Chapter 145

Beastification

If magic had Rings and Classes, Aura had stages.

They were not as clearly distinguished as Rings, but there was still a system of sorts.

It was a concept established far in the future.

There were broadly four stages, though in reality it was closer to five.

The first stage was commonly called Low Aura.

It was an instinctive flow used to strengthen the body, and people at this stage were not usually called Aura users.

They merely experienced physical abilities beyond what could be achieved through ordinary training.

They could run faster and move more quickly.

They could exert strength far beyond their natural muscle power.

Up to this point, they did not even realize they were using Aura.

Unless someone told them.

The second stage was where one truly became known as an Aura user.

It was also called Intermediate Aura.

One could perceive the flow of Aura and circulate it through the body.

It became possible to imbue a weapon with Aura using fragmented mental imagery.

In most places, this level was enough to be recognized as a knight and even rise to the position of knight commander.

As long as one possessed a vessel within the heart and awakened to Aura, this was a realm that could eventually be reached through relentless training.

From the third stage onward, however, one entered the domain of the truly gifted.

It was the stage at which a person could manifest a unique Aura based on specific emotions or willpower.

This was High Aura.

Aura no longer reflected merely instinct or the fruits of training.

It revealed the life one had lived.

Even Lichtenauer, the creator of this Aura system, belonged to this stage.

He left behind a famous definition of Aura:

[Aura is not merely power. Aura is the second body created by one's "mental image" and "will."]

It was at this stage that definition truly began to apply.

This was also why warriors of martial tribes gradually came to resemble the beasts they traditionally worshipped, identified with, or regarded as part of their identity when they fought.

From the first to the third stage, it was certainly true that a higher stage generally granted an advantage in combat.

But there was no guarantee that a second-stage user would always be stronger than a first-stage user, nor that a third-stage user would always be stronger than a second-stage user.

Innate talent, physical ability, Aura capacity, training results, and combat instincts all played major roles.

Unless someone could not use Aura at all, the distinction between stages was not especially meaningful when measuring martial prowess.

The fourth stage, however, was different.

At least, there was no case in which someone from stages one through three could defeat someone of the fourth stage.

The other name for the fourth stage was:

Swordmaster.

From this point onward, Aura functioned as something closer to a concept.

Even Lichtenauer himself never reached this stage.

At this level, it was more accurate to describe Aura as magic rather than swordsmanship.

In other words, one could cut without wielding a weapon.

The "second body" created from mental imagery and willpower in the third stage became perfectly synchronized with the physical body at all times.

Lichtenauer's writings contained little detail regarding this realm.

However, he did leave behind clear advice and warnings for those who dreamed of becoming Swordmasters.

[A Swordmaster is not one who controls the body, but one who controls "form." To achieve this, the body and vessel must serve as the foundation.]

[Aura is a blade that devours the body. The Aura extending from the vessel of the heart can only manifest within natural limits. However, if Aura runs wild due to certain conditions or dispositions, causing the body and vessel to collapse, a terrible result awaits.]

[Aura Rampage occurs when three conditions are fulfilled: the rampage of will, the realization of mental imagery, and the collapse of the vessel. The result is one of two outcomes: inevitable death, or mutation.]

[Mutation occurs when one's mental image escapes control and reconstructs the body. The flesh transforms into the monster contained within that mental image, while the mind fractures into fragmented emotions. This cannot be reversed. This is the final stage. The fifth stage: Beastification.]

[Once one enters the fifth stage, all that remains is the progression of Beastification. The body becomes a monster, and the mind is destroyed. Every Swordmaster lives with the danger of Beastification, and the same is true for every third-stage warrior who aspires to become one.]

Isaac slowly recalled those passages.

Carlson.

Or rather, Kyle as described in Chronicles of the Villain.

He was a genius who had the potential to become the continent's seventh Swordmaster, yet he had failed to ignite something that should have been ignited because he could not resolve the knot buried deep within his heart.

The novel offered little detail beyond that.

It only mentioned that his revenge had become impossible because of Viscount Botmer's red-haired knight, Evervine Feuerhart.

But that alone could not explain why he failed to become a Swordmaster.

After some thought, Isaac reached a single conclusion.

Kyle in his previous life had already been undergoing Beastification.

Perhaps it had begun with his encounter, battle, and eventual defeat at Evervine's hands.

Perhaps his desire for revenge and deeply rooted hatred had driven him beyond the limits of both body and vessel.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be too late yet.

The battle between Evervine and Carlson had not ended.

What stage are those two at right now?

Even Isaac could not easily gauge someone's Aura level.

He merely possessed knowledge of Lichtenauer's Aura Theory.

Strictly speaking, Isaac himself had only just entered the second stage.

By his estimation, Asra Valdrun seemed to have reached the mature phase of the third stage, while Besimer appeared to have only recently entered it.

Compared to them, Carlson and Evervine—who currently dominated the battlefield—had clearly advanced beyond the initial stages of the third level.

"Hans, how long have they been fighting?"

"I believe it's been a full day and another half day on top of that."

Hans answered Isaac's question.

The soldiers looked utterly exhausted.

Watching the duel while barely eating, sleeping, or relaxing would do that to anyone.

The two are still evenly matched.

If either Carlson or Evervine had possessed even the slightest edge in skill, the battle would have been decided long ago.

Does that mean Evervine eventually surpasses Carlson?

The point at which Carlson lost to Evervine—

More precisely, the point at which Carlson attempted to take revenge on Viscount Botmer—

Occurred much later than this.

That only made Isaac more confused.

As he was now, he had no way of truly understanding the world of Aura.

He had spent a lifetime researching magic.

