The Mech Touch

The sword wielded by Ketis differed substantially from the weapons owned by the rest of the Swordmaidens.

Just like Ves, Ketis gained an unimaginable amount of benefits from the Aeon Corona Mission. The sword issued to her by the AI systems of the Starlight Megalodon was suited for a CFA officer.

Though its design and material composition was outdated by as much as three centuries, it was still a first-class sword that incorporated numerous applications of high technology!

It might not be an exaggeration to state that the worth of this sword actually surpassed the total value of the Penitent Sister Fleet!

Fortunately, for all of its ostentatious value, it wasn't immediately apparent that the sword belonged to the CFA. Ketis had also 'decorated' the sword in a way that made it seem as if it emerged from the frontier rather than a CFA battleship.

None of the thousand or so mech designers who had made it through the final selection process figured out the true might of the greatsword.

Nevertheless, the fact that Ketis was able to cut through an admittedly-thin but very solid plate of Breyer alloy proved that it should not be underestimated!

If the edge passed through their skull, their heads would instantly part in half without presenting even a smidgeon of resistance!

"Is she even a mech designer? She's built like a mech!"

"We're mech designers, not infantry soldiers!"

"What does swordplay have to do with mech design?!"

"Ves Larkinson is crazy! I regret taking part in this test!"

Nothing happened for a few minutes. Ves let the mech designers banter among themselves. The more they speculated about Ketis and her sword, the more their fears started to spread.

Considering the previous tests conducted by Ves, this one shouldn't be simple!

There were a lot of smart minds among the crowd of mech designers. It was a pity that they were all non-combatants who never expected to be confronted with violence up close in their lives!

Even if a few of them enjoyed some combat training, it was usually in the lines of attending mandatory self-defense courses or engaging in recreational hunting.

Almost none of them engaged in something as archaic and barbaric as hacking swords against each other!

When Ves thought they had stewed long enough, he clapped. "What are you waiting for? Get to it! There is no order this time. Anyone who wants a try can step forward and grab the floating sword. You are only required to launch a single attack on Ketis. She will do her best to block and fend off your attack."

"Sir, what if someone gets injured?" Someone asked a very smart question.

Ves grinned and pointed his thumb behind his back. "Emergency services are already on standby. No matter how injured you are, unless your head gets hit, you'll make it through."

A large number of specialized medical bots along with some doctors entered the hall and stood at the side.

The presence of so many doctors in white coats and medical bots specialized to treat all kinds of trauma didn't reassure the mech designers.

In fact, their presence only intimidated the candidates even further!

After a bit of hesitation, one young man stepped out. He looked confident and gripped the floating sword with a firm grip.

Both Ketis and Ves immediately narrowed their eyes. From the practiced stance the mech designer immediately adopted, it became clear that he knew a thing or two about swords!

The competitive streak within Ketis instantly fired up! "Come!"

Instead of charging forward, the first challenger shuffled forward while carefully scanning his opponent's stance for the best way to overcome her defense. He even began to circle around Ketis!

That wouldn't do.

Clap!

"Hurry up!" Ves shouted in irritation. "There are over a thousand other mech designers who are waiting for their turn! I told you to charge at Ketis, not dance around her! This isn't a duel! If you aren't willing to fight, then let go of your weapon and make way for someone else!"

Understanding that he couldn't take the tactical approach, the challenger took a deep breath and closed the distance!

Though his steps were still rather slow, the distance between him and Ketis was only ten paces, so the two quickly exchanged blows!

After attempting a feint, the man quickly shifted his grip and attempted a tricky stab at the very last second!

Unfortunately for him, Ketis reacted faster and with much greater force than he expected! Her augmented body moved in unison! Not only did she manage to lift her enormous sword and parry the stab with ease, she also managed to redirect her weapon so that the flat of its blade whacked her opponent's side!

She did not hold back too much! The trained challenger cried out in pain as his body hurled a short distance to the side! It was as if he had been clubbed away by a caveman!

As the first challenger laid on the floor in a pathetic heap while crying out in pain, Ves continued to pay close attention for a few more seconds before he minutely shook his head.

"Next!"

Though the forceful hit took the breath out of the man, Ketis had been merciful enough to spare his ribs. He slowly picked himself up off the ground and limped back.

The brutal exchange intimidated even more mech designers! Hundreds of them already took a step backwards, making it clear that they absolutely did not wish to be a part of this sadistic game!

It didn't matter. There were enough people who wanted to try.

The second challenger was a younger man. When he took hold of the floating sword, his two-handed grip was firm. Nonetheless, even Ves could tell he wasn't a trained swordsman. The stance the fellow took actually reminded Ves of some kind of sport.

The man didn't waste much time. He approached at a steady pace, swung his sword to the side before launching a powerful horizontal sweep!

From the bottom of his feet to the rotation of his hips, the second challenger generated as much force as possible!

It was a pity that Ketis read the man's attack like a book.

She yawned and blocked the forceful attack with ease. As the baseball player lost his balance due to getting hit by the recoil of his all-out attack, Ketis rapidly thrust the pommel of her sword forward until she bashed her opponent in the chest!

"Agh!"

The man let go of his sword as he fell onto the floor.

All in all, it was a respectable performance. It was too bad that Ves hadn't seen anything worth his time while he watched the fellow carefully.

"Next!"

