Was The Really Just a Tonic???
’First day passed, 4 casualties, 13 injuries, 3 of which were severe. A total of 9 turrets destroyed, 2 flame turrets, and the remaining were ordinary. 438,992,520 rounds were used by 85 turrets. 233 canisters of fuel were used for 30 flame turrets. Approximately 11,788 beasts were killed with 4,900 of the corpses being retrieved, and a total of 13,000,000,000 Units of stored Mana were used to activate the various formations as well as sustain the barrier. All of this doesn’t include the use of potions and other items used by the soldiers and volunteers to sustain their Mana, reduce their stamina expenditure, and heal themselves.’ Major Thompson read the report detailing the losses and gains made on the first day of the beast tide.
As soon as Fredrick killed the remaining Expert rank ants, he was immediately extracted from the battlefield as the injuries he sustained during the battle rendered him incapable of continuing the battle, and he had already expended most of his Mana.
Other than that, the remaining soldiers had been swapped out for new, fresh combatants who would continue the battle that was still going on late in the night.
While they had night vision goggles, it was still a pain fighting the beasts in the dark, especially with yhe thunderclouds which blocked the moon from shining, making it pitch black, which is why at some point, several floodlights appeared on the wall and came on, sending powerful rays of illuminating light that made the nighttime look like day. As such, the fighters had a much better time fighting.
Once midnight struck, Major Thompson had been handed this report by Sarah who immediately went back to noting any anomalies reported by the Handlers
As for the Handlers themselves, while they weren’t doing anything physical, each of them was still concentrating intently and using considerable brain power to process everything they saw and relay information accordingly. Some Handlers even had to handle numerous things at once, forcing them to multitask and split their attention.
Despite this, though, none of them seemed tired, and even if they did, they didn’t let it affect their work.
It was things that made each and every Citadel a force to be reckoned with. Yes, individual strength was good, but strength without direction was like a sword without a wielder. In this situation, the Handlers to the soldiers and other combatants made the Citadel no different from a single large body fighting against its enemies.
They worked like a well-oiled machine to achieve their goals, the primary one being to protect the citizens followed by killing the Harbinger.
"Sir, the formations have been established and linked. They have been rendered inert until further notice, all E.E.S. teams have also retreated from the points. Moreover, the formations were covered with perception-blocking powder to prevent them from being discovered and can be activated remotely as per your order." Sarah came back not long ago. Her usually neat hair had a few loose strands and her brow seemed constantly furrowed at this point, yet she remained calm as she gave her report.
Thompson nodded before saying.
"Good, proceed with the following preparations, and remember, while we are under a timer, avoid making hasty mistakes," He instructed before tilting his head and asking. "Also, how is Lady Jane recovering? And what is the situation with the Asset?"
Hearing this, Sarah’s frown grew, yet she still answered.
"Lady Jane has completely eradicated the foreign Mana and is recovering smoothly. We anticipate that she will be fully healed in half a day. As for the Asset..." She hesitated for a second before saying. "It would appear that his... ’venture’ was successful." Hearing this, Major Thompson raised a brow that seemed almost amused.
’Hm, I guess I was correct then.’ He thought before urging Sarah to continue, as it was clear there was more she had to say.
After a while, she eventually said.
"Sir, I know he said it’s a tonic he wanted to make for his beast, but, it seems like whatever he made did far more than that." Major Thompson raised a brow. He imagined such would become the case. After all, the things Osho had asked for were incredibly valuable. If he could make proper use of them, then it wasn’t surprising that the results would be above average. But...
"It’s more than that, isn’t it?" He asked, and the woman sighed.
"Indeed, we began the bloodline training with a statistic of his beast’s previous performance based on how it performed against the Skyblight Harbinger. This included the length of the bloodline manifestation, its strength and intensity, as well as the degree of strain the bird would undergo and the recovery period. We initially anticipated that the results would be worse than when the confrontation happened since it was a high-pressure situation which forced his beast to bring out its all. But when he proposed that the results would be similar to slightly higher than what was shown previously, but... take a look at this." She said and handed Major Thompson the tablet.
The man took the tablet and looked it over, and his pupils constricted in shock.
1. Manifestation Duration
Initial: 7 minutes 12 seconds
Post-Tonic: 21 minutes 44 seconds
→ Tripled. Sustained high-level manifestation with no early signs of burnout.
