Chapter 66

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Episode 14 - Second Form of Inverted Heaven [3]

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When I returned to my room, I placed my belongings on the desk on the other side of the room.

I took a quick shower and finally entered the training room.

Then I unsheathed my sword and thought:

’I’ve already mastered the First Form of Inverted Heaven. In total, I only obtained the Twenty-Four Steps of Space and a new ability that is acquired upon mastering the first form.’

This ability was called <Spatial Resonance> by my master. When using it, I can choose to cut through space as I normally would,

or bend and reshape it for different purposes.

Such as moving my sword faster through spatial displacement, using space as an aura blade, or creating numerous attacks with a single movement.

’Overall, the First Form of Inverted Heaven specializes in long-range combat, surprise attacks, and rapid movements.’

So then, what exactly is the Second Form of Inverted Heaven?

Second Form: Time.

Simply put, the word "Time" leaves behind many inconsistencies. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"So, Master, could you explain what exactly the Second Form does?"

Alice’s voice responded quickly:

〖It is exactly as its name suggests: time. To you, what does time mean?〗

I slightly tilted my head and pursed my lips.

"Well, I don’t know much about it since those scientific topics don’t interest me, but in my opinion, time would simply be the passage of everything that moves forward, right?"

〖More or less. The Second Form is about accelerating time, not literally, but rather accelerating "your" time.〗

My mind filled with confusion for a moment.

I thought about it for a while, and I have to say that this sword art is truly confusing in almost every sense.

Even so, I nodded as if I understood.

"Eh, yeah, well..."

Alice sighed and said:

〖The Second Form helps maximize the First Form, but also the body itself, and in your case, honestly, I don’t know what to think because of your traits.〗

"Mhm, this sounds even more interesting now. Alright then, how do I start?"

〖The same way you did the first time, but this time use inverted mana throughout your entire body. Simply use mana coating, and you’ll see the results.〗

Hearing her words, I said nothing. I simply gave a slight nod and began circulating the inverted mana.

Dark mana surged in every direction. Every part of my body became covered in mana,

one as dense and dark as the darkness of the universe itself.

Quickly, my entire body became coated in a thin inner layer of inverted mana.

Then I opened my senses, which I had shut off a few seconds earlier.

After that, Alice said:

〖It’s pretty easy, isn’t it? Now concentrate inverted mana into all your blood vessels and nerves... into the brain.〗

"..."

"Master, are you sure you’re not trying to kill me? We’re talking about using mana in my brain, and not only that, but in everything that makes up my head. One small mistake and I’m dead."

My master sighed as if she were enjoying this.

〖Hey, hey, disciple, do you think this sword art comes without danger or consequences? Just learning the First Form is already nearly impossible, let alone the Second, because we’re talking about using time on your own body, you know?〗

The truth was that I couldn’t refute her words. She was right.

Every sword art with absurd power carries consequences when used.

Not everything can be obtained without risk.

’Well, whatever. As long as I move the mana like usual, there won’t be any danger.’

At worst, I’ll end up in a coma.

After a few minutes, I let out a long sigh, exhausted and frustrated.

Then I moved my inverted mana through my brain. It was the first time I had ever done it, and although the brain supposedly cannot feel pain,

I felt a strange discomfort, as if someone were literally scratching my brain.

But the moment I circulated the mana throughout my entire head,

I felt something different.

It was more like the sense... of time.

Everything around me, even though nothing was moving and there was no way to confirm it,

I could perceive it intuitively.

The world around me was slow, extremely slow,

as if the perception of time itself were bending before me.

’Master, what exactly is happening?’

Alice replied calmly:

〖You accelerated time from your own perspective. Though in reality, you’re making time reverse and perceiving it as extremely slow... something like that, in simple terms.〗

So that’s how it is...

’Wait... wait... what?’

Simply... what?

I used my senses, and instantly, something changed.

Because of the nature of my senses, I usually perceive everything around me in a way that goes beyond reason.

And when I used them, it was honestly very difficult to explain.

If before I felt the world moving slower or faster,

now I felt it as a combination of both.

It was like accelerating time while simultaneously slowing it down.

"..."

Then I raised my sword. In front of me were several training dummies.

