Battle Of Conflicting Beliefs Shu vs Lumina

Some hours had passed in the outside world, but for Shu and Hanz, it had been a couple of months.

In that time, Shu had grasped the basics of a few kantar-related techniques, but he was still struggling with creating kantar constructs.

“This should be easy for you,” Hanz said in frustration as Shu failed once again to create a simple knife out of his kantar. “All you have to do is create an image in your head and shape it with your kantar. Why are you struggling so much?”

“Sorry, but it’s kind of hard to concentrate all that kantar into one place. Keeping it in a constant state of motion just to maintain the shape is even worse,” Shu replied. “At least with attacks, you just shape it and launch it at your enemy.”

“Okay, try this—make the knife the same way you make those clouds you fly on. It’s basically the same principle,” Hanz said, watching Shu intently. “That’s why I find it hard to believe you can’t make solid constructs.”

“It’s hard to explain, but somehow... this is different,” Shu muttered, referring to the kantar construct in his hand as it began to fade. “The cloud just comes to me naturally. This? This is insanely hard.”

Hanz sat on a nearby rock, muttering to himself, It’s just as I thought. His kantar spirit isn’t complying. It knows that if Shu masters constructs, his training would be practically over. But it doesn’t think he’s ready to face the Ox King again. It’s afraid he’ll die... so it’s interfering with his control.

“Hey, have you heard anything from Lumina since we started this training?” Hanz asked.

Shu shook his head. “Now that you mention it… the only thing I heard was that it didn’t like the idea of me going after the Ox King again.”

“There we have it,” Hanz muttered.

Kantar began to radiate from Hanz’s body. Two massive arms of pure kantar formed and reached toward Shu’s chest.

“What are you doing?!” Shu shouted in pain.

“Don’t worry. This is for the best,” Hanz replied as the glowing arms pulled harder. Suddenly, a burst of red light exploded from Shu’s chest.

When the light faded, a new figure stood between Shu and Hanz. It was a boy around seventeen, with red, shoulder-length hair and a black coat. He held a long, black katana, and his eyes glowed with an intense red light.

“Impossible... Lumina, is that you?” Shu said, stunned. The ball of light that once only existed within him now had a physical form.

“Yep. That’s it alright—your kantar spirit,” Hanz said casually. “The being born with you, and the one that’ll die with you. It does everything in its power to protect you—and it can also interfere with your control over kantar if it thinks fighting a demon is too risky.”

“In order to create kantar constructs, you need precise control,” he continued. “You have to constantly pour a specific amount of kantar into the construct to maintain its shape. That can’t happen if your kantar spirit is working against you. So, to move forward, you’ll have to prove yourself—to Lumina—by beating it in battle.”

Shu stared at Lumina. “You really don’t trust me to survive a second fight with the Ox King?”

Lumina’s voice was calm but firm. “My job is to protect you and help you fight. We kantar spirits limit your power because maintaining full output drains your stamina too fast. During your fight with the Ox King, I lifted all limiters—and you still lost badly. That was just its base state. You’ve improved since then, yes—but even if you beat the Ox King’s base form, I doubt you’re ready for what comes after. If you want to keep walking this path, you need to prove to me you won’t die so easily.”

Shu sighed. “So basically, you’re going to keep stunting my growth unless I beat you in a fight? Well, let’s get to it.”

He took a fighting stance, staff in hand. Lumina stood tall, gripping his blade.

In the blink of an eye, they clashed—zipping across the cave at sound-breaking speed. Lumina fought with lethal precision, aiming for vital points, while Shu defended, parrying with his staff and countering where he could, but never striking first.

After nearly an hour of intense close-quarters combat, they leapt apart. Lumina’s blade pulsed with a ghostly red aura, growing thicker with each passing second. He swung it hard, sending a red arc of kantar slicing through the air.

Shu summoned his own energy, forming a massive red dragon that devoured the arc. The dragon then turned the kantar into flames and spat them at Lumina.

Lumina sliced the flames in half and dashed forward, splitting the dragon in two as he closed in. Shu, seizing the opportunity, increased both the weight and length of his staff, smashing Lumina in the face and sending him crashing into a massive rock.

Returning the staff to its normal size, Shu charged. The staff morphed into a giant blade. Lumina calmly raised a hand. A massive force field of concentrated kantar surrounded him. When Shu’s strike landed, it sent him flying backward.

While Shu was still airborne, Lumina appeared before him and landed a devastating punch to his torso. Shu hit the ground hard, coughing up blood.

“Stay down,” Lumina warned. “Next time, I won’t be so merciful.”

But Shu stood, eyes burning with determination.

“Fist of the Great Lion... Power Magnification: Double Fold.”

His kantar surged. His muscle mass grew slightly. He stretched out a hand—his staff returned to him in sword form. Then he dashed forward, faster than ever before.

Before Lumina could react, Shu’s blade slashed across his torso. Lumina turned into glowing particles of red kantar.

“You win,” a faint echo of Lumina’s voice whispered. “I won’t hold you back anymore.”

Shu smirked, collapsing to the ground, thoroughly exhausted. Without Lumina regulating his power, he had been shouldering an immense strain.

Hanz walked over, hands in his pockets.

“Good job, kid. Now all that’s left is to sharpen the skills I taught you—and master your constructs. After that… you’re ready.”