small form curled up at the edge of the bed. Even though he knew she was a manifestation of his own power—a "daughter" created from his mana—seeing her there in the quiet of the night gave him a strange, grounding feeling. It was a brief moment of peace before the reality of the upcoming duel crashed back into his mind.
He slid out of bed silently, careful not to wake her, and noticed the balcony doors were slightly ajar. A cool breeze was flowing in. He stepped outside and saw a figure silhouetted against the three moons.
Lilith was standing there, her gaze fixed on the stars, her long hair swaying in the wind. She looked different in the moonlight—less like a playful student and more like the ancient soul who had once defied the Heavens.
Haruto walked up beside her, his voice raspy from sleep. "Lilith? Is that you?"
She turned slowly, a soft, knowing smile playing on her lips. The manic energy from earlier was gone, replaced by a quiet intensity. "Yes," she whispered, her eyes reflecting the silver light of the moons.
"Who else would be keeping watch over a 'Haruto' who faints in his own hallway?"
Haruto stared at her, his head still foggy. "You should be at the castle, Lilith. Why are you here?"
Lilith leaned against the stone railing, the moonlight catching the silver in her eyes.
"When you collapsed, the others were already exhausted. Toya carried you back to your bed, but he was too upset to stay. He left shortly after. Rutherford is still there, though—he's standing guard right outside your door like a stone statue. I thought I'd be the one to keep an eye on you while you slept."
Haruto frowned, stepping closer to her.
"But what about the King? And the others? Won't they be panicking because you're missing?"
Lilith didn't answer with words. Instead, she gestured for him to come closer to the edge of the balcony. "See for yourself," she whispered.
Haruto stepped up to the railing and looked down. His breath hitched. The quiet mansion grounds were gone. Surrounding the entire estate were rows upon rows of armored soldiers, their spears and shields gleaming under the three moons. At least 1,000 soldiers had formed a massive, silent perimeter around the house.
"This is the safest house in the entire village now," Lilith said, her voice dropping to a serious tone.
"The King and the village elders... they are terrified, Haruto. They've turned your home into a fortress to make sure nothing happens to me"
Haruto blinked, momentarily thrown off by her sudden shift in tone. The weight of the soldiers outside and the talk of protection felt heavy, but Lilith seemed to revel in breaking that tension with her usual mischief.
"I asked what you're doing out here on the balcony, Lilith," Haruto repeated, trying to keep his voice flat despite his racing heart.
Lilith let out a soft, musical giggle, leaning back against the railing so the moonlight framed her perfectly. She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with a playful, dangerous light.
"Why? Did you expect to find me tucked under the covers in your bed instead?"
She stepped closer into his personal space, the scent of night-blooming jasmine clinging to her.
"What's the matter, Haruto? Is your 'System' starting to glitch? Are you losing control just by looking at me? I didn't realize my beauty was a debuff you couldn't resist."
Haruto backed away quickly, his face flushing a deep crimson.
"No... forget it! Just do whatever you want. I'm an idiot for even trying to have a serious conversation with you!"
She saw the exhaustion hidden behind his blushing face. "I won't ask what happened back there," she said, her voice turning surprisingly tender as she looked at him.
"I won't ask why you collapsed from pure exhaustion at that moment. You've clearly been through a hell I can't see yet."
She walked toward the balcony doors, pausing to look back at him.
"Just sleep, Haruto. I'll be the one to prepare for our 'first night' in a special way while you recover. You'll need every bit of strength for what comes next."
Haruto's face went even redder, but he didn't argue. He knew that if he stayed out there, she would just keep teasing him until sunrise. Besides, the weight of the coming day was pressing down on him. He had hours of brutal, high-speed training ahead of him to master the physical boost AETHERIS had left him with. If he didn't rest now, his "Gamer" brain would be too sluggish to handle the duel.
He walked back into the room, leaving Lilith on the balcony where she turned back to watch the 1,000 soldiers patrolling the perimeter.
Aetherna was still there, sprawled out on the bed, her small chest rising and falling in a deep sleep. Haruto sat on the edge of the mattress and gently tucked the blanket around her. "Goodnight, kid," he whispered.
He lay down, closing his eyes as he felt the heavy, metallic presence of Rutherford still standing guard outside the door. Despite the chaos—the banned sword, the 1,000 soldiers, and the impending harvest—exhaustion finally won. Haruto fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, his body recovering at a forced, supernatural rate.