Chapter 6: Doing Math
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Cracking my knuckles, I made a smile as I looked forward to the discoveries I would make tonight. "Let's get to work." I went to the same boulder I pushed yesterday.
Rolling my shoulders, I stare directly at it with my game face on. I pulled my arm back and punched the boulder.
*PUNCH!*
*CRACK!*
I made another huge fist-sized mark on the boulder. Compared to yesterday, the impact it left was only slightly bigger. I had improved a bit, and while it was undoubtedly astounding to see, I felt that my performance was significantly lacking compared to what I instinctively knew I was capable of.
"Figures..." I stepped back, staring at my hand and flexing it repeatedly.
Stopping, I close my eyes and try to think back to that power. The same I experienced this morning and carried all day before it all disappeared in the evening like a candle flame.
That power, the absurd, almost unfair power that surged through me and made me believe I was unstoppable. It wasn't my first time. I'd felt it on my third day in this world and the other time when I bested Simon singlehandedly. That's how I knew that the current me was nothing compared to that. A mere watered-down version.
I wasn't helpless, mind you. Not even close. It's just the sheer contrast couldn't be denied. I've had my theory from when I checked out my light magic and how it came out brighter and superior compared to past times I brought it out.
"Then the day wore on until evening when my strength slipped away mid combat." My new and improved noggin was too smart not to notice the signs. "Morning makes me stronger and night makes me weaker." I revealed.
It made the most sense. I noticed this the day I went to see the blacksmith. I was doing sword training and beat Simon with no trouble and wielded Mr. Adams's greatsword with a single hand.
I tilted my head slightly as I began to think. "I'm strong during the day but weak at night, but why? "Que está pasando con el cuerpo mío?"
From my memories, this was an ability I knew for sure that Canon Luka didn't have. He had tons of bullshit powers, but this was not one of them. Did it have something to do with me possessing Lukas' body? It didn't sound right when I said it in my head. Syrus was just a normal person. How could my soul invading this body do anything like this? Or maybe unlocking my powers early did this?
In any case, the truth of the matter was that the source behind my sudden spike in both physical and magical power was due to—
"The sun." I let out a small breath, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. "So I'm basically Escanor lite…pff fucking crazy." I shook my head.
I had fricking Sunshine! How was this even possible? Absolutely none of this made sense!
Focusing, glowing particles began forming along with a glow on my palm as my light powers manifested into a golden flame. If you were to compare this to the one I made this morning, you can easily spot the differences. The light I had in my hand was notably smaller, and its glow was dimmer too.
I watched it carefully, and wanting to see if I could, I pushed a little more. What I was doing was attempting to give it more juice and become the same as what it looked like back in my house.
The golden fire grew. It flickered, slightly unstable, making me have to rein it in as it slowly grew to the same size and power. Just by seeing the process, I could see the difference between my morning self and evening self clearly. Just increasing my light's potency and quality to match the day version took more than I first anticipated. That said, I could see that whatever I would do with this, the power behind it would surpass what I do at night. I could feel it in my gut.
Seeing enough, I stopped immediately and clenched the golden flame in my hand and let it disperse into golden particles.
I grabbed my journal and wrote my findings. "The day and night cycles affect both my body and light. Learn more!!!" I punctuated it with three exclamation marks before putting it down.
"So now that I figured that out…" I looked up at the sky, gazing at the bright crescent moon. "How come I can still use it if it's supposed to be like Escanor?"
During nighttime Escanor lost his ability to fight until the sun rose again. He was so weak that even a low-level demon could end him. Sunshine was literally a double-edged sword, but when the sun rose, the Lion Sin of Pride could demolish anyone. That's how his Sunshine worked.
I stared at the moon for a second, and my eyes squinted in realization. "Duh, reflection." How could I forget? Escanor lost all strength during the night, yes, but even that couldn't stop him from whooping ass.
The man can still use his power of sunshine by harnessing the reflection of the sun from the moon. It was very difficult because he was only able to do a big move once, but it was still impressive. Taking that into account, this aspect of my powers should work similarly. Through the reflection of the sun through the moon, my powers become usable but in a weaker state, but unlike Escanor, I don't need to use one single move before tapping out.
