I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Resonance.

A state of complete bliss and harmony that exists between two completely different yet similar things.

It could be said the same about Mana and Aura, like yin and yang.

One forming the other and the other forming one. It was a method he had thought off to replenish his energy but with time as he practiced, he discovered something else.

Something entirely domineering– Resonance. His mana and aura resonated with each other, their strong affinity attracting each other yet repelling each other, forcing the best out of each other at the same time.

In this manner, a single star gives him two fold the strength; then what about all eight ?

A single circle gives him two fold sensitivity to replenishing his mana and therefore aura; then what of all six ?

Bringing them all to harmony, he could raise his power by up to four times, maybe six times the amount but of course, it was merely in theory and he had yet to mastered it, so it came with a severe backlash.

Using it when he had to or using as little of it when he needed to, was how he had utilized it all this time, though now would be the first time he would use it fully.

His profound strength and agility in catching up with the strength of a Berserker were not just for show; a specific number of his stars and mana had been constantly vibrating and rotating in harmony, trying to synchronize with each other to bring out the best of themselves.

This was the third way of using dual energy that he had discovered by chance and this sort of method was easier when dealing with melee combatants such as swordsmen as the likes.

Now, he caused three stars and two circles to vibrate greatly as he pressed Gonzalo to the ground, his right hand slamming into his face with force.

The might caused a crater below the man's head, and blood gushed out of every pore in his human head.

But he remained unrelenting, his gaze fixed on Raph, refusing to fall unconscious until the skill fully activated.

If that explosion were to occur, it would definitely take the lives of many people within the Slums.

Its area of destruction was large, and the only way to stop it from being activated is by stopping the caster.

And that is why he continuously punched into the man's face, attempting to force him unconscious, but the man simply refused. His crimson eyes were dyed with blood, as it stared darkly into Raph's eyes.

"Ha ! Ha ! Haha ha ! Look at you now, Scared to die, are we ?!" He cried out in a frenzy, cackling when a cold mist suddenly exuded out of Raph's lips.

'If this doesn't work, then I can as well use that'. He raised his right hand in the air as a cold chill wrapped around it, turning his hand into transparent aqua blue ice.

A cold wind exuded around it, turning the air into ice, and falling downwards like dust.

Gonzalo raised a brow in surprise, when Raph suddenly pierced through his chest with his ice hand, a crippling cold burn seeped deeply into Gonzalo's heart.

He felt his aura, the black energy and , every fiber of his being freezing. It was getting cold and it was searing in pain like a hot laceration.

The contradicting properties only made the pain worse, nearly driving him to the brink of madness.

The man's eyes bulged open as a loud cry of terror shook the air around them, feeling the sensation caused him agony and pain as he grabbed Raph's hand in a weak attempt to get it off.

Tears swelled up in his eyes due to the pressure and a contorted expression grew on his face as he glared at Raph but Raph was glaring right back at him.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His otherworldly transparent eyes, exuded an aura of coldness and iciness as it stared deeply into Gonzalo's soul.

It was like staring at the moon, a chilling feeling growing deeply within him the longer he stared but he was being pulled, unable to resist.

Raph's expression grew cold, and the air around his arm continued to freeze, falling down like tiny dust particles.

Gonzalo experienced a deep–seated fear that only seemed to grow larger, the longer he was stuck with this boy.

No ! Now, he began to question a whole lot of things. He didn't think accepting death from the kid would grant him peace, but a burning cold too much to resist.

His legs involuntarily kicked and stomped the ground, causing a crater as it pushed his body backwards but Raph remained still. A chill word exuding from his lips.

"Absolute Zero".

Cold ice spread throughout Gonzalo's body from the wound Raph's hand had penetrated, spreading like cancer at an impossible speed.

He felt the sensation of his legs gone, then his arms, and finally, up to his chest and neck. A quiet gasp of air exuded his lips when he suddenly grabbed his neck, trying desperately to grasp at any hope of living but it was dying too quickly.

Finally, his whole body froze, turning into a pristine white statue of brittle ice shards.

Raph's gaze focused on the frozen body for a short moment, slow breaths exuding his lips as his hand transformed back to normal.

