Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race-Chapter 159 - Fanaticism and the Duality of Mana

Since the moment Rygar learned of the escalating conflicts in Milis, he suspected that war was an almost certain possibility.

He immediately dispatched letters to two of his most important potential allies: the Kingdom of the Dragon King and Ornthorn, the North Emperor.

Ornthorn, years ago, had made him a direct promise—if Rygar were able to overcome Gall Farion, the Sixth among the Seven World Powers, within five years, he would place himself under his command.

For many, that would be an unachievable goal, but Rygar had already been fully capable of defeating Gall Farion for some time... if he used magic.

However, Rygar wanted to surpass him as a swordsman. Four years had already passed since that wager, and he planned to challenge the Sword God very soon.

Ornthorn was a man of rigid principles.

He had made it clear that he would never participate in a senseless war. Rygar admired Ornthorn's steadfastness in a way.

But when he pondered the current war against Milis, Rygar was almost certain that Ornthorn would not consider it senseless.

The reasons that led Milis to launch this crusade might even seem plausible within that kingdom's borders, but to anyone observing from the outside, they were nothing more than pure religious fanaticism.

If it had been 200 or 300 years ago, perhaps the story would have been different.

At that time, various kingdoms of the Central Continent would have promptly sent troops in support of Milis, celebrating the crusade against the evil demons.

But the reality now was different. The world was living in an era of relative peace, a fragile but present stability.

Today, even demons and beast-men lived in various cities of the Central Continent.

There was, of course, much prejudice—this was undeniable—but no longer enough to justify a preventive war against the entire Great Forest. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Milis itself, until recently, had been divided between two major factions, and one of them did not want this war.

The simple fact that Rygar could travel freely through human lands, making friends and forging an alliance with the Kingdom of the Dragon King, already demonstrated how much times had changed.

Even so, the human kingdoms opted largely for neutrality. It was understandable, after all—who would want to get involved in a war for no reason?

Whichever side they chose to help, if that side lost in the end, the consequences would not be easy to face.

The true catalyst for this war was the imbalance of power. Tension between the two sides was inevitable.

Milis and the Iron Legion would end up clashing sooner or later.

Even if the Demon Race Expulsion Faction had not risen, the collision would still come, perhaps more subtly, in the shadows.

The Iron Legion's activities were not exactly discreet.

Quite the contrary—slave rescues, attacks on nobles who still insisted on maintaining slavery, commercial and military expansion of the region, the consolidation of the Great Forest under a single banner.

For a kingdom like Milis, clinging to tradition and full of old conservatives, this was a direct affront. The Legion represented progress, freedom, and unity.

And Milis feared that.

Even if the Legion had not attacked or pressured, its mere growth would have been cause for concern.

There were leaders willing to destroy any force that grew too large—no matter its morals or objectives. It was the politics of fear.

And as the Legion interfered directly in Milisian interests, the response became aggressive.

The cycle of retaliation began small but, like an avalanche, gained momentum.

A combination of factors. An attack here, a revenge there.

The edges of hatred sharpened until no negotiation was enough anymore.

Unless all of Milis—the Temple Order, the Instruction Order, the Church Order, the various noble houses, the royalty, the Pope—had accepted the Legion's growth from the start, there was no way to avoid a large-scale conflict.

And, let's be frank, that would never happen.

War was a sealed fate.

The incident involving the Joylore House left all members of the nobility with reservations about the Iron Legion, and only accelerated the process.

Milis's noble houses began to act with distrust, hardening their stance.

Even those who wished to avoid conflict had their voices drowned out by the bloodlust and wounded honor of the others.

Conflicts multiplied, and skirmishes turned into battles. Before they knew it, they were at open war.

Now, there was no use questioning when or why it all began. War had already arrived.

Two of the most powerful men in Milis—Pope Lucios and Cardinal Leblanc McFarlane—were uncompromising fanatics of the Demon Race Expulsion Faction.

To them, the demon race should be swept from the world, and the beast-men were just a more animalistic variation of those same demons.

As long as both lived and continued to lead Milis, chances for peace were almost nonexistent.

And on the opposite side, the Legion's leaders, the various beast-tribes, the allies they had won—none would accept seeing their people hunted and exterminated without fighting back.

A rupture was necessary. Something had to break the deadlock. As Milis attacked with fervor, the Legion resisted with ferocity. The two sides were on a full collision course. And to the rest of the world, the outcome was an unknown.

Who would triumph? Who would fall?

History was being written before their eyes, in real time.

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POV: Rygar Addolia

The scene around me was completely devastated.

Deep fissures marked the ground like open scars. Craters spread across the field, as if the very earth had collapsed.

Dust still hung in the air, and the morning sunlight began to bathe the battlefield in a soft, golden glow, revealing the chaos left behind.

I felt satisfied with the outcome.

Today was Eris's birthday, and I had gone to train with Badigadi farther from the Sword Sanctuary a day before.

I took a deep breath, absorbing the smell of the earth when a laugh echoed among the rubble.

"Bwahahahahaha! That was pretty powerful!"

From within a pile of shattered stones and splintered trees, a small six-armed demon emerged.

It was Badigadi, who had shrunk after being cut to pieces not long ago.

