Chapter 173

It didn't take a long time before I was familiar with the grandiosely-named technique, Spatial Rift Mind Slash .

Nevertheless, the holy sword's technique was similar to the Light Sword . If you were to quibble over it, it was actually easier to use .

[I still don't understand . ]

Seregia spoke sullenly .

While I practiced the Spatial Rift Mind Slash with the soul sword, Seregia was also at my side .

However, it seemed like she was getting disappointed as our understanding of the technique broadened .

"It's not that difficult . I'll explain it simply by comparing it to something else . "

Contrary to its grandiose name, the technique was ultimately just a technique that extended the sword’s edge by compressing aura .

It was an aura slash that extended so finely that it couldn't be seen by the naked eye, inducing an optical illusion that looked as though you had cut through space .

That's all .

Applying the aura was extremely simple .

You just need to think of it like a swelling, triangular zit .

You would press down on the pustule from both sides, forcing its contents to explode outward .

With a pop .

[What do you mean by a ‘pop’?!? Do you really have to explain my lethal technique by comparing it to something so filthy?]

"I'm not wrong, am I?"

I ignored the grumbling holy sword and continued my explanation .

"And the split second that the pustule is fired, you swing your sword . Of course, you need to know exactly when the pustule will be fired, how far you want it to go, and also how to maintain it for a certain amount of time . That's all there is to this technique . "

[When you put it that way, Warrior, my technique seems way too mundane, and it also feels filthy . Warrior . ]

I explained the method of utilizing the technique and its applications thoroughly to Seregia .

She couldn't try out the technique herself since she didn't have a body anymore, but Seregia’s passion for swordsmanship hadn't waned .

On the contrary, her desires were much more transparent than when she was a human . She earnestly wanted to improve her understanding of the technique .

Of course, the holy sword wasn't quite happy that his technique was being analyzed thoroughly in the process of explaining his technique .

He was pretty displeased .

[Then why don't YOU try using that simple technique! Since you've practiced a lot already, why don't you try using it properly! It would be fine if you used it on that house over there, wouldn't it!?]

The holy sword was pissed .

I may have hurt his pride .

Rather than confront the infuriated holy sword, I decided to do as he said .

I was standing in front of the mountain right now . The distance between me and the building that the holy sword had pointed out was certainly not small .

Around 150 meters .

I had pulled off the technique successfully many times in the past few days, but I had never tried to use it at this distance .

But whatever .

I didn't think of it as impossible .

I just haven't tried to apply it differently .

It's been five days since I started practicing the technique, and I've already become familiar with it .

I drew my sword and enveloped it in aura .

I felt the aura compress at the tip and briefly waited .

I still couldn't use it at a moment’s notice because it needed a bit of time before the reaction I was looking for came .

Eventually, I found a specific pattern in the lump of condensed aura .

I matched the timing based on prior experience and swung my sword .

It followed my diagonal sword swing and a scar carved itself onto the wooden building 150 meters away .

It looked as if it were marked by the talons of a monster that only appeared in legends .

That was satisfying .

[ . . . I-It's still not perfect! Look at that . Aren't the traces of your sword strike too uneven? It's proof that you didn't control your aura properly!]

The holy sword was silent for a short while before he continued to argue .

Just as the holy sword said, the traces of my sword strike were definitely uneven .

As I said, it looked exactly like a talon mark .

I have to make the traces cleaner and smoother .

"It'll be fine if I practice some more . There are two days left, aren't there?"

I had promised that I would succeed within a week, and there were still two days remaining .

Perhaps that was the reason the holy sword was acting sharp and fastidious .

The holy sword did confidently assure me that I wouldn't be able to completely familiarize myself with the technique within a week .

Disregarding that…

There's something else on my mind .

"Should I try combining it?"

The sword was engulfed with flames .

It still wasn't possible to combine the Spatial Rift Mind Slash and the Light Sword technique .

However, it seemed like simply fusing fire to the aura would be fine .

In that state, I attempted the Spatial Rift Mind Slash again .

Even though it looked similar, it required a different method of control since I had mixed the two techniques . The aura did as it pleased and went wild .

I had to guide that aura to the tip of my sword .

