While the Swordmaidens existed for decades, their sword style never evolved that much.

Part of it was because it was unnecessary. Most of the opponents they faced were frontier pirates, who rarely put up a great resistance when attacked up close.

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Another part of it was because of the limited learning capacities of the Swordmaidens. Even if Commander Lydia set up a brutal training regime to forge desperate young girls into fearless Swordmaidens, she could not change the fact that they were not particularly smart or clever!

The third reason why the Swordmaiden Sword Style was kept simple was because the third-class swordsman mechs they piloted for most of their history did not allow for more.

Mayra had to design mechs under all kinds of limitations. The mech industry in the frontier was so barren and primitive that the mechs that emerged from this region were quite simplistic.

In short, the Swordmaidens adopted a sword style that allowed them to become more formidable by endlessly drilling the same set of basic techniques.

There was no need for them to do anything fancy! As long as they mastered the essentials, they could already outduel most enemy swordsmen or swordsman mechs in their way!

All of this changed once the Swordmaidens joined the Larkinson Clan. The previous circumstances no longer applied.

The Larkinson Clan's greatest threats were no longer shabby pirates and thugs. The Larkinsons had already fought a ruinous battle against an allied military force. Anyone with the courage to go after the clan would certainly dispatch something stronger!

The Swordmaidens had also implemented drastic improvements to their training programs. Their ample budget allowed them to invest in cranial implants and gene mod templates that increased the learning capabilities of the Swordmaidens. They also spent a lot of money on better and more sophisticated training facilities that allowed them to do more with their recruits.

Their mech pilots also had access to drastically better mechs. The difference between a third-class swordsman mech and its second-class equivalent was a huge jump. They had access to a lot more possibilities after they started to pilot the Bright Warrior Version B's, and they were waiting for Ketis to become a Journeyman so she could deliver an even better swordsman mech model!

All of these changing factors gradually caused the Swordmaiden Sword Style to look more and more inadequate.

While the Swordmaidens didn't suddenly become weak due to their basic style, it became increasingly clear that it did not convey them any strong advantages!

Venerable Dise took it upon herself to take the sword style taught by the late Commander Lydia and upgrade it. This was not an easy endeavor and required much thought and experimentation in order to formulate an expanded set of moves along with revising the ideology behind the sword style.

Although she initially invested her time in expanding the sword style's repertoire of ordinary techniques, her exposure to the empowered sword styles of the Heavensword Association caused her to change her direction!

The expert pilot had become extremely impressed at how people such as Ketis and Fred were able to annihilate everything their sword was cutting by performing an empowered technique.

The Swordmaiden Sword Style had to reach this level as well! Otherwise, it wouldn't do their sisters justice!

In order to put something special together, Venerable Dise not only consulted with local expert pilots and swordmasters, but also read through the scriptures of the Annihilator Sword Style.

Even though Venerable Trey's swordsmanship did not fit her at all, she only needed to learn the model of a true sword style in order to get her bearings.

"This is all new to us." The expert pilot said as she pulled Ketis to a training room. "Visiting the Heavensword Association has been the best decision that we have ever made. The unique traditions we became exposed to has revealed that there is much more depth to swordsmanship than we have ever realized."

Ketis nodded. "From what I have seen and experienced myself, I'm becoming more convinced that the mech piloting tradition is definitely related to the local swordsmanship tradition. The parallels are too great, and the fact that expert pilots like you are equivalent to swordmasters is conclusive evidence."

"I wouldn't say that, Ketis. Expert pilots aren't necessarily swordmasters and vice versa. There are still differences between the two. In fact, I cannot claim to be a swordmaster myself."

"Is it because of the shortcomings of our sword style?"

Venerable Dise nodded. "The difference between an ordinary sword style and a true sword style is that the latter can put its practitioners on the path of becoming a sword god. It is not enough for it to include a few loosely-related empowered moves or two. There has to be an ideology that ties it all together."

"Have you made any progress?"

"Some." The expert pilot modestly said. "I'm far from transforming our current method into a true sword style that is not any weaker than those from the Heavensword Association, but I have figured out a couple of useful aspects. Before I teach them to you, first you need to know the intent behind them. What is the purpose of our sword style?"

"To help us survive and overcome our adversaries." Ketis answered from her heart. "To defeat our opponents by overwhelming them with might and ferocity. By going on the attack so that we will never have to be put on the defensive."

"Those are good words. Never forget our roots. We struggled against adversity and sought to carve a place for ourselves in a region where any possible enemy could wipe us out. Showing weakness of any kind could be fatal. Although our circumstances have changed, our fighting approach must never become soft."

"While I appreciate the reminder, what does this have to do with your new moves?"

"Desperation has always pushed us further, Ketis. I believe that the essence of our Swordmaiden Sword Style lies in this quality. We are not stronger, faster or more exquisite than other swordsmen. There are many sword schools in the Heavensword Association that frankly teach more superior sword styles. However, what styles such as the Annihilator Sword Style lack is the unique background that has caused us to develop our ferocious fighting approach. This is our roots, and this is the basis in which I hope that sword gods will one day emerge from our gathering."

