Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends - Chapter 396: Hiro and Ryun

Chapter 396: Hiro and Ryun

Technique

The {Azure Mind} was a strange one. Hiro was not used to it at all. He didn’t quite… like what it did to his mind. It sharpened it, put it into a razor focus to the exclusion of all else. But that was what he needed now. He ran as the technique took hold, hoping that his focus wouldn’t make him stop. If he was being honest, he hoped that he would just forget to stop running, that stopping would be too much of an effort, distract from his true goal.

His mind underwent a shift, his skills fell into the background and the draw on his willpower lessened. In a way, though he hadn’t been aware of it at the time he made the decision, running helped him. It was a repetitive act that helped his focus. So, the pain fell away, all thoughts and reasons for why he was in this situation, his worries and fears, all of it was stripped from him. Leaving only a single minded focus on his technique, or rather how to change it.

The reason why he wanted to change it didn’t matter, all that did was that it had to be better, stronger, faster. The technique of {Spatial Sword Storm} created six copies of his sword around him, made out of his Qi. In practice, it created three blades that shifted space when they encountered something, and cutting by tearing apart Essence. The they were focused on him, and followed as he moved, which did make them somewhat good protections, though they were clearly visible as lines that bent the space. Releasing the technique would cause the spatial blades to flicker and move, cutting anything in their path. But he couldn’t target them, they just whirled around him.

He had used that part against the monsters, but unfocused, they hadn’t done almost any damage. The Essence that held the monster’s body together was stronger than his Qi.

As the {Azure Mind} deepened, he started to think about all that he knew about techniques, about how Qi and techniques worked. He focused on a breathing pattern, though it was not necessary. He of course wasn’t good enough not to use it. The breathing helped one focus their mind and draw out Qi, moving that Qi in a pattern inside of his conduits created a technique.

The {Spatial Sword Storm} technique infused his weapon—the sword—and the area around him with Qi. First the sword, in the same way as when using {Spatial Ward}, then through his body as when using {Onslaught}, then out to create copies of his blade in the space around him.

He couldn’t control the Qi copies, he didn’t have the control or the mastery of it. He had been told that the fruit techniques could be changed in almost any different way, as long as the core idea behind the improvement remained the same and was consistent with his base and branch techniques, and as long as it remained true to the Cultivation Path.

The Path of the Sword as was explained to Hiro was about living by the sword. He had an affinity with the weapon, and so the Path seemed like a fit. What masters Ryun and Tali had told him was that he would need to figure out what the Path meant to him, to shape it to his needs.

He… his focus narrowed again, and all those superficial thoughts were purged.

Through his eyes he saw the chasm surging by him, as he ran, his ears heard the monsters behind him, and then… that too fell into the background. His body continuing on its own as his mind delved deeper, focused on the technique.

Change, improvement. He knew how the patterns worked, the theory behind it. To change it, all he had to do was make a different pattern. The change wasn’t what was important, his need was. He needed an attack that could kill, that was precise and fast.

He had the elements already there, his base and branch techniques, the current fruit. All he had to do was rearrange them.

Keeping the technique up constantly was pointless. He could only channel one technique at a time, and having the six spatial swords around him didn’t help him now. {Spatial Ward} was a technique that was cast and not sustained, it had a timer. He debated, but realized that something like that wouldn’t work for his fruit technique. {Onslaught} was another sustained technique, it was not what he needed.

He stripped the sustained part of the technique, he didn’t need six swords that floated around him. A sword copy was a spatial disturbance, a copy of the ward he placed on his sword. To create a copy he had to send out his Qi into the air around him, anchoring it to his body through space. He didn’t know how that worked, precisely. The theory he was taught was blurring inside his head. But he needed that, a single copy, or a single mirroring. Not a sustained technique, a use and release.

He had an idea of what he needed, what he wanted. He crafted it in his mind, on instinct. He didn’t know if it would work. Regardless, as he was taught, he wrenched himself out of the {Azure Mind}, breaking the technique before it could spiral out of control and get him killed.

