"So far only things that are alive and have a will have a resistance to their mana being manipulated, it may be a natural resistance in a world where everything is made of mana and there are those who can control it"

  (Most likely the reason I wasn't that much affected by the absorption yesterday).

  One by one every magic beast that came into contact with him was slain. They all seemed to fall to easily so he decided to go to one he had been avoiding this entire time, a silasmandra. He wasn't sure how well he'd be against it considering yesterday, but he could not move on without a clear victory against it. After coming face to face with it he wondered if he should go through with this or just play it safe.

  The shadows all around darkened while moving to a single point fusing along the way, the silasmandra was alarmed and before it could decide whether to flee or fight, the fused shadow was already at its feet. It retreated a few steps back but it was already to late, the shadow had formed a spike rising from the ground piercing through its chest, exiting from its back as a hand with a twin mana core in it's grasp. As the silasmandra collapsed the rest of his body emerged from the shadow after his hand. The silasmandra corpse had no visible wound, the spike made of shadows could pass through it unhindered by its physical body. After hunting magic beasts he had developed this fast method to deal with them, mana core extraction, without it they loose their magic and there is a 98% chance of them dying, no matter how tough they were non were able to physical defend against it.

  (I've improved my magic enough, time to head back home).

  Days past and the week was coming to an end, during these past few days Noir would go out and practice magic every time he learned new ways to apply it and today was one of those days.

  "Don't forget tomorrow we are leaving for the capital, make sure you're ready to go by the end of the day".

  His father reminded him as he left the house.

  (Finally the time to go to the academy has come).

  The thought of learning magic in ways he'd never thought of excited him so he could not help but grin. When he was outside the town he used shadow movement to arrive at the forest in an instant. Today he was here to make observation of how the forest reacted to the free mana around it, he already had a hypothesis and he was here to confirm it. As he flew above the forest he looked around all the places that he knew were damaged, what he saw was that the forest had recovered, but this did not surprise him.

  "Like I thought the mana that remains after magic is used goes back to the environment, but it is faster than I thought".

  He looked at the destruction that the dome of light had caused, but now it was much smaller, the forest had grown new trees making it hard to believe that this part of the forest was a dead zone not to long ago. In the distance he could see a mountain with caves that were clearly man made having nothing else to do he went directly there to investigate.

  (Who ever they are surely they won't attack for no reason, right?)

  After entering the mountain cave he could finally sense the presence of someone inside, he did not believe for a second that sensing one meant only one person was inside, even using darkness to see inside he could barely make out that person's features. The cave entrance was wide, well built with lighting on the walls that went further into the cave, the further in the cave he went the more branching paths he encountered, each time he came across them he did not hesitate he chose the ones that led to the person inside. This brought him to a wide space in the cave, while entering this wide space he saw from the corner of his eye a beast or rather the fist of said beast, with his great reflexes and speed, he effortlessly side stepped to dodge and divert the fist. From where he now stood he had a clear view of his assailant, a robust beast that looked like a fusion of a lion and a minotaur, with blood shot eyes.

  (What's this...)

  Noir was momentarily distracted by the fact that it was wearing clothes, as barbaric as they were. The beast as if it was anticipating his surprise punched with its other arm, though the barrier is what was hit the impact sent him flying to the walls. After the day of his rite of passage he always had his barrier active for anything that might happen.

  "I really need to alter the barrier properties after this".

  Barrier a manifestation of a person's durability and resistance in a ranged form, it's properties could be changed both permanently and temporarily according to one's will. While in a crouching position he looked at the beast approaching at a steady pace.

  "So you have come to finish the job, first my kin now you want to end me as well, do not think for a second it'll be that easy. If your not careful it will be your life that ends today".

  (It wears clothes of course it has to speak). "Let's talk this out, I'm not who you think I am".

  Noir got up into a fighting stance, he was not sure what the beast was talking about and wished to find out but he would not dwell on such thoughts at this moment, not when it has no intention of listening to him.

  "Come demon let this dying king teach you why you should never corner a wounded animal".

  (Ah, I guess I am who he thinks I am, the demon part at least, if not the hunter of magic beasts).

