Arc III: “Return of Darkness”
Chapter III: “Fading Darkness / Tales Untold”
Episode V: “The New Prodigy”
“Wow, so that staff helps you control ambient aether?” Leo asked.
“Yes—though I’m still getting the hang of it. Now that I have both the power of the Guardian and the Warden… I truly am the complete God of Solaris.”
“Heh, heh, heh! Once Lian’s mastered his Craft, he’ll be even stronger than Akira!” Zane chuckled.
“It scares me that this may be true…” Kyte said, rubbing the back of his head.
“Alright, that’s enough stories,” Zane said, picking up the humanoid. “I’m taking this to my lab so I can inspect it a little more.”
“Okay. Well, that means it’s time for me to go check out the UFA. Kyte, you coming?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Let me heal you before you go,” Lian said, lifting the staff toward Kyte.
Instantly, Kyte’s injuries were restored after a flash of green light.
“Luckily, they weren’t too deep,” Lian said.
“Thank you.”
“Hey Lian, make sure you swing by to join us in our training!” Leo said as he and Kyte flew into the air.
“Yes, I’ll try to make some time.” Lian waved as they left.
[UFA Mainland]
“Hey there, Headmaster!” Leo said as he and Kyte met with Rayon.
“You don’t have to tease me about it,” Rayon replied.
“I mean, it’s no surprise to anyone. You’re obviously the most qualified for the role.” Darc added.
“Speaking of qualifications,” Rayon started, “there’s someone you guys need to see.
[In a special training facility]
The four of them looked through a glass window that was above a large training room. In the center of the room below them, there was a young boy… As he meditated, a fierce pressure of aether gathered around him—controlled, steady, and heavy.
“What!?” Kyte swallowed. “That’s not just aura… his Flux output must be incredible.”
“Yeah—and he’s only thirteen! His natural yield is already higher than ours!” Darc said.
“Where’d you guys find him?” Leo asked.
Rayon sighed. “He’s the old headmaster’s grandson. He received training from his grandfather when he was young, and had been living a somewhat normal life until recently. When the Dystopians attacked, the island he was living on was one of the targets. Unfortunately, his family didn’t make it. So, since then, I’ve had him training here and undergoing all of the rituals I learned as the new headmaster.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Incredible…” Kyte said.
“Oh—right,” Leo said. “Do you know anything about the hidden artifact the UFA’s storing? Lian wanted me to ask.”
“The artifact… no, unfortunately, its whereabouts died with the old headmaster. I’m not sure if it was even stored on campus grounds.”
They continued watching the boy train.
“So how about it?” Rayon asked. “You guys want to see what he’s made of?”
[A few minutes later]
“So, your name is Shiki? It’s nice to meet you, my name’s Leo.”
Leo and Shiki faced off against each other in the training room.
“Leo? You’re that Caliekian, right? Master Rayon talked about you before. Supposedly, you were some kind of prodigy that trained under that Akira Lyte guy.”
“‘That Akira guy’ is one of the strongest fighters in the universe!”
“Hmph. I bet I could take him. Give me a couple more days, and I’ll have my powers completely mastered.”
“Bold words… looks like I’ll have to teach you some manners,” Leo said as they both took their stances.
“Will it hold?” Kyte asked.
“The facility?” Darc asked. “Yeah, don’t worry about that. We had Akira and Zane help design and test it. This place won’t go down that easily.”
His base yield is impressive! I won’t be able to keep up unless I unleash my power from the start! “Threshold Eight: Ascension.” Leo’s hair and aura turned to a calm, flowing white.
“How did you train him? His base yield is still higher than Leo’s Eighth Threshold!” Kyte asked.
“It’s a forbidden ritual that the headmaster had. Normally, the average person wouldn’t be able to use it. But someone like Shiki? It’d be no sweat.” Rayon said. “Besides the other rituals that trigger Aether Resurgence—Aether Surge to optimize output, Aether Blossom to expand long-term potential—this one forces a Second Genesis.”
“Second Genesis?”
