The Mech Touch

After Ketis concluded her talk with Saint Dise and gained a better idea on how to shape the First Sword Mark III, she left the new ace pilot alone and returned to her own office.

Now that she resolved the most immediate internal concerns, Ketis knew that she needed to address a number of external considerations.

Many outside parties had attempted to make contact with Ketis and the Larkinson Clan to inquire about the Heavensword.

It made a lot of sense as those in the know understood how powerful and exceptional a grand work can be. Even if it was just a sword instead of a god mech or a space station-sized superweapon, its power and more importantly the secrets it might contain may already be enough to reshape the current order in the Red Ocean!

Ketis could not underestimate the intelligence of the dominant players of human civilization.

They already possessed existing case files on the Heavensword, and may even know more about it than herself.

They also understood the implications of the Heavensword entering a dwarf galaxy that was enriched with exotic radiation. The mechers and the fleeters would never assume that the relic weapon would remain as weak and unthreatening as it used to be in the Milky Way.

In fact, the big shots had already guessed that the Heavensword might become even more powerful if it ever ended up in Messier 87, which was the ultimate source of all of the E energy radiation transforming the Red Ocean in the past few years!

In that sense, the value of the Heavensword was inestimably high.

That was not necessarily good news for Ketis. She felt as if she was a kid holding the crown of the New Rubarth Empire. Too many greedy people coveted the Heavensword. Ketis could not possibly defend herself from all of these malicious parties, especially if she did not fully master the power of the relic weapon, which was most definitely the

Case.

Only a sword god could fully master and control the Heavensword. Ketis was just a simple swordmaster. When she experimentally held the Heavensword in her hands, she did not feel any measure of control and mastery over the weapon.

The uncomfortable fact of the matter was that the sentient artifact was the dominant partner in their uneasy relationship. All of the power was in its hands. The Heavensword could decide to grant Ketis the power to fight against mechs, but it could unilaterally decide to withhold its might at any time, thereby leaving her helpless and exposed against her enemies!

As a swordmaster, she couldn't tolerate these possibilities!

"This is why I would rather prefer to keep my Bloodsinger." She murmured.

Her trusty Greatsword was currently sheathed in its own floating scabbard. Sharpie comfortably rested within and steadily used her willpower to reshape the greatsword to suit her swordsmanship on a gradual basis.

Having done this for multiple years, Ketis was able to resonate with the custom greatsword far better than any other blade in her hands!

She felt so close and so in control over herself whenever she wielded her favored weapon that she did not want to substitute it with anything else.

Yet... now that the Heavensword had imposed itself into her life, Ketis might not have any other choice to move away from the ideal of a swordmaster who grew stronger while remaining wedded to a single sword from beginning to end.

"That said, it is not bad to become a swordmaster who prefers to select the right tools for the right jobs." Ketis concluded.

There were many variations of swordmasters. It is not necessary for her to make a big deal out of conforming to one template or another. What mattered was that she could draw strength from one and use it to direct the growth of her willpower.

It was not as if the only way for Ketis to advance her swordsmanship was to turn the Bloodsinger into the equivalent of a Carmine mech.

As long as she opened up her mind and no longer obsessed too much about using the Bloodsinger as her one and only weapon of choice, she could live with having the Heavensword by her side.

"Damn. I am already being corrupted by this unwanted guest." She cursed.

She recognized that she was already changing her attitude and approach towards her own swordsmanship and future cultivation due to the addition of an extra variable.

This was probably one of the Heavensword's nefarious schemes. It sought to infiltrate her life and slowly transform into an increasingly more important and indispensable part of her swordsmanship.

Once she had reached the point where she could no longer call herself a swordmaster if she lost access to the Heavensword, then she would have surrendered all of her power to the relic weapon!

Even if she thought she still possessed enough agency to be her own person, in truth she would be no different from a sword slave if this doom scenario ever came to pass!

Ketis constantly had to remind herself that until she was able to master and control her own sword, she should never place too much trust in its power and promises!

A few minutes passed as she affirmed her new resolve. Once she felt she was in control of herself, she sat down behind her desk, making sure not to press her body too hard against the backrest of her office chair, and began to handle all of the requests for

Communication.

Ketis did not bother to answer the calls of unfamiliar people and opportunistic small fry. She redirected other calls to her staff. She made sure to update them on what

Information they were allowed and not allowed to disclose.

An emissary from the Red Association deserved to be addressed in person. "Congratulations for your successful attempt at subduing the Heavensword." The projection of a Senior Mech Designer from the Mech Supremacist Faction greeted. "Also, congratulations to your clan for gaining another ace pilot in a short amount of time. Your Larkinson Clan filled with talent. The rate of breakthroughs at the ace pilot level is disproportionately high according to our statistics. Part of that can be explained from the fact that the Minerva and the Dark Zephyr Mark III are masterwork mechs, but the Promethea and the First Sword lack this qualification. Regardless, there are second-rate states that have fewer ace pilots at their disposal than a clan whose total population can fit into a single large settlement."

