Edge maneuvered the searing manifestation around his body—acutely aware that he needed to be extremely careful where he positioned the blazing sword.

  The flameblade was hot enough that he had to flare Regulate Temperature to keep it from cooking his hands, but he sensed that most of the heat was flowing out from the tip instead of radiating back in his direction. That will let me attack using hot air several feet beyond the end of the blade, although it disperses rapidly past that point.

  Even a quick pass across a creature’s face would scorch their eyeballs and lungs, making the flameblade a powerful tool for disabling opponents, although it wouldn’t inhibit their movement as effectively as Blade’s frozen form. Anything that made the mistake of trying to block it would be in for a nasty surprise when their weapon passed straight through the bar of plasma without slowing it down.

  I need to make sure I don’t make the same mistake by relying on the reflexes I’ve obtained while wielding a physical weapon. The flameblade looks like a sword and has a similar reach, but the mechanics are completely different from anything I’ve used before.

  Edge was tempted to keep playing with the blazing manifestation. However, he decided to proceed with his test run and ponder the results before coming up with a new training regimen based on what he discovered.

  Next on the list was trying out the skill’s fire imbuement with a normal weapon instead of manifesting a blade made from mana granted physical form. After mulling the matter over, he decided to use Yussuf’s sword instead of his naginata, just in case the skill was harder on the weapon than he expected.

  When he pulled the blade out his vault and gave it a try, he was pleased to learn the imbuement produced a strikingly different effect.

  An intense strip of fire mana congealed across the surface of the sword—concentrated along the cutting edge. This was more in line with his expectations. A traditional blade that would burn anything it touched. The heat would cauterize the gouges it inflicted, which would hurt like hell and reduce the speed at which skills like Regeneration could repair the damage.

  He spent a few minutes taking practice swings—pleased by Elemental Blade’s performance thus far. The next nymph that tries to eat me is in for a world of hurt. He considered trying out the imbued lightning mode too, before deciding that conducting electricity through a metal weapon was a terrible idea.

  Instead, Edge swapped the sword out for his naginata, then gathered his will and gave it a try. Sparks danced along the black keratin blade as his mana spread across the surface, buzzing and crackling as it moved through the air. He was lucky the wooden shaft was non-conductive. This aspect of Elemental Blade should work with my scythe too.

  The spark-flinging polearm was intimidating as hell, although the resplendent display was a far cry from subtle. Enhancing his weapon with electricity wouldn’t be a good choice for an ambush or any other situation where he wanted to avoid attracting attention.

  He wondered what would happen if he dipped the arc-veined weapon into a pool of water before concluding that he needed to check in with Sakura about the physics of magic before he invented any creative ways to electrocute himself.

  That left Edge with one more aspect to try before he moved on to finding out what an Elemental-Blade-wielding Foebinder could do. He put his polearm away, ignited his core, and then took his lightblade for its maiden voyage.

  As his mana solidified to form a crystalline hilt and then grew the sword’s crystal blade and silver core, he realized this manifestation was considerably heavier than he’d expected. It weighed at least twice as much as his iceblade, making all three aspects of Elemental Blade completely different in both the forms they assumed and the elements they exuded.

  Edge took a few practice swings, getting used to the extra mass and momentum. He decided that he needed to purchase some specialized equipment before trying anything fancy or using the lightblade in battle.

  The lightning sword was just as dangerous as the other elements, and he didn’t have a power that could dampen its effects. Unlike fire and ice, he didn’t have to worry about taking damage simply from holding the weapon in his hand. However, if he used it against the wrong enemy or in unfavorable conditions, he could form a circuit and fry himself along with his opponent.

  If I whip this bad boy out in the rain, I’m going to have a shitty day. Stealing a skill that protects against elements like lightning and acid is probably a good idea. I’ll keep an eye out for one going forward. At the least, I need to pick up some non-conductive gloves before I wield this sword against an enemy wearing metal gear.

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  He tried out a quick combo with Double Slash, then dismissed the manifestation and considered what he’d learned before summoning Foebinder. He still needed to run some experiments with his chakram. However, the effects should be similar enough to imbuing a sword that Edge could try them out in battle whenever a good opportunity presented itself.

  He should be able to form a greatsword version of his lightblade and flameblade too, but that wasn’t a good idea until he got used to the one-handed swords and learned the dynamics of wielding each variant. He also wanted to ask Melchior for tips on combining elemental imbuements and weapon oils to prevent the magics from interfering with each other instead of stacking.

  Next on the list was pondering the advantages of each new aspect. By this point, he was intimately familiar with the utility that intense cold provided, and he hoped to become equally proficient with fire and lightning as time went by.

