You can get the lv 9 sword without using the mana spell.
You need the lv 8 sword and Flammie.
Near the Ice Palace there will be a very small island next to it. Land on it.
If you go up and see neko when you land talk to him and save the game.
Hold L, R, start, select, for about 2 seconds, which will reset the game.
Start a new game and keep playing until you meet the 1st Mantis boss.
During the battle (not when they are talking and not after you win) hold L, R, start, select, for about 2 seconds again.
Select the game where you saved it at neko.
When you start the data you will be in the hole where the mantis boss is.
Kill it (which shouldn't be that hard) and you will get a power up for the sword.
Go to Watts and you can get the Mana Sword.
Note: Do not try this more than once, it will mess up your data. Also you should make an extra data because you might mess up and the you wont be able to use the data anymore.
