'W-what?!'

My eyes nearly popped from their sockets in surprise, but I made sure to comport myself. Still, the Martial Blade God's words gave me a feeling of shock.

'He sounds so definite. He's been right so far too. Plus, he has no reason to lie.' I was still curious as to how he knew all about me, but so far he had been telling the truth.

'Someone caused my reincarnation? But who? How?'

Could it be that Jane's many rituals and experiments had some sort of effect on me, after all? No, it felt completely off. Even Jane and I had agreed that her past efforts couldn't have had any effect on my life after deathespecially causing something as complex as Reincarnation.

"Certain portions of your Soul contain this signature, but I do not know its origin and neither can I trace it back."

Hearing that there were certain things he could not do brought me relief. However, the things he could do were overwhelmingly stacked against me.

'He knows my identity, and he's strong enough to easily dispatch Lemi, Edward, and Ciara in such a short time.'

If I assumed that we all arrived at the same time, then this Martial Blade God fought with them for ten minutes max. Could I even hope for such an easy win against all threeespecially with their troublesome Arcanas?

'Maybe he swiftly eliminated them before they could use any special move? Did he ambush them? No, that doesn't seem to be his style. So far, he seems to be a strong Martial Artist who believes in his strength.'

Besides, I was more dangerous than them, and yet he did not sneak up on me. This was a man who believed in his strength.

'He could also sense all of us from our respective distances. His senses are extremely sharp. I also can't fathom the depths of his power. As for his level of threat, Neron himself had been unsure of the outcome of a fight between the two of them and I'm not on the level of either of them.'

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Still, before I delved into combat, or changed the topic, I had to learn more about what the Martial Blade God knew about me. This was about my reincarnation, after all.

'Let's also start planning from this point on. My comrades still need me.' With that in mind, I focused my gaze on the stoic Martial Blade God.

"What else do you know about my reincarnation? Do you have any?"

"Don't bother. It's shrouded in mystery." His response was so flat that it outright rejected the possibility of extensive study. "Besides, you don't need it now."

"Why? You want to fight me?" I smiled wryly, prepared for what might come.

"No. I am here to execute you. There appears to be a difference between the two." The Martial Blade God took a step forward, and I instinctively took a step back.

My gaze never left him, though. I wondered what would happen if he decided to move just a little faster.

"Why don't we converse some more? There are still certain things I wish to know, after all." I cautiously spoke.

"Do you not fear that by stalling for time, you are leaving your friends in a greater likelihood of danger."

A smile formed on my face the moment he said this.

He was right, after all.

The longer this mission dragged onespecially my conversation with himthe longer everyone had to fight on their own. And I didn't just mean everyone on this island, but even far beyond it.

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The mission I gave everyone wasn't a walk in the park. I was aware of that. Thus, the wise thing to do would be to try finishing things quicklyfor the sake of everyone else.

However

"There's no need to rush, is there? You've placed us in a special space, haven't you?" The moment I said this, the Martial Blade God flinched.

His eyes contained a hint of surprise, but he smiled and nodded not long after.

"I see. That is impressive, Jared Leonard. The other three, despite how impressive they were, failed to notice this."

'I see. So he probably took longer when fighting them. He simply encased their battle in a somewhat isolated space where the concept of time was different.

My question, however, was how?!

"You seem surprised by my abilities." He stated calmly.

'Of course! It seems like Magic, at this pointespecially Arcana Level Magic.' Even I would need an Arcana for such a complex process.

Sure, this guy was oldand he was most likely the person my friend, Gawain, fought in the past. However, how could he have mastered Martial Arts to the point whereby his results were indistinguishable from Magic?

"Martial Arts is a practice of one's will. It is about controlling yourself, and exerting that control over all that is around you. You use your fists to break rocks, but your fists may also mould the air currents and propel you. The most difficult to control, however, is the mind. With oneness of the mind, and the control of one's thoughts you can exert dominance and mould your surroundings to suit your will."

I had never heard of such a philosophy regarding Martial Arts before. It was just as his name implied. This man in front of me had transcended what would be called natural for Martial Artists.

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'If what he says is indeed true, and he can exert his will due to the full control of his mind, then he is a god.'

"Now, then, that's enough chatter." The Martial Blade God unsheathed his blade as he stared at me with utter calmness.

"I take no pleasure in this, and fighting you will bring me no satisfaction whatsoever. However I must fulfil my obligations."

I gulped and readied myself. The man in front of me sought to end my life with his bladeand he seemed perfectly capable of doing so. To win, I had to use all my brains and brawn.

'This feels almost as dangerous and unfair as my fight with Neron.'

***********

"Haa isn't this great?" A boy with black hair and a dark cloak said with excitement.

His eyes were glowing red at this point, and he floated in the skies while staring at all the landscape surrounding him.

Something about the twinkle in his eyes rang of nostalgia, but also mischief.

"At long last, I'll be visiting the place I once called home."

This boy was Stefan Netherlore. His excitement was obviousand evident also, were the legion of beasts and men that stood still beneath him.

They stood, motionless, all awaiting his command.

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"Your comrades are about to land on the borders of the other nations." Stefan smiled at the substantive army he had under his command.

"We shall now commence the invasion."