Unbeknownst to him, a hint of azure had dyed Bai En's eyes, and his Six Eyes unfolded silently.
The unfolded Mana Zone and Six Eyes made everything around him appear like a three-dimensional anatomical diagram, with massive amounts of mana, coordinates, and information pouring into his mind.
Following the information flooding his mind, Bai En began to compare each point: 'Mana is also refined, guided by nature.'
'The timing of their leaps is also almost identical.'
'But why is he faster than me? Where is the difference?'
Zhan Yan and the demon-dweller sword clashed, creating sparks. Licht, holding the demon-dweller sword, instantly appeared behind Bai En. demon-slayer sword swung forward, and Bai En raised his sword to block.
The swaying figures made Bai En's thoughts turn towards mana.
'Could it really be due to the amount of mana? At this stage, my mana is not enough, so I can't reach that standard of high-speed movement.'
'Or does mana have other secrets?'
In an instant, Bai En felt he had grasped the key.
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At the center of the Gelpete Rock Belt, in that clear lake.
The water currents that had surged with magic earlier had calmed, and the clear lake was no longer rippling. However, suddenly, in the center of the lake, where Asta had been kicked in by Licht earlier,
bubbles began to rise from the water's depths to the surface.
But as the freshwater resource supplying the entire Eye of the Midnight Sun base, it did not nourish scaly fish, so this unusual activity was naturally Asta.
After the Royal Knights Squad selection ended, Asta had repeatedly experimented at the Black Bulls base, trying to summon the "black divider" enlarged by the Demon-Slayer Sword, but without exception, all attempts ended in failure.
Therefore, how to use the "black divider" became a question he pondered before heading to the Eye of the Midnight Sun base.
One's perspective is always limited, so Asta began to ask the seniors who had witnessed the Royal Knights Squad finals.
"Excuse me, seniors, was there anything different about me in the finals that day?"
Although many of the answers were not useful, Asta still found two key points from Magna and Luck's words: special patterns appeared on his face, and Anti-Magic overflowed not only from the sword in his hand.
During his mountain climbing training before joining the Magic Knights, he had heard Bai En say that when one pushed past their limits repeatedly with breathing techniques, special patterns would appear on their body. When these patterns appeared, strength and speed would both increase significantly, and the body's condition would unleash "limitless" power.
Asta, in his demon state, poked his head out of the lake and fully activated his breathing technique.
Large amounts of oxygen were inhaled into his lungs and flowed into his blood.
Under intense pressure, his lungs felt as if they were being burned by fire, about to ignite!
Slowly, that burning sensation began to spread from his lungs throughout his entire body. In the Transparent World, Asta saw his heart beating faster and faster, and his blood flowing quicker and quicker.
Until... the peak!
The patterns formed by Anti-Magic were outlined with a layer of azure.
This was his first time actively entering the demon mark state.
The increase in physical abilities made Anti-Magic flow faster within Asta's body. A second perfect demon horn grew on his head, and black Anti-Magic erupted splashes in the lake water.
He was ready to charge into the sky!
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In the air, Bai En, having perceived the correct direction, spread his senses. Natural mana, like seagulls, flew freely in the world. He was like a sailor on a ferry in the ocean, enjoying everything.
When he experienced Licht's mana world with the same perception, it was a completely different feeling.
He maintained the same breath and rhythm as the natural mana, completely integrated into it. The natural mana treated him as part of itself, cheering him on.
Their understanding and mastery of mana were completely different.
Bai En was a sailor on a ferry, gazing at flying seagulls like an observer. When he needed seagulls, he would use a net to catch them. Licht was like soil, with lush green grass coexisting on it. When the wind blew, the grass would tell him everything.
"So this means I should let go of my control over mana? But wouldn't that... completely lose it?"
He pondered for a moment.
Bai En ultimately chose to release the natural mana he had dominated and controlled within his Mana Zone. They transformed into seagulls, soaring through the sky and flying away. The Mana Zone became empty, with only himself remaining... "As expected, it's not working."
Just as he was about to resume controlling the natural mana in the Mana Zone in a dominant manner, starlight like fireflies appeared in the Mana Zone. Bai En reached out to touch it, and the starlight danced between his fingers.
Gradually, the starlight, like a golden tide, surged into Bai En's Mana Zone.
"This..."
"So the way to use natural mana isn't to dominate or command it with one's own mana, but rather... to communicate? If you are their friend, they will naturally help you."
In an instant.
Bai En felt himself wandering on an endless grassland. The wind blew gently, and the grass and wind told him everything. His Mana Zone was quietly expanding.
Radius 250 meters... Radius 300 meters... Radius 400 meters... Diameter 1000 meters... "This battle, I've gained a lot."
Watching Licht, who had paused for a moment in the air to unleash a flurry of sword slashes, Bai En wanted to try his high-speed movement again, just as two figures, one black and one green, flew out from below.
"I'm coming, Bai En!"
Asta swung the black divider forward. It was precisely because of Asta's intrusion that Yuno no longer adhered to any bet. His hand, wrapped in a greenish wind aura, reached forward.
"Mana Zone · Full Release, Spirit Storm · Eightfold!"
"The black divider's slash!"
Eight cross-shaped green wind pillars attacked Licht from all directions in a two-stage assault. The flying sword slashes were shattered by the enlarged Demon-Slayer Sword. The two were like dragons and tigers, aiming to decide the victor with this single strike.
Licht rapidly flickered in the air, dodging the convergence point of the green wind pillars.
Yuno seemed to have anticipated this. The eight wind pillars, compressed with a large amount of wind mana, suddenly folded and chased Licht upwards. Asta also flew upwards.
Suddenly, Licht abruptly turned sideways, thrusting the demon-dweller sword downwards.
The wind pillars and Asta attacked simultaneously.
The pouring wind and the black giant light crashed down!
In the flashing light, Licht did not appear to be at a disadvantage. The demon-dweller sword acted like a chasm, isolating the surging wind pillars, and the demon-slayer sword sword blocked Asta's black divider.
The golden light emanating from Licht's body vibrated intensely.
As the spirit storm gradually dissipated, Licht forcefully pushed Asta away, throwing the demon-slayer sword sword like a shuriken. At the same time, the demon-dweller sword created a grand strike, and a huge sphere of wind light enveloped Bai En, Yuno, and Asta...