‘Seek and ye shall find!’

The time nearly stopped for Eren as he felt a familiar thought reverberating inside his head. He found himself in a mysterious state once again. This was the same space he had visited when he was breaking into the Meta rank from being a mortal.

Eren’s thoughts were slightly muddled. Even then, he knew he was in a precarious position in the real world and he didn’t have much time. He needed to find a solution to his current problem.

Eren was able to figure out what he needed the most at this point. And he had sufficient experience under his belt to ask for it.

Eren was slowly beginning to understand the element-neutral nature of his infinite mana core. He wasn’t completely confident about learning spells from all the elements. But he had started to branch out once he started mastering fire-element spells.

There was only one problem with Eren using spells from another element. He didn’t possess enough elemental attainments. Even if he could gain affinities with all elements, he was still one human being. He simply didn’t have time to train himself in those many elements.

Using spells with low elemental attainments was almost as good as not being able to use them at all. Especially one who was fighting seriously. The lack of elemental attainment would show through the effects of the spells.

It was basically impossible for him to pursue affinity in all the elements because of this. He needed to find a different way to pursue attainments in other elements.

Still, Eren had decided to add one more element to his ranking path.

​ Wind-element!

He had decided to complement his fire-element spells with the addition of wind-element spells. Thus, he had bought many spells from Malcolm regarding that element and had been practicing them whenever he had a chance.

Eren observed that he was making tremendous progress in his wind-element attainments ever since he had started practicing spells related to it. It was as if the way of the wind was trying to catch up with his other attainments.

So, when asked what he wanted from the pantheon of infinity, he requested perfecting his wind-element attainment. He asked for it to catch up with his other attainments.

A simple request accompanied by a clear determination.

‘Ask and ye shall receive.’

He began thinking about wind as soon as he asked with determination what he needed. Even though he tried hard to maintain a clear consciousness, he lost track of time. It was as if he had gone deep into an infinite sea filled with only thoughts about the elements in various tangible forms.

***

Eren opened his eyes and found out that the monster was still biting on his neck, sucking his vitality and life essence. Thus, he felt extremely weak and fragile. He felt extreme fatigue, and even opening his eyes was like a chore.

His body had been shriveled and his skin had turned dry. He lost luster in his eyes and hair and he had wrinkles on his face. His heartbeats were slowing down and his mana circuits were lacking mana in them.

However, Eren also felt like he had been born anew. His mind was filled with various ideas. His heart was filled with the desire to achieve more than he ever thought he could. All because he started to realize that the limitations he had on himself were only a figment of his imagination for the most part.

The elemental blocks rankers had in their ranking journeys were more mental than anything else. They could pursue a single element and make it produce the elemental nature of other elements. They could choose against their inborn affinity. They could choose a different element, and succeed in progressing much further than anyone in their generation with the inborn affinity.

If a person had an affinity for certain elements, it would make his ranking journey relatively easier. But in the end, it all depends on a person’s will. His desire to pursue something that needed their blood and sweat. Investing time was just one aspect. The investment of more energy and effort in a limited amount of time can sometimes yield superior results. It could enable people to accomplish, in just a few months, what others cannot accomplish in years.

It didn’t mean that the limits imposed on rankers did not exist. One could, however, challenge those limits with their will. They could use various means at their disposal that would allow them to channel their will. Hard work, smart work, usage of tools, making use of people, getting inspired– these were just channels to express people’s wills.

So even while Eren’s body was feeling extreme fatigue, Eren’s will had been renewed by his recent experience. His recent epiphany made him even more thirsty for his all-encompassing path.

This epiphany allowed Eren’s wind-element attainment and affinity to catch up with his way of using fire and lightning. But that was not the only thing. It also helped him progress further in his fire and lightning attainments. And the more he progressed, the more his achievements tried to catch up with him, elevating themselves.

Elemental Aspect.

This epiphany also allowed Eren to dig deep into his fire and lightning elements. He discovered aspects of his elements that were not previously known to him. It also helped him fuse those aspects to achieve something different.

Aspect Fusion.

Eren had seen Lagartha use Aspect Fusion when he had fought with her. That experience helped him gain an Aspect Fusion of his own.

His gains didn’t stop here. He was also able to comprehend the delicate balance between the different elements during the period of epiphany. He was beginning to understand how they worked and combined to give birth to hybrid elements.

Elemental Fusion.

What most rankers couldn’t achieve even after reaching the Arch rank. Eren learned the basics of how elemental fusion works as well. He just needed to test his gains in real life and claim them as his.

***

‘Maybe I overdid it.’

Kino appeared inside the third stage in an invisible form and thought to herself. She saw Eren’s vitality and life essence getting sucked by the plant monster at alarming rates. He was in a compromised state with seemingly no way out. Without her intervention, he would most likely die.

Normally, she wasn’t supposed to be bothered by the contestants taking the tests. But she decided to make an exception for Eren. The fact that he was the first contestant was irrelevant. But she did not want to see a talented Hexer like Eren end his journey this early.

And perhaps, she also didn’t want to see what would happen if the thing that was inside Eren decided to make a move. Her isolation seal on the soul mark only worked because the soul mark was making it work. As if a prisoner who could break any wall decided to stay put in his cell. Possibly because he didn’t have anything to do with the outside world at the moment.

Of course, Kino’s interference would mean that Eren had failed to conquer the testing ground’s final stage. He would only receive a fraction of the rewards he was aiming for. And he would not be able to enter the testing grounds for quite some time after his failure.

Kino didn’t think that Eren would mind. Losing rewards was a better choice when the other option was to lose his life.

However, just as she was about to kill the monsters, she noticed a distinct mana pulse spreading across the area. Eren was casting his spells after about three minutes of his fatal deadlock with the monster.

Kino stopped her actions and decided to observe. What she saw next completely shocked her.

“Anemoi!”

Eren mumbled the name of the spell to mentally help him cast it. This was a summoning spell that belonged to the wind element.

He tapped into his infinite mana core and let the mana course through his entire body. He also sent his circuits into hyperdrive. Something he hadn’t managed to do yet.

He then cast various spells at once to free himself of the death trap.

The cluster of lightning bloomed and the waves of fire spread. A huge windstorm was conjured from thin air before turning into a summoned creature.

The monster that was biting Eren on his shoulder suddenly had his lower jaw destroyed by Eren’s wind-element-coated punch. The compressed wind suddenly expanded rapidly when the punch hit, creating a sonic-like sound.

Lightning and fire were used simultaneously in greater harmony than ever before. They surrounded the monster’s body and destroyed the vines with which he was holding Eren.

The lightning struck and Eren’s feeble body disappeared from the monster’s clutches. But this was just the beginning.

Wind element mana congregated into a large sphere. It then sprouted four pillar-sized limbs and a long trunk. The large leaf-like ears moved and created gales. Two tusks glowed bright blue. A snake-like tail grew from behind it, sending wind-element shrapnels into the air as it moved.

Anemoi: Model Elephant.

Mawwwwww!

An ear-piercing trumpet was released by a 12 ft elephant. He stopped his front legs on the ground and shook the ground to make his presence known. He then charged at his enemies like he was riding a breeze.

===

AN: Aspect Fusion was first introduced in chapter 170.

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