Chương 168: Soul Resonance
Gifts were incredibly rare, and those who were blessed with them were essentially guaranteed to surpass the Wall, breaking past limits most couldn't even fathom.
But not all Gifts were equal.
Some, like the legendary Yin-Yang Body, ranked among the top four Gifts in all of recorded history. Others, while still remarkable, paled in comparison. My Gift, Lucent Harmony, born from Luna's will, wasn't lacking by any means. It far surpassed Ian's dragon will, which had been diluted because Tiamat divided his power among three.
Still, despite its power, I realized something unsettling.
The strongest figures in this world—Lucifer Windward and Jack Blazespout, the protagonist and antagonist—both had two Gifts. And that was terrifying.
Jack's second Gift came from the Heavenly Demon's intervention, while Lucifer simply had his second because, well… he's the protagonist. I wasn't even sure about Julius Slatemark, the first emperor, who lived centuries ago and was one of the most powerful figures in history.
I didn't know if I could gain a second Gift. That fear haunted me. Was I destined to always be a step behind those who possessed dual Gifts?
But now, here I was, experiencing the impossible. I couldn't have been more thrilled.
My second Gift had emerged—Soul Resonance.
It was a power beyond overpowered. I could synchronize with the souls of those around me, borrowing their abilities, and even storing one of their moves as my own. Of course, I wouldn't be able to fully replicate the move without their level of mastery, but the utility of this ability was staggering.
And now, I was ready to put it to use.
Without wasting a second, I activated Soul Resonance. The strongest soul in the vicinity… it was Luna, sealed though she was. Our souls were bonded, so I reached out to her, tapping into the raw, dormant power she still possessed.
And it worked.
A surge of her immense power coursed through me, unlocking abilities I hadn't imagined wielding before.
As expected from a mythical beast of Luna's caliber, her strength was vast and overwhelming, offering countless new abilities. But the choice was clear.
Qilinification.
Similar to how those bonded with dragons can use draconification to adopt dragon traits like scales or a heart to drastically increase their power, I could tap into the traits of Luna's qilin form to enhance my own abilities.
Qilinification was incredibly powerful, even more so than I'd anticipated. It had six distinct parts, each capable of transforming me into something far beyond human. But the sheer potential of it was terrifying. I knew I wouldn't be able to harness even a fraction of its full power until I surpassed the Wall.
For now, I focused on the two abilities most crucial for this moment.
The first was Soul Vision, which heightened my ocular and sensory abilities even further, allowing me to see the flow of mana and energy around me, to predict movements, and sense the slightest shifts in the battlefield. It amplified what Seraphim's Embrace already provided, creating a deadly combination of perception and insight.
The second was Mythic Body, which pushed my physical form closer to the power of a qilin. My strength, speed, and endurance all skyrocketed, enhancing my human limitations and bringing me closer—though not nearly close enough—to the mythical limits of Luna's true form.
Of course, "closer" was a relative term. Compared to a true qilin, I was still nowhere near their full might. But even a fraction of that power was enough to turn the tide.
I could feel the surge of energy flooding my veins as my body adjusted to these new abilities, and for the first time since the fight began, I felt a glimmer of hope—perhaps I could match the monster before me.
Well, almost.
There was still a massive gap between us, and no matter how much I enhanced myself, I was still lacking the one thing that mattered most in a battle like this—mana. My reserves were too small to truly fight on par with Drake, especially now that he had tapped into black mana.
'Luna,' I reached out through our bond, my mind steady despite the overwhelming pain coursing through me, 'I trust you.'
I felt her hesitation, her shock rippling through our bond, but she didn't try to stop me. She knew what I was about to do.
In one swift motion, I pressed my fingers to my sternum, gritting my teeth as the sharp pain spread through my chest. With a deliberate push, I shattered a third of my mana core apart.
The pain was excruciating, blindingly so. Blood trickled from my nose, and my vision blurred for a moment. I almost collapsed from the sheer force of it, but I could feel Luna working, purifying the fragments of my broken core.
She was drawing the shattered pieces back together, not perfectly, but just enough to bring me closer—dangerously close—to the first stage of Integration.
I could feel the raw, untamed power swirling within me, far more than I had ever wielded before. But it came at a heavy cost.
'Arthur,' Luna's voice cut through my thoughts, sounding pained, 'You will survive this fight, or you won't. But know this—if you do, you will be in a coma for a long time after. This is too much strain on your body.'
I clenched my fists, ignoring the blood dripping down my chin. "One fight at a time, Luna," I muttered under my breath. If I didn't win now, there wouldn't be anything left to wake up to.
Drake noticed the shift in my aura, his smirk widening. "Oh? Finally decided to stop holding back?" His voice dripped with amusement, but there was a glint of unease in his eyes.