It was more akin to using my strength to roughly shove the aura, rather than using a technique .

And I slashed down with my sword once again .

I had swung my sword at a leisurely pace, yet I heard an unsettling sound effect emanate from my sword .

And the two-story wooden building in front of me earned another lengthy scar .

If I were to describe the difference between the two slashes, the second one was interspersed with flames .

[This crazy . . . ]

[You're truly amazing . I don't know what else I can say . You're amazing, Warrior . ]

The holy sword and Seregia both reviewed it side by side .

Seregia just complimented me like normal .

And the holy sword… it sounded like this asshole was going to cuss at me?

Honestly, it's not a very practical technique .

Using the holy sword's original technique would be much more effective, and smoother .

If I were to add fire, it'd just add more weaknesses .

The aura consumption was also enormous .

More importantly, controlling it wasn't easy .

Seregia and the holy sword hadn't noticed, but the second technique didn't hit my initial target .

And this type of mistake could be fatal during a battle .

However, there was one advantage that offset all those disadvantages .

It looked cool .

Others would see it as a slow sword swing, but it would appear as though my slash had severed a distant object while simultaneously igniting it on fire .

It was pretty good for showing off .

[What are you even going to do by learning magic? Please just learn swordsmanship . If you're also skilled in magic, Warrior, my position is at risk . ]

I ignored the holy sword's whining .

The holy sword's position is solid .

Who would dare aim for the position of a frivolous demonic sword?

[What are you going to call that technique?]

The holy sword stopped complaining and finally contributed something .

The technique’s name was important .

Once upon a time, I had thought it foolish to name your techniques individually .

Giving them names were like limiting your own potential .

However, as I familiarized myself with the Light Sword technique, my opinion changed .

If you don't hammer in that fixed perception, the technique would be too difficult to even practice .

Attaching names to these techniques was definitely helpful in recalling and exercising the technique .

[How about Spatial Rift Blazing Mind Slash?]

What insincere naming sense .

You just added "blazing" to the original technique name .

And .

"You can't use mind slash . "

There wasn't any problem to the holy sword adding the name ‘Mind Slash’ to his technique .

However, there was definitely a problem adding ‘Mind Slash’ to my own technique .

[It's perfectly fine to call it a mind slash . Most people will see it as a mind slash anyway . ]

The holy sword advised that I use the name mind slash, but I thought differently .

I wouldn't be able to call this technique ‘Mind Slash,’ regardless of what others may think or see .

Familiarizing myself with the name ‘mind slash’ will be detrimental to me later on .

If I wanted to attach ‘mind slash’ to it, I can't allow my sword strike to be as rugged as the scar on the wooden building .

I would only recognize this as a ‘mind slash’ when I’m able to precisely cut off a person’s head without drawing my sword .

And ‘Spatial Rift Blazing Mind Slash,’ really?

It's too long, and it's lame .

[Well, if that's what you think . ]

Mind slash, huh .

Mind slash .

I sat next to the fountain and thought about a mind slash .

When I saw the technique the holy sword had unleashed on the 26th floor, I had truly felt that it was a mind slash .

And I had attempted it by myself in Kiri Kiri's field .

As a result, the only thing I was able to confirm was that I couldn't even attempt the mind slash yet .

At the time, I thought I could use the mind slash .

I’d succeeded in keeping a calm mind while executing the Light Sword technique .

I had earnestly attempted to use the mind slash .

My method of attempting it was both simple and stupid .

I formed mana in the air .

It was like lifting mana from my palm, like how I had drawn and returned the short sword lodged in the tree .

I condensed the mana midair and moved it .

It wasn't my body nor was it my sword; I projected the mana in the air, and made it solid, forcibly controlling it . At the same time, seeing the movement that was controlled by that force was extremely difficult .

And I swung my sword .

The condensed mana and the sword in my grasp became one .

As I swung my sword slowly, the mana in the air follow the same trajectory .

That's how I materialized my will into the air .

I succeeded in hitting the falling Thousand Arms with my mana .

However, that was all .

All my strength went into it, but I was only able to slightly nudge the free-falling Thousand Arms .

Ultimately, that was all .

However, what if I were to combine it with the holy sword's technique here?

Let's try it .

