Kairos looked around in the memory realm curiously. He had appeared in a huge bar with dim yellow lights and lots of patrons. A bartender attended each person drinking by themselves. At this place, the lady knight who is Kairos’ combat guide had been waiting for him.

She gave him a respectful bow, thinking it is her honour to be able to serve a hero that has the potential to become the greatest Aura Knight in history.

“Sir Kairos, welcome to the memory bar. The shelves housed the memory crystals containing the consciousness of our fallen ones. Pick one according to your strength and try to learn how your opponent uses Aura from combat.”

Kairos looked up and saw that behind the bar there are countless crystals set upon glass shelves from the ground to ceiling.

The bartender nodded at him and continued cleaning a glass goblet.

Kairos could feel that each of the memory crystal is giving off a different kind of energy, some are weaker and others domineering.

He asked the knight, “How do I use my Aura?”

“You have to find it out by yourself. Remember the thought you used on the test pebble and emblem you received; they will help you.”

Kairos went forward to the counter and sat before the friendly bartender. After looking around, he chose a crystal that he felt was giving off the weakest Aura.

The bartender took the sparkling gem gingerly and lightly tapped it on a glass he placed before Kairos. The crystal melted into a neon light blue liquid with a dark fruity smell.

The bartender smiled, then returned the crystal back to the shelf despite Kairos was certain that he was emptyhanded a moment ago.

The bartender smiled again and looked at the drink quietly.

As if drawn in by the mysterious, Kairos took up the cup and put it to his lips.

The next moment, he is standing in a field littered with broken swords, spears, shields, and armours.

The smell of fire and blood masked everything else, but on this battlefield there was not a single body in sight.

A powerful intent alarmed Kairos. It felt as though his skin was sliced open despite he wasn’t hurt.

He looked to the direction it came from and saw that in a distance stood a lone warrior with a giant sword.

The man attacked without caring that it is impossible for his blade to reach. As his sword slashed downwards, the Aura extended to cover where Kairos stood, locking him in the area.

Completely covered by the Sword Aura, no matter how quickly Kairos reacted, he could only passively defend himself.

Kairos quickly reorganised his thoughts. Since he could not die, this might be the perfect opportunity to learn.

He followed what his combat guide advised and carefully observed the opponent’s aura. It was an overpowering presence with countless swords held on his neck.

Unlike a Sword Ki, within the Sword Aura he could feel enmity from every direction, as though the world wants to tear him apart.

Kairos threw up his defences immediately but was shocked that none of his Ki-based Combat Arts are working. Without a Ki Barrier, he can only defend with his bare hands.

“Remember the thought you used on the test pebble and emblem you received; they will help you.”

The thought I used?

I merely wanted to vanquish the devil tormenting Relestia and those plaguing Gaia. No, there is another thing that was in my mind.

“Why do you seek power?”

The voice of the True Lord still resounded in his soul as this question continued haunting him.

Kairos had thought that he wanted power to protect those around himself and not lose anything precious, and that became the reason why he wanted to vanquish the devils.

Yet, this conclusion did not end the question lingering in his mind.

Besides the thought he used, the lady knight also mentioned that the emblem he received is important. But, his symbol – Demiurge - has three meanings: The Origin, The World, and The Creator.

So which one is it?

Or is my Aura all three?

His Cultivation Method is called the Origin, perhaps that’s what he should be going for first?

In the middle of all his thoughts, the pressure bearing down on him continued to increase.

Countless blades struck him and despite his Heaven Titan physique, he felt his flesh being ripped from his bones.

A moment later, the glass he lifted had just left his lips. He felt as though he had just awoken from a dream.

The pain he suffered had completely disappeared, but mentally he felt drained.

Kairos closed his eyes for a moment and that exhausting feeling lasted but a full second before he felt restored.

The strength of his will is far beyond normalcy. When another hero would’ve buckled after the trauma of dying after all his flesh were sliced away, Kairos only had a frown etched in his brows.

“That’s strange, the memory crystal I picked definitely felt weak.”

Despite dying almost instantly, there were a lot of valuable experiences for him. He slowly replayed every moment of the fight in his mind, from the first instance he felt the enemy’s Aura to the final breath he took with blood pouring from his body.

