Ashen Ascension: The Divided Flame-Chapter 71: Poor Fighter

Ivor’s headache didn’t go away quickly, which showed he had overworked his Soul Sense. He kept his Soul Sense active enough to watch the skeleton and Nara, but briefly checked his earlier discovery by focusing his sense on Nara’s chest and pressing inward.

The result was instant when he focused hard. He saw the five attuned nodes as denser points on Nara’s mana circuit, but the clarity quickly faded as the effort became too much. It wasn’t mana fatigue, but a painful strain on his soul circuit, and his Ember Seed warned him to stop.

The pain worsened, so he immediately relaxed his focus.

He understood the trade instantly. He could read attuned nodes, but it took intense focus and drained his soul energy, so he couldn’t use it casually. However, this ability was a huge advantage; reading someone’s nodes let him quickly gauge their threat and confidence, even if they tried to conceal it. He had to use it strategically, like a precise knife.

Nara was struggling against the skeleton. The skeleton’s bone sword swung in wide, tireless arcs, and its movements were silent. Nara was tired and defensive, mostly dodging and backing away, letting the skeleton control the fight. He held his daggers correctly, showing skill, but his attacks were poorly timed and aimed at whatever was closest, not at vital points.

The skeleton swung a bone blade, which barely missed Nara’s head. Nara reacted by jabbing his dagger up, hitting the bone weapon’s edge. Instead of deflecting it, he took the full force on his arm, which pushed him back a step. He quickly regained balance, but the momentary delay allowed the skeleton to attack again immediately.

Nara hit the skeleton’s ribs, chipping bone but not breaking it. The monster didn’t flinch. It swung its bone sword low at his legs. Nara leaped back, then tried to stab its hip, but his dagger scraped off. The skeleton’s sword rose again, and Nara felt tense, reacting instead of planning.

Ivor watched, calmly. Five attuned nodes don’t make a fighter. Nara was moving well enough to survive for now, but he wasn’t attacking vital points, not knees, not the spine, or using the opponent’s balance against them. He was just surviving, not winning.

The skeleton attacked again. Nara’s left dagger hit the bone sword, jarring his wrist. He stepped back and stumbled over a root. That mistake gave the skeleton an advantage.

The creature lifted its sword to strike down.

Nara spoke quickly, sounding angry and strained.

"Hey, are you not going to fight?"

Ivor moved instantly when he heard the strike going down, knowing it would hit poorly. Instead of shouting a warning, he rushed in quietly from the skeleton’s side. He kept his body low and focused his Soul Sense to track it easily.

The skeleton’s downward strike toward Nara left its back momentarily exposed. Ivor did not hesitate. He stepped in and lunged forward. Mana surged from his core as he activated the Umbra matrix, and a dense layer of shadow formed over his fist, coating it like darkened steel.

Ivor struck the skeleton, cracking its spine and making its upper body slump. Before it could fall, Ivor spun and kicked its head, shattering it. The skeleton fell apart, and the threat was gone.

Ivor dropped the shadow coating and stood up, pulling the mana back in. He first checked the trees and listened, then turned to Nara.

Nara stared at the broken bones and Ivor’s hand, struggling to process what he had seen. His voice was rough when he finally spoke.

"That’s.....how.... when did you learn to do that."

"I learned by myself," Ivor said.

Nara’s eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief.

"But that is so difficult to do," Nara said. "Didn’t you awaken recently."

Ivor’s look changed fast."I didn’t tell you when I awakened," he said.

Nara looked like he wanted to take back what he said but couldn’t. When he spoke again, he spoke faster, trying to cover up his mistake.

"It is easy to judge," Nara said. "Since you don’t have attuned nodes and you don’t use skills."

Ivor stared without blinking. His instinct reacted and he felt like Nara was lying. An urge to hurt Nara rose inside him.

He held back his urge to kill Nara. Nara was connected to the outside world, to his progress, to knowledge. Ivor spoke softly, controlling himself.

"Why is it difficult to do," he asked. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Nara was relieved to move away from the tense argument. He took a breath and responded like a trainer explaining something to a difficult student.

"Because of mana control and amount of mana," Nara said. "You need good mana density to cover the entire fist like you did. And using it while attacking is also difficult because your movement disrupts your circulation. Normally handlers train us for dual tasking, so you can keep coating stable while you strike. If your core is weak, it collapses. If your control is bad, it leaks. If your breath is wrong, your mana flow turns turbulent."

He paused and admitted honestly, still confused. "I am surprised you learned it on your own."

Ivor agreed without showing emotion.

He knew the true reason better than Nara: his soul’s awakening had stabilized him. Ember Seed’s process, though not directly affecting mana, calmed his mind and body, which improved his control. Umbra’s shadow on his mana circuit seemed to compress the flow, making the coating technique easier, provided he stayed focused and calm.

He knelt by the bones and picked up the dull crystal that had fallen from the broken ribs. It was the same raw impure mana crystal, and he held it briefly like a plain rock. Then he stood and gave it to Nara.

Nara took it, surprised, then accepted it as part of their deal.

They walked deeper quietly.

Ivor took the lead, subtly guiding them away from human trails. Nara followed without arguing, knowing Ivor was better at navigation in the Scar. Ivor noticed Nara wasn’t as sharp; he couldn’t hear as far or see through shadows. Nara looked at the trees with trained eyes, but Ivor sensed the forest through smells and vibrations like a living map.

They soon found another skeleton.

This time, Nara reacted faster, stepping in with both daggers. He tried to hit the arm joint to weaken the bone sword’s grip. The idea was good, but his moves were still awkward. His angle was slightly wrong, and the dagger only scraped the bone. The skeleton swung its sword, and Nara backed away instead of holding his ground.

Ivor quickly ended the fight. He moved behind the skeleton’s attack, used his Soul Sense, and cleanly cut its knee. When the enemy fell, he finished it with strikes to the spine and skull. Nara was left ready to fight, but the battle was already over.

Nara remained silent, his jaw tight. They fought a third skeleton in the woods. The same thing happened: Nara tried to fight, dodging poorly and landing weak hits, leaving himself vulnerable. Ivor quickly finished the fight again. As the skeleton fell, Ivor took the crystal and gave it to Nara without a word.

Nara sighed and finally spoke, understanding Ivor’s silent judgment. "I know," Nara said. "You are thinking I am bad."

Ivor agreed with his look. He watched Nara closely, judging his hands and stance.

Nara’s shoulders dropped, then he stood up."Luna was the fighter," Nara admitted. "I preferred reading and doing other things."

Nara admitted he wasn’t a fighter, a fact that explained his sharp mind, Luna’s better fighting skills, and his knowledge-based confidence. Ivor accepted this and decided he would be the main fighter. Nara’s value was in non-combat knowledge, like maps and records.

They walked on quietly. Ivor kept his "Soul Sense" focused, knowing that understanding a person’s power level would drastically change his strategy for fights, theft, and escape.

Ivor let Nara carry the loot and focused on the path ahead, thinking about the next, tougher area and stronger enemies.