Season 1
004
In this dire fight, I am constantly reminded of my body's faltering resilience.
Yet, despite everything telling me to give up, the flicker of determination burns inside me. The stubborn fire of perseverance that cannot be extinguished.
This fight wasn't about overpowering him. It was about winning, at all costs.
With every weakening fiber of my being, I resisted to the end.
Through dozens of moves, I stagger and stumble, but I will refuse to let myself die.
In that struggle, I found a peculiar sort of strength...
--
One that was not born of physical might, but of relentless spirit.
The Knight seemed to have noticed as well, perhaps in that moment, we were merely warriors fighting our own battles. I fought for my survival and he fought for my demise.
We continued with our dance of colliding steel blades. Despite my reach disadvantage, I held on thanks to my battle experience.
Unexpectedly, my body started heating up. I was feeling light-headed and hot all over, but at the same time, it made me full of energy.
Akin to a sudden engulfment by an intense fever. I smiled at this feeling.
It was quite nostalgic. I forgot all about it but this is the first reaction for awakening.
Aura.
Once again, I am awakening it. Though earlier than I did in my past life.
"I misunderstood it all this time."
"The fuck are you on about it?!"
The knight captain says, projecting his rage and impatience onto me with heavier slashes with his sword.
"Shut up, fatass, I'm not talking to you."
I say as I repel his attacks.
Aura is not like mana at all, despite its similarities in gathering and storing them.
1) Both aura and mana capacity increase by creating more catalysts, which would be circles or stars.
2) The quantity of aura and mana produced as well as the speed of production correspondingly increases and scales by the number of catalysts. (more circles or stars means a higher production rate)
3) Neither energy will function properly if the core of a lifeform is broken. In most cases, that is our heart.
Aura is awakened through sheer willpower and the fighting spirit that encompasses an individual.
Perhaps I couldn't awaken my aura all this time because I have long forgotten the sense of death. No matter how well you swing a blade, it doesn't cut effectively if it's rusted and dull.
The month I spent purely training my body and mana numbed my senses.
Maybe it's because I reside in my younger body and it's not accustomed to fighting?
Or was it because I took the peace I had for granted?
No war. No fighting. No death. No blood.
I took my regression lightly. I perceived it as if I had retired.
For me, it was just an excuse to not fight again. Without knowing, I slowly lost my spirit and it only took a battle of life or death to re-awaken it.
The changes that are being brought into my body were very clear to me. Thanks to my memories of having used aura before, I feel the minute differences.
My strikes became faster, stronger, and more accurate.
"How have you still not fallen?!"
I didn't reply.
"How are you not dead?! How can you still swing your puny dagger against my sword?!"
I was silent.
"How do you have the strength to continue?! Where is this power coming from?!"
"Dude, can you shut up?"
"You!-"
Summoning the last dregs of my ebbing strength, I gathered all the aura I could in my body and seized a fleeting opportunity.
A chance borne from desperation and the unyielding will to prevail. The Knight was flustered, and as I put more force in my attacks, I advanced.
The Knight reeled back and in the short time he was momentarily off-balance from my aggressive assault, I acted on instinct.
With a surge of absolute determination to kill my foe, I went for the killing blow.
I twisted my body, evading the Knight's follow-up strikes, and deftly disarmed him. His steel sword, which was once an extension of his authority, his power, now rested firmly in my hands. The weight of a sword was oddly strange but familiar to me.
"It's been a while."
"My weapon!-"
I wielded his weapon against him, dual-wielding alongside my knife. The tables have turned and it's now my turn to dictate the result of this perilous duel.
The knight, disoriented by the sudden reversal, struggled to regain his footing. He stumbled around as he tried his best in hand-to-hand combat.
This proved his inadequacy in handling aura. Seeing as how he's so weak for a 5-star aura user, he was simply not up to standards with his techniques. It was too simple and solely relied on his raw power coming from aura.
"And that's your downfall."
"Screw off!"
The knight blocked my vertical sword slash with the armor that plated his forearms.
"You know they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall."
I lunged forward, my weak muscles propelled me with sheer willpower.
Perhaps it was due to my awakening or the adrenaline was getting to me but the weight of my fatigue seemed to lessen.
The strongest weapon I have is not the sword or the knife.
It was the fierce resolve and indomitable fighting spirit that fueled my every move.
Exploiting the chinks in the Knight's somewhat commendable defense, I held the advantage to victory.
He fought valiantly, but his exhaustion is catching up to him. His precision and stability had begun to lose their edge. his eyes sparkled with fear.
In that critical moment, when the tide of the battle teetered on the brink, I saw my chance.
Executing a swift and unexpected maneuver built upon an intricate feint that left him momentarily exposed, with a final and determined strike, I stabbed my knife into his thigh, causing him to lower himself ever so slightly.
