The Color of Mana
Eclipse took a step forward and brought his greatsword down. The strike was simple, almost crude, yet it was astonishingly fast and ferocious. With a sound like tearing wind, Eclipse’s blade hurtled straight toward Yu Hyeok. A chill ran down the old man’s spine.
This is dangerous.
If he responded with half-hearted strength, he would regret it. Yu Hyeok made a swift judgment, drew up his mana, lowered his stance, and swung his sword upward. The lightning-fast upward slash carried a torrent of mana that no ordinary Awakened could even imagine. Kaang!
In an instant, a shockwave erupted and the surrounding earth exploded outward. Simply clashing blade against blade had turned the area into a wasteland.
“Magnificent,” Rumeorn murmured, unable to hide her admiration. Her dainty white ears twitched once. As both wife and contractor to Yu Hyeok, she knew better than anyone how powerful he truly was. Yet even he could not overpower Eclipse. The exchange had been perfectly even. Had Eclipse poured mana into his blade, the outcome would have been decided immediately.
“Dear. Your Guardian Star has no mana, does he?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s right. He said it’s purely physical strength.”
“To possess such power without mana… his physical limits are beyond anything I can fathom.”
Yu Hyeok found himself laughing at Eclipse’s absurd prowess. A being this strong was exactly the kind of opponent he had been searching for all this time.
“Haha! Excellent!”
Eclipse felt the same. The joy of crossing blades with a true master filled him, and his strikes grew heavier. How long had it been since he last enjoyed a spar like this? A smile naturally formed on his lips.
Eclipse’s greatsword came crashing down toward Yu Hyeok’s collarbone, but the old man evaded it with a single step. Swish— Even so, the wind from the missed strike tore the skin near his face. How absurd.
Accustomed to such minor wounds, Yu Hyeok immediately launched a counterattack. A clean slash after the dodge aimed for the gaps in Eclipse’s armor. Eclipse was no easy target either. In that split second, he twisted his wrist and blocked the incoming blade with his own. Kaang!
Again and again their swords met. When his feint was stopped, Yu Hyeok quickly retreated. The moment Eclipse saw him pull back, he lunged forward with terrifying speed. Watching the knight charge with his massive sword, Yu Hyeok felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He regained his stance and swung.
A strike born from years of ingrained habit struck Eclipse head-on, but Eclipse violently batted it aside with his greatsword. They traded blows, advancing and retreating, gradually increasing their speed. As their movements grew faster, Yusoha’s eyes began to spin.
She could not follow the flow of the duel at her level.
“Ha… I can’t see anything.”
“……That’s normal.”
Even Rumeorn stared at Eclipse in disbelief. That’s supposed to be simple physical movement without mana?
“Just what kind of world did he come from? I’m curious.”
“He said it was already destroyed.”
“……I see. That aside, I’m starting to feel a little uneasy.”
“About what?”
“The Shadow Gate.”
“……Ah!”
Yusoha instantly understood what Rumeorn feared. What if the world Eclipse had lived in appeared as a Shadow Gate? What if that world, which even this monstrous knight could not save, manifested inside a gate?
A shiver ran down her spine.
* * *
Yu Hyeok was at a loss. Even when he used his mana to its fullest, he could not overwhelm his opponent. The more their blades crossed, the more he realized just how monstrous Eclipse truly was. If the knight used the greatsword on his back—the one he had swung last time—even Yu Hyeok might not be able to block it.
My granddaughter summoned quite the monster.
Kaang!
The fierce clash forced Yu Hyeok to take a step back.
“My word. Aren’t you a bit too strong?”
“You are strong as well. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a spar this satisfying.”
“Haha. Same here. Well then… we’ve had our fun. Shall we wrap this up?”
“Very well.”
Yu Hyeok poured every drop of his mana into his sword. The blade began to tremble violently as a raging current of mana swirled around it. In that moment, Eclipse witnessed something strange.
……What is that?
A blue, rippling energy was being drawn into Yu Hyeok’s sword—an energy that had not been visible just moments ago. What were those blue currents painting the air? A world he had never seen unfolded before his eyes.
Could that blue energy be mana?
Eclipse was bewildered by the sudden phenomenon, but quickly regained his composure. Whether he could see mana or not, it was time to end this enjoyable duel. He gripped his greatsword tightly and swung at the exact moment Yu Hyeok did.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening roar that seemed to flip the sky itself struck everyone present.
* * *
Yusoha, who had been unable to properly follow the high-level battle, finally managed to see her grandfather and her Guardian Star again.
“……Good heavens.”
She could not hide her shock. Yu Hyeok’s sword was broken, and Eclipse’s greatsword rested right in front of the old man’s neck.
“This is absurdly strong. Far beyond what I imagined.”
“You were strong as well.”
“I lost cleanly. No excuses. Your physical abilities are extraordinary. With power like that, mana must seem like a joke. And you still haven’t used your original strength, have you?”
“Indeed.”
“Haha. I see.”
“However… that does not mean I look down on mana. In the end, any power depends on the skill of the one wielding it. I lived in a world without mana, and you live in a world with it. That is the only difference. Yu Hyeok, I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Is mana the blue currents floating in the air? I couldn’t see them until just now, but after fighting you, I suddenly began to see something blue drifting around.”
“……You’re right.”
“I see. So this is mana.”
“Wait. You can see mana right now?”
“Yes.”
“Hah…… Haha.”
Yu Hyeok could only let out a hollow laugh. Seeing mana directly? Mana was not something that could be seen with the naked eye. It permeated the air, invisible to ordinary sight. Even the most talented Awakened and Guardian Stars could only feel mana—they could never see it. There was only one exception: when an Awakened processed and released mana externally. Aside from that, there was no way to observe it.
Yet seeing mana scattered throughout the atmosphere? That was like claiming one could see the air itself.
“Rumeorn.”
At Yu Hyeok’s sudden call, she nodded. Their thoughts aligned instantly. If this Guardian Star, who possessed such overwhelming physical power, were to awaken the ability to use mana, what would happen?
“Eclipse.”
“What is it?”
“Are you interested in the power called mana?”
“Why do you ask so suddenly?”
“If you can see it, perhaps you can control it as well. Would you like to try?”
“Hmm……”
Eclipse fell into brief thought. If he could wield mana, he would be able to respond to many situations, and his own strength would grow even greater. In his previous world, there had come a point when he could no longer grow stronger. That was why he had been defeated so helplessly by Terror. No matter how many of Terror’s minions he slaughtered, he could not advance further. It felt as though he had hit a wall.
But if he learned this new power called mana, perhaps he could become stronger. Perhaps he could move forward again. That alone made learning mana worthwhile. He recalled the unease he had felt before—the fear that Terror might one day appear in this peaceful world. If that happened, he would need the strength to resist it. Peace was a privilege granted only to those who possessed power.
Having reached that conclusion, Eclipse nodded to the two of them.
“I will learn mana.”
Rumeorn and Yu Hyeok smiled at his answer. Their reason was simple: they were curious to see just how powerful this overwhelmingly strong Guardian Star would become once he awakened to mana.
Meanwhile, Yusoha could only stare at the situation in a daze.