Fantasia Library

Aizen had never worried about whether he could pass the compatibility evaluation for an Orga Lux.

With his ultimate authority over weapons, he was confident that no matter which Orga Lux he chose, passing the evaluation was a given. The only question was which Orga Lux he should select as his first personal weapon.

That was the source of Aizen's hesitation.

Staring at the holographic displays of various Orga Lux before him, he found himself unable to make a decision.

"If I'm choosing, it has to be the best."

Every Orga Lux was far superior to ordinary Lux weapons. Yet, even among the Orga Lux, some were stronger, while others were relatively weaker.

Setting aside issues like output and attack power, the special abilities of each Orga Lux varied widely.

Some abilities were relatively unimpressive—such as granting flight or altering the wielder's weight. While not entirely useless, they weren't exactly powerful either.

On the other hand, some Orga Lux had incredibly formidable abilities: controlling sandstorms, manipulating water, bending gravity, or even dominating others' minds. Just hearing about them was enough to stir excitement.

Of the 22 Orga Lux owned by Seidoukan Academy, seven had already been borrowed. Among the remaining 15, the differences in strength were stark. Some were exceptionally strong, while others were noticeably underwhelming.

Naturally, Aizen wanted the strongest one.

Since compatibility wasn't a concern for him, and he didn't need to worry about how well the weapon's abilities aligned with his own, it made sense to go for the most powerful option available.

However…

"After looking through them all, this one seems to be the strongest…"

Aizen's gaze lingered on one particular holographic display.

It showcased a sword.

The weapon had a black hilt inlaid with a crimson prismatic core, and its blade seemed to ripple like flames.

The sword was massive—almost the height of a person.

In terms of output, attack power, and special abilities, the stats displayed on the screen were off the charts. It wasn't just vastly superior to ordinary Lux; even among the Orga Lux, its numbers were in a league of their own.

Within the 15 remaining Orga Lux that Aizen could choose from, this sword clearly stood out as the strongest.

And for good reason.

"This is one of the Four Colored Magic Swords—one of the top-tier Orga Lux," Aizen mused.

Truthfully, he wanted to choose this one.

"But isn't this the protagonist's Orga Lux in the original story?"

That was the source of his internal conflict.

In the original storyline, the protagonist hadn't yet arrived at Seidoukan Academy.

He was a transfer student who would join the Academy a month or two before this season's Festa began, entering as a scholar student.

When the time came, he would have the opportunity to freely select an Orga Lux.

And this sword was the one the protagonist chose in the original story.

Knowing this, Aizen hesitated.

But only briefly.

"If I'm here first, there's no reason to hesitate over something that hasn't happened yet."

If another Orga Lux on the same level as this sword existed, Aizen would have considered it instead.

But among the options presented, this demon sword was uniquely powerful. Even though some of the other weapons had equally glowing descriptions, they simply didn't compare in Aizen's eyes.

The sword was overwhelmingly strong, extraordinarily unique, and irresistibly enticing to Aizen.

At this early stage in his journey, he had no room to play second fiddle.

The strength of his first weapon would directly influence the outcome of his initial endeavors and lay the foundation for his future.

Would he establish a solid base for future success, or hold back for the sake of events that hadn't even occurred yet?

The answer was obvious.

"Sorry, protagonist. I'll owe you one. Maybe I'll find you a replacement later."

With that muttered apology, Aizen made his decision. He reached out and tapped on the display of the pitch-black sword.

"Beep!"

As a confirmation tone echoed, all the holographic displays around Aizen vanished.

Behind him, Claudia, who had been observing silently, was visibly stunned.

"He chose that one?"

For the first time, Claudia's expression betrayed her composure.

"Why did he choose that?" she muttered, instinctively placing a hand on the holster at her waist, her face clouded with uncertainty.

But Aizen's decision was final. What was done could not be undone.

With a mechanical whir, a cylindrical container descended from the ceiling above Aizen.

The container lowered itself directly in front of him before opening. Two robotic arms extended, carefully holding a Lux activator and presenting it to Aizen.

Aizen reached out and took the activator into his hand.

The black hilt, embedded with a crimson prismatic core, was exactly as it had appeared in the display.

While the cores of ordinary Lux weapons were uniformly green, the crimson prismatic core signified that this was no ordinary weapon—it was an Orga Lux.

"Compatibility evaluation is ready. Please activate the Orga Lux in your hand."

The amplified voice of a staff member echoed through the laboratory. Aizen nodded and activated the activator.

"Zing!"

The crimson prismatic core emitted a dazzling red light, drawing surrounding energy from the atmosphere. The energy began to coalesce around the hilt.

The gathered energy solidified, materializing in the form of translucent digital blocks that assembled into a thick guard at the base of the hilt.

Then, like a machine coming to life, the guard opened, and a massive blade of pure energy extended outward.

The blade was nearly transparent and pure white, resembling an enormous single-edged lightsaber.

Gripping the enormous sword, Aizen's eyes gleamed as he softly uttered its name.

"Ser-Veresta."

On the other side of the glass, the laboratory staff began murmuring amongst themselves.

"He chose the Sword of the Black Furnace?"

"One of the Four Colored Magic Swords, a legendary weapon said to disintegrates all that it touches, when it pierces, the world shall turn to purgatory…"

"This is one of the most powerful Orga Lux in existence. And he picked that?"

"Maybe he just went for it because of its fame?"

"That's naïve. It's been years since anyone successfully wielded that sword. Does he really think he'll be the exception, just because he passed the loan evaluation?"

"Alright, that's enough. It's not our place to judge his choice. Let's just focus on our job."

"Agreed."

"Start the evaluation."

The staff returned to their work, bustling with renewed focus.

Meanwhile, Claudia stood silently, her gaze fixed on Aizen with an unreadable expression.

As for Aizen, he closed his eyes.

No one could have guessed that, at that moment, he was listening.

Listening to the subtle voice of the Orga Lux in his hand—a voice no one else could hear.

Every Orga Lux had its own consciousness, and right now, Aizen could distinctly sense this one's presence.

It was scrutinizing him, evaluating him, its gaze like an unyielding trial.

Soon, it seemed to lose interest, perhaps unimpressed by Aizen's unremarkable current state, and withdrew its attention.

"Current compatibility: 8%."

The staff's announcement rang loud and clear in the chamber.

"So, it doesn't think much of me in this state, huh?" Aizen murmured, opening his eyes.

Then, he grinned.

"Well then… let's begin for real."