9 First Blood and Meeting Basara's Original Sword, Brynhildr

*Gaksu-Golyi*

Otto spun the staff in a circular motion, directing the fist away from him.

*Baaaaang!!!*

The ground was crushed as it was followed by a loud bang of thunder from Budo's elemental attack.

*Dog Seller*

Otto then spun the spear letting it suck the air in the surrounding creating a whirlwind, before drilling it to Budo's chest.

"How can that steel staff bend?" Budo asked while patting his chest.

It may not look like it didn't hurt him, but deep inside Budo, he had the urge to scream from the top of his lungs and was just trying to keep his face in front of the other elders.

"It can't bend obviously. I'm just too fast that it looks like it bends." Otto said as he went back to the weapon rack.

"You're having second thoughts on your chosen weapon?"

"Staff aren't really for me." Otto would much prefer to fight with a katana, spear, or just pure fisticuffs.

Otto watched too many Samurai-related videos or shows on the internet that he could imitate easily. For a pointed weapon such as a spear that specializes in thrusting with the use of strength, it goes well with his Code: Unknown. Lastly his body in general, it's his best option in fighting as he shouldn't need to hold back his brute strength which usually breaks weapons.

Otto switches his weapon to a katana and a halberd.

"Don't you feel hindered?" Budo asked since Otto was carrying weapons that were almost half times his weight, which could unbalance your posture in a battle where the one who had a strong and fixed stance would win.

"Nope. Not at all." Otto swept using the spear in one hand, as it attracted Budo's lightning in his gloves.

Budo too, on a defensive stance and waited for an opening.

"He's holding two weapons, so he should have a hard time moving right?' He thought.

"What are you even doing?" Otto charged at him as he started by delivering several heavy strikes to his head.

Budo was caught off guard because he expected the kid to be much slower after using 2 weapons with one hand.

"Tsk. A slight miscalculation." Budo didn't want to be defeated by a mere kid in front of everyone, it would be too humiliating for him to bear.

"Waaaahhh" Budo finally parried his strike perfectly as he threw an uppercut to Otto.

"Too slow old man." Otto immediately backed away, before dragging his spear around him in a violent sweep as it sparks in flame.

*Perilous Sweep*

Otto leaped toward Budo, as he released flames in his spear crashing into Budo's lightning gauntlets.

"This fast?" Bismarck muttered.

"He's really fast huh, Uncle Bismarck." Takashi looked at Otto admiringly and thought what kind of training he had gone through.

"As expected of him. He learned to use elements on his own." Bismarck felt proud to find such a talented gem in the street. His words shocked the 5 of the children sitting beside him.

"He learned it by himself???" Yuki asked in surprise.

"Yup. I didn't train him or anything." He replied truthfully.

"..." Kurumi groans, as she considers herself special for being a very talented elementalist within the young generation in the village. Now she suddenly felt attacked, as there was someone who appeared and might outshine her in terms of magic, which she very is proud of.

"Wow. Cool." Takashi's eyes sparkled, and Basara felt excited as he was currently known as the most talented child in the Hero clan.

"Mortal Strike!" Otto roared as he raised the katana in his right hand as it emitted a reddish-black aura, before fully launching it to Budo.

"Lightning Pound!" Budo tried his best to defend it, but his guard was broken by the spear coming from his right side as it cut his hand off.

"Aaahhh!" He screamed. But Otto didn't stop in his steps, approaching Budo who only had 1 hand left.

*Spiral Cloud Passage*

Otto leaped past Budo, slashing along the way cutting his arms in the process.

"MMffff." Budo lost a lot of blood as he turned around in Otto's direction only to meet a katana to his jugular his blood sprayed out the area.

"Budo!!!!" All of the elders were pissed as they never expected the kid to have the gall to kill one of them.

"Stop." Bismarck and Jin who recently arrived, glared at elders.

"Hoooh." Otto wiped his sweat as this was his first intense 1 versus 1. "Hesitation is defeat." Otto said to the corpse, as he threw the sword to it.

"Jin, Bismarck, what's the meaning of this!? An elder was killed in front of us!" One of the elders complained.

