For the time being, Murai had no desire to try Heavenly Shaping. It was true that it was interesting, as its premise laid the foundation for the Beast Sect somewhere in the far past. But he was almost certain it was nothing groundbreaking for him and his own experience or history. He saw and lived through so many things, although not in this world, that his expectations and perception were all different.
Thus, it was a good thing to have it stored in Lisa's hands, because he surely didn't want to lose it in this Gate.
It will await for a better time when he will want to care for it. Which may be soon around the corner, because the balancing factors of the other half of Islands of Greatness were yet to show their fangs. It won't be easy. Difficulties will arrive, time will become more important, and foes will be much harder to seek and defeat.
That was why the time between the Islands was essential. One shouldn't need to hurry ahead all that much. Resting, use of potions, and management of stamina were all important at this Gate.
One should think twice before being confident and go into the upper Islands ranging from 70 to 90, while what was further was another thing.
Time was what made this Gate challenging, as the rules stood strong, and going to the end was a very important aspect to get this over with. It was all about survival, power, stubbornness, and resources.
Mana wasn't truly an issue to anyone, as this place made sure to provide enough of its flow. But it was also a hidden poison, capable of punishing cheeky mages whose bodies or Shaping may not last that long under their control. This environment could crack them like the flow that was significantly enchanted under the partial blessings and marks. Because of that, Gate 1 was actually very easy because of the limited fight, whereas Islands of Greatness were much harder.
Lack of experience, preparations, and fighting capabilities were a major reason many failed in their attempts. This one had it worse because of the continuous journey ahead, making it one of the hardest among the Gate 2s in terms of viability.
But for those who sought out this challenge while being prepared, it meant massive opportunity. Lisa didn't mention these aspects to Murai yet, albeit she knew all about it. There was no need for that because she knew he needed these experiences like anything else. She needed to see his resolve and power.
What else did he need?
Resources may be an issue since there was almost no way to escape the Islands, replenish the potions, or gather food. One can only rest between the Islands, provide for oneself, eat, drink, and sleep, or fight until the bitter end.
One might get some loot to help with that, or one might try eating opponents after the accomplished Islands. Not everyone did that, however. Most wouldn't bear the cost of losing the Mana Essence because of eating a defeated opponent.
Giving up was also a highly viable option, since one may get stuck on certain Islands for days because enemies won't ever become easier. Anyone could always repeat the failed Islands, as long as one wanted or could.
Stored out of this Island and in Lisa's hands, Heavenly Shaping awaited. Surprisingly, even Lisa agreed to let that be for the time being, even though she urged him to look at it between some Islands when they had time to waste. But he acted hesitantly, thinking that it was important to act with what he already had before thinking of something new.
Sonar and Blitz were that, but pretty much anything went under his mind. Be it Arrows, Blades, or Flame Shots.
It was important to focus on them, finding their footing, aspects, chances, and relations to his current body. In the past hours before his brief sleep, Murai was rather stern-faced, filled with rare optimism, internal cheers to hype himself up, and desires to fight. His new toys to handle these foes made him like that.
He didn't question himself all that much because of that. He was even thinking less poorly of his little physique, which was strange. Perhaps there was some neatness into killing those larger than his size, so coming up with shortcuts and ways to kill those cheeky foes—who thought they were more powerful than him—made this unnaturally enjoyable.
Murai was kind of glad that each Island was very private as well, giving him time away from Lorry or Lisa. He bet they would annoy him if they chirped around him when fighting. A pure duel where either side won or lost was as simple as time can get.
Feeling his chances slip nowhere, Murai refocused on his fight and decided to push against the Lighting Vortex Fists with a glistering beak. Blitz was an ongoing ability that wouldn't end that easily, so when he stepped forth, he clashed against the lighting.
Or did the lighting clash against him instead? It did feel like exploding swirls of lighting snakes all over him.
Feet pushing against the sand, he readied his body to take this man's technique with his own. A single step became another one, and his Blitz pushed the fists in each step, forcing the man to take a step back. He was losing his footing, so he changed his stance. He backed away a couple of steps, leaving Murai almost stumbling as he tensed up in his stance.
“A-alright. Let's calm...” The man pulled both hands high in the air, looking like he was about to make a hug. Vortexes glistered in light and power, influencing his every action in power and cracking sounds. “Down!” he smashed his own face, cracking his skin, and letting blood drip from his mouth and nose. He needed this simple act to calm down for some reason, but he went way overboard.