At that exact moment, even if it was temporary and half-assed, I managed to exert my aura around the small area where the knight and I fought. This allowed me to exercise intense pressure on the knight.
One of the highest developments of aura mastery. Area coverage.
Having the ability to govern and control your aura's influence within a zone surrounding you.
My killing intent was as high as it could ever have been.
As anticipated, the knight was drowned in dread. The feeling of death clawed against him.
He guarded his head, thinking I would send a slash to slice his throat, one of the only truly vulnerable parts of his armor.
I covered my sword with Aura.
"H-how can you be capable of using an aura sword when you-"
Unfortunately for the Knight Captain, I thrust the sword straight through his heart, passing through his armor.
Blood traveled up to his mouth and the lively color of his eyes dried out.
I kicked his body away along with the knife and sword inside him.
"I did it...I won."
I stood still for a brief moment before I too collapsed. I sat down and leaned against the wall of the hallway.
I was victorious.
It wasn't just a victory over an opponent but over my limitations. An affirmation that resilience could overcome even the most formidable adversaries. In that moment of my triumph, I felt a renewed sense of feeling for Aura.
The unyielding spirit that defines a true martial artist.
I let out a deep and long sigh. As the air left my lungs, the realization of the pain my body was in came back to me.
"Shit."
Shit, indeed. It was painful even if I didn't move a single muscle. It aches all over.
"I can't stop here..."
I need to keep moving.
While the other prisoners and inmates were rioting and fighting for their freedom, no one would be fixated on a frail-looking person like me.
I got up, rolled the knight's dead body over, and took the sword out. I also stole his sword sheathe and belt. I hung the knife by my waist on the belt I stole from him.
"Fashionable."
Although it hurt to continue, I took deep breaths and circulated the newfound aura that rested inside my body.
It's astonishing to find out that I formed not one, but two Aura Stars when I had a newfound perspective of aura. Perhaps, because of my prior experience using aura in my past life, my enlightenment only exponentially increased my aura.
What differentiates aura and mana, is that the former can outperform the latter in more practical and physical methods.
Such as closing up any wounds through the circulation of Aura to apply pressure.
"Martial masters at the peak level can completely heal from any minor scratches, bruising, twists, and other abnormalities."
I had never attained such physical prowess even in my previous life. I believe my skills stagnated and stopped improving at 7 stars and my magic was limited to 4 circles. That's not strong at all.
Don't ever get overconfident. In this world, there are many more people stronger than you. You're just a frog in a well.
I have heard rumors that supreme peak masters of the Celestial Heavens Sect have reached 10 Stars or even above. Though, that's nothing but a rumor. I have not verified anything myself.
As for the Northern Emperor, even in the fight with him just before I died, he was not displaying his full power. I'm confident he wasn't even taking us seriously.
That makes me wonder how many more strong people lay in the shadows of the world.
I started to move. While it was still chaotic and time was still on my side, I needed to hurry up.
I went through the exit and into a corridor that was usually only accessible by the guards or knights. They should be on high alert and actively patrol every entrance and/or exit in case someone like me tries to sneak out through other methods.
In the frigid depths of the prison, my body aches with fatigue that seemed insurmountable, but I must endure. I will not falter when I receive a second chance.
During my previous life, a fellow mercenary friend of mine told me that he was also imprisoned in the same building, although at an earlier time than me. I should have listened to him more as he described his successful escape story because I forgot how he managed to break free. I'm only aware of the fact that he went through the hallways and corridors that were only accessible to the Empire's men.
I scaled the walls, hoping I'd find something.
Anything.
"Where is it...", I muttered to myself.
My limbs felt like lead and I felt my senses start to dull. Every step seemed like an arduous task. Each movement was a reminder of my dwindling strength.
I felt as if I was hallucinating or seeing things. The oppressive walls seemed to close in on me.
"That's rather suffocating."
I pressed forward, my primal instinct to survive is what drives and fuels me. My weakened frame weaved through the corridors.
There was some commotion down the hallway and around the corner.
Two guards were speaking to one another.
"Why do we have to be assigned to this block? No windows or anything is entertaining here."
"Quit complaining. We are to monitor any rats that try to sneak out."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just think it's quite pointless, don't you think?"
"Be a bit more serious. Everything is for the North."
"I mean, if anything, you should relax a little. That knight already went ahead."
"He's nothing much. Barely makes it into the ranks."
"We can't speak, we're mere guards as compared to a full-fledged knight like him."
"I guess. Though, with our necklaces and the high-circle spells constantly cast, even weaklings like us get to act strong."
The two continued their conversation and they slowly approached the corner. At any second, they could turn around the corridor and easily subdue me. They had the number advantage as well as the fact that I was in no condition to handle another fight.
I had to find something. I need to.
"Please...Let there be something here."