The third challenger happened to be a woman. Unlike the previous two challengers, she didn't possess a single athletic bone in her body!

Nonetheless, what she lacked in physical conditioning, she made up for it with courage! She did not pause after she grasped the floating sword. She simply raised the sword above her head and charged Ketis without any hesitation!

The moment she chopped her sword down, Ketis simply raised her own weapon with just a single arm and bounced away the attack with ease!

As the third challenger wobbled backwards, she suddenly received a hefty kick that pushed her body backwards by more than ten paces!

"Next!"

The fourth challenger was another woman. She was taller and stronger than the last one, though her untrained sword stance almost completely negated this advance.

When she bravely strode forward and attempted to put her entire momentum into a stab, Ketis once again blocked the attack with ease.

However, in the process of doing so, she also chopped off the wrists of her attacker! The greatsword sliced clean through the flesh and bone without any hindrance!

"Ahhhh!"

The woman dropped to her knees while staring agonizingly at her amputated arms! Her two hands flopped lifelessly on the floor while four sprays of blood rapidly turned the site red!

"Medics!" Ves shouted.

The bots already moved into action as soon as Ketis parted the female mech designer's skin. As soon as they flew at the wounded mech designer, they rapidly sprayed some foam around the clean cuts, preventing them from bleeding out. A few more bots arrived to rapidly take the injured mech designer and her detached limbs away to a treatment center.

Practically every mech designer on sight widened their eyes or screamed at the gruesome sight! To them, the grinning Ketis suddenly turned into a demonic being!

"Oops." She said frivolously as she casually stood in front of a pool of blood. "My grip slipped."

Ves chuckled. "No problem. Accidents happen. At least your opponent didn't die. She'll be as good as new after a few days."

With modern medical technology, it was trivially easy to heal such injuries!

Their exchange only intimidated the mech designers even further. It was clear that Ketis might not have 'slipped' as much as she claimed!

The pool of blood remained in place. A few splatters had even landed on Ketis' training outfit, though none of them managed to stick onto her sword.

"Next!"

It took some time until the next challenger came up. The man shakily grasped the floating sword and walked feebly to Ketis. He only managed to launch a weak attack before Ketis handedly knocked his weapon out of his grasp before punching his face!

He screamed and fell onto the pool of blood, instantly soaking his clean suit!

Ves shook his head. "Next!"

A few more people challenged Ketis. When another untrained challenger took hold of the sword and charged forthrightly at Ketis, the man suffered the same fate as the ones that came before!

However, even as his body crashed against the bloody floor with a meaty thump, Ves did not call for the next challenger to step forward.

"You pass."

"Ahh.. I… what?" The man tried to lift his pained body up. "I.. pass?"

"Welcome to the LMC." Ves smiled and gestured to the ranks of other chosen mech designers. "Please join your future colleagues over there."

"I.. I passed!" The man joyously cried! "I've become a Larkinson!"

No amount of pain stopped him from celebrating his fortune! Though he didn't know why he succeeded where others failed, he wasn't one to look at a gift horse in the mouth!

The inexplicable success fueled the enthusiasm of the other mech designers!

They pushed each other in order to grasp the sword! The drying pool of blood no longer intimidated them so much. Not when there was such a huge prize in sight!

Ketis easily blocked and parried the next couple of challengers. Just as a tall man futilely tried to slash at her, a greatsword suddenly bashed the attack aside before cutting straight through the man's arm!

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

The man's entire arm had been lopped off at the shoulder! Another huge spray of blood splattered onto the already-dirty floor!

"Sorry. I used too much force. I didn't think you were so weak."

"Medics!"

"Next!"

The enthusiasm of the crowd quickly doused.

The next couple of challengers were still too enthralled by their fears to launch any forceful attacks. Ketis yawned again and again as she fended off the basic attacks with ease. She didn't forget to give them all a good whack afterwards!

Her body seemed to acquire a formidable aura. The more mech designers she beat down, the greater her statue to the remaining mech designers! It became increasingly harder to challenge her upfront, especially when she occasionally 'slipped' every now and then!

Ketis stabbed the tip of her sword straight through the upper leg of a woman.

"Oh gosh. I didn't mean to do that!"

Ketis whirled her greatsword like a tornado, inflicting a deep cut in the chest of a cowardly man!

"Whoops! I didn't practice this move!"

Ketis chopped her greatsword straight down, cutting off both an arm and a leg at once!

"Ahahaha. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

Ketis stabbed straight forward, managing to sink the tip of her greatsword half a finger deep into the flash of her latest challenger!

"Oops! I did it again!"

The stinking, coppery smell of blood spread through the hall. The poor underneath Ketis' feet kept growing larger. Almost no one believed that Ketis was a mech designer now. She seemed more like an asura who crawled straight out of hell due to all of the blood dripping from her training outfit!

Ves didn't care. He endured the ugly sight and smell as best as possible while observing each and every challenger with utmost care.

So far, he passed a handful of people more for reasons that no one figured out!

As the crowd of mech designers stagnated, Ves clapped again.

"Hurry up! This is your final chance to get recruited by me!" He shouted. "Fifteen spots in my quota are already taken, which means that there are 10 more vacant slots for you to occupy! Unless you are confident you can meet my girlfriend's expectations, you better hurry up and swing the sword before it's too late!"