[AOTFL] Chapter 9: First Exclusive Weapon

If someone had been able to peer inside Zexuan's body, they would have discovered streaks of golden patterns coursing through him that flickered between bright and dim, at times dazzling like starlight, at other times dull and lifeless as they pulsed rhythmically, almost like they were alive, beating like a heartbeat.

At this moment, they spread across every piece of his flesh, every internal organ, completely fused with him.

No, it would be more accurate to say that they were originally a part of him—possibilities born from Zexuan himself, only awakened by the Fantasy Library—they were inseparable from him, indistinguishable from his very being.

As soon as Zexuan grasped Ser-Veresta, the gold patterns that covered every corner of his body suddenly burst into radiant light.

Zing—!

Golden lines appeared on Zexuan's hand holding Ser-Veresta, flowing like liquid gold before running along the blade and inscribing the same golden patterns onto Ser-Veresta's surface.

Bzzz—

Ser-Veresta suddenly trembled before its body erupted with terrifying heat, forming a scorching wave that swept through the entire testing chamber.

"What the—?!"

On the other side of the glass, the white-coated personnel who had been working in an orderly manner immediately panicked.

"What just happened?"

Claudia also looked stunned, her hand tightening around the holster at her waist.

It couldn't be helped.

Because in that instant, not only had Ser-Veresta shown an intensely abnormal reaction, but the Orga Lux on Claudia's body had also started to tremble violently.

As the violent wave of heat from Ser-Veresta swept outward, it dyed the entire testing chamber a fiery red and distorted the air with its intensity, making the temperature in it rise at an alarming rate, turning it into a massive furnace.

"It's out of control?!"

"No way... these numbers are absurd!"

"Hey, the heat has passed the threshold! Th-This is something we've never seen before!"

"Activate the defense barrier! Quick!"

Exclaiming one after another, the white-coated personnel behind the glass hurried to operate the equipment, causing a transparent barrier to rise around the edges of the testing chamber.

Ultimately, all the heat was sealed within the barrier—even Claudia was forced to remain outside, isolated by the barrier.

Only Zexuan remained inside, holding the blazing Ser-Veresta, his clothes fluttering wildly in the center of the intense heat wave, while the shimmering air distorted his figure until even his silhouette grew blurry.

Because of this, no one present noticed the gold patterns on Zexuan or Ser-Veresta, and only Ser-Veresta itself became aware of its own changes, making it release an incredible amount of heat.

Mana gathered around Ser-Veresta, forming black lines that floated downward, eventually sinking into the red Urm Manadyte embedded in it, making it glow even more vividly.

At the same moment, under the pressure of such extreme heat, Ser-Veresta's pure-white blade gradually turned black.

Ser-Veresta's blade had always been formed from concentrated heat, capable of cutting through anything and melting steel with ease. Now, with even more intense heat, the magic sword finally revealed a pitch-black blade worthy of its name, showing its output was higher than ever before.

It went without saying that with such extreme heat, even a Genestellar wouldn't be able to endure it—anyone too close to the sword might be melted on the spot. Yet Zexuan, facing the heat directly, not only remained completely unharmed, but he also stood there steadily, gripping Ser-Veresta without even a single bead of sweat on his body.

He simply stared at Ser-Veresta in front of him, sensing its will.

From his perspective, Ser-Veresta, which had just lost interest in him moments ago, now seemed as if it had suddenly awakened—first came emotions of shock and confusion, and then it turned its attention back to him.

As if it had seen something unbelievable and understood something astonishing, Ser-Veresta's emotions began to shift—changing from doubt, surprise, and confusion into joy, excitement, and even... fervor.

Ser-Veresta's reaction looked as if it were a loyal subject meeting its king.

Before long, golden patterns flowed from Zexuan's hand into Ser-Veresta, immediately injecting into it at the fastest possible speed.

Soon, the golden patterns completely covered Ser-Veresta's body, shifting between bright and dim, dazzling and dull, transforming into an extremely complex and mysterious geometric design, which was branded onto its Urm Manadyte and absorbed into it.

At this point, Zexuan's ultimate authority over armaments had officially been activated.

Ser-Veresta underwent its one-time-only acceptance process by Zexuan, becoming his first exclusive weapon.

Beep! Beep!

In the testing chamber, the screen showing the compatibility rate also made a sound, with the value rapidly climbing.

Seeing this, the white-coated personnel were left stunned.

Under their watch, the originally low compatibility rate of 8% soared at an incredible speed, soon surpassing the 80% standard required by Seidoukan Academy for borrowing an Orga Lux.

As time passed, the value continued to rise until it reached the full 100%, only to turn into a jumble of characters with a loud alarm.

Seeing this absurd scene, not only Claudia, but even the white-coated personnel were left wide-eyed in shock.

"N-No way... the compatibility rate… can't be measured!"

One of the white-coated personnel reported, his voice trembling.

"He... broke through the limit!"

Everyone knew that the highest possible compatibility rate was undoubtedly 100%, yet someone had actually broken through that limit.

Ser-Veresta, known as a top-tier Orga Lux and one of the Four Colored Magic Swords, had been unusable for many years. Like the other magic swords, it was known for being nearly impossible to wield.

Now, however, not only had someone managed to wield it, but the compatibility rate between them had also surpassed the limit, reaching an unprecedented height!

Hummm—

Suddenly, the energy blade formed from mana vibrated with a buzzing sound.

Zexuan, who had been holding Ser-Veresta high, lowered his hand, smiling as he looked at the Orga Lux, which now seemed to exude a willing intent.

At the same moment, the temperature in the testing chamber began to drop as the heat dissipated.

"Let's get along well from now on, Veresta."

A soft chuckle mixed with these words, disappearing along with Claudia's complex gaze in the distance as the heat faded away.

===

Top Floor of the High School Building, Student Council Office.

"Is this good enough? Prez?"

Zexuan handed the last signed document to Claudia, who was sitting behind the desk.

"Yes, everything is completed now."

Claudia took the document, her gaze fixed on Zexuan as if trying to read something from him while maintaining her usual calm smile.

"So, when can I get Ser-Veresta?" Zexuan casually asked.

"Once the equipment department completes the final adjustments and examinations on Ser-Veresta, it will be handed over to you immediately." Claudia answered truthfully.

Despite the numerous events that had just occurred and the outrageous fact that the compatibility rate had been exceeded, the academy had ultimately decided to allow the loan of Ser-Veresta.

They probably wanted to know what kind of power would be unleashed if someone took an Orga Lux capable of breaking the compatibility rate into battle. Collecting usage data was, after all, the very purpose of lending Orga Luxes to students.

As a result, Zexuan successfully obtained Ser-Veresta, an Orga Lux that, in a little while, would be in his hands.

Of course, if he wanted, he could summon Ser-Veresta right now since it had become his exclusive weapon, always ready to be summoned.

Others still thought that Zexuan had merely borrowed Ser-Veresta, but in reality, this Orga Lux had already been changed to his name.

However, Zexuan wasn't going to reveal this.

Claudia, who had no idea about this, felt a bit conflicted, as she hadn't expected that Zexuan would truly get his hands on Ser-Veresta.

"Wait... the future... has changed..."

Claudia muttered to herself, looking dazed.

"What?"

Zexuan didn't quite catch what Claudia said and looked at her in confusion.

"Nothing." Claudia quickly snapped back to reality, shaking her head and casually smiling. "Ser-Veresta is an extremely powerful Orga Lux, but it's also famous for being difficult to control. I hope you can use it properly, Aoran."

Upon hearing this, Zexuan nodded and smiled calmly.

"I will."