"Surface level?"
"Yes... You can match the frequency to cause resonance, but don’t dream of using it to control aether energy... that’s Melody Aspect level of control, since you will need immense technical fine frequency tuning... You aren’t at that level yet."
"I see." Levi nodded in understanding.
He already knew that his control over frequencies was at beginner level at best... Violin lessons had humbled him immensely in the past days... Though he was progressing, and that’s what mattered.
Levi knew that if he were to combine aether and sound through resonance, it would help him immensely in all of his weapons’ styles of fighting.
Soon, Ash’Kral had given Levi the frequency for aether energy to get him started... as the master of the Nine Senses seed, almost anything that Levi could create was already created by him.
Instead of spoon-feeding him everything, he let Levi discover his own way, and he simply helped him from such time-consuming hassles.
With the right frequency in hand (17.3 Hz), Levi manifested a sphere of green aether energy on his palm... then, he modified his voice to match the frequency and started whistling continuously.
17.3 Hz was infrasonic... which meant it was below the threshold of normal human hearing (which started around 20 Hz).
So, although he was whistling, no one would really hear him unless their ears were capable of catching this frequency.
Without Aethermancy or powerful spiritual energy to see and control it, he could whistle all he wanted; nothing much would have happened... Such synchronization required all three gears, which meant only a select few could do it.
’It worked!’
Levi’s expression brightened up after noticing the aether sphere start to vibrate, matching his whistle... When he amplified it, the sphere’s vibration got too intense; it was barely capable of keeping its form.
Such instability was Levi’s goal... his smile widened as he started condensing the aether sphere, shrinking it while also adding more energy.
Of course, he kept the frequency active...
As Ash’Kral watched the sphere’s intensity increase while its size decreased, a grin formed on his face.
’Let me guess, you aren’t going to warn him.’ The Titan said.
’Why? How else will he learn if not by real experience like we did?’
’Why can’t you just admit you like being an asshole?’ The Titan’s eyelids twitched, deciding to warn Levi of the consequences of his experiment.
Alas...
’Levi, you better stay a...’
BOOM! Argh!!! My haand!!!
Ash’Kral’s chuckles resounded across the Spiritual Leywell as he watched Levi holding his bloody hand with a twisted expression.
His hand was utterly obliterated to the bone, and his fingers were sent flying everywhere... if it wasn’t for his keeping his hand extended and away from his face, he might have lost it too.
Just as Levi was about to start panicking from the pain and the gore, he controlled his emotions and suppressed such useless feelings.
Doing this helped him recall faster that he was inside his own island, and that his Omnipotent authority had access to healing such wounds.
’Recover my hand!’
With a single command, Levi’s hand began to restore from the bone, forming muscle layer by layer... veins spread like thin lines beneath the surface, then faded as skin slowly covered the new flesh.
Within moments, his hand was whole again, as if the damage had never happened.
As Levi gazed at such a marvelous omnipotence, he couldn’t help but feel amazed... he had read that such omnipotence recovery could be used only on injuries occurring in the territory. If he were injured in the real world, he would need a much higher omnipotence level to heal himself.
"Next time, wear protection before experimenting," Ash’Kral smirked.
"Prick."
Levi’s lips twitched, but he said nothing... he knew that he was in the wrong... he was attempting to reach resonance through aether energy, and he didn’t account for it being this destructive.
He thought it would wound his hand or something manageable, not blow it entirely. But this made him more excited as he could tell that such a new way of combustion would turn his Starpiercer much deadlier.
"Aether Resonance Combustion... sounds fitting." Levi rubbed his cheek, deciding to name this new power-up.
A fitting name for igniting aether energy through resonant frequency, causing a sudden, explosive release of energy.
It could be said to be a system instead of a technique... a system that could give birth to many techniques depending on how he utilized it with each weapon.
Sure, he could use it alone offensively, but where was the fun in that?
Since the upcoming death game was CRS-related, he decided to create the first technique with his Judgement’s staff.
