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Hikaru - Masamune Legend Chapter 9: Unlocking the Secrets
Hikaru and the Sword of Light - Legend of the Masamune Chapter 9
<<<Next: Chapter 10 - Confrontation | Prev: Chapter 8 – Retracing Steps>>>
Main book link: bit.ly/3wnkZWQ
The following day, Hikaru and Yuki waved goodbye to Sasaki, leaving the town for the day's practice sessions. While they headed up to the Sakura tree-filled meadow, Hikaru raised the Masamune into the air, letting it scintillate in its grayish glory under the soft morning light. He kicked off his training with the traditional strokes of the blade, shifting his legs around tactically as though in active combat. Weaving through the shrubs in the meadow, he practiced his agility while adjusting the angles of his katana along with every directional sway of his tail, adapting accordingly to maintain balance in movement. As he slashed the Masamune about in the open space, the sword hissed as air rushed past the blade, boosting his swinging speed without any resistance. Yuki gazed in wonder at the hardworking marten samurai, sitting silently at the side far from his blade's range.
Hours went by as he repeated the motions of the sword, and Yuki eventually lost interest while she observed him training with the banal samurai strokes. She clambered up to a nearby tree and reclined on a study branch, adjusting her head against the trunk and twitching her ears to make herself comfortable. Yawning amid her boredom, she materialized a white book into her paws and flipped through its pages nonchalantly. From afar, Hikaru paused for a moment and was aware that she was holding a conspicuously glowing book. Holding off his training, he was curious to ask about what she was reading, his sights set on the special book. Yuki returned a gaze at him with a smile as he approached the tree she was sitting on.
"Hikaru, it appears that you can use some of the Masamune's magical properties like Master Goro, but they can't be activated from the usual samurai training alone, exactly what you're doing now. You'll need to trigger them manually in specific ways. There are three main properties of the sword outlined in my book."
The first of the magical properties was the enchantment of mercy, where the wielder of the Masamune would be unable to harm anyone or anything without a justifiable reason. However, she added that this enchantment could be overridden if specific words are chanted. Being more of a pacifist who would not consciously look for a fight, Hikaru declined to learn the words, preferring if they moved on and skipped that part of the sword's capabilities.
The second ability on the list was superspeed sprinting, triggered by the word "dash" if it was uttered with the sword held in his paws. With this enchantment, the user of the Masamune would be granted infinite stamina and is able to run at breakneck speeds. "Dash!" Hikaru yelled, his body emanating a golden shimmer as he was thrown forward, managing to slam himself into the tree that Yuki was resting comfortably on. This caused her to fall off, landing face first onto the grass beside him with a groan of pain. She was dazed for a moment, her fur slightly ruffled from dropping from the branch and her robe was specked with dirt.
"Maybe, you should try dashing while facing the open meadows instead?" She advised, although not angry at his mistake, brushing off all the dirt and climbing back up to her comfortable spot on the branch.
Staring at the open field, he called out the command again, sensing the surge of energy encompassing his body once more. Utilizing the power of the sword, he sprinted through the meadow as a yellow streak, traveling from one end to the other in seconds, enjoying the exhilarating experience of wind rushing through his fur and past his face. However, even at the speed he was going, he needed to stop eventually but was unsure how to do so.
When he thought of stopping, the glow from his body dissipated, gradually slowing him down to a standstill. Surprisingly, even running at such speeds, he was not panting heavily like he would normally without the Masamune, and he did not even break a sweat. He guessed it was a capability of the sword and did not question it. Returning to Yuki in a controlled dash, he was ready to take on the last of three magical properties.
"Hmm… Heavenly Slash, a magically-charged energy attack, is capable of slicing a mountain in half at full power. However, the mastery of this skill requires years of training using the Masamune, only activated by one of pure heart," she read aloud.
"If Ikiryo is out there running around destroying towns as we speak, we don't have years…"
"Better get swinging then!" Yuki teased with a tongue out before continuing to leaf through her book.
With a sigh, Hikaru wondered how Master Goro was able to invoke the magic within the sword in the past, having unleashed its powers less than a day after he created it. Staring at his reflection of the blade and concentrating his thoughts on it, there was not even a bit of glow that had previously surrounded his body when he was dashing about. He paused to contemplate for a moment. 'One of a pure heart… How would I know if my heart is pure?'
He remembered his innocent childhood, running around town to greet everyone he met along the way and smiling to bring others positivity. Closing his eyes, he visualized everything that meant happiness to him. As the joyful memories flooded his mind, the sword trembled, now glowing with a golden aura along the length of the blade.
Hikaru had enthusiasm in his eyes, swinging the Masamune diagonally through the air and unleashing a massive wave of light magic. The force of the power he released shook his surroundings, throwing Yuki off balance and causing her to tumble from the branch again. Below where he had slashed, there was smoldering ground, scorched by the intense energy from the magically-infused attack. Raising his now illuminated Masamune in his paws, he was in a posture that made him appear as a legendary samurai.
"Wow! That was fast!" She exclaimed looking at his momentary pose. "Do you want me to throw some magic at you for practice?"