I touched and glanced all over the walls.
As if it were fate itself guiding me, my stumbling steps led to a subtle irregularity in the prison's grim facade.
One narrow crack in the damp, stone wall.
I couldn't help but grin.
"And something is finally here."
My heart quickened with the newly found hope. I know this was no doubt what my mercenary friend was speaking of. The crack seemed insignificant to worry about, but seeing it up close, I could exploit this.
"It looks so naturally formed but...this is an artificially created crack..."
My breaths were shallow and I approached the crack, inspecting it with scrutiny. It was just wide enough for a slender figure to slip through.
Coincidentally, that's me.
"Damn, maybe I should be thankful for being malnourished."
The guards were oblivious to this hidden anomaly for so long, even before our riot. Their focus seemed to have been consumed by getting their shift over and their routine of patrolling the halls.
I don't blame them. They probably don't get paid very well for walking around the halls. There's not much guarding they need to do, especially because this is a low-class prison.
Except today. Since we're breaking out.
Perhaps the people in charge of maintaining the foundations of the very prison deemed it as something unnecessary.
This sliver of a crack couldn't possibly lead anywhere!
That is what these fools would have thought.
My excitement summoned a burst of energy, I contorted my body and eased myself into the narrow crevice. The rough edges scraped against my skin, a painful reminder of the struggles for freedom.
Through all of this, I carefully manifested my aura to apply a membrane of armor to protect my skin from any harmful bacteria. Incurring an infection right now would not be the most optimal position.
It was dark and I couldn't tell where I was going but I trudged on.
The feeling of the knife around my waist was very uncomfortable and irritating. I was holding my sword in the front so it wouldn't get stuck behind me.
Slowly, it felt like the crevice started to widen and I was seemingly close to approaching the exit.
I should been more conscious of where I was stepping because I had reached the edge of an unknown cliff.
If I stepped any further, I would have lost balance and fallen off. With my current state, there's no recovery from that.
I gathered up the courage and covered myself in a layer of aura and stepped forward, leaping into the unknown, and falling into what I hoped would be my freedom.
Splash.
It wasn't a deep fall. At least not as deep as I thought. Perhaps around fifteen meters down.
When I landed, water splashed all over my rags. If I had more time, I would have stripped the knight of his clothes.
As I stood up on the wet terrain, my eyes had to slowly adjust to a darker environment. However, this process was substantially quicker if I simply circulated my aura.
I found myself stumbling into a decrepit chamber. Crumbling stone walls surrounded me, their ancient foundations worn by the passage of time.
Splish. Splash.
"Looks like it also began to flood as time passed."
As I wandered through the damp corridors, I could sense the clamor and reverberations of the guards above. The immense conflict between the prisoners and the guards began in my absence.
This passage must have been long forgotten. Even by the ones who constructed the prison on top. As this prison is located near a river, this ancient facility must have been put to use a long time ago.
"As for what it was used for. I don't know."
What's for sure is that this facility has always stayed hidden away from the prying eyes of my captors. Either they never noticed it or never bothered with it and just continued to build the prison above it.
The passage was like a maze of cobwebs and shadows. Completely untouched and abandoned. Rats sometimes squeaked on the sides.
One rat ran by with a small white chef hat on its head and carried a small wooden spoon in his mouth. Following behind him were several other rats and they all turned into a small pipe.
"...The fuck?"
I rubbed my eyes and the rats were gone.
"I must've seen wrong."
Could it be that the fatigue is settling down in me?
As I followed wherever the path led me, my memory of the conversation with the mercenary came back to me.
This was the unconventional escape route that the mercenary spoke about.
Seeing how this passage was flooded, I'd assume that this network of tunnels was from an ancient drainage system. Not that the history of this place matters too much. The only purpose that this ancient building serves is that it's the key to my escape.
I came to a stop to some stairs that descended downward into the waters.
"It just had to flood, didn't it?"
I sighed. The water was disgusting and if I didn't die from being captured, I would most definitely be defeated by some infection or virus I'd have contracted here.
Thankfully, it wasn't a sewage system.
"Who would want to drown in poop water?"
I was envisioning the ocean and a large whale-like monster with tentacles and dozens of eyes that roamed underneath the depths. This was a monster that evolved from devouring something imbued with mana causing it to evolve unnaturally. There was a whole raid organized to hunt it down before it became more of a threat to the ecosystem and the fishermen.
Well enough of the story, the point is, I imagined its superior respiratory system and ability to make the most of each breath.
I cast a spell that marginally improved my lung capacity and efficiency. This allowed for a better regulation of my oxygen levels.
Gathering another supply of aura, I coated my body with a thin layer again. Just in case something or someone attacks me underwater.
"One deep breath."
Inhaling as much oxygen as I could, I held my breath and lowered myself into the dark embrace of the chilling waters.