I gathered aura in my palm .

Forming mana outside the body and forming aura had different levels of difficulty .

On the surface of my palm, aura about the size of my thumb was formed and rose up .

That was enough .

I molded the aura into the shape of a triangle and compressed it at the end of a single point .

It was the same as the holy sword's technique .

I didn't gather the aura at the end of a sword; I just gathered the mana that I had formed in the air .

I momentarily focused my strength at the end of the aura, a slender branch of aura stuck out for a short while .

Even though I was focused, it was difficult for me to to see it in a split second .

It wasn't even the length of 1 cm .

[ . . . What did you just do?]

"After I amassed the aura, I used the method of the Spatial Rift Mind Slash to try to project a part of the aura . "

[You really do all sorts of things . My goodness . ]

[How effective is it, Warrior?]

"I probably won't even be able to kill a sewer rat . "

I can't use this .

Even if I were to increase the output from here, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to get a better outcome .

It wasn't a problem with the amount of mana I had, but rather a problem utilizing it .

I pondered about it a bit more .

In order to use brief protrusion of aura from the holy sword's technique, the Spatial Rift Mind Slash, you had to swing your sword .

And if you swing your sword in a large arc, you would be able to quickly slash across a wide range using a small amount of mana .

What would happen if I were to swing the aura in the air towards the front?

The difficulty is just too high .

I had only removed the sword as a medium, yet its difficulty rises absurdly .

Amassing the aura in the air and using that to mimic the Spatial Rift Mind Slash was too much for me .

After centering the aura on the central axis, I had to match the timing and swing it?

That's impossible .

Extending the aura and swinging it simultaneously was impossible .

I can only do one or the other .

If that's the case, taking out the swing is the right move .

Let's solve the problems preceding the swing .

While the aura's moving diagonally, I'll focus on the essential task of extending the aura .

The further it moves diagonally, the better .

If that's the case, it'd be better to rotate the aura .

I enlarged the aura that floated above my hand a bit more, to about the size of a fist .

And I started to slowly spin it .

As the aura spun, I realized I made an error .

I didn't have a way to condense the aura that rotated in one direction .

In order to project a portion of the aura, you have to pressurize the aura .

However, in order to pressurize the quickly rotating aura, I'd have to concentrate on producing an opposing reaction .

It needed a collision of force .

If it's not clockwise, then let's try counterclockwise .

I dispersed the aura that was above my hand and started over again .

This time, I shaped the aura into a sphere .

The aura within the sphere was divided into three bodies .

The three bodies simultaneously rotated in opposing directions and on slightly different axes, rubbing against each other to emit heat .

Rather than it being the holy sword's Spatial Rift Mind Slash, it was closer to the method of utilizing the Light Sword .

The aura particles used the process of friction to generate heat, and at a single point the collision between particles was maximized, creating pressure . Using that pressure, a piece of aura was momentarily projected .

The friction, as well as the rotation, was running smoothly .

Though, there was one problem .

The rotational speed was continuously accelerating .

I wasn't using my strength sustain the rotation anymore, but I had fastened the sphere onto its central axis so that it wouldn't escape my control; yet the rotational speed was accelerating once again .

There was so much light that it was difficult to open my eyes and look directly at it .

The heat went beyond my palm and started to singe my wrist .

It was like a fist-sized sun .

This is really dangerous, though .

It was like an airplane's engines, ringing out across the residential district .

The intense light tormented my two closed eyes .

[Warrior, stop . Please stop! What is this all of a sudden? If you keep going and that explodes, you'll really die!]

In an instant, the aura transformed into a miniature bomb as the holy sword urgently tried to stop me .

I also wanted to disperse it like the holy sword said, but it wasn't possible .

If that violent energy escapes my control, I have no idea what'll happen .

I didn't know whether it would explode or disseminate in all directions .

However, whatever the result, it would bring about an extremely dangerous situation; that I did know .

The activity of intense thermal energy had created a bomb .

So that I wouldn't be swept by the fierce air current, I held onto the fountain with my left hand and endured .

I could use my mana and stand my ground, but I didn't have any extra mana at my disposal .

[Warrior, you'll really die!]

[Time Confinement]

I used my Time Confinement and temporarily halted time .