"Sure!" He replied, his confidence now brimming. "Come at me, Yuki!"
Yuki began by flinging several orbs of weakened magic toward him at once, easily dispersed and deflected by the swift movements of the Masamune's blades. He wanted faster and stronger attacks to get his rhythm going, requesting for her to give it all she got. She nodded in acknowledgment, adhering to his requests without hesitation, bombarding him with erratic blasts of magic. Slashing rapidly through her magic, the Masamune's power dispelled anything she could ever conjure up, raising his adrenaline levels to a new high.
As Hikaru became too engrossed in the dynamic sparring session with her, he dashed all about and tactically dodged every attack, oblivious that he was moving dangerously closer to striking her by the second. Spinning with his tail to add more force to his swing, the katana swung at Yuki's head before she could take her next breath. Just inches from the fur on her neck, the katana's enchantment of mercy intervened as the engraved runes on the blade glowed, repelling the sword away from her and causing him to stumble backward. Falling onto his rear, it snapped him out of his assault, realizing what he could have done if the sword did not have the magical property to prevent harm.
"Whoa there! Be careful with that thing!"
"I'm sorry. I got too carried away…" Hikaru apologized, scratching the back of his head in shame at his loss of control in the intense moment.
They sat on the grassy ground, sighing at the close call while they cooled off for the time being. With time to relax and think, an alternative plan came to Yuki's mind. Borrowing his Masamune katana, she created a magical projection of a samurai wielding the sword. Climbing back onto her perch in the tree, she could control the projection to any movement she desired like a puppeteer, without the risk of getting hit by the blade. Standing up to examine the tangible construct of a samurai warrior with his special katana, he thought that her idea was ingenious and decided that it was close enough as it got to a real opponent. Since the projection held the Masamune, he was safe even if he failed to block the pseudo samurai, protected by its magical properties.
Hikaru readied himself, unsheathing his tamahagane katana to train with the construct in simple sparring sessions. As their swords clashed, he felt like he was fighting Master Toshi again and he was fired up in combat. Her idea was fitting as training for another inevitable confrontation with Ikiryo, and everything went smoothly for the rest of the afternoon without any further mishaps.
In the ensuing days, along with Yuki's help, Hikaru perfected all of his basic samurai skills, mastering the powers of the Masamune under his belt. When he felt adequately prepared and confident to take on Ikiryo, they were ready to depart to the other regions in search of him.
<<<Next: Chapter 10 - Confrontation | Prev: Chapter 8 – Retracing Steps>>>
Main book link: bit.ly/3wnkZWQ
<<<Next: Chapter 10 - Confrontation | Prev: Chapter 8 – Retracing Steps>>>
Main book link: bit.ly/3wnkZWQ
The following day, Hikaru and Yuki waved goodbye to Sasaki, leaving the town for the day's practice sessions. While they headed up to the Sakura tree-filled meadow, Hikaru raised the Masamune into the air, letting it scintillate in its grayish glory under the soft morning light. He kicked off his training with the traditional strokes of the blade, shifting his legs around tactically as though in active combat. Weaving through the shrubs in the meadow, he practiced his agility while adjusting the angles of his katana along with every directional sway of his tail, adapting accordingly to maintain balance in movement. As he slashed the Masamune about in the open space, the sword hissed as air rushed past the blade, boosting his swinging speed without any resistance. Yuki gazed in wonder at the hardworking marten samurai, sitting silently at the side far from his blade's range.
Hours went by as he repeated the motions of the sword, and Yuki eventually lost interest while she observed him training with the banal samurai strokes. She clambered up to a nearby tree and reclined on a study branch, adjusting her head against the trunk and twitching her ears to make herself comfortable. Yawning amid her boredom, she materialized a white book into her paws and flipped through its pages nonchalantly. From afar, Hikaru paused for a moment and was aware that she was holding a conspicuously glowing book. Holding off his training, he was curious to ask about what she was reading, his sights set on the special book. Yuki returned a gaze at him with a smile as he approached the tree she was sitting on.
"Hikaru, it appears that you can use some of the Masamune's magical properties like Master Goro, but they can't be activated from the usual samurai training alone, exactly what you're doing now. You'll need to trigger them manually in specific ways. There are three main properties of the sword outlined in my book."
The first of the magical properties was the enchantment of mercy, where the wielder of the Masamune would be unable to harm anyone or anything without a justifiable reason. However, she added that this enchantment could be overridden if specific words are chanted. Being more of a pacifist who would not consciously look for a fight, Hikaru declined to learn the words, preferring if they moved on and skipped that part of the sword's capabilities.
The second ability on the list was superspeed sprinting, triggered by the word "dash" if it was uttered with the sword held in his paws. With this enchantment, the user of the Masamune would be granted infinite stamina and is able to run at breakneck speeds. "Dash!" Hikaru yelled, his body emanating a golden shimmer as he was thrown forward, managing to slam himself into the tree that Yuki was resting comfortably on. This caused her to fall off, landing face first onto the grass beside him with a groan of pain. She was dazed for a moment, her fur slightly ruffled from dropping from the branch and her robe was specked with dirt.
