SHRAK! SHRAK! SHRAK! KRRAAASH-!!
No Kari's punch never reached Zeverin. Before it could even make contact, Zeverin had already swung Raiko no Haha, executing a single decisive strike that cut through all four of No Kari's limbs while simultaneously piercing his heart. Raiko no Haha was buried deep within No Kari's chest, leaving the punch unfinished as Zeverin's counterattack connected first.
KTHNK-!! SCHLORP!!
Zeverin seized No Kari by the head, firmly gripping it as he drove Raiko no Haha even deeper into his chest, pushing the blade further into his heart.
SRK!!
No Kari's hand remained resting on Zeverin's shoulder, his mouth hanging wide open as his mind went completely blank, leaving him utterly unaware of everything around him.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Why is this thing so peaceful? Why? It indeed is painful, but it is not hurting at all. In this dark, long, wet night which seems to have no end, why am I seeing the white light? The light of hope. The light of freedom. The light of breaking control. The light of winning.
"Huh!" The smile on Zeverin's face vanished as he sensed something.
HMSSSH!
A gentle breeze brushed against Zeverin's lips, its soft touch accompanying the gradual change in his expression. The tension in his face slowly faded, his features settling into an unusual calmness as he finally calmed down.
KRRSHNK-!!
Zeverin forcefully pulled Raiko no Haha out of No Kari's body, and even after the storm had completely stopped, the katana remained coated in lightning, making it fully usable.
"The voices in your head stopped, right?" Zeverin asked No Kari in a very unusual way.
"How did you know about the voices in my head? It isn't possible," No Kari said, trying to heal from the attack from before.
"That doesn't matter! Just tell me if they stopped or not," Zeverin shouted.
"It indeed did, the voice of Shigarō ordering me stopped, but how? He is my creator," No Kari said in disbelief.
"You know why he stopped speaking in your mind? Just 'cause my mother even feels pity for her enemies," Zeverin said, gritting his teeth.
"So as of the consequences of that, you can now..." Zeverin said, lifting his katana.
"You very well can fight at your 100%, so don't hold back at all and do me a favor," Zeverin said as he coated Raiko no Haha with his flux, which was the colour of the sky when no clouds are visible.
"Th... sniff... your mother tried to... sniff... save me, then why do you want to kill me?" No Kari said, crying, as his face rearranged itself to take the shape of an eye.
ZVRRKT-KLANG!!
Without a second thought, Zeverin appeared right in front of No Kari, ready to rip his head from his body, but just as he was about to swing—
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected ::: Attack
Response: Defense.
KRAK-KRSHH!!
The lightning end of Raiko no Haha by which Zeverin went to initially slash No Kari's neck broke into small pieces upon contact with No Kari's neck.
As a result, the broken Raiko no Haha crossed No Kari's neck without dealing any damage to No Kari.
But at the end point where Zeverin could no longer rotate his arm anymore, the katana completed itself like nothing happened.
[Zeverin's thoughts]
What the hell! His neck... his neck suddenly got the density equivalent to that of 15 necks to defend itself. What is this technique? Is this even a technique or an illusion?
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected ::: Nothing
Response: Attack.
VUUUMMM...
A very violent air current crossed Zeverin in his state of utter shock, and as he turned, he saw No Kari's punch an inch away from his chest.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected :::
Zeverin, with his lightning-fast speed, placed both of his forearms crossed between themselves, in between the fist and his chest.
Intent detected ::: Defense
Response: Attack * Attack.
VARRMM-KRRK-!!
The exact moment Zeverin was feeling No Kari's fist touching his forearms, No Kari's fist burst from inside, miraculously giving his arm an unrivalled density and muscle definition.
THWAAK-!! BWOOOOM!!!
No Kari's punch struck Zeverin's forearms as Zeverin felt as if a boulder hit him and the attack created such a shockwave that Zeverin was sent flying, breaking every floor of the building they were in before floating in the boundless sky.
[Zeverin's thoughts]
My arms feel completely useless like they have lost their true power; guess I have no choice but to use Lumen Reversal. Damn it, that technique is utmost exhausting. The flux used is unbearable and—
"Excuses, just excuses," Zeverin said to himself while flying.
"Since when did becoming Zeverin become anything about excuses? As far as I remember, it is all about f*cking actions," Zeverin said before flipping and landing on the ground.
FTHK-!!
No Kari materialized directly before Zeverin, his fist coating itself in air as a mouth suddenly formed across his otherwise smooth face, stretching into a sinister smile.
[Zeverin's thoughts]
I know how to fight. I just know it. But Flux? I never truly learned it. I never listened to what Vance Sensei wanted me to understand. Perhaps I should have. Perhaps things would have been different. But there's no point regretting that now. I've come this far with what little I know. So let's see... just how far I can go with it.
