Hiro opened his eyes, the room was dim, apparently it was already night.

  "That much time has passed, I guess I didn't adjust as fast as I thought."

  He said, astonished as he went to one side of the room and activated a rune that lit up the room.

  "Now what?"

  At this time whatever the others had to discuss and reorganize was likely to have been done already, and as someone who would take part in the subjugation he definitely couldn't be left in the dark regarding these changes.

  (Continue to explore the changes in my other abilities or go out and find out what conclusions they've reached.)

  He wondered before deciding on the former after giving it some thought, it was without question that they would also take an initiative to inform him of everything he needed to know. So he could continue practicing with what little time he had left until someone came to get him.

  Having come to a decision he began arranging his thoughts, there were a lot of things he could do. Each rank had at least one thing gained from it and which continued to improve in the later ranks giving a rise in a swordsman's versatility. Like the ranged slashes unlocked upon becoming a master, and his most recent one, sword attribute granting. After becoming a sword sage, there was no longer a distinction between his self and the sword allowing him to grant swordly attributes to anything he touches. Even a feather could cut more sharply and precisely than a knife made by the best craftsman when he wields it. But something to note was simply because it was gained at higher rank did not mean it was more useful than those gained at lower ranks.

  "I'll go with ranged slashes, they are stealthy, if they could just develop in way that makes it possible to change their trajectory that would be Boone, my ranged fighting style would greatly change for the better."

  He said remembering how even though the fragment couldn't see his ranged slashes it could block them with great success. It was just that after being shot out they had a fixed trajectory, over long distances they could easily be evaded and even when they couldn't be dodged defending against them was easy. This restriction in short eliminating their greatest strength, their imperceivable nature.

  After choosing his next target for elevation, he grabbed a piece of paper that was on the table nearby. The paper was folded making it's length and width similar to that of a dagger. He proceeded to sit down on the chair beside the table after turning it to face the door, on the farther side of the room.

  He slashed vertically with the folded paper, a ranged slash shot out traveling towards the door but disappeared before reaching it. It wasn't that this was the limit of his range but that he could control how far they traveled upto the actual limit, which was more than tens greater than this.

  "This doesn't feel right, like before there's simply no control over the ranged slash."

  Hiro said after trying to extend his will to the ranged slash but failed, his wish was simply not the direction the ranged slash would take, he could only hope this time as well range wasn't the only thing that had improved about it.

  But regardless of his new opinion he continued to release one ranged attack after another, trying desperately to awaken an intuitive direction that would lead him to a breakthrough.

  While continuing with this action the door was suddenly opened as a ranged slash shot towards it. The door was now inside the room thus entering the slash's range and was cut as it traveled through it. This naturally alerted the person opening the door, Nubel. He did not see what was cutting through it however he moved awkwardly, falling back at the wall while evading to the side. Terror visible on his face, he held his neck, checking to see if it was intact. He was rune expert but without using protective runes anything that could cut the door with such ease would prove fatal even to him.

  Pant, pant!

  In the heat of the moment he had forgotten to breathe, only now did he notice and breathed heavily as if trying to make up for the lost breath. His heart a beating mess, he had just brushed with death. He was a warrior in his own right but this was his first time coming so close to death.

  As he steadied himself while he looked across the room, Hiro was aproaching and had a regretful expression. The slash earlier had been dispelled by him long before it could harm Nubel but how could the latter know when he could not see it and if Hiro said so would he believe it as fact.

  (I should have been carefull, right now although all my senses are working they aren't any different from a normal person. And my life sense and sight after that strenuous use they are being put to rest.)

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  He thought, Nubel coming this close was something unnoticed by him. Even though he had freed himself from the runes that shut off his senses, they hadn't returned to their peak state maybe an hour later they would but not much time had passed for recovery.

  Hiro offered an apology but Nubel dismissed it saying it was his fault for not knocking. But Hiro insisted explaining how indoors weren't for such practices.

  In the end this was a result of Nubel coming to invite Hiro to the Palace's banquet while under the impression of him being under the effect of the runes suppressing his senses.

  "Pathetic isn't it, I'm supposed to be a warrior but when faced with sudden danger I lost my cool and my instincts took over."

  He said with a trace of melancholy, he had just explained the purpose of his visit.

  "Fearing death and not fearing death, what does that have to do with being a warrior. Forget not fearing death, what truly matters is being able to push through the fear and act unclouded, this is courage. Everyone has it but not everyone nurtures it. Nurture your courage and there'll never be a fear too great or overwhelming to make your actions waver."

