Chapter 43 - Kordri and Force-Type Mana

(Arthur Leywin)

*whoosh*

Air whistled past me, Kordri's lightning-fast punch just barely avoiding my cheek.

Currently, I was sent to train in hand-to-hand combat with an asura who was from the same clan as Aldir. His name was Kordri, a bald 4-eyed asura who was deemed as the best hand-to-hand combatant even among the asuras.

And they were not wrong. There were many factors to him being the best---the inherent strength from being an asura, his overwhelming skill and hundreds of years of experience. All of this combined together to make him a deadly opponent.

"Keep your eyes on me, Arthur." Kordri's voice rang in my ears, carried by the whistling wind. His voice was excited, almost ecstatic as he lunged forward and attacked me. A barrage of lightning-fast strikes---jabs, punches and clubs targeting every vital portion of my body rained down at me. However, it was extremely easy to dodge. The main reason for this was because he kept targeting all the vital areas needed to block the mana passage among the mana channels. Since I was aware of all the vital areas, I was able to block him.

We were currently training inside a confined space called the "Spiritual Realm" inside an "Aether Orb."

This led to the conclusion of two things. One; the purple mote was called Aether since the orb that made it possible to separate our soul from our bodies was made of Aether---once again not in its stable state but in a moulded form. It was as if Aether was a sturdy piece of wool. It was durable, more powerful and potent than mana. But weaving and tailoring it to individual needs was thousands of times harder than mana. The other thing was that it was extremely hard for me to make progress with the relics of insight I had received from the Djinns. The reason being I could always feel Lord Indrath's eyes on me. Even if he was not present.

Kordri's pace raised once again and he got in front of me, his eyes peering deep down into my soul. "You're open."

"So are you."

His punch landed square in my jaw. I could feel the bones in my jaw break and lose control of my lower jaw as it dangled slightly. My own kick landed into his solar plexus, the tip of my boot piercing through his skin followed by a cacophonous boom of an explosion.

I buckled to my knee but soon stood up, using a tattered piece of cloth to tie my broken jaw. Kordri had a pained look on his face hidden behind a smirk as he held the gaping hole in his plexus, trying to stop the fountain of blood escaping from it.

Without waiting for another moment, I kicked the ground and dashed forward while Kordri did the same. His fist raised up for a block and a quick jab.

Or that was what he wanted me to think.

The block was a feint. I could see it. The openings formed like threads that led to multiple future outcomes. There were a total of 10 different outcomes that could unfold from this single feint. The most probable one was that he would sacrifice his hand, not putting any energy in his defending hand and then launch a full-powered strike with his other hand.

Just as I launched a punch and he raised his hand to block it, I bent my knee and went underneath him. All four of his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

A moment of hesitation.

In a fight against someone who was miles stronger in physical aspects, a moment of hesitation is all it takes to turn the tables. Kordri was strong, his techniques refined through years of diligence. But that was all there was to it. His guard being down because I was a lesser one didn't make him put this move into the equation. He tried to move, to counter the technique that he wasn't anticipating but I was faster this time. Tangling my feet with his, I kicked his knee with my free leg as he buckled to the ground.

Just as I got closer to landing the finishing hole, I felt his hand penetrate through my sternum.

"You're a monster, through and through. A pity you were born as a lesser." He said as I looked down, his arm penetrating my middle region and protruding from the back. "Our first fight has finally concluded."

"Not so fast." I said as I placed both my hands on his bald head and twisted it in one swift movement before I lost consciousness myself.

A subtle nauseating sensation invaded me followed by a slight burning sensation that seemed to scorch my soul itself. Death was a concept I was curious about before. But since I have already died once, dying again in the aether orb was not a daunting experience.

"Very impressive. It's been a month outside but I can already imagine that it must've been more than a year inside. To be able to last that long with Kodri... you're something else, aren't you?" Windsom said, a thin smile creeping up his face as he looked at Kordri but the smile soon vanished as he saw Kordri's widened eyes, sweat trickling down his smooth head.

He looked up, a wide grin on his face, "Again."

(***)

I stood in the centre of the dimly lit room, my eyes trained on Kordri—my opponent.

After the last bout, we rested for an hour and now we started our training again.