"The kid did what he was told didn't he?" Jin asked as he heard the ridiculous condition.

"Uh-- he should've stopped on killing Budo, it was unnecessary!" They protested.

"And what are you going to do with it?" Otto's gaze fell on them.

"Wanna piece of me as well?" He grinned, as he thought of Budo as nothing more of a testing dummy.

Hearing his words, the elders wanted to go and kill the brat. But Bismarck and Jin would certainly interfere if they were going to make a move since they're backing him up.

"Tsk, go ahead and leave this place as soon as possible." One of the elders spoke before leaving. The other old men were confused about why and dismissed the kid so easily.

"Heh, there you have it. Let's go eh?" Jin smirked as we all left towards the weapon selection area.

'*sigh* In the end we didn't need the permission of the old geezers.' Otto thought.

...

Otto wondered if anyone could come here and steal all of it or would the other sword here would choose their wielders.

All the weapons in the sanctuary weapon selection seem to be open to the public as it wasn't locked away in a secret place.

"Open it," Bismarck said seriously to the Miko guarding a huge door.

"Only 1 person can go in." She stated without emotion, as she opened the seal.

Otto stepped inside before hearing the old man.

"Don't lose your mind okay?" Bismarck said as the door temporarily closed.

"Do you think he'll succeed?" Jin asked.

"Yeah! I'm sure he would." Takashi spoke up, making the 3 girls glare at him as to why he's idolizing Otto.

-Inside-

"Damn it's dim in here..." Otto complained as the only light was just fireflies floating around.

"Let's see, where this Brynhildr is..." He looked around the place with several weapons with an orb engraved, lying on the ground.

Otto wondered who made these lame weapons, as to him the designs looked ugly.

He looked for 10 minutes before he complained again as to why he didn't ask about the appearance of the damned sword before coming inside.

"Well, whatever... I'll just pick which one's the coolest. After all the strongest one is the coolest one right?" Otto resorted to using anime logic to pick a good weapon.

Otto browsed all kinds of swords, bows, spears, and gauntlets. But still find all of them unappealing.

"Tsk, they all look shit." He complained before he suddenly felt something calling him.

"Come...---" A faint voice called out to Otto as he approached where the voice originated.

"Brynhildr?" He muttered as he arrived at the single-edged sword with a pure silver color.

"It's me---" The voice was faint as it wanted to be wielded by Otto.

"This is fabled Brynhildr?" Otto took a look at it. and though it had a decent design, it wasn't enough for him.

"Child. I am Brynhildr, and I choose you as my owner." Brynhildr's spirit spoke bluntly and directly to Otto's mind as he wasn't affected by the evil spirit part of her.

"Hmmmmmm.. A sword that can communicate..." Otto didn't like his privacy to be invaded by someone speaking to his head.

And yet again he felt a calling from somewhere else.

"???" Otto thought that there was a sword similar to Brynhildr as we went away from her, and thought that it might look cooler than this old hag.

"Waaaaaiit---" Brynhildr shouted slightly. "Take me with you!" She begged.

Otto looked at the sword, before taking it with him. No harm in taking multiple swords right? The old man did say I need to take this out of here.

He appeared in front of a Katana that was stuck deep in the ground.

"Oh? This might be it." He muttered.

"Wait child- don't tell me I'm not enough!?" Brynhildr sounded offended as to why her chosen owner looked for another sword other than her.

"No? I don't even know your capabilities." He replied bluntly telling her that her design wasn't for his liking and just grabbed her for collection purposes.

"I'm sharp... I can steal souls, create armor, and use the powers of the soul stolen." She politely explained to not make him downgrade her value.

"..." Otto just stared at her, before pulling the katana that was stuck on the ground.

"What do you want!? I just want to get out of this gloomy place!!!" Brynhildr grimaced as he might choose another sword other than her.

After years of being stuck in this place searching for a rightful and worthy master to serve, it would be frustrating if someone worthy would just abandon her after all years of waiting.

"Stop whining will ya? I might as well leave you here as you're annoying as hell to be a companion." Otto scoffed, as she obediently followed.

'This Katana... I like it.' Otto smirked as he recognized the katana.

...

-Chapter End-