A/N: My bad for the late post, was busy. And Eid Mubarak to anyone who's celebrating it tomorrow (28th of June for anyone who happens to be reading this after the release day)
Valier POV:
"No way... I knew he would be strong considering he was able to overwhelm even you, but.."
Anastasia then chuckled a bit before her face darkened, it was as if remembering the fight between her and Reinhardt was traumatizing for her.
"Overwhelm is definitely an understatement, I'm never fighting that guy ever again. Kid, you don't understand how much stronger that monster's gotten. You can't even use a Cursed Attribute, can you?"
I looked at her for a moment, and decided that telling her the truth would be for the best.
"Actually, I think I used a Cursed Attribute when I fought Reinhardt in Brittania. At the time, I wasn't in a state to even understand what I did, but I was able to create black flames similar to Reinhardt's."
Then, she dissapeared from my sight and reappeared right infront of me, her hands on my shoulders, and the previous sense of playfulness having completely dissapeared.
"You... you've used a Cursed Attribute? Tell me exactly what you did."
I used Demon's Breath and Mana to enhance myself and I pried her hands off my body before continuing.
"I used my Weapon Creation and flowed both Cursed Energy and Flame Attribute Mana through it, why do you ask?"
She then looked down in horror, as fear filled her eyes.
"You... you're an absurdity. An anomaly greater than even Artorius who posses the power of the King of Knights and his men. Your Cursed Attribute must have 'Destroyed' the Holy Magic that was essentially destroying Reinhardt's body. Demon Blood's can technically overcome the damage that Holy Magic causes naturally, however, its all contextual. But, your ability ignored all pretenses and annihilated the Holy Magic running rampant in Reinhardt's body."
Time stopped for a moment, as I contemplated the fact that this was the power that I could use to overcome my biggest weakness. The power to rid myself of the weakness that had plagued this body for over a decade. It seemed that I had acquired that power long ago.
"Train under me. I'll be your master, I'll teach your everything about being a Demon."
Her face changed completely, and a manic smile covered her face.
"I'll turn you into a monster, and with time, you'll be able to manhandle even Reinhardt!"
I considered it, she was strong, perhaps not as strong as Reinhardt, but she was strong and would continue to grow stronger. But, on the other hand, what sort of freak would I become if I trained under her?
But, I also needed allies. Iris was no longer a thing, so that drastically raised the difficulty of this whole ordeal. Without her, Artorius was basically without any plot armour. And, unlike the novel, he didn't seem to have a harem of women from day one. So, I needed to be aware of the possibility that he wouldn't have any allies to rely on.
And if that time comes, I may have to help. And while that's all fine, what if my power wasn't enough? That was where things got tricky. If I took this offer, I'd essentially get another ally. I already had Leon and Irene with me, and I could sort of count on Angelica, but she was also a possible threat due to her Holy bullshit.
But, if I accepted, then I'd be able to overcome said bull shit.
"Fine. But don't call yourself my master."
She then turned around. As she turned around, I caught a glimpse of a smile. Unlike the ones before, it wasn't a playful, manic, or a smile of anything of the sort. Even someone like myself could tell that it was genuine.
"Guess I was too late, eh? It's fine, I can't get mad at you for being loyal. Feel free to ask Alexander about dark magic, and me about fire. As for lightning, I can't use it."
"My dad told you about what I could use?"
"More or less."
Then she dissapeared, and, unlike every other time, she didn't come back, leaving me in a room alone with Alexander.
"Kid, you hit like a fucking sledge hammer. And that was you without Mana? And... you were holding back? Unfair, so damn unfair. How am I meant to compete with that? Talent is such bullshit."
I turned around and as I walked away, I spoke.
"You're right, it is bullshit. But talent isn't all powerful. Even the most talented of individuals can't overcome a genuine monster."
He scoffed at my words, as if he understood my words to their fullest.
"And you're going to become that monster?"
"No, something beyond that I think, something that'll defy even that which destiny ordains, something that isn't bound by fate. Something that's... free."
"Free, huh? A wonderful concept, truly. But, no one's free, we're all controlled by desires, other people, and of course, our past."
"There's nothing wrong with being controlled by your desires, people always ramble about being selfless, humble, and compassionate, and while there's nothing wrong with that. It's truly evil to force that on someone, the most evil thing in this world is to take the freedom of others away. Sure, it's not as if taking away the freedom of certain people isn't the right choice, but it doesn't change the fact that it's an inherently evil act even if it may accomplish good."
As someone who hadn't experienced freedom until after death, I had strong opinions on freedom.
I think that in this life, I want to be free. I want to be able to decide who to fight for, who to kill, and who to shed my blood for.
I then left the room and headed to my bedroom where I sat down on the bed. That had surely been a lot of information to take in. Mentally, I was exhausted, but physically I wasn't tired at all, in fact, I wasn't even out of breath. My endurance was off the charts.
Then, I took a deep breath and exhaled.
A Mana Art, I wanted one. A Mana Art was the pinnacle of Mana, it was the apex of Magic that all Mages strove to reach, it was what brought Mages into the realms of the divine. A Mana Art was absolute and generally, you needed something similar to combat it.
For example, the principal had a Mana Art that altered time to some extent. Perhaps it wasm't control over time like what Irene had, but it was still ridiculous. But, a Mana Art for myself, I had no idea what I'd do.
"Man, what the fuck should I do for my Mana Art?"
Then, Godsbane came out and sat down on the floor, curling up on it.
"Why does it have to be a Mana Art? Personally, I think you should work on that durability and endurance of yours, you don't need anything offensive."
"Oh wow, you're a fucking genius aren't you? You think I've not thought of that? How the fuck am I supposed to use Mana to make myself more durable aside from Mana enhancements?"
"Why use Mana? I'm sure you could do something with your Weapon Creation. After all, what you need isn't a Mana Art. It's a sort of trump card, or something that'll help you survive easier."
In truth, I had already thought of that, reinforcing and rebuilding my body with Weapon Creation. Every time I sustained damage, I would repair my body with my ability, replace flesh with metal and whatnot.
I could reinforce my already tough bones with it, however... I didn't know if that was what I wanted to do. It'd take me even further from humanity, and closer to the monster I used to be.
"Yeah, I guess, but I don't think I want to go down that route unless I'm forced to. I want to preserve my humanity, and unless an enemy forces me to go even further than I already have, then I won't. And plus, the reinforcement process can be started whenever I want, so there's no need for me to do it now, I can do it mid-way through a battle if I wanted to."
He scoffed at me before dissapearing, then, I thought about how to proceed with my Mana Art before deciding not to obsess over it.
It's not as if I needed one, I was honestly just wanting one so Irene didn't get too far ahead of me. Not that she'd ever win against me, even if she used all the Mana Arts in the world.
And with that, I decided to grab my stuff and go to my next class.
Edited By: WorthyAdversary