"The Plenituse Technique is a Weapon Mastery framework my mother created. Speed, efficiency, and flow are the core principles, but the real focus is the harmony between mind, body, and soul, because without that, you won't be able to sustain it, let alone master it."
Ervadelle listened keenly as this was her first lesson.
"Another thing you need to understand is that it's not limited to weapons. You can use it with anything like swords, spears, fists or even your own body, because the technique isn't tied to the tool. It's how you channel and release force. That's also why it's difficult to replicate in its pure form."
"So not anyone can learn the pure form, Master?"
"Yes. It naturally aligns with Water Divinity and Water-based Tethers because of that fluidity. For you, it's an ideal match. There are four forms. The first form, Viridescence, is the foundation of force compression and release. It allows you to channel energy into a single point and then release it in a way that amplifies its impact far beyond what it should be, whether that's through a slash, a strike, or any form of attack."
He drew an imaginary line in front of him.
"The result is a line of destruction that cuts through space itself, which is why the damage appears so absolute. Be it horizontal, vertical, diagonal, it doesn't matter s long as it's a straight line."
Ervadelle remembered how Viridescence felt like the second scariest of the four.
"The second form, Calm Gale, is where adaptability and speed come into play. It's designed for rapid engagement, allowing you to control the pace of combat. It's the only form that has multiple variations depending on how it's used. At its core, it creates a suspension effect by overwhelming the environment with motion to the point where everything else feels like it's lagging behind. There are two primary versions of it."
"The first involves using your own body to move at extreme speeds, striking continuously while leaving afterimages behind, which creates confusion and pressure on the opponent. The second version allows the afterimages themselves to act independently, attacking without you needing to move at all, which requires a higher level of control and experience."
He raised his glaive slightly again to emphasize the point he was about to make next.
"For me, Calm Gale functions differently because of my weapon. My weapon's enchantment allows the afterimages to retain the techniques and combat patterns they encounter, meaning they're extensions of my combat ability. I separate my usage into two distinct modes which I call Ephemeral and Afterimaging."
"Ephemeral is when I move myself, leaving afterimages behind to disorient the opponent while I engage directly. Afterimaging is what you saw earlier, where the afterimages themselves carry out the attacks without me needing to intervene, allowing for simultaneous engagement across multiple targets. It's more efficient when dealing with large numbers, because it removes the need for direct movement."
Veneri let the silence settle for a moment after finishing his explanation of Calm Gale, he continued without changing his tone.
"The third form, Scattered Scales, is where control becomes the focus. It requires a Water Divinity or a Water-based Tether. The technique itself depends on generating and manipulating water. You form droplets from the environment or your own energy, refine them into scales, and each one becomes an independent vector of attack. The difficulty isn't in creating them but in controlling every single one simultaneously. They don't move on their own, by the way. Every trajectory, strike and adjustment comes from you."
Ervadelle listened closely, trying to imagine what it would take to control even a fraction of what he had just used. From her perspective, it looked impossible.
"Each scale can move close to the speed of sound. That makes it extremely difficult to defend against, because by the time an opponent reacts, the attack has already passed through them. It's also the only form that doesn't require a weapon. That's why it's the hardest to learn,"
He glanced at her briefly, as if measuring how much of it she was actually absorbing, before adding a detail that made the scale of his mastery even clearer.
"Right now, I can control three hundred and twenty-seven scales at once. It took years to reach that point and even now, there's still room to improve. If your control falters even slightly, the entire technique collapses. So until your mental capacity can handle that level of division, you won't be able to use it properly."
"Great. I don't think that I'll be able to do it.
"You will. Now the fourth form, Inverse Deviation, is the easiest to learn."
"What?"
"It doesn't rely on external control like Scattered Scales or adaptive movement like Calm Gale. It on your understanding of Viridescence. All you need to do is execute Viridescence thirteen times within a single moment. Once you can do that, you'll understand how to distort the trajectory of your attacks, which is what created the fragmentation you saw."
"When I first mastered Viridescence, I was able to use Inverse Deviation almost immediately after. Compared to the others, it doesn't require as much adaptation. Scattered Scales is the hardest, Calm Gale comes after that, and Inverse Deviation is the most accessible once you grasp the basics. Since your body can adjust—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His movement was so abrupt that it broke the flow of everything instantly. Before Ervadelle could even react, there was a sharp shift in the air as something cut through the space where her head had been a fraction of a second earlier.
Veneri's hand had already moved, intercepting a massive spear that had appeared out of nowhere. Its tip halted just inches from her as the force behind it dissipated against his grip. The impact alone sent a faint shock through the ground beneath them but he didn't move. Ervadelle froze as she slowly turned her head toward the direction the attack had come from.
Veneri's eyes narrowing as he focused on a figure standing at a distance,
"Killing my student isn't necessary you know."
The figure didn't respond immediately but in the next instant, he was no longer standing at a distance. His form appeared directly in front of Veneri without any visible transition.
He wore a white suit.
Veneri's eyes widened just for a moment, before he let out a quiet scoff.
"I didn't expect this."
The man laughed.
"You really grew up, huh?"
The name surfaced in Veneri's mind immediately.
"Stephos."
It was the same man who had nearly killed him when he was thirteen.