Final Dance: A Battle to Remember (4).
He could see the pieces sort of arrange themselves before him, creating a vague but distinct image.
'Everything in the world is governed by a set of rules, and this mana, regardless of how bogus its existence seems, it most definitely is that way as well.' Cain's thoughts ran so fast, it seemed as though time had come to a brief halt to accommodate him.
'Anything can be done as long as these rules aren't broken.'
The rule he was referring to, was the one he had figured out after he had finished engaged in battle with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Mana could only be activated on the premise that a skill, spell, or rune was being created, or already available for the mana to act on. If these were not present, then mana wouldn't have any framework to act upon.
If the skill, spell, or rune was the engine of the vehicle, then mana was the fuel that provided energy for the said engine to perform its purpose. This meant that they were mutually dependent on one another.
'Mana was changing everything in the world. But it was also changing as well.' That was what Cain had concluded after a lot of brainstorming. He had seen the same mana that gave them the ability to perform crazy superhuman acts, but he had also seen that the same causes used all sorts of mutations in plants and animals. However, the mana in his mana pool wasn't the same as the mana all around.
'If all this is possible, then mana needs a medium to be propagated. It needs to move from one place to another. But it doesn't directly interfere with the physical plane, although it has physical effects. It isn't something I can touch, but it is something I can feel. Something I can't see, but control.'
Cain unknowingly entered into a state of enlightenment...
As though reacting to what was happening, the clouds in the distance began rolling restlessly...
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and flashes of lightning seemed to bring an element of life from the dark clouds...
The {Devil-eyed White Primate} drew closer to attack but stopped when it felt a dreadful aura wash over it, causing it to stop on the place. It looked up at Cain, a look of uncertainty and fear appearing in its eyes.
'These rules can't be broken, but they can be manipulated. As long as i act between the confines of these walls, I can do anything...' Cain's mind churned just as violently as the sea of dark clouds floating above him.
'Internal mana and external mana react to create the phenomena known as runes, skills, and spells. If I use my control over internal mana to affect external mana, but reverse the process... On paper, it should be possible...'
'If I do it, I wonder what will happen.' Cain had long since fallen into a stupor. He raised his hand forward absentmindedly. He could feel the mana bleed out from his body into the surrounding.
If he could see what was happening, he would represent his mana as tendrils of energy slipping out of his own body to control the other tendrils of energy that was outside his body.
The {Devil-eyed White Primate} still looked at him, its suspicions growing with each passing second. Eventually, it had grown tired of just watching him stand there. I decided to just use {Spatial Jump} to get to safety and wait for Cain. to fall to his death.
Just as it had activated the skill, Cain suddenly grasped at space.
"Seal."
Like thousands of chains had suddenly held it down, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} found out that it was unable to make use of its {Spatial Jump} skill.
Panic and fear instantly overwhelmed it, causing it to shriek out in fear. It launched itself at Cain, as there was no other person present who could be the culprit.
Cain snapped out of his stupor, only to see the mutant beast's rabid expression closing in on him rapidly.
While still in that state of enlightenment, his mind churned very violently.
'As long as I walk within the boundaries, anything is possible...'
He focused all his power and mana on his outstretched blade. One hand raised to the heavens, and the other holding onto his blade...
The violent clouds that contained extremely high purity mana rolled even more aggressively, as though it was boiling.
Chains of lightning the size of dragons flashed across the sky as well. These lightning chains were created as a result of the collision of the waves of violent, yet pure mana. They were very dangerous, but there they were bending to the will of a sine human.
Cain was too concentrated on what he was doing to notice it. His entire focus was maintaining the unsteady grasp of the very chaotic mana in his surroundings. Because of his high magic stat, he was able to exert impeccable control over mana, but it was still incredibly difficult to maintain control over such a violent source of mana.
'This is hard... Just like the last time. But I have a feeling that if I'm able to pull this off, the benefits will be immeasurable.' Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he continued to gather more and more many from the environment into his blade.
His mind drifted back in time to just two days ago when he faced the {Miasma Devil}. He had used almost this same process to create {Golden Severance}. At that time, he didn't know what he was doing, but now, everything was much clearer...
He understood what he was doing, anyhow he was going to do it...
When the {Devil-eyed White Primate} saw all this, it strove even harder to charge at Cain. It had a feeling that if it didn't get to Cain on time, it wouldn't be able to escape death regardless of how hard it tried.
'Mana is the basis of all skills. It is the fuel that gives the ability to execute these superhuman feats. When there is a surplus of it, I can only imagine what the results would be.'
Cain had a crazy glint in his eyes as he executed his plan.
