What appeared after Jack used Spirit Weapon was not the usual sword-like ent.i.ty. It was more of an automaton. One with a very sleek design. It was tall and slim. Its arms and legs were that of a curved blade. Its head was the shape of a crescent blade.
It had a metallic golden body. Its surface was almost a mirror. It was shiny and gave off reflections. On its back were three pairs of blades that looked like wing-bones. Sparks of black lightning regularly coursed through its elongated body.
Two purple orbs suddenly glowed from the crescent head. They were the automaton's eyes. At the same time, the spirit weapon's computerized voice was heard, "Thank you, master. I've finally reached my full form."
"Uh… You're welcome," Jack replied.
"I see you are in a training room. The mana here caused the time to function ten times faster than normal."
"You can sense mana?" Jack asked with surprise.
"I can. I can also manipulate mana," The spirit weapon replied. "This is all thanks to you. I've been studying the way you fight ever since you first acquired the spirit weapon skill, but I've never been able to put these learned abilities into practice because I don't have enough processing capacity. It is different now that I'm in my full form."
"Fascinating," Jack remarked.
"I a.s.sume the purpose you call me out is to study my new form rather than to aid you in battle?"
"Um… Yes, you are correct," Jack replied. "I must say, your speech has also received another upgrade."
"Thank you. In that case, do you want me to aid you in your training?" The spirit weapon asked.
"Uh… sure. Let's train. We will see how your melee prowess is," Jack said. He equipped his magic staff and cast Magic Weapon. "I will fight using just standard attacks. I a.s.sume you still don't have any battle skills after upgrading?"
"I can only do standard attacks," the spirit weapon confirmed.
"Okay, spirit weapon… You know, it feels weird for me to keep calling you spirit weapon now that you talk more like a real person. Do you have a name?" Jack asked.
"I do not. If you want, you can give me one," the spirit weapon answered.
"Hm… All right. Let's call you…"
"Don't you say Storm Breaker!" Peniel interrupted.
"Uh, what's wrong with Storm Breaker?" Jack asked.
"Do you seriously just going to give him the same name as your sword?" Peniel asked back.
"It is the spirit weapon of Storm Breaker. I don't see why I can't call it using the same name," Jack argued.
"If it is the same, then it would have told you to call it Storm Breaker, but it didn't. This means it considers itself a different ent.i.ty from your sword."
"Are you?" Jack threw the question at the spirit weapon.
"Your sword has been with you since you first acquired it. I only came into being when you acquired the spirit weapon skill. So, yes. I consider myself different from your sword," the spirit weapon explained.
"I see… Hm… How about you give it a name then?" Jack threw the responsibility to Peniel.
Peniel rolled her eyes. "What about Spark? Do you like it?" Peniel asked the spirit weapon.
"Spark. Yes, I do. I like it very much. You can call me Spark from now on," Spark replied.
"Okay, Spark. Let's see what you can do. Prepare yourself!" Jack exclaimed as he brandished his two longswords.
"Do not hold back, master," Spark returned. Its two arms that was shaped like a curved blade extended. They became even longer than they were. With the two unusually long blades as its arms, Spark slashed forward.
Jack was surprised by the sudden increase in his opponent's reach, but he was fast enough to cross his swords in front of him to block. The impact forced him to step back.
"Your strength is impressive!" Jack exclaimed. Spark's attributes didn't lose to Jack's three cla.s.ses' stats.
Jack's two swords turned into a blur as he performed Formless Flowing Sword Style. Spark responded in kind. Countless sword lights crisscrossed around them. Clanging sounds were heard repeatedly as their weapons collided with each other.
The players in the chamber forgot about the training and came to watch the spar between Jack and Spark. They only saw the two standing and facing one another but they couldn't see their weapons. Their arms moved so fast that everything was a blur.
Jack was amazed and excited at the same time. Before, his spirit weapon could do Formless Flowing Sword Style but it was only an imitation. Now, Spark performed the sword art as if a true master. A master who had reached the third phase of the sword art the same as he did.
While Jack was still captivated by the exchanges, Spark suddenly changed its stance. One of its bladed arms was retracted in the beginning pose of a slash.
"Are you…," Jack sensed mana acc.u.mulating on that arm.
He quickly put his two swords in front of him in a defensive pose, just as Spark slashed. A straight line cut across and clanged against Jack's two swords. He was thrown backward by the impact.
Jack's feet skidded on the ground a few meters before it came to a stop.
"One-word Slash…," Jack uttered. One that was even performed using strong mana manipulation. Spark's martial prowess was truly not to be underestimated.
"The spar is still ongoing, master. Don't s.p.a.ce out," Spark uttered as he thrust forward with the One-word Thrust.
Jack ducked to dodge the deadly thrust. "Haha! This is more like it! Let's see how good you truly are!"
Jack no longer considered this a normal spar. He went all out without using skills. They fought with only martial arts. He was fully absorbed. He had never fought against anyone who could cross swords with him like this. Domon and Arthur might have better sword expertise, but their attributes were way below Jack's. Spark here had stats almost similar to Jack's as long as he wasn't using any buff skills. Hence, this was the first time he could spar with such intensity.
He even saw that Spark here understood the Sword's Heart. The precision and moves it exhibited using its two sword limbs were on par with experts who had wielded swords all their lives.
Jack felt as if he was sparring against his own self.
Time flew before he knew it. He wasn't aware of everything else other than the spar until Peniel's words awakened him from his fighting trance.
"Isn't it already past twenty minutes?"