9 Scythe

Elder Lawson eyed the weapon John was reaching out towards, one eyebrow raised. "Ah, this weapon is quite special. Although it's made from the highest quality material when compared to any other weapon on this floor, it's been sitting here for several hundred years without anyone choosing it."

John reached out to the lone weapon, his fingers grazing across the pitch-black handle. His fingers traced upwards to the sharp curving blade, which cut him upon contact.

"Ouch!" John exclaimed, pulling back his finger. He hadn't expected the weapon to be so sharp. Just gently running his fingers across the blade cut his skin and drew blood. He could only imagine what would happen when someone was struck by this weapon at full force.

"It truly was a waste for this weapon to be made. Profound dark crimsonite ore is actually quite rare, and is normally used to make Core Formation grade weapons. I have never understood why someone made this weapon using this rare material at only this level. This material is suitable for Core Formation level weapons," exclaimed Elder Lawson.

The weapon in front of John and the elder was a black scythe with red hues scattered throughout the weapon. The slender handle of the scythe stretched six feet, with a three foot curving blade at the end. A sharp three-pronged backside on the opposite side of the scythe blade, as well as a sharp spear-like protrusion at the top of the blade stuck out, making the weapon look quite formidable.

"Why has no one selected this weapon before?" John asked curiously. Based on what he could see before him, the weapon was quite remarkable for a Mist Creation grade weapon.

"It's pretty simple. The first issue with the weapon is that it's a scythe. As I'm sure you know, almost no one uses a scythe, as it's quite an awkward weapon to use. Becoming proficient with a scythe is much harder than becoming proficient with, say a sword or a spear. The second point is related to the material used to make the weapon. Scythes wielders are known for their speed and nimbleness on the battlefield, while this weapon is too heavy for any Mist Creation realm cultivator to use properly" Elder Lawson explained.

After staring at the weapon for a few seconds, Elder Lawson continued, "That's why I mentioned the waste of good materials on this weapon." The elder shook his head and sighed at the thought of wasted materials.

John studied the weapon for a bit before grabbing the handle. Breathing in deeply, John put all his might into picking up the weapon.

Slowly, inch by inch, the weapon rose off the weapons rack. "I. Don't. Believe. I. Can't. Pick. You. Up" he grunted through gritted teeth. After fifteen seconds of struggling to raise the weapon, he finally managed to get it to waist height before losing his grip on the weapon.

Peng!

The weapon made a deafening sound as it collided with the dark stone floor. Elder Lawson sighed as he gestured to the scythe, making it float back into its original position. "As I was saying, the weapon really doesn't make any sense, and therefore no one has selected it as long as I can remember. It's already incredibly impressive that you can lift this weapon at all in the Blood Refinement realm."

John stared at the weapon for quite some time before prying his eyes away from it. For some inexplicable reason, from the second he laid eyes on the scythe he was drawn over to it. It wasn't this scythe in particular, but more of a general sense of familiarity when he saw the scythe. Although John had trained scythe arts during his weapons training programs, he had never felt any affinity towards the weapon, finding it quite cumbersome instead. Now however, he felt a peculiar familiarity that he couldn't describe.

"Elder Lawson, is it okay if I take this weapon?" asked John. He didn't know why, but John wanted this weapon.

"Well, normally Body Refiners are not allowed to select Mist Creation grade weapons...but since this weapon hasn't been selected for hundreds of years, I suppose I can make an exception" replied the elder.

"Thank you," John graciously thanked the elder before turning back towards the weapon. He brushed his fingers along the handle and blade a few more times before storing the weapon in his storage ring.

"I now have two weapons that I can use. The greatsword should be useful in the near term, while the Scythe should become useful once I break through to Mist Creation."

Weapon's obtained, he followed the elder back downstairs, thanking the elder once more before leaving the building.

"I've trained scythe techniques in the past, but I'm not as proficient at scythes as I am most other weapons. I wonder if the White Feather martial library has any more books on fundamental scythe techniques? I've already browsed through the first two and a half floors, but I don't remember seeing much on scythes there."

Arriving at the library a few minutes later, he entered the building and walked to the main receptionist.

"Excuse me, do you know if this library has any book regarding scythe techniques and fundamentals?" he asked as he approached the main lobby receptionist. The man looked up from his desk and responded "On the fourth floor, in the weapons section. There is one book regarding scythe fundamentals."

"Thank you" John said, then walked towards the staircase leading to the higher floors. After climbing the stairs, John arrived on the fourth floor and walked to the weapons section. Finding the right aisle, he perused the books for several minutes before finding what he wanted.

"Ah, here it is," he said as he read the cover 'Fundamental Scythe Techniques and Stances.'

Taking the book off the shelf, John proceeded to the fourth-floor balcony overlooking the martial training area, he sat down and opened the book to the first page.

"The fundamentals of the scythe are simple yet complex. The essence of scythe combat is sharpness and fluidity. Agility and power. Speed and decisiveness. While other weapons rely on powerful arts and grand inheritances, the scythe focuses on one thing: reaping lives...."

John raised his eyebrows at the initial description of scythe combat before continuing to read the rest of the book. The book covered everything from basic stances, to complex attack trajectories. Engrossed in the content before him, John once again lost track of time.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a light glow on the surroundings before John came to hits wits and realized the time. Stretching his aching legs, he stood up and strode back into the library, returning the book to its original location.

After arriving home, John ate some dinner with his family before going to his room and climbing into bed.

"Tomorrow, I'll go back into the forest to truly test out my new strength," he mumbled before falling asleep.

...

That night, John found himself once again floating out in the void, but unlike the void at the palace, there was no mist to block his vision. In every direction, he could see stars shimmering in the endless distance.

In the void thousands of miles away, John could barely make out two figures floating there, staring at each other. Although no features of either of them were discernible, John was sure that there were two figures floating there in the blackness.

All of a sudden, an explosion beyond description filled the void, radiating outwards from where the two figures were floating. John watched as space collapsed and disintegrated as the explosion annihilated all in its path, including John himself.