Chapter 179: Blade Launch
He cant be right, Vir thought. Strength isnt everything.
The mighty Mahakurma took a step, shaking the ground under him.
Okay, maybe it can help, Vir relented. Besides, that wasn't quite what Cirayus had said. Why is he always right?
Vir meditated cross-legged on the second domain lords lair, acclimating to the denser prana. Meditating in this environment accelerated the process, but even nowa full week laterhis body hadnt yet fully adjusted to the three-fold increase in density.
It had been a lonely process, with only Cirayus and his pet Ash Tear to keep him company. The Tear had grown bolder lately, edging closer, but never so close that Vir felt in danger.
One week, huh? Vir thought, keeping a wary eye on the Tear. Another month in the Human Realm, gone.
Vir shook off the thought, turning his mind to the lecture Cirayus had given him about his tactics. Or more accurately, for having relied on tactics to such an extent. While the demon made it clear he was a proponent of preparedness, hed harped on the importance of strength.
Sound tactics and good technique can close the gap in power, but some chasms are simply too wide to cross. If you insist on fighting this way, you will find yourself outmatched by your foes before long.
It hadnt been long at all. The very next domain lord was in a league of its own. And, like the Tuskers, the beast was absent from the bestiaries Vir had read.
It resembled a cross between a crab and an armored gorilla, capped by an insect head. Twin metal-bladed trunks of forearms ended in powerful fists, while the rest of the beast stood on four primate legs the size of tree trunks, also covered in metal. A domed steel carapace covered its whole back, making the creature look more like an assemblage of metal parts than anything organic.
Vir wondered if its body could be harvested for use as weaponry, but that was putting the cart before the Ashva. Hed have to kill the thing, first.
It was obvious at a glance that his existing offensive armament was insufficient. Even ignoring its prana armor, Vir doubted his attacks could penetrate its metal hide deep enough to matter. Nor could he rely on his chakras.
So, instead of rushing headlong into a fight he had no chance of winning, Vir had spent the majority of his time with Cirayus, meditating on the Foundation chakra while his body acclimated, but his progress felt glacial. Never had any ability taken so much time and effort to achieve. Though Cirayus assured Vir his progress was well above average, he still couldnt stand it.
Even if I did open the Foundation Chakra, I dont know how much good it would do.
Itd heighten his metaphysical senses and allow him to deflect mental chakra-based attacks, which, while invaluable against chakra-wielding enemies, didnt sound nearly as useful as a new Talent would be.
The only area he seemed to have an advantage in was speed, but while Haste would serve him well in this fight, it wasnt even close to enough. It didnt matter how fast Vir moved if he couldnt deal damage, and without prana armor of his own, he couldnt risk taking a single hit.
He could picture it wellthe battle would drag on, hed eventually tire and make a mistake, and that would be the end of him.
Which was why long-range offense was foremost on Virs mind. Distance allowed him more options while also keeping him safe in a fight. When his enemies could end him in a single strike, that margin of safety was no longer a luxury; it became a necessity.
While his chakrams had still been of some use in the Human Realm, they simply werent strong enough anymore. Vir either needed a way to imbue his chakrams with prana, or some other means of attacking at range. Like a tattoo.
Based on his existing knowledge, the primary purpose of tattoos was not simply enhancing abilitiesthey allowed one to project power at a distance, like with Balancer of Scales. Vir wondered if tattoos may in fact tie in to the 144 minor chakra points around the body. Itd certainly explain why tattoo placement mattered so much.
Nevertheless, Vir didnt have access to tattoos right now, so his chakrams were still his best bet.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
There was, however, an obvious Talent waiting for him. Blade Launch. The Mythic Tier ability KamnaPrincess Minas bodyguardhad used when hed fled from Dahas castle.
Prana Blade was the first step of this progression sequence. Vir had mastered that, and now he also had the Rare Tier Blade Projection, which doubled the length of his katar, sacrificing some of its deadliness.
Humans liked to call Talents by many names, but several shared similar underlying fundamentals. The Common Tier Leap, Blink, Empower, and High Jump, all used the same basic principle of supersaturating ones muscles with prana, combined with intent.
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Prana Blade and Blade Projection both relied on priming prana within the body before shooting it out, so it made sense that Blade Launch would be an extension of Blade Projection.
It wont work. It has every reason to fail. This is foolish, he thought. But what if
There was a chance. It might work.
Gripping the disk, Vir closed his eyes and fueled it with prana. When hed first attempted to wreathe the disks with Prana Blade, his control over prana had been far less refined. Since then, hed learned to modulate how tightly prana spun as it exited his arm. This time, he barely spun the prana at all, letting it arc lazily across the edge of the disc.
Its still the wrong shape, he realized.
So instead of envisioning the prana spearing out in a line, he willed it to become more fluid and dynamic. Like flowing water, bending to the curvature of the circular blade.
Vir knew hed succeeded, even before hed opened his eyes. Energy surged around the disk, and unlike with his sword, didnt dissipate once it reached the endit was a circle. There was no end. Prana spun around endlessly, growing denser as Vir fueled the disks with his power.
He threw the chakram, wondering if it might not even need the benefit of Blade Launch.
As it turned out, it did.
The moment the disk left his hand, the prana dissipated harmlessly, so he grabbed another and tried again. This time, he did activate Blade Launch.
The same deluge of prana tore through his arms, powering the disk. This was the tricky part. If he threw it too early, before the ability had formed, itd do nothing. If he was too late
Grak it!
Pure prana surged out ahead of the steel one. With his sword, Launch had taken the shape of a vertical blade, ripping through the landscape.
With the chakram, it took the form of a disk. A disk of prana the exact size of his chakram. Far more compact. Denser. Deadlier.
It didnt travel far, though. The prana dissipated after only thirty paces, while the actual chakram sailed fifty, overtaking it.
Vir tried again, and this time, he did time it right. Blade Launch activated the exact moment he threw the chakram.
They sailed together, as oneprana overlapping steel. For a long while, they were indistinguishable, but the actual weapon had weight. Prana did not.
The chakram fell to the ground, while the prana version simply dissipated.
Vir walked over to retrieve his disks. He found the first lying fifty paces away, but even after an extensive search, he couldnt locate the other.
Did I lose it? He thought in panic. It was the fatal flaw of these disks. Using them meant the possibility of losing them forever. And here in the Ash, there were no blacksmiths who could forge another.
Vir expanded his search area, and after another ten minutes of frantic searching, finally found it lodged in the ground nearly double the distance the first one had flown.
A hundred paces. And I didnt even Empower my throw.
Blade Launch had somehow lengthened his throw.
Virs mind ran through the possibilities. There was so much to test. Where just an hour before, he had no long-range options, now he had not just one or two, but three. Which was superior? Was his chakrams Blade Launch just as powerful regardless of whether he threw the actual weapon? If so, hed just solved their biggest weaknesshaving to recover them.
Unfortunately, his barren domain offered few targets to test his newfound skills. He needed something sturdier. Something that could take any attack he dished out.
Vir looked over at the bladed Domain Lord.
Hell do.