His body was still regenerating, arms and legs dragging behind him, following the small figure and slowly reconnecting to his form.

I replied with a laugh:

"I couldn't ask for a better training partner..."

"Hahahaha, what's the name of this technique?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Really? That's a very interesting application of the battle aura! I've only seen a few do that in my life!"

When he said that, he immediately piqued my interest.

"Oh yeah? And who are those few?"

Badigadi brought one hand to his chin, thoughtful, his eyes fixed on the sky as he recalled.

"That woman who was here could do it... the Kingdom of Deprivation, or whatever it was called."

I nodded, "Reida Reia, yes, her technique gave me great inspiration when I was creating mine."

Badigadi nodded, "Besides her, Laplace could. Orsted could. Al Farion could. Urupen too. Those are the most recent ones I've come across! I don't remember the rest, though I probably met a few others! Ah! And there was some guy named Ars, thousands of years ago! He gave us a real beating back then! That's why I remember him! Bwaaahahahahaha."

I turned my back to him and raised my hand, casually conjuring an earth magic I had created.

I called it "Terraplanagem"—simple, straightforward, and useful. With it, I rebuilt the entire devastated surface, molding the broken ground back to its original state, leveling every destroyed piece.

"Is Al Farion an ancestor of Gall?" I asked, still staring at the reassembling earth.

Badigadi, now almost fully regenerated, shrugged and answered:

"No! I also thought that Lina Farion, from some generations back, was his descendant. But when I asked her, she denied it. Apparently, they just assumed his name!"

I began walking back toward the Sword Sanctuary and spoke quietly:

"I didn't know it was such a difficult ability to learn..."

When I was creating my ultimate technique, I used everything I knew—both from this world and the other. And, at its core, it all relied on a concept I've been trying to comprehend for a very long time.

The fundamental principle behind the technique... it wasn't just using Touki, nor simply manipulating magic.

It was about mixing Touki and magic. Actually... not specifically Touki and magic.

It would be more correct to say: inner mana and outer mana.

Every living being possessed its own mana reservoir.

It was an absolute truth... with a single exception: that girl who walked with Orsted. But she was a special case, unique, and outside any common logic I knew.

Putting that aside, it's safe to say that in this world, every living being could, with effort, discipline, and the absence of natural anomalies, use their own mana in two distinct ways.

The first form is what I call inner mana. This form gives rise to what is known as the battle aura—or Touki.

It's what allows one to strengthen muscles, sharpen senses, create a mana barrier around the body, and, essentially, transform someone into a superhuman being.

Touki is awakened through constant, extreme physical effort.

My theory is that it manifests as a response from the body itself—a defense and enhancement mechanism that evolves as needed.

It's the body adapting, responding to continuous stimulus and strengthening over time.

In the initial stages, from the Intermediate level to the Advanced level, Touki emerges naturally, almost instinctively. Mana flows reflexively, strengthening where the body feels it needs it.

But upon reaching the Saint level, a qualitative transition occurs: the warrior becomes capable of consciously commanding that energy.

From that point on, controlling Touki ceases to be a reaction and becomes a deliberate action. True mastery begins here.

With full control, genuinely superhuman feats are possible. Martial arts techniques, movements of absolute precision, and supernatural endurance become attainable.

It's the pinnacle of martial artistry in this world.

The second form of mana use is outer mana—magic. Using one's own mana as fuel, the mage shapes reality.

Whether to create water, fire, or manipulate the elements, the process always involves transforming mana into something else.

If you know how a spell is formed and can remember the sensation when shaping it, you can recreate it without verbal incantations.

Unlike Touki, where control is everything, in magic, quantity is the most relevant factor. The more mana you channel into a spell, the more powerful it becomes, and its classification rises proportionally.

These are, therefore, the two fundamental branches of mana manipulation: the inner, which strengthens the body and hones instinct, and the outer, which alters the world around you.

However, there were significant variations among individuals.

Some were born with brighter, purer, more powerful mana. Others had rigid, difficult-to-shape mana, while some had mana as malleable as silk.

Some had very good control from an early age, while others struggled their entire lives to learn the basics.

Beyond each individual's inner mana, there is also ambient mana. A diffuse energy present throughout the world. But that... was still beyond my reach at that moment.

As I shared these theories with Badigadi and heard his offhand comments, we continued walking toward the Sword Sanctuary.

He offered a brutally practical point of view, always accompanied by a laugh and some thousand-year-old tale.

Upon reaching the gates of the Sanctuary, I focused my Touki and expanded my auditory perception.

I wanted to find Eris, since it was her birthday. But I heard nothing about her in the Sanctuary, didn't sense her presence, and couldn't hear her voice.

'She's not here?' I thought.

That's when Aisha appeared, dressed in cold-weather clothes, her cheeks flushed by the icy wind, her breath forming vapor in the air.

"Master! I was waiting." she said with a mischievous smile.

"Eris asked me to deliver this letter to you as soon as you arrived!"

"Oh, thank you, Aisha."

I took the letter, intrigued. Aisha scampered away with a giggle, hopping through the snow as if it were a game.

I opened the envelope carefully and, as I unfolded the paper, couldn't hold back a smile.

It was a map. A very familiar one.

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