Reborn As A Maid

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 - One Sword

Light flooded the ancient valley while the mist rolled between the steep cliffs.

Everything was calm and still. Apart from the sound of flowing water and singing birds.

Jennie stood alone in the center of the stone circle—the place where the Three Divine Swords united the day before. Her silver hair was floating lightly in the wind. Excalibur was hanging at her waist. Leviathan was lazily flying over the stream. Tempest was joyfully dancing in the air, causing miniature whirlwinds in the wildflowers.

Snow was lazily resting under an ancient tree. "I still believe this is a terrible idea."

Roxy instantly nodded. "I agree."

Jennie smiled. "I’ll be careful."

Snow raised an eyebrow. "Those are famous last words."

Excalibur sounded peacefully. "The fusion was a success. Your body just needs some time to get used to it."

Jennie nodded. "That means instead of forcing it—I need to learn to synchronize with all three of you."

Leviathan agreed. "Correct."

Tempest was spinning joyfully in the air. "Let’s try again!"

Snow looked up to the sky. "I have a bad feeling."

Jennie went to the center of the ancient circle.

She slowly took out Excalibur. The golden light started to fill the valley.

After that came the Leviathan. Mana in blue waves spread all over.

At last—Tempest appeared. Silver winds enveloped her body.

Three Divine Swords. Three wills of the ancients.

Jennie closed her eyes.

She remembered the feelings from yesterday.

Not dominance. Not command.

Harmony.

Trust.

All three swords responded immediately.

The golden light. The blue waves. The silver winds.

The powers combined.

The air stopped moving for a second.

The ancient runes on the ground activated once again.

The valley started trembling.

Roxy unconsciously took a step back. "It’s happening again."

Snow narrowed his eyes. "This time... it’s more calm."

Indeed—unlike the explosion of divine energies yesterday, this fusion was peaceful.

The lights were gently wrapping around the three swords. Their blades started dissolving in the streams of light and merging together.

Bright white flash lit the whole valley.

When it disappeared—Jennie was holding the single sword.

It was even more majestic than the others. The blade was glittering with the golden patterns moving along it. The blue currents were flowing beneath the steel like an endless sea. Silver lightning was sparkling elegantly on its edge. Its hilt looked like the wings of a celestial dragon embracing the heaven.

The sword was radiating divine energy.

Even standing dozens of meters away, Snow could feel the pressure. "...Amazing."

Roxy could hardly breathe. "Never saw such a pure mana."

Jennie slowly opened her eyes.

She felt everything.

The wind moving between the leaves. Rivers flowing underground. The heartbeats of every living thing around.

This was not merely a sword. It was like she was holding the part of the world.

Tempest was happily laughing. "Now this is the right feeling!"

Leviathan was sounding softly. "Our true power—"

Excalibur finished. "—has only started to awaken."

Jennie carefully picked up the Divine Blade. "I’ll use just a little."

Snow immediately shouted, "That’s exactly what worries me!"

Roxy quickly placed several barriers around the valley. "Just in case!"

Jennie smiled apologetically.

Then—she made a single horizontal practice strike.

Nothing more.

No sword technique. No divine skill. Just one ordinary strike.

Silence was followed. Nothing happened.

Jennie blinked. "...Did it fail?"

Then—

The mountain far away from the valley suddenly split precisely into two halves. The upper half started to slide away from the lower one and then fell into the valley several kilometers away.

The sound reached them a few seconds later.

*BOOOOOOM! *

Shock wave spread all across the plain. The forests bended under the pressure. The clouds scattered across the sky.

Snow’s mouth slowly opened. "..."

Roxy stared at the distant mountain. "..."

Neither of them could say anything.

Jennie herself was frozen. "...I only did one strike."

Snow finally interrupted the silence. "Remember me... never to stand in front of you."

Tempest was loudly laughing. "This was incredible!"

Leviathan remained calm. "Only a small part of our complete power."

Roxy slowly turned to Jennie. "A small part?"

Jennie looked horrified. "I didn’t try to slice the mountain."

Excalibur answered. "The mountain was just in the way of your sword."

Snow buried his face in his paws. "That’s somehow worse."

Jennie was looking at the Divine Blade. Her expression gradually became serious.

