Chapter 590 - The Acrobat's Explanation: Part 2
`[Anhelmia]`—the one and only star magic wielded by the [Right Wing], one half of the 'Eastern Wings.' A powerless magic that possesses absolutely no ability for material interference.
It's a sustained-cost type with ultra-low consumption, practically nil.
Its manifested ability is the rendering of 'phantoms' based on imagery.
That is the sole 'power' of the player Ri-na, and the reason she's known as the only ranker in the three combat-oriented factions who possesses 'zero attack power on her own.'
It doesn't demand the high-level, complex technical difficulty common to thought-control-focused skills, and boasts extremely intuitive and responsive controls… though that's according to her, so the details and veracity are unconfirmed. However, `[Anhelmia]` has other excellent properties as well.
For example, the fact that her phantoms don't interfere with 'matter,' but they do interfere with 'perception.'
In other words, the illusions she creates deceive observing entities (players) and observing things (the system), naturally conveying sound and presence, manifesting an 'existence' in virtual reality without being material. To put it simply, it's super difficult, if not impossible, to tell if something is a phantom or real just by looking.
It's a spell of illusion that deceives not only the eyes, but even a player's detection-type skills.
Even if she herself has no attack power, when you consider her 'offensive capability' in a broader sense… it goes without saying just how outrageously powerful that is in a fight.
And on top of that, Ri-na's 'phantoms' demonstrate excellent utility outside of battle as well. Just like, for instance, right now—
"Alright, now please direct your attention to my right hand."
For when you want to use visuals to explain things that are difficult to convey with words.
The girl with her hands on my head… no, rather, in accordance with my image. As I slowly lifted my right hand, a translucent effect began to shimmer around it.
This is the second excellent quality of `[Anhelmia]`: by maintaining contact with a chosen target and lending them her power, she can project the images of others.
"What's that? Steam?"
"Nope, this is 'Outer Force.'"
I gave a deadpan reply to someone's clueless comment. While I'd heard about it, this was my first time experiencing it myself, so I tried manipulating the phantom-generating ability as I pleased.
I made the aura, which she'd called steam, sway left and right. I colored it red, blue, yellow… ah, I see. This is definitely—
"The controls are way better than I ever imagined… In fact, isn't the sensitivity so high that it's actually difficult?"
"Yeah. The trick is not to get too elaborate. If you consciously try to 'control' it, the output becomes excessive. It's better to think of it like 'breathing,' something you can do naturally."
"I… see?"
And so, after practicing for a while under the owner's tutelage.
Once I'd grown accustomed to the phantom manipulation, which moved exactly as I willed, I resumed the explanation I had put on hold. Of course, a contributing factor was the annoying red-head who kept scurrying around me, prodding, "Hurry up, hurry up."
Seriously, why is she so hyper? Did something good happen?
"Alright, since we're at it, I'll give you a quick rundown starting from the fundamentals of 'Outer Force.'"
As I spoke, I began to move my right hand, now cloaked in the visualized phantom of 'Outer Force.'
Right, left, up, down…—following my hand's movement, the shimmering 'force' trailed behind it like a tail. First, its natural state.
"This is the 'Outer Force' common to all players… or rather, it's the form in which the concept of the AGI stat operates. …Ah, well, that's strictly according to Kesshiki theory, anyway."
"Hmm, hmm?"
"Fundamentally, STR, the power to move the avatar, is in the physical body. So the idea is, where is AGI located, and how does it act upon the avatar?"
Mi-na tilted her head, while Tetra surprisingly took on the posture of a serious listener. I gave the latter's words an approving "exactly" before once again moving my right hand back and forth.
This time, the 'force' followed my hand with perfect convergence, without any wavering.
"And this is Kesshiki's Shukuchi technique. It intentionally manipulates the output of 'Outer Force (AGI),' which normally acts on its own, and perfectly fuses it with 'Inner Force (STR)' to create an explosive synergistic effect."
It sounds simple enough in words, but the reason a successor to `[Kesshiki Ittoryu]` didn't appear for so long is because perceiving and recognizing the output of 'Outer Force' is impossibly difficult.
Add to that the extreme difficulty of controlling it, and it's no wonder that even Ui-san gave up on it for a time—but anyway,
"In other words, 'Outer Force' is something you can control and move with your own will."
"Normally, that's just a theoretical argument."
Honestly, I think what Ri-na says is spot on. Even though I somehow managed to learn it, I still find myself thinking, "I have no idea how this works."
"Difficulty aside… since you can move it with your will, it's also possible to move only the 'Outer Force' if you try. Of course, since it's a force that fundamentally follows the avatar, it's difficult to completely separate it—"
Individual differences in perception make it a bit more complicated in reality, but that's another story. Anyway, next, I formed the 'force' that had been cloaking my hand into a sphere and made it float beside me.
"Well, you can do it."
"I see… so you can…"
"Ah, yeah. Right, you can…"
"Amazing."
Two sighs, one word of praise. Ignoring the first two, I then made the separated sphere circle around my hand.
"Now, kinetic energy builds up as you increase speed and intensity, right? That same logic applies to this 'Outer Force.' In other words, you can store it."
"""………………"""
"…Uh, well, just try your best to follow along, even if you don't get it."
I let out a wry smile at my three little senpais, who were all tilting their heads in unison… The sphere circling my hand spun faster and faster, eventually becoming difficult to see.
—And at that point.
"Now, what do you think would happen if I released this all at once?"
"Huh… well, it'd go KABOOM, right?"
"Correct. In other words, that's the principle behind Ui-san's creation, `[Yuikaze] `."
The immense kinetic energy generated by a preceding technique.
She pours all of it, without loss, into the separated 'Outer Force' and preserves it in the form of 'rotation'… This too is easy to say, but as a technique, it's undoubtedly one of extreme difficulty.
It's a move that even the [Sword Saint] couldn't achieve without reinforcing the image by spinning her own body and weapon in a whirlwind. It's a sublime technique worthy of being called a secret art.
And,
"And that is the foundation of the Art I created. In other words…"
Even if I wasn't suited for the Shukuchi technique that unifies 'Inner' and 'Outer'—it seems that in one aspect, I possessed a talent that, I dare say, was no less than that of the [Sword Saint].
"[Shifuu Ittoryu] is a style that specializes, to the utmost limit, in 'Outer Force.'"
The result of honing the 'talent' my master vouched for.
That is my sword style—still very much a work in progress, and far from complete.