The next morning, Rei and Dell woke up and headed downstairs to the tavern area. As they sat down to eat breakfast, Kaiser walked in alongside Adriel, Sentry, Hella, and Axel.
Kaiser immediately spotted them and grinned. "Oh, Rei! You're here? I didn't know you'd be in this town, but what a coincidence! What's with the blindfold, though? Are you honing your senses?"
"Yeah, something like that," Rei replied smoothly, taking a bite of his food.
Adriel glanced over but didn't show much interest, leaning against a nearby pillar. Axel, however, stared at Rei, his expression turning shocked beyond words as he analyzed the boy. Sentry and Hella noticed the tension but remained visibly excited to see him.
Moments later, Ben and his group came down the stairs. Ben waved, looking relieved. "Wow, Rei, you finally arrived!"
Kaiser looked at the newcomers in surprise. "Ben? You were here too? I had no idea."
Emilia stepped forward, turning her attention directly to Rei. "We've actually been wondering... would you like to participate in the Five Swords Competition?"
"Sorry, but I have no interest in the Five Swords Competition," Rei said without hesitation.
"Actually, it's mandatory for you to participate," Kaiser interjected, crossing his arms. "Since you practice the Central Sword Style, even though it's a bit modified you are its hier."
Rei raised an eyebrow. "What's the Central Sword Style got to do with this?"
"The Central Sword Style is almost completely extinct," Kaiser explained seriously. "You, Lyla and I might be the only successors left in the world but i transition my central sword style to sword saint style. That makes you and Lyla responsible for helping to recreate the Central Sword Style sect."
Ben nodded, chiming in. "And honestly, it will help us a lot. If you register under the Revolutionaries, we won't just get tournament funds from the Sword Council, but we'll also receive their official protection."
Suddenly, a realization clicked in Rei's mind. Wait... what if I use this pretense to finally take my retirement? If my security will be completely guaranteed by the Sword Council and the Revolutionaries, I'll be completely out of harm's way. Plus, I've taught people before; managing a sect will be easy.
Rei looked back up at the group. "I guess I will go under the Revolutionaries to join the Five Swords Competition."
"I knew you would come around to get it!" Levi chuckled, giving a thumbs-up.
Just then, Lyla, Tylon, and Tenko walked down into the common room. The moment Tenko spotted Rei, the little creature ran over quickly and leaped onto his shoulder, settling into place.
Lyla looked around the crowded room, her eyes wide. "Wow, I didn't know all of us had gathered here."
Tylon pushed past her, looking at Rei with pure fascination. "You're Rei? I am so glad to finally meet you! I've deeply studied your written works on poison smoke and pills, specifically how you integrated them with sorcery. It was absolutely fantastic. Have you somehow expanded on that field since then?"
"No, currently I have not expanded on it further," Rei lied smoothly. "But I am planning to." In reality, his research had already advanced significantly, allowing him to manipulate exotic new matter to create poisons completely out of this world.
Sentry stepped forward next, eager to join the conversation. "I have also studied your research papers on sorcery as a whole. I want to learn more about your methods. Will you tell me what other magical attributes you've successfully created?"
"Currently none, but I am thinking of making a dark and a light attribute," Rei lied again. He had already completely mastered the development of the dark attribute and was currently refining the light attribute, attempting to physically bend light waves.
Axel's eyes narrowed as he listened to the exchange. Step by step, he approached Rei, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Can I also ask... have you delved into the white arts?"
Everyone in the room instantly stiffened. The mere mention of the white arts brought back tense memories of the Piers incident. Rei's eyes narrowed behind his blindfold. "And why exactly are you asking that?"
"Because you are actively oozing holy power like you're some kind of apostle of God," Axel stated, his voice trembling slightly, "yet at the exact same time, you are radiating demonic energy like a devil king."
A heavy silence fell over the room, and fear flickered across the faces of their companions. In this world, the titles 'Apostle of God' and 'Devil King' carried immense, dangerous weight. If the Holy Church ever caught wind of someone harboring both energies, they would immediately declare Rei a maximum-priority heretic and hunt him down.
"Pandora, show him who we are," Rei commanded coldly.
Instantly, violent dark winds erupted from the Chaos Scepter, sweeping across the floor and tightly binding Axel where he stood. From the shadows of the wind, Pandora materialized, her gaze fixed on the intruder. Axel, however, did not possess normal sight; his eyes were uniquely attuned to spiritual energy. As he stared at Pandora, his eyes widened in sheer horror. To his spiritual vision, the girl looked like the literal, primordial reincarnation of the concept of evil itself.
"Hey, Rei, cool off!" Kaiser yelled, reaching for his hilt.
"Yeah, there's no need for violence here!" Lyla shouted anxiously.
"Yeah, I guess so—" Rei began, preparing to recall her.
Suddenly, a spiritual guardian knight materialized right behind Axel to defend him.
"Pandora, come back," Rei snapped. Before the guardian knight's blade could connect, Pandora vanished into dark mist, retreating safely into the scepter.