In that aspect that makes me more versatile, but I'm not going to stroke my ego over it. I still have a long way to go. Praise the sun.
Now that I figured out what was going on, now there was another problem.
"If anybody found out about my weakness, they'd exploit it."
Sure, I was relatively strong in this state with my light mafic, but the issue was my physical body. My physical strength as it was right now was a serious disadvantage. Thankfully, I had tapped into my light powers early so I could defend myself with that, but who knows what would happen if I ever encountered my first monster girl and she could brush off what I dish out?
I have to be careful not to let this weakness slip unless I want to be a monster's human pet. Again, not a bad fate, but I prefer my freedom. Also, if I don't kick Ilias's ass, then I really won't have any sort of future. No pressure. I say that with sarcasm, btw.
I let out my power as flames of light gather around me and become varying constructs from weapons to small animals like rabbits and ducks. In the back of my mind I think it would be confusing if a monster girl that was one of these would think if she saw this, but I shake my head at the thought.
When I make these constructs, I can feel how much energy they take out of me. It's nothing substantial, and I could keep this up for a good while, but in the span of a fight there was no telling how long I would last. That's why I test out my constructs by making them in varying sizes and shapes to see what was the best way to make use of them to waste less energy before having to use meditation. Because of how bullshit that power is, you will see me abusing it a lot in the future.
In my trials I test how long I can keep a single construct active and find out they can last as long as I want, but the larger I make them, the more exhausted I'll be, but using smaller ones would help me go a long way. I also can't put them back inside either. Once it's out, it's out.
In any case, just closing my eyes for five seconds to let meditation kick in makes me as fresh as a daisy to go again, as proven when I made nearly fifty balls of light around me before feeling a headache. Oh yeah, it's not just tingling that happens. My entire body works as a warning system for when I use my powers too long or too much. Occasionally I'll feel a pricking pain on my shoulder. Other times, it's a headache. Gracias a Dios for Meditation.
I create a light weapon. It wasn't a full sword but a dagger. "Nice." I stared at the knife. It was thin, compact, and steady. "Not half bad." Creating this small knife cost me almost nothing whatsoever.
If I had to put it in math, then producing something as small as this would cost me as little as 0.4 percent of my reserves, while a sword would cost 0.7 percent due to its longer length and width. Short swords were sitting somewhere in between at 0.5 to 0.6 if my math was mathing.
*WHOOSH.*
I swung. It cut through the air cleanly. I didn't know how, but I had a talent for wielding any weapon I made or used. At first I thought it was merely because they were made from my power, but that didn't make much sense because of my greatsword I got from the village blacksmith. I can use it just as effectively as I used my regular sword. I can only assume it has to do with my angel side. It made the most sense. Canon Luka was a prodigy and could do almost anything, so this probably had something to do with it.
"HOO…hoof." I made light footwork as I swung my knife through the air. "…Good." I flipped the weapon in the air before grabbing it with the other hand, where I then cut down.
Using a knife required much closer combat than a sword did and much more dexterity, especially in the hand movements and eye coordination. It was tough at first, but I was getting used to it at frightening speed. I moved again, faster this time. The construct didn't waver, holding as steady as any weapon.
During my movements, I experimented a little with my attacks and my light magic. I adjusted my grip while refining the shape slightly. Thinner. More precise. The glow of the weapon flickered like a light switch but remained stable. I was reducing the power to determine the minimum I needed, rather than blowing through my reserves. What I did just now was tone it down to 0.3 percent. In a battle of attrition, the more I conserve before needing to recover, the more it would help a lot going forward.
*SLASH!*
*CUT!*
I swung my knife at five falling leaves, each one cut perfectly symmetrical. Having a mind that could do all these types of things was credible. My thinking process, my reaction time—all of it was beyond the norm. From a guy from the twentieth century, it was impossible not to get addicted to the euphoria.
