If there had been any doubt about it before, such a thing had now vanished from Edward's mind.

He was convinced that the man in front of him was his ancestor. Other than their similar auburn hair and striking brown eyes, Edward felt a form of kinship he had never experienced with anyone except his parents.

'He also called me his seed.' He thought to himself.

However, what did all of that matter at this moment? Edward threw all his thoughts aside and brought forth his bastard sword. The massive blade completed his mass, and Edward instantly took his stance.

The man in front of him was ready to kill him without any remorse—just as he had killed his friends. Clearly, there was no chance of going mellow.. none at all.

"Percival, we're going all out!" Edward roared, as he was suddenly coated in dense energy.

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

His surroundings bore the brunt of the damage, and the earth shattered in response to his transformation. For miles, one could see the glorious light of his transformation ascend to the sky. A mix of white and dark purple.

>VWUUUUSSSSHHHH<

The dust settled, and standing right in front of the Martial Blade God was Edward. He was in his Martial State, and he now had white hair. His eyes were also bright white and his attire had also transformed into a pure martial robe.historical

However, this was merely the start.

Soon, Percival's armour began shrouding him. From top to bottom, the dense shell of his Familiar's protection granted him an increase in power. Edward's blade was also coated with the Dullahan's sword, granting it far more durability and power.

All in all, Edward's power had risen to a tremendous degree, heightened to the transcendent stage.

"I see. Martial State and Fusion Form.. This is the Martial Fusion State, correct? Good choice. What next?" The Martial Blade God seemed quite familiar with this transformation.

Not only would Edward have access to heightened versions of his power, but he would also be able to use the Bond abilities of his and his Familiar's combined Magic. It was indeed a frightening state, however, one would think it wasn't based on the gaze and tone of the Martial Blade God.

"I'll show you.. my best!" Edward intensified his gaze and hardened his muscles.

He made sure to pool together all the power he could into his body. He only had one shot, and he needed to win. That meant he had to use all the steps in the 12 Ultimate Forms. He had to push himself to the brink of his limit—no, even far beyond.

And, once he had reached such a precipice, he would finally..

"[Justice]!" Edward yelled, calling forth the ability of his Arcana.

>VWUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!<

Suddenly, a pulse of pure energy surged from Edward, covering everything around him for about a mile. Something akin to a purple dome covered both Edward and his adversary, and a projected scale floated in the sky above.

The scale appeared golden, and it maintained a balance in its measurements.

"Oh? I see.." The Martial Blade God nodded in observation.

By utilizing his Arcana, Edward was ensuring their battle had a form of fairness to it. The Martial Blade God could already see why.

'He's in the Transcendent realm at the moment, albeit the lower strata. Even in base, I still outclass him. However, this Arcana of his changes things.'

The Martial Blade God could feel a restriction being placed on him—something akin to a set of weights. He felt his senses being distorted, and his movements becoming slower. His access to the world was slowly getting clogged, and he felt everything around him dampen.

'So this is the power of [Justice].' Not only did he feel much weaker than before, but he could sense the fairness that the Arcana firmly resolved to apply.

'Aether allocation. I see.. It's granting him my Aether. So, this won't be a pointless battle.' The Martial Blade God felt a tinge of amazement from the ongoing phenomenon.

However, more than that, a surge of excitement was slowly climbing in his heart. Hadn't it been a while since he could fight on an equal level with an opponent? His skill was hardly even necessary when he was just profoundly stronger than his opponent.

This fight seemed fundamentally different, though.

'We'll both display our skill with the blade, as well as our understanding of Martial Arts.' The battle would be smaller in scale, but Edward would make it enjoyable for him, no doubt.

"Won't you use your Familiar or your Arcana?" Edward's voice echoed in the air as he took his battle stance.

"Hm?"

"I know the members of the Cult possess at least one Arcana. You're the First Seat, so you should have an Arcana. You also have a Familiar, right? Why aren't you using them?"

'Why indeed?' The Martial Blade God inhaled deeply and exhaled just the same.

He tightly gripped his fairly ordinary blade and met Edward's resolved gaze. His eyes contained purity and honesty—like a reflection of Edwards's.

"I don't need them. If I did, I would use them."

"W-what?!" Edward's eyes widened in shock.

Why would his opponent—someone who wanted to kill him and his friends—put himself under such a restriction? Edward realised that the man in front of him must have been holding back from the very beginning. Even though he claimed that he wanted to end their lives, he still granted each of them an opportunity to prove their worth.

'I get it now.. I understand.' Once more, Edward felt a similitude to the Martial Blade God.

"You desire fairness too, don't you? You want a battle of skill.. of true Martial Arts." Edward grinned at his opponent.

In response, the Martial Blade God nodded, taking his stance as well.

Both of them stood a distance from each other, surrounded by a dome that ensured all fairness in their combat. This was justice.. This was a true battle.

"Martial Blade God Technique; 12 Ultimate Forms: Step 1.." Edward inhaled deeply, readying himself as he focused only on his opponent.

At this point, nothing else mattered.

"... IGNITION OF THE BLADE!"

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[A/N]

Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you'll love it.

/book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205

Cheers!