“...Why is that guy suddenly transforming?”
Ihan clicked his tongue as he watched Raq, wreathed in flas, recklessly charge at the monstrous spellcaster.
It looked impressive at first glance, but it reminded Ihan of the fleeting desperation of a mayfly’s battle.
‘His body won’t last.’
Even though Ihan’s energy had forcibly enhanced Raq’s physique to sothing closer to his own, there was no way his body could endure such violent energy for long.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he self-destructed at any mont.
But rather than worry about him, Ihan focused on punching faster and harder.
Because right now, victory mattered more than life itself.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
“AAAAHHH!”
“S-Stop it...!”
Screams echoed from various directions, but Ihan paid them no mind.
He wasn’t unleashing this chaotic, widespread barrage of punches just to hunt other spellcasters.
As his punches grew more intense, the sheer force began to dominate the space, creating countless trajectories like bullets firing in every direction.
The strikes were unpredictable, even to Ihan himself, as they battered the monster from all angles.
And among those punches:
THWACK!
There were so blows devoid of malice or killing intent, carrying only pure willpower.
The Fist of the Enlightened One.
Arhat Divine Fist!
It was a martial art Ihan had awakened the previous day in his battle against the marquis.
A power infused with the "concept of intent," much like the magic of spellcasters.
Of course, it wasn’t as natural or potent as their magic, but for now, it was undeniable that no one could block his strikes.
However—
CRACK!
...It beca clear to Ihan that the Arhat Divine Fist wasn’t sothing he could sustain for long.
It was as though the power hadn’t yet been granted to him. The more he used it, the more his head felt like it was going to split apart.
Drip.
Blood trickled from Ihan’s nose, but he didn’t have the presence of mind to wipe it away. He kept throwing punches with the determination to give the monster no chance to act.
Hundred-Step Divine Fist!
This wasn’t just the simple Hundred-Step Fist—it was imbued with the enlightennt of the Arhat Divine Fist. Ihan gritted his teeth, confident that this strike would take off the monster’s head.
[-Divine Punishnt.]
BOOOOOOM!
The next mont, lightning poured down from the sky.
Not a single bolt, but a deluge of lightning, striking hundreds of tis per second, indiscriminately sweeping through everything.
“T-The Tower Master...!!!”
One of the old spellcasters was killed by the lightning.
It was the one whose chest Ihan had slashed earlier. Already grievously injured, he couldn’t withstand the hundreds of shocks.
Hoo...!
When the storm of lightning finally passed, the area was left completely erased.
...Not a single trace remained.
Divine Punishnt.
Magic was the act of manifesting language into reality, and spellcasters often used elaborate incantations to minimize risks through taphorical expressions.
But Turr? His words were so direct, they could be described as divine authority.
The result was as overwhelming as it appeared.
Spurt!
Turr coughed up blood for the first ti.
No matter how powerful he was, there was no way to wield such power without consequence.
It was a natural result.
In other words, by using such dangerous magic, Turr acknowledged the knights as true enemies.
This was the sa Turr who had lived for 400 years.
“...As expected, this wasn’t enough to finish it, huh?”
The land, once a small hill, had been flattened into a barren plain by the lightning. But even such devastation couldn’t kill them.
“...Are you alive?”
“Barely.”
The two knights, covered in blackened ash and severe burns, were still standing.
“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
Turr nodded, as if he had expected this.
These were the first opponents to truly battle him. There was no way they’d die so easily.
“So, I won’t wait anymore.”
This ti, there would be no waiting.
Acknowledging them as threats, he made his decision.
SWISH!
Turr waved his hand.
BOOM!
Perspective Manipulation.
The unique magic of the archmage, which distorted the laws of the world, shook the ground, split the air, and unleashed massive shockwaves upon the knights.
A mont ago, the sheer overwhelming force had left them barely able to defend, let alone counterattack.
But—
SPLAT!
“...It seems even this magic shouldn’t be used recklessly.”
Turr’s own finger bent backward unnaturally.
As he attacked, he injured himself.
Healing it imdiately, he activated—
Infinite Regeneration.A magic inspired by the mythical phoenix, allowing him to regenerate infinitely, no matter the injury.
While Turr didn’t mind being wounded,
Throb!
“...Why is the pain lingering?”
It proved that the magic, as impressive as it seed, was incomplete.
In fact, Turr had thought it perfect until today. But now, he realized it had its limits.
CRACK!
SNAP!
The longer the battle raged, the more his wounds multiplied.
As the knights continued to exploit his Perspective Manipulation, their initial theory proved correct: Turr’s hands and eyes were the catalysts.
Even if the catalyst was discovered, it wouldn’t have mattered under normal circumstances.
No one could challenge such overwhelming magic and power.
But today, that assumption had been shattered.
“Ha!”
Instead of despair, Turr let out a manic laugh.
It had been so long since he’d faced such danger, felt such wounds.
The growing sense of crisis made his heart race, his breathing quicken.