Ketis simply smiled back. "Our clan has always believed that piloting a living mech can facilitate the growth of our mech pilots. I cannot talk about this topic in detail with you. Talk with Ves if you want to hear proper argumentation. If you ask me, I think that Ves is more than justified in his belief."

"Well, I believe we shall find out whether that theory is valid when his Yellow Jacket mechs have reached mass adoption on a scale unprecedented in our civilization." The female mecher said. "The subject of living mechs is not on the agenda for today. Swordmaster Ketis, the Red Association has tracked what happened in the Viola Magnifica System and would like to ask you a series of questions. Are you willing to resolve our doubts?"

"You may ask your questions, but I hardly know anything about the Heavensword myself, so do not expect to obtain much clarification."

"That is acceptable. No information also constitutes a piece of information. Now then, let

Us begin with the first and most pressing question. As the current possessor and wielder of the ancient relic sword known as the Heavensword, can you guarantee that you will not allow this weapon to harm humans without justification?"

"No." Ketis flatly answered. "I cannot. The Heavensword has a mind of its own, and it is far too powerful for me to exert any measure of control over it. Do not be fooled by the sight of the weapon resting peacefully on my back. It is there because it is indulging me. For whatever reason, it cares about my opinions, but I have no illusions that if I ever get on its bad side, the Heavensword will withdraw all of its power and leave me dry. I won't say it is a completely unreliable weapon as it has initially shown its willingness to be wielded by myself, but I can never fully trust it, and so should your Association." The mecher nodded in total agreement. "I see. We shall take note of your clarification and implement the appropriate measures. For now, our Association is inclined to regard the Heavensword as an asset as opposed to a liability. It is undeniable that it is a grand work of great power. Do you have any concrete ideas on how its presence at your side can contribute to the survival and growth of red humanity? Are you able to borrow its power to fight against our enemies in space, and have it shared any useful information that we can use to strengthen our armed forces?"

Ketis calmly raised her palm. "I can't answer your questions yet because I don't have enough time to explore what I can actually do with it. The Heavensword imposed itself on me just a few hours ago. That is not enough time for me to experiment with it and try to communicate with it. Honestly speaking, I do not think I am ready to fight against serious enemies with the Heavensword. It is more than powerful enough to do so, but I am just a swordmaster. The gap in power is too much to justify my participation on the battlefield. I should at least spend more time practising with it and seeing whether I can safely harness it at a higher power level."

The RA Senior Mech Designer fully understood Ketis' arguments and concerns, but she did not fully agree with this overly cautious approach. "Swordmaster, you do not have to take my advice seriously, but I implore you to be more bold in leveraging the power of your priceless historical artifact. Normally, your approach is the correct one to take, but we do not live under normal times. Multiple fortified star systems across the fourth defensive band have already fallen. Our projections indicate that the enemy forces in the Torald Middle Zone will soon descend upon the Viola Magnifica System with the determination to overrun its defenses. If you can harness the greater power of the Heavensword, then please use it to defeat the invaders. The more powerful the enemy, the better. Even if you do not have full confidence in your ability to control this special weapon, any solution is better than no solution. As long as the risks are manageable, you should do your utmost to step up and contribute to the defense of our race and civilization."

It had begun. Ketis was afraid of this. People thought that now that she had obtained a weapon 'comparable' to a god mech, that she had become at least as powerful as an ace pilot all of a sudden!

Ever since martial law had come into effect, people expected those with the power to fight against the native aliens to step up and volunteer for service.

While Ketis had no objection to this, the problem was that the Red Association and other

Organizations based her combat power on the Heavensword as opposed to her inherent swordmaster capabilities!

"I do not think it will be as easy as you think for me to wield the Heavensword against

Alien phase lords, ma'am."

The mecher gave Ketis a friendly and encouraging smile. "Please try your best, swordmaster. We welcome any contribution to the war effort. If you are able to exert enough power on the battlefield as one of the energy manifestations produced by your new possession, then you have already done enough. You will be able to earn rich rewards if you are able to help us maintain our hold on this port system. You will be able to earn a large amount of war merits that you can spend on high-quality materials and

Exclusive technologies that can help you raise the future ace mech of the latest ace pilot of your clan to a higher starting point."

Ketis narrowed her eyes. The mechers sure possessed a good grasp of her current needs

And motivations.

The emissary was not wrong. Saint Dise had earned plenty of war merits in the last

Months and years, but there was never enough!

"I would truly like o see if I can use the Heavensword to hold back a phase lord, but

What you are asking of me borders on fantasy."

"Then let us explore how you can use the Heavensword to turn fantasy into reality." The RA Senior smoothly responded. "The Red Association will never neglect a hero that has helped us hold back the alien menace. I believe that you are currently seeking Master

Mech Designers to help you design a worthy upgrade to the First Sword. I can arrange introductions with several notable and renowned Masters within my faction. As long as you have made enough contributions on and off the battlefield, they will be more than willing to spare a portion of their valuable time to help you design a first-class ace swordsman mech that can meet the standards of our Association. Does this sound more to your liking, swordmaster?"

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