*SLASH!*
I nodded once, a small smile on my face. "That works." I kept moving, maintaining the construct as I continued my practice. Minutes passed. Then more. I didn't rush. Didn't push too hard. I just took it slow and steady.
I was keen to learn more at the moment. Maybe I was being too all over the place?
When I was done with that, I added more power onto my dagger. It lengthened into a two-sided, two-handed sword. I was really into swords. Thanks to my love of anime, I thought they were really cool, especially katanas. I added 0.6 percent of my reserves into the weapon. So it was a bit thinner than the real sword I had with me. I also made twelve floating swords with much more energy in them. I was letting them float around, clashing into each other around me like space debris.
Using what I learned from both Syrus and Luka, I fend off every blade that comes my way best I could. I kept it up until I began to feel a familiar strain on my arm. "…There it is." I stopped immediately, forcing the constructs to stop their movements just inches from me. Their speed was unreal.
The bright sword dissipated. I had been doing this for the past four hours, going through light sword after light sword, trying to find the right balance. The amount I was using now was basically a blunt weapon like the training swords, but the thing is, I can arrange the small details when it comes to my light, like the weight, height, and sharpness. That's how my light swords, despite their weak juice, can still slice through boulders. That said, they can still break if they're hit hard enough. For example, the sword I had used to fend them off was made with 0.9 percent of my reserves, while the floating ones had 0.7. It took about three hits for them to break apart and disappear. Whenever they did, I'd replace without stopping what I was doing.
I exhaled slowly, then closed my eyes. The warmth returned as I focused inward. The strain faded gradually. I opened my eyes again, flexing my fingers. "Next."
This time, instead of forming a blade, I shaped several small points of light. Five at first, then eight, then ten, then twelve. Twelve orbs of light hovered around me, swerving slightly. "…Hold." I focused and steadied, becoming perfect spheres.
I wanted to push for more to increase their number, but this was fine. I was only testing the waters. The throbbing increased immediately, but I kept it up. I didn't feel the painful tingling yet, so I was good.
"…Okay… that's pushing it." I held it for a few seconds longer before the painful tingling happened. I dropped them instantly. "Phew." He exhaled slowly, shaking my arm. I glanced at the boulder again. "…Let's try something else." I formed a single blade again and let it float next to me.
I aimed it forward.
"And…Go." The blade shot forward like a bullet, piercing clean through the boulder and embedding itself in a tree behind it before dispersing. I blinked. "Uh oh." I went to inspect the damage. Not only had I pierced through the boulder, but several trees behind it weren't safe. "That was hella fast." It must've gone at Mach one, maybe Mach two. That was way faster than a bullet.
I went back into the clearing. "…Now… the tricky part." I cracked my neck from side to side.
Summoning a bounty of golden flames around me, I formed over thirty blades of light, and the number only rose. Each sword was made with 0.10 percent of my reserves. The most I've ever done purposely without them losing control or an accident happening.
My surroundings were lit up. Thankfully I was far enough away from the village for nobody to notice me. Each blade was pointed in all directions, steady and awaiting my command.
"…Don't cut." Spreading my arms out, I say, "Now go." I pushed the blades in all directions around me with the intent of not piercing but going through.
A chorus of sounds echoed, and blowing winds whipped every which way as each blade made contact with the rocks, the water, the trees, and the boulder much faster than the eyes can see, yet instead of wrecking the area, they simply slipped halfway into their targets before snapping back out, leaving the area unharmed.
"Hell yeah!" Not wanting to stop now, I spread my hands out again as I summoned several more light blades, this time in a downwards direction. "Fall!"
The blades shot down, raining through the clearing. As they shot off, I made sure to create more so another would be in its place. The area was blinding with endless shooting lights as they phased through everything. Some phased partially through trees. Others struck and embedded themselves in a rock or the water.
I kept it up until thirty minutes later when I felt it. A painful, sharp pain. My arm felt like it was getting stabbed, forcing me to stop everything at once.
The constructs vanished instantly, bringing the dark back. "Ouch." I exhaled sharply, grabbing my arm. "I guess that's the line. Eight hundred and seventy-six light constructs with 0.10 percent power in every single one of them. "Excellent." I closed my eyes and I was back to full health.