"If one carelessly strike can do this—" She looked at the forest nearby where a lot of birds flew away. "What will happen inside the city?"

No one answered.

Silence was the answer itself.

Entire kingdoms might disappear.

Jennie slowly put down the sword. "No. I can’t use this power."

Roxy looked confused. "But becoming stronger is our aim?"

Jennie nodded. "The power exists to protect. If I lose control—I’ll become more dangerous than the Demon Generals."

Snow proudly smiled. "That was my expected answer."

Excalibur sounded warm. "You haven’t changed."

Jennie looked at the blade. "What do you mean?"

"A thousand years ago—you had the overwhelming power. But you were more afraid of harming innocent people than facing the Demon Emperor."

Leviathan agreed. "Power without restraints becomes the destruction."

Tempest sounded strangely. "That’s why we chose you."

Jennie gently smiled. "That’s why—I’ll learn to use this power. Not to become stronger. To make sure that no one will fear the sword in my hands."

The three Divine Swords were resonating together.

For a brief moment their lights united into one.

The training lasted for the whole day.

Jennie trained to take out the sword, hold it, walk with it, understand its balance.

She didn’t make any strikes again.

Instead, she trained to understand it.

Hours passed.

At sunset she could keep the fusion for nearly a minute before being too strained.

Even Excalibur was surprised by her progress.

As the sun went down, the merged sword split into Excalibur, Leviathan, and Tempest.

Jennie was breathing heavily, with sweat on her face.

But she was smiling despite the tiredness. "One minute. Tomorrow—I’ll do better."

Snow walked to her carrying the fresh fish. "Training is over. You deserve to eat something."

Roxy laughed. "And this time, Jennie is cooking."

Snow seriously nodded. "We are celebrating that we survived one more day."

Jennie laughed. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

Their laughter echoed through the peaceful valley.

But far behind the mountains, where the trio couldn’t see, the cleanly divided mountain peak remained as a silent evidence of the power Jennie possessed now.

The power greater than any legend.

The power that, if mastered completely, could decide the outcome of the upcoming Great Demon War.

Night fell calmly over the ancient valley.

Campfire danced under the star-filled sky, while the sound of the insect chorus and the streams flowing through the valley formed a tranquil melody. After spending the whole day on the training, Jennie was sitting alone by the stone circle, where the three swords had merged for the first time.

Roxy was already lying asleep in the tent. Exhausted after creating protective barriers for the whole day.

Snow laid near the tent with his eyes closed.

Well—at least he tried to make it look like he was asleep.

Jennie smiled. "You know that I know you are awake."

One golden eye gradually opened. "I wasn’t sleeping."

"Snoring."

"I... meditated."

Jennie chuckled. "I’ll take your word for it."

Snow flashed a grin and closed his eye once again. "As long as you won’t split any other mountains tonight."

"I won’t."

"That’s good. I want to sleep."

Jennie looked at the three swords lying next to her.

Excalibur. Leviathan. Tempest.

All three of them were glowing under the influence of the moonlight.

She put her hand on the hilt of Excalibur. "I have a question."

Excalibur responded instantly. "Ask."

"When the three of you merged—you said that that wasn’t your true form."

Long pause.

Then the Leviathan started talking. "No. That was not."

Tempest’s usually bright voice took a completely different shade. "We remembered only part of us."

Jennie’s face darkened. "Tell me—who are you?"

In front of her the three swords floated in the air.

Golden. Blue. Silver.

Their lights mingled once again, but there wasn’t any power surge anymore.

Instead, their lights surrounded Jennie like stars drifting through the night sky.

Excalibur spoke first. "Close your eyes."

Jennie did it.

Once darkness covered her vision—another world opened right in front of her.

She was standing in a endless plain of white color.

There was no sky. No Earth. Just countless divine roots spreading infinitely around her. They shimmered with divine light. They contained life itself. Their branches were connected to the stars.

Jennie couldn’t help staring at that sight. "Where am I?"

Leviathan softly replied. "A memory."

Tempest flashed a smile. "Very...very old."

In the middle of those countless roots stood the gigantic tree, that Jennie had never seen before in her life.

It reached the heavens itself. Its branches contained countless constellations. Roots held the entire world itself. Its leaves shone like suns.

Jennie instantly knew it. "This is..."

