The mech arena could potentially accommodate a hundred-thousand Larkinsons. It could even host more if it erected extra floating stands that stacked on top of each other.
This was excessive, though. Perhaps it made sense to expand the capacity of the arena by that amount if the clan numbered a million people, but at the moment it barely surpassed 175,000 individuals.
Was that a lot? Certainly. Was it enough to justify stuffing more than half of them in a single location? Most definitely not! Who knew if a terrorist plotted to destroy the arena or the entire capital ship? Though the security forces along with the Black Cats were on full alert, no one could truly guarantee whether the site was safe.
It was bad practice to put too many eggs in a single basket. Drawing too many Larkinsons away from their posts also weakened the defense of the clan. There were less crewmembers on duty aboard important combat ships and less mech pilots to go on patrol.
Therefore, in order to give everyone a chance to attend the week-long ceremony, the clan only limited the attendance to 40,000 people at most. Everyone who wanted to witness the events would have the opportunity to do so but only for a couple of time slots spread out over multiple days.
The first batch overwhelmingly consisted of the former citizens of the Heavensword Association. Their enthusiasm for this ritual was the highest and they were critical to setting the tone of the entire event.
Indeed, as soon as Fred started to speak, their excitement already rose to an impressive height. Back in their former state, the sword community regularly held tournaments, exhibitions and events of all kinds. The citizens had been trained to look forward and enjoy these opportunities to see impressive swordsmen in action for generations!
“Ketis! Ketis! Ketis!”
“Dise! Dise! Dise!”
“Swordmaidens forever!”
Due to his difficult life experiences, the deputy director of the Annihilator Sword School easily maintained his composure. He had witnessed the best and worst of what humanity had to offer. Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands of spectators along with more than a hundred-thousand observers watching the internal broadcast was child’s play.
He raised his arms, causing the crowd to quiet down again.
“Fellow Larkinsons. As you know, our clan’s great mech designers are about to create one of the most important mechs of our lineup. Each and every expert mech designed by our prestigious Design Department are not only works of art, but living mechs in the truest sense of the word. I have had the privilege of approaching each and every expert mech including the latest one that is still waiting to be unveiled and I came away completely convinced of their superiority. With the crucial aid of our great and generous clan patriarch, even a single of our expert mechs is already better than the best expert mech of the Heavensword Association!”
The audience cheered at this wild and exaggerated boast!
“I have witnessed many smartly-designed expert swordsman mechs over my long life.” Fred stated in a softer tone. “I have spent many hours admiring my deceased brother’s expert mech. Its designers have done a good job at matching it to my brother’s piloting style. Yet I always felt that there was something missing from his expert mech. In fact, when I observed the other expert mechs developed by the Heavensword Association’s mech industry, I also gained the impression that they were missing a crucial element. Do you know what they are lacking?”
The audience stayed silent, but many of them already formed educated guesses.
Fred unsheathed his personal weapon from his waist. The saber looked plain and unassuming. However, knowledgeable swordsmen could already tell it was a fine quality blade that the director had lovingly owned and used for several decades.
“It is just like my Steen. The swordsmiths who forged this blade are excellent at their craft and understand the construction of swords and sabers like no one else, yet whenever I gaze upon my weapon, I cannot deny it suffers from an intrinsic flaw. The swordsmiths only understand one side of a weapon. They spent so much time and effort on learning how to master the craft of forging a sword that they have never been able to wield them or use them as effectively as actual swordsmen!”
Fred directed a rueful smile towards his Steen as he brought it forward so that the flat of its blade mirrored his eyes.
“Does that make me hate my weapon? No. Every blade is precious. A true swordsman should love every sword indiscriminately regardless of the individual faults they might have. It is their skill that should determine whether they are worthy of recognition.”
Fred slowly sheathed his Steen.
“However, I cannot deny that a good weapon can be crucial to swordsmen. We love our weapons. They are more than tools to us. They are our partners and our lifesavers. Just look at the Heavensword Saint himself. For generations, the Heavensword has continually passed on from one swordmaster to another. As soon as a new Heavensword Saint takes office, they always explode in strength and quickly become the strongest swordsman of the galactic rim without any dispute!”
The old man swept behind him. The mech designers had already begun to fabricate the first parts at the open workshop.
“The Heavensword is shrouded in mystery. Who forged this epic sword? How was it made? It is clear that the ancient swordsmith who crafted this relic weapon was better than any other smith in our former state. Despite thousands of years of development, the swords forged by the greatest swordsmiths are still lacking compared to the works of the greatest master swordsmiths.”
The man looked grim for a moment before his lips slowly curled into a grin. “What if I tell you that this is no longer the case? Rejoice, Larkinsons! For the first time in history, we are graced by the existence of a mech designer who is simultaneously a bona fide swordmaster!”
A large projection appeared over his head that showed Ketis at her greatest. Her legendary tournament match against Sword Initiate Ivan Reid played out. The older version of her Bloodsinger flowed with power as she fought with power that was far beyond that of any average soldier!