I raised my sword, the weight of it now feeling lighter in my hands as my enhanced body and mana surged with newfound strength. The world around me seemed sharper, clearer, like I was seeing it through a lens of heightened awareness.
"Let's finish this," I growled, taking my stance.
And with that, I lunged forward, faster than ever before.
Drake's smile faltered.
I lunged forward with a speed that shocked even me. My body felt weightless, my movements sharper than they'd ever been. Drake barely had time to react before I was on him, my sword flashing through the air with blinding precision.
But he was no ordinary opponent.
With a grunt, he parried my strike with ease, his blade crackling with purple lightning. I felt the force of his swing reverberate through my arms, but I used it to my advantage, spinning with the impact to deliver another strike aimed at his side. His eyes widened for a brief moment, but his response was just as swift.
His blade, coated in the energy of his Grade 5 art, Thunderclap Reversal, met mine again, the clash of our weapons creating a shockwave that shook the ground beneath us. Sparks of lightning danced between us, crackling through the air as our blades collided again and again.
"Not bad, Nightingale," Drake smirked, "but it's not enough."
He pushed me back, his footwork quick and precise as he shifted into the next movement of his family's sword art. His blade hummed with power as he swung in a wide arc, a crescent of lightning following his blade—a technique known as Heavenly Thunder Slash.
I jumped back just in time, feeling the static crackle in the air as the strike barely missed me. I wasn't about to let him dictate the flow of the battle. Summoning my mana, I let my elemental spells flow through me.
Incendiary Burst.
Flames erupted from my free hand, engulfing Drake in a wall of fire. But he didn't seem fazed—he stepped through the inferno, his aura of black mana extinguishing the flames around him.
"Tsk, your spells are nothing," he taunted, raising his sword again.
I gritted my teeth. Time for the next spell.
Spatial Rend.
With a twist of my hand, the space around Drake warped and fractured, the very air tearing apart in front of him. For a split second, his movements were halted as he struggled against the pull of the distorted space. That was my chance.
I dashed forward, my sword glowing with the brilliance of my most powerful technique. God Flash. My heart raced as I focused, the energy within me surging to its peak. This wasn't just the usual God Flash—this was God Flash: Absolute.
I vanished from sight for a brief moment, moving faster than the eye could track. Time seemed to slow as I reappeared behind Drake, my blade aimed directly at his back. The strike would've ended it—cutting through his defenses in one perfect blow.
But Drake wasn't done.
With a roar, his body surged with power, and he twisted just in time, his sword clashing with mine. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, the ground beneath us cracking under the pressure. My God Flash connected, slicing deep into his shoulder, but he managed to avoid a fatal blow.
Drake grimaced in pain, blood dripping from the wound, but his eyes burned with fury. "You think you can beat me with a cheap trick like that?!" he snarled, his voice filled with rage. His aura flared as his black mana surged even higher, mixing with the purple lightning of his Thunder God's Wrath.
His sword came down again, faster than before. I barely managed to parry the blow, feeling the strain on my body as I tried to match his power. But the pain from my shattered mana core was catching up to me.
"Enough playing," Drake hissed. He raised his sword high, gathering all of his power into one final strike—Thunder God's Descent, a technique that combined all of his black mana and lightning mana into one devastating attack.
I had no choice.
I gathered the last remnants of my strength, calling on every ounce of power I had left. Qilinification surged through me again, amplifying my strength as I pushed myself to my limit.
And then I struck.
God Flash: Absolute.
Our blades met in a clash of overwhelming force, the ground beneath us shattering as the two powers collided. Time seemed to slow as our swords connected, sparks flying, the very air around us vibrating with the force of our clash.
And then, with a final surge of power, I broke through.
Drake's sword shattered under the weight of my attack, his body flung back by the sheer force of the blow. He crashed into the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with shock.
I stood over him, panting, my body barely holding together as I pointed my sword at him.
"It's over," I said, my voice hoarse.
But as I looked down at Drake, I could feel the weight of my shattered mana core dragging me down, my vision blurring as the world started to spin. Luna's voice echoed in my mind.
'Arthur, you need to stop… or you won't wake up from this,' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, her tone laced with desperation.
But I couldn't stop. Not now.
This wasn't about winning anymore. This was about survival.
The black mana swirling around us crackled and hissed, splitting open as I sensed something familiar—a presence that carried with it a wave of authority and power.
The professors.
Help had arrived, but it was too late for me.
I felt my knees give way beneath me, my strength completely drained, and I collapsed forward. Just before I hit the ground, strong arms caught me, breaking my fall.
The scent was familiar. The warmth was familiar.
It was one of the girls, though I couldn't tell who.
My vision was blurry, and my mind was on the verge of shutting down. The weight of everything—the battle, the toll on my body, the power I had unleashed—it was all too much.
'Sorry,' I thought weakly, the words barely forming in my fading consciousness. 'I'll be going for now.'
The world went black, and I was lost to the void.
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