We both knew that this fight would be brutal, and that victory would not come easily. I could see the tension in Kordri's muscles as he prepared to make his move, and I felt my own muscles tighten in response.

"No holding back. No restriction on mana usage this time."

Kordri was a formidable opponent, with broad shoulders and muscular arms that bulged beneath his skin. His reach was a bit more than mine.

As he spoke in excitement, his gravelly voice seemed to shake the air around him. I knew that I would have to be at the top of my game if I wanted to come out of this fight alive.

As Kordri stepped forward, his fists clenched, I could see the calculations running through his mind. He was analysing my every move, trying to predict my next attack. I knew that I had to stay one step ahead of him if I wanted to win this fight.

There was a basic essence to Kordri's fighting style. And it was using minimum movements. With any extra movement skimmed and out of the way, the inherent strength in his strikes coupled with precision and speed were deadly.

The air blew with a gentle murmur and Kodri's form seemed to distort.

It was there again.

The uncanny technique he was using. His mana signature would disappear and only appear again when he was attacking. But this time it didn't happen. Fueled by pure instinct I ducked lower, dodging a fatal strike.

His form appeared in front of me, a baffled look over his face, "I wasn't expecting you to dodge that. But luck won't always help you, Arthur. What you just witnessed was the secret technique of our clan 'Mirage Walk.'"

There was no point in talking.

"There would be no next time. Because luck can only bring you so fa-"

He was interrupted as I drove my fist into his gut, making his body cave in as he was thrown a few yards away. He pressed the mossy ground with his palms, uprooting the long grass from its roots as he stopped the impact.

Looking up he saw me, my hands caught in bright blue flames as I looked at him, "No wasted movements. No wasted words. There is a reason I like you, Arthur," he said as he got into stance.

I can't say I like what he's saying.

"Let's waste no time and fight with all we got. Entertain me. Give me all you got." He said with an ecstatic laugh, the usual composed monk-like appearance totally dissipating behind his battle spirit.

When I first met him he had the air of a detached monk around him. He was kind and wanted the best for his students. He wasn't discriminatory like the other asuras evident from how he brought other asuras to train with me. After being swiftly defeated thanks to my core which was nearing the integration stage, I was able to be trained directly by him and not waste my time with asuran brats whose only job was to look down on a lesser species.

It has been almost a year inside this aether orb since I have been fighting Kordri. Over the passage of one year, I have absorbed enough knowledge to fully replicate the Pantheon's fighting style. However, there was still a technique I wanted to learn. I was close to understanding it but yet there was something that I didn't put into the equation.

*blip*

Again.

His mana signature disappeared. But there could be a flaw in my perception. Maybe it didn't disappear. Maybe it just… got concealed. I had no way to counter this… for now.

I could use internal lightning on my nervous impulses and receptors to make my senses match up with my brain processing. If his mana was being concealed, then it means one thing.

Twisting my leg, I caved in my body, avoiding a jab to my diaphragm.

"Two times isn't luck," Kordri said, appearing for a small instance, "or is it?" He finished with a smirk and disappeared again. I could see his movements. But I couldn't follow it.

Why?

Was there a flaw in my perception?

The answer came crashing down like an undulating waterfall at the moment his fist collided with my ribs, shattering 3 of them.

He was concealing his mana signature with mana from the surroundings. I was too immersed by the diversity of how the Pantheon's "Force-Type" mana arts work that I had totally ruled out the basics of mana.

The mana signature which is unique to every individual. However, cloaking it with atmospheric mana was possible as it would totally conceal it.

However, the next step I had to take was to actually spot him.

There was no way to counter him other than the fact that I had to outspeed him. But as the phrase goes… if you can't beat them, join them.

I wasn't able to track him. But the best possible counter in this situation was to disappear myself. If I can't defend, I won't let him attack. The basic essence of "Mirage Walk" was simple.

First of all, Concentrate.

Seeing me concentrating to gather mana from the surroundings without actually sucking it in my core, Kordri closed in. He appeared before me, materialising out of thin air, grinning, a cold, menacing expression on his face.

The next step was easy. All I had to do was cloak the ambient mana around me and it was done. "You're getting better, Arthur," Kordri said, his voice low and dangerous. "But you're still no match for me."

