Chapter 16 : First Lost [ 2 ]
Leo and his group exchanged murmurs among themselves, while leaving Eleanor in a state of shock.
"Is it even possible for an Intermediate mortal ranker to catch a Peak mortal ranker off guard?" she stammered.
Typically, due to the significant difference in attributes between tiers and ranks, it's nearly impossible for a lower tier ranker to fight against a higher tier.
Lena chimed in, equally bewildered. "And the way he looked before..."
Aya mumbled unconsciously to herself. "The way he vertically slashed as well."
"Now that you mention it, the slash looked very refined, as if he had trained for countless years," Leo replied with admiration.
Aya ignored Leo's response, continuing to analyze the slash. As she replayed the scene in her mind, she saw a thin line arc filled with a reddish aura. Her eyes widened in shock as her face began to pale.
The others noticed Aya's pale expression and asked, "What did you find?"
As Aya stammered in disbelief, "Th-that... I can't be wrong. That's aura intent," the rest of the group stared at her with wide eyes and gaping jaws, as they were shocked by her revelation.
Aura intent, it is an energy that emanates from the bodies of highly skilled warriors. It's said that those who can harness this energy are able to unleash incredible power in combat.
The Truth of Aura has six stages of mastery, beginning with the Zeroth stage of
However, the fifth and final stage remains shrouded in mystery, as no one in the world of Acendia has yet achieved it.
Leo responded in disbelief to Aya's shocking claims, "That's impossible! An Intermediate Mortal Ranker unleashing Aura Intent is unheard of. Aura Intent is typically attained through countless battles, experiences, and most importantly, one's rank!"
Eleanor chimed in, emphasizing Leo's point, "Even my father, Kishiliya Enes, who was known as the most talented sword prodigy in history, was only able to attain Aura Intent in 2nd Star Rank."
As Anne listened to the group's discussion, she couldn't help but think to herself, "I can't believe what I just witnessed. An Intermediate Mortal Rank unleashing Aura Intent? Now I understand why Lo carries himself with such arrogance."
***
In the field, where countless building structures lay in ruins, Bryan's voice trembled with disbelief as he spoke, "Is that...Aura Intent?"
Lo tilted his head slightly upon hearing Bryan's words and responded indifferently, "What do you mean?"
Bryan's expression shifted from shock to admiration as he raised his gauntlets in a fighting stance and spoke again. "I had my doubts about why an Intermediate Mortal Ranker would be in the Elite Class, but now it all makes sense."
Lo was left speechless by Bryan's words. At this point, it was clear that everyone would have speculated anything abnormal related to Lo, may be the reason why he is eligible to join the elite class.
Lo's thoughts raced as he considered Bryan's words. "Me? Aura Intent? Huh? That's impossible."
Despite his initial disbelief, he decided to check just in case, as the two of them remained in a stalemate.
'System info.' A ding rang inside my head.
[ User : Lo, ????
Rank : 0th(Peak) Mortal Rank
Title : Transmigrator of the Ruined World(Hidden), The ■■■■■
Class : None
Martial Technique : [ Flowing River Sword Art ( ★★★★★ ) ] ( Locked )
- Complete the [ Hidden trial : Akasa's Legacy ]
Blessing : [???]
< The Host is unable to interpret the concept >
Bloodline : [???]
< The Host is unable to unlock the Bloodline >
Talents : ??? - Blood Scarlet Eyes
Traits : None
Energy : < Quasi Aura Intent ( Temporary ) >
Skills :
[ Active : State of Calming Sea ( B Rank ) ]
[ Active : Mana Sense ( G Rank )
[ Passive : Eyes of the Abyss ( ??? ) ]
As I stared at the status information in shock, my mind racing with questions, I couldn't help but wonder how I had attained
[ The system doesn't know the reason. ]
[ The system speculates that the host have attain
"That's not possible! system," I protested. "If it were, then why is it only temporary?!"
[ Maybe its because of your skills effect? ]
I wasn't convinced. "If that were the case, then why did the information provided by [ State of Calming Sea ] only mention an increase in calculation speed, enhanced senses, and immunity to mental attacks?"