Retracting the palms in a mere moment after the pain and blood went away, the man positioned his body into the proper posture of a warrior who had a lot to lose. He hadn't got much of that, however. Just a life and some merits for Hell Haven was up to his life, Mindarch, and some weird politics that ruled this temple. He wasn't important. He was a simple foolish tool that lived off of the battles and services that were far from freedom.
He wore a calm face this time, appearing almost too cold as he forcefully calmed his raging heart. Being stunned was a terrible action when battling, but emotions can strike a master or even a fool. There was a clear line between them, so mastering one's emotions meant growth and more opportunities.
Murai would agree with that, and even pat this man's shoulder in understanding if he had time for that.
This man felt ashamed that he acted like a fool before, even though the validity of his action did seem normal. They were that and weren't at the same time, as his normal time clashes against something far above his little life.
“Anatidae...” He mumbled, knowing that this worthy opponent's level didn't mean clear rules in this world. His level may be higher, but it perhaps didn't mean shit. 17 was just a number, albeit it was unnaturally low in the grand scheme of things, as it was reading of one's might, achievement, battles, options, abilities, and time. Hence, Murai's time may be lacking, and thus level was low.
There were talents and grades that spoke of more meaning, and everything about species, races, and achievements was important. Evolution did change it slightly, turning what one may consider normal to another level, but there was something hard to calculate.
Those were the souls, skills, and experiences.
Murai stood on top of the sand, feeling the ground below him with quite a hostility after he almost fell face down to the ground. The sand wasn't a good place to fight for him. His legs may be flat, but they still had diminishing stability for his stature. The membranes between his clawed fingers did at least improve this issue.
Still, it wasn't as good as standing on firm ground that was in the majority of the previous Islands.
On the opposing side, his opponent was barefoot, forgetting some layers of Vortexes that were obscuring his skin. But one thing was clear. He had no issue with the sand whatsoever. After all, he had a well above-average build for a man of the human race, allowing him to be more than capable in any setting.
The steady and easy movement went along his long legs and strong core, so in this environment, he held an advantage against a duck. It was the truth regardless of what an Anatidae was, but he still felt some doubts.
He was the first intelligent foe that Murai was fighting in this place.
“Sorry for this sorry state.” the man apologized after spitting some blood on the sand. Crouching down, he let down both of his hands, making a stance as if he were a swimmer ready to dive forward.
Then, the Vortexes around his fists exploded. Gusts of wind pushed against the ground and Murai alike, blasting sand and dust from the ground up, enveloping dozens of meters around them in lighting sandstrom.
Murai didn't panic. He was surprised to see that amidst this storm that did push him away, there was a flow obscuring his Sonar.
He could no longer pinpoint the man's location or body with it alone. There was way too much clutter for his Sonar to work with, flooding his brain with unnecessary information that he couldn't overcome in a couple of seconds. This was where training and familiarity mattered.
It was also the first flaw of the Mana Sonar he had discovered, as this was the first enemy that held mana of much better quality and handling. Murai appreciated that since it seemed his enemy knew how to hide and use mana to his advantage.
This should challenge his senses, strategy, or limits.
Alas, what the man didn't expect was Murai's other ability that moved within the perceptions and surveillance and not mana. A passive ability like a Soul Read noticed flaring emotions and Will in the storm, looking like a dot, voice, or the shimmering presence of a stressed man. It held a savage appearance like a tiger that wanted to pounce on its foe.
Then, it moved.
The man jumped inside the sandstorm in one big leap, aiming his lighting-enveloped hands like a hammer at Murai. He almost seemed to fly at him instead, but his leap did indeed work like that because his legs weren't on the ground.
Murai calculated his actions under a breath, knowing the direction of the attack, but not its power. There were numerous methods to dodge, deflect, move, or solve this as easily as possible. Plan was one thing; action was another. Realizing and creating the aftermath, or actually doing things accordingly differentiated fools and strategists.
In this split second, his foe arrived with his lighting fist, wanting to devour and kill him like a cracking lightning storm, or a Trial Storm. Lighting arrived and danced around, but the fists were yet to hit Murai's body.
He stood still, bracing his beak to take this foolish hit. The man noticed the shimmering mana undulations coming off a little beak that wanted a piece of him. It was channeling Beak's Peak for more than a second, which meant he let go of his Blitz. There was no backlash.
