The Mech Touch

The Larkinson Clan had already made a number of preparations to 'welcome' the arrival of the Heavensword.

The most important priority was not to let any incident related to the Heavensword disrupt the defensive arrangements of the Viola Magnifica System,

The strategically vital port system was one of the few remaining strongholds left in the Torald Middle Zone that propped up the 4th defensive band.

This was why the expeditionary fleet had already taken the initiative to move away from all of the main defensive positions and parked its starships in the orbit of a small and lifeless planet.

Ketis did not stay aboard the Spirit of Bentheim or any of the valuable capital ships of the Larkinson Clan.

She instead chose to transfer to a disposable combat carrier that had been emptied of much of her crew and dependents before moving out into deep space.

If the worst case scenario ever happened, then there shouldn't be a lot of valuable assets and lives in the vicinity that would be at risk of suffering collateral damage.

Accompanying the combat carrier were a handful of high-ranking mechs that Ketis counted upon to resist the Heavensword if it ever decided to get pushy.

Just as promised, Saint Linda Cross deployed with her newly built Amphis Extremis. As the only ace pilot in the escort force, she held the greatest say after Ketis.

Whether the Amphis Extremis could actually hold back the Heavensword in case it turned hostile remained to be seen.

On the one hand, the grand sword could not possibly showcase its full strength without an actual wielder.

On the other hand, it was a sentient grand work that clearly surpassed the limitations of every other sword known to modern human civilization!

Joining Ketis on this little greeting trip was Venerable Joshua and Venerable Dise.

The Everchanger and the First Sword had both distinguished themselves in battle many times, but they looked rather weak and poorly equipped to handle the coming crisis. Venerable Joshua even persuaded his wife to call for additional help.

"Why didn't you ask to bring Jannzi along?" He asked over a secure tight beam communication channel. "If the Heavensword ever becomes violent, you can rely on the Amphis Extremis to hold it back while letting the Bastion give additional cover to your ship. Better yet, why not bring the Saint Commander over as well? If we have the Minerva along with a couple of hundred of Battle Crier mechs by our side, I don't believe that the Heavensword will be able to pose a threat to us anymore."

Ketis rejected the solution. "The Bastion is not mobile enough. She will just slow us all down, Saint Commander Casella needs to stay behind to protect the expeditionary fleet, and I don't want to expose too many mechs and mech pilots to a dangerous scuffle. Don't worry. We aren't traveling too far away. Casella and the forces under her command will remain on standby. It shouldn't take too long for them to reinforce us and support us from a distance if we ever need the help. Stop worrying, Joshua."

Whether Ketis made the right decision to limit her escort remained to be seen. For now, she wanted to try the diplomatic approach first, and to do that, she brought along a pair of Heavensworders.

"You look eager, Charles."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Legion Commander Charles Antunovic spoke with repressed excitement. "The Heavensword has actually traveled all the way from the old galaxy to give its blessing to us all! This is a clear sign that we are doing its bidding!"

Ketis tried her best not to scoff at the man's words.

Charles Antunovic was the chosen candidate to become the legion commander of the newly formed Heavensword Mech Legion.

As a native of the Heavensword Association, the mech pilot originally followed Ketis into the Larkinson Clan and joined the Avatars of Myth as a swordsman mech pilot and mech officer.

Over the years, the Heavensworder fought and distinguished himself alongside his fellow Avatars.

Although he had never managed to surpass the extraordinary threshold, Charles Antunovic nonetheless managed to climb his way up to the rank of mech captain. Melkor even told Ketis that Charles may have been in line for another promotion if he had not left the Avatars of Myth.

While Ketis was not entirely sure whether Charles Antunovic could undertake the heavy responsibilities to help establish the Heavensword Mech Legion as a serious military branch of the Larkinson Army, he was one of the best candidates on paper.

Right now, Ketis had not only decided to bring Charles along because he represented a familiar institution, but also because he adored the Heavensword!

If the relic sword ever wanted to transform a human into a new wielder, the Heavensword would hopefully pick Charles instead of Ketis!

"The Heavensword is not a weapon to be feared. In this dire time, we need its power more than ever." President Fred Walinski spoke to the younger swordmaster. "If it can give you its blessing, you will not only be able to gain the power of a sword saint with a weapon that is powerful enough to cut a phase whale in half, but also command the absolute allegiance of every Heavensworder and those who seriously respect the swordsmanship tradition." ŕÅɴồΒΕȘ

Ketis shook her head. "I cannot lie and say I am not tempted, but I would rather grow

Stronger by staying true to my own self. I would never become the woman I am now if I succumbed to the power of a sword that does not belong to me. If red humanity truly needs the power of the Heavensword unleashed, then it should seek out a willing sword

Wielder."

"What if you are the only suitable wielder that can unlock its full power in this dwarf galaxy?" Fred pressed.

"I will not let a sentient sword morally blackmail me into becoming its sword slave." Ketis growled. "If the Heavensword truly wants to be wielded by a swordmaster, then I will present it to you, seeing as you have become one as well. As the president of the Red Swordsmanship Federation and a former citizen of the Heavensword Association, you have a greater right to 'inherit' this legacy."

