A week later, "huaaah," Irwin bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open in shock. He immediately checked his stomach—the spot where Irina's hand had pierced him—but he found no wound. Knowing he was okay allowed him to calm down, if only a little. He looked around and realized he was in a medical ward that looked like a barracks or a dormitory. Then, he saw all of his friends lying in the beds next to him, including Adeline. Every one of them was unconscious, their bodies lying stiff on their mattresses.

"Huh... what happened to them?" Irwin asked.

"They're fine. They have already been brought back; they just haven't woken up yet," Irina answered suddenly.

Irwin spun around to see his sister sitting right next to his bed. He scrambled backward in a panic, falling right off the mattress and hitting the floor. Irina stood up to help him. Confused, Irwin reached out to take her hand, but as he tried to pull himself up, "clang," he heard something hit the floor. He looked down and was shocked to see a long, black katana. Its hilt was red with a serpent-like wrap, and the blade itself was a fiery red, radiating a sinister energy.

"Huh... w... what is this?" Irwin asked, staring at the sword in disbelief.

"That is your soul sword. Only you know its name. Try holding it," Irina replied.

Irwin reached toward the hilt slowly. He hesitated for a moment and looked up at Irina, but when she gave him a small nod, he turned back to the blade and reached out. The second his fingers touched the hilt, a wave of warmth spread through his hand. He felt a deep sense of familiarity with the weapon. As he gripped it, the sword's power surged into his body, and a name echoed in his mind.

"Durangorth," Irwin whispered, mesmerized by the blade.

"Correct. Much like my sword, Durangrath, which carries the elements of darkness and fire, you possess a blade identical to mine because we come from the same source," Irina said with a smile.

Irwin stood up immediately, gazing at the beautiful sword. It was long and towering, yet it felt as light as a feather in his hand. Irina suddenly pulled him into a hug while he was still dazed, then she grabbed a mirror and held it up to his face. Irwin gasped in shock. Both of his eyes had turned a deep, demonic crimson—a red that burned like fire. But that wasn't all. On his forehead, a small, curved horn had emerged, pointing upward like a thin, sharp spike.

After that, he turned once more to look at his sleeping friends. From Geoffrey and Ainsley to Claudia, Mirea, Alicia, Adelina, Beatrice, Rosalind, Milia, and Pyria—each of them had a glowing light radiating from their chests. Irwin walked over to Milia's bed, which was right next to his. He was stunned to see that Wilgram, which used to be a single, thin fencing sword, had transformed into a pair of twin rapiers with glowing green and blue blades.

Suddenly, "ugh... huh," Irwin spun around to see Adeline waking up. She bolted upright in bed, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the blanket. Her face was pale, and she looked absolutely terrified, as if she had just clawed her way out of a horrific nightmare.

Irwin rushed to her side and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out to hold her hand, which was trembling with fear. Adeline flinched slightly, then turned to look at him. She was shocked by his new appearance, but she still recognized who he was.

"Irwin? Is it... is it really you, Irwin?" Adeline whispered.

"Yes, it's me, Irwin," he replied, gently placing a hand on Adeline's head to steady her.

Adeline's gaze drifted past him to Irina, who was standing right behind him, and she immediately began to shake with terror. But then, her entire body was suddenly engulfed in a massive white aura that roared like white fire. That energy condensed and solidified into a long, straight sword—a beautiful longsword with a white blade and a golden fuller running down the center.

Adeline snatched the golden hilt, which featured a brilliant white gemstone embedded in the guard. She scrambled to her feet right there on the bed, dropping into a combat stance and glaring at Irina, ready for war. Before she could make a move, Irwin threw his arms out, stepping between her and Irina.

"Don't, Adeline! Let me explain everything," Irwin said.

Without wasting another second, Irwin explained everything to Adeline. As she listened, her defensive posture slowly softened. It was only then that she realized she was gripping a magnificent sword, and she could feel a massive surge of energy flowing from the blade into her body with a strangely comforting warmth.

"Huh... the name of this sword... is it Solarius, the holy earth sword?" Adeline asked, staring at the blade in her hands.

"Yes. Since that sword is a part of your soul, only you would know its name. I am sorry... I had to kill you to awaken your true strength, and it worked," Irina replied, bowing her head.

Adeline went silent for a moment. Then, she suddenly tested her blade with a sharp swing. "Clang!" Irwin parried the strike with Durangorth. The collision set off a massive boom that echoed through the room like an explosion. Irwin turned to Adeline, his face flushed with annoyance.