Weirdly, there was some weird consensus of his beak-related abilities that allowed his Peak to be faster in channeling after turning the Blitz off. He barely channeled it for a second, yet he felt it was thrice more effective. That meant almost 3 seconds of flow that Murai put under his improving arsenal, albeit it meant Blitz and its accumulation of power became useless. Peak was more limiting and stressful for his movement and body, but it wasn't that bad.
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In a good timing and position, using it was a suitable choice.
His Peak was his highest offensive-based ability. If properly used, of course.
Depending on the channeling, it contained quite a massive amount of power in a small-looking beak. Blitz was very different from it. And since the man took his time to attack, Murai wasn't so stupid to go easy on anyone who barged at him without stopping or holding back.
He liked it this way.
So he will be trying his best against this cheeky man. It was neither a punishment nor a killing. He simply hoped he would take it in one piece since he had never had a proper chance to seek the limits of what his Peak could crack. Until now.
He already tried his Peak in many of the past Islands, but the enemies became a mess after testing the limits of the Peak.
This situation presented itself upon him like the finest of gifts. Hence, he almost giggled upon the activated Peak that met the swirling storm of both fists that appeared like one large storm.
The man came like a rocket at him, forcing his both hands upon a little duck that was at least 4 times smaller than his vortexes combined together. Alas, the size wasn't everything in the arts of war. This was more than truthful in both of their minds.
Murai had the physicality of a normal-sized duck. Physical-based limits and weight were problems he couldn't change.
The vortexes were an accumulation of powerful revolving mana around the bracelet Catalysts. It focused on them, making his move even bigger, but bigger wasn't always better. He needed to hit, but weirdly enough, his little enemy took this wild hit head-on. He had expected some problem to arrive in some form, but he hadn't expected this.
The moment he decided on his ability called Meteor Rush, he knew there was no coming back. He attacked straight like he preferred, crashing to the Peak.
And no explosion came from the impact of both moves, unlike the last time. Instead, there were countless crackling lighting noises, shuddering the ground in amassing power that focused on this clash.
The man felt a very powerful physical power moving against his Meteor Rush, but it didn't stop him from moving entirely. He went forward upon the impact. Just for a couple of moments, before he felt pain in his arms that went against the Peak. His eyes turned out to be quite useless when vortex brightness outshined his vision, so he wasn't entirely sure what Murai was doing.
Lighting cracked the space around them, leaving the sandy ground moving away like waves. Surprisingly, the aftermath was a relatively clean standstill, where both sides kept clashing and challenging the other.
Murai did move a few steps back after his Peak ended imputing a large amount of physical and mana-based power forward. He was still standing, neck screaming, legs tightening, and Peak rumbling. He can still go on, even though he always felt weird after fully immersing his attention in the Peak. It always wanted him to keep going, flooding his mana onwards, which in turn stressed his neck and spine.
But it worked at last! The foe wasn't dying like a fool.
He wished for a laugh, but the aftermath of this clash changed his foe. He pushed forth as he felt slowly creeping instabilities under his Meteor Rush because of the Peak that crushed into it like a thin arrow. But the arrow felt like a sharp mountain.
Murai still had his lacking weight, which felt worse because of the physique and weight his foe had. He dug his legs into the sand thanks to his claws at each end of his feet, stopping the push the man enforced. Peak and his stubbornness stopped the rest.
This simple decision allowed him to withstand this impact much better, as it was indeed overpowering him in physical limits, while the lighting moved to his body too, digging into him, trying to cut his feathers and smash his head.
He hadn't felt such continuous pain in a long time, and even his Robust Spirit didn't seem to be that helpful. So when the lighting cruised around his feathers, many became strained in shock and physical power that was both sharp and heavy. Feathers took it head-on like his mind, diminishing the Metor Rush by more than half, if not more.
His mass always left him much to be desired. Weight problems kept pestering his senses, making all kinds of attacking moves kind of bad. His memories held many fighting styles, but most of them weren't feasible for this life at all. He could change a few to new lengths, improving many aspects of them for his species or benefits.
There were countless techniques in the universe.
A duck should be... something else. Perhaps he can't take them.
But Murai already figured out some method to truly shine like a duck, albeit not with his past techniques in mind. The gifts this world was giving him comprised the majority of what he held, forcing him to reform the ideology he used in most of his lives. Then, mana was at least something he could always rely on, as it was the constant rule in the universe, flowing in the neverending flow.