Ketis automatically disregarded the latter. What Venerable Dise was talking about went way over their heads. Not even expert pilots dared to say that they would be able to become god pilots. The difficulty of attaining this level of strength was unimaginable!

Still, she appreciated Venerable Dise's sentiment. While the Annihilator Sword Style possessed a lot of attractive features to the Swordmaidens, none of them wanted to abandon their current teachings.

The context and purpose of the two styles were substantially different.

One was born from the frontier and did not enjoy any external support.

The other emerged in a state that was steepled with a rich swordsmanship tradition.

All of the original veteran Swordmaidens still had enough of the frontier in their bones to feel more at home with the former rather than the latter!

Ketis was a little different, though. Her focus on sharpness and her first-hand exposure to the Annihilator Sword Style had caused her to diverge from her fellow sisters.

She was glad to receive the opportunity to increase her connection with her first sword style.

"Are you ready to learn what I have developed? To be honest, they are not particularly refined, so they have some very major flaws."

"Please teach me. I will try to do my best to work around their shortcomings."

They didn't have enough time for Ketis to master the new moves, but with the help of Sharpie, she managed to make some accomplishments.

The time of the dreaded group match soon arrived. This was a big day for many people. This would not only be the first time that the so-called Sword Devil faced another sword initiate, but would also suffer her first defeat!

"That Sword Devil has mutilated our boys and girls long enough! It's time for this she-devil to get her comeuppance!"

"Ivan Reid is so handsome! He will dance circles around that cruel woman."

"I wonder how far the Sword Devil can push Mr. Reid. He's championship material alright, but there are other sword initiates that can handle him. He'll have to win convincingly today for me to place my bets on his name."

Driven by the narratives espoused by the press, a lot of Heavensworders paid attention to the upcoming group match. The cruel and evil outsider-turned-citizen was about to receive her first lesson from a dashing and heroic Heavensworder!

Along with all of this attention came wagers. The betting agencies were some of the most accurate predictors of the strengths of different tournament participants. Despite the myriad of sword styles and the individual quirks of every swordsman, their rates often reflected the reality of every match!

Right now, someone who bet on the Swordmaiden team winning would be able to earn eight times their initial wager if their prediction came true!

"Those are awful odds!" A Swordmaiden indignantly cried.

"We're facing a top team, after all. You should see the odds for the other teams that fought against the Cloudstriders. You could earn a thousand times the money you put in if the amateurs managed to win!"

Ketis, Sendra and the remaining three Swordmaidens had all suited up and inspected their weapons. Each of them looked eager but also grave.

They knew their opponents this time were far more formidable than anything they faced before. Yet rather than cowering from it, they embraced the challenge!

An anticipatory grin appeared on Sendra's face. "We never tested our mettle against the best swordsmen of a second-rate state. Let's push our limits and see how far we can close the gap!"

This wasn't even a fight to the death, so the Swordmaidens did not have much reservations about this match.

When they finally stepped out into the arena, they were greeted by a lot of boos. The audience, having been inundated with critical stories on Ketis and her fellow Swordmaidens, did not have much sympathy for the underdogs this time.

The Swordmaidens smiled wryly as they readied their swords and waited for the start signal.

A team of smaller and shorter swordsmen did the same on the opposite side. Despite their slender statures, the Swordmaidens knew better than to look down on their opponents.

"Miss Ketis!" Ivan Reid called.

"What is it?" She growled.

"I won't let you chop a single limb again." He said in a manner-of-fact tone. "You have butchered our citizens long enough. I will do my best to beat you down so hard that you won't be able to recover to fight your next individual match, just like you did to all of those swordsmen who needed too much time to recover from their crippling injuries. Your reign of terror will end."

Although she knew her opponent was trying to affect her mental balance, Ketis couldn't help but get angry.

Ivan didn't just want to win the match. He wanted to end her participation in every tournament!

The Swordmaidens were far from reaching their ambitious recruiting goals, so this wouldn't happen!

"Shut your mouth." She growled. "If you think I'm a devil, then I will show you why. I've cut off a lot of big and strong limbs. It will be a nice change of pace to amputate those skinny legs of yours!"

Ivan merely smiled in response. "Do you know the greatest flaw of your Swordmaidens? You brutish women are incapable of showing finesse! You hack and slash those big sharp slabs of yours, but waste an enormous amount of energy in the process. Your previous opponents may have lacked the skill to handle your aggression, but your string of victory ends today."

"As if!"

Neither of them exchanged any more words. Both sides watched the countdown carefully.

[Commence the match!]

Both sides exploded into action. Just as the Swordmaidens began to form a circular formation that guarded against attacks from every direction, the Cloudstriders had already made the first move!

"AAHH!" Commander Sendra suddenly cried out! "Watch out!"

Ketis just turned around to see something she had never expected!

Ivan had already reached the Swordmaidens formation! He not only closed the distance with prodigious speed, but also managed to disarm Commander Sendra and pushed her to her knees!

His swift fencing sword hacked against Commander Sendra's neck! Although his attack wasn't strong enough to overcome the protective energy shield, the arena systems already registered it as a fatal attack!

"Commander Sendra has been taken out!"

The match had barely even started, but the Swordmaiden team had already lost one of its pillars!