For centuries, his life had been a monotonous cycle of boredom and apathy.
But now, the thrill coursing through his veins was like a drug, more potent than anything he’d ever known.
‘No, this is better than any drug!’
Having spent 50 years as an addict in his past, Turr was certain this battle surpassed any high he’d ever experienced.
Covered in blood, breathing heavily, Turr felt alive for the first ti in centuries.
“...Just a little more—entertain more!”
The vast ocean of Turr’s magical energy surged forth.
KRRRRR!!
A dragon-like whirlwind descended.
*****
Rumble!
“Again with this...”
The Earth Flip was returning—a calamity that had left Ihan completely helpless before.
This ti, an even larger mass of overturned soil and rocks surged toward him, an overwhelming force that left no room for escape.
As if that weren’t enough...
Roar!
The monster proved it wasn’t finished. It manipulated the hurricane summoned by the old spellcasters, shaping it into a massive waterspout.
A waterspout forming not over the ocean but the land, amidst the chaos of overturned earth—a scene of pure catastrophe.
To any other person, the situation would be enough to make them faint from despair.
But...
“......”
Ihan remained strangely calm.
It wasn’t resignation.
It was simply...
‘I think I can handle this.’
He asured the oncoming tidal wave of earth and the spiraling vortex, and concluded that he could confront them.
Others might call him insane or accuse him of losing his mind, but his judgnt was as cold and rational as it could be.
Because—
Whoosh!
With the explosive aura raging within his body, Ihan was confident he could attempt sothing bold.
Sothing he had never tried before.
Now that he could wield Aura Manipulation, it was possible.
Around Ihan’s body, a violent shimr of heat waves rippled outward.
‘This... is demonic energy.’
Even amidst the chaos, Ihan analyzed and defined what aura manipulation was.
Demonic energy.
Yes, aura manipulation bore a striking resemblance to the demonic arts described in martial-arts novels.
Wild, brutal, and threatening even to its host.
But in return, it offered overwhelming power—a clear give-and-take.
So, yes, it was undeniably a demonic technique.
On the other hand, Ihan’s own energy technique, which he had cultivated with effort and perseverance, could be called Orthodox Energy.
Through gradual growth and careful refinent, he had stabilized his power. His thod allowed the talentless to progress step by step, eventually standing shoulder to shoulder with those who had mastered aura manipulation.
Though it took far longer to learn than aura manipulation, it was stable and reliable.
One might even compare it to the Buddhist Yijin Jing or the Daoist path of immortality—a thod rooted in righteousness.
When contrasted with aura manipulation, the distinction beca even clearer.
Aura manipulation didn’t develop human strength naturally. Instead, it burned intense energy—life force itself—as fuel.
And yet...
‘I see now. I had this much vitality inside all along.’
Ihan could feel the vast life energy surging within him.
It was a force so potent it seed capable of devouring the enormous Red Aura Raq had shared with him.
This energy was the culmination of Ihan’s relentless effort—a testant to his history and his life.
It was proof of the fierce days he had lived, pouring everything into each mont as if it were his last.
‘I’m glad I never gave up.’
Ihan felt imnse satisfaction knowing his years of effort hadn’t been in vain.
With joy and determination, he unleashed his Aura Manipulation.
RUMBLE!
The flow of aura etched itself into his blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and bones like tattoos. Drawing on his life force felt not only manageable but surprisingly effortless.
Whoosh!
To think that soone trained in orthodox thods would now master a demonic art—how ironic!
But what could he do?
When facing the cult leader who threatened the righteous world, one couldn’t afford to be choosy about thods.
“...Who did I take after to end up this crazy...?”
The energy surging within Ihan seed displeased with the aura manipulation, voicing complaints as if it had its own mind.
Despite taking inspiration from martial-arts novels for his techniques, Ihan hadn’t actually learned demonic arts. So why did his energy, like a picky eater, seem to disdain aura manipulation?
What an annoying thing. Who was its owner, anyway...?
‘Oh, right. It’s .’
Perhaps it was his own eccentric personality reflected in this energy.
Ihan chuckled to himself, wondering if this was the result of his karma.
But he wasn’t worried.
Strange as the energy might be...
‘What are you waiting for? We’ve got a spellcaster to kill.’
Throb!
What else could it an to resemble him?
Whoosh!
...It ant this energy shared his deep hatred for spellcasters.
The powerful force radiating from Ihan’s body tore through the tsunami of soil that ca crashing down on him.
CRACK! CRACK!
Every piece of earth that touched him shattered instantly.
HUMMMMM.
A massive surge of aura burst forth, compressing itself into a circular shield around Ihan.
It resembled the magical forcefields of mages but wasn’t ant for defense. Its sole purpose was to repel and obliterate all attacks.
The core of the shield was pure aura, and its structure mirrored the principles of sword energy.
A martial art of condensed strength.
Its na:
"Protective Aura Shield" (Hoshin Ganggi).
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