With its target gone, the guardian knight turned its weapon and attacked Rei directly. But before the blade could strike, a brilliant, towering angel manifested in front of Rei, blocking the knight's attack effortlessly. To Axel's spiritual vision, this angel did not look like a mere summon—it looked like a true, supreme god. The immense pressure forced Axel's own guardian angel to violently back down and dissipate.
Axel dropped to his knees, sweating profusely. "I... I apologize for my attack. Can I ask why you harbor both a conceptual entity and a literal god inside you?"
The entire room stood in absolute shock. Arizona blinked rapidly, looking between them. "What do you mean a god? Can gods actually inhabit humans like that?"
"A god literally inhabits Rei, and it seems to actively protect his life as well," Axel said, his voice shaking. "I am not joking. Any standard spiritual attack directed at him will be entirely useless, whether it's dark or light. Only attacks delivered by other genuine gods can injure him. Not to mention, this divine presence allows him to never get corrupted by dark energies, constantly restores his lost spiritual energy, and if he becomes more skilled, he will be able to perfectly copy spiritual techniques as well. His body is specifically built for using spiritual energy."
Arizona looked bewildered. "What? Really? I have never seen or sensed it that way before."
"Me too," Ben muttered, staring at Rei with a completely new level of respect.
Rei shrugged indifferently. "I don't believe in spiritual energy. To me, it's just another form of energy that I don't fully understand yet."
Axel stared at him, utterly surprised by his lack of reverence, while Kaiser burst out laughing. "Now that's the spirit!"
"Hey, Rei! How are you doing?" a loud voice cut through the tavern.
Everyone turned to see Eugene, Bart, Ava, and Daina walking through the front entrance of the inn.
Rei looked toward them, his expression neutral. "What are you doing here, Eugene? I thought you were supposed to be training back with the tribe."
"My training in the tribe was completed," Eugene explained, gesturing to the girl beside him. "And Daina came here to attend the Five Swords Competition."
Rei's gaze shifted to Daina. "I remember you. What happened to your so-called old man?"
Daina's brows furrowed deeply, her expression darkening with anger. "He passed away."
"So he kicked the bucket? Good, good," Rei said bluntly.
Furious at the insult, Daina's hand flew to her waist, quickly drawing her sword. "Why you—!"
"Put it back," Rei said calmly.
Before her blade could clear the scabbard, Rei executed a precise wind spell. A sharp, localized gust slammed against her hand and the pommel of her sword, forcing the weapon violently back into its sheath with a loud snap. "I am the victim here, not him," Rei added coldly.
Bart stepped forward, his eyes wide as he assessed Rei's casual display of control. "You... you've become significantly stronger."
"Yeah," Ava agreed, shaking her head. "Last time I saw you, you only knew how to fly and escape. Now you seem to be actively putting everyone else in their place."
Daina glared at Rei, her hand still resting on her forced sheath. "I will show you exactly who I am during the Five Swords Competition."
Rei let out a small, dismissive sigh. "Yeah, like you're actually strong enough to match me."
After finishing their lunch, the massive gathering of companions walked out together toward the grand arena grounds to register for the Five Swords Summit. When they arrived, they found the public registration area in absolute chaos. The lines wrapped around the cobblestone dirt road, and various established sword sects were consistently given priority, bypassing the regular crowd entirely.
Rei took one look at the massive crowd and turned around. "The line is way too long. It's better if we just register later."
Daina stood nearby, crossing her arms in deep frustration at the delay.
"No need to stand in the long line," Kaiser said, gesturing for them to follow him toward a separate, heavily guarded gate. "You can just register with me."
They walked alongside Kaiser, Adriel, Hella, and Sentry. Because Kaiser's group was officially registered as part of the prominent Nadaka Sword City faction, they were granted immediate priority at the VIP counters. Kaiser, Adriel, Hella, and Sentry signed their entry forms first. Immediately following them, Daina, Rei, Ben, and Lyla stepped up to the counter and successfully joined the official roster.
As they walked away from the registration desk, Kaiser turned back to Rei with a competitive smirk. "I am not going to go easy on you just because we're acquaintances. I have developed several incredible new moves since my last major battle."
"Don't expect me to hold back either," Rei replied calmly.
Lyla adjusted her gear, her eyes filled with determination. "My personal forte might not be a traditional sword style, but I will absolutely show all of you how strong I am."
Daina scoffed, glancing at the others with pride. "You self-studied swordsmen are simply not my match. I was personally trained by Sigil himself."
Unbeknownst to the bickering group, a mysterious woman shrouded in a heavy dark hood stepped up to the registration counter right behind them. She silently signed her name for the Five Swords Competition, picked up her token, and vanished back into the crowded city streets.
Ben happened to look back just as she disappeared around a corner. His eyes narrowed completely as a heavy weight settled into his chest. He tightened his grip on his weapon, whispering to himself, "I need to win this. No matter what."