The sword pushed harder.
The killing intent expanded, pressing against his mana field with the full force of a level-50 artifact deciding this was a confrontation.
His field didn't move.
The sword's killing intent hit his anomaly field and did what Rika's Truth-Sight had done — slid off the edges, unable to fully process what it was pressing against. The level-50 pressure found a target it could not properly measure and returned, essentially, 'error.'
He reached out and took the handle.
The sword fought.
For three seconds, it pulled toward him and away simultaneously, the mana in it thrashing against his grip, the gemstones flaring bright. He felt it the way you feel a large dog straining against a short leash — real force, real resistance, genuinely impressive for what it was.
For what it was.
He closed his hand around the handle and held still.
The sword's resistance lasted another two seconds.
Then it stopped.