His mind went back to the concept of Aether Resonance Combustion, thinking of the ways he could take advantage of it for his staff.
He summoned the weapon and started fiddling with it... Many thoughts coursed in his mind, but one spoke to him.
"What if I combined Javline Style and Aether Resonance Combustion? If I were to hurl it while adding combustion... is it possible to propel it much faster?" He murmured.
"The theory is decent, but it needs some fine-tuning." Ash’Kral supported.
Levi nodded, understanding that if he used a similar chaotic explosion, the staff would have its trajectory shifted once the energy explosion went through.
"Maybe it will be different if I add a series of mini-combustions, happening one after the other within the staff?"
This idea sounded promising, but Levi soon shook his head... he realized that it still wasn’t enough to keep the staff on its course. It needed precise resonance alignment and symmetrical thrust.
Levi went silent for a few moments, his brain working the best of its ability to come up with a better solution.
’What I need is either a sequence of pushes, each one faster than the last, or one single powerful burst...’
Levi’s thumb tapped the wood, and then his finger slipped inside one of the segments, touching upon the chains.
His finger froze; an idea struck him.
"What if I filled the first three segments with condensed aether energy, acting as the fuel? Then, instead of exploding multiple condensed spheres, I can loosen the last bottom crown and commit to a single prolonged explosion... which will be expelled from the third segment and push the crown away... since the staff is indestructible, the force of the explosion will have nowhere to go but the remaining segment’s opening..."
The more Levi thought about it, the more excited he became.
"This shall create axial thrust, akin to a real rocket, pushing the staff’s momentum immensely, allowing it to hit unreal speed in one motion!"
"What about the bottom crown? Won’t it create a drag force?" The Titan wondered.
"You’re right... But Ash’Kral can reattach the staff immediately after it reaches its peak velocity." Levi swiftly came up with a solution.
"The hell is this..." Ash’Kral’s eyelids twitched, "I didn’t sign to be turned into a rocket with aether energy exploding out of my ass."
"But, you did." Levi grinned widely, summoning up their contract and tapping on Ash’Kral’s name, "So, suck it up and let’s do this."
"Little bastard... couldn’t you be normal and create aetheric bombs or such," Ash’Kral mumbled under his breath in annoyance.
Although he seemed annoyed, he understood the benefit of such a technique... power-wise, if they succeeded, it would blow a hole inside anyone... if their bodies were too tough to pierce, their soul would be next since Levi planned on adding an aetheric-like tip on top of the Javline tip.
Most importantly... Levi’s spiritual energy wouldn’t be consumed as heavily as using a standard attack like the palm strike.
In the arts of technique creation, the more energies mixed in, the less they consume in bulk... Levi could afford to waste solar energy, aether energy, but not spiritual energy.
Although his tank was immense, he preferred keeping it that way instead of abusing it at any slight inconvenience.
"I hope this works out as envisioned..." Levi murmured, beginning the process of concentrating aether energy within his staff.
***
Back to the present...
As Levi gazed at his falling staff, he couldn’t help but smile... it felt good to have his ideas turned into a reality.
But his smile was swiftly wiped out after noticing Syc’closs and his allies creating gigantic frosted spears and hurling them at his brother and friends!
Arthur stood in front of the girls, holding his shield in line with his chest... His knees were bent, and his legs spread out a little.
"Orryn’s Flower!"
The shield was suddenly coated with vermillion crystal, which spread outward into an octagonal flower... each face three meters long.
Boom! Boom! Booom!...
The giant ice projectiles collided with Arthur’s shield, shattering into frosted fragments, yet they barely touched the vermillion octagonal flower, which glowed even more brilliantly.
As for Arthur? Whoosh!
Syc’closs and the viewers were left startled to see two massive jet steam wings emitting from the shield; the absorbed recoil in Arthur’s body was released from the shield’s vents as hot steam to the sides, melting the frosted particles in the air.
"Is that everything you got?" He smirked coolly.