"I wonder about that."

His fist drew in like a lightning bolt but it went through the air.

"Huh?"

He stopped abruptly and looked around. I was almost as fast as him. All I needed was a technique to cloak my presence and then we were equal. On the surface level that is.

"You're insane!" He remarked as he collided his fists together, "I won't hold back even a little now." He said as a tangible aura of bright red enveloped him. The pressure around him increased as I felt it. The usage of "Force-Type" mana arts. It was as I had speculated. Pure mana takes on any desired shape depending on the wielder. Like the Pantheons were warriors relying on strength. Their pure mana had turned into force-type mana based on that.

However, there was a certain loophole to it. Pure mana was more potent but much more malleable than other forms of mana. Fire mana is just fire mana. It could only be used to make fire or its deviant form Lightning. But pure mana was versatile. The reason why pure mana could only be utilised to suit your individual characteristics was because of the insight required to do so.

But if… the insight into an already established mana art was complete, was it possible to replicate an asuran mana art?

The answer…

Well, there was only one way to find out.

I stopped and looked at Kodri, his battle aura weighing down in the spiritual realm like a crushing veil of pure power and dominance. The air turned suffocating and the tall blades of grass bent and crushed under his mana arts and "King's Force."

"It's been so long since I have done this. A shame it is against a lesser," He said and looked down.

There it was. The look of disappointment in himself.

Exactly what I needed. The only privilege asuras had were the inherent strength. There was no diversity, no adaptability in them. If their natural gifts like superior physique were taken away, their talents in mana were pitiful.

Putting that aside, I wonder if I should try it.

Closing my eyes, I stood straight, letting my hands dangle freely to the side and abandoning my battle stance.

"I won't hesitate to take this chance, Arthur," Kordri said and I could feel his presence close in. He wasn't using "Mirage walk." I could feel it. Coming in closer and closer. The mana inside me swelled, a massive amount of pure mana building inside me like an active volcano, ready to burst out.

"It's the end." Kordri said.

"It is." I replied as a similar sheen of bright red enveloped me.

There it was.

I could feel it. Burning inside me like an inferno. An unstoppable force that seemed to engulf everything around me, crushing it under its might. I could see all 4 of Kordri's eyes widen.

Force-type mana.

It felt great.

(3rd person pov)

The white-haired girl sat quietly in her room, her gaze transfixed upon the clear blue expanse of the sky outside her window. Its brilliance was captivating, the hue deep and rich, as if it were imbued with a life of its own. It stirred memories in her heart, a cascade of emotions that ebbed and flowed like the tides of the ocean.

As she gazed, she thought of a boy. His eyes were like the sky, clear and blue, filled with wonder and curiosity. She remembered how his eyes would light up with a spark whenever he found something new, how his smile on the rarest occasion would spread across his face like the sun breaking through the clouds on a cloudy day.

The memory of him brought a bittersweet ache to her chest, a longing for a time when things were simpler, when they were younger and carefree. She remembered the way he once held her hand during her adventuring days, his fingers intertwined with hers, his touch sending a shiver of electricity through her body.

But those memories were now just echoes, fading like wisps of smoke into the distance. She wondered where he was now, what he was doing, if he ever thought of her. The thought of him brought a faint smile to her lips, but it was tinged with a hint of sadness.

It has been months… no, for her it had been years as she spent day after day in the floating castle, taking his place in the council.

She tore her gaze away from the sky, letting her eyes wander over the room. Her room was her sanctuary, a place where she could be alone with her thoughts and memories.

But as she looked around, she realised that the room was empty. It was devoid of life, of the sense of thrill and joy that once filled it. She felt a sudden pang of loneliness, a longing for something more.

She stood up, her gaze fixed on a small cylindrical box. She smiled once again, picking the box up and opening it. Inside it, she saw a small dimensional ring. Taking it out of the small, lightly decorated box she imbued a tinge of mana into the ring. With a flash, multiple boards of chess came out. Each and everyone of them were solved, a conclusive ending to most of them.

She smiled as she bent down and looked at a particular one, "You let me win this one, didn't you?"

(*****)

Author's Note

We've hit 7k votes. Thanks everyone!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

P.s- I never said showed he beat Kordri.