"That was cool." I stretched myself. Just letting loose like that felt rejuvenating. I paused at a sudden realization. "…What about defense?" I already knew I could make shields, so what about armor?
Raising my hand up, I bring out my light to form a flat circular surface. Giving it more thought, the oval shrunk and bent inwards until it became a shield. It hovered in front of me. "Not bad." I tapped it with my knuckles. I had made it using 0.10 percent power.
Seeing it needed some work, I concentrated on the large shield some more until it became better. I made it look like the shield of Captain America.
"Nice." I held it, admiring the star emblem in the center. I proceeded to then throw it like a discus. It went fast but not to the extent of my light blades. It flew through the air and then embedded itself in a tree. "Return."
The shield whizzed back to me fast. I flipped back into the air, catching it with my hand before smoothly landing. With my strength, it was child's play to catch the rapidly moving object.
I then went onto making more shields of differing variety. Large or small, anything I've seen or read from anime and literature from my world. I even made a big shield like the one Mash from Fate/Grand Order had. That thing is far too large, but who am I to question anime logic?
I experimented a lot with them, adjusting weight, thickness, and structure, all of which didn't affect the output of energy I put into them. Now there was a downside to making my defensive constructs heavy. For one, if I wield them, I feel that exact weight myself, so if I make a shield that weighs a ton to block a hit, sure, it would do that, but I would be able to pick it up. But I can get around that by making them float in the air. For that reason, no matter how heavy they are, they can still get around as fast as my blades. I'm so fucking awesome.
I let the shields fade as I went about what I really wanted to do. "Here goes nothing." Golden flames in my hands I make them wrap around my fists and arms. It wasn't a blade nor a shield but a layer. It wrapped around my fists, glowing brightly.
Both my arms were covered with light bandages that you would see a street fighter wear. "That's what I'm talking about." This was exciting. Wielding this in my hands, I felt a bit stronger, not to the extent of my Sunshine-esque passive ability, but a bit. I went into a boxing stance. "Oos... oos." I threw two punches.
The air cracked slightly due to the force of my hits. "Sweet." I moved again, doing shadowboxing. Jabs, hooks, etc. My arms were faster, lighter, and packed a punch (pun intended).
*SWISH!*
*SWISH!*
*SWISH!*
Three consecutive jabs with the same hand were done so fast that I doubted even champion-level boxers could see. A grin formed on his face. "I'm the best…around. Nobody's gonna take me down." I sang as I put my fists to the air.
I kept playing around for a few minutes before stopping. I let the light bandages dissipate. I could do this exercise for an hour before the tingling started up again.
I looked up at the sky again. The horizon was beginning to lighten slightly. "It's almost morning." I had stayed here the entire night practicing, so I got no wink of sleep. I didn't feel tired thanks to Meditation.
The moment the first rays of sunlight broke through the tree line and touched me, everything changed. The small fatigue vanished instantly. Completely. My body felt like it was burning. I clenched my fist. "Buenos dias." I opened my palm as a large, bright golden flame appeared proudly.
The strength returned. Not just returned—surged. My power was off the roof.
I raised my flaming hand above my head, clenched it, and opened it again to create a golden blade of light. It was much brighter, potent, and way more dangerous.
I didn't even need to test it. I could feel it. It was twice as strong as the light swords from last night. I could tell because it only took 0.1 percent of my reserves to make it, yet its quality was leagues above the others. I can also feel that even if I did go as hard as before, I wouldn't feel the pain that came along with long-term usage or at the very least go for much longer.
Gripping the hilt of the weapon, my right eye blazes for a moment as I bring the sword down with all my strength.
*BOOM!*
A massive swarm of wind and dust appeared. When it cleared up, there was a giant gash mark on the ground around ten meters across. I grinned excitedly as I let the light sword fade. "I'm the best." I looked on proudly, thinking to myself how that blonde bitch wouldn't know what was coming to her.
Done here for today, I grabbed my things and turned back toward the direction of the village. I wanted to get back early before anyone saw me.
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