Chapter 12 – The Weapon That Chose Its Master
The arena was still echoing with the aftermath of the final clash.
Dust slowly settled over the battlefield as the crowd struggled to catch its breath. This had not been an ordinary tournament match. Even seasoned warriors felt it—something had shifted.
High above, in the royal viewing stands, a visiting king leaned forward in his seat.
His eyes were locked on one man.
Kurogane Arin.
"…It can't be," the king murmured.
He knew that face.He knew that presence.
This was the boy his kingdom had cast out. The one they had called useless. The one they had exiled without a second thought.
And yet—
The air around Arin suddenly changed.
At first, it was subtle. A faint pressure, like the world itself holding its breath. Elina felt it immediately—her hand tightening on her weapon. Leon turned sharply toward Arin, his instincts screaming.
"Arin…?" Leon said quietly.
Arin froze.
He hadn't moved. He hadn't cast anything.
But his magic was responding.
The ground beneath the arena hummed. Ancient runes carved into the stone walls flickered—runes that hadn't reacted in centuries. A low resonance spread outward, pulsing once… twice… growing stronger.
Then—
Far away.
Deep beneath another kingdom's royal capital.
Inside a sealed vault filled with forgotten relics, a legendary weapon stirred.
Chains of magic shattered in silence.
The weapon vanished.
In the next instant, space itself tore open above the arena.
A column of light descended like a falling star.
The crowd screamed as a legendary-class weapon materialized midair, suspended by pure mana. Its form was unmistakable—ancient, refined, and overwhelming. Power rolled off it in waves, forcing even kings to rise from their seats.
The weapon slowly rotated…
Then stopped.
Pointing directly at Arin.
The visiting king stood abruptly, his face drained of color.
"No… this weapon only awakens when—"
When a true bearer appears.
The weapon responded to Arin's presence alone. Not to his will. Not to his command.
To his existence.
Arin felt it then.
His magic surged—raw, vast, and undeniable. For the first time, his power broke free of its restraint. The arena lights dimmed as elemental forces aligned instinctively around him.
Wind. Flame. Earth. Lightning.
Not summoned.
Recognizing him.
Elina stared, unable to hide her shock."Arin… you never told us…"
Leon swallowed hard."…This is beyond hidden strength."
The weapon descended gently into Arin's grasp.
The moment his fingers closed around it, the arena fell completely silent.
No explosion.No chaos.
Just certainty.
The king who had once exiled him sank back into his seat, trembling.
"So this is what we discarded…" he whispered."…And what we can never reclaim."
Arin stood tall, the legendary weapon glowing softly in his hand.
He didn't look at the kings.He didn't look at the crowd.
He only spoke once.
"I was never useless."
The tournament was no longer just a competition.
It had become a declaration.
And the world had finally noticed the hero it had tried to erase.