NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Strengths
"You were a hero once, Clover" Headmaster Mensa said as he looked at the pitiful figure of the once-heroic Aura Knight.
"Let me free you from this curse."
The undead Knight didn't understand what he was saying but it responded with another wave of attack, all of them were imbued with strong invisible Aura.
It could be felt by everyone around the graveyard.
Mensa deflected these attacks but he would also counter from time to time… He was able to hit its armor and even its bones but because it didn't feel pain, it was difficult to push the undead back.
At this time, Vice Headmaster Sabin joined in… He focused on disrupting the undead Knight's movements, so the Headmaster could easily dismantle the opponent.
Just like Mensa, Sabin's gray Aura manifested. Unlike Mana, which the magicians use, Aura cannot leave the person's body. At most, it could be transferred to the weapons or pieces of equipment worn by the Aura User.
Nonetheless, it doesn't mean that the Aura itself disappears once an attack with an Aura hits the opponent's body.
In this case, the second level of Aura, or the gray Aura, would linger for a few seconds in the opponent's body once they got hit…
Just like that, the two retired Aura Knights overwhelmed the undead Aura Knight with their attacks imbued their gray Aura, binding the Knight's limbs and slowing its attacks.
"Mensa, now!" Sabin shouted.
Headmaster Mensa nodded as he seized the opportunity. He channeled his Aura into his blade.
In just a few seconds, the weapon glowed brighter gray light, until it was almost too painful to look at.
With a roar, Headmaster Mensa unleashed a powerful attack.
His blade slashed through the air, leaving a trail of gray light.
Thud!
The strike cleaved through the undead Knight's armor, shattering its skeletal body and severing the dark energy that animated it.
The undead Knight looked at Mensa and Sabin for a moment before it let out one final, mournful cry as it started collapsing into a pile of dust.
Just like the undead Knight was defeated by the two retired Knights.
Headmaster Mensa stood over the remains of Sir Clover and shook his head.
"Rest now, old friend. You've earned your peace."
Of course, seeing a quick victory, the students and professors erupted into cheers, their awe and relief could be seen…
After all, if the two failed to defeat the undead Aura Knight, it wouldn't be good for them as it means that one would be able to stop it.
In any case, this battle showed just how strong Aura Users were. Most of their attacks couldn't even be seen with the naked eye. Their respect for the Aura Knights reached new heights with this performance.
***
During this time, as everyone started talking about the battle just now, Hayden focused on the report provided by his Lens.
With Hayden's arrangements, the unknown Aura was finally classified as First Level and Second Level.
Well, this was the first time he had seen a battle involving true Aura Knights after all. Thanks to that, he was able to fill in important details that the Lens needed.
[ Clover or the undead Aura Knight's Aura was classified as First-Level Aura, a basic but potent form of energy.
Energy Output: Approximately 10 kilowatts, comparable to the energy output of a small laser cutter.
Efficiency: Low. The Knight's Aura was unstable, with significant energy loss due to its corrupted state.
Application: Primarily offensive, with a focus on brute force and unstable energy manipulation. ]
It was the analysis made by his Lens.
With that, the Lens compared the Knight's Aura to a Class 3B laser in his previous life, capable of causing immediate harm but lacking accuracy or control.
'First-Level Aura is powerful,' Hayden thought, 'but it's crude. It relies on raw energy rather than finesse. That's why Headmaster Mensa and Vice Headmaster Sabin were able to overpower it.'
'Or maybe it's all because that one using it is undead… Maybe I need more samples.' Hayden thought to himself.
Next, Hayden checked the report about Headmaster Mensa's Aura.
[ Headmaster Mensa's Aura was classified as Second-Level Aura, a more advanced and refined form of energy.
Energy Output: Approximately 100 kilowatts, comparable to the energy output of an industrial laser used for cutting thick metal.
Efficiency: High. Mensa's Aura was stable and finely controlled, with minimal energy loss.
Application: Versatile. Mensa used his Aura for both offense and defense, with controlled energy manipulation. ]
The Lens basically compared Mensa's Aura to a Class 4 laser, capable of cutting through almost any material in his previous life.
"That's an impressive assessment… But how did the undead Aura Knight last that long with a weaker Aura?"Hayden thought but the Lens already had an idea, it was either due to the special physique of the undead or the dark energy that woke it up from the dead was aiding it as well through unknown means.
Since the Lens or Hayden himself had never studied magic, they couldn't properly assess the reason behind the undead's power. Furthermore, the Lens could only detect energy levels and there might be something missing. Something that they couldn't detect just yet.
Hayden could only nod at this as he accepted the fact that he still lacked information about the existence of Aura.
'Second-Level Aura is on a completely different scale…' Hayden noted as he still felt satisfied with what he learned today…
'I guess it's not just about raw power—it's about control and efficiency. That's what makes an Aura Knight truly formidable.' Hayden thought as he confirmed that Vice Headmaster's analysis was quite similar to Headmaster Mensa's.
However, instead of energy output being 100 kilowatts, it was only 90 kilowatts according to the Lens….
"Still, how did you come up with kilowatts as a unit of measurement for Aura? Aura isn't a purely physical energy—it's metaphysical, tied to the soul or life itself. How can you quantify it in terms of Earth's energy units?"