It’s too late to stop the sphere .

It was impossible to naturally disperse that energy .

In order to destroy the sphere, all its energy has to be used up .

Even within the world that had been stopped by Time Confinement, the white light sphere was slowly spinning .

How fast is that thing spinning?

This is driving me crazy .

I don't know whether that thing will endure the entire duration of Time Confinement .

I repressed my uneasiness and focused on the sphere's movement .

In any case, the sphere was moving slow enough that its spin was apparent to the naked eye .

The chance to calmly look at the slowly-moving aura was really valuable .

The single sphere was composed of three autonomous bodies, and I was able to observe that the three layers were colliding and rubbing against each other .

Its flow .

I watched for quite a long time .

Right before my Time Confinement was over, I counted the numbers .

One .

Two .

Three .

At the same time that I counted three, the effects of Time Confinement ended .

The sphere started to rotate at a rapid pace once again, and the world began to shake .

In the midst of this, I manipulated the sphere .

I had prepared this method and waited for the effects of Time Confinement to come to an end .

And through that method, I was successfully able to pressurize a part of the aura that formed the sphere and project it .

In the next moment, a giant echo was accompanied by a burst of intense light .

It was accompanied by a wave of mana, and I couldn't tell exactly what had happened .

After the burst of light, I felt that the temporarily-projected aura had already dissipated .

Before I had been engulfed by the aftereffect, I had hurriedly used Blink repeatedly to escape the range of its effects .

Because Blink had negated the force that would be applied to my body, I was able to land safely, rather than be swept away and tumble about .

From the direction of the sphere, a thunderous sound belatedly rang out .

Despite being quite far away, I felt the heat strongly .

It was to the point that even I, who had Fire Resistance, felt pain from the heat .

I had expected that the length of the aura that I had projected from the sphere was about 30 centimeters .

However, it rotated and continued to accelerate even further, so as soon as I directed the aura from the sphere, its length was longer than several meters .

And during that brief instance, the giant bulge of aura rotated several hundred times using the sphere as its center, no it rotated several thousands of times .

That was the result .

At the center of the residential district, the entire fountain area was razed to the ground and burning .

Kwang!

I didn't know if the aura that I couldn't collect and lost control of had diffused in all directions, and exploded, but another boom rang out .

A part of the aura had been projected; since an equivalent energy had been consumed, the explosion hadn't been that large .

With that, the sphere had completely disappeared .

I started to analyze the aftermath .

The sphere had rotated repeatedly, and at some point, it increased its revolutions per minute by effectively “grabbing” onto the central axis .

It was difficult to stand my ground in the face of the storm .

The sphere had over-accelerated and its revolutions per minute drastically increased the force of the technique .

In a split second, everything in my vicinity would be torn apart if that technique were to use the aura blade as its center .

Like a blender .

Also, the technique was accompanied by an intense heat and light .

Subsequently, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain the central axis, to the point that I can't deal with it at my level .

Obviously, the ideal path of action would be to use the aura projection to consume as much of the sphere's energy as possible . Then, immediately after using the technique, I have to escape from the blast area .

After using it, the remaining energy in the sphere explodes .

So, if it's possible, after using the technique, it'd be best not to leave too much energy within the sphere .

Thereafter, if there's an excess of energy in the sphere, I have to escape as quickly as possible .

And the only noteworthy thing is that it would end like this .

It had plenty of force and great potential in a wide variety of combat situations .

In conclusion, I have two questions: how do I decrease the excessive force, and how do I control it?

I have to reduce the danger of the technique as well as tame its excessive force .

At my current level, I have no chance of controlling it .

Later, after my skills have progressed further, I'll try it again in the safety of the waiting room .

More importantly, my magic circuits have become a mess; even if I were able to take the risk, I wouldn't be able to attempt it again .

I took out medicine for burns from my inventory and said .

"I think this is enough swordsmanship . Let's study magic starting tomorrow . "

[ . . . So if you're a person who can do something like that, why are you trying to learn something like magic?]

* * * * * *

[The God of the Sky agrees with someone's opinion . ]

[The God of Light is happy . ]

[All of the Gods of the Temple of a Hundred Gods are watching you . ]