  Nubel's mood brightened before he spoke.

  "Thank you, I have learned much from this."

  (Please don't thank me, I feel bad for what just happened.)

  Hiro's heartached while he smiled awkwardly before saying.

  "Let's not delay any more, take me to the banquet hall."

  Nubel nodded then the two left the room. After closing the door, Nubel took out his engraver.

  "One moment sir Hiro"

  He said before moving to it and began to engrave a rune of restoration just above the damage area. After that he stepped back and watched as the cut area quickly mended itself.

  "We can leave now."

  Nubel continued after the restoration was done and the rune disappeared.

  Banquet hall, it was active with people being merry, eating and drinking.

  As Hiro entered someone announced his arrival quieting the the hall. Numerous gazes turned to his side, they were no longer the same gazes that were cast upon him on the first night at Akarn's palace. Their evaluation of Hiro had reached an all time high, he was equal to rune grandmasters they believed.

  And what were rune grandmasters, individuals with unrivalled might in the world. If they woke up one day and called themselves the ruler of the world, no one would oppose, kings and emperors would even give up their thrones with wide grins if he do wished it. The only thing that made them feel at ease was what had been said by the Rune King previously.

  "Sir Hiro this this way."

  The Rune King beckoned at him, to his sides was chief warrior Jura, Oldomus and a few others.

  (So it won't be Aleus briefing me. It makes sense, after all he isn't part of the subjugation.)

  Hiro thought separating from Nubel who had completed his task.

  "It is regretful but we'll only be as good as support when the subjugation begins."

  Started Oldomus after Hiro joined them.

  Hiro was silent, honestly he didn't mind having them as just support. More importantly even if they could not fight the fragment's clones on even ground, they had the rune of life force dispersion. It might not work on the real fragment but against the clones it ignored power targeting the core of their being, life force.

  "In the end there's only one dragon, one core. All others are merely a distraction, and I'll be heavily relying on you to find the core."

  He finally said with clear meaning.

  "Of course, we'll have all the rune finders joining the subjugation focus on finding it, we may not have the continent's number one with us but they aren't so far behind that it would be an issue."

  "And we may not be its match but together we can more than defend ourselves."

  Reassured Jura not willing to appear weak.

  Hiro gave a simple nod, he very satisfied with this. Coming here he gained more than what he had hoped for, the fragment's weakness, but now he had that and an army of rune experts and masters joining him in this fight. This was a load off his shoulders, it was just that he could not estimate by how much.

  Hiro continued to talk with them learning of the new strategy, he would concentrate on the fighting while they protected their rune finders and giving Hiro support when the situation called for it. And every fragment clone he subdued they would retaliate with a rune of life force dispersion against, thus finishing it off without Hiro having to worry about wasting his effort.

  After this Hiro was left alone to enjoy the banquet, but enjoy it he did not. Nobles and royalty kept on seeking his audience.

  "You see, I was hoping you could visit our kingdom when all this is behind us. The rune practitioners of our kingdom have already started restoring the true landscape of the land. We may be slower than Akarn, but our kingdom was originally a lushes land full of vitality it is far more wonderful even now than Akarn can ever be."

  Someone said.

  "A power that rivals runes without the use of life force, this is heavens way of telling us the outdated nature of runes. And you are its messenger, the chosen one tasked with leading the coming era. A fallen royal, who better to be a hero than you, as one I feel a sense of kinship with you. But to be sure I must ask. Is it possible to learn this power?"

  Asked a prince of a fallen kingdom with an expectant gaze.

  "Do forgive chief warrior Kruger, for his conduct earlier today, the man simply can't help but want to challenge those he believes to be strong. He's been stuck with the title of possibly the strongest on the continent, today's event was just too much of a godsend excitement took hold of him. He viewed it as a chance to prove he is the strongest warrior of our time. But clearly this time, he bit more than he could chew."

  Another came over, from the same kingdom as Kruger Hiro presumed.

  Many more came before and after these three, having various reasons different and similar. Hiro handled everyone of them well. He neither offended nor gave them the idea that he would be at their disposal. He dismissed them all giving vague responses, and with a great reason, the subjugation and meeting others. There were plenty of reasons to draw even from just the former, like having to rest before the big day, not being sure of returning in one piece, and such. With this even though he was swarmed he was never overwhelmed.