I simply thought about it and moved the sword.

Time became slow as I moved it, yet at the same time I accelerated it.

Then I stopped using the Second Form, and everything around me changed.

And what happened next left me speechless.

"What... how is this possible...?"

A moment ago, I had been standing in front of the training dummies, but now, suddenly, I was back in my original position,

where I had remained still almost the entire time.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard a sound in front of me.

White lines traced my surroundings, and what I saw left me completely speechless.

I knew I had cut those dummies... but even so.

’And to think that all this time I had never actually moved, yet from my perspective, I talked with Master, got stunned, understood what was happening, and then decided to cut down those dolls.’

In total, at least twenty to thirty seconds must have passed.

〖Well, that’s what I think, disciple. In the end, three seconds passed, and from your perspective, it was around thirty seconds〗

I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what to say about it.

I mean, I had literally moved so fast that it felt normal to me, but to others it would be abnormal.

"Eh, that means... my perception of time is different when using the Second Form."

Alice affirmed my words.

〖Exactly, that’s what I’m talking about, disciple. What you did was not literally speed up time, but move your body and mind faster while feeling as though everything was proceeding normally〗

How could I explain this feeling? In short, I was left... speechless.

"I see."

That was all I could say about it, but Master took it personally.

〖I see, I see... is that all you have to say, disciple? Even for me back then, it was enough to leave me almost metaphorically soulless〗

"..."

Tilting my head, I did not respond to Master’s words, but then I suddenly realized something.

"I feel something strange..."

I felt something wet fall from my nose, along with a weakness spreading through my body.

’I’m... somewhat tired, and besides...’

Although I did not feel pain, I probably had a headache and not just mental exhaustion.

Blood dripped slowly from my nose.

’Is this a side effect?’

Shortly afterward, my master spoke after noticing my current condition.

〖Don’t worry about that. Remember that your brain was accelerated with the power of time, and your body used its endurance to move that fast, so the fatigue and strain are more than natural in the Second Form of Inverted Heaven, disciple〗

So that was the case. I suppose I should train my endurance even more, especially my brain.

I’ll probably end up getting a short circuit in the future from accelerating time, but...

’Well, once I reach 5 Stars, my brain will become strong.’

So I do not care that much right now about damage that can be healed.

Even so, in my current state, I can only use the Second Form twice unless I recover completely.

’And the usage time would be a maximum of ten seconds; otherwise, my endurance will completely collapse, and I will not know what will happen to me by then.’

In any case, now that I had unlocked the Second Form of Inverted Heaven, there was only one question lingering in my mind.

"Master, what abilities will I gain in the Second Form besides time acceleration?"

At my question, my master fell silent for a few seconds, as if remembering something.

〖Well, there is only one ability, and it is obtained after completely mastering the Second Form〗

"Only one?"

〖Yes, because the Second Form focuses more on rapid attacks and thought processing in case of ambushes, and so on. The ability has two functions: first, it improves resistance against time so your lifespan does not age; and second, adaptation〗

Surprised by master’s unexpected words, I said:

"Wait, do I age when using the Second Form?"

My master remained silent for a few seconds.

〖Well... yes, but if you master the Second Form and obtain the ability, then you will not have to worry about aging〗

I let out a small sigh.

At first, it left me bewildered: if using the Second Form made me grow old faster,

then I would have to avoid using it unless necessary.

’I guess I’ll have to raise the Mastery to the maximum as quickly as possible.’

Once again, I let out a sigh, and then I asked about the second effect of the ability.

"And what exactly is this adaptation?"

〖Actually, it’s simple: while using the Second Form, your brain processes information faster, and normally there would be an overload that could kill you. So adaptation is a way of assimilating all that information. And keep in mind that, while using the Second Form, if you possess great talent, you could learn the opponent’s sword art〗

I pursed my lips, but said nothing.

Learning the opponent’s sword art...

That is actually simply difficult, so difficult that I cannot even imagine it.

’But if we are talking about me... I do not think it would be impossible, and the acceleration of time increases tenfold.’

That means I can learn ten times faster, even see the opponent in slow motion and clearly observe every movement of their sword.

Honestly, I did not know what to say about that.