Cultivation revolves around three core concepts: Body, Mind, and Soul.
Initially, they are known as body transformation, essence gathering, and soul condensation. However, with the evolution of cultivation techniques, these three foundational classifications prove insufficient in encapsulating the core tenets of cultivation. This is due to the ongoing exploration of even more profound definitions, as well as the emergence of new cultivation branches that combined two or more concepts, leading to groundbreaking discoveries over time.
One such example is the Yukikaze clan’s Jutsu. Like any other clan who would prefer to keep their legacy a secret, the Yukikaze clan’s methods were incredibly hard to perceive, their methods completely foreign. In Morgen World, they are unique in the sense that nobody else could understand their cultivation system. However, Mordred is fully aware of the Yukikaze clan’s inheritance due to it being the secret fifth clan of Galatreon.
Jutsu is fundamentally a type of body cultivation that allows the activation of magical arts through hand seals. In essence, it can be classified as both body and spirit cultivation, but instead of using mana like its similar counterparts, the Warmage, Jutsu cultivation uses chakra, which was originally a type of energy alien to the Morgen world. Since Jutsu cultivators can use it, then it means the ‘chakra’ used in Morgen World has been adopted, modified, and retrofitted for its dimensional laws.
According to what Mordred remembers, the Yukikaze clan’s legacy has three branches of Jutsu: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu.
The typical Yukikaze clansmen practiced Ninjutsu which is very similar to magical arts. However, as an antimage who lacked the necessary physiology to contain chakra due to being an undead machinery, Shion had completely sacrificed her Ninjutsu potential, instead channeling all her focus into honing the other two branches: Taijutsu and Genjutsu.
Taijutsu is the physical branch of Jutsu, it harnesses the practitioner’s innate physical and mental energies, drawing upon the stamina and strength cultivated through rigorous training. While it predominantly operates independently of chakra, skilled practitioners may choose to infuse it for heightened technique efficacy. In Shion’s case, she replaced stamina and chakra with battery reserve, a beating heart with a core reactor, muscle fiber with kevlar muscle fiber, a spinal column with metal alloys, blood with nanoms, and so on.
Of course, alternatives aren't as simple as they seem since replacing what’s natural with artificial has its own challenges. Fortunately, Shion doesn’t have to stand out as the trailblazer in this domain and garner more attention than necessary. In the Land of Sand and Fire, particularly within the borders of Kaiserreich, antimages have forged a path in this field. They’ve developed a unique form of martial art known as Panzerkunst, specifically designed to suit individuals with mechanical bodies.
Using Panzerkunst as a reference, the efficiency of Shion’s Taijutsu no longer depends on rigorous training but on mechanical body parts (mods).
On the other hand, Genjutsu creates powerful sensory illusions that profoundly affect the perception of those ensnared by its methods. These illusions, though vivid and convincing, are fundamentally illusory and do not have a tangible effect in reality, making them an excellent tool for manipulating an opponent's perception and reactions. Even in the Yukikaze clan, Genjutsu users are rare and few, due to the highly demanding talent required to cultivate it.
Other than her artifacts and Taijutsu, Shion's primary method against mages is naturally her Genjutsu. The typical Genjutsu depends on the user’s spirit foundation, but as Purple Fragment, she was capable of modifying it by referencing Mordred’s soul-path inheritance. This causes her Genjutsu to be far more effective as it affects the soul instead of the spirit.
With her sound-path Jutsu and refinement-path methods that she plundered from the Great Archmage’s minor inheritances, she had become a powerhouse amongst powerhouses. In addition to her knowledge of the Ninetail Royal Academy’s enrollment requirement, being capable of granting ‘spirit trait’ to anyone she’d like made her an excellent agent that could kickstart Mordred’s journey to recover his power.
The apprentices only had surface-depth knowledge about how resourceful Shion is, but that is enough to understand her quality. After all, the Yamato clan, the royal family of Hartina Kingdom, could be considered as her guarantor. These apprentices quickly signed the soul contract with their blood after determining that the clauses written didn't have any pitfalls.
Yes, the debt they put themselves into is quite massive, but it is fair for the chance it provides.
“Excellent.” Shion gestured at Ayame to proceed with the next step.
Ayame followed her nonverbal instructions. She led the apprentices towards a room next to their current room. The new room is also a cultivation room, but it is far smaller than Shion’s. Instead of an all-encompassing cultivation room having a vast array of functions, this one only has a few, but it was the ones that mattered.
