Standing hunched over gasping for air I stare at my foe. Mana burst what is that? I have never heard of it before. It must be related to his mana aura flowing in the wind engulfed in a gentle flame. As I thought about how to fight against this new element known as mana burst, I feel the connection with the rest of my team disappear.

The rest of the enemy team slowly surrounds me with grins on their faces. Wielding weapons that did not look like they were built using metal ores. I could tell through my senses that these weapons were cloaked in their mana, no, they were created using their mana.

“Okin! How is that possible to create weapons using mana?”

“Hmm..oh it’s actually quite easy, actually, time to create one now hehe.”

“Wait... What... How?”

“Simple, the same way you project your mana onto a weapon. Simply let the mana flow from your hand enveloping the weapon. Only, this time...there is no weapon.”

“Sigh, as expected from the advice you would give...always make it sound so damn easy….”

“Stop the bitching, and get to it or you are just gonna continue getting your ass whooped.”

Ugh, Okin always has a habit of making things so easy. Especially tasks that normally take time, as well as effort to be able to successfully accomplish. Then again…. He is always right…. Sigh…. The enemy team was now surrounding me in range to attack, but right as they lifted their weapons to engage their leader halted them.

“Stop!... This one is a bit different I want to take my time fighting this one. I feel like he is still hiding a few tricks under his sleeve..”

During his conversation among his team, I began leaking mana from my palm. Envisioning it forming around a weapon the same way I would in the case of augmenting the abilities of my weapon using my mana. I tried my best but was not succeeding in forming any type of shape, during my time of concentration their leader began once again focusing on me. A wide smile across his face walking with a swagger forming his own mana weapon. Next thing I know we are nose to nose his arm swinging towards my throat with a sai in hand. His sai scrapes across my neck next to my jugular leaving a small cut.

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Just barely managing to dodge I augment my legs jumping into a triple backflip in an attempt to gain some distance. To no success right as I land, I am welcomed by another rush hearing the cold “Fwoosh” of the metal flying through the air. Not being able to dodge the attack, I stick out my palm, catching the sai with my palm causing it to pierce directly through my palm to the hilt.

At that moment I finally manage on a whim to manipulate my mana into the form of a weapon. Using the dire situation I am in and the adrenaline rush I was able to push myself, the result is a huge long scythe, clouded in a dark eerie shadow like aura.

“Ah, so you managed to make a breakthrough in the heat of battle, have you. Congratulations, although...that will not be any help, after all, not being able to mana burst will be your downfall.”

He retracts his mana dismantling his sai, using the momentum and insufficient resistance to move past my hand then once again re-producing his sai. Knowing his burst form is strong enough to break through my guard. I instead use my newly acquired scythe, swiping up diagonally upwards like an uppercut, catching the sai by the side of the hilt. Yanking back my scythe I manage to ruin his stance. Attempting to cash in on the gap in his guard I spin around my scythe, ducking, spinning my body in circles swiping my weapon at his feet.

Successfully dropping him onto the ground, I slash my scythe down onto his body, but I only pierce into the dirt below. Looking up from the ground, his weapon is inches from my face. Throwing up my scythe in hopes of dodging, the second the sai reaches the scythe of my blade the enemy re-appears holding the sai passing it through my scythe piercing his weapon directly into my chest.

I thrust out my leg kicking him in his chest then jump backwards out of his reach.

“Hmm... You are much stronger than I anticipated….even without burst form. You are a very interesting little beginner, but, It is time to put this to an end.”

Telling me that he no longer wishes to dilly dally he reaches his hand into the sky. Strong raging currents of mana begin to leak from the palm of his hand, dashing toward him in an attempt to stomp him, a fiery spear descends stabbing in the ground directly before me. Looking towards his direction I see right above his handheld to the sky, he has hundreds of spears created from fire floating above him. Dropping his arm downwards the spears began dropping towards the ground, everything in front of me turned red.

Laying on the ground leaking blood, gasping for breath. The enemy leader walks up to me.

“You lasted long, and managed to do pretty well, but, this is your loss learn well from this…”

I stare directly at him anticipating the blade an feel of my flesh being pierced, but right as the sai was about to stab into my heart. The surroundings freeze, confused I looked at the enemy before me, then the surroundings. Everything stopped frozen in time, I notice that all my pain, all my fatigue, all of it, was gone as if it never happened. Standing up I looked around, then called out to Okin.

“O-Okin... What is going on?”

“Ho-Ho... Looks like your real body is beginning to wake.”

“Wait what do you mean? Normally awakening from our astral forms does not happen in this manner?”

“No, Niko... I mean your Main body is awakening... This...body is not your own. Actually, it is not your body at all, you are only watching through the body of another living vicariously through them. Unconsciously you used your own mana projection without any machine to infiltrate the consciousness of another.”

“No.. N-No, no way that doesn't even make sense they called my name, talked to me, I felt pain, sadness everything!”

“That is just your astral projection taking on the experiences as your own, which also caused you to hear, feel, touch, everything as if it was your own.”

“W-what..so for what reason am I hooked up to an astral projection machine then?”

“You aren't Niko. It’s part of your ability, you managed to do it without using a machine”

“T-Then.. Where am I really?”

“Where do you think? Looks like it is time to wake up and find out.”

“What? Okin... Hey, Okin!”

Okin finished what he was saying, then he went quiet. Towards the entrance to the arena the gate we entered from there shone a bright light. Feeling drawn to the light, I slowly walk towards it.