A forgotten magic

[2:58]

The second phase of the combat ended, and the third immediately began.

As always, the apostle raised his sword pointing it to the sky. Soon after, pillars of light began to form several meters above Atlas, but he was fully prepared.

Moving agilely, Atlas dodged the first pillars of light that approached him, then continued moving, avoiding the others.

His body was covered in scabs and blisters left over from the burns, but that didn't stop him from moving. The pain was strong, but Atlas had gotten used to it in the span of 5 days since he had been locked in the garden with the apostle.

Then, being the sixth day since he had arrived at the church, Atlas had run out of food and water. This marked the limit of what Atlas could continue to endure. Either he would pass the mission in this attempt, or he would be unable to face the apostle again and would die little by little from lack of food.

He had spent a full day attempting the third phase of the match, but he had not managed to reach the fourth phase.

Everything was looking very bad for Atlas, but that didn't make him lose his mind. Instead, he made his resolve to survive 5 minutes stronger.

'Is not enough'

Atlas thought as he quickly dodged another pillar of light.

[2:47]

His speed would not be enough to completely dodge the attacks, and his stamina was gradually decreasing, making him slower and slower.

'If I continue like this... I will lose'

Atlas had been aware from the first times he faced the apostle that his level was not enough to face him. But he always strived to give his best.

He had gone through several events since he had come to this world, which made him see the reality of the world. But none of those events revealed the reality of himself to him.

Atlas had glimpsed a bit of his own weakness when he was inside the illusion of the fountain before being locked in the garden.

'It's not enough at all'

His head was starting to hurt slightly as he was completely focused on sensing the attacks, dodging them, and thinking about where he would move. But at the same time, he was thinking about what to do to reverse the situation he found himself in.

However, by dividing his attention so much, he was unable to completely dodge a pillar of light that fell on his left arm, burning it completely.

Atlas bit his lip as he felt his skin being burned and his nerves screaming in pain, but his legs didn't stop. Instead, they moved faster than before.

'It doesn't matter, I just have to move'

His arms were useless at this point, and his legs were the only thing needed to survive.

The pain took a backseat thanks to the adrenaline that his body was beginning to generate.

[2:33]

Atlas couldn't even bring himself to look at the timer, but from experience he could tell how much time he had left. And thanks to that, he could tell that he couldn't last more than 15 seconds in that state.

It was 15 seconds that would mean whether he lived or died.

His heart was beating wildly, sending mana to every area of his body. Mana that Atlas did not know how to take advantage of to improve his muscles since he had not yet trained as a combat mage.

But that also meant that his virtue lay elsewhere, in being an attack mage.

Mana was an extension of his body, and attack mages used it to create spells outside of his body.

Those spells were always magic of the main elements, then those derived from the main magic, the special magic. There was also white magic and unique magic, in addition to abyssal magic.

The problem with Atlas is that his mind and everything he had learned during 20 years of life did not take magic into account. To him, magic was a resource like firearms had been when he was a soldier.

But compared to firearms, mana, what all magic was made of, was part of himself. Like blood, mana was also essential for anyone in this world, whether they were a mage or not.

In the illusion, Atlas saw what could have been another possible path since he came to this world. He didn't like what he saw, but at the same time, it made him wonder what he was doing wrong.

Then he realized it almost immediately.

Atlas thought like someone from another world, which put him at a disadvantage compared to a mage raised from childhood in this world. But that, at the same time, was what gave him an advantage... as long as he knew how to use it.

Atlas was a person from another world, his point of view was different from all the other mage. 

He was not restricted by the common knowledge of this world, and although magic did not exist in his world, it opened his mind to look at the existence of mana and magic from a different angle, far from any prejudice or standard.

He had always wondered something since he had learned the basics of magic from Aryn. Why was magic so simple?

Mages used mana to form magic from some element... But why didn't they use mana directly, without needing to create a spell to use it?

As if that thought had been blocked for a long time, Atlas suddenly came to a moment of enlightenment for himself because of the precarious situation he found himself in.

He did not feel a greater control over his mana.

He did not feel a greater understanding about mana.

He also didn't increase his mana sensitivity.

Instead, just a simple idea popped into his head.

'What if I use mana without magic?'

Atlas stopped dead.

[2:20]

A pillar of light began to form above his head and several more around him, leaving him with no means of escape. Even if he moved immediately, Atlas would be trapped by several pillars and seriously injured.

But that was the least of his worries.

His mind calmed and he simply extended his arm upwards. His mana flowed from his core through his chest to his arm and finally his hand.

Normally he would have to create a magic circle to fill it with mana and activate a spell. But this time he didn't create any magic circle, he didn't have the need to.

The pillar of light materialized.

[2:19]

Atlas simply expelled the mana from his body, shaping it with his mind. Then, a barrier filled with small translucent light blue hexagons formed in front of his hand.

The pillar of light collided with the hexagonal barrier… and soon disappeared without a trace of damage to the barrier.

[You have used a magic from a forgotten era in history]

[Your soul and body resonate with mana]