Order's Blade.
It was one of the few Golden Order incantations used to enchant weapons.
Its original effect was to imbue a weapon with holy damage, purifying foul things such as Those Who Live in Death.
In Mu En's hands, however, something unexpectedly went wrong with the incantation, as expected.
After receiving their marks and learning how to use the incantation, the soldiers immediately couldn't resist trying out this divinely bestowed power.
Por pressed his palms together and raised them to his forehead, guiding the power in his body to gather in his hands.
Light flickered, and a longsword appeared in his hands out of thin air. It was made of pure golden radiance, with an archaic design and a guard shaped like an incomplete Elden Ring.
The longsword looked like a phantom, but when he gripped the hilt, he could clearly feel its texture and weight. It was no different from a real sword.
And when he tried swinging it, it gave off a distinct, clear hum.
At the sight of this never-before-seen weapon forged from light, the soldiers were as excited as grown boys with new toys.
Watching Order's Blade mutate yet again in his hands, Mu En couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Isn't this just a lightsaber from Star X Wars? Did you think I wouldn't recognize it just because you changed its shape?
Jokes aside, Mu En knew this ability was very likely a product of fusion with another technique from the Lands Between, the Coded Sword.
[The blade is formed from connected, intangible cipher script and can deliver unblockable slashes.]
His Order's Blade, however, was made of pure golden energy and contained no cipher script.
As for its precise effects, he would let practice prove them.
"Let me see what you can do. Use this new power to your hearts' content." Mu En's voice rang out directly in the minds of the ten.
As for his real purpose, he naturally wouldn't tell these "lab rats."
"Yes!"
Once the order was given, the soldiers, whose hands had long been itching to try, immediately sought out the surrounding trees and rocks to test their weapons.
Golden light flashed through the woods, accompanied by a constant hum.
Before long, the two "troublemakers" Mu En had taken a liking to stood out once again.
Por chose a log left over from building the awards platform and brought the golden holy sword in his hand straight down.
He felt almost no resistance. After a soft sound, the log, as thick as a bowl's mouth, had been cleanly cut in two.
"Impressive!" Por's eyes lit up as he shouted excitedly, "This is much sharper than a Ceramic Steel sword!"
He immediately went over to Kamlin, who was also holding a holy sword. "Come on, let's try clashing swords!"
Kamlin happened to have some complaints about the outcome of their earlier fight, so he immediately raised his sword to meet him, and the two began sparring.
Clang!
The two holy swords collided with a crisp sound like metal striking metal. A shower of golden sparks burst from the point of impact, dazzling to behold.
After several exchanges, Kamlin noticed that the longsword in his hand seemed to dim for an instant.
"Stop!" Kamlin called out to Por, who wanted to continue.
"Did I see that wrong, or..."
To test his hunch, he deliberately found a rock that looked extremely hard.
He thrust down hard, driving the blade almost all the way into the rock, but when he pulled the sword out, the entire blade was noticeably dimmer.
Kamlin then dispersed the incantation and formed a new sword, carefully sensing the cost of the process before reaching a conclusion:
"The blade wears down, but as long as it doesn't strike anything too hard, it should last a long time."
Seeing this, Por began trying out more uses as well.
The holy sword in his hand hummed loudly, its blade visibly growing longer and wider.
Not only did it take on the slender form of a Ceramic Steel sword from the Valley of the Wind, but it also grew from the size of a one-handed sword into a two-handed greatsword.
"The sword's form can be changed at will."
He swung it a few times and felt it was more powerful, but maintaining the greatsword cost several times as much as before.
Taking the idea further, he reduced the energy output from his body, and the blade changed into a shortsword at the same time.
But no matter how it changed, it still fell within the category of a "sword" and couldn't become another kind of weapon.
"Haha, now everyone can have a weapon that fits, no matter how tall they are!"
Por, who was often troubled by being literally a head shorter than others, had made a new discovery.
Soon, others also began discovering the incantation's various wondrous properties.
The soldiers sparred excitedly, and with golden light scattering through the air, it really did look a bit like Jedi Knight training.
After gathering the information from the tests, Mu En reached a conclusion.
This truly was a new incantation, quite different from both Order's Blade and the Coded Sword.
It had physical form, could change shape by increasing or decreasing energy output, could easily cut into granite, could be reformed at any time without concern for damage, and could also be attached to a physical weapon to further reduce its cost and improve its stability and sturdiness...
It was practically an incantation tailor-made for physically powerful Blessed warriors.
It was powerful, cost very little, disregarded wear and tear, and was also highly concealable.
If a certain assassin from back then, whose target had maneuvered around a pillar to evade him, had been able to use a sword like this... Ahem, perhaps the map of the State of Yan could have been a little longer.
"Very good." Mu En's voice rang out again. "That concludes the initial test. Next, Yupa will serve as a combat instructor for the ten of you."
"Invaders intent on destroying the Valley of the Wind will soon arrive. You must become true elite warriors in the shortest possible time."
As a swordmaster and ranger, Yupa was at the highest level in swordsmanship, archery, and even horsemanship, making him more than qualified to instruct the Blessed warriors.
"Por, you will serve as captain for now, with Kamlin as vice captain."
"More people will join this unit in due course. The two of you must lead by example and be responsible for instructing and disciplining the soldiers under you. Everyone else must also obey orders without hesitation and follow the captain's commands unconditionally!"
"Yes!" Por puffed out his chest and answered loudly.
Kamlin also shouted "Yes" loudly. Though he was only the vice captain, it was still better than being an ordinary soldier.
"Of course, the captain's position isn't fixed. In three days, you may compete again. Whoever succeeds in the challenge can take over as captain. Strength will decide everything."
The Blessed were destined to be few in number. Mu En couldn't put all his Runes into creating them.
He intended this force of Blessed to be the elite among elites, with strength above all else.
Yupa stood to the side with his arms folded and had no objections. This was Nausicaä's request.
Por, meanwhile, chuckled and glanced at the calm and composed Yupa.
"Um... Lord Divine Tree, if I accidentally defeat Master Yupa, does that mean I won't have to train?"
As he spoke, he casually threw a punch, producing a clear whistle as it cut through the air.
Feeling this power, Por felt he could kill even a horned ox with one punch if it stood before him.
Clearly, he had gotten carried away.
"You may."
"Huh? Lord Divine Tree, actually, I was just..."
Por hadn't expected Mu En to actually agree.
"But all of you must fight together. If Yupa loses, you may all rest early today. If Yupa wins, you'll all be punished."
As a group, sharing honor and disgrace was a basic principle.
At those words, the expression of a soldier behind Por immediately became extremely colorful.
He was one of the three who had previously witnessed that inhuman battle between Yupa and Nausicaä.
Me, fight Yupa? Seriously?