Jin had never really used aura.
He knew he was doing it unconsciously because his physical abilities had increased far too suddenly since he had been with Marc. But he did not understand why.
He was a man of techniques. All kinds of techniques. He had mastered every martial art known to man. To do that, he had studied their essence and their origins. He had traveled the world to learn them.
However, this was the first time he was manipulating something without knowing what it was. He could see the aura of his master and of the others. He had understood certain basics. But could he use it?
Sir Nathanaël had done it once. A great streak of light had crossed the ground toward him in the cathedral of Zvenne. It was luminous, beautiful, but messy. He could clearly see that the mastery was not there. But he had understood that it could be used.
The question was: how?
**
He needed it to survive in this world, and even more so in the other one. The world of those entities was saturated with aura. They possessed it in excess and knew how to use it, so he had to be able to do the same.
Discovering Elie's powers had been almost reassuring. Aura could develop a person's abilities.
But... what ability?
Elie had the most aura after Marc. So why did she possess telekinesis while he had nothing?
Nathanaël had asked himself the same question, but had found only a vague answer: it was unique to each individual.
He had assumed that some people awakened powers early, while others did so later—or perhaps never at all. But that contradicted his theory that aura was a physical or psychological manifestation of the individual. Elie had nothing to do with telekinesis or control by nature.
So why did she have those powers? Was it destiny that chose them? Was it another being from the other world?
He had no idea.
But that wasn't the point...
**
At that moment, Jin had to use it.
During this battle, he had seen Astra transform her own aura into various natural elements like rocks, water, ice...
It had to be connected to her title and her powers. But Jin was not called the Natural Disaster. He could not do such things.
He was the Genius of Fighting.
At least, that was what thousands of people—perhaps even more—called him. His influence was nowhere near Astra's, and even less so his strength. But he still had a title. A clue. If he was the Genius of Fighting, then his aura had to reflect that in some way.
What he meant was that his aura should make him an even greater genius than he already was. It should affirm his existence among all other auras as the Genius of Fighting.
But how could it do that?
By enhancing his physical abilities—but not only those. His deductive reasoning, his vision, his mentality, his mind, his hearing, his senses, his predictions, his coordination, his breathing... everything that could maximize the performance of a martial artist.
He was already doing that unconsciously but Jin had to maximize it. He could no longer let aura use him. He had to use it, just like Astra did.
Make it move.
Make it vibrate.
Make it swell.
Make it concentrate.
Or even, just as Marc and Nathanael had somehow done, manifest a weapon out of nowhere.
He did not understand how they did it, but he had already taken a step forward. He had to master every fragment of energy flowing within him and around him. He had to make it synchronize with every part of his body—not to become a superhuman... but something beyond.
So that no human incapable of seeing aura or using it could ever defeat him. That was what it meant to be the Genius of Fighting.
To never lose a fight, no matter what.
Jin focused on his aura. He had only recently become able to see it. He could feel it.
In moments of anger, it swelled just like his master's. Whenever doubt or fear crept into his heart, it shrank.
But Jin was never scared, right?
It had probably been with him ever since he was a child. He had simply never felt it. Never seen it. Today, he could.
And he silently thanked his master for bringing him along.
"I've entered another world."
Those were the first words Marc had said to him. Jin had not understood them back then. Now he did. He could see. He could feel.
He had found a way to become the strongest.
A way to become the most terrifying being in the world. No, even of the two worlds. And Astra was merely an obstacle.
An obstacle he had to overcome.
Jin smiled.
"Thank you, Master."
The tornado closed in on him.
Jin stopped moving and assumed a karate stance.
Karate contained countless techniques. Some were simple. Others required years of experience. But Jin chose one of the simplest : a basic Gyaku-zuki. One of karate's most fundamental punches.It didn't require much talent but could always be refined.
In the end, even the simplest movement demanded far more mastery and time than most people imagined. A beginner's Gyaku-zuki could never compare to a master's.
And Jin had mastered it perfectly. As a genius, he had never failed to perfect an art. He had always become the very best in his discipline.
But that only applied within the limits of humanity...
Jin was stepping beyond those limits.
And now, with his understanding of aura...
Astra's eyes widened.
"H-How...?"
Jin circulated aura throughout his entire body.
This time, it was no longer merely present.
It acted.
The aura surged through him at incredible speed before concentrating in his right arm. Sometimes it flowed like a liquid. Then it shifted like a gas.
Jin did not fully understand it.