"Hey! Don't just go swinging that thing around. You're going to wreck the whole place!" Irwin snapped.

"Oh... right. You're probably right. I just really wanted to try it out," Adeline said.

"Once everyone else wakes up, we'll start training with them. For now, please just be patient," Irina added.

"Yeah... sorry," Adeline replied.

Startled by the thunderous boom, Alicia, Milia, Geoffrey, Ainsley, Pyria, Beatrice, Rosalind, Mirea, and Claudia all began to stir. As consciousness returned and the reality of their situation set in, their faces turned ghostly pale. The memories of their brutal deaths rushed back in a terrifying flood.

Pyria instinctively clutched her stomach, while Claudia reached for her neck. Geoffrey stared at his hands, turning them over and over as if he couldn't believe they were still attached. Milia frantically felt her chest, checking for the massive wound that had opened her up. Alicia, Beatrice, Mirea, Rosalind, and Ainsley followed suit, desperately inspecting their bodies for scars that weren't there. Then, their eyes locked onto Irina.

The room was suddenly flooded with a thick, suffocating whirlpool of multi-colored auras. Each student's energy flared to life, heavy and jagged with killing intent. With Adeline's help, Irwin rushed to stand in front of Irina, acting as a shield. He began explaining the situation at the top of his lungs, trying to calm them down before they used the incredible new swords in their hands to tear Irina apart.

After listening to a long and detailed explanation, the heavy layers of energy suffocating the room finally began to thin out and eventually vanished. It was only then that they all realized they were each gripping unique and magnificent swords.

"Huh... Wilgram has split into two, and they're shorter than before... but I can feel the power humming through them," Milia said, staring at the blades in her left and right hands.

"My sword... Glimmaer... lightning energy... it's purple... a fusion of fire and wind elements... wow... fascinating," Mirea said, studying her weapon. It looked like a long, curved saber with a split tip and a golden tassel hanging from the end of the hilt.

"Whoaaah... Celagrath, a greatsword of earth energy... so cool... this is really my sword?" Geoffrey asked. He stared at a massive blade that was longer and wider than his own body. It had a golden-yellow blade with a crossguard featuring sharp spikes on both sides, looking like jagged metallic stalactites.

Pyria examined the weapon in her hands. It looked like two curved scythes joined together at the grip, curving up and down, clearly designed to function as both a melee weapon and a bow. The main body of the blades was red, while the edges gleamed with a sharp green tint. A golden ring protected the handle, serving as a handguard.

"Wow... this is my sword? It's like it can work as a bow and a blade at the same time... its name is Velyeth... Velvet and Fayeth... thank you, Mama Velvet... Mama Fayeth. I'll use this sword to fight by my side," Pyria said, hugging her weapon.

"My sword... Ashrune. Fire and wind... just like my father and mother... I finally have a sword of my own," Beatrice whispered, her face bright and cheerful. She held a weapon similar to a gladius, featuring a red blade with a green fuller down the center. Its silver hilt ended in a pommel shaped like a sharp golden crescent moon.

"A sword like fire... come to think of it, that makes sense. Both my parents are fire elements, so it's only right my sword turned out like this. Its power is incredible... I'm counting on you, Zalibre," Alicia said. She held two long swords with hooked tips and red blades. Both hilts were protected by curved, flame-red handguards.

"Hmm... this is interesting. My sword's name is Warogth," Claudia noted. She gripped a greatsword that featured two shorter blades at the guard, curving upward like a trident. It wasn't as wide as Geoffrey's, but it was just as long, with a brilliant light-blue fuller running down the middle.

Rosalind held a long, serpent-like green sword. Its guard was shaped like a pair of dragon wings, and the hilt was covered in green scales.

"This sword... Seraphone. It's a wind element and looks just like a sea serpent... is this really mine?" Rosalind asked, studying every detail of the blade.

"The long daggers, Oranmir. Earth and wind elements... so these are my weapons," Ainsley muttered. He pushed up his glasses and looked at the two short swords in his hands. The blades were split between yellow and green, featuring black hilts connected by a long, heavy chain.

"All of those blades come from your very souls and reflect who you truly are. Now we can finally begin training to use them. For the time being, you should all get some rest since you've only just woken up... or to be more accurate, since you've only just come back to life. We start tomorrow," Irina said.

"By the way, where are Ard and Eva?" Alicia asked.

Irina didn't say a word. Instead, she simply pointed toward the window. Everyone turned to look, and their eyes went wide with shock. The dojo where Ard and Eva had been training was now completely engulfed in a towering pillar of ash-gray energy that flickered like a massive, rising flame.

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