Chapter 213: Repulsion of Aura and Mana

’Did I hear her right?’

Doron thought as shock filled his heart.

Like magic combination, art fusion was the convergence of two different techniques into a whole new one.

Aura arts of this category could no longer be categorized in the standard "star" classification of aura arts and manuals, as the synergy of the fused aura arts would decide their power.

Fused aura arts may either become weaker or vastly stronger than their original forms.

However, the very act of attempting to undergo art fusion was already a risky endeavor to the point that rarely would anyone even attempt it.

A single error may lead to backlash which might even result in death.

’If this is truly the answer you’ve come to, then let’s see if the path you’re taking is really worth it.’

Thought Doron as he exerted more strength in his aura art.

Previously, he was only exerting the power of a Late Stage Two Star Realm, but then he increased his power to that of an Early Stage Three Star Realm.

’If you succeeded in meeting this head on, then your admission at Grandella will almost be certain.’

He knew fully well that in order for Dahlia to have a chance at the Admission Tournament, her talent would not be enough, even with her fraudulent gift.

In order to make up for it, she would need to exert the hard work and utilize her wits to the fullest.

At this moment, Doron swung his war axe with the power of Mountain Splitter behind it.

Meanwhile, the steel sword in Dahlia’s hands, which were surrounded by raging flames and blue lightning, suddenly flashed a moment before it met the shining war axe.

Together with it was her final chant, which represented her breaking through her limit.

The flames of Burning Sword Ember and the sparks of Sword of the Lightning Sprite intertwined together as their equally destructive principles began to merge.

***

At the same time, two figures were watching this spectacle in the distance...

"That girl, Dahlia, never ceases to amaze me." Glorietta muttered as her eyes shone with amazement.

Beside her, Gustave clicked his tongue, "Mom, this is already the third time you’ve said that."

When the two of them had arrived at the training hall, Dahlia and Doron’s battle was already starting.

Therefore, they decided not to disturb them and watched their spar instead.

Hearing her son’s complaint, she glanced at him, "Aw, is someone jealous?"

"W-What? I’m just wondering if I’m really your son, or if she’s actually your daughter instead."

"I don’t know, maybe she is."

"Tch."

Gustav did not reply anymore upon hearing his mother’s teasing voice.

’What could she possibly be better than me at?’

’Sure, she’s good at the circulation of her aura and the way it unites her and her sword is flawless...’

’...sure, she has the best grades at the Royal Academy and even beat Freya...’

’...so what if her gift is powerful...’

Observing the movement of aura between Dahlia’s body and her sword, as well as remembering everything that happened before the academy, he could not help but gulp.

’A-At least, my talent in aura is far superior to hers!’

Glorietta’s voice then drifted to his ears, "But can you beat her?"

"No... Hey!" Gustav answered unconsciously before he glared at his mother.

Ignoring her son’s glare, Glorietta giggled and kept watching the spar.

At this moment, a chant resounded in the training hall.

[Cleave of Destruction]

The sight of the rampaging aura fluctuations that even interfered with the surrounding mana could be vividly felt by the mother and son.

"What..." Gustav’s eyes widened at the sheer power that seemed to equal that of Doron’s.

However, Glorietta squinted her eyes, "It’s not enough."

Her experience and senses as a Grand Warrior enabled her to sense the intricacies between the clash of Mountain Splitter and Cleave of Destruction.

And she was indeed correct.

Upon taking a closer look, one would be able to see that even though the war axe and the sword seemed to be at a standstill, the latter was gradually being pushed back.

Doron and Dahlia were both aware of it.

’Is this all your confidence amounts to?’

He thought in his mind as he exerted more strength through his arm.

It was not that he was disappointed; it was just that this would lower the chances of her being able to catch up to the monstrous Regis.

As someone who became a parental figure for her all these years, Doron could not help but feel his heart aching for her.