While he mused, his combat guide – the lady knight – was surprised to see him nearly unaffected by this first death.

The other heroes spent the better of an hour sobbing or worse… becoming totally unresponsive.

There are already a few that had retreated back to the real world after their defeat. When they returned, they were surprised that only a second passed since they entered the memory realm.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Kairos who had not figured out how to use his Aura decided to pick something that is more suitable. He finally decided on a ruby red crystal that turned into a sparkling crimson drink that smelled like strawberries.

Kairos downed it without hesitation and the next moment he is in a giant castle.

Torn curtains, shattered windows, and broken walls, it was a decimated ruins. Upon a half-melted iron throne sat a single person with blackened and nicked armour.

On his head is a simple crown with some of the adorning gems missing. On his right is a two-edged blade as large as a man stabbed into the ground.

He slowly looked up at the intruder.

Kairos felt an immense pressure boring down on him, trying to force him to his knees.

At the same time, a single sword slash that divided the castle in two flew towards him. The last thing he saw was the blood-red skies above and the parted clouds.

Kairos was revived in the bar again. The cup had barely left his lips. He studied his loss then took another sip of the red liquid without hesitation.

An hour later, Kairos had died so many times he almost lost count. He spent another hour concluding the fights he had been through and recounted any possibilities of extending the battle. Unfortunately, the owner of the red crystal is simply far too powerful for him to learn much despite so many fights.

By now, most of the other heroes had awaken. How many fights they been through were only known by themselves, but when their eyes reopened, they were still standing in the courtyard and only seconds passed.

Kairos picked his third target.

This time, a green coloured drink. The bartender carefully set the liquid on the table for Kairos and returned to cleaning the table.

When Kairos appeared in the memory, he immediately felt a coldness on his neck and immediately died.

Like before, he challenged the same crystal again,

When he awoke in the memory, he had a hole in his heart and died a second time; a puncture by a sharp knife.

This enemy is much weaker than the owner of the Red Crystal but he still dies almost immediately.

In this way he continued getting killed repeatedly, and worse than before he couldn’t even feel or see his opponent. Ki detection was unable to be used, runes and arrays are unresponsive and Soul Perception did not work either. Kairos tried searching for the Aura of the one that killed him countless time but he had landed in the nest of an assassin’s web. His life is completely controlled by his opponent the moment he entered the memory.

By sight or sound he could not feel the enemy’s presence, much less to feel the Aura. But, if he couldn’t sense the Aura then how can he learn?

“If Aura is manifested Will, do I really need to learn another’s will to know my own?”

“What is the Origin’s will. The World’s will. The Creator’s will?”

“No, I need to know my own will.”

“What is my will?”

When Kairos returned to the bar, he had fallen into deep thoughts. His combat guide watched him carefully, and after making certain that he had not shown any signs of mental decay she was once again surprised and impressed.

The mental fortitude this boy displayed is rarely seen. She can only guess what he must’ve seen to forge such a resolute mind. Talent alone is insufficient, one had to be honed from blood and fire to become so unflinching towards dying.

Another hour later, Kairos appears to have found an answer. He looked up with determination in his eyes and ordered another drink of the green liquid.

This place is like a dream.

Sometimes his cup is full no matter how much he drank, sometimes the bartender has to refill it despite some should be left.

This time when he appeared in the memory, a dagger suddenly came at his side. By the time he realised, it is already touching his skin, but this time the blade could not enter. It was as though the assassin had struck an iron wall. Suddenly he flew back, rebounded by his own strength.

Kairos thought, “If this is my dream, then my will is what I want to happen!”

He turned and looked at the direction the assassin flew off. The next moment he is already face to face with his target.

The assassin widened his eyes with disbelief, having never met such an opponent even when he was alive before.

Kairos woke up in the bar with a smile this time. He had managed to exercise his Aura for the first time, and it was incredible. Suddenly, a strange set of memories flowed into his mind. The way the assassin’s Aura was formed and used had suddenly became his knowledge.

Kairos studied the information carefully. Near-perfect stealth that could avoid Soul Perception and instant hypnosis to disorientate an enemy in battle.

