Chapter 10 - The Second Stage

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

Yukiko didn’t have access to a technique capable of creating destruction on that scale. That was one thing I was certain of. However, it was quite apparent that the chimera beast also had no such abilities, with its physique clearly designed for melee combat using fangs and claws.

Just what had happened in this brief span of time?

A wave of overwhelming corrupted energy greeted me just as I rounded the corner. That beast shouldn’t have been capable of emitting this great of a presence. This shouldn’t have been possible. Something or someone had interfered with the battle on this end of town.

Numerous buildings had collapsed in on themselves on the right side of the road, the dust and debris still settling from being launched into the air.

Facing this pile of debris was the chimera beast, if one could even call it that anymore. Its body appeared more ‘muscular’ yet more dense, being forged from fibers of tightly packed corruption, while its head had been disfigured to a writhing shape with two mouths and a shifting number of eyes that continuously shuffled their positions with each blink.

Most notably, its core was completely exposed, hanging from its body on desperate tendrils of crimson flesh. The core’s texture appeared to be oozing, as if the beast’s very existence was causing itself to break down. Similarly, the wings on its back were melting like wax.

A gut instinct told me that the one responsible for creating this monstrosity was the same one that had led to the titan’s mutation.

The abomination almost immediately noticed my presence, swiveling its head to an unnatural degree without moving the rest of its body. Its eyes took turns observing me as its mouths hung open. I imagined it’d be drooling like a rabid animal if it weren’t a corrupted beast.

Suddenly, a clattering of stone and wood rang out from the collapsed buildings as a hand reached out, pulling the body up. It was Yukiko, who had been buried underneath the explosion. 

As she pulled herself up and out, I noticed that her body was covered in bleeding cuts while her clothes had been tattered. She looked like she had taken a dive into a pool of knives.

The beast remained indifferent to her return, keeping its focus on me.

Yukiko called out to me, her breathing ragged and her voice cracking up.

“Kaito! You’re faster than me- Get out of here and head northeast- search for someone named Seika and bring her back here- It’s the only way”

Without warning, the chimera’s head split in two down the middle as its body snaked towards Yukiko, each limb rippling with each movement. Moments before its claws could reach her body, it froze.

The other half of its head tried to pull its body towards me while the first half was intent on targeting Yukiko. Its core emitted an ear piercing screech as the conflict between its halves continued.

That’s when I sensed it. There were at least two distinctly different corrupted energy traces competing for dominance within that beast.

I didn’t know how long this stalemate with itself would last, but it would likely be our only chance to kill it.

I charged towards it with ferocious conviction. It wasn’t a simple desire or fleeting wish, I needed to hone in on that sensation from when I fought the mantis, and I needed to reach stage 2 right now. 

Both halves of the beast began shifting their attentions towards myself as the mana rushing about my body accelerated. I was almost there.

I felt something snap, not physically, but somewhere in the flow of mana throughout my body.

Just like that, my aura vanished.

The pain began in my right arm like a bolt of lightning had been sent coursing through my body. It traveled up that arm before radiating throughout me. 

Why now of all times? I needed to get back on my feet. I’d start over, grasp the mana again, and reinvigorate my aura. The pain would be an afterthought that I’d deal with later. That was what I told myself.

Only, I couldn’t sense the mana around me at all, as if the very foundations of our world had rejected me.

The edges of my reality began fading to a red vignette.

Four open jaws had set their sights on me, their gaping maws filling my vision.

Yukiko’s POV

- A few minutes prior

Of the two beasts, Kaito had assigned me the slower, yet ‘more brutal’ one. This chimera’s strengths clearly lay in its fangs and claws, which appeared capable of easily maiming its victims. Judging from its size, its wings likely wouldn’t allow it to fly, but rather increase the distance from which it could pounce on targets.

Use my attribute to slow it to the point it lacked momentum sufficient for lethal damage. That was the plan.

Aura Release

My aura release blanketed the rows of buildings in a gentle white light. Now at full output, its intensity could somewhat mirror the appearance of actual snowfall.

I took a step forward. I wouldn’t show fear, despite the warnings my subconscious tried to tell me.

The question that faced me now was how I’d go about fighting this beast, for I had left my spearstaff back in the wagon.

After pawing at the ground for a few seconds, the beast then made the first move, soaring, or rather, leaping towards me. I was right about the purpose of those wings. 

Within the zone created by my aura release, the beast had been slowed just enough for me to dodge its attacks. Its resistance to my attribute was considerable, but nowhere near as threatening as the titan we had previously faced. I could do this. 

Stage 0

Isolated from the aura release I was simultaneously controlling, I circulated an undercurrent of mana throughout my body, adding onto its intensity with each step in this dance of cat and mouse.

There was a certain degree of mastery, of skill, of control that I was aiming for. One I hadn’t previously dedicated my effort to reaching.

The statement of myself being a support mage was both a truth and a lie. At least, I wanted it to be a lie. 

From a young age, I’ve possessed an acute sense for and awareness of the mana within and around me. It was this attunement to mana that allowed me to develop my aura release to this large of an extent, far surpassing the range of others in Synoria as I could influence distant bodies of mana. 

Yet, in a design-like fashion of equivalent exchange, my greatest weakness was my physical dexterity and strength. For this reason, I never bothered to practice the basics of stage 0 reinforcement, only prioritizing the aura release aspect of stage 1. 

In other words, I could have had the potential to become so much more than a support mage, yet barricaded myself in my ignorance. 

I never thought much of this situation until I met Kaito. Watching his fluid yet powerful motions in combat created a sense of desire within me, a desire to be able to fight in tandem with those movements instead of standing in the rear. 

For him, his strikes appeared to incorporate stage 0 enhancement to the point of such mastery that it seemed second nature. A call and response process sparked by his will to augment his body that was met with nearly perfect control of his internal mana. 

For me, it was likely too late to pick up such learnings and implement them into my knowledge. Yet, a part of me was now willing to acknowledge that such self doubts were exactly the cause for my lack of progression.

So, why shouldn’t I take that first step now?

To me, it seemed rather foolish to test out new techniques or try learning new concepts while mid-battle with a real, lethal opponent. But I didn’t really have a choice now, did I?

Well, if I could say I’ve learned anything from Kaito, it’s that you can’t grow without a little bit of risk and a little bit of pain.

I deactivated my aura release, the chimera beast now returning to full speed as it spun around and charged me head on once more.

I couldn’t let any stray bit of mana distract me. Sense every drop in the air, every current within my body. Hone these basics in the few seconds I had before contact.

I closed my eyes, holding the last image I saw fresh in my memory. Approximately 5.2 seconds to master stage 0.

Channel my mana faster and faster. Don’t let a single drop pass through my skin. Keep it all underneath, rushing through every fiber of every muscle. Heighten my awareness of all the mana circulating through my body.

I could feel the chimera’s closeness to my face. It was now or never.

I exhaled while opening my eyes to greet my opponent.

94% Awareness, Incomplete Absolute Stage 0