Chapter 308: Magical Arts
I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off the fight between Fable and the monstrous centipede. In his monstrous form, the wolf was more able to compete in size and strength, yet no matter how he engaged, the fight led nowhere. Letting out a sigh, I met Korra’s inquisitive gaze with a shake of my head.
"It’s not good. The monster’s just too big to fight properly, and its armor deflects anything that might be able to hurt it. Even when Fable got under its armor, I doubt he did any substantial damage. I can’t see any weaknesses in its soul either, though, oddly enough, it’s not using any magical techniques. How about you? Are your arts having any effect?"
Korra scowled and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Same problem. I can slow a few of its legs, or even its jaws, but it doesn’t last long. I think it floods any place I attack with mana, overwhelming and breaking the debuffs after just a second or two."
"Mana?" I echoed faintly.
Frowning, I gripped my staff tightly and gazed intently at the monster. Even with the passive effects of the Oracle of Eternity, which was akin to the active Eyes of Fate, I couldn’t make out any such movement of mana. In fact, all I could see was its soul itself, which was why I assumed it wasn’t using magical techniques. But if it were stopping Korra’s arts, then it had to be using mana. Was there something blocking my vision?
"It’s only a guess, but it’s the only thing I can think of," Korra added, mistaking my silence for doubt. "I suppose it might also be because the difference between our souls is too great, so it doesn’t stick."
I shook my head, pursing my lips thoughtfully. "No, that isn’t it. If that were true, it would work like Adaptive Resistance and wouldn’t affect it at all. I wonder..."
My thoughts raced, and I closed my eyes and recalled the battle against the demon apostle Gayron. If I could just recapture that feeling, then maybe I could...
My eyes flashed open, filled with the light of fate, and the entire world slowed to a crawl. Before I could even look about, I became aware of an unbridled rush of mana flowing from my soul like the uncorked tap of a barrel. Just like last time, the merest glimpse of fate required an absurd cost, and I stumbled back a step, already struggling against a growing feeling of weakness.