"Maybe, you should try dashing while facing the open meadows instead?" She advised, although not angry at his mistake, brushing off all the dirt and climbing back up to her comfortable spot on the branch.
Staring at the open field, he called out the command again, sensing the surge of energy encompassing his body once more. Utilizing the power of the sword, he sprinted through the meadow as a yellow streak, traveling from one end to the other in seconds, enjoying the exhilarating experience of wind rushing through his fur and past his face. However, even at the speed he was going, he needed to stop eventually but was unsure how to do so.
When he thought of stopping, the glow from his body dissipated, gradually slowing him down to a standstill. Surprisingly, even running at such speeds, he was not panting heavily like he would normally without the Masamune, and he did not even break a sweat. He guessed it was a capability of the sword and did not question it. Returning to Yuki in a controlled dash, he was ready to take on the last of three magical properties.
"Hmm… Heavenly Slash, a magically-charged energy attack, is capable of slicing a mountain in half at full power. However, the mastery of this skill requires years of training using the Masamune, only activated by one of pure heart," she read aloud.
"If Ikiryo is out there running around destroying towns as we speak, we don't have years…"
"Better get swinging then!" Yuki teased with a tongue out before continuing to leaf through her book.
With a sigh, Hikaru wondered how Master Goro was able to invoke the magic within the sword in the past, having unleashed its powers less than a day after he created it. Staring at his reflection of the blade and concentrating his thoughts on it, there was not even a bit of glow that had previously surrounded his body when he was dashing about. He paused to contemplate for a moment. 'One of a pure heart… How would I know if my heart is pure?'
He remembered his innocent childhood, running around town to greet everyone he met along the way and smiling to bring others positivity. Closing his eyes, he visualized everything that meant happiness to him. As the joyful memories flooded his mind, the sword trembled, now glowing with a golden aura along the length of the blade.
Hikaru had enthusiasm in his eyes, swinging the Masamune diagonally through the air and unleashing a massive wave of light magic. The force of the power he released shook his surroundings, throwing Yuki off balance and causing her to tumble from the branch again. Below where he had slashed, there was smoldering ground, scorched by the intense energy from the magically-infused attack. Raising his now illuminated Masamune in his paws, he was in a posture that made him appear as a legendary samurai.
"Wow! That was fast!" She exclaimed looking at his momentary pose. "Do you want me to throw some magic at you for practice?"
"Sure!" He replied, his confidence now brimming. "Come at me, Yuki!"
Yuki began by flinging several orbs of weakened magic toward him at once, easily dispersed and deflected by the swift movements of the Masamune's blades. He wanted faster and stronger attacks to get his rhythm going, requesting for her to give it all she got. She nodded in acknowledgment, adhering to his requests without hesitation, bombarding him with erratic blasts of magic. Slashing rapidly through her magic, the Masamune's power dispelled anything she could ever conjure up, raising his adrenaline levels to a new high.
As Hikaru became too engrossed in the dynamic sparring session with her, he dashed all about and tactically dodged every attack, oblivious that he was moving dangerously closer to striking her by the second. Spinning with his tail to add more force to his swing, the katana swung at Yuki's head before she could take her next breath. Just inches from the fur on her neck, the katana's enchantment of mercy intervened as the engraved runes on the blade glowed, repelling the sword away from her and causing him to stumble backward. Falling onto his rear, it snapped him out of his assault, realizing what he could have done if the sword did not have the magical property to prevent harm.
"Whoa there! Be careful with that thing!"
"I'm sorry. I got too carried away…" Hikaru apologized, scratching the back of his head in shame at his loss of control in the intense moment.
They sat on the grassy ground, sighing at the close call while they cooled off for the time being. With time to relax and think, an alternative plan came to Yuki's mind. Borrowing his Masamune katana, she created a magical projection of a samurai wielding the sword. Climbing back onto her perch in the tree, she could control the projection to any movement she desired like a puppeteer, without the risk of getting hit by the blade. Standing up to examine the tangible construct of a samurai warrior with his special katana, he thought that her idea was ingenious and decided that it was close enough as it got to a real opponent. Since the projection held the Masamune, he was safe even if he failed to block the pseudo samurai, protected by its magical properties.
Hikaru readied himself, unsheathing his tamahagane katana to train with the construct in simple sparring sessions. As their swords clashed, he felt like he was fighting Master Toshi again and he was fired up in combat. Her idea was fitting as training for another inevitable confrontation with Ikiryo, and everything went smoothly for the rest of the afternoon without any further mishaps.
In the ensuing days, along with Yuki's help, Hikaru perfected all of his basic samurai skills, mastering the powers of the Masamune under his belt. When he felt adequately prepared and confident to take on Ikiryo, they were ready to depart to the other regions in search of him.
<<<Next: Chapter 10 - Confrontation | Prev: Chapter 8 – Retracing Steps>>>
Main book link: bit.ly/3wnkZWQ
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Mustelid (Other)
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 18.4 kB
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