Chapter 4: Nine Lives
"Hm…"
Ying recovered from the attack and immediately propelled himself forward with the force of his legs. He crashed into the earth with an axe kick, rending the earth in two. The attack was aimed directly at Derrick's head, but the boy managed to dodge the attack by the length of a hair.
Derrick's defensive stance had given him a slight edge in his evasion. He managed to dodge the attack aimed at his head in exchange for losing an arm. The pain was unbearable, but it was far better than losing a life.
The match became utterly one-sided as Ying let out a variety of attacks. Derrick narrowly avoided fatal injuries and regenerated from the attacks just as quickly.
So far I'm able to at least perceive his attacks, but I don't know how to use the application. Think! Think back to when his aura disappeared. What changed about him?
Derrick noticed the strange accumulation of spirit flames in Ying's eyes. His fists and legs weren't being reinforced with any magic, so Derrick deduced that his power must come from his ocular ability. The chances of the strategy succeeding were almost none, but he
He visualized his flow of spirituality and focused his spirit flames into his eyes. Suddenly, Ying's movements seemed to move significantly slower. Derrick's brain was processing information over a dozen times faster than usual. However, his eyes could not handle the sudden intake of spirit flames, causing a sharp pain in his head to throw off his flow of spirituality.
With a swift chop, Derrick was split in two at the torso. This was now his third "death".
"Impressive. You can at least ascertain the concept of controlling your spirituality, but your output is far too large for your body to handle."
Upon resurrecting, Derrick retreated and flipped over the floor like a coffee table, blocking Ying's vision. The diversion gave him just enough time to flee among the rubble and regain his focus.
"One two...one two..."
After recounting the phrase ten times, his heart rate returned to normal and his spirituality stabilized.
I haven't gained the proper understanding to use the application. I'll use up six more deaths to ascertain the nature of the application, while also trying to land any stray hits I can get.
Derrick attempted numerous different strategies to narrow down what he was missing in achieving application. His first strategy involved using the surrounding trash as projectiles. This strategy was quickly rendered obsolete as Ying closed the distance and pierced his heart. He would then attempt to amplify his physical ability with his spirit flames, but he couldn't close the gap between himself and Ying.
Derrick's thoughts were scattered and confused as his options dwindled by the second.
I'm completely outclassed in strength even with my spirit flames. Then how about speed? No, that obviously wouldn't work. My experience isn't as refined as Gi's, and my strategy is useless compared to his overwhelming power. No matter how many times I think it over, all of my options are dead. I can't win.
Unless...
Derrick rushed towards Ying and throughout a left feint. The feint was easily seen through as Ying unleashed his ninth fatal attack, a spearhand to the chest. Blood poured out of Derrick's body like a geyser as he struggled to breathe with a collapsed lung. Amid the searing pain, he steadied his spirituality and forced all of his spirit flames into his right hand.
His first attempt at application gave him a clue into its true meaning. When he poured too much spirituality into his ocular system, his physical body couldn't keep out the vast amounts of spirit flames and caused a rejection. What if he were to circumvent this process by accelerating his healing past his limits? What if he could grow exponentially?
Using these hints, he deduced the true meaning of application. Rather than simply using the basic abilities of a wraith to a greater extent, it was an extension of the base abilities themselves. It was the act of utilizing the unique composition of wraiths to generate a unique ability.
Ying sensed the oncoming attack, but couldn't escape his grasp. As Derrick's right hand overflowed with spirit flames, he accelerated his healing to negate his physical weakness. His hand expanded into a mass of flesh and bone, before exploding under its pressure. Ying was sent flying from the blow, creating a large bruise on his chest.
This was Derrick's last resort application ability: Overflow
The battlefield became utterly silent as Derrick collapsed from exhaustion and Ying landed on the floor in defeat.
"Then it's...official. Don't skip out...on your promise..." Derrick reached his limit and lost his consciousness.
Ying quickly recovered from the attack and walked over to the collapsed Derrick. He carried him back to the shabby apartment.
So you took advantage of the rejection between your inexperienced physical body and your inefficient spirit flame output to create a suicide attack. What an utterly reckless ability. It could have cost you your life. However...you were able to pull off a type of application. You won.
The fact that you managed to find a loophole within your wraith characteristics in such a short time and created an application ability is nothing short of sheer talent. Perhaps you have the strength that I lacked. You could be the one to conquer the Underworld.