Return of the Fallen Volume 5 Chapter 51
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch51
Asuna was puzzled but just in case she didn’t dare make Glacious repeat himself. Her eyes wandered toward Kazuki in hopes he would ask Glacious what he meant but Glacious was already on top of it and continued.
“Humans normally can live around 100 years if all aspects are regular. Healthwise and other physical conditions, no strange diseases, extenuated stresses, and as long as they aren’t just straight up killed, 100 years is around the limit, give or take a few years. That’s a human’s life span.”
Kazuki cusped his fist and asked politely.
“Senior, how does that relate with the three paths toward the 4th stage?”
“You still don’t get it? Enhancing the physical body with the stored energy from the 2nd stage is useless for one trying to become a 4th stage Mage or so humans have taught one another but in actuality they are wrong. Infusing the energy stored in every cell of your body and instead of enhancing the body, directly connecting the mind to your Mage core to open the way to entering the 4th stage, this is what they all choose and again it comes down to life span. In order for one to enhance the body with all that stored energy in their cells, the way they do it can take years, possibly even decades. For a human Mage, most with talent can awaken their powers around the time of puberty. Entering the 2nd stage, the Elemental stage, from the 1st stage, normally takes 5-7 years. The 3rd stage, the body stage, if they’re quick, to forge the body properly, can easily take a decade or longer. Most humans forgo this enhancing phase and jump directly to connecting the mind with the Mage core. The reason again is simple. After first awakening from then to the 4th stage if done correctly a human would already be in their 30’s and that’s if they’re fast. In a world wrought with chaos and war and death, that is simply too long of a wait. Besides, once one becomes a 4th stage mage, they can naturally form a strong shield or barrier around themselves with little to no ease.”
Kazuki began to understand and things were falling into place in his mind.
“Senior, you’re saying that those who take the time to enhance their bodies are wasting time then. The time spent enhancing their bodies could have been spent trying to enter the 4th stage. Not only that, once one is in the 4th stage a person who simply has a strong body can’t really contend with a 4th stage Mage.”
Glacious nodded.
“You’re mostly right. When one enters the 4th stage all kinds of abilities become possible. One of them is naturally a barrier made of the user’s element.”
Kimi felt annoyed within but she tried her best to hold it in and said.
“Senior dragon, I can already make a barrier of light now. Who cares if I can already do it already?”
Glacious chuckled.
“Haha. True you can make a barrier now but those around you can smash your barrier after a blow or two right? Well, a barrier produced by a 3rd stage and a 4th is like night and day. To put it in numbers, it’d be like the difference between a 1 and 100. The barrier a 4th stage produces is 100 times stronger. I can’t say the same for one who has increased their physical capabilities. From the 3rd stage to the 4th stage, the body’s strength goes up 30, 40 times, more or less. At that level, a 4th stage would have almost no possibility of cracking another 4th stage Mages barrier with physical contact. One more fact is that depending on one’s element and their attainment and knowledge of that element, most 4th stage Mages learn to fly by that point. To try and strike an opponent with a punch while they are flying away, that is mostly foolish if I do say so myself. Why use the body when your magic is far more powerful and has a long range. In the end, for humans, it’s best to skip enhancing the body. Which of course brings us back to my training. I will be making you enhance your physical bodies to the limit and then beyond.”
Everyone fell silently in confusion. Asuna cautiously raised her hand to ask a question.
“Yes angry red kitten, what is it?”
Asuna hated this nickname but there was nothing she could do.
“Senior, you just went through how pointless it is for one to enhance their bodies and instead gave great reasons why one should avoid doing that as it will take us a decade or even longer to build our foundation. So why do you want us to work on our bodies then? If it will be pointless when we enter the 4th stage anyway, why do it at all?”
“Hmm, since when did I say it would take all of you a decade to complete the 3rd stage, body enhancement? No, I said it takes humans that long. I am a dragon and have my own ways. One of which, Kazuki has already personally felt.”
