“Haaaaah…Haaaaaah…”
I opened my eyes, gasping for breath. The forest around me was still; the only sound was my own ragged breathing.
The surge of energy had passed, leaving a sense of calm and fulfillment in its wake.
“Haaaaah…”
But as my breathing slowly subsided, I started to sense something unusual. My hands were itching, a strange tingling sensation spreading through them. My heart pounded in my chest, and my vision turned slightly purplish.
The darkness of the evening sky was filled with faint lines of energy as if the cosmos were lying between them.
‘What’s happening to me?’ I wondered, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension. My hand reached for my sword, unsheathing the long estoc from where it was secured.
As soon as my fingers wrapped around the hilt, a strange compulsion took over. My body moved on its own, guided by the lines of energy that filled my vision. I followed them, stepping lightly through the forest as if in a trance.
‘These lines… They look like paths, like stars in the night sky. Am I seeing the flow of mana?’ My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the sensations coursing through me.
I moved with fluid grace, my feet following the celestial lines that seemed to connect everything around me. Each step felt natural as if I were dancing to a rhythm that only I could hear. The estoc in my hand glowed faintly, resonating with the energy around us.
‘This must be part of the [Devourer of Stars]. Master mentioned that understanding the flow of mana would unlock new levels of power. But this… This feels different. It’s like the stars themselves are guiding me.’
My vision was filled with the purplish hue of the energy lines, and I could see the faint outlines of constellations forming in the air. The cosmos seemed to pulse and breathe around me, each line of energy a pathway to greater understanding.
I swung my estoc, the blade cutting through the air with a whisper. The lines of energy responded, shifting and bending to my movements.
I could feel the power flowing through me, my connection to the stars growing stronger with each passing moment.
‘I see….’
The stars. They were guiding me.
‘This is the Third Form of the [Void Starfall Blade].’
I realized what was happening here.
I followed the movements of the lines as if engaged in a sword dance. Each step, each swing of my blade, aligned perfectly with the celestial paths laid out before me. My body moved fluidly, seamlessly integrating with the cosmic energy that enveloped me.
‘I’m grasping it,’ I thought, feeling the blade’s power resonate with each precise movement.
The lines reached their end, and I could no longer see the path I needed to follow. Just as doubt began to creep in, I felt something deep within me. The man in my core pulsed with a desire to be released, to be freed.
‘It wants to lead me somewhere,’ I realized, feeling the insistent push of energy within.
As I was about to stop the movement of my sword, I decided to trust my instincts. I let the mana flow out of my meridians, releasing it into the air around me. The energy swirled and coalesced, forming a radiant aura that enveloped my entire body.
I continued the sword dance, now guided by the flow of mana itself. My blade moved with a precision that felt almost otherworldly, each strike resonating with the power of the stars. The energy lines, though invisible to the eye, were now a part of me, guiding my movements with an innate understanding.
‘This is it,’ I thought, feeling the culmination of my training and the merging of my inner power with the cosmic flow. ‘This is how one can extend their mana outside of their body or sword.’
The energy within me surged, and I felt a connection to something far greater than myself. It was as if the cosmos had acknowledged my efforts and granted me a glimpse of its boundless power.
‘Manifestation.’
This phenomenon could only be done by awakening in the third stage. From this point onwards, an Awakened would no longer be required to use a medium to display their mana; just by extending their will, they could manifest it from their bodies.
I continued to move, the dance of the blade becoming a symphony of light and energy.
Each strike, each movement felt more natural, more attuned to the flow of mana within and around me. At the end of each strike, I began to notice something extraordinary.
A wave of energy materialized from the tip of my blade, shimmering with a dark, starry brilliance. The wave displayed the characteristics of the [Devourer of Stars] technique, absorbing and pulling in the surrounding mana. It was as if the very stars themselves were bending to my will, their energy flowing through me and into my sword.
The wave also exhibited the refined elegance and deadly precision of my master’s sword style, the [Void Starfall Blade]. Each arc of the blade left trails of starlight in its wake, forming a constellation of lethal beauty. The energy manifested from my strikes seemed to coalesce into a tangible force, a perfect blend of the two techniques.
‘This is truly something else,’ I thought, marveling at the sight before me. ‘The power of [Devourer of Stars] combined with the precision of [Void Starfall Blade]. This is what it means to extend my mana outside of my body and weapon.’
I could feel the raw power of the wave, its energy resonating with a cosmic rhythm. It was a manifestation of my own will, shaped by the teachings of my master and the essence of the stars. The wave moved with an almost sentient fluidity, responding to my thoughts and intentions with perfect synchronization.