Having a light body was an issue that could be fixed. It was clear there might be changes or powers that his body could handle. They weren't coming or were clear, which was a problem for now or another time. He would prefer a change of some kind, otherwise, he will go insane in his weight.
Would an evolution solve that problem?
It could, but he had yet to believe its power that he tasted just once. Perhaps he was just nitpicky about it. Doubtful. His strength wasn't lacking at all, which was obvious by this simple clash, similar to his mind that kept underestimating the term: Anatidae. They were ducks in physicality, but their attitude and legacy were deeper than his expectations or ideas.
On the opposite side of him, the man pushed his legs on the ground, squinting his eyes, and pushing his Metor Rush forth. Like the Peak, it was wild power that rushed forth in momentum and his limit.
Murai felt his mana amidst too bright light, as Sonar wasn't too bothered about it.
Swirling and cracking vortex kept spinning, cutting, and turning into shattering lighting cracks in mid-air, creating power that would obliterate a foe around level 40. They pushed against Murai too, but most of them cracked to particles when hitting the beak, or gliding off of his feathers which were much more tensed up than before.
Meteor Rush could even obliterate a small hill or rocky mountain. It should be impressive and enough of an answer to see the limits of what this world had.
This man was this powerful, yet still a slave? He pushed against him, who was basically Anatidae Child, yet hadn't wounded him?
Though, perhaps only this man knew the answer to what was life in Hell and this world like. Murai didn't know or read much into it. Perhaps he wasn't even interested in his life story.
And the man hardly had time for such thoughts, when he felt the tip of the beak, striking, and going against this Meteor Rush without any cracks. It was still pushing and defying the sharp rotation that stormed sharp cracks forward. They were sharp and powerful effects of lighting.
It should've long cracked this foe, or at least cut into it, wounding the flesh.
Beak's Peak was still ongoing in its flow and Murai kept his feet and neck tight. He put more mana into it, feeling his limits and his foe. The Vortexes were turning weaker, slowing in rotation and some cracks thinned out. The end was nearing in just a few seconds over this short exchange.
Murai decided on endurance, focusing on his body so he wouldn't destabilize his own posture. He was too close to flying backward, so keeping Peak going was crashing those lighting cracks better than he thought, but it was all because he kept going without stopping or changing his angles.
It was as straight as it got, and unlike many instances, he didn't use his Peak in a mere moment to crash a foe to pieces. It was a clear indication that Meteor Rush was good enough to limit his Peak, albeit the mana consumption to power the Peak wasn't small.
5 seconds had passed since he had unleashed it, which was longer than his usual. Peal clashes. Its full power was diminishing because its channeling wasn't proper and long, giving Murai a great indication of its limits, his body, and the worth of this clash. It was draining, but it didn't feel wrong.
He felt he could keep at this for longer. Not forever, unfortunately.
Murai was going all out like his foe, crashing dissatisfaction away like the cracks that his feathers smacked aside. He knew he had plenty of more powerful foes before him, but he didn't care. There were more Islands left.
The crackling lighting clash went on and on, giving him suffering, trial, and training, but he wasn't faltering just because of some searing and sharp pain.
He survived much worse. Against this attack, which was most likely the toughest kind he had met head-on in this life, he didn't want to lose. Though, in the past, he met similar situations to this, the context of this fight mattered to him more than the truth. He had limited abilities and power in the past. Razmund crushed him like a toy, and Regators stormed him like a fool, wounding him in many layers.
Now, he had plenty to work with. It demonstrated his resolve and improvement, implying that persisting in his living gave him a better time after all. Or going by Lisa's suggestion wouldn't hurt either, perhaps.
No... Not that. The world will end before he will accept her suggestions like a piece of meat.
At last, the first to lose control was the Meteor Rush. The cracks almost all dissolved all of a sudden, leaving the man's bare fist to smack against the Peak, leading to cracking sounds, when flesh met the unnatural sturdiness. Bones broke, blood flew, and both forces clashed for the latest time.
The backlash of the Vortex Shaping had started soon enough, grinding the man's body in many layers of wounds that went around his legs and upper body. The worst were the hands, as even his Catalysts cracked slightly under the Peak's pressure.
