When he eventually stepped into the large corridor where all the guests and royals stood gathered once again, they immediately hurled cups and teacups in his direction. Yet every single piece of crockery and splash of tea was deflected completely – all thanks to the sword he clutched as if his life depended on it.
The people were stunned and shocked to see that every throw they aimed at him bounced away without any visible effort on his part. Some whispered that it must be divine protection bestowed on Maximus by the ancient beings themselves, while others suggested all manner of wild explanations. But every single one of their speculations was entirely, absurdly wrong.
Then, without warning, the sword began to grow lighter in his grasp – almost as if it was responding to Maximus's mounting tension in that moment. He pulled it fully from its scabbard, and the entire room trembled with the motion. Unlike some who might have been guided by a magical system to tell them everything they needed to know, Maximus had nothing to rely on but his own instincts and careful reasoning to understand what this weapon truly was. He wondered if the sword had chosen him to be its next heir, or if he was simply the latest in a long line of wielders.
Still, he could not bring himself to unleash a powerful swing with it. Maximus did not possess a mana core, and such cores were critical for drawing out great power in difficult situations. Even so, the sword's unbreakable barrier allowed him to hold it comfortably now, without the torn fabric of his jacket getting in the way or being damaged by the blade's energy.
'He has the power of a god!'
'Everyone! Evacuate!'
The crowd scattered like tiny chicks darting to find shelter in one spot, while Maximus stood perfectly still in the middle of the room – completely unfazed by the chaos around him. Then, out of nowhere, a renowned and powerful swordsman lunged forward at him with his own weapon raised high. But the sword's protective barrier blocked every strike with barely any resistance at all.
"Hey, there's no need to be hostile," Maximus called out calmly. "I was only on my way to the library down the hall to the right."
But the swordsman paid him no mind at all.
'Hah! You think I would fall for tricks like that, villain? I doubt it very much myself!'
'Oh goodness...'
The swordsman pressed his attack relentlessly, striking from every angle he could reach. But it was all for nothing – the sword had granted Maximus a form of invincibility for as long as he held it in his hands.
After a time, Maximus grew tired of the endless assault. He slid the blade back into its scabbard and clipped it at his side once more.
Then he simply began walking toward the library doors, even as the swordsman continued to rain blows down on him. Maximus paid no attention to the strikes at all, because every single hit bounced harmlessly away – the force of each blow seeming to repel itself from the air around his body.
'I don't know if this invincibility is tied to the sword or if it's something else entirely,' he said as he moved. 'Either way, you won't be able to lay a finger on me.'
That sword had been the only thing that saved him from death just moments earlier.
Eventually, the swordsman had no choice but to stop – he had burned through all his mana and physical energy at the same time. With a heavy sigh, he surrendered to the fact that Maximus was truly untouchable, and a force far beyond what he could handle.
Inside the library, which Maximus opened with a push of the large wooden doors, he found thousands upon thousands of books arranged neatly on shelves that stretched across multiple floors. When he looked up toward the beaming light filtering down from above, he saw that at the very center of the vast room stood a grand statue of a sage – one said by many to have been all-knowing in ancient times, though Maximus had always doubted such tales.
He began searching carefully through the collections, looking for volumes that could teach him about the world's history, its powers, and all manner of other knowledge that might prove useful to him in the days ahead.
But for a long while, nothing he found felt meaningful enough.
Every book seemed to say the same things in different words, every text carried the same basic messages repeated over and over again, and every page felt like a copy of something he had already read. He was about to give up hope when he finally pulled out a volume that would become his lifeline – the Book of Figures.
Maximus read through its pages without stopping, his eyes racing over countless entries showing swords and legendary figures along with what was supposed to be detailed information about each one. But most of the content was incomplete. Almost every name the book mentioned was blank, every reference to divine beings had been left empty, as if some powerful force had deliberately censored the ancient history it contained.
'Why is it so hard to find clear answers in the books of this world? Why is everything so confusing and hidden away?!...'
He felt his frustration building slowly as he flipped through more pages – until at last, he spotted what he had been looking for. There it was: the Mighty Sword of Eia, the very weapon he had been holding just hours before.