At times it moved like a serpent. At others, like countless tiny particles. The sensation was vague and difficult to comprehend, even for him.
But it was there. He knew, more than ever before, that it was there.
In a flash, Jin thrust his fist forward, his speed multiplied by aura.
He struck the incoming tornado dead at its center.
The fact that he had not been blown away was already unbelievable. But what happened next was even more absurd.
The point of impact between his fist and the tornado created a massive hole through its center, completely destroying its momentum and scattering its winds.
Unable to sustain itself, the tornado dispersed into the air as though it had never existed.
All because of a single Gyaku-zuki...
Jin calmly raised his head toward Astra and revealed a vicious smile.
"You didn't read the books, did you, Astra?"
**
Nathanaël was in a much worse situation.
Azraël was simply too powerful.
The book floated around him, its pages turning at an insane speed, surrounded by a blue aura. Nathanaël only had to reach out and take it.
However, that was much easier said than done. He had never fought someone like this before. Every attack was more complex than Astra's and Goagi's. Although Goagi had been troublesome, he didn't always activate his power because he enjoyed the fight. Azraël, however, used his power constantly. It was impossible to breathe.
"Damn it."
Soon, a gigantic blade of light appeared, wielded by a colossal samurai wearing an oni mask. It was taller than a house, and its blade was probably just as long.
The sword slowly cut through the air toward Nathanaël.
"Damn it!"
Nathanaël had always known he would eventually face someone like this. But he had never imagined it would happen in his own world.
He ran toward a large crevice and jumped inside, barely avoiding the gigantic blade as it swept everything above him away.
However, the samurai didn't disappear after attacking. Instead, it turned toward Azraüs. The young man was already in the air, club in hand. He struck the samurai before it had even fully turned around.
The giant staggered backward. Even though only its upper body existed, the blow sent it flying violently backward.
"Now, Nathy!"
Nathanaël didn't waste a second. He leaped out of the crevice and summoned his sword, which appeared in the air in a shower of sparks.
Nathanaël had never really understood how he could do that.
The sword was one of the many blades his father had kept in his house. There had been hundreds of them. When Nathanaël had taken this one, his father had told him it had quite an ordinary story.
He still remembered every word.
"This sword belonged to a blacksmith from Nozras, the Nation of War. I was lucky enough to travel there once. Though, I wasn't exactly welcome. The blacksmith told me that one day, a strange light—captivating and almost heavenly—had descended upon all of Nozras. He had been mesmerized by its beauty. But when he came back to his senses, he witnessed something strange. Rays of light had entered through his window at such an angle that they all converged on a weapon he had finished forging shortly beforehand. The blade shone brilliantly... and then nothing. It all stopped. Sounds like a bedtime story, doesn't it? Still, I hope you'll make good use of it. I care a lot about that sword."
That story didn't seem so ordinary anymore. After everything he had witnessed, Nathanaël could believe the blacksmith.
But the truly interesting part was that as soon as he started learning how to control his aura, the sword disappeared. It dissolved into sparks of light that slowly drifted away.
Nathanaël had panicked for a long time, searching for it all over his house. Eventually, he sat down in his chair and mentally begged for it to return. Strangely enough, the sparks of light reappeared. The sword was back.
It was convenient. He didn't need a sheath or even to carry it anymore. He had trained to use it in many different ways and even used its mystical appearance to perform stylish tricks.
But its primary purpose remained attacking. Take his stance. Channel his aura into the blade. Take a deep breath. Then slash.
No matter how far away his enemy was, no matter how much aura they possessed, a slash of light larger than the giant samurai burst through the air at incredible speed.
It crossed the distance between them in less than a second, leaving behind a thin but deep trench in the ground.
The slash cut through the samurai's entire body. It looked as though it had suffered a real wound, as if it were alive. Then it dissolved into countless sparks of light and Azraël slowly descended from the sky.
"Wretches."
Nathanaël answered with a victorious grin.
"That's just who I am."
That wasn't true. Nathanaël knew no one had ever called him a wretch before. It actually stung a little.
Azraël landed gracefully on the ground.
But the moment his foot touched the earth, Azraüs brought his club crashing down from above.
A violent wind suddenly spiraled above Azraël, blocking his brother's attack.
Azraël first glared at him with a cold look of anger. Then the wind violently unraveled and blasted Azraüs away with tremendous force.
With nothing to stand on, Azraüs was sent flying off the hill where the throne stood.
Nathanaël was left alone with Reno's eldest son.
He forced a nervous smile.
"Damn."