Chapter 9 - Heroes’ Play

(1st Saga - Greater Magius, The Balance | Synoria Outlook Defense Arc)

Just like the titan from before, all the beasts that now poured towards us had been disfigured in some way. Some had their proportions altered to strengthen their attacking limbs or fortify their sturdiest parts, while others seemed to be completely ‘new’ species constructed from spliced bits of the ‘normal’ beasts. 

The scene looked like a breakout of some mad scientist’s laboratory chimeras.

“Those two- The ones coming from the north and the west main roads. Judging by their presence, those are likely the ringleaders posing the greatest threat”

“I’m not acting the role of an incompetent little girl anymore. Don’t treat me like I can’t analyze a battlefield myself”

“Hm. Good to know”

At least her mood seemed to be ignited again-

The beast to the north appeared to be a lion-type beast modified to have large bird-like wings sprouting from its back. Of the two, its appearance better suited the traditional definition of a chimera. On top of that, its skin appeared to be augmented with reinforced plates of dense corrupted energy. 

The beast to the west appeared to be a normal praying-mantis-type beast, its height towering above the single story buildings. There had to be something else about it. A regular beast of that type wouldn’t have such a presence.

Upon further inspection, I realized that its forelegs had been synthesized from a variety of other durable beasts, making them likely able to cleanly slice through the average human’s body like massive scythes.

I had seen all I needed to see.

“I’ll take the one to the west, you take the one to the north”

“Good luck then”

“Same to you”

Even these were unnecessary pleasantries. In terms of strategizing, we basically could already read each other’s minds.

With a snapping release of our auras, we sprung off our toes and down our respective roads. Yukiko’s true speed was considerably faster than before- Hadn’t she said that she was a ‘support mage’? Or was that a part of her persona as well?

Whatever the case, I’d find out soon enough.

The mantis beast and I locked eyes, mutually recognizing one another as a considerable foe. It raised its armored scythes into the air and cried out, causing the horde of beasts behind it to suddenly freeze in place. 

I also halted in anticipation of its next move.

It held my gaze expectantly. Was this beast bold enough- no, intelligent enough to challenge me to a one on one duel?

“Quite the unfair matchup seeing as I’m unarmed”

It didn’t seem capable of comprehending language, but the fact it held some semblance of intelligence as a mere beast was already quite the surprise. 

Well then, it would seem we’d have to communicate through combat. 

The mantis launched its offensive first, raining consecutive stabs from above. With each swing, its blades would get caught in the ground or on the edge of a nearby building, yet its strength allowed it to immediately pick itself up and move again. 

The speed of its attacks coupled with the fact that the insides of its scythes were far sharper made getting close and counter-attacking far too risky to be worth the benefits.

I continued weaving between its strikes, still losing ground due to being forced to take retreating steps. 

Whenever and wherever I could, I launched countering blows against its reinforced limbs, yet my fists could barely make a dent. Normal mantis-types could never be this durable. In fact, the joints in their limbs were typically their weak points, yet the joints on this one seemed to be purposefully augmented.

The concentration of people would definitely be higher towards the center of town, meaning the longer I allowed this situation to play out, the higher the likelihood of bystanders getting injured. 

I could try circling around to its backside, seeing as a mantis’s core would be located in its abdomen, but it seemed completely set on keeping me directly ahead of it, within its line of sight. 

I glanced to the sidelines of the road between steps. Of course there would be more complications. Within the buildings and houses lined along the street were people cowering behind furniture or huddling together with their families.

Dammit… I couldn’t just let these people get caught in the crossfire. 

There had to be something, some way that I could gain the advantage- I looked back down the row of buildings as a realization struck me. It wasn’t ideal, but I could make it work. 

I’d seen Yukiko do it multiple times before, and the white aura surrounding me now was proof that I could maintain such a state.

***

The basics of all mana manipulation, a core concept that was emphasized in the learnings of all rising mages from Hanakawa. 

At its very foundation, all of magecraft was the practice of using mana to evoke, manipulate, and express concepts. The connection between the real and conceptual, that was the power granted by magecraft. 

However, the greatest power of magecraft lay in true ‘magic’– the complete consumption of mana as a resource to fully bring these concepts to reality. In World Zero, a world with a limited mana supply, the ability for people to conserve mana in magecraft became immensely important, leading to the rise of auras.

After the implementation of auras, mana could be conserved and reused, yet glaring differences in the inherent power of attributes soon also began cropping up.

With their basis in concepts, attributes could be divided into two categories: abstract and concrete. Just as their names imply, concrete attributes can influence tangible concepts, such as earth and steel, while abstract attributes can influence intangible concepts, such as spirit and soul. Naturally, the more abstract an attribute, the greater the mage’s tendency to consume mana to reach their full potential. 

Additionally, mastery of auras could be divided into four stages. Stage 0 is the circulation of internal mana, considered the ‘baby’s first step’ of aura usage and is almost always used for direct enhancement of the user’s capabilities. 

Stage 1 is essentially stage 0 amplified to a greater extent, at which the undercurrent of mana within a person begins pulling external mana along above the skin. Visually, stage 1 is the trademark mental image of an aura, taking form as a rising blob of colored energy surrounding the user.

Stage 2 adds onto stage 1 by refining the aura in a way similar to how a master swordsmith would refine their weapons. By cycling and concentrating the aura over and over again, the current of mana will eventually reach a point of such density and uniformity that it tightly outlines the body of the user, acting as a sort of second skin that greatly amplifies their power by a large margin. 

Finally, stage 3, considered the pinnacle of aura mastery, manifests itself in completely different forms depending on the user’s attribute, mentality, and fighting style. It is said that no two aura users would ever reach the same stage 3, even if their attributes were the same and they deliberately tried to achieve total similarity.

While the full potential of abstract attributes were typically locked behind the higher stages for more precise mana control, concrete attributes could more easily reach those peaks sooner, beginning at stage 1 for some.

***

Right now, my aura mastery lay beyond stage 1 but still somewhat before stage 2, and with the true nature of the spirit attribute remaining unknown, all that mattered to me now was the conceptual status of the attribute I was mimicking.

Yukiko’s snow attribute. Now with that mana surrounding me, I could discern both its advantages and disadvantages. 

In terms of strengths, when the aura is expanded to blanket a large area, the user could designate targets to slow and addle their senses as if they were trying to fight through a snowstorm. 

In terms of weaknesses, it lacked offensive capabilities in the fact that even if the user’s aura were directly surrounding the target, they wouldn’t be able to do much more than debuff the target. In other words, the snow attribute couldn’t do direct damage, relying on pure mana manipulation and control for direct combat.

Avoiding another attack, I used my mana-enhanced strength to leap up onto the rooftops, taking a moment to steady myself so as to not dislodge any of the tiles and fall back down. 

The mantis had also paused, considering the new difference in height. At my new elevation, horizontal sweeping attacks would become more advantageous than the previous downward strikes, as they would allow for a wider range of motion and prevent attacks from getting caught on the nearby buildings. 

For me, this meant that the mantis’s attacks should no longer pose a risk to the people in the buildings below. 

It was time to finish this fight on even footing.

Snow Attribute: Stage 1, Aura Release