Just what in the world are Auras?

At least through this fight he had finally understood what his Aura, the Demiurge is, and more importantly why it is called the Will of the World while at the same time also named The Origin and The Creator.

The three names one thing in common: the Demiurge Aura could exhibit the traits of any Aura in the world.

Kairos deduce that the ancient sages must have called it The Origin and The Creator thinking that it is the source; undoubtedly those learned men were torn between thinking the owner of Demiurge is the maker of Auras or merely the owner.

As for the Will of the World, Kairos now knows that it isn’t to say that he had inherited what the world wants, but that with this ultimate Aura, it is his will that the world follows.

No wonder the Knight Captain trembled when he saw Kairos’ emblem on the white pebble.

With renew vigour, Kairos picked a purple crystal next.

He appeared in the middle of a rustic town with people wearing dirty garbs of medieval times. Their faces are blurred and words inaudible, but their cheering are loud. A giant man that looked like a bull, charged at him with an overpowering Aura.

Kairos felt his hairs pricked. If he had chosen this memory crystal before he learned how to use his Aura… he didn’t dare to imagine how he would die.

The man knocked into him with a great roar but immediately felt that Kairos was like a mountain cliff; completely immovable.

Kairos placed a hand on the enemy’s head, and pushed the bull-faced warrior down to the ground as though he was a child.

With that, he had gained the emblem of a… bear.

“Wait, why isn’t this guy’s emblem a bull?”

He flexed his fingers, studying the Aura he just gained. Unlike the Assassin’s Aura, this one was more like a self-hypnosis technique, but far more potent. It allowed him to reach beyond what he is physically capable of, normally. Kairos shuddered thinking what will happen if he combined this Aura with Origin Infusion. Two things make an Aura, ability and strength.

The Demiurge is top in terms of ability, since it could do anything Kairos wills. The manifestation of his will, at least by his own regards, felt limitless.

Just like Lord Yue who can see the destruction point of anything, there are plenty of people born with special abilities. He remember that there is one category that deals specifically with abilities of the mind: Psionic powers.

Since Aura is the manifestation of the will, Kairos suspects that perhaps it could even be further developed into those strange mental abilities he had heard before: psychokinesis, telepathy, mental projection, and many more.

On the other hand, no matter what kind of Aura one has, it meant very little if it is weak.

The reason why Kairos can overwhelm the assassin and the bull warrior is because he is at Class 9. Each Class of Aura is equal to each Circle of Magic.

Although he is already at the Aura strength of a Knight Grand Cross, Kairos had a feeling that he is far from the highest class one can reach in the mortal realm. He have plenty of experience meeting cultivators that are a step away from transcending.

It is possible that Axis Mundi do not have the resource to support the growth of Aura Arts to break past human limits and enter into the Immortal Realm – after all Spirit herb and fruits cannot grow in the limiting Heavenly Energy of this place.

Along this line of logic, Kairos think that most probably there are Aura Knights beyond the level of Knight Grand Cross.

Next he challenged again the first warrior he fought. On that broken battlefield with only a lone warrior, that Sword Aura engulfed him again.

Kairos imagined an area of absolute tranquillity and immediately all the sword slashes that should’ve murdered him dissipated before they reached.

This time he gained the Aura of the Sword.

When he studied it, he realise just how powerful this Aura is. The owner only had a strength of Class 1 yet could wield it with such efficiency that he had left his name in the annuals of history and stored into the memory bar.

It was no wonder Kairos was killed without a chance to resist the first time.

In this manner, Kairos continued and challenged many warriors, legends, and heroes of old. One by one he won and learnt their ways.

Finally, the last one he chose was the king from the beautiful red crystal.

The man sat on his throne waiting in his broken castle.

“You have come again.”

Kairos greeted the hero with a nod, and the two men silently observed each other.

Although they had not moved, the castle started shaking.

Their intents clashed as Aura.

The furniture trembled.

The floor cracked.

Dust and stone shards started falling from the ceiling.

Then the entire castle started collapsing.

At the end, the man took off his crown and put it on his knee. He then lowered his proud head and said, “I have lost.”