NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 82 (S2) : Mana + Ki
Vegrested Mountain, Lunarian Theocracy.
An old man was currently meditating atop Vegrested Mountain, the highest peak in the Lunarian Theocracy and one of the tallest mountains in the Western continent. Despite his advanced age, his body was muscular, and he was bare-chested.
Many birds were perched on his body, yet the man seemed entirely unbothered and continued his meditation. The strong, icy winds continuously buffeted him, but they had no effect. Layers of snow had begun to form on his body, yet he felt no cold at all.
After a while, the old man finally opened his eyes and stood up.
"I've studied the cultivation techniques of the Union of Eastern Republics, and it seems my cultivation level has greatly advanced."
"My collaboration with the Golden Pavilion Sect and the Heavenly Demon of the Union of Eastern Republics has not been in vain."
This old man was named Arthur Halifax Gustav Canaris, a Great Sage who had lived for thousands of years in the Lunarian Theocracy and had witnessed many eras. It was said that he was one of the few who managed to withstand the onslaught of the Navian Empire during its invasion of the Lunarian Theocracy hundreds of years ago before the Lunarian Goddess herself intervened.
Arthur now felt that he had acquired a new energy: Zenryx. In this world, there are several forms of energy, such as Mana, Ki, and others. However, it was extremely difficult to merge Mana and Ki, as they were fundamentally opposed, like the poles of a magnet.
In the merging of Mana and Ki, three different forms of energy could be produced, detailed as follows:
1. Arkiya – A raw energy produced by the forced merging of Mana and Ki. This energy tends to be unstable.
2. Zenryx – A new energy created by the harmonious merging of Mana and Ki. This energy is relatively stable and possesses significant destructive potential.
3. Vorizephyr – A pure energy generated by the perfect merging of Mana and Ki. This energy is incredibly powerful and can even rival [Omni Skills].
Typically, those who possessed Ki were inhabitants of the Union of Eastern Republics, though there were rare cases of individuals outside the Union naturally acquiring Ki after prolonged cultivation.
The energy within Arthur was now surging as if it could explode at any moment.
"**Zenryx: Maxima Zen Explosion!**"
The energy then formed a small golden orb in Arthur’s hand, which he immediately hurled into the sky. The once-blue sky turned green, and the orb exploded in mid-air.
The explosion was immense, sending shockwaves strong enough to shatter part of the mountain's peak.
BANG!!!!!!
Arthur realized that Zenryx could incorporate metamagic, just like ordinary magic.
"As expected from the Great Sage of Lunarian Theocracy," came a voice from nearby.
Arthur turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, where a relatively young man could be seen hovering not far from him.
"What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell the bishops that I’d be meditating here for the next few years?" Arthur asked, irritated.
The young bishop then landed, standing tall with both hands behind his back.
"Forgive me for interrupting your time, Lord Arthur, but a crisis has arisen."
"A crisis? Has the Navian Empire invaded again?"
Arthur only remembered the last time the Lunarian Theocracy faced a crisis was during the Navian Empire’s invasion from the west, with its massive army of super-soldiers.
"No, the Lunarian Goddess has reported the birth of a monster in the Abyssal Forest."
After hearing the young bishop's words, Arthur was somewhat relieved that the Navian Empire had not launched another attack.
"And then?"
"We decided to send the Blue Blood Team, and of course, your adopted grandson Kelton was leading them, but they never returned."
"Couldn't they be resurrected? After all, they were supposed to have the title of the Immortal Unit."
"I sincerely apologize. We were unable to revive any of them due to two possibilities."
Arthur's heart shook momentarily, but he remained calm as a sage who had lived for thousands of years.
"Two possibilities?"
"They betrayed us—"
"There's no way they betrayed us!"
"My apologies, Arthur-sama, I haven't finished speaking. The other possibility is that they were all killed, and their souls were destroyed, making resurrection impossible."
"I see..."
Arthur lowered his head briefly after hearing the young bishop's words, and memories of raising Kelton from infancy flooded his mind. He clenched his teeth and fists tightly.
"So... you've come here to ask for my help in defeating this monster?"
"Yes, Arthur-sama, but you won’t be alone. All the elite units of the Lunarian Theocracy will be joining the fight this time. Sysdesmos-sama has decided to eliminate them now or never."
"Oh... Including the Blood God Unit?"
"Yes, including the Blood God Unit."
The Blood God Unit was the most powerful force of the Lunarian Theocracy, shrouded in mystery. Only a few archbishops were aware of their movements. They were vastly different from the Blue Blood Team, as they were all highly trained and deeply fanatical in their devotion to the Lunarian Theocracy.