“Yeah. Think of water in a bottle. Aether Surge is like increasing the water you already have and making it flow better. Aether Blossom is like replacing your bottle with a larger one, raising the current amount of water accordingly. But Second Genesis… Second Genesis is like giving you an entirely new reservoir—another bottle, duplicated. Your Flow expands… and your Flux can climb with it. Not only does their capacity for strength increase, but their current level of strength will increase as well. Only an individual incredibly gifted and diligent like Shiki would be able to endure all three. Once he’s mastered his Spirit Bloom… he’ll be even stronger than Akira!”
Shiki unleashed a violent green and blue aura from his Enlightened State, his eyes glowing with blue aether. He unleashed a Divine Pressure as Divine aether coursed through his meridians.
“Wow…” another person whose power rivals Akira out of nowhere… Kyte thought. “Seems you’ve had your hands full training a monster…”
Leo and Shiki had been clashing for a few minutes now. Shiki had the upper hand in power, but Leo was able to make up for it using skill.
“Damn,” Leo said, panting. I’m burning through stamina, keeping my output up… while this guy isn’t even breaking a sweat! Being able to fight in your Natural State must be nice! “Edict: Mercy: Decrease!” He lightened his gravity, tightening his movement and boosting his output.
“Violet Harmony: Purple Nebula!”
After unleashing the vibrant white aura of his Spirit Bloom, Shiki formed a massive purple aether orb and launched it at Leo.
“Damn!” Leo’s first thought was to dodge it. No, it’s too large. I won’t have enough time to get away from it! “Gravity Blast!” I’ll redirect it!
He launched several small aether orbs…, most of which collided with Shiki’s Art, but one hit the ceiling of the training facility.
“Whatever you’re trying to do, it’s pointless,” Shiki said, “your attacks aren’t strong enough to counter mine!”
“I told you already, you’re too cocky!” Leo put his right hand into the air, then clenched his fist.
A Blue-gray sigil hummed, light glowing from the ceiling.
The purple orb reversed its direction, heading towards the ceiling instead of Leo.
“What!?”
“Are you sure this is okay?” Kyte asked, sweat running down his face.
“Yeah, we have a large reactor powering a barrier around the facility. Even Akira wasn’t able to destroy it with his strongest technique!” Darc said confidently.
The orb collided with the ceiling, hitting the energy barrier that surrounded the room. After a sparking clash, the orb exploded, creating a cloud of dust in the room.
Leo used this as a distraction to gain the upper hand against Shiki.
“Dominion of Gravitas: Edict: Elevation: Pillar of Crius!” after Aether-Skipping behind Shiki, Leo created a small barrier—a cylindrical pillar that surrounded both of them.
“What… is this!?” Shiki said, feeling the added pressure of gravity from the barrier.
“Hmph, you let your guard down. There’s no doubt your Yield is impressive, but that doesn’t make you invincible. As you grow, you’ll encounter lots of fighters like me who use tricky techniques to sway the flow of the battle.”
“This is exactly why I wanted Leo to be the one to fight him,” Rayon said. “Most of his training has been purely focused on strengthening him, but he still has a lot to learn when it comes to his fighting style and tactics.”
“Damn, there’s no way!” Shiki said. It’s slight, but I can still outpower him! “Ballistic Arsenal: Blue Fragments!” He launched a barrage of blue, bullet-like aether blasts.
“Alright, this lesson is over. Ordinance of Collapse: Gravity Crush!” With a swipe of his hand, he shredded the aether blasts and knocked Shiki down, rendering him unable to continue the fight.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Field Trip! Training at the UFA!”
[Yield Levels]:
Lian: 13z
Zane: 50 – 4z
Kyte: 6z
- Aether Resurgence: (Surge): ~7z
Rayon: ~5z
Darc: 500 – 4z
Shiki: 10z
- Divine Pressure: 11z
- DP + Enlightened State: 12z
- DP + ES + Spirit Bloom: 500 – 12z
- DP + ES + SB + Pillar of Crius (Domain Level II): (Increase): 5 – 12z
- Purple Nebula: x1z
- Blue Fragments: x50
Leo: 10 – 5z
- Threshold 8: 10 – 9z
- T8 + Gravity Shift (Grade VI): (Decrease): 10 – 11z
- T8 + GS: (GVI): (-) + PoC (DL II): (Decrease): 12z
- Gravity Blast: x2
- Gravity Crush: x200