SWISH—
The sound of a sword cutting through the air rang out.
Thanks to the precise angle and distribution of force, there was almost no sound of wind.
Around him, the Incarnation was performing the exact same movements.
Moreover.......
WHUMMMMM—
He was even using Heaven-Breaking Annihilation while maintaining the Incarnation Art.
He had started doing it simply to empty his dantian a little faster, but Calian could not hide his astonishment as he watched.
[Just what is with that brat.......]
Mitchell himself probably could not properly feel it, but the Heaven-Breaking Annihilation he was launching now carried the effects of the Incarnation as well, shaking the spirit.
Had he used it against the Rapel martial artists last time, their knees would have gone weak. They would not even have thought of dodging before losing their lives.
Quite apart from its outstanding power, using the Incarnation Art and Heaven-Breaking Annihilation simultaneously was like drawing two completely different pictures with each hand.
In fact, combining the Incarnation Art and Heaven-Breaking Annihilation was effectively the final stage of this training.
[What am I supposed to do with this.......]
Originally, when it came time to evaluate Mitchell’s results after a week, Calian had planned to tell him to try using the two at the same time.
Yet before he could even say anything, Mitchell had already trained on his own and mastered it.
Others took months, or even years, to become proficient at controlling two different flows of energy simultaneously.
And that brat had done it far too easily.
“Whew....... This isn’t working. I guess succeeding in just one week really was impossible.”
Mitchell, however, was not satisfied with his achievement.
[......What?]
“I don’t know why my Incarnation keeps getting weaker.”
As he trained, Mitchell had gradually become able to sense what the spiritual pressure emitted by his Incarnation actually was.
The problem was that the pressure was steadily weakening.
“Is it because I can maintain it longer.......?”
[No. How long you can maintain it depends on your control over dark Aura and the amount you possess, but the completeness of the Incarnation Art is an entirely different matter.]
“Another problem?”
[Yes. An Incarnation created through the Incarnation Art is a spiritual entity. I am saying it is not simply made from dark Aura.]
Hearing that, something occurred to Mitchell.
Even when he had first created the Incarnation at the inn, it had felt like a spiritual entity summon.
And the most representative type of spiritual entity summon was a spirit.
“Is it something like a spirit?”
[Yes. An Incarnation is an artificial spirit created by the caster. As such, every Incarnation requires something different. In your case, it is probably souls themselves.]
“How do you know?”
[Can you not tell simply by looking at the form of your Incarnation?]
“Ah.......”
Even without that, after watching it closely all this time, Calian had more or less deduced why Mitchell’s Incarnation had taken such a form.
[The remnants of the souls you have dismantled until now must have manifested through the Incarnation Art. The enormous number of souls used when you first created your Aura Hole and Aura Road must have had an especially large influence.]
“Then will my Incarnation’s abilities recover as long as I use souls?”
[Correct. Your Incarnation is hungry right now. It will recover quickly as long as you use souls. Of course, making it grow is an entirely different matter.]
Mitchell sank into thought.
Watching him, Calian cleared his throat and continued.
[In any case, the promised week has passed, yet you failed to succeed.]
Calian spoke to Mitchell in a solemn voice.
At last, the opportunity he had been eagerly waiting for had arrived.
An opportunity to teach Mitchell a lesson.
But.......
“Come on, that’s not fair. According to what you just said, the Incarnation Art couldn’t be improved through training alone in the first place. Then you should leave that out when judging my results.”
[No, that is.......]
“Surely the mighty Grand Master! The successor to Runei, which has carried on five hundred years of history! Someone like that wouldn’t pull a scam by giving me an impossible assignment, right?”
[.......]
This brat never let anything slide easily.
[Haa....... I shall teach you a new technique as well. However, we will also strengthen your Incarnation through this training, so prepare to leave.]
“Oh, nice. But leave? Are we going somewhere to train?”
[Yes. If you need souls, then naturally you must go somewhere you can obtain souls.]
There was a reason Calian had established the Runei Family in such a cold and barren northern region.
It was because a Demonic Region overflowing with Magic Beasts and Demonic Creatures was located there.
***
“Where are you suddenly going?”
“To the Demonic Region to train.”
Grant frowned as he watched Mitchell pack his belongings one by one.
“I can’t even go anywhere because of Family business, and you’re going off alone?”