Excalibur completed her sentence. "World Tree. Alas Ramus."

Even having become the Sword King, Jennie had heard just myths about it. She didn’t imagine that it really existed.

The vision changed.

Tree was beginning to shine brightly. All its countless branches were gathering divine light from the infinite space.

That light gradually was condensing. Being refined. Forming into...

Until—

The magnificent sword appeared right next to the tree.

Its power exceeded all imaginable. Its blade contained sunlight. Its edge held storms. Its core contained the oceans. Its very existence made the stars bow to it.

Jennie stopped breathing. "... One sword."

Excalibur’s voice reverberated softly. "Our original body."

Leviathan continued. "The first Divine Weapon."

Tempest said proudly. "Strongest sword in the history."

Jennie stared in silence.

Its beauty surpassed the beauty of every weapon she had seen in her life.

Even just Excalibur itself couldn’t compare to it.

Vision darkened.

The darkness enveloped the sky. The first demons appeared. Gods came down.

Battle unlike any battle in the history started.

The sacred sword fought countless battles. Every blow protected the creation.

But even a sword born from the World Tree couldn’t be eternal.

Cracks appeared on its blade.

From one sword it transformed into two. From two it transformed into dozens.

Eventually—

The sword shattered.

Seven brilliant fragments fell onto the Earth like fallen stars.

Jennie’s eyes widened. "Seven Divine Swords—"

Excalibur answered. "—were born from this moment."

The Golden light transformed into Excalibur. Blue light transformed into Leviathan. Silver light transformed into Tempest.

Four more stars disappeared into the horizon.

Waiting. Sleeping. Choosing their masters.

The vision faded slowly.

Jennie opened her eyes once again by the campfire.

Three Divine Swords were floating quietly in front of her.

Several moments of silence remained.

Finally, Jennie asked softly. "So—you were never supposed to be separated."

Leviathan nodded. "No."

Tempest joyfully twirled around. "We are brothers!"

Snow, who had been listening to everything in silence, slowly stood up. "Then the seven swords are fragments of one legendary weapon?"

Excalibur answered. "Yes."

Jennie looked at the three blades. "If all seven swords reunite—then what will happen?"

Silence remained from the swords.

Eventually—the gold, blue and silver lights began to merge once again.

Not physically. Spiritually.

Faint image of the complete blade appeared in front of them.

Voice echoed in the valley. It wasn’t male or female. Young or old. It sounded like thousand of voices saying in unison.

"At last—three fragments return."

Jennie instinctively stood. "... Who are you?"

Divine Blade answered.

"I am—"

Pulse of the divine light filled the whole valley.

"—Astraeus."

"Incomplete Divine Blade."

Just the name made the air tremble.

Snow instinctively bowed his head. Even the ancient Divine Beast felt incredible respect.

Roxy, awoken by the divine pressure, hurried out of the tent. She stopped in surprise, seeing the shining sword. "What... is that?"

Jennie answered, without even turning back. "I think—that’s the original Divine Sword."

Astraeus shimmered gently. "Not yet. Only three of seven. My soul is incomplete."

Jennie stepped forward. "Then where are the others?"

Images flashed in front of her.

Brilliant golden blade, hidden within ancient ruins.

Shadowy sword, hidden within endless darkness.

Crimson weapon, sleeping inside volcanic fire.

And a fourth presence—completely hidden from the view.

Astraeus spoke. "Four remain. Find them. Until all seven unite—we will remain incomplete."

Divine light began fading slowly.

Before it disappeared completely—Astraeus said one more thing—a sentence that made all of them tremble.

"Demon Emperor isn’t afraid of the Seven Divine Swords."

Pause.

"He is afraid of the sword that they will become."

Light faded.

Excalibur, Leviathan and Tempest gently returned to Jennie’s side.

Valley fell into silence once again. Only campfire was burning beneath the stars.

Jennie slowly sheathed all three Divine Swords.

Now she knew.

Her quest had never been just about gathering the legendary weapons. She was rebuilding something, that once defended the entire world.

Weapon created from the World Tree itself.

Weapon called Astraeus.

But until the remaining four Divine Swords were found—it will remain incomplete.

And somewhere in the darkness, both humans and Demon Generals have started racing towards the same destination.

Last fragments of the mightiest sword in the history.