  Without any further words the beast began his barrage of punches once they were face to face, with no room to counterattack, Noir escaped into the shadows but just as he was about to use his new signature move, the spike of shadows, he was pulled right out of the shadow and thrown against the wall once more just as the spike was forming. This time he bounced back and slammed the beast into the ground, cracks spread throughout the cave. Unfazed by the sudden turn of events he tried something that he had never done before.

  (It was bound to happen someday, now let's see if I can't drag it into the shadows, should be fine though afterall it doesn't affect the self).

  With that thought he submerged the beast into its shadow. But even that was futile as the beast burst out with enough speed to momentarily exceed Noir's reaction. With the difference in height the punch landed right at his face ignoring his barrier, it had enough force to send Noir back a few meters but he did not fall.

  "Clearly you have not been well educated, you're too inexperienced to defeat me with just magic".

  "You want to brawl magic beast, I'll play along".

  "You vile demon dare to call me, king of the beast kin, magic beast. For those that came before me I will end you".

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  (Doesn't matter what you are I'll test my new magic on you).

  Having said what they wanted to the two began their next confrontation, Noir clad his fist in flames which then turned black when he combined them with darkness, attribute fusion, which he'd wanted to test by fighting magic beasts. Both stood within reach of one another then began to exchange blows. Noir was at height disadvantage, blow after blow he had to jump to hit vital parts of the beast, with each passing exchange of blows the strength put in each one would increase. At first they were evenly matched but as time passed the beast was slowly pushed back, despite its superior build, size and using its tail to counter some of the attacks, it kept on losing ground. It may have been because of its weakened state but it did not change that it could not handle the attacks any further, if it was during its prime it might have been able to shake off the accumulating damage. It coiled his leg with its tail mid jump and threw him to create some distance. It was breathing heavily, it only remained standing through sheer will alone. Seeing how well Noir was fairing compared to it, it chose suicide, no that did not mean it killed itself but the result of its final move would be its death regardless of whether it wins or loses. Noir could feel it, whatever it was getting ready for was dangerous, he reached out before him as if to hold a sword and the ground rose forming a sword as it did so, the earth sword was turned to metal and encased in the black flames upon being held by him. They were both ready for the others last move, they moved at the same time, passed by each other and stood opposite to where they were prior. One fell to the ground, it was the beast, it lay there face down. During that small interval of contact Noir cut across its torso while its punch barely even struck his hair. Noir approached to confirm it was dead, after examining it he was relieved to know it was dead.

  "Seriously though what was its deal, attacking me like that. And that last punch it was more than just strength, I guess my height saved me".

  He touched the area of his hair that was hit and saw that it had fossilised. Like it was waiting for him to check his hair the beast corpse fossilised as well. The beast king used the last of his life force to overcome Noir's resistance. But this was of no concern to him he resumed his search of the cave, what he discovered was that the presence he felt in the cave was a decoy set by the beast to lure him to the center of the cave. What he was surprised to find was its diary, a magic one that records memories, from its memories he came to know who it was. Like it said it was not a magic beast, its race possessed intelligence equal to humanity and was just as civilised. Being in close relationship with humanity they fought alongside humanity during the Holy Demonic wars, living in the forest where the war mostly took place they suffered massive casualties from fighting in the war then remained in the forest even when their military power weakened. Those that survived the war soon died from the continued assault of magic beasts, this beast kin was their last king and was also the last remaining beast kin alive. During the last war he was hit with magic that had madness attribute so over the years it ate away at his sanity. One could even say he was worthy of admiration, living for so long while under the effect of madness without completely losing his mind. He was indeed a great king, loved by his people during his time, what Noir met was a shell of his former self. Noir felt pity for the beast king, he was not sure who was cruel, the demons that fought the beast kin without consideration or humanity that wasn't there in their time of need.

  "In the end being a race with long lifespans was the cause of their downfall, when they asked for aid from humanity, millenniums had passed after the war and the generations that would have cared and offered to help were buried by the time."