Kazuki couldn’t help but call out.
“The cauldron!”
Glacious nodded.
“Correct. My cauldron is quite special. It doesn’t only heal, it also helps one’s stored magic enhance the body at a crazy rate. To answer the fiery kitten’s question. Why do it at all, isn’t it pointless? To that I say, are you dumb?”
Asuna could feel her eyelid start to twitch. Not only did Glacious call her a stupid nickname but he also asked if she was stupid. Before she could respond Glacious waved his hand.
“That was rhetorical, you trying to respond has already told me enough.”
Asuna couldn’t help but grit her teeth. She didn’t want to argue and catch a high-speed air pocket to the head.
Glacious went on to say.
“Magic, at its base forms the natural laws of nature. There is an order to it but at the same time, there are heaps of chaos and disorder thrown in. The way ones use Magic in this realm, they store and then call upon it from their Mage core or Beast core. The magic comes from within and goes from being intangible to tangible. It then circulates, folds, sways waves, gushes, moves forward or backward, whatever the user wishes. They move it with willpower or the mind or even the body, it all depends on the user. After they call upon the magic, the magic energy travels through one’s body and then out of it, forming the element they wish and creating, materializing, making a spell.”
Kazuki and the others nodded their heads in understanding. Garn had taught them this back when they were still in the capital Tresta.
“You all know this but what happens when one is in a place with little to no magic?”
Everyone didn’t understand.
Kazuki then thought of the abyssal trench.
(Glacious had said that something in that place disrupts magic. Could he mean a place like that?)
As though to confirm Kazuki’s thoughts Glacious pointed into the distance.
“Not too far from my Rin mountain range, there lies a terrible Abyssal Trench. Besides containing a powerful Titan, there is also a strange phenomenon that interferes with magic. If one were to fly over it, it would become extremely difficult to maintain flight. Your powers would begin to fail you. Tell me, do you all know what would happen then if there was no interference with magic but instead there is an incredibly strong and pure source.”
Shin became confident but he still addressed Glacious properly.
“Senior, if the magic is purer, wouldn’t their flight become better. They should then be able to fly higher and faster as well.”
“Very good young Shin.”
Shin smiled hearing Glacious’s praise and Asuna felt her anger rising as Shin winked at her teasingly. Not even a second later though, Glacious stomped on that confidence as though it were dirt.
“That was very good but unfortunately it was also dead wrong.”
Shin’s smile fell and became a frown instantly while Asuna’s anger swiftly transformed into delight. She then dramatically winked back at Shin and she felt as though the world wasn’t completely wrong.
“When the energy becomes too pure, it becomes saturated and instead of beneficial, it becomes more akin to a poison. The energy it contains climbs to dangerous heights and when it travels through the body, guess what…poof.”
Kazuki and the others were taken aback by this. Had they stayed longer in Tresta and been near the palace, they might have seen exactly what Glacious was talking about. After Garn had caused a Magical beast core to explode, the result from said explosion had not only directly killed King David but it also destroyed a large portion of the city in one fell swoop. That only was disastrous for many but that was not the end of it.
Later on, a few Mages had flown over the devastated area and found their magic going completely out of control resulting in their death. A bit after that, hundreds of normal citizens were found dead in the surrounding area. Garn had learned it was due to the pure energy of the Beast core lingering and he immediately began building a protective dome around the entire area to solve the aftermath.
Kazuki and the others of course were unaware of all of this as they had escaped the city that very night and never looked back.
Kazuki and Nunully knew about the dangers of the pure energy within Beast cores as that was one of the main reasons they were arrested but neither related it to this situation until Glacious mentioned how poisonous it could be.
The two exchanged a look and knew where Glacious was going.
“One can not handle such pure energy and the reason for that all comes back to one major thing.”
Glacious pointed at himself.
“And that’s the body.”
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