It was over and he had finally killed the man. Though this may stir unknown situations in the future, he had resolved himself.

Standing up, he felt a throbbing pain in his chest, blood dribbling down his lips as he fell on one knee, breathing carefully. The throbbing pain spread throughout his body like wildfire, but just as he thought, the pain reduced compared to when he first used it.

The backlash from using harmony reduced each time he formed a new star and an additional circle or it served as a buff against it. He wasn't sure yet.

But at least he remained conscious after using a part of it.

The cold air still lingered about him, but it was slowly disappearing, enabling the air around his hand to stabilize.

Absolute Zero was another interesting technique of his, causing unimaginable pain to the target when used.

It's even worse when in close contact, and what's more, it turns their body into particles of ice…not full ice statues.

Meaning, a single physical attack, no matter how little will cause it to scatter.

Raph stood up and walked backwards, away from the frozen body of his enemy, a sigh of satisfaction exuding out of his lips when he heard movements behind him.

His gaze slowly shifted to meet the excited gaze of the werewolf girl.

"you're safe". He said, a sigh of relief exuding out of his lips as he walked towards her.

She nodded, taking a peek at the body behind him with great interest.

"Great Warrior ! You are truly worthy of the Jun name". She said, her eyes closed as a tight smile grew from her lips.

Though, her words seemed to have the opposite effect of what she had intended. He became wary. "You speak like you know about us ?" He asked. Find adventures on empire

A rather absurd question in fact; who hasn't heard of the Jun household ? The girl remained silent, her smile fixed in its position as she suddenly closed the distance between them, startling Raph.

She didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so he didnt back off immediately, though what came next was totally unexpected.

She pulled his face closer to hers, stretching her legs and wagging her tail, as she took a whiff of his scent, then suddenly clasped her lips on his.

'The Fuck ?!'

He slowly pulled her away, confusion and surprise etched on his face as the lingering taste of her lips remained.

"Wha–What was that ?" He asked, unable to keep his composure but soon regained it.

The girl smiled, walking backwards. "We'll meet again….very soon, Raffaelo Jun".

A wisp of the wind suddenly spun around her, enveloping her body, and disappeared after a few seconds.

Raph was left stupefied by the situation but couldn't remain surprised, his thought spinning.

'Are all werewolves like her ? What did she do just now ?'. The little information he knew on demi-humans was limited to the great families, he needed to learn more.

'Well, I will eventually, at the Academy'.

He sighed, turning back and rushing towards the Bastion. He had spent enough time here so it was time to return and aid his sister, if she was still in danger that is. He brushed off all other distractions and faced forward, and pushed the questions aside for now.

With a confused expression, he jumped over some debris and disappeared from sight.

Just then, next to the frozen body of Gonzalo, a shadow warped into reality and two crimson eyes shone brightly from beneath, glaring furiously at the sky. "Raffaelo Jun, I shall never forget this defeat".

****

Back at the Bastion, Morganna walked out of the tower, her body ridden with lacerations, but she began to heal them soon enough.

Besides her were Gloria and her mother, exhaustion evident in their eyes.

"She escaped ?" Morganna asked, her tone raised. She formed a rock next to a frozen statue and sat down on it, attending to her injuries.

Gloria sighed. "A beast tamer at the ninth circle, it's surprising how well she hid it from you". She scratched the back of her head, memories replaying.

They had arrived just in time, when their battle had gotten intense and Rina had begun to reveal more of her abilities.

The one that scared her the most would be the summoning of beasts….almost like a Teras, but she was not of their household.

"A beast tamer…" Her brows furrowed deeply as she bit her lower lip. "She split us up so she could take care of at least one of us for ruining their plans"

"The Red Peacemakers, it seems the King will have to he notified of this incident"

Gloria sighed when they noticed their mothers intense gaze on the Demi-humans that were escorted out of the Bastion.

She was silent, her gaze flickering with emotions.

Her daughters glanced at each other, understanding the emotions that could have swelled up in her.

Morganna sighed as a result. After Rina had managed to escape from their hands…in whatever way she was able to, they finally got into the basement, and what they saw was the testament to human cruelty.