The world returned in a flash, pain stabbed through him, he realized how tired he and how near empty his core was. He didn’t have a lot of choices. He dashed forward, faster and turned midair. He saw the monsters behind him. Each as tall as he was, running at him in a line. He pushed Qi out of his core, through his body and into his sword, saturating it with Qi. Then he flashed Qi out of his body in a line, throwing it, or more like having it slide across the space in front of him.

The monster leapt, Hiro swiped with his sword and released his technique.

Ryun stopped as Hiro turned, his intention to stand his ground clear.

“Oh, you feel his Qi?”

Ryun nodded. He watched with all of his senses, seeing what the boy was doing. He had changed the technique, and the way in which he had done it was apparent to Ryun immediately. The monster leapt and Hiro attacked at the empty air in front of him, at the same moment the air beneath the monster’s neck rippled. Hiro’s attack rippled out of the Spatial rift, honed by spatial Qi. It cut into the monster from below, hitting the unprotected neck beneath. The blade dig deep, cutting flesh and bone until it hit the sturdy plates on top of the neck. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t cut through them, the neck was separated from the body, only the plate held it together.

The monster died and Hiro jumped out of the way of its falling body. The second monster paused, and Hiro cycled his Qi again, drawing the last of his supply. He slashed as the monster regained its mettle. The spatial cut appeared beneath the monster, targeting the same spot.

It had to have noticed somehow, it dashed and the cut opened up the side of its throat instead of killing it outright. It roared and continued on, blood flowing like a river. The monster was dead on its feet, but it would not die before reaching Hiro.

Ryun saw Hiro’s eyes widen, a mental attack blasted out of him as the monster swiped at him, but it wasn’t enough. It caught his side, opening up a wound near his ribs and sending him flying into the chasm wall. He hit hard, his head bouncing off the stone.

The monster stumbled and fell, to the ground, still breathing, but weak and on the death’s door. The last monster leapt at Hiro’s who shook his head on his knees. Ryun felt the burst of Qi in his core, the result of his perk. Hiro saw the monster and cycled his Qi, but fumbled, the technique died before he swung his sword. The monster dashed away anyway, wanting to avoid the fate of its siblings. When nothing happened, it started approaching Hiro again. His Qi was regenerating, his core trickling back up, but not enough.

The monster attacked and Ryun felt Tali stiffen and take a step. He put his hand out.

The monster slashed and its attack passed through Hiro as if he wasn’t even there. That turned the monster around, and Hiro yelled as he stabbed his sword at the base of its skull, the small place without any plates to protect it.

The monster twitched, Hiro’s sword stabbed into flesh and then got caught on the plate as it moved. It was stronger than him, the sword didn’t puncture deep enough, but was now stuck. Hiro tried to cycle his Qi, but exhaustion was more than just a physical thing. Ryun saw his attempts at creating a technique fail.

The monster rounded on him and opened its maw to bite his head off.

Ryun moved, Qi burst out of him, the monster’s head disappeared as if it was never there. He landed next to Hiro and Tali followed a moment after.

“That was… good,” Ryun said.

Hiro looked at Ryun, breathing heavily and his eyes holding relief and the aftereffects of shock and fear. Then they narrowed as if something had just occurred to him. Whatever it was he didn’t get to say it, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the ground.

“You could’ve caught him,” Tali said.

“So could’ve you,” Ryun added.

“Well,” Tali coughed, then knelt next to him as she pulled out a healing potion. “You want to keep him without the arm? Let him train a bit without it?”

“Not necessary,” Ryun said. “He was obviously capable enough to compensate. I assume that the wardens trained him to know what to expect should he ever lose the use of a limb. It would be pointless.”

Tali hummed. “Want to gouge his eyes out?”

Ryun blinked. “You are not funny.”

“I’m just saying,” Tali said, trying to keep her mouth from twitching.

“Just heal him, it’s a long way back.”

He shook his head. Though, while she was joking, he was starting to get some ideas. Perhaps later, after they returned from the dome and he had more time to devote to training his new pupil.