Veil of Aether

[Skill Name]: Shima Edgecraft: Stormpiercer Ascendant

“Strike with elegance. Shatter with force.”

Description:

You’ve taken the destructive art of projectile mastery and refined it through the lens of elemental purity. Inspired by a small bird you befriended during your early days in Japan—a rare Shima Enaga, native to the mountain ranges of Japan—you forged a new path. Your throws now embody not just precision, but a kind of divine elegance. Each strike is a storm-sculpted miracle: radiant, swift, and devastating.

Upgraded Effects

1. Celestial Infusion

• Projectiles may now be infused with dual-elemental force signatures (e.g., Thunder + Wind), creating powerful hybrid effects.
• Infusion capacity is greatly increased, though Aether consumption scales with elemental complexity.

1. Lethal Bloom

• Upon impact, infused projectiles blossom into a storm of elemental feathers or petals, unique to their elements.
• Wind petals slice with precision. Thunder blooms chain to nearby enemies.
• Each bloom scales with infusion depth and is influenced by Kei’s throwing angle and rotation speed.

1. Armorbreak Crescendo

• Every projectile now strikes in three timed phases:
1. Initial rupture – weakens defenses.
2. Pierce – bypasses armor to hit raw tissue.
3. Detonation – releases stored energy in a focused burst.
• Effectiveness increased by 50% against reinforced, crystalline, or layered defenses.

1. Divine Aftershock

• A fully infused projectile leaves behind a lingering echo of divine force.
• This echo pulses outward in a circular wave, dealing force damage and staggering nearby enemies.
• Visually manifests as shimmering feathers, lightning song arcs, or radiant light.

5. Shima Force Sync

• Projectiles infused with specific elements gain specialized effects:
• Thunder: Unleashes a chain-lightning wingbeat that arcs between enemies and applies a brief stun.
• Wind: Generates a feather trail of controlled gusts, knocking enemies back in bursts along its path.

Bonus Trait – Wings of Ruin

Once per battle, Kei can launch three infused projectiles in succession, each spiraling with hybrid elemental energy.

Mid-air, they converge into a Shima-shaped explosion, forming the silhouette of a diving Enaga.

• Deals massive AoE damage.
• Temporarily weakens enemy elemental resistances in the blast zone.
• Leaves behind glowing motes of aether that regenerate 10% of Kei’s spent Aether if retrieved.

Although Kei Y couldn’t unlock the full extent of Shima Edgecraft: Stormpiercer Ascendant as Khenu at this moment during the Temporal Dungeon, the Shima Enaga—formed of wind and frost force runes strokes, stabilized by creation force—acted in his place. Made with his pristine aether, the construct functioned at the maximum potential of the skill.

Celestial Infusion was the first to activate. Dual elements of wind and frost surged through the bird, creation force amplifying its form while rapidly draining Kei Y’s aether reserves.

As the Shima Enaga dove toward Aterix, Lethal Bloom and Armorbreak Crescendo followed in perfect succession. The dive bomb struck cleanly, breaking through Aterix’s defenses—weakening his armor, piercing into him, and detonating with a frozen tundra.

But the assault didn’t stop there. Feathers ripped from the Enaga’s wings mid-flight, guided by the bird and synced with Kei’s rune-crafted sakura petals. The projectiles rained down, bombarding Aterix in waves, slicing and impaling until his entire body was left marked with cuts and embedded shards of elemental force.

Forced to increase his defenses, Aterix hastily erected rune barriers, bracing against the continued onslaught. Kei Y hovered in the air, eyes emotionless and unreadable, as he watched the zone boss struggle beneath his assault.

He looked almost disappointed.

“Heh, kid, I was asked to keep my strength within the limits of recruit class,” Aterix said taking a breath. “If I’m ever forced to increase to soldier class, then that’s your win. You’re not quite there yet… but if you keep this up, I might just have to give it to you.”

“If that’s all it takes to clear this zone,” Kei Y replied flatly, eyes fixed on him, “then it seems like I won’t be here much longer.”