Much had changed for Fred Walinski ever since Ketis learned the Annihilator Sword Style originally created by his deceased brother.

Fred had been one of the senior leaders responsible for managing the other Heavensworders who had come onboard the Larkinson Clan.

Later on, he assumed increasingly greater responsibility over all of the sword schools and swordsmanship training programs that the Larkinson Clan had invested in across the new frontier.

Nowadays, the Heavensworders had erected so many schools and instruction halls that taught one variation of an extraordinary sword style or another that they had joined forces to form a federation to represent their collective interests.

The Red Swordsmanship Federation had previously remained obscure, but gained a lot more prominence when the founding of the Red Collective brought systematic

Cultivation to the mainstream.

With the help of Ves' political maneuvering, the RC officially recognized traditional swordsmanship as a benign but difficult form of willpower cultivation.

While many norms would rather become high-ranking Carmine mech pilots, it was not cheap or easy to get their hands on a Carmine mech.

For the people at the bottom, it was still far cheaper and more convenient for them to buy cheap practice swords and sign up for swordsmanship classes at their local swordsmanship schools or instruction halls.

The reason why Ketis entrusted Fred Walinski with the responsibility of establishing new swordsmanship schools and managing the existing ones was not just because she trusted him, but also because he had finally managed to achieve a breakthrough and become a genuine swordmaster.

His mastery over the Annihilator Sword Style was not as profound as that of Ketis, but he had developed his own unique interpretation and insights of his late brother's sword

Techniques.

Becoming a swordmaster with the power to bend reality to a limited extent had revived f

His heart and mind.

Practicing the Healthy Controller Auxiliary Qi Cultivation Method and making use of the life-prolonging solutions offered by the Larkinson Exchange had significantly rejuvenated him, causing his physical body to return to its prime condition!

Although Fred Walinski still possessed the mentality of an older man, he fought as if he

Was a half century younger when employing his full strength as a swordmaster!

Ketis hoped that if the Heavensword insisted on being wielding by a genuine. swordmaster, it would pick Fred Walinski over herself!

It was a pity that the older man in question thought that he was unworthy compared to

The female swordmaster!

"My qualifications are too poor compared to yours, Ketis. I was only able to become a swordmaster after the start of the Age of Dawn. Exotic radiation has made this a lot. easier for all of us. I still feel as if I have cheated my way into becoming a swordmaster. You deserve much greater recognition than I. You not only became a swordmaster at a fraction of my age, you did so while simultaneously working as a mech designer. The Heavensword can accomplish much more with a wielder as unique as you. It is a great honor to be acknowledged by weapon!"

Ketis understood a lot better why Ves disliked religious nuts. They set aside much of their logic and became deaf to other people's refutations.

As much as she was tired of the people around her expressing blind reverence towards the Heavensword, she had brought them along for multiple reasons, so she could not

Send them back.

"This is as far as we go. Please stop and hold position relative to the expeditionary fleet." Ketis instructed.

As the combat carrier gently floated around in deep space, the various monitoring systems and patrols organized by the defenders of Viola Magnifica clearly detected and mapped out the trajectory of the Heavensword.

Just as expected, the Heavensword was moving straight towards the expeditionary fleet, or rather the slightly isolated combat carrier where Ketis tried to strengthen her

Reserve.

She grasped the hilt of her Bloodsinger and softly stroked the surface of its blade.

"Sharp. Sharp. Heaven. Heaven." Sharpie vocalized as the companion spirit assumed a combative mindset while residing inside Ketis' personal greatsword. "Heaven is coming"

Saint Linda Cross, Venerable Joshua Larkinson and Venerable Dise Larkinson all got

Ready.

Their respective machines began to enter into a higher state of activity, though they still made an effort to rein in their aggression.

Ketis made one last check of her vacuum-sealed combat armor and made sure that her two Heavensworder companions were not lacking in this aspect.

"Open the hangar bay hatch and orient the entrance in the direction the Heavensword is coming from. Let us not give it an excuse to tear through the hull of this ship." Just as the combat carrier had finished turning around, a distant point of light steadily

Grew larger and brighter.

Ketis could already feel it. Her grip on her Bloodsinger shook as the Heavensword approached her location with great momentum, so much so that the local defense forces had become alarmed t the potential threat posed this rogue weapon artifact!

If not for the fact that the Evolution Witch had briefly held this mystifying weapon before voluntarily letting go of it, there may have been mechers or fleeters who insisted on treating it as a threat that had to be subdued before it could do any damage to

Society!

"It's here." She finally said.

Faster than she expected, the Heavensword had warp traveled all the way from the

Yernstall Central Star Node and completed its journey right in front of the woman that had briefly wielded a shadow of its power the last time!

Brightness spread across the opened hangar bay as the Heavensword radiated so much

Power and brilliance that it overwhelmed pretty much everything else in the vicinity! "Ketis! Are you alright?!" Venerable Joshua urgently.

His Everchanger moved a little closer, though still taking care not to bump into the hull

Of the combat carrier.

"I am okay! The Heavensword has not behaved aggressively... so far."

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