“Choose any bed you’d like,” Ayame told the twenty or so apprentices, there are enough beds for everyone here.
The apprentices choose any since they are all the same. A few moments later, Shion entered the room with a waist pouch containing semi-translucent black crystals. “Let’s proceed to the next step. What I’m going to activate is a Genjutsu that’ll pull you into your Sea of Consciousness. I will stimulate what it feels like when an antimage forcefully preys upon your memories. It’ll be as if you’re dragged into a nightmare where you’ll have to fight for survival. The monsters you’ll be facing are random, it could be beasts, shadow creatures, or even other humans, but the longer you survive, the more beneficial it is for you.”
She took out the black crystals as they telepathically floated around her, “You can consider this as a spiritual training. If you can survive for at least a few days in your dreams, you’ll be able to receive a spirit trait known as [Spiritual Clarity], granting you some resistance toward spiritual attack, mind control, or mind prying method. In simple terms, I’m training you to be resistant against my own Genjutsu.”
As she explains her methods, the black crystals sublimate into a mist of pure energy. The weaker apprentices have their consciousness drift into dreamland before they realize it. Due to its nature, the most dangerous Genjutsu is not the one that hits the hardest, but the one who can affect others before they are even aware. The moment she finished her explanation, all but Mordred had fallen asleep.
“Captain… grade-S spirit talents are already resistant to mental attacks.” Ayame glanced at Mordred before leaving everything to her captain.
“Well, it is as she said.” She approached Mordred. “If I strengthen my Genjutsu, you’d probably die in your sleep, so don’t hate me for this, this is for your own good… ” Shion’s hand approached Mordred’s face in a blur before his consciousness faded.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
…
“All this Genjutsu bullshit is a farce…” Mordred muttered, his steps heavy on the ashy landscape. “Her real secret method isn’t granting a Spirit Trait, but carving a semi-permanent soul rune deep inside one’s sea of consciousness. This soul rune will grow as the host murders other creatures like a soul parasite, essentially nurturing the host’s spirit and soul. Considering the soul is highly related to one’s ego, having a robust soul means having high resistance to mind control and mental attacks. However, the soul rune will also modify your ego and sense of worth. In this case, she’ll slowly change the victim’s personality and sense of worth, slowly turning them into a potential sleeper agent. Shion’s method is so roundabout, but this level of scheme is what made her a Purple Fragment.”
As Mordred deduced Shion’s methods, his gaze is attracted towards the volcanic landscape which expands to the edge of his vision. Without a memorable landmark, he couldn’t pinpoint where he is currently. However, one thing for certain is that he is fully aware that this must be a dream.
‘Short dark hair, sharp eyes, and a youthful appearance… when is this?’ He inquired as he touched his face. ‘This is a Genjutsu, I am inside the dream, but according to the environmental information…’ His eyes scanned the sea of magma next to the rising volcano. ‘This should be Purgatory World…’
There was a sudden explosion of gravel, magma, and ash not too far from him. Before the ash cloud subsided, a 2.2-meter-tall figure revealed herself. Atop her head, there arose a pair of thin, curved horns, its darker hue around the edges reminiscent of polished obsidian, their elegant lines and aesthetic curvature setting them apart in striking contrast to the more robust and rugged horns often found amongst demonic races.
Seeing the dark molten magma enveloping the figure as if serving as armor or clothing, Mordred shook his head. “Is this because of your karma resonating with mine? Why do I have to fight you…”
“Immortal Slayer of Tartarus Penal World, Great Archmage of Morgen World, Grimsong Specter of the Boundless Astral Realm… have you eventually come for my head as well?” The figure whispered, there was a hint of anger and fatigue in her tone.
“Berserk Inferno of Purgatory World…” Mordred whispered, “It seems like this Genjutsu’s theme is about our first encounter. If my deduction is correct, I just need to break one of your horns to break free from this Genjutsu. But, is it possible?”
Mordred can no longer ask Shion openly since she has probably erased her memory of ever meeting True Black. Even if she remembers, the karmic burden to directly communicate with her about sensitive topics is too heavy, and Katyusha can no longer raise the barrier that separates them from the laws of causality and the cycle of karma. And so, he has to not only survive whatever Shion throws at him but also do so excellently.
Since this is only a dream world built from Genjutsu and is based on his fragmented memories, twisted into whatever fits the need, Mordred is no longer his post-reincarnation self. At this point, both Grimsong Specter and Berserk Inferno have returned to their peak.
However, considering the implication behind the word ‘peak’, they are not back to the realm of rank 6 Sovereign.
