When Ryu saw the image, he lost his breath for a moment.
Half of the weapon was shrouded in a heart stopping mystique. It was a jet-black blade, radiating out with a dark fog.
It had a width of two feet and a length of almost two meters. The blade was so flat that it seemed capable of slicing a piece of paper down its thickness. There was a slight taper to it, leading to a slightly elevated spine that just barely reflected the light. Everything about the weapon screamed to one's inner demons, calling out for slaughter.
But, this was just one half. The hilt of the weapon stretched out into a polearm over a meter long. It was wrapped in the scales of a dragon, wheezing and breathing as though it was alive. Every pulse caused the scales to lift slightly, revealing a sinister red beneath.
It felt like just grasping this hilt would slice one's palm apart and just swinging the weapon would allow it to drink one's blood.
A second copy of this weapon stood side by side, they seemed to be calling out to Ryu, begging them to take them into his hands.
Ryu in took a sharp breath. He could feel his blood rampaging about, threatening to burst out from their veins. He had never seen a weapon call out to him in this way.
He subconsciously reached out, trying to touch them. But, when he expected to feel his palms being sliced into by the sharp scales of the hilt, he grasped onto something soft instead.
Ryu shook his head, his vision clearing, only to find his large hands practically disappearing into Ailsa's ample breast.
"Oh. Sorry." Ryu pulled his hand away, his expression regaining its calm.
Ailsa giggled. "Why don't you touch some more."
A slight blush colored her face. Though Ryu had already seen her everything, this was the first time he had touched her in such a way. Plus, even if he was cold, he could at least pretend to have enjoyed it, right? Why was his face still so bland?
Luckily, Ailsa could read Ryu's thoughts so she was well aware he enjoyed it more than he was letting on. It was a good thing too, or else she would begin questioning her womanly charms.
Ryu shook his head with a slight bitter smile. This woman played too much. But, he didn't necessarily hate it.
"So, what did you think?" Ailsa said after she was finished teasing Ryu. "How manly would you be wielding such weapons?"
The great sword was already a weapon of men, but this seemed to take it to a completely different level.
That said, not just anyone would be able to wield such a weapon. Not only would it take an insane amount of strength, the dexterity required would be beyond most. Ailsa believed that Ryu was one of the very few who could manage it.
Ryu took a deep breath.
"It's a beautiful weapon… I could feel it resonating with me…"
The swordstaff, in a lot of ways, was just like Ryu. Both had been abandoned by the world and both wanted to carve out their own path within it again. This was the first time Ryu had felt such a way about a weapon.
The Tatsuya Saintly weapons were for his father and grandfather. But… This was for him.
"However…"
Ailsa froze, a tinge of worry coloring her expression again. Her excitement waned considerably just by virtue of this single word.
"That weapon's power is currently beyond me. Even if we have your funds and can commission its build, I wouldn't be worthy of it. Shouldn't we start with something a bit more in my league? And also something that wouldn't make every Dao Pedestal Realm expert on the Moon World chase after me as though their lives depended on it."
Though Osiris was a Dream World, shipping things into an out of it was incredibly easy. Everything here was illusory, but something like teleporting products across worlds would be exceptionally easy.
It could be said that thanks to Ailsa's wealth, Ryu already had everything at his finger tips.
Ailsa was stunned when she heard this, but then she suddenly began laughing. Her laughter was so beautiful that the energies of the world seemed to sing. One would think that she had just accomplished the goal of a lifetime. Her smile was so genuine that Ryu felt as though centuries of icicles were slowly melting around him.
Ailsa pounced into Ryu's arm, happily burying her head into his chest.
Ryu was stunned for a moment before he shook his head, a light smile on his face. He patted her head, allowing her to do as she pleased.
Sometimes, this Cultus Faerie of his acted more like a little girl than a billion year old existence.
**
Many hours later, Ryu walked out of a weapon's smith shop with two massive Great Swordstaffs strapped to his back. His every step was heavy, causing the ground to quake.
Unfortunately, he still hadn't mastered the control of his body. So, whereas in the real world his steps would be as light as a feather regardless of the weight he carried. In this world, he was practically a walking earthquake.
From within the weapon's smith shop, an older man wiped his brow of sweat, a partially curious and partially gratified light in his eye. As a weapon's smith, his job could often be quite repetitive. Casting the same weapons, repairing the same weapons, forging the same weapons…
Swords, swords, swords and more swords. Occasionally, he would get a spear master. But, after enough years, he had gotten bored of this as well.
But today, he finally got to forge something new, and he had to say that he was greatly satisfied.
"Youths these days are quite ambitious… But, I guess you can do whatever you want when you have a beauty like that by your side…"
…
Outside the shop, Ryu reached his arms to his back. Strong winds kicked up the moment he unsheathed the twin Great Swordstaffs. Each weighed over ten million jin, so just their slight movement seemed to make the world tremble.
Ryu's arms flexed, veins bulging as he held them out horizontally.
The Great Swordstaffs glistened with a silvery light. The runes drawn across their body reflected beneath the sunlight, bouncing in every which direction.
The blades had a more three dimensional structure, making it look like blunt weapons from afar. But, the very edges contained a sharp sheen experts would never miss.
Both weapons were Peak Earth Grade treasures, radiating a might that made all those who saw them tremble. At this moment, for the first time in a long time, Ryu felt that he was limiting his weapon's strength rather than the other way around.
He activated the runes of the treasures, causing a force field to appear around him.
BANG!
A massive crater with Ryu at the center of it all appeared, the weapons each doubling in weight.
Ailsa watched with a smile to the side, floating in the air to avoid the destruction. Just watching them enter Ryu's hands, she knew she had deduced correctly. He was made for this weapon.
At that moment, the sound of clapping forced Ryu to pull his attention away from his weapons, a cold light suffusing his gaze.
A young woman leading and entourage came forward, her slender hands clapping against one another.
"To have such strength at the Middle Divine Vessel Realm… And what… Interesting weapon choice. As expected of someone with such high authority."
The young woman smiled, looking up at the floating Ailsa as well.
"Would you two care to have a chat?"