“A year ago, Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson astounded the entire Heavensword Association for being the first swordswoman to simultaneously break through as both a swordmaster and a Journeyman Mech Designer. However, up until now, she has only truly exhibited her strength as a swordmaster to us. Now she and her excellent peers will be showing to us that she not only excels at destruction. For the following seven days, she shall be exhibiting her ability to create in a way that no other mech designer or swordsmith can compare.”
The crowd of Heavensworders idolized Ketis above all else in the clan. Not even Ves garnered as much respect as her. It was no surprise that the first speaker completely put the spotlight on the most unique swordmaster of the entire sword community.
The old man looked so expectant that he could already see the miracle that the savior of his sword school was about to create. “There are no Journeymen who are also swordsmasters except for Ketis. There are no swordsmasters who are also high-ranking mech designers except for Ketis. She is utterly unique and incomparable. With her combined skill and expertise, there is no one in the galaxy who understands the construction of swords and how to wield them better than her! Now, let us witness and stand testament to her first attempt to forge, nay, reforge a mech sword and fabricate the expert mech that shall wield this great weapon!”
A loud jubilation erupted from the crowd as fireworks exploded above their heads and projections of Swordmaiden mechs in battle dazzled their eyes.
In the large circular arena, the first of many rituals took place. Twelve veteran Swordmaidens wearing nothing but simple combat clothing strode out while wielding their trusty greatswords straight in front of their heads.
Hidden entrances built into the floor opened up to levitate several large and ferocious exobeasts. Each of them surpassed the size of an elephant. Their footsteps alone were enough to crush a human being!
The exact species of these wild and untamed beasts varied. Some looked similar to reptilian dinosaurs. Others dripped slime from their semi-morphous bodies. The exobiologists of the Larkinson Biotech Institute had scoured the markets of Amswick thoroughly to acquire the most suitable combat opponents for the Swordmaidens on foot.
Unlike designer beasts, wild and natural exobeasts were always solid fighters. Eons of evolution had continually culled the weak and only allowed the strongest and most competitive predators to thrive on their native alien planets.
Despite their huge differences, every exobeast recognized the tiny human forms as both their prey and a threat. Different roars and screeches escaped from their throats as they all thundered forward to smack or bite their puny foes!
The hunts had commenced!
“Get ’em, Swordmaidens!”
“Blood! I want to see blood!”
“Cut them from limb to limb!”
The different beasts all failed to hit their opponents as the Swordmaidens all expertly dodged the lumbering charges of the powerful beasts. Their huge size and momentum may ensure that any human hit by them would definitely be defeated in an instant, but it also allowed the augmented Swordmaidens to evade the charges as long as they employed the right timing.
The duels began in earnest at this point as the huge beasts and their Swordmaiden opponents all played cat and mouse with each other. Despite the bloodthirst in the eyes of the veteran warriors, they were more than patient enough to wait for a better opportunity. They utilized their prodigious strong physiques to perform basic acrobatics and efficient movements.
In no circumstance did they ever lose their footing. Their training allowed them to be extremely aware of the local terrain. No matter whether there was slime, pieces of bone or other miscellaneous objects strewn on the ground around them, the Swordmaidens always moved while maintaining a high degree of control.
Eventually, one of the Swordmaidens finally saw a great opportunity. The muscular woman in question noticed that the white-furred mammalian she was facing was primarily an ambush predator. Though the monstrous creature’s pouncing attacks were very quick and difficult to anticipate, now that the creature had failed half-a-dozen times, it was already starting to flag.
Thus, when the white beast pounced forward yet again and failed to land its claws or teeth onto the Swordmaiden who expertly rolled away, the monster took just half a second longer to recover from its exertion.
“HAAAAAA!”
The tip of the greatsword thrust into the thick and tough hide of the tired exobeast. The Swordmaiden did not attempt to drive her sword in deeper but quickly pulled back regardless of what happened just in time to evade an angry clawed swipe.
“WUUUUHHHAAAAAA!” The large monster’s injured throat uttered as purple blood began to stain its previously pristine white hide and the ground underneath.
After landing this initial blow, the Swordmaiden no longer adopted a passive posture. She wasn’t willing to wait until the exobeast bled out. Instead, she amped up the pressure and actively sought more opportunities to land additional blows.
The crazy white exobeast snapped its jaws forward and swept its sharp claws in many different directions. Yet its berserk movements only caused it to expose more openings. Someone as skilled and experienced as a Swordmaiden easily managed to strike when the creature was unable to form a response.
Multiple cut and stab wounds began to ruin the furred exobeast’s body! Blood poured from multiple wounds which ultimately weakened it to the point where the Swordmaiden was able to step on top of the animal’s defenseless head.
With a single stab through the top of the neck, the Swordmaiden managed to vanquish a natural predator despite the comical disparity in size!
As blood continued to drain from the mutilated corpse, hidden gravitic modules began to gather them and guide them into streams that slowly flowed in the direction of a giant chalice placed in front of the highest stage where Fred had just held his speech.
The bronze-like chalice was as tall as a mech but its diameter was much wider. Its artful surface was speckled with luminar crystals that glinted in the light in an interesting manner.
As more Swordmaidens hunted down their bestial foes, the blood of the latter also flowed into the giant chalice. It didn’t matter whether their blood was red, purple, green or blue. The lifeblood of all of these powerful alien creatures blended together in an enormous pool!