(A/N: To be clear, the first result is just an estimation of how long Gale could Manifest his bloodline. The time it manifested against the Harbinger was MUCH shorter due to the massive rank gap.)
2. Manifestation Intensity
Initial: 57% Bloodline Purity Output (estimated cap based on body’s durability)
Post-Tonic: 93% Output, with partial manifestation of Core Natures observed
→ Marked increase in Affinity clarity and identity strength. No signs of backlash.
3. Aura Strength (Radiation Field)
Initial: Effective Range – 15 meters | Pressure Rating – Grade 3 (Mild)
Post-Tonic: Effective Range – 42 meters | Pressure Rating – Grade 6 (Dangerous)
→ Massive aura expansion. Induced suppression in nearby test-beasts up to Adept rank. None of which were Avian beasts.
4. Strain on Nervous System
Initial: 72% Cognitive function Overload – Was unable to make proper use of its muscles for a time, response to external stimuli was significantly limited.
Post-Tonic: 34% Overload – Minimal Physical Response
→ Significant reduction in Nervous System strain. Displayed exceptional mobility even after bloodline manifestation.
5. Recovery Time (Post-Manifestation Fatigue)
Initial: 4 hours (Full spiritual & physical recovery)
Post-Tonic: 51 minutes
→ Shocking drop in recovery time. Suggests efficient energy management and bloodline adaptation.
"It’s not just a small or intermediate increase. There has been a significant spike in all things related to his bloodline. And that isn’t all." Sarah said before swiping the screen to show another set of statistics, but this time, it was a difference in Gale’s overall abilities including his speed, durability, strength, and energy control. And just like the previous set of statistics, the jump in this one was quite significant.
Previous Baseline: 275.68 m/s (993 km/h / 617 mph)
Post-Tonic: 379.06 m/s (1,364.6 km/h / 847.9 mph)
→ +37.5% increase in maximum flight velocity.
Now capable of breaking the sound barrier without any amplified propulsion. Stable trajectory at supersonic levels confirmed.
Previous Estimate: Capable of flying though solid steel constructs via direct impact (non-hollow, human-sized)
Post-Tonic: Penetrated a beast with a biological toughness 3x greater than steel, enhanced with wind magic
→ Confirmed kinetic reinforcement. Muscular density and cellular cohesion likely optimized by Sky-based bloodline refinement. Internal rupture negligible post-impact.
3. Strength (Raw Physical)
Previous: 70% output relative to peak strike (vs Coyote-type beast at Apprentice-level)
Post-Tonic: Full-force physical strike produced fatal damage to previously unbreachable targets
→ +42.8% increase in direct impact force. Beak structure and wing joints reinforced; strike velocity synergizing with denser skeletal tension.
4. Strength (Mana-Augmented)
Previous: Capable of defeating high-defense enemies above Coyote-class using precision strikes (A/N: The Sloth)
Post-Tonic: Overwhelmed reinforced enemy shielding estimated at +1.5x Coyote’s defense threshold
→ Mana augmentation reached advanced tier. Energy now augments offense with refined flow and density buildup.
Previous: High-tier among Novice-ranked beasts. Stable but not complex.
Post-Tonic: Demonstrated fine control over mana layering, elemental shaping, and recoil minimization.
→ Surpassed Initial expectations significantly. Evidence suggests instinctive conversion of ambient mana into personal reserves mid-flight.
Major Thompson prided himself on being able to keep his composure in most situations. After all, besides commanding probably one of the most important sets of individuals within the Citadel, he’d also had his fair share of life and death battles that required him to keep his composure at the most tense moments.
Yet he couldn’t help but run a hand through his hair as his eyes widened.
To begin with, Gale’s base stats were already incredible for a Novice rank beast, all his previous stats before this were enough to make one truly ponder on whether or not the bird was still at the Novice rank. They were simply incredible, and even more so when you remember how young the bird is.
Yet his stats now were simply staggering, especially his speed. It was well over the speed of sound, and that was without any form of amplification.
It made one wonder just how significant of a jump the bird would experience after entering the Apprentice rank...
"Slight change of priorities." Major Thompson suddenly spoke and Sarah looked at him with surprise as he continued.
"Continue training the length and strength of his bloodline manifestation, but additionally, focus on causing a breakthrough to the Apprentice rank."