As I continued to practice, the waves grew more defined and more powerful. Each strike sent ripples through the air, the energy radiating outward in a display of celestial might.
The forest around me seemed to hum with the power; the trees and foliage bathed in the glow of the manifested mana.
‘This is just the beginning. Yet, it is this powerful.’
The energy of the strike was something else.
「Void Starfall Blade. Dance of the Celestial.」
But just as I had finished the strike, suddenly, my head started ringing, and the world started constantly rotating.
An immense amount of pain surged through my body, and I stumbled, clutching at my chest. I looked down and was horrified to see blood staining my clothes and dripping onto the ground. My internal muscles felt like they were tearing apart, and my body was in a tattered state.
My eyes widened in shock. ‘Did I overexert myself?’ I thought, struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events. I didn’t recall feeling any pain while swinging my sword. The realization that something had gone horribly wrong hit me like a tidal wave.
The pain intensified, and I could feel my strength slipping away. My vision blurred, the world around me fading into darkness. I tried to hold on, to make sense of what was happening, but it was too late. The last thing I saw was the shimmering stars in the sky before everything went black.
*******
After Lucavion attempted a breakthrough, he solely focused on his internal core and the mana that he was trying to absorb.
And because of that, he had not noticed that the starlight that once had covered him when Gerald left this world now shone upon him again.
But this time, it was for a different reason.
As Lucavion continued to push through the pain and fatigue, he entered a peculiar state. Whether it was because of the mana vein or another effect was unknown, but something extraordinary was happening. His consciousness expanded, and he found himself in a state of enlightenment.
In this heightened state of awareness, Lucavion’s focus remained unwavering. The energy within the mana vein flowed into him, merging with his own mana and enhancing his power.
The connection he felt with the stars grew stronger, their light guiding him toward his goal.
And then, at the culmination of his efforts, he broke through the third stage. A brilliant light shone within his core, and there, in his Dantian, another star was formed.
The energy surged through him, a wave of pure, unadulterated power that resonated with the very fabric of his being.
Suddenly, Lucavion stood up, his body vibrating with newfound strength. As he opened his eyes, they shone dark, as if reflecting the cosmos itself, with traces of stars glittering within. The power of the stars flowed through him, and his body seemed to glow with a faint, purplish hue.
Without conscious thought, Lucavion began to move. His body was guided by the celestial energy coursing through him. His movements were graceful, each swing of his sword accompanied by a purple starlight that coated the blade. The air around him seemed to shimmer with the light of the stars.
However, with each movement he made, a muscle of the corresponding body part ruptured. His body was not yet ready for the intensity of the sword dance he was performing. Blood began to seep through his clothes, staining the ground beneath him.
Yet, the pain did not reach him. In his trance state, Lucavion continued his movements, each step and swing perfectly aligned with the celestial rhythm he was attuned to. The stars guided his every motion, the sword in his hand an extension of his will.
The dance of the celestial blade was beautiful and deadly, a display of power and elegance. But the toll on his body was immense. His muscles tore, and his bones strained under the pressure of the movements. Still, he pressed on, driven by the enlightenment that had consumed him.
As he neared the end of his celestial dance, Lucavion felt the energy within him reaching its peak. He executed a final, powerful slash, pouring all the mana he had manifested into the strike. The blade glowed with a brilliant purple light, cutting through the air with a force that seemed to ripple through the very fabric of reality.
At that moment, the dark hue in his eyes dimmed, the connection to the cosmic energy slowly fading. The light in his eyes returned to normal, and the trance that had held him in its grip released its hold. Lucavion’s vision cleared, and he became acutely aware of the immense pain surging through his body.
He looked down at himself, seeing the blood-soaked clothes and feeling the deep, agonizing ache in his muscles and bones. His body was covered in wounds, his skin bruised and torn from the strain of the celestial dance. The realization of what had happened hit him all at once, the shock almost overwhelming.
Before he could process it further, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. His vision darkened, the world around him fading into a blur.
But his surprises were yet to end.
As the mana from the mana vein continued to reach the body.
But different from last time, it did not enter his Dantian or core.
It directly entered his body this time.
In the darkness, Lucavion’s body absorbed the mana, the potent energy coursing through him like a river of power.
The mana worked its way through his damaged muscles, repairing the tears and reinforcing his physical structure.
His bones, strained and weakened from the intense sword dance, started to strengthen, the fractures mending themselves with the influx of energy.
The bruises on his skin faded, and the cuts and wounds closed up, leaving only faint scars as a testament to the battle his body had endured.
He had undergone his first body reconstruction after becoming awake.
And he did it two stages earlier than the others.
———————–
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