  Freely wielding three elements would grant Edge’s offense incredible versatility, letting him bypass specific forms of protection and exploit his opponents’ weaknesses. For example, fire would be far more effective than ice against living plants, and lightning would bypass skills like Regulate Temperature and conduct through metal armor.

  New elements also granted him novel ways to interact with his environment. Off the top of his head, lightning and fire could be used as an on-demand light source or a convenient way to start a campfire, and he was certain to come up with more uses during the days ahead.

  His train of thought was interrupted when a surge of impatience came flowing through the bond he shared with Manifest Chain. He chuckled while placing a mental bookmark in his deliberations to return to later. Foebinder was eager to wield an Elemental Blade for the first time, and Edge was just as excited.

  First, he manifested the left chain of oblivion, considering his options while the living links parted the skin of his wrist, extended to their full length, and then turned around to hover in the air in front of his face.

  He pulled Yussuf’s sword and his naginata out of his vault and set both weapons on the ground. Then Edge turned to the black chain and said, “Do you want to use one of these weapons or have me manifest a mana-sword and hand it over?”

  The black chain bobbed in the air as it contemplated his question, then reached down and picked up the sword by the hilt. He wasn’t surprised. The polearm was a little too long for Foebinder to balance, and the chain had grown fond of swinging the sword in battle.

  “All right then, what flavor suits you? Fire, lightning, or ice.” He had no idea which element the Unique skill would pick, nodding when an impression of cascading sparks popped into his mind. “Before we give this a shot, you don’t conduct electricity, do you? I have no desire to find out if Rejuvenation can restart my heart after shocking the shit out of myself with my own skill.”

  Foebinder assured Edge that the metal it was forged from was only minimally conductive, and it shouldn’t be enough to electrocute him. Just to be safe, he pulled a few materials out of his vault and wrapped them around the hilt to provide additional insulation.

  With that, all that was left was to get on with the show. He sent a mental heads-up to Elemental Blade, letting the avatar know he was ready to try out their latest innovation. When he sensed it was ready, he ignited his core and activated the skill.

  Refined mana traveled from his reactor and through the chain before spreading across the length of the sword. When the field was fully formed, brilliant arcs began crisscrossing the blade. He felt a tingle flowing through his flesh, making his fingers twitch. It didn’t hurt, but he needed to come up with a better solution soon.

  The chain of oblivion took an experimental slash, executing a horizontal swipe with astonishing speed. The links rippled as if the chain was nodding to itself before it erupted into a flurry of motion, and Edge began to laugh.

  He forced himself to remain perfectly still while Foebinder carved through the air with abandon. It looked like a… Well, it looked like a twenty-foot chain wielding a sword wreathed in lightning. A reality so ridiculously awesome it couldn’t be contained by a metaphor or simile.

  Watching the living links thrust and slash—turning on a dime to execute a flowing series of attacks—was menacing as hell and a strong contender for the most badass thing he’d ever seen.

  He cheered Foebinder on while Hardening his exterior. He trusted his partner with his life, but observing it try out high-speed maneuvers that came within inches of touching his body was terrifying, though he was sure he would get used to it soon.

  Even still, one wrong move would light Edge up like a Christmas tree, and he breathed a soft sigh of relief when the chain signaled that it was done playing with lightning for now, although it was eager to give this a try in live combat.

  He was just as excited. Manifest Chain had begun as a mobility skill that offered some utility by restraining his foes. But with this breakthrough, Foebinder had officially become a sapient killing tool that could deliver death at medium range while fighting at his side.

  It was a power that would make any hunter green with envy and one of the strongest weapon skills he’d ever heard of. He couldn’t wait to find out what the black chain could do as both skills continued to advance and the animate loops became more proficient in wielding a physical weapon against a variety of opponents.

  The lightblade was a powerful choice that combined raw damage and stunning shocks. On the other hand, giving the living links an iceblade would make it easier to disable his enemies before dining on their skills. When he imagined the chain of oblivion swinging around a weapon that could set the environment ablaze, he shuddered.

  Let’s save that one for those special occasions when I need to raze a fortress or reduce a biome to ash. On that note, I should be careful where I use my flameblade too.

  He let Foebinder give ice a try before heading over to the Forge to pick up some non-conductive gloves. It turned out the smith had a thin pair that could be worn beneath his armor, and Ander handed them over free of charge.

  Edge moved on to the rest of his day with a spring in his step. He was delighted with Elemental Blade’s upgrade and ready to take Warlord’s Mantle to rank four as quickly as he could.