When a sword is infused with mana, it becomes an Aura Blade, making the sword faster and more dangerous. Infusing mana was like forging, and its ultimate result was the Aura Blade.

You could say that if a regular sword was water, then an Aura Blade was ice.

So what is Aura Force?

Aura Blade concentrates mana into one spotnamely, a sword. Aura Force, on the other hand, is much more deadly because its power is infused into the entire body. Aura Blade lacks the destructive power of the much-rarer Aura Force. The ice, at a certain level of mastery, would disperse againthis time, into a fog.1

Even trying to use Aura Force required a high level of mana manipulation, that of an intermediate A-Class Knight at minimum. It demanded vast quantities of mana but afforded the knight with incredible versatility in exchange.

Consider this: what happens if a knight could suddenly accelerate from a speed of 3 to a speed of 10? Even if he couldnt maintain it for long, it presented a serious threat to his opponent.

Now consider what would happen if Joshua could use all the mana in the environment around him as his battery, rather than just what was in the limited confines of his mana hall.2

Forward! The drumming of hoofbeats heralded the arrival of a horde of three hundred knights; both horses and men were clad in silver armor from top to bottom. It was a formation that could crush any normal unit of soldiers in a single fell swoop.

Archers! Prepare!

At Count Keiross shout, the troops raised their bows. With a single word, the Count would be able to rain arrows on the enemys advance.

C-Count!

Keiros peered over the wall, and his jaw dropped when he saw a man charging toward the enemy alone.

Baron Sanders! he shouted. Stop!

Advance! The Wilhelm Knights follow the king! Leo de Grans slavered to join his liege.

Count Keiros grit his teeth.

No! A voice grabbed their attention. Master told us to stand by.

Sir Cain?

Our master will succeed once again.

But Marquis Crombells army is not the same as it was last time

I-Incoming!

They spun around. Joshua was much faster than theyd expected; in mere seconds, hed crossed roughly a kilometer and crashed through the enemys front lines.

Is that Aura Force? Cain stared at Joshua in disbelieving awe. Even from far away, that power was clear. He saw Joshua not holding the spear but being the spear. His master punched straight through the enemys defense like a spears point.

No one could have missed what happened next.

ARGH! A man screamed at the top of his lungs for reasons unknown.

The silver-clad knights raced forward like an unstoppable tsunamibut when they met Joshuas spear, they were the ones swept aside. In a single move, five or more knights were tossed off their horses.

His spear was unstoppable.

One moment, it was like the bone-shattering jaws of a wild beast sinking its fangs into its prey; another moment, it was like the feather-soft flapping of a butterflys wings3. It was the epitome of soft strength.

With the situation rapidly deteriorating, the enemy commander was forced to make a snap decision.

Dismount! Assemble formation!

You really do deserve to lead the Marquiss army. With Lugia in hand, Joshua leisurely admired the grace with which the knights leaped off their galloping horses in spite of their heavy armor.

He smiled.

No single person, no matter how strong, can fight a war on their own. Raw power was important, yes, but his allies had to have the will to fight.

Ahem, ahem. Joshua casually cleared his throat, heedless of the danger surrounding him. The white smoke curling around his figure began to gather around his mouthanother, older form of Aura Force. He was no dragon, but Joshuas way of using mana to amplify his voice was far superior to normal methods.

Did you see that? The spear rules the battlefield. His low, soft voice was heard cleanly across the battlefield.

The prelude had finished; it was time for the orchestra to begin its main act.

It is a path where all those who walk it will be showered in flower petals. It leads to glory, above all else.

His mana-infused melodies enchanted the ear, sweeping away the Pontiers fears.

Then, it reached a dark crescendo.

And those who oppose it the reaper of the battlefields wrath awaits you with open arms.

The Dukes soldiers clenched their fists in determination and welcomed the ominous message into their hearts while the Marquiss knights shivered in fear.

EEK! Wh-What are you doing?! You used some kind of trick! 1st and 2nd units, forward!

Huh! Crombells knights shook their shoulders as if throwing off the feelings welling up from deep inside them.

Is Is this what the Master wanted us to see? Cain could feel Joshuas words affecting him deep in his bones. His mana was resonating, filling every nook and cranny of his body with energy. It made him feel light as air and unstoppable.

It was a whole new world.

Master are you a god?

Our king!

Cain frowned.

Hes my master.

No hes the lord of Reinhardt.

He picked me first.

He accepted us only a few days ago.

So what? Cains forehead creased.

Well the order doesnt matter.

You

Our king is thinking: if the body wastes away, then so does the mind.4

This son of a

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

GLORY TO THE HERO!

LETS GO!

Cain and Leo were blown away by the soldiers enthusiasm.

If we leave them alone, theyll barge out of the castle and fight until they dropbut the main force hasnt arrived yet.

Hmm. Count Keiros is here, hell take care of those maniacs.

Cain cast his gaze around for the man in question and found him standing next to Charles, who had just come up the walls to see what all the fuss was about.

There was something wrong, though. Count Keiros had always been diligent and serious whenever Cain had seen him; he should have been waiting calmly for the signal. Instead, he had his chest puffed up, his face was red, and his eyes glittered.

WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! ONWARDS! FOR THE HERO! FOR BARON SANDERS!

Haha

It turned out that polite old Count Keiros still had quite the pair of lungs on him.

This Joshua considered the situation for a moment. This should do for now The war wasnt over yet, but he felt satisfied.

He glanced behind the enemy, where the bulk of the enemys forces was approaching. Joshua could feel an enormous presence within them.

Mercenary King. He gripped Lugia tightly.

Go! Upon their commanders orders, hundreds of the Marquiss knights thundered toward Joshua, slicing through the fog with their Aura Blades.

Joshua looked at each and every blade and then he slipped away. It was a single, simple step. If you hadnt been paying attention, you may not have noticed it at all. He came to a halt, still as a rock, and quietly set Lugia down.

The dense fog slipped away, and the moon peeked through the clouds.

The fight had only just begun.