Even in a dream, the might of a Sovereign can’t be simulated. It’s like trying to run Crysis on a device with 64kb RAM, the computer will explode (not really, but still not recommended). As of now, they are at the absolute peak of the pinnacle of this dream world, which is early-stage rank 1.
Berserk Inferno stabbed her hands onto the ground. When she pulls back, the burning earth becomes a weapon that fits her needs.
‘Berserk Inferno can turn anything that she touches into a weapon, even my own… It’s not wise to use conjured artifacts since she could plunder them and use them as an inspiration to counter me. Then, I can only fight with my sound-path methods…’ In this dream world, as long as his spirit is sufficiently powerful, Mordred could project anything that he’d like. Anything that he’d summon would be more powerful as long as his understanding of it is consistent with reality.
Yet, despite being capable of conjuring a MEKA in this Genjutsu world, he decided not to.
His youthful body suddenly suffers from a rapid decomposition. The speed at which it rots was so fast that the moment it fell into the ground, the corpse had become a withered skeleton. On top of the skeleton, however, there was a ghastly appearance of a person. His dark visage cannot be discerned as photons are destroyed when they touch Mordred’s truesoul.
Berserk Inferno lunged at Mordred’s black shadowy figure, swinging its molten earth sword at him. The blade was blocked by Mordred’s hand. On contact, the molecular bond of the molten sword loosened as if they were disintegrating, the blade broke into two halves. Berserk Inferno acted as if it didn't bother her, she swung her weapon once more in a thrusting motion, and the mass of the remaining blade was enough to remold it into an estoc fitting for stabbing.
Mordred inherently does not believe Berserk Inferno’s onslaught would be as simple as it seems. He decided to retreat, not daring to block her sword with his truesoul after the first time. His movements were extremely fast, in the blink of an eye, he had already retreated ten meters since he activated [Monumental Sound Path].
Unfortunately, Berserk Inferno’s battle tempo escalates to match his. The faster he moves, the faster she becomes and if he uses more strength, Berserk Inferno will match it.
Swoosh! The molten earth estoc no longer disintegrates when making contact with Mordred’s truesoul, it barely grazed him but it sliced his left arm completely. Mordred doesn’t see a future where he can match her in a direct flight if her adaptability speed is consistent, so he retreats again, activating [Monumental Sound Path] once more.
Seeing Mordred disappear from her range of engagement twice in a row, Berserk Inferno ceased her raw aggression for a brief moment. Her gaze scrutinized the location where Mordred was before his disappearance. She blinked twice, before turning her body eastward, where Mordred had gone. “[Monumental Sound Path]!” she exclaimed.
Boom! The terrain behind her exploded as her instant acceleration allowed her to reach Mach 3 in a fraction of a second, catching up with Mordred.
“[Triple Extreme Sound: Bell Palm]!” Mordred thrust his palm towards the incoming Berserk Inferno’s neck, hoping to completely crush her spine. He used the opening where Berserk Inferno has yet to adapt to the speed as a trap.
Crunch! His palm strike was capable of turning a granite mountain into fine sand, but the only damage Berserk Inferno received was her neck bent backward as her body was stopped in her tracks, the momentum of her acceleration being canceled by Bell Palm.
‘Damn it…’ Mordred did not go in for the kill, he couldn’t.
Bell Palm is the anti-armor variation of the Triple Extreme Sound, specialized in crushing bones and liquifying internal organs. The fact that it only cracked some spinal segment instead of destroying it meant her body’s durability was already off the charts. Even if he used [Triple Extreme Sound: Finger Whistle] which specialized in cutting, he wasn’t confident that it could break off one of her horns.
With how strong Berserk Inferno was, there was no way he could push her away before she recovered and adapted to his methods. He needed some more time to deduce how to pierce her unnaturally strong defenses, so he activated a new movement-type method that led him as far away as possible, “[Surging Waveform]!” the black lump of soul instantly turned into soundwave, disappearing from sight.
The sickly sound of bone being reset can be heard, Berserk Inferno fixed her broken neck before observing the last location where Mordred was. “Underground…” Unlike Mordred’s truesoul, she couldn’t turn herself into soundwaves since she possessed flesh and blood. Nevertheless, her eyes blinked twice, before clasping her palms. “[Triple Extreme Sound: Bell Palm]!” Raising her fists into the air, she slammed the ground with such force that it reshaped the landscape from a volcanic mountainous terrain into a sea of red sand mixed with magma.