[VOLUME 1] N.E.X.U.S. : Inception

Chapter 11: Four Sword Masters and the Wrath of the Sacred Blade

I increasingly couldn't control myself, the spirit of the sword had infiltrated every part of my body and taken over my consciousness. "Berserk Mode, activate!" I suddenly spoke against my will. The projection in front of my eyes changed, showing a panel with many items and weapons, which I didn't understand at all. "Deadly Summon Kill, discharged!" the voice in my head forced me to say something I don't understand, again.

Instantly, the sword glowed brighter and its purple light shone very brightly, illuminating the entire surroundings and dimming the starlight in the night sky.

"This is bad, the sword has completely taken over his body to fight. Sir Gunter, Xena, I can't control him alone without you, he's very dangerous now," said Hyperion, wincing slightly. Sir Gunter nodded, then quickly said, "Scatter, Double-Meta formation!" They quickly formed a circle around me, positioning themselves 120 degrees apart from each other.

Without realizing it, my body moved and started swinging the sword - towards Sir Gunter! No, no, I have to control myself now, but how? I started panicking. My body and all my consciousness in acting had almost been taken over by the 'spirit' of the sword in my hand. The sword swung more fiercely - Double Flash Double Swift Strike, Arcane Pivot-strike, Celestial Cleaver! But the old man managed to control it well, trying to avoid my sword strikes - Stealth Shift, Twilight Leap, and several Rampart Ripostes.

Suddenly, my sword chose to disengage from the binding and targeted Xena. No, I was completely out of control. "Let me handle it," said Hyperion, requesting a rotation of the line so he could intercept my sword heading towards Xena. "Don't rotate at will; I'm targeting Xena, not you, Hyperion, you bastard! Don't get in my way," I said, out of character. My arm kept swinging the sword, clashing against Hyperion's sword, trying to target Xena again.

"Hector, wake up, try to control yourself, enter your mind and deactivate the Berserk Mode, return to Normal Mode, and we'll end this. This could endanger yourself too, if it continues," said Hyperion, trying to parry my sword.

How? Impossible, Hyperion asked me to enter my mind and stop it? But I began to realize that my body was getting weaker, and maybe this sword was absorbing a lot of strength and stamina from my body. I had to try, or I would die with regret!

Slowly, I started to focus... focus... closing my eyes, lowering my excitement, and trying to regain my consciousness. Deactivate Berserk Mode... please. I kept repeating it while Hyperion was still trying to parry and block my sword's attack. Slowly, I could see deeper into my mind, a sensation I had never felt before, and suddenly in the vastness of my bright mind, I saw a small open door emitting dark colors. Maybe there, I slowly opened that door, and... the expanse of the universe! I floated among millions of stars and nebulae, drifting freely in space. Beautiful, silent, serene in the midst of eternal darkness. But I couldn't be complacent. I refocused my mind and requested the deactivation of Berserk Mode. "Please... please... please... stop the wrath of Ätherklinge, end Berserk Mode, please, return to Normal Mode."

Suddenly, I could hear a loud thud from an unknown corner of the universe, "You have tainted me, and the purity of a sword never stained by its name, and an arrogant warrior like you suddenly asks me to end this without giving meaning and victory to me. No, I will not allow it! Ätherklinge is the sacred god's sword, and what gives meaning to this sword is the blood of victory. Leave my sacred domain, you despicable warrior!" I was thrown out of the vastness of the universe and back to the white ocean behind that door. I tried to open the door but to no avail. Damn! Whatever happens, I must regain control of myself. Suddenly the white ocean around me faded, and slowly every piece swirled into a huge vortex above my head, leaving me floating in an endless gray sea. Suddenly the vortex targeted me, and its tip struck my heart with great force. In pain, I screamed loudly, but at that moment, I felt a tremendous surge of energy within me. I couldn't describe it, and it was even worse than before.