“Then drop everything and just train too.”
“I will once we’re finished sorting out Rapel’s businesses.......”
“Yeah, then I’ll go on ahead.”
‘I want to go with him.’
Grant inwardly expressed his disappointment.
The Demonic Region was dangerous, but its outer reaches contained many weaker creatures, so it had been used for generations as an external training ground by the Runei Family.
However, Grant had never been able to visit because of the conflict with Rapel, so he wanted to take this opportunity to follow Mitchell and experience the Demonic Region for himself.
He had brought it up with his father, but his father refused permission, saying Grant’s help was needed to sort out the businesses.
‘It feels like an excuse, though.’
It was probably because of the remnants of Rapel.
Grant could not understand what was so frightening about those bastards that his father had even assigned guards to stay around him.
For Grant, who did not know Barke was still alive, it was only natural to think that way.
“Should I try persuading Father again?”
“Just stay put. Don’t get me scolded too for no reason.”
“.......”
Apparently displeased by Mitchell’s response, Grant fell silent.
Mitchell paid him no mind and continued piling up his belongings before finally putting a bottle he had taken from the storage room into his backpack.
“Hmm, that should be everything....... Grant, did you bring the map I asked for?”
Grant nodded and took a map from inside his clothes.
“Here. But the mana car still hasn’t been fixed, has it?”
“That’s why I’m just going to walk.”
“Walk? It’s pretty far to the Demonic Region.”
“It’s that far? Give me the map.”
Calian had clearly told him to walk there as casually as if he were talking about visiting a hill behind the neighborhood.
So Mitchell had assumed it was nearby, but when he unfolded the map Grant handed him, it was far.
Far too far.
“It’ll probably take fifteen days on foot.”
“Grr....... You said it was close!”
Mitchell shouted, his hands trembling, and Calian’s laughter rang in his ears.
[Heh heh. This is all part of your training. Did you not ask me to teach you new martial arts? This time, I shall teach you footwork and a lightness skill. You will not be bored on the way.]
Mitchell’s irritation eased somewhat at those words, and he tucked the map into his clothes.
What could he possibly complain about when Calian was offering to teach him new martial arts?
It strongly felt like revenge, but Mitchell decided to accept it.
“I don’t know who told you that, but I’ll see you later.”
Something about the way Grant said it made it sound as though they would meet again soon.
Deciding it was his imagination, Mitchell nodded, gathered his things, and left the room.
The Runei Family was bustling with life, unlike before.
They were salvaging the relatively legitimate businesses among Rapel’s holdings while shutting down the shady businesses that could not simply be left alone, and countless people were rushing around because of it.
BOW.
As Mitchell headed outside with his luggage on his back, those who recognized his face bowed their heads in greeting.
They did not know exactly who Mitchell was, but they had at least heard that he had made a major contribution during the recent incident, so their faces were filled with goodwill.
The moment Mitchell passed through the Runei Family’s main gate, Calian spoke.
[I shall teach you the footwork and lightness skill once we leave Ranga.]
“Yes. But first, I need to deposit some money.”
Mitchell planned to deposit the money left over from selling the valuables in the village and check on his inheritance while he was at it.
With that in mind, he headed straight for the Imperial Bank in Ranga.
“What is the name of the account holder?”
“Ria Wilson.”
When Mitchell gave the name, the bank clerk took out a book and wrote the name inside it.
The ink seeped into the book, and new writing began appearing.
Mitchell’s eyes widened at the strange sight he had never seen before, and the bank clerk gave a small smile as they watched him.
“Is this your first time using a bank?”
“Yes.......”
“That happens quite often when it isn’t an account you opened yourself. Let’s see. The ownership of the account has been transferred. Ah....... It’s an inheritance.”
Once the bank clerk realized it was an inheritance, her smile was replaced by a sympathetic expression.
“Could you place your hand here now?”
The bank clerk spoke as she turned the page.
Mitchell placed his hand down as instructed, and with a sharp prick, blood flowed from his finger.
The book absorbed the blood, and the words that had originally been displayed began disappearing.
“We’ve confirmed that you’re the heir, so the inheritance will now be transferred. What is your name?”
“Could you just keep it under my mother’s name? Is that possible?”
“Yes. Identity verification will be done the same way as just now, so that won’t be a problem.”
The bank clerk looked at Mitchell with pity.
