Chapter 588: Creation of Life (2/2)

Half an hour later, Link finally saw Kanorse.

It had been half a year since Link saw him. Kanorse was no longer the naive young knight he once was. He now exuded an air of authority that befitted his place as the army's marshal.

When Eliard and Milose saw Kanorse, they could feel a sudden pressure weighing on them. The two of them stood behind Link nervously. Despite being a master of the same level as Kanorse, Milorse still did not dare speak out of turn for fear of offending him.

Of course, this did not affect Link and Nana.

This was due to the training both of them had undergone and also the fact that Ferde was a main supporter of Orida Fortress. Ferde provided 70% of the fortress' resources and had a monopoly on the provision of all kinds of magical equipment for the soldiers there.

Given the fact that Link had also saved his life once, it seemed that this was a debt Kanorse would not be able to fully repay in his lifetime.

In a study on the second floor of the fortress, Kanorse personally poured a cup of hot tea for every one of them. He then sat down and smiled. "My lord, why haven't you come with your army?"

Kanorse was already made aware of the news that the Sunlight Army of Ferde was going to back up Orida Fortress.

Link smiled back. "I'm heading towards the North on a secret mission, so I thought I would drop by here first. My army should reach Orida Fortress in half a month's time. You know Nana here. She's injured, and I'll need to borrow the fortress' enchantment workshop for a bit."

"Oh, I see." Kanose did not even bother asking what Link intended to do up north. Since it was a secret mission, even if he asked, Link probably would not be willing to give him the details. "I'll order the military Magicians to vacate the workshop immediately."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem at all. Actually, my lord, there is something I was hoping you could help me with. There's something off about my sword. I was wondering if you could fix it a bit for me." Kanorse handed the Lion's Fury sword over to Link.

Link smiled and asked, "What would you like me to change, then?"

It was Link who had given this sword its current form. Back then, Link's combat skills were excellent, but his combat sensitivity was nowhere near his current level. Despite his attempts to forge the perfect sword for Kanorse, it might not have suited him. Hearing what Kanorse said, Link thought that he did not forge the sword right in the first place.

Kanorse scratched his head, confused.

I don't really know. At first, it felt right in my hand. But recently, it's become a bit unwieldy."

Link understood what was going on. Kanorse's skills had improved tremendously, but the weapon just could not keep up with them.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Why don't you perform a basic sword form here in the study? I may be able to see what is wrong with your sword."

"Alright." Kanorse knew that Link was now a combat master and should be able to see what the problem was with it. He then began to brandish his sword about in the tiny room.

The study was extremely tiny. There were bookshelves and paperwork around him. He started slow, holding his movements back. After giving his sword two swings, Link said, "Now you're just dancing. I can't see what your problem is from a dance number. The sword that I've forged for you is meant for murder, so use actual killing techniques with it!"

Kanorse immediately understood what Link meant. There was now a drastic change in his form as he swung his sword a third time. Killing intent flowed out from every stroke of his sword, rocking the whole room like a tidal wave.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Link set up a barrier around the room in order to shield everything in it from Kanorse's sword. At the same time, an illusion of himself surfaced from his body with a sword ready in its hand.

Link's illusion held nothing back as its sword stabbed straight at Kanorse's back. The attack came slow, giving Kanorse ample time to react.

The illusion accelerated its attack as soon as Kanorse sensed it behind him. He immediately turned around and managed to block the attack in time.

In the span of a few moments, Link's illusion and Kanorse exchanged flurries of stabs and slices with each other in the cramped, 100-square-foot space of the study. Each stroke of their swords was calculated to slay the other on the spot.

Though Eliard and Milose were Magicians, the two of them could feel just how terrifying Kanorse's swordsmanship was. Eliard still had a grip on himself. On the other hand, cold sweat dripped from Milose's forehead profusely. His eyes were wide with awe and terror as he watched the two masters cross swords.

The only other person who was not affected by this was Nana.

Her eyes were locked tightly on the two duelists' movements. When the duel reached a high point, her hands began swinging about in an attempt to imitate their movements. She was completely captivated by the spectacle before her.

Such a reaction was understandable. Both Link and Kanorse were masters of the combat arts. A duel between two masters of their caliber was guaranteed to be worth watching. One would be hard-pressed to find such high-level displays of swordsmanship from masters of the Aragu realm.

The duel went on for ten minutes. Then, Link's illusion took a step back and faded into specks of light. Kanorse chased after it, still intent on continuing the fight. He then turned to Link, somewhat disappointed. "That was fun. My lord, we could still continue our duel for a few more minutes if you like."

It had been a while since Kanorse had fought someone to a standstill even with his full strength. It was an exhilarating experience.

Link shook his head. "Another time, perhaps. I now know what your sword needs. Give it to me."

"Alright." Still not completely satisfied, Kanorse handed Link the Lion's Fury and then wrote a mandate for him.

As soon as Link received the document, a white light enveloped his body, and he vanished from the study. An instant later, he reappeared in front of the fortress' Mage Tower.

MIlose reappeared behind him. He let out a sigh, looking at Link with renewed admiration.

"My lord, I never knew you were this good with the sword."

He had only known about Link's swordsmanship through hearsay. Even back on the Golden Plains, Link had only ambushed them with a few strikes from his sword. Milose finally witnessed the true extent of Link's swordsmanship with his own eyes today.

"I dabbled with it from time to time," said Link, smiling. "Come, I'll need all your help on the next item of our agenda."

Eliard and Milose nodded. Both of them followed Link into the Mage Tower.

Inside the tower, without even looking at Kanorse's mandate, the Magicians instantly knew who Link was and nearly went down on all fours before him. They were more than willing to provide him with everything he needed. Link probably would have the whole tower for himself if he asked for it.

A few minutes later, Link and the others were now in a fully furnished enchantment workshop.

"Nana, lie down on that platform, please," said Link.

"Oh, alright." After lying down, Nana asked, "Should I take off my clothing?"

"No need. Wait there for a bit," said Link. He then placed Kanorse's Lion's Fury sword on an enchantment workbench in a corner and proceeded to mend it into a new shape for no more than five minutes. When he was done, he stroked the blade with a finger, and it flashed with white light.

Seeing this, Eliard asked, "That's it?"

"Of course. Just wait and see, Kanorse will personally come and thank me..."

Before he could finish, a figure appeared in the in the workshop's doorway. It was Kanorse. When he received the newly mended Lion's Fury sword from Link, his face flushed with excitement.

"That's it, my lord. It's perfect. There's no reason for such a perfect sword to exist in this world. Oh, it's basically a divine weapon made only for my hands!"

Eliard and Milose were speechless as well. Both of them had always felt that there was something divine about Link's enchantments.

"Alright, alright, I still have work to do. I'm sure you have lots of work to do as well." Link dismissed an excited Kanorse out of the room with a wave of his hand.

Link was in no rush to repair Nana. He walked over to where Nana lay and laid out all sorts of alchemical materials on a nearby workbench. As he began preparing a medicinal concoction, he explained, "Nana's body was once infused with Dragon essence. It's undergone all kinds of changes ever since. She's also probably encountered much in the Aragu realm. I already gave her a look. She's now evolved into something resembling actual life, but it still lacks a certain spark."

"How so?" Eliard walked over to Link's side, watching him picking and choosing his ingredients carefully. Link's words had piqued his curiosity.

Though Milose did not say a word, he was stunned by what Link had just said. Link basically meant that he was able to turn a magic puppet like Nana into an actual living being.

How was this possible?

No matter how powerful a Legendary master might be, Link was still a normal human being. There was no way a normal human being could create sentient life!