Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

"I can only teach you but you won't ever be able to imitate it." The old man told him, after Ceaser's continuous pestering about teaching him the final form of the Sword Arts.

Ceaser only had heard that there was a final form, but even though he asked continuously to be taught, the old man refused.

Until now, Ceaser has gone through many trials and has suffered a lot to reach this stage. He learned everything thrown at him and never complained(mostly).

So now, he has the right to learn about the final form as well, no?

"What exactly is the last form that you are so reluctant about it ?" Ceaser asked as he remained seated on the porch and watched the old man sharpen his blade using a stone.

The old man can go on about shining his blade for hours without taking a break.

"It's not a human can achieve. And it is not something that should be directed toward a human either." The old man responded coldly.

At that time, Ceaser just scoffed, thinking that the older one was just trying to act cool. He usually says things that didn't make sense at that time, since Ceaser didn't know the origin of the old man.

However, when the old man showed what the final sword art could do, all he said was, "I...can't do that."

...

That was a part of his past. His past self couldn't have achieved something like that. A technique not meant for a human and something that should not be directed at a human.

Why? Well, simply because no living human would get that strong to perform the technique.

However, he cannot hesitate now. The opponent in front was an undead. A being who rose from the dead and can suppress everything that carries Soul Energy.

No attack was affecting it, and if things continued like this, citizens would get involved in it.

He wouldn't hesitate now, or it would be too late.

And what could be a better time to utilize the technique when he couldn't depend on any other means to defeat his enemy?

"Everyone, move!" Edric shouted as soon as he heard the command from Alex.

Natasha and Rebecca frowned upon hearing that, however, the energy around Alex clearly told them that they should not question him.

They instantly jumped in a different direction.

The air thickened, pressing down as if the world itself held its breath. Alex's grip tightened around the wooden sword, his expression unreadable. The undead shifted, its hollow gaze locking onto him. Its body trembled, hunger twisting its decayed features.

And then it lunged.

Alex did not move.

The others watched, their instincts screaming for them to intervene, to do something—but something in Alex's stance, in the weight of the air around him, held them frozen. The wooden sword in his grasp seemed impossible still, untouched by the frantic wind stirred by the undead's approach.

Then, barely above a whisper—

"Eighth Form: Moonlit Severance."

A thin blade of light traced through the darkness. The world stilled.

The undead was still mid-lunge—its claws inches from Alex's throat—yet it was no longer whole.

A sharp, invisible force carved reality itself, leaving a wound in space. The creature's body trembled, confusion flickering in its dead eyes before it simply… fell apart. The cut was clean, seamless—too perfect as if the strike had been delivered before the moment even existed.

A heartbeat passed. Then another.

The aftershock arrived.

A delayed, soundless force ripped through the ground, splitting the earth where Alex stood. The air shuddered, releasing an unnatural whoosh that sent dust spiraling in a slow, dreamlike motion.

No one spoke.

Alex exhaled softly, lowering his sword. The glow in his eyes faded, but the weight of his presence lingered. The battlefield remained still, save for the last remnants of the undead dissolving into nothingness.

Everyone held their breath, awed by what they saw.

The speed of that slash was so unbelievably fast that they never saw him moving, yet such a grave result was before their eyes.

"Sarah...." Alex muttered before his body began to tilt to the left.

Sarah moved on instincts, not realizing that she used her Soul Energy to enhance her speed, as she reached near Alex and held him.

Alex was completely frozen, his hand holding the blade shaking slightly and his body completely rigid.

"Alex...talk to me," Sarah demanded as she started healing his body. There was no damage dealt to his soul...but his body...most of his bones were damaged and his muscles were spasming all over.

It was as if he was experiencing fatigue from a year-long training at once.

"I am okay...just it hurts," Alex responded, trying his best to not groan in pain. Damn, it hurts.

The other also arrived before them, before Edric asked, "What in the world was that technique?"

Edric couldn't trace that attack with his eyes, and by the expression of the other, he knew that they were the same.

An attack, without the assistance of magic or the Curse, was able to defeat an enemy that strong? To say Edric was flabbergasted would be a huge understatement.

"Cool, right? I slashed the dimension where he stood..." Alex wanted to explain, but Sarah glared and said,

"Don't talk. Even your throat is injured."

"Sarah...he will recover, right?" Celestria worryingly asked. Although she couldn't assess one's body like the Holy Saintess, she could tell by how much his muscles were twitching that he must be in pain.

The Saintess slowly nodded, "Yes, he will, only if he doesn't move around his body much...seriously, you knew what effect it would leave yet you didn't hesitate to use it."

Alex smiled fondly, a smile that hid all his pain, as he said, "I had people I can't bear to lose..."

A few maidens felt their heart rate elevating upon hearing those words. And surprisingly, a certain violet-haired was also affected by Alex's charm.

"Shouldn't we carry him back to safety, sis?" Amanda asked.

Sarah nodded before she allowed Edric to carry Alex on his back and carry him back to the castle.

An eventful battle with an anomalous enemy came to an anticlimactic end.

°°°°°°°°

"Ou, ou..." As Edric rested his body on the bed, Alex winced in pain.

It was like complete immobility of muscles was a little relief...but the slight movement was causing him immense pain.

Natasha wasn't present in the room, and so was Angela. They went to check on the people living in the capital to see if there had been any other sightings of the undead.

Jullie has got to know about the castle in these few days, that's why she volunteered to bring some heating pads to heal his muscles.

Celestria was helplessly sitting at his side, and running her hand through his hair to calm down his mind.

Sarah was restlessly calming down his muscles and healing his bones. Although she knew it wouldn't leave any lasting damage even if she didn't heal him right away, she was rather busy healing him to settle down her mental turmoil.

She believed that being a gangster in their last life always kept his life in danger, and things would change in this life. But she was wrong.

He escaped danger in the morning with the help of Edric and others, and by the night, he was once facing a disaster.

"Still man, that technique was sick. That undead never had a chance." Edric praised him and couldn't keep his mind away from what he witnessed.

Alex smiled, as he slowly uttered, "Never found the opportunity to use it until now." Although his throat was sore, it wasn't like he couldn't speak. It felt just like how it does after screaming for a long time.

[Your body couldn't withstand it because your Soul Energy was restricted. With the help of it, you may not injure yourself this much next time.]

Hearing the Curse's voice, a sense of relief spread in his chest. Well, at least he has a skill on his own that could help him overcome a disastrous situation in which he couldn't gain help from the Curse.

Soon, Jullie arrived with the heating pads and applied them on his arms and legs—providing him with much-needed relief.

"Alex...what about now?" Amanda unexpectedly asked.

Alex hummed in question before the girl continued, "Hunting the undead surely had affected your quest right? So if you finish your quest within a few days, what would you be doing?"

Alex realized that what she was saying was true. The quest was generated to strengthen his body so he could bear the powers of the Curse.

Regarding the question she asked, "I think I will stay here even after the completion of the quest."

That question surprised everyone, and that's why Alex soon followed, "There could be no better enemy than Soulless to train against since I won't need to hold back my strength. And this place is the best for Soulless summoning...so yeah, I am gonna stay here for the time being."

There was no point in wandering around and gathering information about the other realms.

There was not much time left and Alex had a long way to go.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- A little time skip. I guess fifty more chapters left in the story. Drop a comment.