It was the sort of look one might give a son who could not let go of his mother.
Mitchell found her gaze strangely uncomfortable and fixed his eyes back on the book.
“I’ll show you the account details. This is the amount currently in the account....... Huh?”
“Is something wrong?”
“N-No.”
The bank clerk flipped through the book with trembling hands, and only after Mitchell took it from her did he understand why she had been so startled.
‘How much money is all this.......?’
A number so long that he could not count it at a glance filled his vision.
***
[You were incredibly wealthy.]
“I guess I was.”
Mitchell had never imagined that his mother, who had merely been a fallen noble, possessed this much money.
‘No wonder they kept telling me to hand over Mother’s inheritance.’
Even the wealthy Kellion Family would have had more than enough reason to covet his mother’s inheritance.
Mitchell decided to think carefully about how to use the money later and left Ranga.
He headed north, toward the Demonic Region.
Despite Ranga being a major city, not many people traveled north.
He had briefly seen a carriage near the entrance, but even that had taken a different road from Mitchell, and soon Mitchell was the only person left on the roadside.
Thanks to that, the conditions were perfect for training.
[From now on, I shall teach you footwork and a lightness method. They are Ghost Soul Steps and the Forgotten Soul Movement Art. They are martial arts that can draw out your abilities even further.]
“Oh!”
[Merely stepping with Ghost Soul Steps can instill fear in your opponent. It can also strengthen the power of your Incarnation.]
If Calian was right, Ghost Soul Steps was a footwork technique capable of supporting both the Incarnation Art and the Heaven-Breaking Sword.
[The Forgotten Soul Movement Art allows you to move like a spirit. It is fast and stealthy. Once you reach the pinnacle, others will not even realize that you are moving.]
After saying that, Calian carefully explained everything from the placement of Mitchell’s feet to the circulation of his energy.
Thanks to that, Mitchell understood it easily.
Yet the moment he tried taking his first step, his feet tangled together and he fell.
THUD—!
He tried again and again afterward, but five steps was his limit.
Even that was something he only managed occasionally.
Mitchell grimaced as he loosened his aching ankle.
“Ugh....... Are you sure you didn’t teach me wrong? My legs cramp up just from taking a few steps.”
[Did you think it would be easy? There is a reason I told you to walk all the way to the Demonic Region. You will only begin to get a feel for it after doing at least that much. So until you arrive, travel using nothing but Ghost Soul Steps and the Forgotten Soul Movement Art.]
Calian was telling him to travel a distance that took fifteen days on foot when Mitchell could barely take a single proper step.
And apparently, even after doing all that, he would only begin to get a feel for the techniques.
Mitchell’s competitive spirit flared.
“Just you wait. By the time I arrive, I’ll be able to use them perfectly!”
[Heh heh. Then go ahead and try. If you succeed, I shall give you a gift.]
Calian felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but this time, he believed it would not be easy.
***
In a forest some distance away from Ranga, the great city of the north.
Barke and his subordinates had made camp there.
They could not enter Ranga, so they were staying in a forest where it was easy to conceal themselves.
There was only one reason they had not fled somewhere else.
They were waiting to capture Mitchell.
‘I still do not understand why they want me to bring that bastard in.’
After Barke sent a letter explaining the situation to the central noble who had been backing him, a reply came stating that his mistake would be covered up if he captured Mitchell and brought him in.
‘Well, it does not matter.’
He had intended to take revenge on Mitchell anyway.
Had that bastard not suddenly appeared and overturned everything?
The same was true of his battle with Grant.
Although Grant was a Grade 5 Aura User like Barke, his meager experience had given Barke the advantage.
But then the unknown energy Mitchell fired had broken Barke’s concentration, causing him to suffer severe injuries and collapse.
If the subordinate who arrived at just the right moment had not possessed a potion, Barke might have died there.
‘I can take revenge and earn the central noble’s favor again.’
As long as he could lure Mitchell outside Ranga, everything would be resolved.
The problem was that he had no suitable way to make Mitchell leave.......
As Barke’s worries dragged on, one of his subordinates came running over, gasping for breath.
“They say he left the city!”
“Of his own accord?”
“Yes. Apparently, he went to the Demonic Region to train.”
“The Demonic Region.......”
A perfect opportunity to capture him had arrived.
A sinister smile spread across Barke’s lips.