Frostbane rune strokes began to spiral around him, glowing coldly. Ember Ash runes ignited alongside them, contrasting heat with chill. Wind rune strokes fluttered beneath him, suspending him mid-air like he belonged there. His expression didn’t waver.

“What if I defeat you at your soldier-class strength?” Kei asked, voice even, eyes unblinking. “What do I receive then?”

Aterix scoffed, the laugh rising out of him as if Kei had said something absurd. “You cause a few superficial cuts and think you’re ready to handle things you can’t even fathom?”

Kei’s gaze sharpened.

“Superficial? Is that what you think of the student you want to steal… from the person you owe a life-altering favor to?” he said, voice low. “If they’re so superficial, then I suppose you’ll have no issue handling the rest of the skill.”

The Shima Enaga glided back toward Kei, glowing softly with its fusion of wind and frost. Without looking, Kei raised his hand, and the bird perched gracefully on his extended finger.

Aterix blinked, momentarily confused. “Rest of the skill?”

Kei didn’t answer with words. His eyes shimmered, the kaleidoscope patterns swirling faster. The air pressure changed—silent, weightless, but undeniable.

“Let’s see what soldier-class really means,” Kei Y said.

The frostbane runes condensed.

The ember ash burned brighter.

The wind howled.

And above it all, the Shima Enaga’s wings began to stretch, feathers peeling away—each one glowing with infused elemental force.

With a slight shake of its head, the Shima Enaga ascended and flew into the air along with shedded feathers and Sakura blossoms rune strokes

"One... two... three," Kei Y counted softly, eyes tracking the flight paths. He registered them as projectiles—each one part of the ongoing sequence in his Shima Edgecraft skill, continuing the attack chain even after Aterix had already been pierced by the bird’s initial strike.

Looking at Kei Y’s display of power and reflecting on his earlier words, he couldn’t help but wonder what’s to come next, and as if it slipped his noticed, what to come next came as he felt frosted gale winds assault him as he staggered in place as frozen feathers circled around him as they dropped to the ground

As if on cue, a sudden gust of frost-laced wind slammed into him. He staggered, arms instinctively raised, but it was too late—the air thickened with glacial force, and frozen feathers began to spiral around him. They hovered for a second… then dropped.

“What the—?” Aterix began, but his question was cut off as the residual force pulsed out in waves, slamming into him.

“Divine Aftershock,” Kei Y said calmly, offering no further explanation.

Aterix could only grit his teeth, forced to tank the compounded effect as it battered against his body. It wasn’t just power—it was refinement. Everything was so clean, so deliberate. His own rune defenses struggled to keep up with the seamless layering of elemental pressure.

His eyes flicked up to the three projectiles still readied in Kei Y’s orbit—the bird, the feathers, the sakura blossoms. And for the first time, he took a close look at the quality of the rune strokes.

“…Such rapid improvement,” Aterix muttered, eyes narrowing. “He’s using far fewer strokes than before… and their arrangement, their formation—cleaner, more efficient.”

In the midst of his acknowledgment of Kei Y’s rapid growth, the Shima Enaga dove forward once more. This time, Aterix dodged—he wasn’t going to be caught by the same trick twice. But trailing behind the bird were the frosted feather projectiles.

Before Aterix could register their presence, he felt a sudden stunning effect hit his nervous system. He didn’t even know where it came from.

As the frosted feathers closed in, Aterix noticed something new—another set of feathers mixed among them. These glowed faintly green, laced with rune strokes that looked like Thunder Force but shimmered with Wind Force signatures.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He couldn’t recognize it.

Unbeknownst to him, this was Verdant Volt Force, manifested through Kei Y’s rune strokes—his own fusion of storm elements brought to life in projectile form.

This was the effect of Shima Force Sync, applying stronger, enhanced elemental effects atop the ones Aterix was already enduring.

Still stunned, he couldn’t react as the frost-laced feathers struck him, layering on more freezing effects. The air around him grew brittle, his limbs slower.

And then… they weren’t done.

The Verdant Volt feathers and the frosted ones suddenly surged forward, following the Shima Enaga’s trail. Behind them, the sakura blossom rune strokes shimmered and spiraled into motion.

Wings of Ruin activated.

