BXBX NOVEL Chapter 161: What Comes Next
He used Channeling. A very rare skill that takes extreme practice and an understanding of the limits of one\'s body and mana. It required a user to know their limits and be able to push beyond that point.
When Channeling is used, they can push mana around their bodies, like Mana Manipulation, but beyond that, they can even use it to create spell effects, use arts, and use spells themselves, all without using an activation phrase.
In essence, fighting a Channeling user was akin to fighting the blind. You could never know what to expect and when. In a typical battle between warriors, activation phrases indicated their next move, whether it was a spell or Art. This left little room for interpretation of how those spells or Arts would be used, as they were usually straightforward.
The result of the world developing fighting styles reliant on this behavior was that warriors and mages alike simply relied on being powerful enough to break through their opponents. However, this resulted in a lack of fine control which was antithetical to the concept of Channeling and Mana Manipulation.
To everyone else who had no idea about the impressiveness of the technique, they simply saw someone use some sort of magical effect without speaking. They began to wonder if Titan may have had enchantments that silenced his voice, or if his armor was enchanted with those magical effects.
A flurry of rumors overtook the capital in a matter of minutes as people made assumptions as to how this feat occurred.
Kalivas knew this better than anyone since he was the one who spent so many months and years training his son. In their first fight, he knew that his son was close to a breakthrough. His Mana Manipulation had almost completely passed into the realm of Channeling. All it took was one, large push. He was happy to be that push. .net
With each battle of the tournament, Titan, or rather Lucius, showed his power little by little. Now that he had shown his ace… what was he going to do in the final match?
"What are you planning, boy?"
*****
Rena\'s mouth was agape. She was entirely disinterested in the rumors buzzing through the stadium. She knew the truth of it because she had seen Channeling being used before. Watching Titan use it turned the blood in her veins to ice. The moment he took that first step, the mana hidden by his mask burst outward to an impressive degree.
Then when he broke Corva\'s hammer, there was another burst of mana just a second before impact.
There wasn\'t a doubt in her mind, he was Channeling. Not only that, he was able to do it with Magic and Arts… Grandpa Wally could only use Channeling with Magic, since he was not able to use any Arts, like herself.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could point your attention to the center of the arena!" The announcer\'s voice cried out, breaking Rena\'s thought process. "At last we have arrived. The main event. On one corner of the arena, we have Thomas von Petra. Ace warrior of the Arcadios Royal Academy. Representing the heart and soul of this great nation!
"In the other corner, we have the dark horse, a mysterious figure known as Titan! A last-minute entry by the Kingdom of Eroa! Though we did not know what to expect, we can certainly agree, that each match with this mysterious warrior has been a spectacle above all others!"
While the previous fights, the recording crystals did not show close-up images of the battles, the last fight was being projected up close and from multiple angles. It seemed they wanted to pinpoint every part of the action as it happened.
Thanks to this close-up view, Rena noticed something interesting. In Titan\'s first fight, he used an enchanted spear. In his second fight, he used magic and his bare hands. Now, he was standing in the arena with a single scabbard on his side that looked to belong to a longsword.
The man simply stood, completely nonchalant. One might mistake his posture for one that someone would have while waiting for their turn at the counter. To the outside observer, he looked… bored.
"Now, fighters. At the ready!"
Thomas drew his sword and readied his shield. He had a confident grin on his face. Titan on the other hand had an unknown expression, covered by that same, black mask.
Slowly, Titan reached for the handle of his weapon. As he drew it, Rena let out a shriek. What Titan held in his hand, was a machete, one that was sitting in a sheathe that disguised it as a longsword.
Rena stumbled forward to the railing of the viewing box, tears streaming down her face. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.
Lyrah stepped up beside her and rested a gentle hand on top of her own. Natali also joined them, but seeing as Rena had her other hand in a fist in front of her mouth, the maid settled for resting her hand on Rena\'s shoulder.
"What\'s wrong?" Natali asked.
"We are here for you. No matter what comes next." Lyrah whispered.
"If you do not wish to marry him, you do not have to." Natali continued. "I\'m sure that if Lady Adellia and Lady Lyrah, both request it, they can shield you from that man\'s request. You do not have to marry anyone you do not wish to."
"She\'s right you know,`" Adellia said, stepping forward. "Your life is what you make of it. As someone with the freedom to choose, I do not want to see it taken from you. We will be with you should you choose to run."
Rena continued to sob, staring purely at the masked figure projected in front of her. "That\'s… not it." Rena managed between sobs.
The other girls looked at each other curiously, unsure what the matter was if it was not the likelihood of being married off to this stranger. They also knew that if Thomas won, then the same fate might befall her when he took over the position as the head of their house.
"I think we should let Rena make the choice she wants to make," Lyrah said finally.
Natali and Adellia started to speak up but found themselves unable to as they paid closer attention to the girl\'s sobs.
Rena blinked away some of the tears, still intently staring at the figure. She had started to ignore the conversation around her and it felt like the world faded away. In a plea to the world itself and the gods above it, she whispered, "Please… don\'t give me hope…"