While Roy was curious about the head of Aika’s clan, he had to wonder about the man’s attitude. Never before had he met a Martial Artist who was both so laid back and unmotivated, yet had somehow achieved such a high advancement. It was easy to see by both his 4th Dan Gold-Belt — which he didn’t even bother hiding — as well as how quickly the two Supremes had fled upon sensing their approach.
Roy had honestly wanted to ask, but hadn’t found the right way to phrase the question. So, for tonight at least, he’d chosen to remain silent, focusing instead on replenishing the Chakra he’d burned through in that last fight.
Although he’d been smacked around a bit, he wasn’t all that injured, and despite the pain he’d felt in the moment, Roy had escaped both fights with only some minor bruising. Either his Perfect-Body was unbelievably durable, or a combination of his bestial constitution and Armorer technique had kept the worst injuries at bay.
That, combined with his greatly increased healing, made it so that Roy barely even felt a twinge of discomfort now.
The golden Essence looped around through the pattern, glowing brighter and brighter, even as the actual quantity diminished. Qi was soon flowing through the pattern as he changed its direction, exerting far more pressure and forging Chakra.
At this point, he had a choice. He could either add to the Chakra by tapping into the part of himself that fueled his branching Path, or he could leave the Chakra pure, allowing it to flow into his Core and rest there.
It would be a bit of extra work, but Roy knew that doing it now would be better than procrastinating.
A mild heat suffused his body, feeling almost as though he’d temporarily gotten a fever. There were no aches and pains, of course, only the discomfort of the mild burning sensation. Even as the Chakra flowed, its hue changed, becoming darker and taking on the aspects of the Path of the Titanic Demon.
“Why did you choose that name anyway?” Geon asked.
Roy didn’t even bother asking how the Core had gotten into his thoughts. By now, he suspected it was less a slip on his part and more along the lines of Geon growing strong enough to pop in whenever he felt like it.
“I thought we decided on that name together,” Roy replied, continuing to cycle the Chakra until it was as pure and potent as he could get it, before reaching into his Core and pulling more of the misty Essence into his channels to refine.
“We did, but what I can’t seem to figure out is where we discovered our branching Path. I mean, I can see how it’s connected to Power, that much is obvious by how much brute force you use. But where exactly did you get the idea?”
Roy went to reply, then hesitated. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before, but the entire incident surrounding the discovery of his branching Path was oddly hazy.
“I…I don’t know,” Roy admitted, his brows coming down as he tried to remember.
Why hadn’t he even thought of this until now? He felt like he could remember, as if the memories were there. But for some reason, he just couldn’t seem to access them. It wasn’t like they were blocked. Rather, it was as though they were covered in slick grease, and each time he tried to grab onto them, they would just slip out of his grasp.
“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” Geon said. “Squishy human brain and all.”
“Well, do you remember?” Roy asked.
Geon didn’t answer, which told him all he needed to know. Geon didn’t remember either. He had been with the Core long enough to know his tactics, especially when it came to avoiding admitting he didn’t know something. Still, gloating didn’t really feel right at the moment, especially when Geon had raised such a valid point.
“Do you have any theories?” Roy asked, trying to get the Core to start speaking again.
“I actually do know,” Geon replied, though Roy very much doubted he was telling the truth. “But I’ll only tell you if you’re nice to m-”
Geon cut off, briefly making Roy wonder if this was some new way he was going to try getting under his skin. Perhaps the Core was going to dangle some bit of information he didn’t have, then make Roy beg for it, only to laugh in his face. Well, Geon would technically be laughing in his mind, but still, the idea was the same. However, before he could find out, the Core continued.
“It’s because of what you were fed during your training. Did you ever think that you might not have been told what was really in those Pills you were taking?”
Roy felt a chill go down his spine. It wasn’t just because of the words that were spoken, however. No, the reason Roy now felt his heart racing had to do with a very different reason.
The voice that had just spoken directly into his mind did not belong to Geon.