The Shima Enaga arced into the sky, wings spread wide as the three sets of projectiles—the bird, the feathers, and the blossoms—spiraled around in a cyclone of force convergence. They descended upon Aterix as a single Shima-shaped explosion bloomed outward, radiant and destructive.

Kei Y watched from above, sweat trailing down his face, breath ragged.

[Khenu]

[Aether: 2/90]

He wavered mid-air, barely staying aloft, pulling harder on ambient aether from the environment just to keep from collapsing.

Aterix, half-knelt in the aftermath, steam and frost rising off his form, couldn’t help but admit it—even silently.

This skill… far exceeds anything a recruit-class combatant should be able to withstand.

Even some specialists would’ve needed to burn their life-saving trump cards.

He stared up at Kei Y, who hovered above, chest rising and falling, exhausted but still defiant.

“A true talent…” Aterix muttered, sincerely impressed.

Then he smirked, tone returning to something more casual. “Heh. Really impressive. I have to admit—if it wasn’t for my mastery of the rune stages, I would’ve been defeated ten times over by that skill.”

He tilted his head, watching Kei’s ragged state. “But looking at you now, it seems like it took everything out of you. Still think you can win?”

Kei Y didn’t answer right away. His breathing was heavy, his eyes dim—but steady.

Then he stared down at Aterix and exhaled slowly.

“…Who told you the skill was done?”

Aterix blinked.

The feathers and blossoms seemed to be fading, their glow dying down… until he noticed glowing motes of aether littered all around him. Tiny sparks—residues left by Wings of Ruin.

And then they moved.

Drawn toward Kei Y, the motes flew like fireflies, merging into him one by one. His aether reserves began to refill. The exhaustion in his face faded. His posture straightened.

His aura started rising again.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Aterix muttered, sighing in annoyance.

And Kei Y—expression flat, composure returning—simply looked back at him as Frostbane, Ember Ash, and now Shadow and Light, and Verdant Volt rune strokes swirled around him as he hovered steadily atop fluttering Wind rune strokes.

“Don’t you have any shame, old man?” Kei Y asked. “First, you didn’t acknowledge your first defeat, forcing this fight to drag on. Then you tried to steal the student of your benefactor, regardless of the losses you'd take to do so. And now you’re relying on your unfair advanced mastery to avoid admitting defeat.”

He tilted his head slightly. “As a self-proclaimed master in the field… have you really fallen so low? Or can you say—straight-faced, or with whatever that is on your head—that there are recruit-class combatants out there who could survive that last assault?”

Aterix didn’t answer.

He just stared at Kei with a visibly annoyed look—clearly more bothered by the jab at his head shape than the actual challenge. But that pause, that brief hesitation as he tried to think of a proper answer, was more than enough. It confirmed to Kei that yes, true talents at the recruit level were capable of such feats.

“Alright then,” Kei Y said, accepting the truth for what it was. “I can keep going for as long as you like.”

With a calm stare, he waved one arm through the swirling rune strokes, the force clinging to his skin. His kaleidoscope eyes flickered, locking onto the fragments of elemental force as they aligned. Then, he waved his other arm, binding a second force to it.

On his right arm, Verdant Volt rune strokes surged with emerald lightning.

On his left, Ember Ash crackled with heat and pressure.

Between skin and force on both arms, a thin sheet of creation force rune strokes shimmered faintly, layering itself as protective reinforcement.

The three forces glowed more vividly in his eyes, the colors dancing together like firelight over glass.

“Okay,” Kei said, fluttering down to the ground, Frostbane, Shadow, and Light, and Wind rune strokes still swirling around him. “Forget defeating you at soldier-class. That seems out of my league right now. So—when I beat you now, with you still locked to recruit-class limits… what do I get?”

“When?” Aterix echoed, amused. “Quite the audacity. But fine. I’ll entertain your confidence. What do you want?”

As he spoke, Aterix reshaped his defensive rune strokes. They were far fewer than Kei’s—but the sheer pressure they radiated made up for the difference.

“I’ve been lacking in movement abilities,” Kei said, stepping forward.

Aterix exasperated. “Kid, why do you lie so blatantly?”