[ ... ]
As I delved deeper into my thoughts, Bryan suddenly appeared beside me, landing a swift kick aimed at my left side. I staggered backwards momentarily before quickly regaining my balance.
Bryan began his assault with a flurry of punches aimed at my face. I quickly raised my sword to block his attacks, clashing it against his iron gauntlets.
Cling!..
Cling!..
Cling!..
The clashing of our weapons continued to echo throughout the area, the sound of metal striking metal ringing in my ears. With each clash, I felt the vibrations reverberating through my arms, struggling to keep up with Bryan's relentless assault.
But with a sudden burst of energy, I managed to push him back, creating some distance between us. Gasping for breath, I took a moment to assess the situation, keeping my guard up in case he decided to attack again.
As I paused to catch my breath, I thought to myself "Despite having access to Quasi Aura Intent, I wonder how I am able to use it. However, now is not the time to think of such thoughts as I intended to lose rather than winning."
I began to move around the city, dashing through countless broken buildings, thinking of a way to use my surroundings to my advantage against Bryan.
The ruined city provided me a potential advantage, offering cover and obstacles to hinder Bryan's movements. I continued to move quickly, my mind racing as I pondered my next move. "I don't even know how I did it before," I thought to myself. "It was as though it came naturally to me. But wait... if Bryan was able to see the Aura Intent behind my attack, does that mean everyone outside the class has already seen it?"
I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the situation. "This is getting troublesome," I muttered to myself, "I need to end this quickly."
As I continued to calculate my next move, I could feel Bryan's presence behind me, chasing after me relentlessly. I took advantage of the cover provided by the ruined city, using obstacles to hinder his movements as I analyzed his fighting style, movement, and attributes.
A thought flashed in my mind, "What if..." but I quickly shook my head, dismissing the idea. "No, that won't work," I thought to myself. I needed to find a way to corner Bryan and fight him at an angle that made it appear as if I were giving my all in the battle, only to lose intentionally due to a mistake.
To execute my plan I deactivated my skill [ State of Calming Sea ], and proceeds to lure Bryan into a narrow alleyway, where I could use the walls and nearby runic building to my advantage and control the flow of the fight.
As I dashed through the narrow alleyway, I suddenly changed my direction, and with a sudden pause of momentum, I charged forward towards Bryan, aiming a strike at his chest.
However, Bryan saw through my sudden attack and swiftly avoided the strike. He then countered with his left fist, aiming a punch at my right ribs. The impact of Bryan's punch sent me flying, and I crashed into a nearby runic building,
BANG!..
"Aggh Cough..." I gasped, struggling to get up as Bryan began charging towards me. Reacting quickly, I swung my sword in a horizontal arc, but he skillfully blocked it with both fists, breaking free from my attack. He then moved in front of me and attempted an uppercut, but I managed to avoid it, using my legs to sweep the floor and stumbling him over.
Taking advantage of the moment, I tried striking at Bryan's face with my sword, but he moved his head to the left and counterattacked by landing a blow on my chest with his fist.
BOOM!..
After being struck in the chest by Bryan, I stumbled back and gasped for air. But I refused to give up and gritted my teeth, standing up and gripping my sword tightly. Bryan stood before me, his serious gaze fixed on me as he pondered his next move.
I analyzed his stance and movements, searching for an opening to strike. Suddenly, I saw an opportunity and lunged forward, aiming a swift strike at his left shoulder. Though he tried to block it with his right arm, I managed to land a hit.
Unfortunately, my victory was short-lived as Bryan quickly recovered and retaliated with a series of fast and precise punches and kicks, draining my energy with each blow. As I struggled to keep up with his speed and power, Bryan noticed my exhaustion and executed a 180-degree turn, delivering a high kick to my stomach.
BANG!..
As my consciousness slowly faded away, I fell to the ground, thinking to myself, 'Well, the outcome isn't what I expected. At least this battle shows that I am not weak.'
Bryan, seeing me lying unconscious on the ground, thought to himself, "Lo's movements started becoming weird after he used Aura Intent. Is he holding back?"