Roy’s techniques
Essence
Physical: Exploding Fist
Movement: Shockwave
Armorer: Trace
Full-body: Power Boost
Projected: Void Sphere
Terrain: Constellation
Containment: Overflow
Full-area: Power Cloud
Conqueror: Undiscovered
Qi
Physical: Exploding Fist-Strike
Movement: Shockwave Airstep
Armorer: Trace Hex
Full-body: Speed Strike
Terrain: Constellation Cluster
Containment: Overflow-Plus
Full-area: Power Shackle
Conqueror: Undiscovered
Chakra/Path of the Titanic Demon
Physical: Demon’s Hammer
Movement: Ripple Step
Armorer: Demon’s Hide
Full-body: Undiscovered
Projected: Demon’s Roar
Terrain: Undiscovered
Containment: Undiscovered
Full-area: Undiscovered
Conqueror: Undiscovered
Techniques: The Tools of the Martial Artist.
All Martial Artists will train in various techniques over the course of their lives. While there are nine overall technique types, they can be broken down into two categories: Body and Spirit.
Body techniques focus on enhancing the Martial Artist’s physical fighting power, enhancing strength, speed, and defense.
Spirit techniques focus on enhancing the Essence-based attacks, focusing on distance, terrain, and containment.
There are four of each, Body and Spirit, with the ninth technique being a combination of them both. All those who manage to combine their techniques into a single one has earned the title of Master and are considered to be true Martial Artists.
In addition, each technique can be improved upon a total of five times, increasing their power and potency, as well as cost and risk to the user. These improvements are called Stages.
Body Techniques: Control of the Physical Self.
Physical: These affect the body directly, strengthening blows or lending them special properties. They are great in hand-to-hand fighting and are most useful to those following a more martial path. The downside to these is that the user must make physical contact for the techniques to work.
Movement: These affect how the body will move. This technique can increase speed, flexibility, dexterity, and so on. These techniques cannot directly harm anyone, but they can be used to bolster one’s own body and techniques.
Armorer: These affect how the body will stand up to damage. They are one of the most important for any Martial Artist, as they provide the bulk of their defense unless they manage to reach Green. While Yellow-Belts gain a certain degree of immunity to physical harm, it is nothing compared to what one would receive at Orange. Even that is a pale imitation of the immunity gained at Green. The downside to these is that the more punishment that is taken, the more taxing it will be on your Essence reserves.
Full-body: These techniques are the culmination of all three Body techniques combined. These techniques will lend the Martial Artist the aspects of all three of their Body techniques, multiplying their effects m
any times over. You should not attempt to use it until all three Body techniques have been thoroughly mastered. One slip-up can end in disaster.
Spirit techniques: Control of Essence.
Projected: These techniques are used to control Essence, projecting it outward and forming an attack. They are most typically used for range, but some Martial Artists have been known to use them to enhance Physical techniques. The downside to these techniques is that it requires a lot of concentration and leaves the body vulnerable to attacks.
Terrain: These techniques are used to control Essence outside the body, affecting the terrain itself. The Martial Artist uses their will to control the ambient Essence and bend it to their will. This technique can be used even if the Martial Artist has no Essence stored within their core. The downside is the risk that the Martial Artist will lose control of the Essence, causing it to run wild. Therefore, it is suggested that the core always be at least half full when attempting to use one.
Containment: These techniques are used to control others, or more precisely, to either capture someone or contain powerful attacks. These require an extreme amount of control and concentration and are normally slow to form.
Full-area: These powerful attacks are the culmination of all three Spirit techniques combined. The Martial Artist would reach out to the ambient Essence, then combine it with their own. They would then use their Containment technique to hold it in place and trigger a technique that covered a wide or targeted area. Like the full-body technique, this should not be attempted until all three Spirit techniques are mastered.
Master-level Technique: Mastery of Body and Spirit.
Conqueror: This technique gives one full control over their body and environment. They combine the uses of all the others and demand a massive amount of both Essence and control. This is the mark of a Master in the Martial Arts.
Stages of Advancement
White-Belt: The first stage, received after clearing the Trial of Beginnings.
Yellow-Belt: The second stage, received after getting to 2nd Dan in the White stage.
Orange-Belt: The third stage, received after getting to 3rd Dan in the Yellow stage.
Green-Belt: The fourth stage, received after getting to 4th Dan in the Orange stage. At this stage, the Martial Artist receives their Core-Body, remade in Qi. This gives them the ability to safely use Qi without harming themselves.
Blue-Belt: The fifth stage, received after getting to 5th Dan in the Green stage.
Purple-Belt: The sixth stage, received after getting to 6th Dan in the Blue stage.
Red-Belt: The seventh stage, received after getting to 7th Dan in the Purple stage. At this stage, the Martial Artist receives their Perfect-Body, remade in Chakra. This gives them the ability to safely use Chakra without harming themselves.