"Mana Blade!" A section of the clouds in the sky melted away like the snow and was sucked away toward Cain. Within seconds, a gargantuan caricature of the {Devil's Broken Claw} was created.
It was so huge, with Cain holding the blade vertically, it stretched above the clouds. Within the giant phantom, one could see the mana boiling within.
'It worked!' Cain was beyond surprised to see that his thesis was accurate.
'If that's the case, then...'
He executed stage two...
"Lightening Edge!"
The chains of lightning from within the sky swam across the sky, and like dragons coiling around a mountain, they wrapped themselves around the surface of the enormous blade.
'This is it... This is what it feels to have power.' Cain could feel the overwhelming amount of power that thread to drown him. The power that shouldn't belong to a single human being.
"Golden Severance!"
The huge blade suddenly gained a golden tinge to it. This golden tinge gave it substance, and its edges a sharpness that couldn't be hidden.
His muscles bulged, and his eyes had turned bloodshot as he struggled to hold the extremely heavy blade, whilst controlling the amount of mana that was directed into the skill.
When he felt that he couldn't hold it back anymore, he let it go...
"Break!"
Cain had executed what many will call a combo, but instead of releasing them all at once, he had used his extremely high magic control to cause them to overlap with each other, multiplying their effects.
What he had created had transcended the realm of the regular skills and spells he had come in contact with. Cain's eyes gleamed with ferociousness and lunacy as he let the scythe of death drop...
BOOM!!!
The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was split cleanly into two. The ground beneath them was also rendered into two. All the mutant beasts and vegetation in the area beneath them were obliterated in an instant.
{Congratulations to Host... You have slain the (magical) mutant beast, Devil-eyed White Primate...}
Cain sighed in relief as he fell to the ground. He did it. He had finally beaten the strongest foe he had ever faced. His mind was at ease, he allowed gravity to take him back to the ground...
{You have gained three new skills...}
{You have gained a new title, Sorcerer's Mind...}
{Sorcerer's Mind}: Your understanding of mana and magic has reached a new level of enlightenment. +20 points to magic and +1 to magic stat every level up. The creation and learning of spells will be 100% more efficient. +3% to all resistances...
{Level up!}
{Level up!}
{Level up!}
{Level up!}
{+50 to Strength}
{+70 to Agility}.
{+40 to Stamina}.
{+30 to Magic}.
{+20 to Defense}.
{+10 to Perception}.
{You have acquired a new internal active debuff skill, Seal...}
{Seal}: Forcibly freeze the flow of mana in the spiritual plane within a certain range for a single second. This skill doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, and any skill or spell, apart from ones activated by the host, will be nullified. Skills or spells already active will be deactivated as well. This skill will only work on skills that are not of the first Tier and above.
Cost: 300MP per activation
Cooldown: 30 minutes.
{You have acquired a new external active attack skill, Hollow Judgement...}
{Hollow Judgement}: The combination of powerful skills summoned the elements to create a devastating attack powerful enough to split mountains and oceans without distinguishing between friend or foe. The power of the skill is determined by the density of mana present in the area. This skill is highly unstable, and can only be activated with sufficient magic and control stats.
Cost: 1000MP per activation.
Cooldown: 12 hours.
(Due to the effects of {Mana Heart}, the cooldown will be reduced to 6 hours).
{You have acquired a new skill... Devil eyes}.
Name: {Cain Lenosi}
Level: 24.
Strength: 203.
Agility: 264.
Stamina: 11/110.
Vitality: 48.
Defense: 59.
Control: 4.6.
Perception: 4.5.
HP: 1,372/4,800.
MP: 751/3,500.
Magic: 248.
Resistance: Poison- 10%.
Skills: Golden blood, Mana Blade, Lightening Edge, Blade Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Manipulation, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement.
Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer's Mind.
Free attribute points: 27.
System points: 15,210.
{Inventory}. {Shop}.
{Note: Host has reached the maximum amount of internal skills possible before level 50}.
"Golden Halo."
Several golden circles appeared around him just before his body made contact with the ground.
BANG!
The impact stirred up dust, and all the golden halos shattered immediately. However, he didn't suffer any more injuries...
He lay on his back, his eyes staring into the dark sky.
"Hehe... Hehe... Hehehe..."
It started gradually, before turning into hearty laughter...
Even Cain couldn't tell why he was laughing, but there was something he did know. A smile filled with joy, relief, pride, and a healthy amount of lunacy slowly spread across his face.
"I can't wait for what's next."
Indeed he wasn't satisfied. After all, this was just the beginning...