Halo was no hero. He only desired to prevent the hero's actions to wipe him off the earth, his second death could be his last.
So the reassurance from Saint to tell him about the hero was enough, so he stayed by her tree.
Not only did he have nowhere to be, but he feared returning to Noah's estate would bring him face-to-face with a Beast Sinner.
Besides, the spot beside the unusual tree was cozy and quiet, and hopefully, a weaker Sinner might pass by.
He had to train and gain Sin Fragments along the way.
***
"Not everyone gets a gift. And really, they're not gifts. Your first purpose always hands you something, a weapon, armor, a spell. You can keep it, use it, move on. But when your Only Sin gives it to you… that's when things get strange. But it happens. No one knows why."
Halo's dual blades cut through the wind with glorified prestige. The brown bandages held his grip tight to the hilts of the daggers, and even as he started fumbling, the daggers never left his hands. But something else bothered him.
The long blades struggled to keep up with his agile body.
The tips of the blades repeatedly scratched the dark soil below, nearly knocking him off balance, and even after two days of training with them, he'd only managed to adapt. He couldn't keep them in check.
Halo paused mid-action and let his body collapse to the floor, settling the fatigue and pain within his wrists. He panted, feeling the urge to curse at his blade.
"Tsk. Some blade of survival this is." He annoyingly clashed the blades together. "Who am I kidding? This isn't the Magnus Blade. Just another pair of blades from Noah's blacksmith. Life and Death, was it? …Tch. Forget it."
Halo relaxed on the floor.
"Strange. My blade is just a sword, but yours… bandages? Never seen anything like that. Then again, some people are gifted with living creatures. I shouldn't be surprised."
Halo glanced at the tree with an unreadable expression. He'd grown tired of how most things were never truly covered in the game. It was as if the Lost World had changed completely. But to know people were actually gifted with creatures? What kind of creatures? How did they even control them?
However, his expression darkened as he sat upright and glanced at his blades. He realized he'd overlooked a few things.
He commanded the daggers to vanish, and they did, then barely a moment later commanded them to reappear. They effortlessly materialized.
Why could he command them, though? The blades that Paul, Noah's blacksmith, made couldn't disappear, but they mysteriously gained that ability after the brown bandages wrapped them. So what if…?
"I've wondered that too. What if it could do whatever you tell it to? Maybe just blade-related stuff, but still… you'll never know unless you try."
Halo glanced at Saint's tree before glancing back at the blades. His expression mirrored his calm and analytical thoughts.
He began recalling the legend of the Magnus Blade.
'Wielded by many, yet by none.'
This supposedly went further than he had initially considered. The gods loved making sport of nothing. He wouldn't have taken their words literally.
The bandages bound his grip to his daggers, and arguably, if others had used the bandages, it did the same for them.
So was every weapon it bonded with also a Magnus Blade? If so, could that mean…?
He wore a confident smirk as he eyed the blades covetously. Without a moment's hesitation, he issued the first command on his mind.
'Change into a reaper, Magnus.'
In an instant, his hands forcefully pulled toward each other, and before he could blink, he held something completely different from his dual daggers.
It was a reaper blade with a long hilt as dark as death, bearing a great resemblance to the black dagger he'd held earlier, while the blade shone brightest. It was white, long, slender, and curved slightly like a crescent moon.
Halo couldn't help himself as he smiled big enough to warm every heart. But his expression darkened not long afterward.
He reluctantly commanded it to transform into anything he could think of, but not only did the brown bandages remain binding him, but the weapons also looked somewhat cartoonish, as though they were animated.
The unrealistic quality didn't detract from their effectiveness and could only be detected upon careful examination. Still, this made him doubt the blade to some extent.
He hurriedly rose to his feet, gripping the dual daggers he'd initially used, and walked toward a gnarled tree.
Without pause, he delivered a swift strike to the tree's trunk. A sense of relief coursed through him as the tree fell despite the little effort he'd exerted.
"Ha. They said it could split the universe in two when wielded by the strong. Now I see… they weren't lying."
Halo let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't contain the excitement within yet, his expression slowly grew detached as ever. It was as though this realization meant nothing to him.
But despite his unhappiness, he had a few concerns. He had summoned swords, from a katana to an odachi, and yet the brown bandages held both of his arms together.
He didn't mind having his hands glued to the weapon's hilts, after all, the Magnus Blade was better than he had ever imagined. But to have both arms bound to a weapon? That was literal torture.
He let out a sigh and summoned a katana. The blade was gleaming white, and the dark hilt was long enough to have both of his grips on.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Let go of my left arm, Magnus.'
The moment the words echoed within his skull, his left hand was set free. Finally, a smile appeared on his lips, though it vanished moments after. But still he was glad.
When he opened his eyes, he realized the blade had changed into overwhelmingly dark, and the hilt was white.
He raised his brow, confusion etched across his face.
"I think the Magnus Blade mirrors Paul's creations. It turns into my dormant hand… black or white. Life or Death."
"Yeah… they look cartoonish, probably because they're only imitations of the real thing. The Magnus Blade just brings them into reality. Still, they're just as powerful… I think."
Halo smiled.
At this moment, he didn't care if the Magnus Blade drew them into reality or brought the blades through time, but he was certain of one thing.
He liked the blade now, and having seen its abilities firsthand, he couldn't help but imagine how much of an asset it would be down the line.
"Just kill some Sinners and prepare for your next purpose…
"You will die as a Knight."