Aura was an entirely different matter.

Even in his previous life, the only reason he had studied Aura at all was to find a method of controlling Mana Rampage.

"What do you think?"

"Their skills seem pretty similar..."

Isaac sought Adele's opinion, but the answer was largely what he had expected.

Still, Adele could see things Isaac could not.

"If things continue like this, your knight will win. The difference is only about the thickness of a sheet of paper, but still."

"I see."

Carlson had not been formally knighted under him, but Isaac nodded anyway.

"Still, something feels unsettling."

"Carlson?"

"No. The red-haired one. It feels like he's constantly stepping beyond the limits of his vessel. The fact that he's still holding on is incredible. Is his willpower really that strong? He should be in unbearable pain."

Adele narrowed her eyes as she watched Evervine.

Isaac had a vague understanding of that sensation as well.

A mage's brain felt no pain.

Because of that, mages devoted to truth and research often pushed against the gates of their limits.

But an Aura user's vessel was a body of flesh and blood.

Pain existed.

Simply using Aura felt as though one's blood vessels were being torn apart.

At the same time, it came with an overwhelming urge to cut and destroy.

That pain was accompanied by exhilaration.

The sensation of exploding and releasing something that had been building up inside the body.

Lichtenauer had described it as similar to sexual pleasure.

That was why Aura users often behaved in ways that seemed irrational.

However, there was a limit to what the body could endure.

No matter how much ecstasy accompanied it, pain was still pain.

Once it surpassed a certain threshold, the body would either erase consciousness to survive or become paralyzed from shock.

A physical body capable of feeling all five senses was simply not designed to go beyond that limit.

"How can you tell he's exceeding the limits of his vessel?"

"Take a good look at the redhead's face."

Following Adele's advice, Isaac focused on Evervine.

The distance was nearly a hundred paces, but thanks to the Wolf King's senses, he could make it out if he concentrated.

The sword flashing through afterimages.

The deep-blue Aura.

Evervine's face appearing and disappearing behind Carlson's movements.

Sure enough, it was twisted with pain.

Not only that, blackened veins bulged and protruded across his face, and the Aura he emitted felt distinctly unnatural.

Isaac had seen symptoms like this before.

Chevalier's mutation.

When Rutger, Viscount Botmer's second son, had been defeated in war and taken prisoner.

His bodyguard knight, Chevalier, had assassinated Rutger and mutated in an attempt to kill Bishop Alquin.

Lichtenauer's writings never explicitly described the symptoms of Beastification, but...

A possibility came to Isaac's mind.

If that's what Beastification looks like... and if Botmer possesses some means of forcibly inducing it...

He had no time to dwell on the thought.

A single arrow descended from high above, aimed directly at him.

Like a hawk diving toward its prey, the arrow seemed almost alive.

Tap.

Before Isaac could even react, the arrow was caught in a massive hand.

The great warrior standing beside Adele.

And also her half-brother.

Crunch!

The arrow shattered in the warrior's grip.

Looking at Isaac, he growled something in the tribal tongue.

His breathing sounded like the growl of a beast.

"What did he say?"

"He's asking what Hwiserk intends to do."

The arrow had been fired by the knight standing beside Karl.

Likely retaliation for the javelin Great Warrior Hwiserk had hurled at Karl earlier.

"It doesn't seem like they're willing to let that duel continue."

"Big Brother, let's just wipe them out."

Blood vessels bulged across Besimer's bald head.

He was irritated that Hwiserk had stolen the initiative.

The javelin throw.

Catching the arrow aimed at Isaac before he could.

And the fact that a man who was never overshadowed by anyone in size looked small standing beside Hwiserk.

Besimer simply didn't like him.

He wanted to start fighting as soon as possible and prove he was superior.

"For now, let's stop them. We don't have any interest in watching a duel that might never end. The promised date is getting close. We'll speak with their commander first, and if that doesn't work... then we'll fight."

"I suppose so."

Adele spoke to Hwiserk in the tribal language.

Hwiserk nodded.

Then he charged toward the center of the battlefield.

Toward Carlson and Evervine.

He moved at a speed completely at odds with his enormous frame.

His feet crushed the earth as he leapt.

Drawing an axe in midair, he put his full weight behind the strike as he descended.

BOOM!

The ground caved in where he landed.

His axe buried itself deep into the center.

Cracks spread through the earth like a spiderweb.

Sensing the overwhelming killing intent, Evervine and Carlson had already retreated more than ten paces from the landing point.

Neither had even considered confronting it.

The two Aura users stared at Hwiserk in shock.

They had been so focused on their duel that they had completely failed to notice what was happening around them.

"Need... talk."

Hwiserk spoke in a rough voice using the common tongue.

Steam billowed from his nostrils with every breath.

***

"Huff... huff... What in the world are you? A human or a magical beast?"

Standing atop the wall, Berkheim shouted toward the enemy knight.

The knight's reddish-brown hair fluttered wildly.

His face was pale.

Dark blood vessels bulged grotesquely beneath his skin.

"I am Waller. Today, this fortress becomes my father's."

The knight lowered into a combat stance.

"Damn it. This is really becoming a problem."

Berkheim scratched his head with the handle of his axe.

His body was already covered in blood from numerous wounds.

He was clearly fighting a human.

Yet it felt exactly like fighting a magical beast.

This was what it would probably look like if someone taught swordsmanship to a high-ranking humanoid magical beast.

"Haa... Fine. Even if I end up dying, let's hold out a little longer."

Berkheim muttered as he looked at the mangled corpses of his squad members.

If he fell here, the entire plan would unravel.

At some point, Botmer's infantry had completely filled Winterband's inner walls.