Even Arthur had only encountered them a few times during the great battle against the invading forces of the Navian Empire. Naturally, fighting alongside the Blood God Unit excited Arthur greatly, causing his Zenryx energy to surge even more.
"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHA!!!! I ACCEPT THIS MISSION!!!"
Arthur saw this as a golden opportunity to find solace in his heart, avenge his grandson, and fulfill the mission of the Lunarian Goddess.
(It’s like killing three birds with one stone.)
The young bishop merely smiled after hearing the words of Arthur, the Great Sage of the Lunarian Theocracy.
"As expected of you, Arthur-sama. Then, we shall return to Zlaburg Capital City."
"Very well."
Arthur felt that he had grown tired of meditating here for years and that it was finally time to unleash the full power he had kept dormant for hundreds of years.
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Great Zitadelle, Zlaburg Capital City, Lunarian Theocracy.
"Alright, we are about to begin an important meeting—more precisely, a very important meeting today."
"To start, I deeply regret to inform you that we have lost contact with the Blue Blood Team. They have most likely all been killed, and their souls destroyed, making resurrection impossible."
"This is directly related to the monster that has appeared in the Abyssal Forest, as revealed by Lunarian Goddess-sama."
"Indeed, this is a threat to our future."
"This is no longer just a threat to our future; it is a threat to the entire world."
"Though the Theocracy is quite distant from the Abyssal Forest, sooner or later, its impact will reach us as well."
"Fortunately, Goddess-sama has warned us of how dangerous this creature is."
"What kind of monster could defeat the Blue Blood Team and destroy their souls?"
"Rest assured, gentlemen, we are also welcoming a hero today."
Moments later, Arthur Halifax Gustav Canaris, the Great Sage of the Lunarian Theocracy, entered the room, causing the expressions of the bishops to light up with optimism and hope.
"As per our original plan, we will deploy all of our elite forces to destroy this monster, now or never. Isn’t that right, Sysdesmos-sama?"
"Exactly, the monster must be annihilated as soon as possible according to the guidance given by Lunarian Goddess-sama."
"Great Sage-sama, may we entrust you with the supreme command of all our elite forces?"
"I am capable of doing that. I will ensure this mission’s success, and I would rather die than fail."
The words of the Great Sage calmed the bishops, making them even more optimistic.
"May I know the details of which units are participating in this mission?" the Great Sage asked.
"Of course. The units involved in this mission are, first, the Blood God Unit, and second, the Seven Virtue Unit."
"Oh, the Seven Virtue Unit is participating as well?"
"Haha, a 100% victory is guaranteed for us!"
"Naturally, we're not foolish enough to send the units one by one."
The Seven Virtue Unit is the second-strongest unit of the Lunarian Theocracy after the Blood God Unit. This unit consists of seven reincarnators who have been trained for decades and hold absolute loyalty to the Theocracy. Each of them possesses the [Origin Skill] of the Seven Virtues, which opposes the [Origin Skill] of the Seven Deadly Sins.
"Third, we have the Angel Numbers."
The Angel Numbers are the third-strongest unit of the Theocracy, composed of angels directly sent by the Lunarian Goddess to repel the Navian Empire's invasion. These are the remaining angels from that battle. All of them belong to the Lunarian Quantum Seraphim race.
The uniqueness of this race is that they have 100% accuracy in their attacks, which can only be reduced by high-level debuff magic.
"Do you think we should deploy the Holy Knight Army Group?"
"Yes! We must use them!"
"No! That’s too conspicuous, and there’s a high chance that the Navian Empire, the Igrasian Empire, or the Union of Eastern Republics would become alert if we deploy such a powerful force."
"Oh, you're right."
"It’s best to keep the Holy Knight Army Group here."
The Holy Knight Army Group consists of approximately 200,000 soldiers, all of whom are above level 100 and extremely powerful. Typically, this unit is only deployed when the Lunarian Theocracy is in severe danger.
"Alright, I’ll explain the plan. We will be engaging in a proxy war."
"A proxy war?"
A proxy war is a military conflict in which one or more third parties directly or indirectly support one or more states or non-state actors involved, to influence the outcome of the conflict and thereby advance their strategic interests or undermine those of their adversaries.
"Yes, we will pressure the Lumeria Kingdom to attack the Abyssal Forest."
"Oh, I see! That's clever!"
"Hahaha, this is intriguing."
"They are our puppet state, after all. There’s no harm in using them this time."
"They need to prove their strength."
"They should be able to muster millions of soldiers since they’re quite fond of having children, hahahaha!"
"Alright, gentlemen, let's focus. They are our proxy state, after all. We’ll discuss the next operational steps—prepare yourselves."