  Earlier that day on the neighboring continent, the Holy Empire was holding a grand ceremony. The capital city was filled with people, all the of them overflowing with joy because on this day the hero and six cardinals were chosen among the most outstanding members of the Holy Temple, ranking from archbishop and higher. This ceremony was attended by nobles and high ranking temple members from all over the continent, even the Holy Emperor, Xander, who attended as both emperor and pope. All these individuals had gathered here at the Grand Cathedral to witness a once in a hundred thousand years occurrence, the birth of a hero.

  "The chosen seven shall now enter"

  The already quiet cathedral seemed to get even quieter when the doors to the cathedral opened and 7 individuals dressed in holy robes walked in, one walked ahead of the others, he was the first prince and soon to be hero. At the end of their path the emperor was waiting alongside seven other popes. The first prince was the first to arrive and kneeled before the Holy Temple's grail and beside it was the emperor and the seven popes, each holding a gold chalice. When the six cardinals to be arrived and kneeled behind the prince, starting with the closest one the popes each handed their chalices to the emperor, who then dipped them in the Holy Grail, the chalices were filled with the liquid light inside the grail.

  "Emperial prince, Dagrun do you accept the role, responsibility and hero name Lucius, as the next hero".

  "I do".

  Only after the prince's response did the emperor hand him the chalice, the prince received the chalice and drank while remaining in the kneeling position. The emperor then proceeded to the other six, only he did not give them the chalices to drink from but poured the light onto their heads and it flowed into them, not even a drop touched the ground. When the seven stood starting with the hero then the cardinals, they give off a light that could be seen from anywhere in the cathedral. They were reborn as the light of the world, the light from the grail had changed their very being. When the light faded the seven then went around the cathedral greeting and being congratulated by the people. The hero went to his brother Faust, the second prince.

  "I finally understand you brother, more than I have ever had before".

  "It'd be strange if you didn't, now tell me brother how does it feel to have access to the whole world?".

  Faust asked wanting to know how knowledge changed his brother.

  "It is very strange all this knowledge and power gained from just drinking from the Holy Grail. Moments ago I was just like every other high ranking temple member only seeing our immediate world of infinite space and several spaces neighboring it, thinking that was the complete world and now I realise that wasn't even a fraction of it, and even now I can only see the branches of the World Tree, that are connected to the world and nothing more".

  "It just goes to show how great The One is I suppose ".

  "That's true, and you who was born an existence that rivals that of an apostle were robbed of your childhood. I remember I would always envy you who did not have to go to school, learn swordsmanship and magic but now I know with the knowledge you possessed no one would be qualified to teach you. You should go see the others I'm sure they feel thankful but are avoiding you".

  The hero said as he left to greet others. Faust didn't bother to look for the cardinals, he did not get along with them. This began when he was ten and was made honorary cardinal of the Holy Temple, he would often act as substitute teacher at the cardinal training school, there those that wanted to be cardinals gathered to learn, they were comprised of people from different age groups, some were as young as the first prince at the time, 15 years old while others were in their 30s. Most were still just bishops at the time while some were already popes, so it was hard for them the supposedly elite to learn from him, more so when he made them feel ignorant even without factoring his age. To them he was like a know it all that did not consider the base knowledge of others. But it was also true that his teachings were of great value to them so they could only take it as a form of test to being cardinals, nine years had passed since then. Unlike normal cardinals the hero and the six cardinals ranked even higher than the popes, even though they were not actively involved in the managing and administrative work of the Temple. Faust who was an honoary cardinal held the same rank as them but had less authority in the Temple than the seven apostles.

  Noir left the cave and was about to return home when he saw smoke rising to the sky. He looked closely to trace its origin to find a train beyond the forests and that was heading in the direction of his town. It was being attacked by bandits, he could not ignore this so he used shadow movement to arrive in an instant. Now that he was not limited to the already existing darkness he was able to make a shadow on top of the train and emerged from it. He'd chosen the top cause that's where the bandits were engaged in battle with the train guards. From the moment he appeared he could tell that all thirteen bandits were human, while the nine guards as expected were homunculi. It was apparent from the damaged carts that they had been fighting for quite some time and if he didn't interfere the bandits would win.