However, all these feelings disappeared in the next moment as he looked at the smiling Dahlia.

Her pale pink eyes seemed to be bringing with them flames of unwillingness.

Not long after, another chant left her lips.

[Mana Sword Formation]

In an instant, two swords completely made of mana appeared on her sides before fusing with the steel sword she was holding.

"What!?"

Doron’s pupils dilated as a sense of danger overwhelmed his heart.

Not only him, Glorietta instantly tossed Gustav back at the entrance of the training hall before dashing towards Dahlia.

’That brat is crazy!’

It was common knowledge that a person could awaken only one type of energy in their heart.

This was because aura and mana were fundamentally incompatible, and trying to harbor both would create a powerful repelling force, one strong enough to cause the body to implode.

Such a principle was not limited to the heart alone.

While the aura a person emitted would not normally react with the surrounding mana, things changed drastically if someone tried to forcefully merge the two.

It was precisely what Dahlia was attempting in this instance.

’I don’t know if I should praise her for her bravery, or scold her for her foolishness...’

Glorietta squinted her eyes as she was only a few meters away from Dahlia.

However, as she felt the fluctuations of energy, a thought rose in her mind.

’Shit...’

BOOM—-

A pillar of white light shot into the sky as a massive explosion rocked the area, sending out a powerful shockwave.

Witnessing everything at close range, Gustav cried out, "Mom!"

***

A few minutes later...

As the dust settled, three figures emerged through the smoke.

Gustav slowly approached, his eyes narrowing as their forms became clearer.

"How..."

Doron could only mutter, eyes wide with shock as he stared ahead.

The war axe he’d been holding had long crumbled to dust, yet his clothes were spotless.

Even his hands, which had just gripped the weapon, were completely uninjured.

Glorietta, too, stared in astonishment—her gaze fixed on the girl standing between her and Doron.

"Are you alright, Sweetie?"

The dust settled further, revealing Dahlia’s smiling face, "hehe, how’s my secret weapo—"

Thwack—-

"Argh, why did you hit me, Uncle?"

"You naughty kid, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Doron scolded her, giving her a gentle flick on the forehead.

Dahlia felt an arm wrap around her neck and a fist grinding into the top of her head in a teasing noogie.

"Even you, Aunt Glorietta?"

"You don’t seem to know how dangerous the stunt you pulled was, but you’re too cute, so I can’t really scold you like my little brother right here~"

"Tell me, how did you control the explosion of the fusion of aura and mana, hm?"

Dahlia squirmed in the headlock, but even though it was loose, she could not break free.

After a few seconds of futile struggle, she gave up and muttered, "I just cheated by using my gift... It’s not really that amazing."

That was right, the reason why she was able to utilize and control the natural incompatibility of aura and mana was because of the mana’s shape.

In the past, Dahlia had questioned what makes a sword... a sword.

And as she explored more of her gift, she was able to discover that anything can be considered a sword as long as she willed it.

Of course, there were still intricacies in this explanation that restricted her from fully utilizing it.

But for now, she could control anything that had the shape of a sword.

"Mom, are you alright?"

At that moment, Gustav’s voice rang out, prompting Glorietta to release Dahlia from the headlock as she turned to her son.

"Yes, Son! I’m coming~"

Dahlia immediately stepped backwards, enjoying the freedom that she had obtained so suddenly.

Doron then walked beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Were you hurt?"

"No..." She replied, feeling a little guilty as she heard the concern in his tone.

Noticing her expression, he let out a chuckle, "Although I was really shocked by what you did... I’ve got to say, I’m amazed."

"Really?" A smile bloomed on Dahlia’s face.

Doron smiled as well, "Of course! Come, let’s talk about your experiences in the academy over some food."

"M’kay!"

"That said, I have to ask; do you fancy any of your classmates?"

Hearing his words, Dahlia did not reply and only looked at him with a weird gaze.

The look on her face made Doron burst out laughing.