As Kei moved, the Wind rune strokes responded to his steps. The very ground beneath him shifted, behaving like a moving walkway—streamlining his movement with every step. It was beautiful in its simplicity and function.

“Hehe, I’m not lying,” Kei replied with a light grin, his former playfulness peeking through. “What you’re seeing now—I still consider the weakest aspect of my abilities. Think you can help?”

“Of course I can,” Aterix answered. “But if you lose… you relinquish Auserre as your master. You acknowledge me as your one and only.”

Kei amused asked. “If you were in my place, can you honestly—honestly—say with a clear conscience that you’d accept that trade? Auserre for you?”

Aterix winced.

“Kid, you’re mean,” Aterix grumbled, because even he knew… he couldn’t answer yes to that.

Chuckling, Kei Y drew his Gale Fang sword in one hand. With a swift motion, he erased the original rune strokes he’d inscribed during its initial crafting, causing its rank to drop from Silver grade to Common grade. But then, without missing a beat, he infused it with new rune strokes—this time with the precision and understanding gained from his recent rune breakthroughs.

In seconds, Gale Fang surged upward—rising from Common grade all the way to Gold grade.

He repeated the process on his prized weapon, removing the older acceleration rune and replacing it with newer, more refined Wind and Thunder rune strokes, tuned perfectly to match his elemental control.

Aterix watched, stunned, as Kei inscribed the runes in real time with steady hands. The ambient forces bent to his will with unnatural precision.

“…Kid, you’re a crafter too?” Aterix asked, blinking in disbelief at the weapon Kei now held—its surface radiating wind and thunder force.

“Of course I am,” Kei Y said casually. “I’m quite talented, after all.”

He smiled, then added with mock pride, “I’m quite the cook too. Before coming here, I made my master and my friends a feast. My master didn’t have the appetite when I left, but I’m sure once she tries it—she’ll kill you outright to prevent you from stealing a talented chef from her hands.”

Aterix tilted his head. “…Okay, I get all that. But is that a brick in your other hand? And you crafted it—and drew rune strokes on it?”

Kei held it up proudly. “Neat, huh?”

Auserre, watching from the water mirror, went a little misty-eyed. Her voice caught in her throat as she whispered with a fierce smile, “Damn right, kid… you tell him.”

The king, watching alongside her, chuckled. “Got to admit, your students are loyal to you to a fault. You must’ve done a lot for someone with that kind of talent to be so unwavering.”

“She sold him goat meat… with interest,” the vendor added, snickering under his breath.

Auserre whipped around, scowling. “You’re one to talk, you cheap bastard! You sold the kid rotten vegetables—and now you’re trying to get into his good graces like you weren’t a walking scam!”

The vendor shrugged, unbothered. “I’d argue the quality of the food I sold forced him to improve his cooking abilities. And as you can see—andsmell—he turned out quite alright with it.”

He gestured to the dishes to the side, Kei had made before leaving, their aromas still lingering enchantingly.

The king leaned in, intrigued. “I’ve been meaning to ask—this food really does smell amazing. Mind if I try some?”

“Sure,” Auserre said. “Just avoid the plate with the red sauce next to it. Khenu said he made that one just for me as thanks—he really wants me to try it.”

“…So why haven’t you eaten it yet?” the king asked.

Holding her stomach, Auserre quickly glanced away. The memories of the violent strikes Kei and the others subjected her stomach to made her pause.

“Uh… I’m on my period. No appetite.”

“...Ok...?”

The vendor was already digging in. “That Kaleidoscope field around him is spectacular. Gotta admit, I never imagined the kid going the combat runesmith route.”

“Why not? He seems more than talented enough.” The king took a bite and sighed in delight. “Mmm. This isfantastic. Think I can borrow the kid to cook for me sometimes?”

Auserre leaned back, arms crossed, still watching the water mirror. “Actually… based on what he told me, he only started learning rune crafting recently. Barely had enough fire rune mastery to light a stove before his fight with that Slave Laborer.”

She shook her head slightly, lips twitching into a smile.

“He’s probably not even been working with runes for a full month.”

"And no."