5 minutes earlier
Neo and his Shadow were locked in high-speed combat.
While the Shadow continued to press its advantage, Neo's mind was focused on something else.
'I still can't understand it. Why can we talk without having a mouth or a body?' freēwēbnovel.com
He tried to think hard for a solution.
Eventually, he noticed something.
'The Shadow's voice is the same as mine.'
'How am I hearing it without having ears? How can I see without having eyes?'
His bloodline and elemental affinities were bonded to his soul.
It made sense how he could use them without a body.
But his physical senses were different.
The answer was obvious when he thought about it.
'I can't see, or hear, or talk.'
'Then what is this right now? How am I perceiving my surroundings?'
Neo hadn't realized it, but he was entering a state of enlightenment.
It was true Neo had mediocre talent.
For someone like him, enlightenment was something he could never hope to achieve even once.
But Neo had a unique advantage.
He had lived long.
Far longer than one could imagine.
The experience he gained from having thousands of years' worth of memory taught him a lot.
His enlightenment wasn't born out of overflowing talent.
It was the fruit of his wisdom and efforts.
'Let's think of it step by step. How do I talk without a mouth?'
His thoughts continued to churn.
Despite being locked in a death battle, Neo was focused entirely on his enlightenment.
'…Ah!'
The answer came to him in a flash.
'Intent.'
Intent was the only field where he had talent. After all, he had overwhelmingly strong Willpower.
'I can talk to Elementals with Intent. I don't need to use my mouth for it.'
People spoke Incantations to talk with Elementals, but it was to strengthen their Intents.
Those with strong Intent, like Neo or Zeus, could use Incantations without saying them out loud.
This technique was called chantless incantations. It involved projecting one's Intent outward and communicating with Elementals.
'So my Shadow and I've been talking with Intent.'
'But what about my other senses? Why can I hear the clashes of our swords and see the Shadow take a stance?'
'Is it because of Intent too?'
It was as if Neo's body was on autopilot.
Neo continued to fight the Shadow while analyzing Intent.
He tried to delve deeper and focused on his surroundings.
And.
'….!?'
'What is this?'
The moment he understood he was talking thanks to Intent, he realized another fact.
All of his senses were working by perceiving Intent of his surroundings.
To Neo, it was as if a new world had opened up.
'Everything has Intent.'
'The sword, the ground, even sounds. They all have Intent.'
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