SSSSSSSSH!!!
Zeverin felt the sheer air pressure of No Kari's incoming punch bearing down on his eye, as though the force alone could crush it.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected ::: Defense
Response: Atta—!!
SHIIING!!!
Zeverin lowered his torso and swung Raiko no Haha, dodging No Kari's attack and slashing his torso diagonally.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected ::: Attack
Response: Defense!!
KJZRAAK-!! KJZRAAK-!!
Two consecutive straight slashes appeared as an aftereffect of the lightning effect on his katana on top and bottom of the diagonal slash Zeverin made before, making a 'Z' on No Kari's torso.
"Flux is tri-flow internal energy composed of:
1) Prana
2) Tejas
3) Sama," Zeverin remembered Vance's words in his mind.
"An Arcanist's body is composed of and operates solely on these three flow systems. Their blood, organs, and muscles are made from Prana. Their power, techniques, and strength are byproducts of what Tejas produces. Sama is a different process, which is extremely difficult to understand, so we will skip it for now." Vance continued.
"So, are they all present in the same ratio and amount every time in the body?" Zeverin said to Vance in his memory.
"Yes, they are always in the body in a latent state. But no, they are not in the same ratio and amount, as they are produced on the basis of intent; the intent of the person decides it all," Vance said, lifting his finger.
"So all the cells, nerves, and organs are made out of these flow systems, right?" Zeverin asked.
"Didn't I tell you that already?" Vance said.
"So how does a body decide which to produce and when?" Zeverin asked.
"As I told you, dumbo—Intent! If you want to attack, flow of Tejas rises, flow of Sama balances, but flow of Prana completely stops until your intent changes," Vance said, counting on his fingers.
"And vice versa, right? But is there any way a person could control their flow?" Zeverin asked curiously.
"Silly question; the question should be, is there any way a person could control their intent? And yes, there is," Vance said, annoyed.
FZZZHHH!!!
The memory of him and Vance started becoming blurry, the words completely inaudible...
[Cut]
Zeverin's mind went completely blank. His eyes were seeing No Kari shout in pain as he lunged toward him to kill him, but his mind was standing in the middle of the void of darkness.
"And that way is," Vance's voice echoed in the darkness.
"What we call FLUX STAGE - 3...
...The transition from Vita core to Aural Core..." Vance completed, making Zeverin alert.
CLICK!
Everything came to a standstill. Kari remained frozen in the middle of his stride, his body locked in its running position. Even the air had stopped moving. In the absolute stillness, Zeverin's pupils shifted to a sky-blue hue.
Then...
Zeverin looked at his chest.
"Years of training, months of meditation, and a person with a strong enough desire to win can only be qualified to achieve this state." Vance, in Zeverin's mind, took a pause.
"To reach and live in this state, there is another requirement of you to be a complete madman..." Vance completed.
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!
Everything in sight vanished, with just a ball small enough to fit in the palm appearing on the exact spot Zeverin was standing. The ball appeared exactly between the chest of Zeverin.
And then...
It moved. Rising at a constant speed, it reached the exact position of Zeverin's Adam's apple.
From there, one nerve emerged. Then another. And another. Trillions of nerves spread outward, branching across a skeletal structure that had only just formed. But they didn't stop there. Organs, muscles, skin—everything began to take shape, forming a human body.
Pink nerves spread across the left side of the body, representing Prana. Pale nerves ran from the brain to the hip, representing Sama. On the right side, red-colored nerves spread as a symbol of Tejas.
Together, they formed Zeverin, who had entered Flux Stage-3, with his Latent Core transitioned into an Aural Core.
CLICK!
Everything returned back to normal. The time was no longer paused.
[No Kari's thoughts]
What the hell! What just happened? I was about to attack him. But suddenly he doesn't feel like the person I was fighting. He feels like a total stranger.
"So this is the feeling of the Voice of Flux Expression," Zeverin mumbled to himself.
"Hey!" Zeverin said.
"Don't wanna fight now?" Zeverin said, pointing Raiko no Haha at No Kari, his gaze sharper, his expression calmer.
"Seeing this, I can say a calm storm feels much more dangerous than a violent one," No Kari said, failing to heal the wound Zeverin made on his torso.
[No Kari's thoughts]
Intent detected ::: Defense
Response: Attack.
"I see no higher point to end this fight," No Kari said, lunging forward.
"The biggest benefit of entering Flux Stage-3 is not complete control over intent, but complete control over all three flows," Vance said in Zeverin's memory.
"Really?
Let's try!" Zeverin said as a smile crept across his face.
KSHHHRAAA-DOOM-!!
[To Be Continued]
"Damn, no desires at all?
You gained my respect, Zeverin."
Zeverin's SHINKAKU
Said to him.