Journey to Become the Zenith-Chapter 23: The Blades That Chose

The Blades That Chose

The moment Victor stepped inside the shop, dust greeted him like a living thing.

It hung thick in the air, floating in shafts of dim light that slipped through cracked wooden shutters. The scent of old metal and forgotten years settled into his lungs.

This was not a place maintained for customers.

This was a place abandoned.

Or waiting.

Videl had entered first. She stood near the counter, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Hello? Shopkeeper?" she called.

Silence.

She tried again, louder this time.

Nothing answered.

No footsteps.

No shifting floorboards.

No breath beyond their own.

Victor’s golden eyes scanned the interior slowly. Every shelf was lined with weapons—swords, axes, spears, daggers. All coated in dust. Some faintly rusted.

Yet beneath the decay—

Power.

Old. Sealed. Suppressed.

His gaze drifted to a desk near the wall.

There was a letter.

Since no sign of the owner appeared, Victor picked it up.

The parchment felt cool.

Ancient.

He read:

"To those that see this letter.All the items in here are free, but you can only take one item out. Taking more than one will force you to stay here for eternity as punishment. To you chosen few, I hope you make the right decision.

P.S. If you leave this establishment you won’t be able to see it again.

Sincerely yours,Bianca De Dominicis"

The moment he finished reading—

The letter shredded itself.

Not burned.

Not torn by wind.

It simply dissolved into threads of nothingness.

Victor’s expression didn’t change.

But his mana quietly pulsed outward—

And then he noticed something.

Lane wasn’t here.

He turned slightly.

Videl stood near the racks.

But Lane—

Was gone.

Victor immediately spread his mana outward to scan beyond the shop—

The moment it crossed the threshold—

It was cut.

Cleanly.

Like a thread severed by invisible blades.

His golden eyes sharpened.

He released more mana.

More.

All of it.

Trying to break the barrier—

Nothing.

The space didn’t tremble.

Didn’t crack.

Didn’t acknowledge him.

His mana simply dispersed.

"...Interesting."

His lips curved faintly.

I was distracted.

He exhaled softly.

We’ve been transported into a pocket dimension.

And not just any pocket dimension.

One crafted with such precision that even he—once the Demon King Anos—had not noticed the transition.

The owner of this place is leagues above my current self.

He looked around again.

Based on the ability to create this space and move me into it unnoticed... at my peak, this person could probably last thirty seconds against me.

That amused him.

Truly amused him.

To find someone like this—

Here?

Now?

It couldn’t be coincidence.

His gaze shifted toward Videl.

Hero’s Luck.

Fateful Encounters.

He had learned enough about heroes in his previous life to recognize the pattern.

They stumbled upon treasures.

They encountered ancient weapons.

They were "chosen."

This shop—

This dimension—

It reeked of that passive skill.

He smirked faintly.

So this is your luck at work, Videl.

"Victor?"

She approached him, noticing his mana flare earlier.

"Why did you do that?"

There was concern in her sapphire eyes.

Not fear.

Concern for him.

He explained the contents of the letter. The rule. The pocket dimension.

She listened carefully.

The first thing she asked was not about escape.

Not about tricking the owner.

Not about taking more than one item.

"What happened to Lane? She saw the shop too. Why couldn’t she enter?"

Victor smiled faintly.

Hero.

Always thinking of others first.

"It could be she only saw the building because she was close to us. Or she wasn’t qualified to pass the second condition."

He shrugged lightly.

"Either way, she’s probably outside waiting."

Videl studied his face.

Calm.

Unshaken.

If he wasn’t worried—

She wouldn’t be either.

"So," he said casually, "why don’t we pick a weapon and leave?"

She nodded.

And began searching.

Victor slowly walked through the shop.

The deeper he went—

The more impressed he became.

Dusty?

Yes.

Old?

Certainly.

But every single weapon here—

Was magical.

Not ordinary enchantments.

Some were legendary-tier.

Some felt mythical.

And a few—

Radiated something dangerously close to divine.

Even rust couldn’t hide that kind of presence.

He ran his fingers lightly over a blade.

It hummed faintly in response.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Then—

He heard it.

A voice.

No—

Two voices.

Young and ancient.

Male and female.

Calm and threatening.

They overlapped in strange harmony.

Calling to him.

He followed the sound deeper into the shop.

At the far end—

Mounted on a cracked stone pedestal—

Were twin blades.

One darker than midnight itself.

The other shimmering like the clearest blue sky.

The air around them felt thin.

Sacred.

"Oh chosen one..."

The voices merged.

"You are the one who shall walk the path of the king of kings."

Light spilled from one blade.

Darkness coiled from the other.

Two figures manifested.

One clad in pure white brilliance.

One cloaked in absolute shadow.

"You who are chosen to walk the path of kings..."

The being of light spoke.

"Will you choose the path of light that illuminates darkness? If you do, I shall grant you the power to save all."

The being of darkness followed.

"Or will you choose the path of darkness that devours light? If you do, I shall grant you the power to destroy all obstacles."

Together they spoke:

"So, one who walks the path of kings— which will you choose? Light or Darkness?"

Victor stared at them.

Then—

He laughed softly.

"I choose neither."

The two figures paused.

"The power to save and the power to destroy obstacles..." he continued calmly, "I will obtain both myself."

Silence.

Then—

They began laughing.

Bright.

Amused.

"You walk the grey path," they said together. "The true path of kings."

"Though you decline our offer... you are worthy."

The blades shimmered.

"Serenity of Everlasting Light."

"Chaos of Eternal Darkness."

The dark one stepped forward.

"I am Chaos. Embodiment of Destruction."

The light one glowed gently.

"I am Serenity. Embodiment of Life and Rebirth."

Victor examined the swords carefully.

Their aura felt beyond divine.

Not ordinary artifacts.

If their claims were exaggerated—

It was not by much.

He tilted his head slightly.

"So why choose me?"

He gestured lazily toward the direction Videl had gone.

"Isn’t that silly girl more suited to be a king of kings?"

The light dimmed slightly.

"No."

"As of now, she walks only the path of justice. One side of the scale."

"We require one who treads between light and darkness."

Victor’s lips twitched.

"That’s boring."

The two entities froze.

"I’ll pass."

"...What?"

The grandeur from earlier cracked slightly.

They hadn’t expected rejection.

Weapons chose wielders.

But wielders chose weapons too.

And Victor—

Was not impressed by prophecy.

The twin beings attempted to persuade him.

Their voices softened.

Tempting.

Promising.

Glory.

Dominion.

Salvation.

Destruction.

Victor ignored them.

He walked past the pedestal casually.

Hands behind his back.

Leaving the twin blades glowing helplessly.

The majestic tone they had displayed earlier dissolved into awkward desperation as they continued trying to convince him—

Yet Victor didn’t even glance back.

Because if he was to wield power—

It would never be because someone told him he was chosen.

It would be because he took it.

On his own terms.