Gold-Belt: The eighth stage, received after getting to 8th Dan in the Red stage.
Brown-Belt: The ninth stage, received after getting to 9th Dan in the Gold stage.
Gray-Belt: The tenth stage, received after getting to10th Dan in the Brown stage. At this stage, the Martial Artist receives their Immortal-Body, remade in Reiki. This gives them the ability to safely use Reiki without harming themselves.
Black-Belt: The eleventh stage, received after getting to 11th Dan in the Gray stage.
Perfect Black-Belt: The twelfth stage, received after getting to 12th Dan in the Black stage. The ability to use Soulcore is unlocked as the final, purest form of power.
Core Black-Belt: The thirteenth stage, received after getting to 13th Dan in the Perfect Black stage. Soulcore is perfected, though Doragon hints it may be more than just a simple source of power.
???: Another stage of power. Doragon hinted that Roy would need to grow at least this strong to bring his mother back.
Titles
While most Martial Artists are ordinary, others are anything but. In their pursuit of greatness, some Martial Artists have gone beyond the norm and earned titles due to their achievements.
Master: This title is earned by any who master all nine techniques of Essence. This is a great accomplishment only achieved by one in every hundred thousand Martial Artists.
Grandmaster: This title is earned by any who master all nine techniques of Qi. This is a huge accomplishment only achieved by one in every million Martial Artists.
Supreme: This title is earned by any who masters all nine techniques of Chakra. This is a massive accomplishment only achieved by one in every forty-million Martial Artists.
Sage: This title, unlike the others, isn’t earned by those who master specific techniques, but rather, by those of Gold-Belt or above, who have touched on the true meaning of their Path and have been deemed worthy by the Spirit of that Path. A Sage carries with them their sign of accomplishment, in the form of an Imprint — a mark left by the Spirit of their Paths for all to see.
This feat is accomplished by only one in over a billion Martial Artists, and thus, Sages are revered above almost all others.
Sovereign: This title is earned by any who master all nine techniques of Reiki. This is an accomplishment to make the very heavens take note and is only achieved by one in every hundred-million Martial Artists.
Scion: This title is earned by any Supreme who was also a Sage upon advancing to Black-Belt. These Martial Artists are so rare and powerful that almost none exist in the world. Some have left for parts unknown, while only six remain on the continent of Safaia.
Eternal: This title is one given to a person who has managed to advance to Core Black-Belt and master all nine techniques of the Soulcore. Not much else is known about these beings.
???: A theorized title given to a Sage who has also mastered all nine techniques of the Soulcore.
Afterword
What’s up, Super-People?! Thank you so much for reading another one of my books! I’m really looking forward to book 7 of Buryoku because there is soooo much epicness on the horizon! So, if you want a bigger book (I know I do!), please leave a glowing review! Each one of your reviews is worth 1,000 words toward the next book. Additionally, if the book receives over 200 reviews, I’ll bump up my timeline and get it out before LOE 5.
Thank you so much, and I’ll hopefully see you all back for an epically sized book 7.
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Coming Next
Time of Titans: Shattered Kingdoms Book 2 (July 2021)
Soulstream: Rise to Omniscience Book 10 (August 2021)
Land of the Elementals Book 5 (September 2021)
Series by Aaron Oster
Complete
The Rules
Somerset: Book One
Pendrackon: Book Two
Grempire: Book Three
You can also pick up the series as a box set!
Ongoing
Rise to Omniscience
Supermage: Book One
Starbreak:
Book Two
Skyflare: Book Three
Solarspire: Book Four
Stormforge: Book Five
Silverspear: Book Six
Sandqueen: Book Seven
Sunscorch: Book Eight
Serpentlord: Book Nine
Book 10 (Series Finale) coming August 2021
Buryoku
Power: Book 1
Light: Book 2
Water: Book 3
Wind: Book 4
Fire: Book 5
Earth: Book 6
Book 7 TBA
Land of the Elementals
Rampage: Book One
Emerald: Book Two
Origin: Book Three
Reign: Book Four
Book 5 (Series Finale) coming September 2021
Shattered Kingdoms
Age of Ancients: Book One
Time of Titans: Book Two coming July 2021
Book 3 (Series Finale) TBA
All dates are only an estimate and are subject to change. Please check my social media for any and all updates.