Murai wasn't having any second thoughts, similar to the man who forced his hand to act just in time. He had still 2 Catalysts left, which he used when his fists failed. Pushing himself a step backward, he kicked the ground and put a knee downwards, creating a lighting crackling vortex around it, appearing like a spear. It went straight to Murai who was slightly off from the course of his Peak. That fist took the majority of his attention, and he pulled away his Sonar long ago because he didn't need it in such a direct confrontation.
But his eyes still looked; his body ached.
The brightness of the lighting also decreased, which helped both of them.
His Peak had enough time and power to act. His neck had enough flexibility, so he flexed his legs in the sand, charging and swinging his neck when Meteor Rush ceased to exist. He went for the kill, but that knee went for him instead.
He struck the Spear Vortex with his beak, leaving the last exchange up to luck and his diminishing Peak.
An explosion rang in the arena, creating fissures of lighting in the ground and the air, pushing the sand away. Then, the Peak lost control, but not before the man lost the feeling of his mana. Lighting cracked like his bones and Peak hit his legs like the backlash, shooting him into the opposite side of the arena.
Gliding through the sand, he left blood and dust behind, revealing his pained and disappointed expression. Although he got back to his feet in a mere 2 seconds upon the stop, he felt like a fool when he could've done this attack differently. His right knee was bleeding, bones shrieked, and he barely stood straight.
Staggering on his legs, he didn't care for a bloody hole in his leg, along with a broken knee. His control over the mana still held a few sparkling vortexes around his feet, albeit those were negligible; almost in the bright of going out of control.
But this was an advantage of the Handlers, as they didn't have to care for the Mana Core in their bodies. They can stop the mana flow anytime they want, allowing their bodies to be without mana.
However, it also depended on their Catalysts and how well they controlled mana flow. It seemed this man put a lot of effort into these few exchanges and his arms, leaving them basically crippled and broken as he failed. It was his choice, which ended his chances and the whole fight.
Trembling, he looked at his bloody hands. His fingers were broken, but not so much to reveal bones or flesh. That was at least a piece of good news, as he didn't mind this aftermath of going all out. Before thinking of something else, or expecting the incoming gesture to be not like before, the man no longer hesitated and spoke his will, just as he felt the pressure rising and Arrow hitting his head. “I give up.”
His words were kind of reluctant and unfortunate, leaving Murai standing far away in silence. He was still processing what he had done. He had no intention of forcing the situation out of his inability to finish this foe for good.m, so he stopped his Mana Arrow in time. After all, he went all out himself, yet he didn't kill this foe. There were no excuses when the fight ended and his foe gave up.
For all he wanted to care about, the results of this fight exceeded his expectations. Killing or not, some greater bonuses weren't that enticing when other Islands must hold similar or better foes. So, he let the man deal with the defeat as he wished, and it was clear that his hands, body, and mana were out of the question. He was shambles too, which Murai quickly uncovered by his Sonar.
He was in a worse state than himself.
The man had nothing on him whatsoever apart from the Catalysts and barely any clothes. No potions or recovery items were there for his help, leaving him in acceptable defeat that he took in silence. He looked at the standing duck quite some distance away. It was still in one piece, ready for some fighting as he feared.
“I am sorry to show such a quick battle, but that's just how this sort of fighting goes. I would only regret forcing myself to continue with these hands.” the man shoved his twisted arms forward, almost smiling as he did so. “F-fret not, sir Anatidae. I am sure this Gate will not be an issue for you. There are much bigger fishes in the upcoming ones, albeit this one...”
“Shut up!” a shrill voice sounded from behind Murai, who turned to notice floating Lorry who growled at the man. At some point, Space Cage disappeared.
“Oh, a Guide? Am I not supposed to talk, huh? Wait I can! I heard I...” the man argued.
“Shut the fuck up, slave number 408!” Lorry snapped, unwilling to let the man do his job. After all, since Lorry was in the presence of Lisa, who kept pestering his working manners, he had no inclination to leave others to talk and reveal any information if Lorry could do so himself. That's why he barked at the man, who seemed to be a slave number 408 without a name to his soul.
“R-right... Here is the Key, at least.” Slave 408 tosed a small token toward Murai. It was a round metallic object with a branch coming from one side. Murai didn't catch it as it landed before him. This situation had resolved itself.
He had won fair and square, so he let go of every fighting spirit he had. Calming his core, body, and beak, he almost stumbled to the ground.
He hadn't noticed how tired he was, how stressed his neck and feathers felt, and how wild his mana cycled in his mana space.